Innovation is what we do. Whether it’s launching leading edge new programs, or creating more stimulating learning environments, we have people throughout our school board community constantly seeking out ways to help our students achieve their highest potential.
Take Rosario Gianetti for instance.
A Grade 7 teacher at St. Christopher Catholic Elementary School, Giannetti has found a couple of ways to improve the student experience in his building.
When the school decided it needed a new scoreboard for the gymnasium, Giannetti stepped up with a solution that saved his school thousands of dollars. The school purchased a 60-inch smart television, had it mounted in the gym, and now use it to project scores during volleyball and basketball games by controlling it with an iPad and AppleTV. They also use it to project hymn lyrics and readings during school masses. Students in Mike Costello’s manufacturing class at Assumption College Catholic High School made a protective plexiglass cover so that it won’t get damaged.
“You can actually see it much better than a lot of conventional scoreboards,” said Principal Pam Prsa, noting that a new scoreboard would have cost in the neighbourhood of $18,000. "It's much more visible."
The school was also in need of a new Chromebook cart, which normally cost about $1,300. Giannetti knew a woman who was getting rid of an old dresser, so he put his woodworking and carpentry skills to use, resurfaced it, installed new interior pull-out shelves and voila! – he had a new Chromebook cart.
It was that kind of ingenuity and efficiency that caught the eye of Director of Education Terry Lyons on a recent school visit and decided that it should be celebrated.
To that end, we’ve created a new feature called Spotted in WECDSB.
If you know someone who has done something innovative in one of our schools that helps improve the student experience, share it in our WECDSB Google + community, or send an email along with some photos to [email protected] or to [email protected] and we’ll be certain to share it.