FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com MAY 28, 2015 • kids & education • The Courier sun 33 ▶kids & education The science lab has a smart table, which is a table with a touchscreen surface that allows six students individual workspaces on the single device. It lends itself to both private work and group work. The school also provides each of its students a science fair board on which to do school projects. “Every student, at this point, has a science fair board,” Dr. Valbrun said. “So there are no excuses, we’ve removed an obstacle or a barrier…so the school purchased each student a science board, including our kindergarten students.” Merrick Academy’s teachers are also using different learning techniques with their students. One of the ways the teachers are doing things differently at Merrick Academy is by letting the students themselves lead discussions and create questions to ask. This is evident in the Read Every Day program where the teachers encourage students to read each day and then task the students with creating their own questions and discussions. The teachers provide the students with hints on how to being their discussion but do not get involved and let the students take it in their own direction. This not only enhances critical thinking, but it allows for student engagement and student-to-student learning. Merrick Academy also uses interpersonal techniques in disciplining students. They are reducing suspensions and expulsions by using restorative practices which means they try to restore any problems before they grow into bigger issues. “It has been tremendous,” said Shereda Coke, dean of grades K-2 at Merrick Academy. “Students take ownership of hurting each other’s feelings, express how they felt about something someone did. It’s like a little community, we treat the classroom like this is your family at school.” The administration at Merrick Academy believes that all students, no matter their past or current education level, deserve a chance at a good education. “We’re not afraid of special needs students,” Karikari said. “I don’t have a problem with a special needs student, I don’t have a problem with a child who hasn’t done well in their regular Department of Education school. They’re all welcome here and we’re going to do the best we can to educate them properly.” The charter school hopes to take these students and give them the best education they could receive, now and into the future. “I would like to have every student with their own tablet, that we can have digital classes,” Dr. Valbrun said. “I would like to make sure we enhance our afterschool activities, that we really develop a strong science and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) program, continue to develop out teacher capacity.” Merrick Academy hopes the STEM programs will lead to students choosing jobs in those fields and becoming professionals. “We’d love to see our children develop their own apps and programming for themselves,” Karikari said. “We want to make sure that the children have a real wide range of skills to be produces on the technology level, not consumers.” The school’s science lab. Students in the gymnasium recently dedicated to honor the memory of Anthony Mason. In the photo are former New York Knicks player John Starks (behind the kid shooting), Anthony Mason Jr. and Antoine Mason. One of the classrooms.
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