Warren Wilson College freshmen partner with Isaac Dickson Elementary

Press release from Warren Wilson College:

Transitioning to a new school year together: A unique service-learning partnership between Warren Wilson College First Year Students and 3rd graders at Isaac Dickson Elementary School
Asheville, NC:  September 15, 2014
First Year Warren Wilson College students were welcomed to Asheville and Warren Wilson just 3 weeks ago. 13 of those first year students who are enrolled in a First Year Seminar, Experiential Learning, have also been welcomed by their 3rd grade learning partners at Isaac Dickson Elementary School.
This unique partnership emphasizes the development of a strong and caring learning community, learning about one’s learning style and strengths as a student, and developing a connection to the greater Asheville/Buncombe County community. The partnership kicked off on Warren Wilson’s Service Day in August when the Warren Wilson students worked at Isaac Dickson to reclaim a greenhouse and help create a pollinator garden to enhance an outdoor learning space at the school.
The two schools share unique missions and an emphasis on experiential learning. A Warren Wilson education includes a liberal arts academic program, meaningful work on campus and service through a community engagement commitment that all students complete. Isaac Dickson’s vision statement begins with the following statement: “Our school is a community of engaged, active, hands-on learners, and we strive for academic excellence.”
The partnership between the two schools continues throughout the fall semester with weekly meetings in the classroom at Isaac Dickson when the Warren Wilson students support instructional time in the classroom. The 3rd graders will also be welcomed to Warren Wilson in late September to participate in team-building activities and get a glimpse into what it is like to be a college student. The final culminating event will be a shared learning experience at the Asheville Treetops Challenge Course in November. The Warren Wilson students will participate in the challenge course alongside their 3rd grade learning partners.  A grant provided through the G.D. Davidson Vocation Discovery Experience Endowment Fund at Warren Wilson College is supporting the college course and providing funding for the challenge course experience. The GD Davidson fund supports students exploring a vocation in a service-related field, such as teaching.
Warren Wilson First Year student, Rachel Klein, from Philadelphia, explains the impact of this project: “Our course’s partnership with Isaac Dickson Elementary School in Asheville has taken our class discussions on education into a real world environment. Learning and growing with these children is such a treat, and it’s helping me understand progressive education. On an interpersonal level, the time spent at Isaac Dickson will not only show me the tools to being a successful facilitator or teacher, but the ways in which I learn as student. I know that come next fall, I’ll have a better grasp on what experiential education really means and I’ll have made friendships with some of the most creative and passionate students there are.” The project has already impacted First Year student, Maddie Henderson, from Atlanta,: “Before taking this class the idea of being an educator was totally out of the question because as a kid I always hated school so much. Warren Wilson and Isaac Dickson have shown me that school isn’t something to dread but something to look forward to. I hope that one day I can inspire students the way the teachers at Warren Wilson and Isaac Dickson inspire me.”
Students at Isaac Dickson are also feeling the impact of this partnership. 3rd grader Alex Boniske explains, “I’m excited because they know a lot more than us and they can give us some clues on science and math and such.  We can also learn about what they do in college.” And 3rd grader, Aurelia Anderson already sees how the partnership is mutually beneficial:  “We can kind of learn what college will be like and they can learn what our school and third grade is like.”
Dr. Annie Jonas, instructor of the First Year Seminar course at Warren Wilson, sees this partnership as an important connection and grounding point for students who are experiencing a transition at the beginning of a new school-year: “3rd graders experience a more intensive emphasis on grading and academic achievement than they did in K-2. In much the same way, first year college students have to adjust to new and different expectations of them. All the students involved in this project have an opportunity to learn together while supporting each other in the transition to a new school year.” One of the 3rd grade teachers, Rachel Reeser, sees this as a bridge to greater learning opportunities for her students: “Our partnership with Warren Wilson students gives my third graders an opportunity to connect to people and places outside of the Asheville they experience daily. With college student mentors they can feel more supported in the classroom and begin to understand life beyond k-12. “