Sunday Sharing 8.11.19

Louie Karragianes, Director of Technology (right)

Last week, I spent 10 days in the hot and humid land of Florida. I visited family in Tampa where I had the opportunity to feed and touch giraffes and white rhinos, experience thrill rides at Busch Gardens, visit aquariums, and take a road trip to see “the Mouse” in Orlando. One thing that I enjoyed at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom was going to Tomorrowland. For those of you who have never been, this is an area which features humanity in the future. Visiting Tomorrowland had me thinking about where I might be in the future, but more specifically, what St. Benedict Parish will look like in the future. I have been blessed with the opportunity to help draft that transition and sculpt this vision through multiple projects this summer.

The Global Learning Lab is one project that I want to draw your attention towards since it is the first to be completed this summer; waiting patiently and quietly to be filled with children of all ages at St. Benedict Prep. We started by combining two open classrooms. Next, through detailed craftsmanship, we stripped the walls of the old boards and decorations to resurface and update the room with a clean, modern look. New carpeting, as well as four Ultra-HD 4k 75in monitors, two of which are 10-point multi-touch and have HD video cameras, were brought to this new space, truly transforming it into a classroom of the future.

So what might this classroom be used for, one might ask? We hope to bring a new structure to world studies in several ways:

• Interacting with classrooms around the world,

• Taking virtual fieldtrips to other countries and places,

• Conferencing guest speakers and/or famous figures in our own nation, and

• Giving teachers a new working space for projects with more than one class at a time.

Imagine your child coming home to tell you about a new country they visited virtually, an inspirational guest they were able to speak to and ask questions, or even an international classroom meet-and-greet with students from around the globe. These are just some of the ways we envision this space being used. With double the space and double the technology, we hope to inspire the educators on ways to enlighten students’ minds.

With the Global Learning Lab being a newly completed space, one that truly fits in with all our previous projects (STEM Lab, Creative Media Lab, Wonder Lab), I cannot help but look back at all that has been accomplished, wondering what “Tomorrowland” might look like for our community. I also want to thank Jen Ryan, along with the support from the HSA and FunRun proceeds for making these projects possible! It is contributions from the families and donors - both physically and financially - that make our work possible, as well as shape the future for the children.