Speakers at the ribbon cutting for the Innovation enter were, from left: Doug Horton of Caliente Construction, which radically remodeled the old Compadre High School building; Jenifer Weskalnies of ADM Group, which designed the center; Tempe Union Interim Superintendent Dr. Stacia Wilson; Desert Vista High School student Cailynn Gaskin-Dethloff, who is a student at the center; and center Executive Director Dr. Christine Barela.
It’s been open since the school year began, but Tempe Union High School district’s new Innovation Center was formally celebrated at a grand opening Nov. 7.
The Innovation Center “is designed to prepare future-ready learners and leaders who exhibit critical thinking, resilience, agility, integrity, initiative and empathy,” according to the district’s statement of its purpose.
Headed by Executive Director Dr. Christine Barela, a former principal of Desert Vista High School, the center operates as a kind of adjunct for participating students, who attend either a morning or afternoon session there and spend the rest of their day at their home high school.
The center replaced the old Compadre High School next to the district’s headquarters at 500 W. Guadalupe Road after administration officials decided to repurpose the building.
Then-Superintendent Dr. Kevin Mendivil had advised the board several years ago that Compadre’s total enrollment didn’t justify the cost of maintaining it as a separate high school and students were reassigned to Marcos de Niza.
After several months of brainstorming, the district administration name up with the Innovation Center, where currently about 65 students work in small teams on projects under the mentorship of teachers.
The building itself was renovated by Caliente Construction to provide small and large conference rooms and work areas for the students to engage with each other on those projects.
Addressing about 150 guests last week, Barela called the Innovation Center “a significant milestone in innovating the ways we provide education for our student ts in Tempe Union High School District.”
She praised the students currently attending the center “for being courageous and joining us this first year, not know what to expect – that is true courage for a teenager.”
“They have set a very high standard for the students yet to come,” Barela said, also praising a variety of local business that have provided support through grants as well as personnel assigned to help guide the students with their projects.
Interim Superintendent Dr. Stacia Wilson said with those business partners, “We are offering our students real, authentic problem-based solutions while allowing them to earn three credits toward graduation.
“This is not just an innovation center,” Wilson continued. “It’s a gateway to a new way of learning, one that prepares our students for the challenges of the 21st century.”
She called student participants “active participants in their education” who “develop skills that will make them successful leaders in their chosen fields.”
“Our students are not only gaining knowledge, but also cultivating the qualities of resilience, adaptability and innovation. These are the attributes that will make them stand out in an ever-evolving landscape of education and the job market,” Wilson said.
Rhianna Rodriguez, marketing and management learning facilitator at the Tempe Union School District Innovation Center shows off some of the equipment in the creation lab with Gadget Cota and Ben Lewandowski.
One of those students also addressed the group.
Desert Vista High School student Cailynn Gaskin-Dethloff said Barela “has encouraged us all to work in the spirit of excellence and never back down from a challenge.”
She explained that her team is working on a plan to build a farm on the Innovation Center campus and how she thought when she and her fellow students started the project “our group would be ready to plant in a matter of weeks.”
“But as we wrote down all of the work that goes into a farm, I quickly realized how much we didn’t know,” Cailynn said, adding that “instead of being paralyzed by how much we didn’t know,” students regrouped and started refining their project.
“This ability to adapt has not only made us better as individuals but as a community,” she said.
“And speaking of community, one of the beautiful things about the Innovation Center has been the opportunity to make friends from all six Tempe Union high schools.”
She said that opportunity has helped her develop a broader perspective.