Students at Daviess County High have accepted a challenge to engage in a real-life learning experience that will involve design, budgeting, presentation and implementation. DCHS media specialist Carrie Wilkerson said a concrete pad was poured on an area in front of the school outside the media center prior to Fall Break. Wilkerson and Hilary Hayden, who teaches fashion and interior design, have challenged students to develop and to present design proposals for how that space can be used as an outdoor reading area, which will be an extension of the school’s media center. Students have to work within a budget of $1,500 and must be prepared to show realistic principles of materials and construction. “Students are required to demonstrate actual quotes from any external resources, including other classes, stores or community volunteers for any products that are purchased or work that is completed,” Hayden said. “For example, if a student’s plan includes a bench constructed by the DCHS industrial arts class, they must show a price quote for supplies and materials, and everything needs to fit within the budget of $1,500.”
Eight teams of students will present their designs to a panel of judges, which will include members of the DCHS student body, faculty and staff, and members of the community. Presentations are scheduled from 8:10 to 9:20 a.m. Friday, Oct. 27, in the media center. Students will be evaluated on their presentations as professional interior decorators. Other criteria include presentation displays, plans drawn to scale, furniture arrangement, demonstration of principles and elements of design, presentation of material samples and overall effectiveness.
The team whose design is selected will then be responsible for implementing the plan into the outdoor reading area.
“This project is a great example of the real-life experiences we provide to students in all areas of study at Daviess County High School,” Hayden said. “We want to go beyond simply providing students with information about how the real world works. We want to give them opportunities to put that knowledge into action. This project involves both creative and practical skills such as planning, problem-solving and teamwork, and will benefit students in the future regardless of what their ultimate career choices might be.”