By Sadie Hunter
Throughout the 2016-17 school year, Noblesville Schools students district-wide have been working on innovative projects that will be displayed to the community at the fourth annual MillerShift Learning Showcase, which will take place at Noblesville High School March 16.
For the past month, students in Julie Gunning’s fourth-grade class at White River Elementary have been researching Noblesville and some of its most unique features for their booth at the showcase. Gunning and students will show their video, “An Eagle-Eye View of the Community,” which will reveal what kids find neat about Noblesville and the downtown area.
“We thought we would do the courthouse because it’s one of Noblesville’s monuments,” said Kate Rollins, 10, a student in Gunning’s class. “(In our project) we explained a little bit about the courthouse and a little bit about what was inside and when it was built. We went to Alexander’s afterwards and included photos of us eating ice cream because it’s not a place you see everywhere, only a place you see in Noblesville.”
Other student videos will feature Noblesville staples like Hamilton Town Center, restaurants and historic landmarks.
“My group focused on the Hamilton County Humane Society,” said Carson Mertens, 10, also a student in Gunning’s class. “We went and interviewed a person who works there.”
“Other groups in our class did their video on Matteo’s (Ristorante Italiano) and Potter’s Bridge,” said McCoy Fulk, 10, also a student in Gunning’s class.
Although not every student shot videos of notable Noblesville places, each wrote welcome letters that will be distributed at local hotels for guests. The letters inform about fun and unique things to do from a kid’s perspective.
White River Elementary Principal Rebecca Dicus is in for a new experience, too, because she has never attended a Learning Showcase. Dicus became principal at the beginning of the 2016-17 school year and said she’s excited to see the four groups from the school that will be featured but also groups from other schools.
“This is just a really great opportunity for teachers to bring students and highlight some of the real-world learning connections that they’re making in the classroom,” Dicus said. “It will be neat for everyone to see what the other schools are doing with their kids.”
The large community event spans a majority of common areas in the high school and hundreds each year.
“I am a firm believer that the schools have a huge impact in the whole community. So regardless of if people have kids or not, it’s important that people see what we’re doing in the schools because their taxes support us,” Dicus said. “I think anytime we can open up what we’re doing for the community to see, it brings value to our purpose and what the students are doing. A lot of the feedback that we get from parents when we do things similar to the Learning Showcase is, ‘Wow, we didn’t do this when we were in school.’”
ATTEND THE 2017 MILLERSHIFT LEARNING SHOWCASE
What: A two-hour event featuring Noblesville Schools’ 10 schools and their programs, students, teachers and projects. This free event is open to the public.
When: 6 to 8 p.m. March 16. Innovative Teacher Award ceremony will take place just before at 5:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium.
Where: Noblesville High School, 18111 Cumberland Rd., Noblesville.
More: bit.ly/2lwpKI0
STOP AT THE BOOTHS
Noblesville High School
Manufacturing by students: Come see student projects that have been created using a laser cutter.
Extreme wheel throwing: Ceramics students will push the envelope with size where they attach segments of previously thrown vessels to create an extreme pot.
Student media—Telling the stories of the NHS and Noblesville communities: Check out how students from the award-winning NHS journalism staffs are taking the media world by storm—online, in print and via broadcast.
Introduction to printmaking: Students will demonstrate intaglio and relief printing techniques.
PLTW biomedical sciences: PLTW Biomedical Sciences students demonstrate labs and tools used in four levels of classes.
NHS internship program: NHS interns will discuss their work experiences and the value of the program.
Play, process, produce—teaching creatitivity: The Noblesville Art Dept. encourages creative thinking through play, experimental process, production and reflection.
Aerospace engineering: See what takes place behind the scenes in the Aerospace Engineering class at NHS, from robots, to wind power, to flying high.
Engineering design and development student projects: NHS students will present their design projects that demonstrate the design process from research to product design to testing prototypes.
Design challenges in engineering: See how students use design challenges to direct their learning and solve complex engineering problems.
Breakout EDU: Students will use their Spanish-language skills to solve a Breakout EDU puzzle.
Using eco-columns to study environmental systems: AP Environmental Science students will discuss findings from a long-term lab investigation using eco-columns to study environmental systems.
What happens in theater arts?: Come see theater students do what they do best: perform. These mini performances will include all aspects of a production.
Music production and recording arts—Sign up at the table outside 3109 to see a 20 minute presentation of what high school recording students do when recording in the studio.
Noble Brass: The Noble Brass Quintet is a chamber ensemble made up of four students and their director, playing a variety of literature for this genre.
Noblesville East Middle School
#UnleashtheHealthyU: Come and explore the real heart and healthy apps.
2017 Noblesville memorial contest: “We the People NEMS” is proposing the construction of a new memorial and they need your help choosing one of three designs.
The Shape of Things: Come explore how shapes influence the world around us, famous artists who use shapes in creative ways, and then create your own work of art.
Miller Strike: Students play Caribbean steel drums.
Noblesville West Middle School
Beyond Science: Student-designed extension projects: Students designed and carried out unique science experiments over the past few months in order to extend their thinking “beyond science.”
Elements of art: Students showcase their elements of art, iMovies and live demonstrations of working with various media.
Hazel Dell Elementary
Creativity in math: Kindergarteners will show off their creativity in math. The students will be sharing their creations of iMovies and PicCollages.
Student-directed math lessons: Students pace themselves through math lessons using traditional and digital tools to practice, get support and monitor progress.
A Place of Wonder—Learning through inquiry: Wonder sparks students’ curiosity and encourages risk-taking as students inquire and explore their passion for new knowledge.
STEAM with robots and apps: Students showcase coding projects and Sphero robotic expertise. Guests can test out a student-created App or their Sphero driving skills.
Hinkle Creek Elementary
Leaving a legacy of kindness: How might we leave a legacy of kindness? Let second-, fourth- and fifth-graders share the ideas they have put into action.
Argument and advocacy public service announcements: Students looked for evidence, evaluated arguments, and formed thoughtful judgments on important issues and ultimately created PSAs.
Read all about it: Students show off their expertise by writing and publishing a magazine, incorporating knowledge, creation and peer teaching.
Animal experts: Kindergarteners at Hinkle Creek have been learning about non-fiction and animals through our literacy units, writing units, inquiry and fun.
Noble Crossing Elementary
Purposeful play: Purposeful play will deepen classroom learning through student-led lessons and activities that help foster a growth mindset.
STEM in literacy: Integrating STEM activities can be quick, easy and connected to literacy standards.
PLTW 5K—Coding and collaboration: Paired Kindergarten and fifth-grade students work collaboratively to show their understanding of coding in through completion of a PLTW project.
North Elementary
Flexible seating—Wiggle while you work: Fourth-graders will show flexible seating options and will explain how this creates a positive and engaging learning environment.
Student journalists soar with S’more, teachers Maribeth Sellers and Staci Scott-Stewart: Authentic audiences and writing abound with student-published classroom newsletters using S’more.
Promise Road Elementary
Weather PBL: Second grade teachers and students will present their weather PBL unit.
Letting our curiosity run wild: Showcasing their very own learning adventure. Students will show off what they wanted to learn and how they wanted to learn.
Techno tasting: Fifth-graders will provide a showcase of various technology demonstrations used to enhance the classroom learning experience.
Stony Creek Elementary
Creating community: This presentation will utilize a table and will be presented with video testimonials of students, physical and digital artifacts.
Osmo: Osmo’s groundbreaking system fosters social intelligence and creative thinking by opening up the iPad to the endless possibilities of play.
Breakout!: Use critical thinking, teamwork, problem solving and STEM skills to breakout of student created Escape boxes.
White River Elementary
An Eagle-Eye View of the Community: Fourth-graders in Mrs. Gunning’s class give their “eagle-eye view” of Noblesville in a student-created Noblesville tourism video.
Learning to code with Swift Playground: Students use Swift Playgrounds to learn code with the goal of working in groups to create their own apps.
Osmo fun: Osmo allows children to experience hands-on learning from the iPad. Students can practice math skills, literacy, coding and more.
Meet Dot and Dash: First- and second-grade robotics team members provide hands-on programing and coding with Dot and Dash robots.
