High Tech High Exhibition Night 2008 Pt 2




In April I had the chance to be High Tech High School, a charter school in San Diego, for their annual Exhibition Night, where students show off classroom projects for parents, classmates, friends, and the community. Several things stood out to me. First, the number of people who came out on the Spring night. Many of them dressed like they have front row seats to Phantom Of The Opera. That was impressive. Even better the students obviously were proud to show off their work. They'd spent the day and hours after school getting their classrooms and projects set up just so. Then when the crowds arrived, they stood explaining their work and answering questions. In addition to the obvious Science and Math projects, I saw History projects. Student writing, Geography, and more. It was there in movies, machines, story boards, creations, and even a class room turned into a casino. This was a great way to show off a school built around the idea of putting students to work in a hands-on way creating projects that show how academic concepts and skills operate in the real world. They showcase teamwork and communication skills. The guy in black got a lot of attention explaining how he built a toilet that filled itself with waste water from a sink. It worked flush after flush. It was also a great time for parents to see how much their children were learning and for the community to see a school that works.


Yeah, definitely. So [INAUDIBLE] as the [INAUDIBLE] night at the high school continued, a separate exhibition is taking place next door at the middle school, showing the same kind of skills and results. From simple machines to Piñatas. It was amazing they are to talk to teenager after teenager who could describe what they were learning, how they designed their work, problems they encountered, changes they made, and how it all worked in the end. [INAUDIBLE] It's a real celebration of engaging learning experience.


[INAUDIBLE] [Various background conversations].