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topicnews · October 26, 2024

Coldwater High School’s engagement day shared student interest

Coldwater High School’s engagement day shared student interest

COLDWATER — Students at Coldwater High School had no academic classes Wednesday morning. Instead, they took part in a special engagement day to encourage connections between students and staff outside of the classroom.

The gyms hosted volleyball and pickleball. There was girls’ soccer outside.

Although it seemed like students were goofing around in the classrooms, the card games, chess games and other activities were serious.

Social Studies Coordinator Karen Kiss explained that students will only be in school in the mornings on Wednesday. The school has scheduled parent-teacher conferences for the afternoon.

No cell phones or computers were allowed, “so the kids can just connect with each other and teachers in a different way than they normally do in the classroom,” she said.

Two weeks ago, teachers gave Kiss a list of 60 different activities, including puzzles, trivia, karaoke, card games, sports, crafts, euchre, tie-dye and others.

When the doors opened at 7:20 a.m., students were running around to get tickets to the activities they wanted to participate in.

Kiss said: “It’s like a Taylor Swift concert. When the tickets are gone, they’re gone.”

Students attended a different activity each of the four hours, with most rotating each hour.

Kiss said, “We kind of learn from each other, learn from the employees, our hobbies, our interests and want to get them away from technology for a day.”

In the first session of Kiss, Taylor Swift bracelets were made and the boys made them for their mothers.

In their next class, Kiss had kickball outside.

Kiss said, “We can kind of show them the things we like to do outside of school and hopefully get them a little interested in it.”

The event, which has been taking place for three years, takes place once in the fall and again in February, so that students who visit the Branch Area Career Center in the morning can also take part.

Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com

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