Grade 9 Students Present Ideas to Chinese Reconciliation Park Board
Five groups of Grade 9 students presented ideas to enhance the user experience at Tacoma’s Chinese Reconciliation Park to their board last night at the University of Puget Sound.
The park, on Commencement Bay near Old Town, commemorates the expulsion of Chinese immigrants from Tacoma in 1885 and serves to bring the community together to celebrate the city’s multicultural past, present and future.
The presentations were part of a comprehensive project in the students’ humanities course, which emphasizes inquiry and creative problem solving for real community needs. The partnership began three years ago with a student group identifying the use of QR codes (now readable by a simple phone camera rather than requiring a special QR code reader) as a way to enhance the experience of visitors to the park.
This year’s Grade 9 students generated strategies on how to integrate QR codes, focusing on the content delivered. The project involved meeting with the park board to hear vision, priorities and concerns, conducting observations of park usage, interviewing Tacoma residents about the park, synthesizing and analyzing data, and generating original ideas to present back to their peers. The top five groups then presented their proposals to the board.
Ideas included linking to digital artworks, sharing immigrant stories, creating an immersive audio experience, connecting students to the park through social media, and promoting activism and volunteerism.
“We couldn’t be more thankful to the board for their willingness to provide our students with an opportunity to see how the skills learned in school can be utilized to impact the community. This has been an authentic, compelling learning experience,” said Jake Guadnola, Director of the Upper School for Girls and one of their humanities teachers.
Discussions are now underway for implementing one or more of the proposals, with plans to offer these students summer internships to assist with the process.
