The Big Ideas School promises an alternative education program for students in Iowa’s Creative Corridor.
Former educators Shawn Cornally (left) and Trace Pickering are bringing students back into the classroom for the summer with their latest “big idea,” aptly named The Big Ideas School.
Set to begin its first session June 24, the program promises an alternative approach to traditional education systems by getting students in grades 7-12 engaged with interdisciplinary projects that interest them.
Thanks to our sponsor
Cornally said his previous role as a community builder in the Creative Corridor—a seven-county area in northeast Iowa—inspired him to start the school. In that role, he worked on a program that placed community members in schools for a day and then recorded what those individuals wanted schools to look like. The Big Ideas School is the manifestation of what the group envisioned.
Though the program is meant to provide supplemental education, students may dual enroll to fulfill anywhere from 25 to 100 percent of of their course requirements. The Big Ideas School will be housed in the Vault co-working space in downtown Cedar Rapids, though Cornally noted that much of students’ time will be spent outside of the classroom.
So far 30 students have applied to participate in the first session of The Big Ideas School. To be admitted, students must be enrolled in a school district that is part of the Creative Corridor—meaning the school is in the counties of Linn, Johnson, Washington, Iowa, Cedar, Benton or Jones. The program charges $295 per session.
When asked how the Big Ideas School will benefit the future Iowa startup community, here’s what Cornally had to say:
The Big Ideas School does not allow its students to silo their projects. Students are forced to think entrepreunerially, as they consider the content they are trying to learn, the validity of a community connection to their project, the management of funds and resources as they complete projects, and the interconnectedness of contents areas. Simply the act of having a good idea and pursuing it to some reasonable state of completion and public consumption is priming students for life in a startup community.
Credits: John Cornally photo courtesy of Cornally.
