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Innovation
in Culture Care
CPA instructors see their classroom not as a closed-off, secluded
environment but as facing outward to the community … and the world.
Parker Altman, Head of Upper School
If CPA did not exist, would the city of Nashville notice? What value can
these students, and soon-to-be adults, provide the community where they
live, work, and play? CPA teachers and students have been exploring answers
to these questions through a variety of instructional methods designed to
encourage students to grapple with real-world problems and solutions.
With problem-based learning, students identify a real-world
problem, research relevant background information, and determine
innovative solutions. For the 20-percent projects in Ecology class,
one student sought out an eco-friendly and child-safe alternative to
traditional crayons. She created beeswax-based crayons using dyes
developed through experimentation with a variety of organic materials.
Other amazing products also came to fruition, from the Attack-Pac:
personalized jewelry that works as a defense aid to ULife: a phone
application for tracking healthy food options on college campuses.
These authentic learning experiences allowed students to tap into their
own areas of interest, learn the necessary content standards, engage the
broader community, and use their intellect to provide value to others—
in short, experiences that served as a model of how students can use
their talents, gifts, and skills to be the hands and feet of Jesus in their
community.
Lauren Overbeek, Head of Preschool
The weekly theme our preschool teachers were planning was
“Children Around the World”, when the four-year-old class teachers
asked if they could do something different. Instead of focusing on
children around the entire world, they wanted to focus on one country
and let the students see, hear, touch, taste, and smell unique things
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about children’s lives in one place. The week’s plans suddenly filled with
make-believe travel complete with passports, tasting new foods, and the
powerful tool of learning from peers.
After the week of exploring the selected country, preschool was
transformed into a nation of cultures from around the world. The
wonder was just as bright in the teachers’ eyes as in the students’ eyes!
One of our classrooms turned into Uganda for the day—Ugandan
students were seen dancing to local music on the Promethean board and
our students joined in, wearing clothing from that country. In “Italy”,
our Prek 5 students offered gelato tastings as they taught common
phrases from their chosen corner of the world, while another class
shared a special presentation they created themselves about all they
learned while “visiting” Germany. Meanwhile, a class saw first-hand art
and clothing from China, and special guests who had spent time in that
country shared with the students about the visit.
The collaboration between teachers, the excitement throughout our school,
and the global learning that took place was an experience that forever changed
our perceptions about God’s people living in the world He created.
Innovation
in Creative Leadership
Innovation begins by asking questions, and growth takes place in the
opportunities provided to find the answers. Learning to lead and serve
requires both the right questions and the opportunities to take risks,
face challenges, learn from mistakes, persevere, and succeed. We asked
our students, “What can you do?” and the results were inspiring.
Kelly Fuller, Head of Lower School
Our prayer for every student at CPA is that he or she will live a life
seeking to be holy - loving God, loving others, and living in obedience
to His Word. These attributes, empowered by grace, will impact our
world for Christ.
We know developing leadership is essential to powerfully shaping
global society for decades to come. In the lower school, we teach the