OCONOMOWOC, WI – October 30, 2017. Five Oconomowoc High School (OHS) students participated in the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) Network Hackathon in St. Louis, MO, October 20-21. OHS Junior, Madison LaPaz, was part of the first place team and OHS Senior, Cole Frost, was part of the second place team.
The Hackathon is a competition for CAPS program students from across the country. They started the weekend with an entrepreneur panel discussion and networking opportunity, then broke into teams of 4-6 students from different schools. Teams were given the challenge of redesigning a classroom, considering the needs of a modern learning environment, lighting, furniture, space utilization and budget. Teams were given five hours to create a plan and present their rationale to a large audience and panel of judges. Plans were required to include visual models and budget proposals. The judges panel, comprised of architects, business professors, and furniture designers, asked clarifying questions and selected the winning presentations.
OHS students were able to incorporate defined Universal Design for Learning (UDL) concepts currently implemented in the Oconomowoc Area School District (OASD). Their ideas included student-centered spaces, multiple screens and seating options within the space, brighter wall colors, and natural light in the room.
Madison LaPaz’s first-place team was unique because they kept students as the main focus of the plan, rather than the teacher or content. She led her group through the budget process and explanation of the room configuration. Her group agreed that it was more important to consider the actual use of the space than spend budget on additional equipment. This approach separated her team from the other competitors, ultimately garnering the first place award.
Cole Frost’s team focused on portable equipment that could be re-configured for many uses and was accessible for all learners. This included utilization of modular furniture and movable monitor units. Cole confidently led his group throughout the presentation and answered all of the questions from the panel of judges.
Students were joined at the Hackathon by OHS CAPS program teachers, Michael Krill and Danielle Bukal, along with Greg Benz, Coordinator of Career Programming and Professional Studies for the OASD. “We talk often about giving students opportunities for global awareness. The Hackathon offered them a global experience that this group will never forget,” said Krill of the competition. “All five of our students were incredible representatives of OHS. They were competitive, professional, and diligent throughout the competition. It was amazing to see Ben, Nicole, Andrew, Cole and Madison in action. They were by far the strongest partners and innovators on their teams and we’re so proud of their hard work,” added Bukal.
Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) programs are nationally recognized, innovative high school programs. Students are fully-immersed in a professional culture, solving real world problems, using industry standard tools and are mentored by actual employers, all while receiving high school and college credit. CAPS is an example of how business, community and public education can partner to produce personalized learning experiences that educate the workforce of tomorrow, especially in high skill, high demand jobs. This information and more is available at https://yourcapsnetwork.org.
OHS Students Attending the CAPS Hackathon
Left to Right: Cole Frost (12th Grade), Madison LaPaz (11th Grade), Andrew Butsch (12th Grade), Nicole Strautman (11th Grade), and Ben McEwan (12th Grade).
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