POINTS of PRIDE: Howard-Winneshiek School District

Young entrepreneur with 3D printer

The mission of the Howard-Winneshiek School District is to prepare and empower students to:

• Think creatively
• Serve
• Contribute
• Succeed locally and globally

It does not take long to visit with John Carver, superintendent of the Howard-Winneshiek Community School District, before realizing he is a visionary when it comes to encouraging entrepreneurship within multiple facets of his school district.  From transportation reps who are piloting the use of propane powered buses to recycling motor oil to heat the bus barn to award winning food services to a high school student who has started his own instructional site on how to use VREP,  "out of the box" thinking is encouraged and valued.   Mr. Carver talks about the "Innovation Zone Confederation" which reaches a 28 mile circumference around Cresco, and as co-chair of the Governor's Broadband Committee, John is committed to the precept that "no longer will a child's zip code determine his/her instruction." He talks about future classrooms being 30 students - 20 physical and 10 virtual, with the goal that when a student walks across the stage, s/he has marketable skills.

Classrooms environments are varied.  The elementary classrooms have flexible learning spaces and each class is uniquely different from the other.  Teachers are encouraged to design their own learning spaces with assorted desk heights, varied configurations, comfortable couches, and soft chairs.  Exploration is encouraged, and the library is referred to as the Discovery Zone.  They are a pilot for competency-based literacy.

Crestwood High School is no stranger to entrepreneurship.  Norm Borlaugh, Nobel Prize winner, graduated from Crestwood High School.  Borlaugh is credited with feeding billions of people during the 20th Century by pioneering a drought resistant wheat.  That spirit remains alive in Cresco.  They have a VREP partnership with Rockwell Collins.

Howard-Winneshiek is proud of its commitment to reaching beyond the classroom.  This photo shows a world map of schools with whom the Howard-Winneshiek CSD staff have connected as well as schools who have visited the school district or schools that will be partnering with the school district, all via technology. 

Mr. Carver uses the military concept of OODA (Orientation-Observation-Decision-Action)  when teams make decisions, and he refers to the 1:1 initiative as being in its second year of deployment.   Technology integration is a major focus in this school district with PreK-6 having iPads and grades 7-12 using MacBook Airs.

Erin Daley, NEICC, and John Carver

Howard-Winneshiek School District has a strong partnership with Northeast Iowa Community College where 150 high school students attend classes in a variety of areas including a Youth Career Connect Program.    They are transitioning to an Advanced Manufacturing Center.  They offer Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Robotic Welding Training as well as training to be a CNA (Certified Nurses Assistant).  Students also can travel to Calmar for Auto Lab.  2020 GOAL:  All students recruited and employed!

Mr. Carver is one who strives to design a new DNA for learning.  He has a goal of transforming teaching and learning and firmly believes we are in a "printing press" moment in the history of education as technology catapults us forward through the "looking glass," a great metaphor as we see the changes that technology has brought to our world and the impact it will have on the future and the lives of our students.