Lighting The Spark Of Innovation: Dwight School Ignites Global Sparkathon To Celebrate 150 Years Of Educational Excellence
UAE, June 2023: Dwight School Dubai, a leading International Baccalaureate (IB) Continuum school in Dubai, celebrates Dwight Schools 150th anniversary with the launch of an innovative Sparkathon for its global network of campuses. Over 100 students from the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) across Dwight School’s global network of campuses in Dubai, New York, London, Shanghai, Global Online and Seoul, participated in the two-day global design competition.
Launched on 20th May 2023, Dwight School students across the globe collaborated with Ocean Conservancy to complete a series of ocean awareness challenges to help tackle the global issue of ocean pollution. 15 students from Dwight School Dubai worked diligently to innovate and design ocean clean-up projects to build awareness around the impact of plastic pollution in our oceans. Utilizing a combination of 3D printing, laser cutting, and computer-aided design tools such as; Adobe Illustrator and TinkerCAD, students were able to create a variety of initiatives to help combat ocean pollution in the allocated 16 hours, such as; sustainable beach clear-up devices and pollution management solutions.
“The thing I enjoyed most about the Sparkathon was the opportunity to innovate and work towards solving an important real-life problem. Sparkathon brought together two things I am passionate about (marine biology and ecosystems and design!), which I loved! Sparkathon helped me think more about the actual impact of the solution itself and how design can help bring together communities and help them flourish. It gave me a chance to practice creative thinking in design!” – Aanvi, Grade 8
Dwight School Dubai embeds technology within its innovative IB curriculum as a means of aiding instruction and as a tool to embrace and offer personalized learning journeys. It follows a one-to-one device policy wherein students from Grades 1 to 5 use iPads, while students from Grades 6 to 12 make use of laptops in class. Students are introduced to the concepts of virtual reality (VR) from Pre-K to inspire young inquirers in their learning, while coding and robotics are integrated across different course programs to develop digital literacy skills. Teachers also use the digital blackboards, equipped in every classroom, to develop interactive and engaging learning sessions to take teaching to the next level.
David Hutson, Head of School at Dwight School Dubai, says: “Sparkathon has witnessed Dwight students championing teamwork, collaboration, innovation and global citizenship. 150 years marks a tremendous achievement for the Dwight School family, and we are proud to be a part of a global network that fosters the next generation of global leaders who can thrive anywhere in the world.”
Established in 1872 with Dwight School New York, Dwight’s long and rich history of innovation and personalized learning is aimed at preparing graduates for admission to some of the world’s most prestigious universities. The global network of Dwight Schools in New York, London, Seoul, Shanghai, Dubai and Dwight Global Online span over 3500 students and 500 teachers as of 2023. The Dwight Schools network is proud to be opening their seventh campus in Hanoi in 2024, which will welcome students from Pre-K to Grade 12.
Blake Spahn, Vice Chancellor of Dwight Schools, added: “Dwight is dedicated to igniting the spark of genius in every child. Since inception, Dwight’s visionary leaders have transformed the educational landscape, while Dwight’s illustrious alumni continue to leave their mark on our world. For our 150-year anniversary, we wanted to mark this incredible milestone by providing a platform for the next generation of learners to showcase their innovative solutions. The results have been fantastic, and we look forward to the unique creations that come out of the annual Spark-a-thons.”
Last Updated on 2 years by News Desk 2
