The Regina Catholic School Division has won the grand prize in the Follett Challenge, the first time the award has been given out in Canada.
The program is run by Follett, an American education solutions company.
The winning entry came in the form of the school division’s “Tinker Tubs” which move through different schools in Regina throughout the school year.
Each kit aims to teach kids about problem solving, technology and a range of other topics.
“A school has a tub for six or eight weeks,” said Sherry Chase, Curriculum Coordinator with Regina Catholic Schools. “Then it rotates on to another school and they get a brand new tub so it’s really always fresh for the students.”
The kits are often set up in the school’s library or multipurpose room and teachers also take them into the classroom when needed.
That’s part of what made the “Tinker Tubs” stand out to Follett from the hundreds of other submissions.
“What’s unique about the program here at Regina and the Tinker Tub program is that it moves from school to school to school,” said Britten Follett, Senior VP of Marketing with Follett.
Follett adds the collaboration to make the tubs a major education tool is also a reason for giving the award to RCSD.
“The librarians, the teachers, as well as the curriculum directors are working together to ensure that the students are using the Tinker Tubs in the most effective way possible,” Follett told CTV News. “They develop this program hand in hand, and in a lot of cases that doesn’t happen.”
The grand prize nets $60,000 U.S. to go towards products and services from Follett and the school division says the money will be used to expand the Tinker Tubs, with one possible purchase being a 3D printer.
