Campbell River’s Ecole Willow Point Elementary is changing the way its students learn.
It recently competed in the Follett Challenge, a competition that asks schools from across Canada, the United States and Australia to submit a video sharing the ways it’s helping students become 21st-century learners.
Teacher-Librarian Lila Armstrong says Ecole Willow Point saw great success.
“We won the People’s Choice Award, which means that we won based off of the number of votes we got. Every person that voted is someone who believes in school libraries and the great work that librarians are doing in this community. For me, this was a really heartwarming experience to see that we have a community that cares so much about our schools.”
Along with the award, the school is walking away with $5000.
“The money has to be used on Follett products and services. For us, that means a whole lot of fantastic new books and other learning materials like technology and robotics.”
Ecole Willow Point’s video, ‘Battle of the Books Goes Digital,’ shares the changes made to its Battle of the Books challenge.
It’s encouraging its students to read and share their learning in a variety of ways while also teaching that technology is a tool, not just a toy.
Armstrong says the video creation process first began in November of last year and the final product was due in early December.
Voting took place in January.
“This challenge showed me that we are a part of a really terrific community that believes in having school librarians working in schools. I think that libraries are really important.”
She’s “really excited” about the new direction the library is going in and is thankful for the supportive administration and parents that have “made this process really terrific and fun.”
If you missed out on voting for Ecole Willow Point in the Follett Challenge this year, you’ll be able to show your support next year.
“The good thing about this challenge is that it keeps you thinking about new ways that you can change your learning experiences for your students. Over the summer, I’ll be thinking of a new project to give it another run,” Armstrong adds.
If you’d like to watch Ecole Willow Point’s video, visit this website.
