Students at West Clermont High School are taking learning to a new level. This is the first year of the Wolf Lab which is an innovative way for students to learn.
“Wolf Lab is a new learning environment. It’s more based on students' ability to self-motivate, move at their own pace, and ask for questions when they feel that’s needed,” said Wolf Lab teacher Jessica Hollinger. “They have more freedom in terms of where they want to work. They are not confined to a desk all day. They have a special type of furniture. They have desks, if they would like desks. But they can float between the upper and lower media centers and really just choose to work on the subjects they want to work on while also having that support from teachers to keep them on track for graduation.”
This year 120 students enrolled in Wolf Lab which is only open to juniors and seniors.
“We have every type of student in Wolf Lab, and I think that's the best part about Wolf Lab, it doesn't matter if you're a straight-A student or if school hasn't been your thing the past two or three years. We have kids who take AP Governments who are super high-level kids, take other AP classes, CCP classes out in a traditional classroom. We have kids who are identified and have IEPs who get the support they need here from our Intervention Specialist. But the best part is, our Intervention Specialist doesn't just help kids with IEPs. She's able to help all students in this environment, so kids are getting a more individualized learning approach in this environment,” said Hollinger.
There are five teachers assigned to the Wolf Lab including Math, Science, History, and English. So Students are still taking traditional courses - but in a non-traditional setting. The teachers teach all of the same standards that the state of Ohio requires. They also use the same assessments so that they can compare data from inside the Wolf Lab to outside of the Wolf Lab.
Riley Ecton is a Junior who explains why he opted to do the Wolf Lab this year.
“I joined Wolf Lab because of what was at this point an experimental program where I'd be able to work at my own pace, which is something I have definitely needed a lot in my academics because of what I do for a hobby. It is incredibly time-consuming. So being able to work at my own pace is very vital,” said Ecton. I actively track weather systems, more particularly severe weather systems across the eastern tier of the United States, anywhere from the Rocky Mountains all the way to the Atlantic Coast.”
Ecton’s father is a Meteorologist and he wants to follow in his footsteps.
“I do see myself going into university after high school, more particularly Oklahoma University for meteorology, and eventually becoming something similar to what my father does. My father does, he storm chases, but he's also a contract meteorologist.”
Lexi Schlueter is another Junior who takes classes in the Wolf Lab.
“I'm someone who can't sit down, I have to move my brain. If I'm listening to a teacher's lecture, I'm not learning, said Schlueter. So, Wolf Lab has helped me so much because I get to move around, and I get to talk, and I get to, like, do my work at my own pace. And it really has helped me improve my grades.”
Both Riley and Lexi say they’ve benefited significantly from the Wolf Lab.
“Wolf Lab has worked out a lot for me. It's done very well. This year, consecutively, has had some of my best grades that I've ever had in any consecutive period, especially my overall GPA for any consecutive year definitely would be this year is the best because of the environment that Wolf Lab allows for me to work in,” said Ecton.
“Math used to be my worst subject, and I, like, this is the first time I've ever had an A in math. So, yeah. So, being in Wolf Lab, it definitely makes me more independent. It makes me hold myself accountable for all the classwork that I have to do,” said Lexi.
Mrs. Garringer explains the skills these students are learning and how it can help them in the future after graduation.
“I really feel like the value of Wolf Lab is that we're giving kids the opportunity to take ownership of their own learning, be accountable, learn how to motivate themselves, like these soft skills that are needed for the real world and in the real world. Jobs sometimes get lost in a traditional classroom because everybody's moving at the same pace. Here, it gives those skills needed back to the students to figure out, but with the support of a teacher.”
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