Norfolk, VA -- Ruffner Academy’s Community Problem Solving Team (CMPS) brought home a first place trophy from the International Conference of Future Problem Solving this month. The team’s entry, an effort to create an oral history of the African American women and men who planted the original garden, was judged to be the best middle school project in the category of Civic and Cultural Issues. More than 2000 students from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries attended the conference.
The team named its two-year project D.I.R.T., for “Digging into Repressed Times.” The project emerged from the students’ desire to help NorfolkBotanical Garden after the destruction from Hurricane Isabel. After stumbling on the little-known account of the WPA workers who planted the original 30 acres, the CMPS quickly turned its efforts toward locating and videotaping the surviving workers before their stories were lost forever. With the help of many community resources, the team found and recorded interviews with eight relatives of the workers, as well as Edna Joyce, the only surviving original planter.
Six students represented Ruffner at the international event in Lexington, Kentucky June 1st through 5th. Rachael Born and Tracee Huffman are both students at GranbyHigh School. Nour Azzouz, Shanice Barrett, Marcus Bryant and Isaac Saunders all attend RuffnerAcademy. Ten other students also participated in creating the project. George Murphy, Dennis Guerrero, Carmen Ferraro, Brandi Coren, Fred Tugas, Joshua Bolton, Tyrell Bias, William Roble and Ashley Staton are all from Ruffner. Nicholas Muriel from Booker T. Washington High School was also involved.
Elizabeth McLean, an instructor for the Office of Gifted Services, coached the team to victory.
The team’s dedication and passion to create an authentic product not only led the students to a first place victory, but also made a positive impact in our community. Some highlights of CMPS’s achievements include the use of its research to support the nomination of Norfolk Botanical Garden to the Virginia State Historical Registry, a co-presentation of “Back to our Roots” at Norfolk Botanical Garden to 175 local children for Black History month, helping to honor Mrs. Edna Joyce with a commemorative brick at the garden, and an offshoot project, a Community Garden at Ruffner Academy.
Future Problem Solving is an educational program that encourages students to use critical and creative thinking to solve complex problems. Ruffner students worked on the project after school as part of the Arts & Sciences Program operated by the division’s office of gifted education services. The team qualified to participate in the international competition by winning the Virginia title in April. For more information, please contact Elizabeth McLean, CMPS Coach, RuffnerAcademy at emclean@nps.k12.va.us or (757) 628-3322.
The mission of Norfolk Botanical Garden is to enrich life by promoting the enjoyment of plants and the environment through beautiful gardens and educational programs. The garden is open to the public 365 days a year. Visit www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org for photos, hours, special events and other information.
