CEDAR RAPIDS—Nearly a year ago, the Iowa BIG school’s headmaster Shawn Cornally set out to get 50 or 60 students enrolled for the fall semester.
With classes now underway, Iowa BIG school, which is a projects-based learning experience for high schoolers, surpassed its goal with an enrollment of about 70 students.
This semester, the projects the students are working on vary greatly and cover a wide range of concerns within the community. The program receives ideas for projects through inbound projects—those received from community members—and outbound projects—those students come up with themselves.
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One student, 16-year-old Breanna Dykstra, has been at work on a food truck project. The idea came from students thinking of ways to improve school lunch. Their goal was to create a fresh, convenient and affordable alternative. Although the group has discovered their project is a little too expensive for their budget, the experience has still been extremely valuable.
“I feel like I am actually doing something worthwhile and experiencing things that will stick with me throughout my life,” Dykstra told SPN. “The fact that we are stepping out into the community, talking face-to-face with people, looking up information to find what we need to do in order to accomplish what we desire to do is the epitome of what school should be like, in my opinion.”
Another student, 17-year-old Jordan Icenogle from Cedar Rapids, shares Dykstra’s perspective on the benefits of Iowa BIG’s program.
“It has been a huge blessing to have this program in my life,” he told SPN. “I have learned things that I wouldn’t have learned until I got out into the real world after college. For example, I am learning how to properly schedule meetings and use that time efficiently.”
Icenogle currently is working on three projects about urban runoff, wireless power, and Medieval Times and Madrigal events.
“The main goal of my projects stands true for all of them—make a difference, whether that is changing the ways we deal with flooding in Cedar Rapids, boosting along the future of power without cords or creating an everlasting tradition of a dinner theater in Cedar Rapids,” Icenogle said.
The students of Iowa BIG are not only working to solve community problems and gaining valuable skills, but also earning course credit. Students can receive 10 to 15 credits each trimester for attending Iowa BIG.
“Another thing that I find hard to believe is that I am earning credit for Honors English while finding something I am passionate about to work on, all in a very encouraging and creative environment,” Dykstra said.
Being located in Cedar Rapids’ New Bohemia neighborhood makes it easy for students all over the city to stop by the school. Iowa BIG is housed in Vault Co-working and Collaboration space, which recently relocated to Geonetric’s new building.
“It’s really cool that we are in the New Bohemia district because it’s a great arts vibe and gets the kids in the right mood for a project that is more creative,” Cornally told SPN.
Iowa BIG hopes this creative success will continue with an even more ambitious goal than last year. It aims to double the size of its program to 140 students Cornally said. Cornally says he also hopes to expand the program and open a southern campus in Iowa City next year so more students can get involved.
