Post #25: The Next Great Chapter Opens for Augusta Prep: The Challenges of the 4th Industrial Revolution and How We Will Respond
As we at Augusta Prep live our mission in the present, we are mindful that we are called to prepare our students for their future. Our current students are graduating in the midst of the “4th Industrial Revolution,” which is being driven by high-speed Internet, cloud technology, artificial intelligence, automation, 3D printing, and big data analytics (Wikipedia has a great overview here). With such rapid changes across industries, how can schools keep up and make sure students are prepared for the world beyond college?
In response to this challenge, we have developed a vision for a unique future-facing sciences and engineering building that prepares students for these forces and the workplaces of the future. To better equip each and every Augusta Prep student to skeptically interrogate and improve our common world, the new W. Rodger Giles Institute for Inquiry will provide new programming that is more interwoven, inspiring, individualized, illuminating, and iterative than the sciences education of our past. Think less “sit and get” content-heavy lectures and more “hands on” skills work.
This new facility will be the arena in which our students sharpen their skills for college and the workplace--design thinking, prototyping, problem solving, programming, and presenting their novel concepts and innovative creations. This facility will be one of a kind in the Augusta area and not only host traditional science education (biology, chemistry, physics), but expand our technological sciences (coding, robotics, engineering) as well as venture into the more futuristic science learning tools using digital fabrication (3D printing) and augmented/virtual reality.
Why is this so important? Because we have the Class of 2038 on campus right now, in our Lower School two-year old room, we believe this facility and the programming there will help prepare them for their future–not our present or past. Because we have amazing faculty delivering great programming in dated spaces from the 20th century that were not designed for robotics, engineering, forensics, coding, or virtual reality. Because we want to draw student talent as Prep will be the only school in the area with such distinctive places and programming. Because this building, and what it embodies, matches the future of medical/cyber/tech/industrial Augusta…
This is a pivotal moment in the life of this school, and we will look back at this as a moment that the ground shifted for Augusta Prep. You will literally see ground being moved in the coming weeks, followed by a groundbreaking ceremony on January 24, 2023. Please be on the lookout in coming weeks for instructions about changing traffic patterns on campus and for an invitation to join us on that momentous day.
I am so excited for the future of these children, our school community, and the greater Augusta area. Please email our Director of Development, Pam Weinberger at pam.weinberger@augustaprep.org , to schedule a 45 minute meeting if you are interested in learning more about the plans and supporting the project. Regardless, everyone will receive an invitation to support this project in the coming months.
P.S. Enjoy this 2 minute WRDW news feature on our electric vehicle engineering class. This is a great example of the type of programming our new facility will host!
Augusta Preparatory Day School
Augusta Preparatory Day School is an independent, college preparatory school serving children ages 2 through Grade 12 from the greater Augusta-Aiken area. Augusta Prep seeks to enroll a group of diverse students. We follow an open admission policy, whereby qualified candidates are admitted without regard to religion, race, nationality, economic background, or ethnic origin.
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