Kevin started with bottom line, which is that the state of the Canton Public Schools is excellent. He then went on with the help of staff and students to justify his pride. One of the key things that Kevin let us know is that the schools are driven by a set of core values which are Collaboration, Kindness, and Integrity. They strive to "Work together with open minds, creativity and innovation; Look fro ways to treat others with kindness and respect; Do our very best, be hones and hold each other accountable." Every on is certainly familiar with the 3 Rs but Canton also talks about the importance of the 6Cs: Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, Creativity and Innovation, Citizenship, and Compassion.
Jon Bishop spoke to us about STEAM. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. The Canton schools have integrated STEAM throughout the curriculum and in all of the grades. The meaning of STEAM was explained to us by 3 students from the elementary, middle, and high school who talked about the experiences that they had.
Annie Obrzut was an amazingly poised young lady who to the surprise of the club was introduced as a 4th grader. Annie spoke about FLL, the First Lego League and what she has learned in terms of problem solving, developing solutions, and working together in a Collaboration Laboratory.
A student who wasn't able to come, Jake, was going to tell us that Canton requires all students in 7th grade to have a 30 day experience in computer programing as part of their development in understanding the world that they live in and to prepare them for all the changes coming in the future.
We next heard from Charles Perks and who has learned about robots and programing. We got to see Charles robot do the Hustle and to follow him around the room.
He spoke about the importance of Robotics and how this has really sparked his interest.
We then heard from Brendan Kelly, who spoke about the Robotics Club and the FIRST TECH Challenge. The challenge is not only about competition but also about coopertition. They came in 4th in their first competition but couldn't have competed at all, if another team hadn't loaned them a controller when theirs broke.
Part of the role of the Canton Public Schools is to prepare student for the future whether college or a career. The jobs that will need to be done in the future, may not even exist today. That is the challenge that the school system is facing in a proactive manner. I think we were all impressed by what is happening in our schools.