RJ Stangherlin

Keystone Technology Integrator and STAR Discovery Educator

This site is for Mrs. Stangherlin's classes at Salisbury High School.

IP Debuts Tuesday with What If the Atomic Bomb Had Not Been Invented?

IP PRESENTATION SCHEDULE AT END OF BLOG.

Countless hours go into making a successful IP presentation.  Behind the scenes, many unsung heroes make the presentation appear seamless.  Let’s begin with the parents.  Recongize this father?  His Sunday began at 7 AM, along with the students.  He had already built one wall at home, assembled it on stage, and then began building the second set’s living room.  Seven hours later, he still had a third wall to go.  His garden picket fence is wonderful too--that came pre-constructed--and a perfect fit.  How many parents opened their homes all year, rerouted schedules, fed teams, provided help as only parents do--rehearsed lines, found vintage costumes.  I think I would be staggered by their list of behind-the-scenes-support, but I do know one thing: you are wonderful supportive parents and it shows in your children.  Thank you.

Then there are the IP Alumnae.  Stacy is the clicker for her sister’s team.  It’s up to her to sync the slides to the on-stage dialog.  Making the right image, audio, and/or video file play at the exact moment is an exercise in precision and practice.  Stacy was part of last year’s Family presentation, an all-time audience favorite, so she knows what it takes to make a presentation live in our memories long after the show ends. 

Remember Heather?  She’s a pre-med senior who designs sets for her college’s theater group.  Although she had no hand in this set’s design, she taught me the “center / center” rule for positioning the set’s design.  She came on board to help coach her brother, but she managed to help the entire team get better with each run-through.  Who could be a better coach than the team leader who not that long ago forever changed the shape and direction of the “Decades” project with their innovations.  It was a pleasure to sit back Sunday and watch Heather and Stacy interacting with the team.  Having the support of your siblings, who just happen to have gone through the process before, adds a helpful dimension that a teacher or parent just cannot replicate. 

When the going gets tough and we exhaust our collective resources--and that happens--we turn to our Instructional Technologist.  He’s a difficult guy to photo, so I am not so sure he will be thrilled I’ve blogged about him, but he really is the good guy to the rescue.  Often when we need him, we need him STAT, and even in a small school, it’s hard to work STAT.  No one probably knows that better than he does.  But he manages to get to us quickly with a smile on his face. 

And speaking of smiles, here’s one of my favorites.  Like the students, teachers value teaming with each other too, and what would this project be without everyone’s favorite.  She wears so many different hats and wears them well, but apart from being a superb person to team with as a valued colleague, she is also a wonderful friend--to all of us. 

After a year spent working toward this day, individual and collective efforts all coalesce into 45 very important minutes.

What would this project be without the commitment of the students.  How many hours have each of you invested in this project?  How many team hours? If we made a contest of guessing, I would be willing to bet that no one would come close.  So here’s today’s team, first out the gate, and that’s always a challenging place to be, so let’s support them and all of our teams.  On behalf of everyone who has ownership of this project at many different levels, we invite you to attend our four IP presentations.  We also invite you to join our conversation and post a comment below.  We would love to hear from you. 

ALL PRESENTATIONS BEGIN PROMPTLY AT 11:00 AM
5-15: WHAT IF THE ATOMIC BOMB HAD NOT BEEN INVENTED?  CAN A DISASTER BE A SAVING GRACE?
5-17: WHAT IF ROSIE NEVER RIVETED? CAN ONE IMAGE REPRESENT A NATION?
5-21: WHAT IF MARTIN LUTHER KING NEVER HAD A DREAM? WHAT HAPPENS TO A DREAM DEFERRED?
5-23: WHAT IF THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS HAD ESCALATED TO WAR? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE BREAKING POINT IS BROKEN?