Startland Education and Career Education Consortium partner for our signature MECA Challenge!

Events

Nov 29

On Nov. 10th, our Education team partnered with the Career Education Consortium to host a MECA Challenge for 50 high schoolers across Kansas City. Hosted at IDEA Space KC, these 6 school districts came together to tackle design thinking while answering the question,

“How might we create classrooms that offer students meaningful and engaging learning experiences?”

Check out teams from the challenge below!

Participating Schools

Van Horn High School

Educator: Adam Surrey
Students: Aubrey, Cheznee, Kat, Julian & Carson

Final Pitch:Recognizing that traditional grading isn’t a “predictor of future success,” these students pitched having student-led conferences––where students can discuss their performance in class with their teachers instead of only being graded with a letter and no-contact.

Herndon Career Center

Educator: Ellie Lilly
Students: Draden, Trenton, Brayden, Jeffrey and Gabby

Final Pitch: Through their empathy work, Herndon determined their problem statement was that “school isn't engaging, and it impacts the students’ willingness to learn.” To combat this, Herndon presented a 3-point solution to further immerse students in career-readiness: site visits, customizable schedules, and real-world experiences.

Burke Academy (Team 1)

Educator: Andrew Smithson
Students: Alexia, Tiara, Devon, Aleecia, RyLee, & Romello

Final Pitch: Deducing from their empathy work that many students are suffering from poor mental health, this team pitched creating a “Mental Health Room” as a space for students to take a break and heal.

Burke Academy (Team 2)

Educator: Leah LeFaver
Students: Monica, Jose, Trey and Daisha

Final Pitch: Burke’s solution to student engagement in schools is creating a series of pep rallies to boost morale; they designed this solution after determining a large problem with engagement is students’ lack of school spirit.

Center High School

Educator: Matt Simpson
Students: Lillian, Eric, Mahdi, l’Monti & Tyree

Final Pitch: Utilizing their school’s own pain points with backing from surveying others, this team determined class sizes can be a big problem in being engaged. To combat this, this team pitched creating hybrid classroom-collaboration rooms so that students can gain more equitable help from teachers.

The Barstow School

Educator: Kory Gallagher
Students: Tyler, Esther, Amelia, Aishi, Geordie & Evan

Final Pitch: Determining that classrooms can be “unengaging and dull,” this team pitched “V.I.P. Classrooms”––an acronym for their theory of classroom designs that center vibes, interests and people.

SEMI-FINALISTS: Lee’s Summit West

Educator: Marisa Tucker & Mary Beth Rich
Students: Brian, Sekemi, Henry, Addison & Eleri

Final Pitch: Highlighting the importance of learning styles in the classroom, these students proposed a match-making system where students and teachers are paired based on the outcomes of a learning style quiz.

Lee’s Summit High

Educator: Libby Kozisek
Students: Rose, Angela, Jimmy & Cheyenne

Final Pitch: Challenging the way schools prepare students for the future and student dread, this team proposed “Operation Motivation”––an initiative for schools to get better at career readiness by offering more course options, field trips and career counseling.

WINNERS: Lee’s Summit North

Educator: Matt Sessler
Students: Jalen, Johnasia, Xyion, Sasha, Axel & Cale

Final Pitch: Honing in on student frustration with multiple forms of communications, this team pitched a streamlined form of communication in the form of an app called “BronConnect.” The app features abilities to message others, view updates, see your school schedule and more.