A Los Alamitos High School student is trying to make younger children appreciate the sounds of nature through a unique program.
Garrett Celestin has developed Project Silence, a way of developing places where children can go and enjoy the sounds of nature. Celestin said he plans on going to all the elementary schools in the area to talk to students about nature and about keeping areas green.
He is planning a beach cleanup on Saturday, March 20 to get his project kicked off.
He told LAUSD board of Education members at their Feb. 23 meeting that the teachers and staff at Lee Elementary, where he attended school, have been very receptive to his idea.
“If we can make a mark on the individual schools, it will be more impactful on the students involved,” Celestin said.
Celestin recently returned from a three-week trip to Malaysia with the Pangaya Project inspired by explorer and philanthropist Mike Horn. While in Malaysia, Celestin helped construct the start of a reef where he hopes animals will begin to congregate. He also helped construct an orangutan feeding area that is more stable than the one that was previously there.
In other news, Oak Middle School teacher Todd Schmidt gave a nearly 30-minute demonstration of the Qwizdom System, a student response system that encourages 100-percent student participation.
The electronic system ensures that all students are taking an active role in classroom discussion, as teachers can tell who isn’t answering a question. By virtue of student answers teachers can immediately tell what core areas of a subject students are understanding or where focus needs to be paid attention to.
“It’s definitely a lot of fun for them,” Schmidt said. “I get a kick out of it too.”
The system is not strictly questions and answers. Impromptu quizzes can be done in a game-style format, such as soccer or racing where you have to be both accurate and fast to win.
“Students can play as individuals or as teams, depending on the situation,” Schmidt said. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Sherry Kropp says the fact teachers are able to monitor an entire class’ mastery of a concept immediately is exciting about the project.
“Every student answers every question every time,” Kropp said. “The response is immediate and the kids like it too.”
Kropp said there are three Technology Model Classrooms in the district who are helping getting other teachers trained in the system. Kropp said the project price is small to see kids as engaged in classwork as they are.
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for March 9 at 6:30 p.m.
