CAMPUS CALGARY/ CHEVRON OPEN MINDS 2020-2021 ANNUAL REPORT
SUBMITTED BY: JENN MEREDITH, NATASHA MCKAY, AND RITA BOECHLER Mission community, funderandeducational partnerships. To by increasing transformteachingandlearning studentengagement through MISSION The Coordinator Team Program Statistics Professional forTeachers Learning Advisor Updates Benefits Doing Together WhatWe Can’t DoAlone Celebrating Partners Awards Operations Team Sharing Our Story Community Overview Table Contents of
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20/21 ANNUAL REPORT Overview
PEOPLE. PLACES. PARTNERSHIPS. Since 1993, Calgary students and their teachers have had opportunities to experience an immersive week-long field study at various vibrant community sites across our city. Campus Calgary / Open Minds (CC/OM) brings the entire community together to meet the unique learning needs of today’s students. Over 135,000 students have engaged in this way of learning, which all started with an idea and a dream. Don Harvie, a well-known Calgary philanthropist, and Gillian Kydd, a specialist with the Calgary Board of Education science team, worked together to create what eventually became Zoo School. Gillian believed that one week at the Calgary Zoo would be rich with learning and could be a catalyst for a year-long study. Thus, Zoo School was born, bringing students and their teachers into vibrant community settings for immersive week-long field studies.
Since that time, the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School District have collaborated with corporate Calgary and local community venues to bring high-quality and immersive experiences to Calgary students and their teachers. This educational model is celebrating its 28th year of excellence and innovation, bringing personalized learning programs to each student. Campus Calgary / Open Minds provides a dynamic learning experience by taking students into the community and connecting them to experts who are passionate about experiential learning.
In 2020-2021, there were 13 Campus Calgary / Open Minds sites including:
Chevron Open Minds 2School: An Urban Experience at Zoo School at Calgary Zoo the CBE Education Centre
Chevron Open Minds Museum Healthy Living School at Calgary YMCA School at Glenbow Museum ConocoPhillips Hub for Inspired Chevron Open Minds Science Learning at Arts Commons School at TELUS Spark Jube School at the Southern Chevron Open Minds Cross Conservation School at Alberta Jubilee Auditorium Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area Seed School at The Mustard Seed City Hall School at the City of Calgary Municipal Building Library School at Calgary Public Library
Stampede School at Stampede Park City EcoAction School at Ralph Klein Park
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This year, 169 teachers and over 4000 students in A Campus Calgary / Open Minds week is a time Calgary participated in Campus Calgary / Open Minds for students to ask questions, to have meaningful for a year of inspired learning. Due to the COVID-19 conversations with experts in the community, to slow Pandemic, almost 80 weeks were cancelled or down and reflect, to journal and to sketch, and to make postponed until the 2021-2022 school year. Site sense of the world around them. It is not a week in coordinators had to quickly adapt their practices to create isolation, but rather a week that is a catalyst to a myriad experiences in an alternate format, meeting the needs of of connections to personal experiences and classroom changing Alberta Health Guidelines. At times, programs learning. CC/OM has the potential to be a life changing were delivered entirely online and at times, site experts experience for teachers and students. It embraces a were able to go into the schools to work with teachers life-long and personalized approach to learning, personal and students. The CC/OM team learned new skills and management and well-being, literacy development, practices that will inevitably change the way the program citizenship, and generates effective relationships with is delivered in the future. the community at large. Students, teachers, parents, experts, and community organizations learn alongside Passionate educators and experts at community one another. sites continued to offer fascinating, educationally rich opportunities that engaged students in hands-on The program is unique for its length, a prioritization of discovery, exploration, and reflection. Each Calgary site deep thinking and first-hand experiences that transcend offered a unique lens with which to uncover and examine curricular outcomes, with the time to slow down and curriculum. These dynamic experiences continue to reflect. Campus Calgary / Open Minds experiences truly make learning meaningful for students because they are transform learning to its highest levels. engaged in authentic educational activities that allow them to make personal connections that will have lasting We are doing together what we can’t do alone! impacts. Campus Calgary / Open Minds creates an inquiry driven environment that allows teachers to gain a deeper understanding of students’ skills, knowledge, I love CC/OM and aptitudes. This enhances critical-thinking and “ problem-solving skills related to all curricular disciplines, and encourage and facilitates a deeper understanding of community, everyone to responsibility, cultural awareness, civic pride, and participate. stewardship. It can be the catalyst for change in teacher practice, Students gain confidence as learners and engaged thinkers while seeing that they can make a positive as well as difference through enhanced creativity, innovation, and empowering communication. The Campus Calgary / Open Minds student experience truly opens the minds of students giving learning.” each one a clearer understanding of their role within a - Teacher bigger picture. Students become more connected to their community and take up current issues which push their knowledge beyond their local setting to national and global communities. 3 Community
Support for the Campus Calgary / Open Minds model comes from funding partners, community sites, and education institutions that collectively share the responsibility and privilege of ensuring that the philosophical tenets of the program are upheld. We are indebted to all the partners for their commitment to the success of this innovative way of teaching and learning. Annual contributions to this program from community and education are in excess of $1,800,000.
OPEN MINDS Chevron Canada Resources Jacqueline Harris, Advisory Zoo School Calgary Zoo Annie Walton, Coordinator Allison Scovil, Assistant Coordinator Museum School Glenbow Museum Jennie Vallis, Coordinator Science School TELUS Spark Zack Anderson, Advisory Donna Kipta, Coordinator Amy Thompson, Assistant Coordinator Megan Jarman Clark, Assistant Coordinator Cross Conservation School Ann & Sandy Cross Maureen Luchsinger, Coordinator Conservation Area
CAMPUS CALGARY City Hall School City of Calgary Erin Retallack, Coordinator Calgary Municipal Building
Stampede School Stampede Foundation Aaron Park, Advisory (Cenovus Energy) Stampede Park Andrew Morrow, Coordinator Susan Arthurs, Assistant Coordinator 2School: An Urban Experience Calgary Board of Education Margeaux Montgomery, Coordinator ConocoPhillips Hub Arts Commons Jenny Peters, Program Associate for Inspired Learning Jennifer Roberts, Coordinator Jube School Southern Alberta Jubilee Karen Youngberg & Carly McKee-Bertwhistle, Coordinators Auditorium SEEDSchool The Mustard Seed Kelsey Brown, Coordinator Caroline Malloy, Assistant Coordinator City EcoAction School City of Calgary Parks Cody Field & Meagan Dyck, Coordinators Healthy Living School YMCA Calgary Leanne Courchesne, Advisory (Cenovus Energy) Jenn Mireau, Program Manager Andrea Wiebe, Coordinator Library School Calgary Public Library Leanne Hooper, Coordinator (Cenovus Energy)
EDUCATION Calgary Board of Education Chris Usih, Chief Superintendent PARTNERSHIPS Joanne Pitman, Superintendent, School Improvement Sanimar Sarpal, System Assistant Principal Chris Meaden, Director, Area 2, Campus Calgary Open Minds’ and Partnerships Calgary Catholic School Bryan Szumlas, Chief Superintendent District Helmut Kaiser, Director of Learning Services Kevin DeForge, Supervisor, Learning Services 4 collaboration withasitecoordinator Calgary Board
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