The future arrives

Everywhere he went Monday morning – the first day of the 2009-2010 school year – Dr. Joe A. Hairston saw and heard evidence that the future of education is now and it is in our schools. This was no surprise to the Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools.

At Chesapeake High School in Essex, he saw education’s future in the enthusiasm of students as they used – for the first time – the new virtual learning classroom and lab.

“This is what public education is doing,” Dr. Hairston said as he surveyed the room of Chesapeake students. “This is what our students and our schools are capable of in Baltimore County Public Schools.”

At Chesapeake High and at other stops along the Superintendent’s traditional first day of school visits, students and their teachers already were well into their lesson plans and learning. And they plunged right into the school year in ways that reflected a central theme of Dr. Hairston’s this year.

Students at Catonsville Middle School complete math problems on the board while Superintendent Hairston looks on.

“Over the past 10 years, we collectively took the responsibility to embrace change, to embrace this community and our students, and to drive performance to higher levels. We have shown the world, our community, and especially our children that it can be done,” Dr. Hairston said during an August 21 address to school system principals, administrators, and supervisory personnel. “Our charge now is to embrace (students’) future . . . to continue moving this school system toward greatness.”

Joining Dr. Hairston for the school visits were Board of Education Vice President Ed Parker and County Executive James T. Smith, Jr. At several schools, they were also joined by Board members Joe Pallozzi and Larry Schmidt.

At each stop on the first day – Dr. Hairston’s 10th opening day since arriving as Baltimore County’s top public schools leader in 2000 – students and teachers were fully engaged; they were engaged not only in learning reading, writing, and mathematics, but they were engaged in learning in new ways that incorporated student interests, emerging technologies, and the skills many students will need to succeed in the future workplace.

Glenmar Elementary School principal Susan Wilken and student greeters start the 2009-2010 school year with a visit from Superintendent Hairston and County Executive Smith.

At Glenmar Elementary School, the day’s first visit, Dr. Hairston and Mr. Smith greeted children and parents alike, welcoming them to the new school year and wishing them well.

Inside, student members of Glenmar’s in-house news crew welcomed their visitors via the school’s televised morning announcements – the first of the year. As they wrote their scripts and practiced their lines before most of their classmates had even taken their homeroom seats, the students got an unexpected surprise – WBAL-TV reporter Jennifer Franciotti providing some additional TV tips and an invitation to visit her at her Television Hill studios for a private newsroom tour.

During the group’s visit to Lutherville Lab Elementary School, Principal Steve Buettner and teacher Denise Austen described several learning initiatives including the Genuine Conversation project and the school’s Integrated Learning Lab, or “iLab,” which engages students by using a variety of technology, including blogging and interactive “wiki” pages for classes. In another class, students learned how to properly and safely use the Internet as a research tool.

Visitors at Lutherville Lab Elementary School look on during a lesson on blog etiquette.

At the day’s third visit, Wellwood International Elementary School, Principal Tricia Rueter explained how the school’s math classes for French immersion students provided daily instruction in French to students in grades 2 and 3. As Dr. Hairston and other guests watched, students listened intently as teacher Jennie Cox posed math question after question to her students, and her students responded, all while rattling off their answers in French.

Along with Principal Michael Thorne, Baltimore County’s Teacher of the Year Cecily Anderson welcomed Dr. Hairston and guests to Catonsville Middle School. There, the group saw teachers creating “paperless classrooms” by having students create wiki pages to discuss a book read over the summer.

And at Chesapeake, the group visited with students learning how to use the new virtual learning environment, a classroom and lab that use state-of-the-art computer, gaming, and simulation technology to supplement the BCPS curriculum.

Wellwood International students are eager to answer math questions in French.

The project at Chesapeake is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation and is modeled after the virtual ARENA (Augmented Reality Environment at APL) at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab in Laurel, Md. Begun two years ago when Dr. Hairston sought to explore how to advance teaching and learning through virtual experiences, the project involved partnerships with the Johns Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education, the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, the University of Baltimore, and companies such as Breakaway Games and TrainingPort Strategies.

On Monday, Dr. Hairston, County Executive Smith, and other guests learned how the classroom and lab would allow students to virtually visit places Spirit Lake, Wash., near Mount St. Helens, in order to conduct scientific experiments and use critical thinking skills in real-life situations.

Story and photos by BCPS communications specialists Charles Herndon and Bana Miller.

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