By Annie Makela, Director of the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Hillbrook
“One of my favorite things about Reach Beyond is that I have seen the way in which certain frameworks have made their way into other classes to provide meaningful extensions of learning. My sixth grader recently finished a project in English in which she made a poster connecting action items we can all do here at Hillbrook to support the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This topic became our dinner conversation for the rest of the week!” -6th and 7th grade parent
What we know to be true after three years of shaping the Reach Beyond framework at Hillbrook is that when you give children the opportunity to explore the questions “What matters to you?” and “What are you doing about it?”
Our students not only have meaningful time to explore the many ways they might answer that question, but they are also eager to share their learning with their school and home communities. On Monday, January 27, Annie Makela (Director of the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship) and Bill Selak (Director of Technology) hosted a live podcast episode in the Multipurpose Room (MPR) to share more about how this exciting new block of time is enabling us to deliver on our mission and vision in the student experience.
Reach Beyond Block (or “RBB,” as it’s fondly called here at Hillbrook) has served as an extension of projects like the 3rd grade Sound Project, the 8th grade Capstone, and the JK/K Changemaker unit. It has also created a block of time to introduce new frameworks, projects, and community partnerships. Through the Scott Center for Social Entrepreneurship, frameworks such as the Better World Ed curriculum introduce students to stories of “Movers and Shakers.” Through short, wordless, visual stories 1st and 2nd graders encountered people like Mac, who is a farmer, musician, and dedicated family man who lives in South Carolina. In the Middle School, January RBB was a chance to dive deep into conversations of identity and privilege through film and structured conversation. The current Middle School cycle is called “Voice and Choice,” and it makes space for student-led and designed RBB experiences. Reach Beyond Block continues to be an evolving student-centered experience that is deeply aligned with our mission and vision as a school. We hope you will listen to the podcast here to learn more!