November 5, 2020 Vol. 21, No. 25
In This Issue FOUR SEASONS
Future of Education
Four Seasons, by Kevin Box, in real life is located in front of the Center for Transformative Learning on the UCO campus, but this week is hidden somewhere in our paper. Email contest@edmondpaper.com with the correct location to be entered in the weekly drawing. For more information, see page 4.
FAI benefit this weekend See Page 11
FRIDAY, November 6 Sunny High 77° Low 54°
SATURDAY, November 7 Partly Cloudy High 72° Low 59°
SUNDAY, November 8 Partly Cloudy High 71° Low 59°
Francis Tuttle Tech Center to open in 2021 When Francis Tuttle Technology Center opens its new Danforth Campus in August 2021, it will immediately represent the future of education. Construction at 3841 E. Danforth Road in Edmond is on schedule for students to begin classes there when the next school year starts. And when they arrive, they will find a campus that encourages creativity, innovation and the development of ideas in order to promote future entrepreneurs. “We purposefully incorporated design elements and dedicated spaces to create an educational facility to fuel the entrepreneurial spirit in Oklahoma and elevate a new economy,” Dr. Michelle Keylon, superintendent of Francis Tuttle Technology Center, said. “We want to create an environment that facilitates creative thinking and problem solving on a broad scale.” The 155,000 square-foot facility will host numerous Francis Tuttle programs, including our Engineering, Biosciences and Medicine, and Computer Science Academies for high school students; Pre-Nursing, Cosmetology, Automotive Service
Technology and Interactive Media. In addition, the Francis Tuttle small business incubator, Launch Pad FT, will relocate there from the current Business Innovation Center, and it will be joined by Workforce and Economic Development and the new small business Pre-Accelerator. But all of that will fall under the theme of entrepreneurship, which will be spearheaded by the new Entrepreneurship Academy, the first of its kind in Oklahoma. Entrepreneurship students will learn the same as students in the other academies: by doing. Their education will center around the project of building a business concept, thus learning the creative and problem-solving processes of being a prospective small-business owner. These concepts will provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary for college and the jobs of the future. Or, they may grow into next thriving small businesses in the Oklahoma City metro and provide the local economy with a boost. “They, the students, get so much rigorous, hands-on learning. How do I learn to be a business owner? You build a business,” Khaaliq Salim, director of the Danforth Campus, said.
“You think, collaborate, present and get with other mentors in the industry and ask them questions; you work on your problems and your product, and you perfect it.” Students will have access to resources and spaces inspired by the great suppliers of creative thought in our time. Design Thinking Studios and the Francis Tuttle d.school give students a place to share and collaborate on ideas. Inside the Product Realization Lab, concepts come to life through models and prototypes created using the latest in fabrication tools and technology. The design of the Danforth Campus itself offers a welcoming atmosphere for team work and innovation. It will be open to the entire community, allowing current and future business owners to converse, create and open up opportunities to improve the local economy. “Entrepreneurship unleashes human potential,” Associate Superintendent Jaared Scott said. “It’s a very rigorous endeavor, and I’ve seen the growth of individuals who go through that process. It is the next step of skill acquisition that can be applied to a real-world scenario.”