The Escondido Education Foundation hosted a tour of Del Dios Academy of Arts and Sciences on Thursday.  We were greeted by representatives of the 4 “houses” (Think Harry Potter and Hogwartz).  These student representatives explained the competitions between Fire, Ice, Sky, and Water.  At this point in time, Fire is ahead but Metal is hot on their heels!

Our first stop was the new science lab.  Students were learning coding and were doing flight simulations…..flying a Cessna 172 if I’m not mistaken.  Every student was engaged in a learning activity.  The science lab also contains a video conference room so students can listen/see a virtual guest speaker!

To even out the Science, we next visited the dance class.  Students showed us dances they created….today (Friday) is Jazz day!   We also visited the band….an excellent group.  They will be performing Monday evening.  We were able to see classes in session, all students using an iPad.  One class was studying photosynthesis.  Each student had his experiment on his/her iPad so they were able to adjust light, air, water, etc. to see the test plant adjust.  Another class was busily working with classical music in the background.

Our final stop was the Conference Room…..teachers make appointments to take their classes in so students can do presentations, just like happens in the adult world!  The room is large, with very comfortable chairs and all the tech equipment which might be needed.  This room provides a wonderful opportunity for students to begin to understand the importance of what they are learning and its value to their adult lives.

This was a wonderful tour.  I look forward to more teachers submitting proposals to the EEF for materials to continue their quest to join the 21st century of educating the young people in Escondido!

If you are interested in touring a particular school, please get in touch with me and we will try to arrange a visit.