Latest / GCA Unmuted: Voices of Virtual Education / Spotlighting Student Voice with Ashley Born: GCA’s Science & Social Studies Fair

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Spotlighting Student Voice with Ashley Born: GCA’s Science & Social Studies Fair · GCA Unmuted: Voices of Virtual Education

• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Georgia Unmuted, the podcast where we share the stories and strategies that show how Georgia Cyber Academy makes online learning work.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Inquiry, curiosity, and creativity are alive and well in virtual learning.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: And you'll find all of them on display at GTA's Science and Social Studies Affair.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: It's more than a showcase.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's a platform for student voiceover, critical thinking, and academic ownership.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'm joined by Ashley Bourne, our K312 Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator and the lead behind GTA's Science and Social Studies Affair.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: We work closely with teachers, students, and staff to make this event an exciting and meaningful opportunity for learners across grade levels.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: We'll talk about how the fair works in a virtual setting, how students grow through the process, and how GTA creates a space for academic exploration that feels real relevant and student-led.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: So, Ashley, thanks for coming on.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: But can you share a story or a standout moment from this past year's fair that really showed the heart of what this event is all about?
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: Well, first of all, thank you for having me.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: I am very honored to be on this um academic discussion as we get to talk about the Science and Social Studies Fair that Georgia Cyber puts on.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: And this year will be our fifth year, and I have been involved in the fair since day one.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I have really gotten to see how our Science and Social Studies Fair has progressed over the years and continues to build every single one.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: So this year I would say a moment that stood out to me the most, aside from you know the excellent, excellent projects that the kids had, was a student who wasn't sure that she could do it.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_01: In the science and social studies fair, you do have to talk to the judges, and you are on your own.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the judge comes by and asks you questions about your project.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: And there was one student who just wasn't sure if she was going to be able to overcome her anxiety to talk to the judge without her parent, her learning coach, there with her.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_01: So, in order for us to continue to challenge our students into growth instead of reverting back into comfort zones, we assigned her with one of our excellent staff members who is prepared to be almost a support system for that student and help push that student a little bit out of their comfort zone and to be able to have that moment where they walk away from this proud of themselves.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: Not because of someone else's validation, but because they were able to succeed in an area that they could, they thought they could not.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: So my proudest moment was looking over and seeing the judges, they were on their knees because this was a primary grade band student, so they are little.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: And um she was turned around for the first time and was facing the judge and was talking so excitedly about her social studies project, um, which was about her father's service in the army.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: And you could just see that pride radiating through her, and that's when I felt that this fair is everything that we need as a virtual school to be able to push our students into growth and seeing that success.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: So that I'll never forget that moment.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: And what do you think it was exactly about that that's that really stayed with you?
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Was it the fact this student didn't believe in themselves, but then they shined?
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like, what what do you think it was exactly that why you're like, man, this really hit home?
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: I think it was the fact that everybody was pretty sure it wasn't going to work.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the student was apprehensive, the parent was apprehensive, the student's teacher was apprehensive, everybody was apprehensive, and um my direction and my attitude towards it was let's just try.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: Let's just try.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: And if it doesn't work out, that's okay, but we just need to try and see what happens.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: So seeing the student get on board and the parent get on board, and even the teacher get on board to be able to try to help the student grow and seeing it be successful, that's all we ever hope for in education.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and so it kind of sounds like this student swim.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: If you do the whole sink or swim, it kind of sounds like the the student didn't sink.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: It sounds like the pleasantly surprised all around the everybody around the team, uh the student, right?
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_01: It was, and I was like, that is a that's the type of achievement that isn't shown in trophies and medals and titles, but it's it was huge.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that that would have been the icing on the cake, though, if you were like, and it turns out this argument won first place at the fair after thinking.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: So uh let's think about what do you what what would you say then you're talking about like it's you know the the the fair is something we need as a virtual school.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: So what would you say uh one is like the ultimate purpose behind like why does GA even have a science and social disappearance to leave for it?
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you like, okay, it's really important that we have this affair?
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: And then tell uh how is it structured?
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: Because my understanding, you've been doing this five years, it sounds like so far.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: Has it changed?
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: Uh because is it has it always been a tell us like tell us where it is, where it takes place, kind of the format, the structure of it?
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Because um uh it's not uh a virtual fair, right?
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's like the students have to come.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: So start us off with the purpose and then paint the picture for the audience.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how does this fair even happen?
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Because we have students all over the state.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: So, how do we even make this thing work in the structure?
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: And how do these students present their projects when they're there and who all is involved?
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: Well, the purpose behind the fair and its first initial creation was to provide the students with a student-facing opportunity to be able to display mastery in a way that is not specific to virtual schools.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_01: In a virtual school, we are, you know, we're limited, but we're not by technology.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: We do have the ability to see slideshows and to be able to create and really expand in the technology world.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_01: However, there are some soft skills that are needed to help our students become the best citizens that they can be as they grow older, and one of those is presenting, and that is presenting in person, face-to-face, being able to speak to people and being able to convey your passion in these areas.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: So when the idea was first brought to the CIA team, the curriculum instruction and assessment team, we took it to mean that we needed to provide this opportunity for students to display their mastery and show their growth in both science and social studies.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_01: So this idea took off.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: However, it is a process to get to the final science and social studies sphere.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: So how we start is we begin with individual projects in class, digital projects, where the students select a research topic or they select a question or a theory or something that they are researching themselves in science.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: And they have the opportunity to create a project and turn it into their teacher, and it is a graded project.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: Their teachers then recommend the top three from their class to go on to the next round of judging.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_01: So at that point, the CIA team will then watch the video of the student giving their presentation about their topic, and they decide who will move on to our virtual fair.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_01: Our virtual fair takes place in uh December, and it is done via Zoom because we have students all over the state.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: And in that case, they come in and they are assigned to a room with judges where they present live, just like I'm talking to you.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: So they go before the judges and they talk about their project.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: They have a visual at this point.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's usually still digital, but sometimes they do have manipulatives that they've created, such as dioramas, such as experiments that they have shown.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_01: So we have the opportunity to hear them present live in December.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: And the students are then selected for the in-person fair, which takes place in February.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: So from the virtual fair, they are invited to go to the Talus Museum in Cartersville.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: We have always had the fair at the TES Museum, and not to sound like a commercial, but the TELUS Museum is perfect for what we are trying to accomplish.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_01: They have a beautiful big ballroom, and they have the opportunity for all of our students to be able to check out the museum while we are waiting for the judges to tally the results.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: So it gives a lot of opportunity for our kids to collaborate with each other and to get to meet with each other and um and actively work together in little collaboration corners that we set up for them to participate in as well.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: So the TELUS is perfect, so we will continue to use them as long as the relationship stays exactly where it should be in a positive manner, and they were so helpful, and they've been great.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll be returning to the TELUS in February, where we have um we have 15 students per grade band per subject.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: So the first day is primary grade band and elementary grade band, and we have 30 students from each.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: So they will be presenting there.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: And then the next day we have middle grade band and secondary grade band, and they can have the same amount as well.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: So that is how we are set up and structured, and that's what leads us to the final stop, which is our um fair at the TELUS Museum.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: However, we do have the opportunity for our kindergarten through fifth grade to go from the Georgia Cyber Fair at the TELUS Museum and then go down to Milledgeville to participate in the state primary grade ban and elementary grade band science fair.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I have taken a group of students for the past two years to compete at the state level, and we have come home with several awards and accolades, including the very best in show for our primary grade band.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: So we have been really, really excited to be able to see this continue to grow, including uh participation at the state level from our little science fair.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's amazing.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, very cool.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: So uh just to recap, it sounds like there's this process of it starts as an assignment, right?
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: For for all students, but then it kind of gets pared down as the the kind of the best ones are selected to be able to participate at the the live in-person fair ultimately.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: That's at TELUS.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: And we have, as you said, our primary grade bands and elementary grade brands do it one day, and then we have our middle grade bands and secondary brands come the second day.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: On those days, do they find out the winner at the end each day?
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_00: So, like the primary and elementary, they grade them that day, and then the awards are the same day for them.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, they do, and we are so fortunate to be able to have that thanks to our marketing and communications team.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: We are able to have the trophies with their names on them ready for them to receive at the end of the day.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: And along with the um first through third place, we'll receive a trophy in each area.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: So we will have primary grade band social studies, then we have primary grade band science, because we do recognize both of the subject areas as individual competitions.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: We also have for all of our students who participate a swag bag.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: So even if they do arrive and do not place in those um top three categories, they leave with a book bag, maybe a t-shirt, pencils, cups, and all these exciting things.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_01: So every student knows that their hard work is appreciated.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: Sure, because I mean just getting there is a big deal because we have a ton of students, and so it's a big selection process there that you made the cut, so to speak.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: So that's that's that's huge.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: So how do students select their topics anyway?
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: Did teachers do it or did they get to do it?
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh because if this is an assignment and how do they get support throughout, is it basically like the the the teachers in the classrooms, whether they're they're science teachers or social studies teachers, they're helping them throughout the throughout the year or kind of do completing the assignment?
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, we want to make sure that our teachers have the autonomy to be able to support this assignment in the way that their students need.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: So some students do need a little more extra support.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe they need a list of topics that they could choose from, especially in our social studies classes.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: We um we are standards-based.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_01: So we want to make sure that our students are focusing on a social studies topic.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: So sometimes a teacher can give a list of proposed topics just to spark their curiosity and their interests.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um, in some in our small group classes to support our special education groups, you may do a project one of three and have a smaller list and where the teacher can really dive in there and help support and scaffold their learning.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: However, the best projects that we've seen every time come from a student who just has an interest in something.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_01: This year we learned about microplastics and how to filter it out of water.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: We've learned about windmill technology.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: We have seen an exact recreation of the human vascular system using nothing but gallon buckets and tubing.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: It has been some fascinating things that these students have come up with on their own accord, which have really blown us out of the water.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_01: And even in the social studies realm, we had an entire study based off of 90s culture, which of course was the judge's favorite, as everyone loves to see things that remind them of their childhood.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: But it was a creative and innovative way to be able to show us their passions and be within the realm of science and social studies.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: That's so cool.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: So that leads us to the the next idea is how does this fair you think impact student confidence, their academic ability, uh the way that they have to do critical thinking and inquiry and communication.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like doing these projects, how do you see the impact on student development?
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_01: I think in the realm of education, you know, we are continuously trying to differentiate our educate our material and our process and our product and our environment.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: However, at the end, there's always a standardized test in these specific subject areas that you are required to know the standard mastery.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: So I think this is the only opportunity in some of these classes for the students to be able to figure out what makes them passionate in this area and really expand on that and grow in that.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: If you love World War II, I want to hear all about it at the Social Studies Fair.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: And these kids, hey, if they want to dress like a chef and tell me how this is an important community helper, I love hearing about that too.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: So it gives the students some accountability and some buy-in for their own education and what makes them excited and what makes them shine.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: So we are so thankful to be able to have this process here so our students can grow in areas like inquiry and critical thinking and communication.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_01: This year was also the first year where we partnered with the Intelligence Alliance Grouping, which allowed students who had an idea, like an app that they have created, to be able to take that and go ahead and copyright it before they even graduate high school.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: We had a student this year who's working on an app to be able to help the colorblind differentiate between shades of color using an app that will take a picture and tell them if it's blue or purple and what percentage is yellow and red.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: So that student was given information about how to copyright her product before she even graduates.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: So this is an opportunity for our kids to be able to take their ideas and what they're excited about and passionate about and be able to put something forward for their futures.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: That is so cool.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: So what do you think other schools then actually could learn, whether it's virtual or traditional, about the way GCA runs this event, runs our science and social studies sphere?
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: What could uh what would you say, or what what do you think they could learn whether they're a virtual school or a traditional school?
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think we are so fortunate to be able to be a virtual school and still have this opportunity to have our students face to face.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: And if I was speaking with other other educators in the room, I would tell them that it's definitely worth the process for students to be able to improve their project before the fair and to continue making it a tiered system and also allowing them more autonomy.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_01: So in a virtual setting, we allow them to choose their own topics, we allow them to grow, we allow them to change their topics before they get there if they want to develop a trifold or demonstrate an experiment for us and do all these different pieces.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like sometimes in a brick and mortar school, when they are so beholden to a specific scheduling or limitations that they have, it's harder to allow the students to go on their own path.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I would recommend building in these scaffolded steps that allow students to continue to grow in their own project and their own idea as they are gearing up for the fair instead of making it a one-stop shop.
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that makes sense.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: You kind of build toward it, build this at this big event.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: So would you also say that GCA doing it at TELAS, right?
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_00: Like going to this place kind of builds into the importance of the event too, because uh maybe even at a traditional school, instead of having it at their school, maybe they could uh go and have it at an outside place to try and build that, kind of make this a bigger, you know, a big event for the students.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh because do you have you found that students coming does it feel bigger to them?
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: Does anyone say like because it's there at this place, it kind of builds important to it or importance to it or no?
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_01: It makes it far more special.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: We try to do it right before a holiday weekend as well.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_01: So we've had parents that have made this a trip where they come to Cartersville, they get hotels and they participate in the fair and then go sightseeing in all of the areas around it.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: So we definitely have made this a special experience for them to be able to go to the TELUS Museum.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_01: They get the red carpet, the red carpet treatment as well.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: All the family members get in, no charge for them, and they are able to go around.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_01: And when you first walk into the TELUS, there is a giant dinosaur skeleton.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_01: And that alone just makes it an awe-inspiring moment.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: However, we do have some kids that have been going to this fair as long as I've been there, and I've gotten to see them grow from elementary grade ban into now secondary grade ban, where they have progressed their experiments or their social studies, and sometimes they've gone back and forth.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_01: One year they do science, one year they do social studies, and they've been there every year I've been there.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_01: So I love to see them grow and have these repeat students come back, and uh, we just make sure that our swag bag's always different for them, too, because we're so excited to see them and continue to make this a special day.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: What would you say sets GCA's science and social studies fair apart then from a traditional science and social studies fair?
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: I would say, if nothing else, pure passion alone.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: For and I always get to talk about how lucky I am to work in science and social studies because those are our passion contents.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: That's where kids are like, I love history or I love science.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: I love making things catch fire and blow up and all those other pieces.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: And we get to see them do it.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: So we are so lucky that we get to see our students passion, but also all of our volunteers are so excited.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: They tell me every year this is their favorite thing that we do because we get to go and it sets us apart from just like a field trip or community day or these other topics where we just see the kids and you know hang out with them for a day.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: This is where we get to see them shine and be proud of them and talk to them and see the very best of the best creatively and academically at Georgia Cyber.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: So, my volunteers, I have repeat volunteers every single year that tell me all the time this is their favorite day of the year.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's not something we have to do, it's something we get to do.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_01: We are so excited to do it.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: So because you're the lead of this affair, are there any systems or ideas that you're doing behind the scenes that make this affair successful that you think other schools could replicate?
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like if you were to give some advice and just in terms of like systems or logistics, like, hey, make sure you do this or get this right if you want to try and like make a big event like this successful.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I would say, first of all, I do have a committee that we have that has been with us every step of the way.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_01: I have an instructional coach, Kelly Nye Hill, for social studies.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and this year I have a co chairwoman, Michelle Nix, for science.
• 21:59
  SPEAKER_01: So Since we have more people on their team, we're be really able to expand it.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I would say something that other groups could learn from us and how we grow is that we have ensured every step is a process, an individual process that grows into this big fair at the end.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: I would also say that we try to make this just as exciting and special for kids by adding something to it every year.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_01: This past year we had a collaboration corner, which had a bunch of experiments for the kids to do and a bunch of interesting things from social studies for them to research and look at, and it gave them an opportunity to talk together and work through that.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: So, and we also all work with our marketing team to make sure that we have all of the fun stuff for the kids to see.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: They come in and it is brightly decorated, it has yellow and orange and blue colors everywhere popping, and it looks just as exciting for them as it is for us.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_01: We also make sure that the kids see a familiar face the first time they walk in the door.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_01: So we have their principals waiting for them, and principals at our schools are celebrities.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_01: So if they walk in and they see Mr.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: Wilkerson from middle grade bands, and the same person that they see on their computer screen, it's like seeing a celebrity for them.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_01: But besides that, just the work behind the scenes, my team is pretty tireless about it.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: And there's definitely some nights that we didn't get as much sleep as we wanted to lead up to it.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_01: But when we walk away from it feeling as good as we do, that is just all the difference.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: My best recommendation for the anyone else who wants to create a science and social studies fair that's as successful as ours is, is to keep communication with the parents and the learning coaches and let them know what stage that their students are in and how that they can be supported as well.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_01: We are so lucky here at Georgia Cybers.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_01: We have several, several very involved parenting groups, and they love to help their kids with these projects and they film it and they record it for them.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: So you need to keep them in the loop.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_01: So we try to make sure that our communication with them is set in place.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: We use a Canvas course to communicate with them and their students directly, and we always make sure that they have plenty of opportunities to ask us questions about any processes, and we are as you know, we repeat information, we send out information often to keep everybody on the same page, all of our stakeholders.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_00: Love it.
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: What then leave us with this, Ashley?
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_00: What then is the biggest lesson that you've learned about spotlighting our students at the Science and Social Studies Fair?
• 24:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh what what what have you learned or along the way?
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: You've been doing this, I think you said for five years.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: So it's like it doesn't have to be the biggest lesson, but what's a lesson or something that comes to mind while you've been doing this, uh heading this up, leading the charge, about kind of you said our students are shining.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's an opportunity for them to shine here.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_00: So what have you learned about this process of getting our students to shine here?
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: This science is socialist career.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: I would say what comes to mind first is just the words worth it.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's worth it.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_01: It is worth every minute of a form not working correctly.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's worth every minute of the Zoom room might not be participating like it should be.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: Every minute that you panic, it's worth it at the end.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: So that's what makes it just uh for me as the leader of it.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_01: I know that on days where I get bogged down in details that I just think how much is going to be worth it.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_01: And there is no feeling like when it's all said and done, and those kids have their trophies and they're taking their pictures and they're so excited, and they say goodbye, and you tell them how proud you are of them, and you can tell they really believe it.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_01: And that is just the best moment.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_00: That's so good.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_00: That reminds me of the saying, is the juice worth the squeeze?
• 26:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so for you, the juice of the science and social studies fair is worth the squeeze, is worth the work you put in.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm so lucky that it's worth it that for everyone.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_01: The judges that drive to Cartersville, they're like, worth it.
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_01: It was great.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_01: The kids that made the track, worth it, it was great.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_01: And everybody leaves feeling like it was worth it.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: It was worth a day.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: That's so good.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_00: So here's today's big idea.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_00: When students are invited to ask big questions, explore real ideas, and present their thinking, their learning becomes more than a grade.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: It becomes a launch pad.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_00: So thanks again to Ashley Bourne for joining us and sharing her insight.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: If this episode gave you new ideas about student engagement or academic voice, be sure to subscribe and join us next time on J Unmuted for Voices of Virtual Education.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Ashley.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.