Another Community Learning Day Brimming with Student Voice, Choice, and New Friendships
We had another amazing Community Learning Day on February 10! Students had the opportunity to enjoy a day of flexible learning, exploring their interests, pursuing their passions, and crafting their own meaningful experiences. CLDs were designed in response to our community's desire to offer more opportunities for students from all our high schools – Communications, Connect High, Design, RISE, and Science – to come together.
On-Campus Workshops
About 300 students from all five Da Vinci high schools participated in on-campus workshops covering a wide range of topics, including resume building, songwriting, portrait photography, crocheting, FAFSA financial aid support, glider building, personal branding, wiffle ball, non-contact 7-on-7 football, and much more.
Students also had the option to participate in several off-campus opportunities, including a beach clean-up at Dockweiler Beach with the non-profit Tree People, visiting the Torrance Courthouse to observe court proceedings, and supporting Da Vinci Connect TK-8 by helping students create special Valentines for their families and working in the campus garden.
In marketing teacher Angel Maxwell’s workshop, “It’s Not Bragging If It’s Facts!”, guest speaker Dani De Boulay, a personal brand and social media strategist, led students through personal branding exercises aimed at helping them develop and strengthen their unique personal brand, equipping them with the tools to effectively showcase their skills and passions.
“This is a really cool workshop because it's giving the students the opportunity to lay down the foundation of who they are as a person so whether it's LinkedIn, Tik Tok, Instagram, whatever it may be, if they follow the blueprint of what Dani is leading for them, regardless of whether they are talking to a person directly or indirectly, individuals can identify who this person is without even having a conversation,” said DVC marketing teacher Maxwell.
In performing arts teacher Alexi Paraschos’ workshop, "How to Write a Hit Song,” guest speaker Scott "Robot Scott" Carter, a Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter, explained that great songs must have a clear "why" to truly connect with audiences. Students explored this concept by analyzing the "why" behind popular songs and learning about catchy melodies and song structure through hits by Drake and Sabrina Carpenter. Then they wrote their own songs!
In teacher Diem-Mi Burton’s crochet workshop, students got to explore crochet for the very first time or hone their skills through additional practice.
River, a 11th grade student at Da Vinci Design shared, “I'm making a strawberry (crochet) keychain. I started crocheting in freshman year, but I stopped recently. I came to the CLD with the hopes that it would rekindle my joy for crochet. I forgot how peaceful it is. I think CLDs are nice. I get to hang out with my friends, interact with students from the other schools, and teach them something that they don't know. I think it's nice to realize that there are other ways to learn outside of the core subjects. Everything you do you can always learn from it.”
Students in teacher Russell Albans’ Portrait Photography workshop explored composition, posing, lighting, monochrome, color, and editing through shooting photos of people.
Off-Campus Learning
Other students chose off-campus learning to get caught up on schoolwork, work on college applications, learn more about a career path, or work on something that ignites their passion.
DVC students Sean and Sophia visited the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. Known as MOLAA, this combination museum and cultural center is devoted exclusively to contemporary Latin American and Latino art, including paintings, lithographs and sculptures. They said the murals were amazing and every artist told a unique story! It was a very inspiring and encouraging visit.
Here are more of the rich learning experiences our students engaged in off-campus:
“I was able to catch up on work and apply for college scholarships.”
“I took my driver’s license test and I passed!
“I went and worked with my friend who is a private contractor and we fixed a heater.”
“The day allowed me to prioritize my mental health by giving me time outside of my normal schedule to dedicate to projects I am passionate about.”
“I liked how I was able to catch up on homework. It’s stressful being in high school, so having a day to work on catching up is very helpful.”
Staff Planning, Collaboration and Wellness
While CLDs give students the opportunity to choose what and where they will learn, they also offer valuable time for our dedicated educators to collaborate, plan, learn, and recharge. Supporting the social and emotional wellness of both students and staff is crucial to our collective mental health and well-being.
We’re grateful we get to create solutions and opportunities that benefit all of our stakeholders.
Student Feedback
Curious how students feel about CLDs? In a recent feedback survey, 98% rated their third CLD as excellent or good (compared to 88% for the second CLD). Here are some thoughts they shared with us:
“Community Learning Day is fun because I get to see the people I’m friends with outside of school. When we’re in school we don’t get to talk that much because we go to different schools and it’s fun to be able to do things together.”
“I like CLDs. I like the idea of connecting with people with similar ideas and interests.”
“I really like Community Learning Days because it's a totally different style of teaching. At CLDs, we're able to learn different skills by different educators in a different school culture.”
“I got to meet new people while also making a good impact on the world through community service.”
“I really hope to get a job this summer and gain experience before going to college. Now that I’ll have a resume I’ll feel more prepared applying to jobs and internships."
“I was interested in sewing and wanted to learn more about it. I’ve been in sewing classes before, but they didn’t really teach me much. I feel like with this one I’ve learned more than usual like stitch names!"
“I liked how we got to go off of campus and to the beach. I also liked how they encouraged us to talk to new people.”
"I also enjoy going off campus so you can work on the things you want to work on or catch up on. I also like being on campus because you get to reach out and meet new people and seek new things that you want to learn and grow in."
“I met a few new people today. I prefer coming on to campus to keep the routine in my life.”
“This is my first CLD. I think it's a good way to express how you feel, learn new things, and find your own interests in the workshops."
“I liked the fact that my child got a break but was still productive.”
“I liked the flexibility and autonomy provided to kids to choose their own activities!”
“I liked that we made a song in an hour which was great!”
Our final Community Learning Day of this school year will be on April 21st. We can't wait to see all the unique ways our students explore their interests and find their passions.
