BIG DREAMS
New fund provides additional resources for innovative academic projects
Worthington Christian School aims to create an environment of big dreams. The kind of big dreams that engage students in the type of learning to which WC aspires–experiential, authentic, and purposeful. The kind of big dreams that involve projects in which students can get their “hands dirty,” learning from doing and actively engaging their world. The kind of big dreams that spark student curiosity and inquiry. The kind of big dreams that help students develop a coherent understanding of the world, connect their learning to meaningful questions, and contribute solutions to critical problems.
Some time ago, WC’s leadership began praying that the school could build a fund that would financially accommodate these “big dreams” that may require resources outside of the regular sources of funding. God responded to those prayers in a special way in 2021. An alumni family reached out to WC’s administration with the desire to support teachers in a way that would bless the teachers and provide an ongoing benefit to the school. After hearing about the project to fund teachers’ big academic dreams, the family was drawn to this unique opportunity. Through the generosity of this lead donor and other end-of-year gifts from 2021, the administration is now excited to announce the fruition of the Worthington Christian School Teacher Innovation-Student Engagement Grant.
This winter, the administrative team will seek project proposals from the faculty and determine which ones best meet the criteria for innovation and student engagement, with the hope of the first funded project beginning in August for the 2022-23 academic year. The criteria for these projects include those that reflect Understanding by Design as the structure of planning, are long-term experiences for students, have a lasting impact and are repeatable year after year or involve several years of students, involve experiences or people outside the regular school day, and seek to solve real-world problems.
WC’s Director of Teaching and Learning Tom Burns explains, “No dream is too big for these proposals. We want to fund what teachers want to try that they believe will help engage students and help them learn in more meaningful and memorable ways.” Now that a fund exists to further develop an environment of big dreams which spark curiosity and inquiry, Burns explains that this ought to have a snowball effect on learning at WC. In his words, “As students see the value of inquiry-based learning and begin to long for these experiences, and as teachers see examples of real-world learning that can be replicated in various grade levels and disciplines, we hope that requests for these grants increase and we will need more funding to meet the demand.”
Just as He has since before the first Warriors took their seats in a WC classroom, God is at work in mighty ways in and through our administration, faculty, and students. This school was founded by a group of dedicated and generous people who had a big dream. This foundation has now become a school legacy of trusting God, looking to Him for the big dreams He has, and stepping out in faith. It is exciting to see how God will continue to move at WC through the Teacher Innovation-Student Grant.
If you would like to be a part of this new project, you can select “Make a Gift” below and simply direct your gift to “Academics.”