United States Congresswoman Suzan DelBene spent time at Frank Wagner Elementary School in Monroe on Friday, visiting with Missy Maxson's fourth- and fifth-grade students during an event called Museum Day.
Museum Day was the culmination of a long-term learning strategy implemented by Maxson. The students were tasked with selecting a topic, engaging in research and creating a visual display that provided an overview of their topic and what they had learned. Students were available to explain their projects, which ranged from a presentation on World War II to the origin of computers to information about human anatomy.
"There's a way they can show their learning that's not a standardized test,GÇ¥ Maxson said. "They love to show their learning this way.GÇ¥
Maxson's students complete three projects per school year, she said, and will be starting a new one after the Thanksgiving holiday. Museum Day was reminiscent of a science fair, with large poster board displays positioned around the room, many enhanced with hand-drawn pictures and clay sculptures.
"They enjoy this; they get into it,GÇ¥ Maxson said. "I get them to read, I get them to write, I get them to watch videos so they're listening, I get them to stand and speak. So reading, writing, listening, speaking, history, science; it covers everything.GÇ¥
DelBene toured the classroom, stopping at each project to meet the student and ask questions. The visit was arranged during American Education Week, an event celebrating public education and honoring teachers across the country. DelBene visited two schools on Friday; one in Redmond and one in Monroe.
"Expanding opportunity for the next generation starts by ensuring every child has access to a great education and world-class teachers,GÇ¥ DelBene said. "That's why I'm so pleased we have teachers like Brigitte Tennis and Missy Maxson in classrooms throughout the first district, where our educators are doing incredible work for our kids. Congress can and must do more to support these efforts and ensure that federal policies are working for Washington's students, educators and school districts.GÇ¥
Indira Natalia Mancia's project on the history of Monroe featured a detailed timeline filled with significant events in Monroe's history. The timeline included things like the first school in 1869, the construction of the hospital in 1893, first newspaper (the Monroe Monitor) established in 1899, the great Monroe fire of 1901 and the Monroe prison, which was conceptualized in 1907.
"I want to know about Monroe,GÇ¥ said Mancia, who planned to show the project to her parents after Museum Day, so she could pass along what she learned.
During DelBene's tour of the projects, other classes cycled through in 10-minute intervals, so students who were interested could view the projects and interact with the congresswoman. Fourth-grade student Faith Bergman made a beeline for DelBene, asking her questions and engaging her in conversation.
DelBene was in the classroom for just more than an hour, after which she traveled over to Housing Hope's Monroe Family Village, to meet with Mayor Geoffrey Thomas and tour the new facility.
Photos by Chris Hendrickson A student talks to U.S. Congresswoman Suzan DelBene about her project on redwood forests. The project included information on where redwoods can be found and what types of animals live in redwood forests.DelBene bonds with several students when discussing a project about the origin of computers. DelBene was with Microsoft for nearly 10 years, later cofounded a web-based company called drugstore.com.
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