School dance disc jockeys learn life skills
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
Learning life skills with a musical twist – that’s what’s happening at Randall Consolidated School when Student Council representatives receive training as disc jockeys for school dances.
“In the past, we have hired a DJ for our dances,” said Student Council Advisor Karen Reddin, who estimates the cost comes in at $300 per 2 1/2 hour dance.
“Now our information technology/computer specialist, James Adams, is teaching students to do this.”
Adams teaches students the skill of playing music.
“This is totally not even close to his job title. For the students he has been working with, this has been an awesome experience,” Reddin said. “This is just another example of how learning becomes real.”
The learning, according to Reddin, extends beyond the classroom and into real life, where teamwork, organization and taking responsibility for a project are essential to success.
As part of the project, students collaborate with Adams on coming up with a musical playlist, which is requested by students themselves using a Google-based form on a website.
“All requests are then evaluated for appropriateness prior to being put on the playlist for the dance,” Reddin said.
Reddin believes the project makes students more emotionally invested in learning.
“I know this is not school learning but I think it is much more,” Reddin said. “It is about organization, cooperation, and collaboration. In many ways, it is like real life.”
Like real life, students develop a goal, and establish a set of procedures to achieve the benchmark and learn from others.
“There is a lot of time and practice,” she said. “In the end, you have a product or skill and you showcase it.”
The product, according to Reddin, will likely get showcased at all three dances, when other schools join in.
Annually, Randall invites students from Trevor-Wilmot Consolidated, Lakewood, Riverview, Wheatland and Brighton to their formal dance.
The formal dance, set for Feb. 10, is the students’ first opportunity to showcase their newly acquired skill.
“I don’t know if any of them will ever take this any further, but the training and opportunity will benefit them,” said Reddin. “Besides, the kids who are involved in this love it.”
It is not the first time Randall Student Council members, about 32 from sixth to eighth grade, have pursued a community endeavor.
Earlier in the school year, they raised $1,000 for Canine Companions for Veterans, a nonprofit group.
While they benefited one veterans group, they are working on another, raising funds to send at least two veterans on an Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.