award

Science teacher Claire Griffiths received the 2024 IDEA (Innovation, Dedication, Education, Admiration) Award for Innovation from the Delaware Charter Schools Network on May 9. Innovation is not a moment with Ms. Griffiths, but a movement.

She started her career at CSW in 2020 as a math teacher during the pandemic. We got to know Ms.Griffiths via Zoom but quickly learned she had a vibrant, curious, and engaging personality that our students found endearing. We soon discovered her true passion was teaching science, so she switched departments and began teaching Engineering and Chemistry. In June 2023, Ms. Griffiths attended the Design Thinking Institute at The Nueva School in California with a group of colleagues to delve deep into the principles and practices of design thinking. Ms. Griffith’s goal was to incorporate engineering principles into teaching and make necessary changes to enhance her curriculum to highlight more interactive and practical learning experiences during labs. In Ms. Griffith’s forensics class, during “Burn to Learn,” students burned fibers brought in by staff to study how each burns, melts, and smells differently. In an engineering class, students brainstormed school issues and potential solutions. A few of their projects are in the “design” phase and are being reviewed for completion this school year and next. Ms. Griffith’s class visited the Brandywine Zoo to identify problems or root causes with the animals and design a solution. Enrichment could be anything from toys to other items that improve the animals’ lives. Later this month, our students will present their concepts to the zoo staff. Besides her innovative class prep and curriculum, Claire implemented InnerView at CSW, a volunteer service activity platform. Join us in congratulating Ms. Griffiths!