Pictures in the wall: fostering peer appreciation

At my school, MICDS, we have a large TV mounted to the wall in one of our common areas. The TV was installed this summer and we have been using it to show photos or video of current school-related events and information. For example, we put the RamReport on the screen following the week of its premier. I have found myself in the lucky position of being in charge of its content.

To be brief: it has been a wonderful experience to walk past and see groups of kids stopped watching a video or pictures scroll by. It has proven to be a novel, ad hoc, way to publicize the achievements of various groups (sports teams, the cast/crew of plays, etc.). Without forcing knowledge of these achievements on students (as ‘announcements’ often do), it allows students to come to appreciate what their peers are doing on the student’s own terms – creating a deeper understanding than “boy’s swimming will travel to state next week…”.

A few weeks ago, our Field Hockey team (of which I am very proud to be the Student Trainer) went to the “Midwest Championships”. So, the following week we placed pictures from the game (taken by student Chris Franklin) on the screen. I have included a sampling of the pictures below. Enjoy.