Last year, Inly students with a passion for creating and problem-solving were asked to think of a problem within the community and come up with a solution that could solve it. They were invited to submit their idea to Donna with the goal of becoming part of the School’s new Ideas+ Program.

Students in grades 1-6 who were accepted into the Ideas+ Program are now developing their ideas in the Da Vinci Studio after school. Under the guidance of teacher Erika Hoddinott, they collaborate in a think tank environment using Inly’s i-4 (Inquire, Imagine, Invent, Implement) process. They are refining their ideas and asking ‘what’s working well?’ ‘what should we do differently?’ ‘What have we learned?’

Here are some of the ideas in development:

Idea: Animal Shelter Support (Elena, grade 3)

• Problem: Some animals spend a lot of time waiting to be adopted from a shelter. They can get bored and lonely.
• Solution: Assemble boxes with handmade toys, treats and blankets to provide enrichment while they stay at the shelter. Create a Passport class for students to help make the items and assemble the boxes for local animal shelters.

Idea: Participatory Budgeting (Verity, grade 4)

• Problem: Kids don’t realize how much money is spent on school and classroom materials. If they knew, they might take better care of things.
• Solution: Help kids learn more about how Inly uses its money so they’ll take better care of things and think of ways to use the money to help the Inly community. Four potential budget areas have been identified—playground, classroom materials, booster club, and library. With guidance from Donna and the Business Office, Verity will select one of these areas to work with.

Idea: Kindness All Around/Kids Helping Kids (Caitlin, grade 5, Genevieve, grade 6, Roderick, grade 4,  and Chelsea, grade 7)

• Problem: Sometimes, kids need to talk with someone about a problem, but they don’t feel comfortable talking to an adult or a therapist. How can we foster a culture of kindness and empathy at Inly and within our communities?
• Solution: Provide a safe place for kids to talk about problems with older, mentor kids who may have dealt with similar issues. Grade six through middle school kids will offer support to younger kids and act as “Kindness Ambassadors” in our community.

Idea: Inly Tutors (Zach, grade 7)

• Problem: Students sometimes need extra help in a particular subject but can feel intimidated asking an adult.
• Solution: Create a peer-to-peer tutoring program where sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students who are fluent in a subject would be available for younger students to schedule time for extra help.

Teacher Erika Hoddinott is guiding students in the implementation of their ideas. “Students are doing everything it takes to kickstart an entrepreneurial venture,” says Erika. “They are designing logos, writing elevator pitches, and developing timelines. They’re reaching out to the appropriate adults to ask questions and gather information.”