ROGERS — Better communication was a popular solution during senior project presentations at Rogers High School on Wednesday.
If a few students get excited about something, it will spread through the school, Abbie Bailey told a delegation from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
AT A GLANCE
Garden Party
Crystal Bridges will hold an Avant Garden party from 7 to 10 p.m. April 12 celebrating The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism exhibition. The program is organized by the museum’s Teen Council.
Source: Staff Report
Bailey and her teammates were tasked with finding ways to attract more teen volunteers to the art museum. Teens would be happy to volunteer at Crystal Bridges if they knew they could, students said.
Students usually hear about volunteer opportunities through the school, Alex Segura said. The museum wasn't on the student council lists or the lists through the counselor's office. When the team surveyed classmates students guessed there would be a place for them, but they didn't know.
The museum was missing a free connection, Bailey said.
Students asked about creating a teen tour with quirky facts and QR codes.
A teen audio tour of Crystal Bridges is in the works, said Diana Carroll, interim director of communications.
The delegation asked about the number of hours students need to volunteer and their interests.
The students' enthusiasm was the best part of the presentation, Carroll said. Museum staff want to listen and learn. Student ideas will be discussed in later meetings.
"We want to hear what our guests have to say," she said. "Results happen."
Discussions between students and the organization or business they researched played out in several classrooms on Wednesday.
"I think it gives them a sense of responsibility to go out into the community and work as hard as they work to propose solutions," said Jeff Hagers, Spanish teacher who coordinated the projects this year.
Seniors at Rogers High School were selected to work on the projects, then present their findings.
The combination of outside groups visiting the school and students researching on location brings a sense of community, Hagers said.
Parent Lisa Brixey said the community aspect makes a school project real, and brainstorming ideas for Crystal Bridges makes her daughter part of the bigger picture of Northwest Arkansas.
Bea Corral said her daughter's team faced setbacks but worked together and made a great presentation. She was happy to see the smooth presentation as life has glitches.
"It offered them a great experience," she said.
Students addressed a variety of areas in presentations.
Courtney Howard researched using social media to drum up business for Team Graphics.
Hayley Sullivan and Vanessa Hibbard talked about moving recycling bins closer to vending machines at Mercy Hospital.
Their team was told 75 percent of waste at the hospital is recyclable. The problem is getting people involved, Sullivan said. Consistency would help, Hibbard said.
"Keep everything the same," she said.
Another team researched recruiting diverse students to the University of Arkansas and how to involve their underrepresented parents.
The student solution was a series of workshops for parents and students starting at eighth grade with topics such as grade point average through high school, the importance of documenting community involvement for scholarships and ACT exams.
Many of the ideas were similar to things the University of Arkansas does, said Rafael Arciga Garcia, admission counselor who attended the presentation.
He was able to hear from the students he's recruiting, he said. Four of the five students on his team are enrolled at the university and several named outreach programs they had attended.
"It was great," he said. "The best thing is they want to continue working on it."
NW News on 03/20/2014