By Lauren O’Shell
mail@floridanewsline.com
On Nov. 1, students, teachers and staff of Freedom Crossing Academy participated in the sixth annual “Rock Your School Day,” a worldwide initiative to encourage teachers and schools to create educational experiences by creating outside of the box lessons for students and promoting learning in a new, fun way. This year, the Freedom Crossing Falcons adopted the theme, “WILD about FCA.”
From the moment students entered the school on Nov. 1, the campus was brewing with excitement. The FCA guitar students put on a show for students as they arrived Friday morning and made their way to class. Hallways and classroom doors were decorated to mimic different habitats such as the desert, the arctic, and oceans. Teachers and staff dressed in their best animal print to match the “wild” theme.
This year, hands-on thematic activities filled classrooms sponsored by educational outreach programs like The Jacksonville Zoo, MOSH, and the University of Florida’s “Scientist in Every Classroom.” Students were able to interact with wild animals and learn about conservation, habitats and local ecosystems.
Cross-curricular collaborations inspired classrooms with hands-on activities. Kathryn Frericks, middle school art teacher, and her art students partnered with kindergarten students to create art projects to match the theme.
“We had a great Rock Your School day in the middle school art room,” said Frericks. “We hosted little kindergarten artists and they were encouraged and coached by the older students. It was a huge success and enjoyed by all of the students.”
To wrap up the day, every kindergarten through fifth grade student participated in the FCA Fun Run and grades sixth through eighth grade students went “wild” for the Color Run, where students raised money to support technology and school improvement needs at Freedom Crossing. The students set a monetary goal at the beginning of this fundraiser and when they met the goal, the school’s principal, Melissa Lime, let the top fundraising students dye her hair a wild shade of blue. Lime then roamed the halls of Freedom Crossing Academy with blue hair to show her wild side.
“We were all focused on combining learning and fun,” Lime said. “The activities were science centered, engaging and standards based. Teachers brought the curriculum standards to life in a variety of ways that showcased their craft as educators.”
Photos courtesy Lauren O’Shell
This first grade class learned about wild animals on Rock Your School Day.
