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COLLEGE VOICES COLLEGE VOICES By: Matt Pasco College of Engineering Michigan State University Class of 2014, Clarkston Schools Iam majoring in Computer Science. My hope is to become a software developer, solving problems through technology. Thus, I believe that creativity is a must in schools. It allows students to really enjoy what they are learning and to think outside of the box. Personally, I have been taught a lot about innovative thinking through after school programs, such as Team RUSH, Business Professionals of America, or CSMTech trip to Cumberland Falls. Clarkston teachers have taught me skills that cannot be taught in the classroom. In fact, I think that the most important factor that made me successful in college was joining FIRST Robotics. From time management, to leadership, and to technical skills, FIRST Robotics was the most impactful learning opportunity that I have had. Academically, I was also well-prepared for college courses. I was able to transfer 21 college credit from high school. The workload in college is demanding, but completing it has never been too difficult for me. Still, I believe, it is not only the academic skills that are worth learning. There are also the social skills to develop. Students must learn how to work in teams and collaborate with students for whom they may not particularly care. This is vital in college and, later, in a workplace. When I look back at my k-12 years, I remembers experiences that taught me something about myself or others. In the fourth grade, I did not do very well in a section of social studies. My teacher, Mr. Gifford, gave me the opportunity to try again and resubmit a packet. I now realize that he cared more about my learning than about me getting the grade. In secondary school, I remember a computer science exam, where one question asked me to figure out what the code would do if a line had a trick piece of code. The four resulting answers were ‘none of the above.’ I thought there would be no way that four answers in a row were ‘none of the above.’ When I received my exam back, however, I saw that I had aced it! You really have to “trust your gut reaction.” I really enjoyed learning German for 5 years, but it is so much easier to learn a foreign language at a younger age. I wish There should also be more focus on hands-on learning, not just the theory, in schools. Projects are a much better approach to learning, retaining, and applying the material. that I could have started learning it earlier. I think classes where the exam is worth ~50% of the grade are not worth taking. I do not think that one exam is a fair representation of a student’s knowledge. Big exams lead to unneeded stress. Projects are a much better approach to learning, retaining, and applying the material. 18 www.KidsStandard.org Publication INC.
COLLEGE VOICES <strong>Interview</strong> of Kids’ Standard Magazine’s Student Mentors with Kids’ Standard, I asked my fellow student mentors to share their perspectives on this publication as well.. What affect do you think Kids’ Standard had on the students writing for the magazine? Natasha Oldford By: Natasha Oldford Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH Student Mentors, Class of 2015, Clarkston Schools Camron Razdar University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Jay Wright Michigan State University, East Lansing Susan Arnold Northern Michigan University, Marquette Matt Dargay University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Elizabeth Starnes Oakland University, Rochester Hills Now children of all ages have a place to express their ideas and interests. Kids’ Standard keeps the students engaged in their learning by allowing them to pursue information and research on their area of choice. It helps students improve their literacy and writing skills outside of the classroom. It unites the community because of the wide range of authors and topics. It highlights what students find important. In short, this magazine is a fun and exciting way to encourage students to spend time on academics. Even though I have thoroughly enjoyed my time and experiences from working Matt Dargay I think it greatly improved their ability to express themselves in writing, which, in turn, will make them more confident in stating their beliefs. Jay Wright Kids’ Standard has offered children an outlet to explore their passions and utilize that youthful creativity in subjects they enjoy. It also makes students more aware of the outside world and more attuned to what is happening in the small sphere of their elementary school. Elizabeth Starnes I saw kids achieve their goals and succeed at a very young age. Do you think that Kids’ Standard does a good job in motivating, activating, and celebrating students? Susan Arnold Yes, I really do! It is a fantastic organization that has been able to inspire so many students. When mentoring the students, I saw how motivated they were to write about their favorite things and how they were activating their minds by studying their topics before writing began. It was nice to give the students prizes for their hard work and to celebrate their achievements! Jay Wright If I had this opportunity as a child, I would’ve definitely written an article for Kids’ Standard. It would probably have been about the positive and negative effects of video games on kids, as video games were a large part of my childhood. I find it important to represent a medium and industry that receives a lot of flak for being a negative influence on young children. This motivates and activates. Kids Standard is an excellent way to engage students, and I see it as a powerful tool that can be expanded to more schools.” — Camron Razdar How did working with the Kids’ Standard affect your life? Matt Dargay It helped me realize the importance of confidence and competence when it comes to gathering information and forming beliefs from them. Elizabeth Starnes It was really beneficial to me to know that my hard work and the students’ hard work paid off in the end. Students received prizes and awards. They were supported by the mentors, Ms. Razdar, and their teachers. It was also nice to see that if they didn’t make it in the paper one month, they could always try again next month. Being a mentor for the Kids’ Standard was very rewarding, and it made me think about what else I can do in college to make my community a better place. Susan Arnold I loved being able to work with all of the different kids and seeing all of their diverse ideas. It was also really cool to see how my volunteering for the Kids’ Standard helped the kids’ writing become a little better and how they began to enjoy writing as much as I do!” October 2015 19 Publication INC.
Page 1 and 2: www.kidsstandard.org ISSUE 6 | OCTO
Page 3 and 4: EDITORIAL CALENDAR 2015-2016 Editor
Page 5 and 6: CREATIVITY By: Olivia Sanders, 9 ye
Page 7 and 8: INTERVIEW What made you decide to j
Page 9 and 10: ART On top of creating Advertising,
Page 11 and 12: Connect With Us! Sloan Museum, Long
Page 13 and 14: ARTS AND SCIENCE Power of Classical
Page 15 and 16: PARENT’S CORNER CREATE AN INNOVAT
Page 17: We have activities for all ages, sk
Page 21 and 22: Continued from P20 operations. They
Page 23 and 24: PARENT’S CORNER THE LAST WORD: IN

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