When Savannah Ryan started her freshman year of high school at Shawnee Mission South, she and her classmates were tasked with helping the City of Overland Park solve a community issue that was keeping public pools from opening.
During her English and Language Arts class, Savannah listened to representatives from the city explain their struggle to hire enough lifeguards to keep the pools in service. It was a problem she says she previously didn’t know about but was eager to help solve.
“I thought I came here to read ‘Of Mice and Men’,” joked Savannah. “But, I got to now really dive in deep with my community and know that not only is what I’m learning at school important, but it connects outside of me, just sitting at my desk.”
This was Savannah’s first opportunity to participate in a Client Connected Project (CCP), an experience that gives students a chance to analyze and solve real problems in collaboration with professionals. Students receive feedback and guidance from the professionals throughout the process and present their findings with suggested solutions.
“I was just amazed by everything that I learned. I gained confidence in myself. I gained speaking skills.”
Savannah and her classmates researched the problem by interviewing peers and current lifeguards and then put together comprehensive recommendations. For the final piece of the project, students presented their findings to Overland Park Parks and Recreation Department officials, who were able to use the student research to successfully staff all pools. By completing this CCP, Savannah earned her first Market Value Asset (MVA), a credential that, by 2030, all SMSD grads will have. There are several ways to earn an MVA. A CCP, like the one Savannah participated in, is an example of a “Work Experience.” Another work experience MVA might be an internship. Students can also earn an MVA by obtaining Entrepreneurial Experiences, College Credit, or an Industry-Recognized Credential like an OSHA-10 certification, Certified Nursing Assistant, Emergency Medical Technician, or ServSafe Food Handler.
“An MVA will help make [students] marketable once they launch and go into the real world,” explained Britt Sherer, a Real World Learning counselor at Shawnee Mission North High School. “They can put it on their resume, they can talk to employers about it. It makes them stand out when they’re going for jobs.”
Savannah earned a second MVA this fall when she participated in another CCP with the City of Overland Park. In her Advanced Placement Language Arts class, Savannah and her classmates worked on content for signage and plaques at the new Bietigheim-Bissingen Park. The park was a multi-year project built to honor the relationship between the city of Overland Park and its sister city, Bietigheim-Bissingen in Germany.
“We were focusing on explaining the history and the story of the place and the park,” explained Savannah. “And we were like, what should we talk about, sports? Or music? What is going to tell the story of both Overland Park and Bietigheim-Bissingen? What intertwined them together?”
Travis Gatewood, the Language Arts teacher at Shawnee Mission South who facilitated this project, says the highlight of this experience was hearing the students’ feedback. “Multiple students have spoken to the project as one of their favorite things they’ve accomplished in high school,” said Gatewood. “I think seeing their writing for a real world audience both when they had to pitch their presentations to city and district staff, and then to see it polished and put on the signs for the community at large to enjoy, I think that authenticity of it and the real world audience for their work is really the highlight and the takeaway from the project.”
Through the completion of these projects, Savannah has proven herself to be a resilient learner, an innovative and critical thinker, a skilled communicator, a civic and global contributor, and an effective collaborator. These core competencies, which are the framework of Shawnee Mission School District’s Portrait of a Graduate, are essential in real world experiences. However, developing these skills begins long before students embark on their first MVA. Here are more examples of how students at every age are gaining real-world experience and building a foundation of tangible life skills.
Pre-K In Nicole Hillmon’s Pre-Kindergarten classroom at Crestview Elementary, students aren’t just learning about recycling and the environment, they’re experiencing it. In their dramatic play area, Hillmon created a recycling center where students get to sort real containers and materials, identify recycling symbols, and even pretend to drive a recycling truck. “Kids are like the biggest sponges for information you will ever meet,” explained Hillmon. “And they want to be like adults and do adult things. So, this was a way for them to have a meaningful experience they can carry on. I have some kids that can read, I have some kids that just know their colors, or I have some that need help. And so this also gives it that social interaction, like being able to help each other play in this area, take turns, but also have some ownership to it.” Through this play, these Pre-K students are practicing the foundational social and emotional skills—the very core of the Effective Collaborator and Innovative and Critical Thinker, while the content of the play exposes them to an age-appropriate lesson on being a Civic and Global contributor.
3rd Grade At Rising Star Elementary School, third-grade students brought their social studies curriculum to life by working in groups to create their own fictional communities. Students decided whether their community would be urban, suburban, or rural. They worked collaboratively to determine the climate, landmarks, public spaces, and community elements. Then, they applied their map skills to create a large-scale map of their community and presented it to parents and other students. “I see a lot of growth with just working as a team,” said Emma Greenlee, one of the teachers who facilitated the project. “They get a lot more independent and confident with conflict resolution skills and how to communicate as a team.” Lynelle Rall is one of the students who participated. She said she was nervous before presenting her project but felt proud after she finished. “I would want to tell other students that [this project] is really hard but it’s really fun, too,” said Rall. By working together and overcoming the physical and emotional challenges associated with this project, students practiced their skills as Resilient Learners and Effective Collaborators, while also working on their abilities as Skilled Communicators.
5th Grade Fifth-grade students at Rosehill Elementary designed their own water filtration systems as part of their Water Cycle and Earth’s Major Systems science unit. Students followed the “Ask, Explore, Model, Evaluate, Explain” framework, which encourages scientific thinking and inquiry. The initial question posed was, “How can I design a device that produces clean water?” Students then researched the question and created their own designs. In groups, they assembled their systems and put them to the test with dirty water samples. Afterwards, the teams assessed their designs for what worked, what didn’t and presented their findings. “Testing was definitely a highlight for students,” explained Hannah Hobert, a fifth-grade teacher. It brought both excitement and challenges. Some groups ran into issues such as their devices leaking or painfully slow filtration rates. These obstacles required teams to think critically, adapt their designs, and collaborate to improve their outcomes.” Bella Suddath and Adi Sapenaro participated in the project and say they liked being able to try different things to get the water clear and the end result “helped us believe what [our research] was saying,” said Suddath.
7th Grade At Indian Hills Middle School, 7th-grade students participated in mock interviews with business and community partners and district officials to practice soft skills, including having a conversation with strangers, articulating their experiences and opinions, and conducting themselves professionally. “I thought in interviews they would just ask, “Oh, what do you do? Oh, that’s nice.” explained Hattie Stenger, one of the student participants. “But, it’s a lot harder than that, and takes a lot more work to actually get the job.” To prepare for their interviews, students compiled lists of their strengths and weaknesses and brainstormed questions they might be asked. Even after just this one exposure to a professional interview, Stenger said she feels more comfortable and confident going into another interview. “I feel like it was really, really good and in the future I will do a lot better and work harder,” said Stenger.
Shawnee Mission School District is the third largest school district in Kansas. The district serves students in Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade in 34 elementary schools, five middle schools, five high schools, and several educational centers. It has been consistently ranked among the finest school districts nationwide for its high student performance. The district’s objective is that each student will have a personalized learning plan that will prepare them for college and careers, with the interpersonal skills they need for life success. The district serves a diverse student population from 14 cities within northeast Johnson County, Kansas, which is 10 miles from downtown Kansas City, Missouri. For more information, visit www.smsd.org.
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