Award-Winning Documentary to be Shown at SHS

by Dr. Ellin Booras, principal – Sandwich High School/STEM Academy

Sandwich High School is proud to present a morning viewing of the award winning documentary, Most Likely to Succeed. This two hour presentation will begin at 7:30 a.m. in the Sandwich High School auditorium on Tuesday, January 12, 2016. All staff from Sandwich High School and STEM Academy will be in attendance. Tuesday, January 12 is a regularly scheduled Late Start day for students. Any and all students who wish to join are welcome. Invitations are also extended to town officials, parents, and members of the Sandwich community.

Most Likely to Succeed is the product of a collaborative effort between Tony Wagner and Ted Dintersmith. Wagner is a veteran ELA teacher and prolific author on school reform. After completing his doctorate from Harvard Graduate School of Education, Wagner dedicated his career to re-imagining high school. Among his most widely read works are Creating Innovators, the Global Achievement Gap and his latest book upon which the documentary is based, Most Likely to Succeed; Preparing Our Kids for the Innovation Era. His work has served as the foundational principles of much of the professional development at SHS and STEM. Dintersmith holds a PhD from Stanford in Engineering and has owned and operated start up companies in the field of semi conductors and innovative technology. His partnership with Tony Wagner was borne from their shared concerns about the relevancy and effectiveness of traditional educational systems.

Among those concerns are a disconnect between high school and an increasingly innovated world growing from a mismatch between economic demands and what and how students are learning. Their research confirms that rapid advances in innovation and technology have eliminated structured traditional jobs from the economy leaving millions of young Americans at risk.  The documentary speaks to the fact that companies want to hire creative problem solvers who will invent ways to add value to an organization. It is incumbent upon today’s high schools to prepare students for 21st century career opportunities. To do so requires major shifts in curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment practices.

Most Likely to Succeed debuted at the Sun Dance Film Festival and has been made available to schools and community organizations throughout the country. It is a provocative look at what schools can be. The documentary has received several awards and prompted a national discussion among students, parents, teachers, and educational leaders about the urgency of designing and providing relevant, rigorous, and authentic learning in high schools throughout the country.

All are welcome to join Sandwich High School/ STEM Academy on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 at 7:30 a.m. in the SHS auditorium. The viewing is free and open to the public.

More information, as well as a few short clips, are available at http://mltsfilm.org/