Mission Statement
The mission of the Center for Creative Learning, Kindergarten through 5th grade component of the Rockwood School District Gifted Program, is to maximize the potential of gifted students by providing highly challenging curriculum and personalized instruction framed in real world problems that will enable students to successfully contribute to a global society.
Center for Creative Learning
The Center for Creative Learning was established in 1990 as part of Rockwood’s commitment to meeting the learning needs of its most advanced students. The Center supplements the regular school program by providing differentiated educational opportunities for academically gifted students in grades K-5. The Center is comprised of two campuses; the Primary Campus and the Intermediate Campus. The Intermediate Campus, located at 265 Old State Road in Ellisville, MO, houses grades K, 3, 4, and 5, and the gifted program's main office. The Primary Campus, located at 1401 Froesel Drive in Ellisville, MO, houses grades 1 and 2. Students spend one day each week at the Center. At their home schools, these same students receive enrichment and acceleration experiences through the efforts of regular classroom teachers.
A Day at the Center
During their day at the CCL, students engage in several different learning units. The "Morning Unit" is a semester in length and entails approximately 45 hours of instruction in one subject area. Students in grades 1-5 are involved in two such units each year. Kindergarten students engage in one morning unit (they attend the Center for the Spring semester only). In the afternoon, students participate in units of study called "Kaleidoscopes". Kaleidoscopes are student-selected, quarter-long courses of study that involve approximately nine hours of instruction. The number of Kaleidoscopes per year varies by grade level. Kindergarten students enroll in two Kaleidoscopes each year. Students in grades 1 and 2 enroll in four Kaleidoscopes per year, and students in grades 3, 4, and 5 enroll in eight Kaleidoscopes per year.
CCL morning units and Kaleidoscopes are both written to include content and process skills approximately two years above the district's grade level core curriculum objectives. Units allow in-depth study of topics while Kaleidoscopes provide students with an opportunity to briefly explore a variety of high-interest topics. Students in grades 1-5 are able to choose their Kaleidoscope courses from an array of offerings at the Center. Allowing for student choice gives both students and staff an opportunity to work together in areas of strength and high interest.
Examples of Kaleidoscopes include classical music, video production, aviation, wilderness, survival, cartography, web site development, and space centers. New Kaleidoscopes are written each year to reflect current events and the changing interests of students and teachers.
The CCL Outdoor Classroom
The CCL Outdoor Classroom is 6.5 acres of wooded land adjacent to the Center for Creative Learning’s Intermediate Campus. The CCL Outdoor Classroom provides students with a safe, accessible learning environment where opportunities to develop skills in information gathering, critical thinking, problem solving, communicating and development of personal and environmental responsibilities can be maximized. Students become familiar with the roles of wildlife biologists, conservationists, ecologists, naturalists, and botanists as they observe and investigate wildlife habitats, native plants and trees and the land itself. The students develop a real world understanding of ecosystems and the importance of conserving and appreciating land.
Field Trips
Field trips are an integral part of the Center’s program. Field trips are designed to support student learning and expand understanding of the real world issues and challenges being addressed in each unit. Here are some examples of field trips related to individual units that are taught at the CCL.
Second grade students in The Robots are Coming! class go to the GM Truck Assembly Plant in Wentzville each spring. At the GM plant, students are introduced to the importance of safety and quality when building vehicles. They are shown a movie about the assembly process, ride in a tram to tour the 64-acre plant, and interact one-on-one with industrial robots. While on the tour, students see the industrial robots welding, spreading adhesives, and placing windshields into vans. A behind-the-scene tour allows students to see the same industrial robots dancing (yes, dancing!) carefully choreographed dances to a variety of music. The students get to program the robots to do a simple task. Students learn 1) assembling vehicles is very complex, 2) humans and machines work together to produce goods, 3) the importance of safety and quality, and 4) how challenging it is to program an industrial robot.
Fourth graders in the No Zone Like the Ozone class focus on ozone and the atmosphere. As part of the class’ study of ground-level ozone, students learn about the main criteria pollutants found in St. Louis air and the methods used to monitor and control those pollutants. Students take a field trip to the Queeny Park Air Monitoring Station to observe and learn about monitoring stations operated by the St. Louis City and County Health Departments. Larry Eilbott, an environmental control specialist, works directly with CCL students whenever they visit the site. Students also visit a Lou Fusz Toyota car dealership to learn about design changes that have taken place to reduce polluting emissions. Among other activities, they are able to view the Pruis hybrid car, which has both a gasoline engine and an electric (battery) engine.
Fifth graders in the People Who Need People organ donation unit take a field trip to Mid-America Transplant Services (MTS) each semester. During the trip the students are led through the donation process. First, a donor family member shares her story with the children. Students then view the eye lab where donated corneas are evaluated for quality. They also visit the communications center and “pack room” where the supplies for the varying organ retrieval surgeries are assembled. Students then don surgical attire * masks, hats, gloves, booties, and surgical gowns * and work through an organ retrieval scenario in one of the two operating rooms at MTS. Mid-America Transplant Services is the only Organ Procurement Organization in the country that has its own operating rooms and intensive care unit. At the conclusion of the tour, students hear the story of an organ recipient. This message of LIFE is what students bring back from their field trip to Mid-America Transplant Services.
Guest Speakers
In addition to having students visit facilities and professionals who are addressing the real world issues students are studying in their units, program personnel also arrange for key members of the community to come to the Center and work directly with individual classrooms and groups of students. The visitors contribute to student learning in a variety of ways, from doing presentations and conducting demonstrations to answering questions, sharing research techniques and giving feedback on student projects.
Here are just a few of the wonderful people who have touched the lives of Center students.
Dr. Ruth Meinzen-Dick. Dr. Meinzen-Dick is a senior research fellow with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Her research deals with water resource management, property rights, and collective action. Much of her work has been conducted in South Asia and Southern Africa. At the CCL, Dr. Meinzen-Dick works with our fourth grade “Feeding the World” teachers to bring information about third world countries to our students. She has worked with CCL students for many years as a speaker and e-mail mentor.
Ms. Lotsie Holton and Mr. Charlie Foxman. Ms. Holton and Mr. Foxman are working with CCL’s “Finding the Olympian In You” kaleidoscope. Ms. Holton is chairperson of the St. Louis chapter of the Explorers Club and is a world-class adventurer. In her contact with students, she shares her “D” theory (Dream, Discipline/Determination, Delivery) and her many extraordinary experiences, including climbing to the summit of Mount Killmanjaro (19,360 feet) and Kala Pattar (18,500 feet), trekking to the Everest Base Camp, and hiking the Dolomites in Italy. Ms. Holton serves on the boards of Forest Park Forever, KETC Channel 9, and is on the Advisory Committee of the X Prize Foundation. Mr. Foxman is a 7th degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and lives by what he teaches students * Lead by Example. Mr. Foxman’s training programs have been featured on national television and focus on personal protection skills, physical fitness, nutrition and martial arts. In addition to running his own business, Mr. Foxman works with professional athletes and community organizations to enhance the safety and health of children.