The Hixson Arcade

Good afternoon,

On April 9, 2012, a struggling filmmaker by the name of Nirvan Mullick posted to YouTube a video (view below) he created after being inspired by a 9 year-old boy who had made a cardboard arcade from used parts in his dad’s auto parts store in East Los Angeles.  As a “thank you” to Caine (9 year-old), Mullick provided a way for viewers to contribute to a college fund for this amazing young man.  Approximately 24 hours later, over one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars had already been raised.  Inspiration + Caring People + the Internet = Changed Lives!  Less than a year later, two viewers of that video would use it as a "spark" to inspire middle school students in the WGSD!   

Shortly after winter break, Mr. Patrick Dempsey and Mr. Rob Rambach, two science teachers at Hixson Middle School, dedicated time to thinking about how to have their students demonstrate their understanding of what they would soon learn in an upcoming unit on electricity (exs: circuit diagrams and effect of resistance on electric currents).  As they thought about how to engage students in the work in a rigorous yet fun way, one of the teachers remembered the video of Caine's Arcade.  With the "spark," the two processed themselves and brought others to the conversation including the social studies coordinator, Dr. Chris McGee.  The idea: cardboard arcade games!

Today, I had the privilege of viewing the result of the middle school students' learning and what it looks like when expressed in wonderfully creative and imaginative ways.  Please check out the video below of Mr. Rambach's students sharing their arcades (and learning) with the children at Avery School (Mr. Dempsey's class went to Hudson last week).  I hope you enjoy the sounds and images of the process and product of high-quality learning taking place (all students and adults) at Avery School today.

Inspiration + Caring People(Teachers) + The Internet = Changed Lives!

 Each child, Each day....John