Paradise Valley tagged as district’s fourth focus academy

In a continuing effort to change the landscape of Morgan Hill Unified School District schools, the local board of education unanimously approved the transition of Paradise Valley Elementary School into an engineering focus academy for the 2016-17 year.
Behind the board’s 6-0 vote at the Dec. 15 meeting, Paradise Valley—which brought site leadership, faculty and student body members to make their case—becomes the district’s fourth subject-focused primary school. PV joins Jackson Academy of Math & Music, San Martin Gwinn Environmental Science Academy and P.A. Walsh STEAM Academy.
“I really hope that we move forward for our school to be an engineering academy,” said fourth grader Brian Romero prior to the board’s vote. “Projects make learning fun, and who doesn’t want to have fun?”
Aligned with the district’s new grade level configuration, PV will be a kindergarten through fifth grade site (as is P.A. Walsh) for the 2016-17 school year. Jackson and San Martin are K-8 schools.
Principal Swati Dagar, who has been developing the plan since September along with PV teachers and parents, detailed the engineering focus to trustees and district leaders at the last meeting before the new year. The academy curriculum will focus on inquiry-based exploration and project-based learning with an end goal of ensuring college and career readiness among students.
“I can say with full confidence that I think every student at Paradise Valley will benefit from an engineering focus academy and the integrated curriculum,” said resident Kelly Chimienti, parent of three PV students.
The PV principal explained that the curriculum is very student-centric, where they ask the questions, pose the problem, brainstorm ideas, choose a solution path, plan it out, make a materials list and test out their conclusions. Dagar told board members that her vision for an engineering academy will be refined, modified and changed throughout the remainder of the current school year and be ready for implementation by Fall 2016. She also plans on visiting other engineering focus schools in the area.
“We want to create a fundamentally different and rigorous and innovative approach to learning,” said Dagar, who touched on the engineering design process of problem solving and critical thinking as integral parts of the new infused curriculum.
Teachers will begin taking preparatory professional development in the second half of the 2015-16 school year so they are equipped to kick off the integrated engineering curriculum, which is being developed with the staff from the Santa Clara County Office of Education.
“I’m sure this is going to be another great venture,” said Board Vice President Ron Woolf, who believes MHUSD to be on the “cutting edge” of 21st century learning with the focus academies.
Along with finalizing the curriculum implementation plan, the PV team of site faculty and parents are hoping to build community partnerships with local and county businesses to help provide students with real-life engineering experiences.
“The Paradise Valley community is amazing. A lot of our parents are engineers and want to be involved,” Dagar said. “The students have enjoyed being part of this process.”