Collegiate 4th Graders Wrap Up Yearlong Capstone Program

Envision Collegiate focuses on sustainability and immerses the entire 4th Grade student body in the inner workings of Collegiate’s campus, so that students can use design thinking methods and work collaboratively to identify opportunities for growth and change. (The 2028 in the theme represents the year the 4th Graders will graduate.) 

Students studied to become "experts" on various campus departments and began to understand the importance of a sustainable future for Mooreland Road and beyond. Working remotely over three Fridays in May, 4th Graders learned about the Design Thinking process. (Design thinking involves five steps: discovery, interpretation, ideation, experimentation and evolution.)

During the program’s culminating event, students used their year's work as inspiration to design and build innovative, sustainability focused solutions. With their prototype designs for the Collegiate campus, the students demonstrated ingenuity, empathy and perseverance working remotely from their homes.  

Among the prototypes created were: a reusable napkin to be included in Kindergarten tote bags and used during lunchtime; a sustainable building with solar panels and a rooftop garden; a machine that recycles the rubber pellets from Grover Jones Field and 3D prints new rubber lacrosse and physical education balls; a low-water planter, a new caddy for the cafeteria tables and a covered vegetable garden.

 

"The 4th Grade teachers aren't at all surprised, and couldn't be more proud of the creativity and high-level thinking our students demonstrated throughout the Envision Collegiate experience,” said Jessica Catoggio, 4th Grade teacher and Envision Collegiate Coordinator. “Way to go 4th Grade!"