A new cross-curricular project has started this January at Bob Jones, unlike anything the school has seen before. That’s right: the da Vinci Project.
While the school has tried cross-curricular projects before, such as last semester’s Canstruction project, none have reached the magnitude that the da Vinci Project promises. The project is planned for an hour per block every Friday in January. During this time, more than a half-dozen teachers and their students are leaving traditional classroom learning behind.
As the name suggests, the project is inspired by the famous Leonardo da Vinci. Art teacher Robin Lakso is the brain behind the da Vinci Project; she became fascinated with the idea after it was announced that the exhibit Da Vinci: The Genius would be coming to the Space and Rocket Center.
She finds da Vinci inspiring because he was not only an artist, but also a thinker and inventor. “He was THE Renaissance man,” Lakso says.
And just like the Renaissance, this project is all about innovation. Each participating teacher has come up with an idea or theme related to da Vinci and created a “mini-course.” Students then sign up for a mini-course for the duration of the month.
The mini-courses are all across the board. They include themes such as problem-solving, engineering, theatre, food & culture, entrepreneurship and war tactics. (Yes, you read that correctly. War tactics.) Students are encouraged to pick something that they are intrigued by, but that is also new to them.
Lakso, along with Robin Dauma and Cindy Huskey, stress that learning often takes place outside of a familiar environment, especially in the workplace. Huskey says, “It’s good to work outside your comfort zone—keeps you on your toes.”
Despite the fact that this out-of-the-box idea was only launched last Friday, the da Vinci Project is already making waves. Part of the reason is probably because the teachers will not actually be teaching. Many have said that their role is meant to be more of a guide than a traditional teacher. English teachers Jon Campbell, Jan Krell and Mary Oliver are facilitating an original play, a daunting task even without their unique plan. “We’ll drop some ideas, but it’s really all up to the students,” Campbell says.
This flexible structure can be intimidating to some students. The teachers recognize this and actually hope that the da Vinci Project will change that. Drama teacher Mary Davis is focusing on storytelling in her mini-course. She says, “[When] information is not being spoon-fed to them, [students] can realize how exciting learning is and become exploratory learners.”
Bob Jones senior Zachary Perry has been asked to speak about the da Vinci Project to the school board this February. He has high hopes , even if other students may be hesitant. “There will always be those students who think an assignment’s dumb,” Perry says. “You can’t let that get in the way of someone else’s experience.”
Even though the da Vinci project is still young, it holds great potential. Dauma, who is facilitating creative problem-solving, notes that there are very few schools that have done a project like this. She believes that BJHS should be a leader in this experimental learning. “If this became an annual event, I think we could re-invigorate the Bob Jones curriculum,” she says.
It is impossible to tell yet whether or not this will hold true. For now, teachers and students just do their best and hope for success. And what counts as success?
For Lakso, it just means making a difference. She says, “Even if it’s just one kid who says, ‘Holy cow, I never thought of it like that, I want to try that.’ That’s what I hope for. Because [that kid] took charge of his learning, […] and that’s important.”
