In a series of Shark Tank style presentations, six groups of third-grade students at Glasscock Elementary School presented their ideas on how to reimagine the school’s library recently as a part of a project-based learning experience.
Students were tasked with rethinking how the space in the school’s library could be used, and worked with high school students and teacher Greg Conley at the Area Technology Center to better understand drawing floor plans.
“The idea came out of a need for our spaces to be redesigned,” GES teacher Mollie Medley said. “It involved thinking about the teaching of area and perimeter with authenticity.”
The ideas ranged from reimagining the library as a culinary lab to focusing on an area to have an emotional support animal.
In the end, a group of judges selected the plans of Mia Buckman, Breana White, Jaxon May, Isaiah Bucknor, and JB Gibson as the winner. Their project, “The Fun Space,” included plenty of bean bags and even a treehouse.
“We were really, really, really excited when we found out we won,” Buckman said. “My favorite part was having teamwork and working together.”
“We worked really hard on the blueprints,” Bucknor added. ”The thing I liked about this is that we did a lot of teamwork. We’re all really proud.”
While there are no official plans yet to implement the ideas the students presented, for Medley, the project’s value was in developing skills in students.
“The most important part of this was developing 21st century skills -- collaboration, teamwork, cooperation -- and how to think through a real world problem,” Medley said. “I know academic skills are extremely important, but our 21st Century skills and global competencies play a huge role in what our students need as well.”
Each third grade class voted on their favorite designs, and the top two from each class got the opportunity to present their ideas to the panel of judges in the school’s library.
As students entered the library, they shook hands and introduced themselves to the judges before launching into their presentations and finally fielding questions.
Gibson said he’d be “excited” to see his ideas come to life, but his favorite part of the project was working with other students.
After all of the presentations, students returned to the library for the announcement of the winners.
May said he noticed his group’s design on the board at the front of the room, which clued him in that they were the winners.
“When we came in the library, I was like, ‘Why is our blueprint on the board?’” he said.
Each student was awarded a certificate by GES Principal Angie Akers.
