Director of Teaching & Learning Miles Azzeh's Academic Spotlight: Glenn Rosario
Our Lansing USD 469 teachers are incredible at engaging our students in fantastic learning opportunities to reach their full potential every day in our district. To highlight and bring recognition to this great work, Director of Teaching and Learning Miles Azzeh will be regularly shining a spotlight on a stand-out teacher through "academic spotlights."
This week's academic spotlight goes to Lansing High School Industrial Technology teacher Glenn Rosario and his remarkable impact on his engineering students. Mr. Rosario fosters an environment where students not only acquire technical skills, but also develop essential soft skills that will serve them well in their future careers. By engaging in hands-on projects and encouraging collaboration, Mr. Rosario prepares his students to excel in the field of engineering while instilling a passion for continuous learning and growth.
"These classes are trying to prepare them not only with the 'hard' skills of engineering but also the 'soft skills' needed in life. We work with how to interact and talk with adults because they will be working with them," said Mr. Rosario.
One standout project Mr. Rosario's class undertook was the residential design project. During the first semester, students were tasked with drawing a ranch-style home, providing them with a foundation in architectural design. However, the second semester presented an exciting challenge - designing a structure with staircases and dealing with basic load calculations. Students were given a blank slate, each with an identical lot size, and the freedom to choose the garage's location.
Through this project, students learned the importance of space utilization and the interdependencies within a home's design. Mr. Rosario emphasizes the ripple effect of a single decision on various aspects of a house, enhancing their problem-solving abilities and critical thinking skills.
"One decision in one part affects something else in the house, so we constantly work and change what we are designing," said Mr.Rosario.
With multiple classes running simultaneously, Mr. Rosario's students benefit from an enriching, collaborative environment. Students learn from one another by interacting with their peers, exchanging ideas, and gaining fresh perspectives. This collaborative approach fosters a dynamic learning environment where students can tap into a collective pool of knowledge, enhancing their problem-solving capabilities and promoting teamwork. Mr. Rosario can definitely see the payoff with this class:
"Having multiple classes is great because they can learn from each other," he said. "This is not an easy thing to do. I have been doing it for 30 years, and these kids are so good at it."
The best way to find the true worth of a teacher is to listen to the most important "customers": the students. As you can imagine, they only had high praise for Mr. Rosario's efforts and style of teaching:
"Mr. Rosario is the greatest teacher I've ever had. He has provided me with countless opportunities and has done so much for his students. He brought the ACE mentorship program to Lansing, which provides us with many real-world experiences. He is everything I could ask for in a teacher and is extremely important to the Lansing school district," said Senior Blake Slaughter.
"Mr. Rosario has helped me to get into the engineering program at K-State for Architecture since my junior year. His drafting programs have helped me learn about many important things, and I am very thankful for the opportunities Mr. Rosario has given me," said senior Bridget Lessard.
Mr. Rosario's commercial engineering students did a similar, two-part project known as the Brownfield and Greenfield projects. The Brownfield Project asked the students to renovate and repurpose an old building first semester. Then he scaffolded them to the Greenfield Project second semester, where they were tasked with building a structure on a pasture of land while keeping in mind items like water runoffs. Once again, Mr. Rosario had them practice collaboration and problem-solving skills throughout.
Another way of improving students' soft skills, specifically effective oral communication skills, is Mr. Rosario's invitation of local professionals to watch students' presentations and pepper them with difficult questions.
"On May 3, our class presented our houses to a board of professionals. This gave us the opportunity to practice our speaking skills and learn from professionals. We were asked intricate questions about our houses and our design process. All in all, we grew and learned very beneficial skills about aspects of the architecture and construction community," said sophomore Landen Bouma.
Mr. Rosario also makes sure to provide plenty of "experiential" and hands-on learning by taking students to construction sites as a way for them to see in person all the things he teaches.
"Our class recently got the opportunity to visit the new Meta Data Center in Kansas City, Missouri. We got to experience it while it was under construction, and volunteers gave us a tour of the site. We learned a lot about the design and construction process of the billion-dollar project. They also served great lunch while we got more understanding of what goes on behind the scenes. This is just one great example of the fun and opportunities we get in this class," said sophomore India Valverde
I will leave conclude this academic spotlight (the final one of the 2022-2023 school year) with a quote from senior Kendra Mitchem that I think best encapsulates the fantastic work Mr. Rosario has done and is doing at LHS:
"I have been in Mr. Rasario's classes for all four years and can say that he is an exemplary teacher in his trade. Mr.Rasario looks out for every student that walks through his door and helps educate, grow, and recognize their potential. Not only does he create a bond with each student, but he also looks to provide future opportunities and guarantee a successful future.
"Mr.Rosario is the kind of teacher I hope everyone gets to experience once in their life."
Thank you, Mr. Rosario, for being amazing. We're lucky to have you.