KSHB 41 reporter Grant Stephens covers downtown Kansas City, Missouri. He also focuses on stories of consumer interest. Share your story idea with Grant.
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Recently, KSHB 41 reporter Grant Stephens received an email about a school project that uses the Kansas City Streetcar as a way to help teach children.
It is all part of a project at St. Paul’s Episcopal Day School, a private primary school in Kansas City, where math teacher Shari Brundige and social studies teacher Ken Stewart teamed up on an experiment in learning.
“We wanted something engaging for the kids that were here, and we've been watching the streetcar being built for two plus years and it just made a natural tie in," Brundige said.
Brundige, who grew up in Kansas City, remembers a trip to Exchange City in fifth grade and the lasting impact it had.
"I remember every detail about that day…" Brundige said. "So as a teacher, I’ve always wanted those kind of opportunities for my students. Let’s get out in the world and see what it’s like.”
The goal of the project was to take kids out into Kansas City to gather real-world data.
“I think it was very empowering to, like, meet different people and where they’re going,” said Wyatt, one of the students who participated.
The educational experiment is an example of project-based learning and building social skills.
“In addition to just the academics, the soft skills that kind of go along with it," Stewart said.
Another student, Emme told KSHB 41 how it felt to ask people questions.
"Kind of put us out of our comfort zones, but it like, felt good. I feel like it made us feel more confident talking to other people," Emme said.
The school wants to make this an annual tradition, and as Stewart pointed out, the learning is not finished yet.
Some students will present their findings to the streetcar authority later this spring.
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