Wheeling Park High School and Ohio County Schools officials were thrilled to cut the ribbon and open Park’s exciting new Innovative Learning Center (ILC).
The expansive new ILC was unveiled prior to the Jan. 23 regular meeting of the Ohio County Board of Education. The ILC has collaborative spaces that includes makerspaces and flexible seating with the goal of blending academic and 21st century skills in an environment that promotes creativity, collaboration and communication.
The ILC at Wheeling Park is the culmination of innovation projects that began in the school system’s elementary schools and continued into the middle schools. All of the skills that students learned in the lower grades can now be utilized by students in the ILC at Wheeling Park High School.
Wheeling Park High School Principal Meredith Dailer thanked the community and taxpayers for supporting the project, and she also commended Ohio County Schools Superintendent Kimberly Miller for prioritizing innovation throughout the school system.
“Dr. Miller has a very clear vision that she wanted to bring innovative learning to Ohio County Schools, and this really the culmination of that vision. In every single corner of the ILC there’s something different that students can do that is outside the norm of their classroom… We are so excited about this project being completed and so grateful for our taxpayers that made this happen for us.”
Guests at the ILC ribbon cutting included former Ohio County Schools board of education members and administrators and state, county and city officials. They toured each area of the ILC described below.
Makerspace – The Makerspace is a workspace that includes 3D printers, Cricuts, Glowforge laser printers and sublimation heat presses.
Huddles – The ILC at Wheeling Park contains seven huddles. They are small collaborative spaces in which students can work in groups with the teacher still having the ability to see to the entire class at once. Each huddle contains its own white board. Classes can break into small groups while the teacher can still work with the entire class. Each huddle includes a white board.
Kiva – The Kiva is a round classroom in which the teacher can see everything that is going on, and it will be especially effective with math. Students can get up and move around, and the walls are entirely white boards.
Green Room – The green room will be used for multimedia purposes and podcasting, and it includes green screens.
Presentation Space – The presentation space pays homage to the decades-long success of the Wheeling Park High School Speech and Debate Team. It has tiered seating, and it is an excellent area for formal presentations.
Small Lab – The small lab is an area in which teachers can work with students on vocabulary and explore content through virtual reality and work other immersive ways.
Ohio County Schools STEAM camps will now be held at the ILC. The Wheeling Park High School Interactive Learning Center presents Patriot students with so many opportunities for students to develop skills they can effectively utilize upon graduation as they enter college or the workforce. The ILC is a source of pride for Wheeling Park High School and Ohio County Schools.
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