Spring Branch ISD Featured News

Inspiring Creativity
 

 

Students at Memorial Drive Elementary are growing their creativity through a new publication designed to showcase learning beyond the classroom. It’s called The Stampede, and it’s the school’s new magazine.

The publication, the brainchild of campus Art and Music Specialists, showcases everything from student-created poetry to essays and illustrations. It's published digitally and available on the campus website and social media channels.

Ask Music Specialist Gina Dixon why the project is essential, and you'll hear what many industry and education professionals have been shouting in recent years - the need for schools to focus on and foster student creativity.

Why? Jobs of the future will demand individuals who can solve problems creatively.

In a survey conducted by design industry leader Adobe, nearly 85 percent of educators and policymakers in the United States think creative problem solving is an important skill for students to learn in school.

At the same time, 84 percent of educators and 68 percent of policymakers said American education doesn’t emphasize creative problem solving enough.

"It's an opportunity to give the boys and girls a chance to voice their talents and creativity," said Dixon. "Our students can find out more about themselves, and maybe that will open up an opportunity later in life."

With a future workplace projected to be dominated by artificial intelligence, creativity will be one of the only skills separating humans from machines. Students will need the capacity to be creative to compete.

This looming robot doomsday may seem like something out of a comic strip and isn’t on the list of immediate worries for student cartoonists Carter and Austin. The team works collaboratively on cartoon strips for The Stampede. Their focus is much more straightforward and immediate - making their readers happy.

"We like to make people happy and feel good," said Austin. "It's really fun to let everyone see what I love doing the most."

"It's a really good feeling to sit down and draw something that you know people will want to see,” said Carter.

Specialist Dixon is seeing a response from student and readers. “People are reading if from all over,” said Dixon. “We’re getting some great comments.”

More significant than the positive comments is the powerful example of #LimitlessCuriosity provided by the experience. Learners in the entire Memorial Drive Elementary School community are feeling inspired to take risks and explore their creativity.

Download an infographic from Abode about CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING.

 

 


Submitted by Melissa Wiland, SBISD Communications, melissa.wiland@springbranchisd.com.