Let’s Get Creative: Design-a-Thon!

by Rowan Meadows and Lucy Whitely

What is Design-a-Thon?

When students arrive at the Governor's School, team building immediately begins, and this is to form new connections with their peers. The first project introduced to the students is a project named Design-a-Thon. Design-a-Thon is when students are assigned a problem, and they must come up with a creative solution and present it to the rest of the students. Design-a-Thon allows students to adapt to the school environment and meet other students from different grade levels.

The Purpose 

Design-a-Thon is assigned as the first project as it introduces students to the type of work, structure, and components of Governor’s School that they will experience as Juniors. This project is school-wide and groups are created in a way for students to meet and get to know one another. Students were put into groups that mixed juniors and seniors and tried to mix schools to build connections.

Not only were students getting to know each other, but they were also learning from one another. Seniors helped introduce juniors to the new school environment while also getting them involved.

“I thought it was a really good way to meet all the seniors. I got to meet great friends and they were able to help me where I needed it if there were issues. The project was interesting and it gave a feel of what MRGS would be like” (J. Molina, Personal Communication, December 6, 2023).

Design-a-Thon 2023

This year's challenge was to “Design solutions that may help eliminate barriers and improve access for all.” Students had to invent a new solution or improve an existing one to an accessibility problem. Their chosen problem had to align with at least one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

After determining their problem and solution, students created a slideshow to present their ideas. A lot of students enjoyed the prompt: “I like to see how it was a very loose prompt and the creativity everyone took with it. The projects were completely different from one another like a mobile healthcare van, the Feed Project, and Wifi robots. There was just a lot of variety” (G. Sanchez-Garcia, Personal Communication, December 5, 2023). Before presenting, students participated in a “share-fair.” This allowed students to explore others' presentations and ideas and modify their presentations before the final. Finally, students presented to the rest of the governor's school.

Highlights and Student Thoughts!

So many great projects were created this year, and there were many favorites among the students. One of the great parts about this assignment was it allowed so many creative minds to collaborate. Many of the students had favorite projects or ones that really stood out to them. A few of these projects include “Glasses for the Masses,” “The Feed Project," and “Freight First Aid.” These projects were all so innovative and created amazing solutions to tackle access for all.

During presentations, these projects were delivered very well, and an example would be the memorable words, "The glasses for the masses solution entails a system that would utilize dichromatic signage - dichromatic meaning two colors, which will be displayed as blue and red, in order to display multiple languages at the same time when such signage is paired with the usage of color-tinted glasses” (P. Dua et al, 2023). This helped so many students get into the mind space of the governor's school and become such inventive individuals. Amazing projects came from so many students collaborating with peers from different schools and backgrounds. Looking back after a few months, students were able to reflect on their experiences;

“It was a little bit awkward at first because I didn't know anybody, but it was really helpful to talk to the seniors to get what Governor’s School would be like” (B. Brown, Personal Communication, November 30, 2023).

“The Design-A-Thon was a great way to familiarize myself with the projects and expectations in Gov School. It was really nice to work with the seniors who were able to guide us through it” (H. George, Personal Communication, December 5, 2023). Students were so thankful for the chance to build connections with their peers early on, and they were glad to have a fun introduction to the school year. This project made it much easier to meet other students, and this is shown by the amazing friendships seen every day.

References

Design-A-Thon Collage. Canva. Published 2015. Accessed December 6, 2023. https://www.canva.com/design/DAF1pfoQZro/K7VSbjOCiEkC2Oaak08htg/edit

2018 Design Competition | Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Published September 24, 2018. Accessed December 5, 2023. https://www.cooperhewitt.org/2018-design-competition/ 

P. Dua, M. Eaton, K. Kite, & L. Whitely (2023, August 22-25). Access For All: Glasses for the Masses Presentation. Design-A-Thon Presentation Day, Mt. Jackson, VA United States.