- Robert L. Horbelt Intermediate School (5-6)
- Surveying the Students
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Surveying the Students
As soon as I heard that the Board of Education passed the reconfiguration, I knew it was time to get to work. With a job this monumental, the big question was where to begin?
For me there was only one answer – that was to start with the students!
After speaking to the students at Horbelt, I then asked them to share with me the answer to this question: what would you need to see in a school that would make you bang down the doors to get in every day? I was surprised and excited to see what the students shared because their responses were almost identical to what some other adults and I had determined. In fact, they shared some things we had not thought of. This leads me to one of the premises this 5-6 building was conceptualized around – that in education we have largely ignored the largest group in education on how to make education “better” for students. That group is the students!
One more thing about the survey; it was administered to all the students at Horbelt and also shared across the district's 4th and 5th grade teachers. While we did not receive responses from all the students, we received enough to incorporate the information we found into our results. Amazingly – the answers were CONSISTENT!
Here is what they shared, and then the corresponding action. The responses are in no hierarchical order. Also, what is below are only the responses that had multiple student replies:
Number
Request from Students
Response
1
Vending Machines
Done
2
Higher toilets
Done
3
More clubs – newspaper, robotics, coding, environmental, service, etc.
Done
4
More organized games at recess
Done
5
Change baby playground
Small jungle gym was removed; tetherball has been installed; black top recoated; new basketball hoop installed; sand put down for beach volleyball
6
Decorate hallways
Always in process
7
Advanced classes
Added to 6th grade; GT in 5th
8
Long tables in the cafeteria
Done
9
Better food in the cafeteria
Met with food vendor and have upgrades to meals and service queued up.
10
Freedom to sit anywhere in the cafeteria
We will give students this opportunity.
11
Taller tables and chairs
All desks in 6th grade classes are the single unit desk and tabletop; gives feel of bigger chairs
12
After School Sports
There will be after school sports
13
Picnic tables outside
Done
14
Spanish class
Done
15
LEGO robotics
Done
16
Safety patrol
Done - reconceptualized to Student Ambassadors
17
More clubs
Done
18
Older feel to the building
In process still
19
Reading room, student lounge, comfortable reading area
Done ( hopefully we can keep)
Are you impressed with our students yet? I am. I think they did a pretty good job in identifying the things that needed to be addressed at the Horbelt building in many ways to prepare it for kids.
Can’t wait until these kids get into our building! Again!
Next time I will provide you with more specific information about the program.