Declarations are in!

Monster Arc Expression has begun! Students in Citrine, Amethyst, Pearl, Opal, and Obsidian bands (9-17 year old students) wrote declarations to propose project ideas based on the guiding question, “What do you want to learn about that relates to the arc?” The answer typically is written in the form of a question, like “How can I create a game based on monster mythologies from different cultures?” or “How can I use a soundtrack to create a scary mood in my film?”

Students wrote a mission statement that defined what they wanted to create to answer that question. To back up this work, students needed to provide source material that would inspire their project; create their own rubrics around research, production, and skill goals; describe what their iterations will look like; detail out a budget for their project; and develop a brief calendar outline of the scope of the work. With the declarations, we try to mimic the proposal that an adult might need to create before they undertake a multi-week project.

Last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were designated as Declaration Days. Students reviewed their declarations with a small panel of two staff members who thoroughly reviewed and either approved their project, or sent them back to make edits on their proposals. Each meeting lasted around 15 minutes, sometimes more, depending on how deep in conversation the group got.

During these sessions, students presented their declarations to two staff members, who reviewed their skill goals, production goals, and learning goals, and either approve their projects or give specific feedback on what to improve for a second round meeting. Students who were not in meetings participated in a Community-Friday-like session where they got help on their declarations from a staff member, or took downtime outside, the art room, or in the high school space. 

The process has streamlined and standardized the approval procedure across these bands to create a more cohesive experience during project phase and create more awareness amongst staff members and bandmates about what projects will be happening during Expression.  

The caliber of projects has gone up exponentially since we began this process last year, and we are so proud of the work that the students have been putting into clearly, cohesively, and comprehensively describe their plans, defend their ideas, and make the case for why they should have time to work on their projects. We look forward to what the next six weeks of projects will bring!