Stephanie Wixon, World Language teacher at SM North, has been making learning real and relevant for her AP 6 Spanish students. Recently, she connected them with a project to improve their community and experiences for Spanish-speaking people. Earlier this year, Wixon and her family were visiting the new aquarium at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium. The space is enclosed and Wixon was struck by the number of Spanish-speaking people visiting the exhibit. She also noticed that none of the signage provided instructions for engaging with the touchpool in Spanish. The same was true for posted information related to allergies.
Wixon contacted Aubrye Keeling, school and community engagement assistant manager at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium and pitched an idea about students in her class translating the signage at the touchpool in Spanish so the exhibit would be welcoming to all guests. Keeling had been planning to do some signage translation and Wixon offered the perfect solution. She also asked Wixon and her students to visit the goat and donkey exhibits at the zoo, noting Spanish-language signage in those spaces would be helpful to visitors too.
Wixon and her students spent a morning at the KC Zoo & Aquarium exploring the two areas. Back at school the students worked in teams to decide what should be translated and then design signage and pamphlets that would be appealing and easy to read. They used pictures and icons with their translations to make it user-friendly. As the students had questions during their brainstorming and production meetings, they emailed Keeling to make sure they were meeting expectations.
“I was impressed with how engaged the students were in the project and the good questions they asked,” Keeling noted. “They were very flexible and adaptable with my answers to changing or revising some of their projects.”
In November, the student teams presented their final signage recommendations with slides and laminated mock-ups to representatives from the zoo, students, teachers, parents, and district representatives in SM North’s library. They shared their goals that included:
● Make experiences at the zoo more inclusive to diverse guests
● Make everyone feel welcome
● Make the zoo more accessible and engaging to all age groups
The presentations included a variety of signage solutions, many of which mirrored what is currently at the zoo. Some groups incorporated pictures to make the signage more appealing and easier to understand. They covered topics such as feeding instructions, goat facts, allergy warnings, and touchpool etiquette.
Following each group's presentation, the zoo representatives asked questions and provided feedback. Then the students hosted a reception.
“I am really interested in and committed to equality in communication. I am first generation in this country with a younger brother and I want his experiences at the zoo and other community places to give him good memories. Working on this project is making a difference in my community and makes me believe my voice and opinions matter,” shared Michelle Oregel-Torres, senior at SM North.
Wixon echoed this sentiment, “What we see in our Gen Z students is a strong desire for relevance in their learning. When students believe that what they are doing matters — and when they see how it can impact their community or future — they become more motivated, more willing to take risks, and more resilient in the face of setbacks.”
Wixon shared that when she asks students to complete a task simply for the sake of practice, it often feels like just another item on their to-do list.
“In contrast, when students work on a Client-Connected Project (CCP) for a real client, they are motivated to give their best effort and better equipped to articulate their growth and learning throughout the process,” she added. “These are the experiences that stay with them for years to come.”
This Client-Connected Project is one of many Real World Learning experiences provided to students across the Shawnee Mission School District that helps students earn a Market Value Asset before graduation. Click here to learn more about Real World Learning in the SMSD.
