TriPoint Academy

Five phases. One mission. All students - Utilizing the design thinking model to facilitate student engagement with Connection, Exploration, Experts, Development and Service. All students can contribute to meaningful acts of service.

What is CEEDS?

CEEDS is an enrichment course within our daily schedule where students are given the opportunity to extend on their learning, in connection with another part of their academic experience. They start with a problem or topic, learn from experts, and develop their own solutions.

CEEDS incorporates student interests and school and community needs into project-based learning to facilitate service outcomes. While it is an extension of academics, the academic components of the PBL do not have to be standards based, allowing for authentically student driven exploration into their topic of choice as it may be relevant to their service outcome and design process.

CEEDS implementation integrates multi-age grouping across K-8 to build leadership skills, collaboration and simulate the real world. Facilitators foster productive and positive peer relationships across developmental groups within the same class, creating a mutualistic supportive atmosphere where all kids can contribute to service outcomes. Older students support the needs of the younger students, while younger students bring in the enthusiasm and creativity for learning that sometimes the older students lack due to past experiences or simply because of social trends.

Design Thinking Model

Connection: Interdisciplinary, Passion

Students are encouraged to dive deeper into learning that they are connecting to. This interdisciplinary approach leads to an extension of something they heard in class, or something their curious brains have wanted to explore deeper at TriPoint. These connections are authentic and personal. Students build collaboration skills as they work in teams throughout this process, building community as they unite through their work.

Exploration: Exploring the Issue (Research)

Students grow to understand the issue and gain knowledge in different areas to begin brainstorming appropriate solutions. This may include background knowledge of existing solutions or learning different aspects of their solution to ensure they are developing the best solution. Students build research skills and deepen their ability to think critically as they gain a better understanding of their target issue.

Experts: Experts/Grant Request

Students connect with experts in the appropriate career fields to get more information and gain essential feedback. Students will make improvements to ensure their design/solution is top notch. This process may also include making a request for funding through a grant request. Students are taught how to create a budget and a request for funding based on the needs of their solution. These requests are authentic in that they are sent out and awarded for solution development. By learning these skills, students are prepared to bring their ideas to life.

Development: Solution Building

Students develop their solutions. Development includes any steps necessary to facilitate their solutions. This can involve drafts or even building models, depending on the problem and solution.

Service: Presentation and Giving Back

During this phase students bring their ideas to life. These solutions must have a benefit to someone beyond themselves, an act of service. It can be their school community, local community, or beyond. Students develop the solutions, as well as a presentation that provides background information and their journey to their solution. Students are able to articulate the work they have done and the impact they have had in the greater community.

Students engaging in acts of service through our outdoor learning partnership with the Bamberger Ranch Foundation and for the school community developing designs for outdoor classroom furniture.