This story is part of a series recognizing the work being done through Grand Valley’s Division of K-12 Education Innovation and Scholar Success Impact 30 grant .

K-12 educators from Grand Valley-authorized charter public schools traveled to Atlanta’s Ron Clark Academy (RCA) this summer through Huntington Bank's Ignite the Classroom initiative. 

Representing schools in Grand Rapids, Flint, Traverse City and other Michigan communities, the educators spent two days exploring new approaches to student engagement, leadership and school culture.

The professional learning experience was made possible through a partnership between Huntington Bank and the Division of K-12 Education Innovation and Scholar Success, which sponsored educators across its authorized charter public school network to attend.

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For the teachers from Byron Center Charter School, the trip provided an in-depth look at RCA’s House System. The House System builds student relationships, promotes leadership opportunities and encourages participation in academic and service activities across grade levels.

Thanks to an Impact 30 grant, it’s a system Byron Center leaders would like to emulate and implement via its House Spirit Initiative.

"The partnership between Huntington Bank, Ron Clark Academy and GVSU's Impact 30 grant has been a catalyst for bringing our vision to life," said John Krajewski, chief administrative officer at Byron Center Charter School. 

"Having nine staff members experience this together gave us a common understanding of what we're working toward, and it simply would not have been possible without this opportunity."

Krajewski said the experience gave the team a clearer understanding of how intentional choices can shape student engagement and school culture.

"One of the biggest highlights for our team was seeing exactly what is possible when participation and engagement become the foundation of a school's culture," Krajewski said. “Our school improvement goal is centered on increasing those two areas, and Ron Clark Academy demonstrated this at the highest levels."

Throughout the two-day experience, educators observed classrooms where movement, collaboration and student participation were woven into nearly every lesson. 

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They also spent time talking with RCA students, who shared stories about their teachers, favorite classes and the relationships they have built throughout the school.

For Gracie Kaiser, a Byron Center teacher, seeing the House System in action helped bring the school's vision into focus.

"To have something as structured as this and to see how well the payoff is, we're really excited," Kaiser said. "It did ignite something in us. It's career-changing, the way that the system could work for us."

As the Byron Center team puts these lessons into practice through the House Spirit Initiative, educators across GVSU’s authorized charter public school network are bringing their experiences back to their schools and applying new ideas to strengthen student engagement, connection and school culture across Michigan.