On March 22, the North Royalton City Schools’ Research and Independence Study Extravaganza (RISE) was held at North Royalton Middle School. Enriched English Language Arts students in grades three through eight conducted formal research on a topic of their choice and then combined their findings into the form of an Independent Study Project that was showcased to the public during the event. Samantha Lumpkin’s third and fourth grade classes and Tim Anderson’s fifth grade class researched a topic they found an interest in; Tim Anderson’s sixth grade classes chose an historical event to research; Cathy Drescher’s seventh grade class researched an ecological issue while her eighth grade class researched a social issue.
Throughout the evening, community members, board members, teachers and district and city leaders volunteered as consultants and provided feedback to the students. This year, North Royalton High School seniors who participated in this event when they were younger also served as consultants. Some of the consultants included Superintendent Greg Gurka and Board of Education Members Jackie Arendt and Anne Reinkober. After the consulting, the public was able to view the third, fourth, and fifth grade displays. Students in grades six through eight exhibited their research and findings to the public and consultants through formal presentations.
Independent Study allows students to explore high interest topics with depth and complexity. This process causes the students to shoulder more of the responsibility for their learning as they organize ideas and theories, develop real world, problem-solving strategies, and cultivate time management and organizational skills.
“It is wonderful to see the depth to which our students examine their topics and the poise and knowledge they exhibit when formally presenting their subject matter. The student’s hard work is impressive and their passion for their chosen topic is so exciting!”
“These presentations are always outstanding,” said Beth Burdick, Coordinator of Gifted Services. “The passion these students have regarding their topic and the hard work they put into their research and presentation is amazing to witness.”