Spring term is two weeks long. It began last Monday and continues throughout this week. This is the first year spring term has been tried at WCHS.

The idea for spring term stemmed from models at other Iowa high schools who partake in the learning event.

“We’ve tried to learn from other schools. We’ve had conversations with Van Meter, Roland-Story High School, we’ve borrowed stuff from Spirit Lake, and a host of other schools that have been willing to share their materials and planning process,” Principal Brent Jorth said. “We’ve just tried to put together an experience that is valuable for kids.”

Individuals at WCHS are spending their school days working on specialized projects that they have a strong interest in. Students are creating art, engineering robots, building on shop skills, and broadening their educational horizons.

Webster City High School senior Kassandra Walker, 17, works on her Spring Term passion project on Monday afternoon at WCHS. Students at WCHS are over halfway through their first-ever Spring Term, which gives them the opportunity to learn more about their individual interests.

“We’ve really pushed back on the students to develop a plan so that it’s not the teachers that are saying this is what we’re going to do for the next two weeks … it’s the students that are really trying to design that learning experience that’s meaningful for them and that will meet the needs of their interest,” said Jorth.

Spring term gives teachers and students the opportunity to try new things and enhance their knowledge in the process.

“Spring term is an opportunity for our kids to get involved with project based learning in two different ways,” said Jorth. “We’ve got students that have designed their own passion projects…Students have developed their own interest and then developed a plan to learn more about it or build or create something.”

“The second component is the teacher side. Teachers have designed teacher-led courses that have a project based mentality to them,” Jorth said.

Some of the projects teachers are doing include engineering with tooth pick bridges, Rube Goldberg machines, scholarship writing, and art expression.

—Daily Freeman-Journal photo by Adri Sietstra Webster City High School senior Jordan Hartnett, 18, shows the presentation he is working on for his Spring Term Project Monday afternoon at WCHS. Hartnett has a passion for agriculture and has been working with a seed representative and on a hog farm to learn more about the real-life aspects of ag.

Students will be presenting their projects to their fellow passion project members on Friday morning.

“The big component of the accountability is that presentation at the end of the two weeks where they’re demonstrating what they’ve learned, showcasing what they’ve produced,” said Jorth, “and we want that in some sort of visual that is using technology like their iPad or power point presentation…or if they’ve produced something physically, they have that to showcase.”

On Friday afternoon there will be a showcase of the top ten projects in Prem Sahai Auditorium. From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. the top projects will be shown to students. From 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. the community is invited to see what students have been up to for the duration of spring term.

“They’re building a five to ten minute showcase of what they’ve been doing for two weeks,” Jorth said.

According to Jorth, the first go-round of spring term has produced a lot of creativity and ingenuity from students and teachers.

Webster City High School students work on their art projects Monday afternoon during Spring Term.

“There’s been a lot of learning that’s going on whether it’s student learning or adult learning,” Jorth said.

With spring term already a week in, Jorth already found one area of the project that needs improvement. Jorth hopes to better communication between students, staff, parents, and the community.

“The big one is just communication. Communicating with parents, community members, making sure all of us in the building are on the same page so that we can hit the ground running on the first day,” Jorth said.

“We also want to try create some more partnerships for kids. Whether it’s businesses in town, the college or going to other places outside of Webster City and building off of those partnerships so kids can have those authentic, real-world experiences that are taking what they’ve maybe learned in the traditional classroom into a meaningful, real-world experience so they can make those connections,” Jorth said.

Many students are job shadowing off campus. A number of passion projects cannot be done on campus, according to Jorth. Students who go off campus for their projects are required to check in with their project manager daily to stay on track and accountable.

Webster City High School sophomore student Priscilla Thongsouk, 15, describes her Spring Term project, which focused on design and architecture.

“This gives students an opportunity to be self-directed. To really channel their own way of thinking,” Jorth said. “Our ultimate goal was to get student

s to be creating and building and experiencing something that’s meaningful for them, that they’re really passionate about or that they can learn more about.”

Webster City High School senior Jordan Milliken, left, and sophomore Braedin Thongsouk work on their teacher-led project Monday afternoon at WCHS during Spring Term.

Webster City High School senior Darius McClain, 17, works on an animation project during Spring Term at WCHS on Monday afternoon.

Webster City High School junior Jacob Van Houten, 17, describes the components of the computer he built for Spring Term at WCHS on Monday afternoon.

Webster City High School junior Tanner Cross, 17, explains his Spring Term project on Monday afternoon at WCHS. Cross is using Legos for a stop-motion animation piece.

Webster City High School senior Thomas Fowler, 17, worked with laser engraving for his Spring Term Project.

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