About Kyle Dunbar

Goal: create connected, global learning communities for adolescents in which they feel a higher sense of purpose for their lives (and to be a good mommy too!)

Using Tech to Promote Change

Our CivicTREK teachers know how to use community resources! Ms. Lott’s 7th grade class took a class on Digital Marketing at the Apple Store in Pentagon City this week. Students were able to make flyers advocating for causes important to them and learned how to make persuasive videos using iMovie. In addition to using store […]

Kids Supporting Kids In Need of Defense

  More CivicTREK in action! Recently Ms. Arja’s 7th grade US History classes hosted a guest speaker from Kids In Need of Defense (KIND). Ingrid Zavala, a Social Service Coordinator with KIND spoke to the students about the organization’s mission: to assist young immigrants with legal defense and policy advocacy. Students have already begun brainstorming how […]

Critical Thinking and CivicTREK – Letting Students Find the Answers

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving “The student engages in inquiry and problem solving, reasoning, and evaluating to reach conclusions.” “Problem solving and critical thinking refers to the ability to use knowledge, facts, and data to effectively solve problems. This doesn’t mean you need to have an immediate answer, it means you have to be able […]

THUG Book Club Starts at TC Williams

A great example of how our CivicTREK cohort connects teachers, social justice and students. Recently, Ms. Rice and Ms. Jackson’s IA advisory and Ma. Kropp’s honors government met up for their first community building work session. Students will use the book, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, to discuss community, identity and how we can […]

Communication and CivicTREK – Hearing and Being Heard

Communication “The student communicates effectively orally to inform, influence, motivate, and collaborate with other students, the community, media, and public officials.” Through our CivicTREK projects, we are helping our students meet the Five C’s goals from Profile of a Virginia Graduate such as communication. How can we help students effectively communicate by: Sharing their thoughts, to communicate complex ideas […]

Collaboration and CivicTREK – Finding Opportunities for Equity in Groupwork

Collaboration: “Students work interdependently to achieve common goals while promoting effective teamwork, shared responsibility, flexibility, and mutual respect.” Through our CivicTREK projects, we are helping our students meet the Five C’s goals from Profile of a Virginia Graduate such as collaboration. How can we make sure that we are involving ALL students in the teamwork […]

Making a CivicTREK project real – aligning standards, assessments and creating a timeline

How can a community-focused project experience help students meet specific content-learning goals? Our CivicTREK cohort members responded to this question at our January 9th session, developing assessments and timelines during another workshop in the program’s series of professional development days. CivicTREK teachers: Reviewed the specific SOL or academic goals and “Five C’s” (Profile of a Virginia […]