Dream School Building Features

Extraordinary Minds Plaque
At Dream Middle School, we do not believe in “the honor roll” reward system which is based solely on academic grades.  Every student has the ability to be extraordinary in their cognitive and emotional intelligences.  Each term, IDEAL and Dream School staff members select students who exemplify our mission statement on a daily basis.  The extraordinary student is one who reaches his/her individual academic potential and practices the emotional virtues throughout the school day.  The extraordinary student is dedicated to both learning new information and to being a compassionate person. 

Water Wall and Virtue Floor
Artist-Carrie Wheeler
The stained glass floor displays our logo of a moon and star.  The logo is surrounded by the school virtues.  These words are in the center of both school buildings.  The virtues are as important to us as our academic curriculum.  These words exist in every religious text e.g. Bible, Torah, and Koran.  We try to practice these words in every moment of our day.  We talk about them weekly in our emotional intelligence class called Heart to Heart.  These words are also found in graffiti in our Mitchell Auditorium (Artist-Adam Sheetz).
 

Water Wall and H2O Shelf Display
Dr. Emoto, a Japanese scientist performed an experiment with water.  He took water samples from around the world and surrounded them with positive affirmations and classical music.  He then took a second set of identical water samples and surrounded them with negativity and unorganized heavy metal music.  When Dr. Emoto froze all the water samples, the water that was subjected to positive emotions formed beautiful crystal patterns.  This did not occur with the water surrounded with negativity.
Fact – we are 70% water
Conclusion – If we surround ourselves with positive, happy and passionate people we will feel wonderful inside (emotionally healthy).

Water Shelf Display
In IDEAL Elementary, we took the cardinal all around the world when we traveled.  In Dream Middle School, we will collect water samples from all around the world and display them in beautiful stained glass bottles to be surrounded by our positive learning environment.  It is our prediction that when we have our water samples frozen, they will produce beautiful, unique crystals similar to Dr. Emoto’s water experiment.
 

The School Store (Middle School Business)
Artist-Katrin Calloway
The School Board is a small company operated by the 8th grade students.  The students will create, market, and sell virtue products to fellow students and the community.  They are responsible for all aspects of owning and operating a small business. Their products, “Embracelets” and “It’s Your Life Get On Board” T-shirts will be available to the public soon.  The students will also set up accounts with stores in our community to sell their products.
 

Snack Shack
The Student Government operates a snack store during the school day.  All Middle School and fifth grade students are able to open an account to purchase a variety of snacks for recess and lunch.  It is part of the Middle School student’s curriculum to use the computer to order products, create spread sheets and determine profit margins.  They must organize their shifts and duties to ensure customer satisfaction.

Mission Statement Stairwell
Artist-Katrin Calloway
The students at IDEAL and Dream School know that it is our belief that cognitive and emotional intelligence are of equal importance.  This understanding is represented in the huge balance scale mural in the staircase as well as the equal sets of stairs as discussed in the next two sections.
 

Emotional Intelligence Staircase
In our language we use eight statements to express our different emotions.

I see red – anger
Tickled pink – joy
Green with envy – envy
I feel blue – sad
Good as gold – good
Crystal clear – clarity
I’m in the dark – fear
Every cloud has a silver lining – hope

Each stair is painted with a color to represent all the emotions one will experience.  The students are taught how to express and embrace all these emotions in a positive manner in our Heart to Heart sessions.

Cognitive Intelligence
The second set of eight stairs in our mission statement stairwell represents Dr. Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences.  We believe that an intelligence is a sensitivity to and a skill with certain kinds of stimuli.  The intelligences act interdependently to help people survive, perceive information, acquire knowledge and skills, create solutions to problems, communicate, and make wise decisions.  At IDEAL and Dream School students develop their various intelligences in integrated and meaningful ways.

Mathematical/logical – logic smart
Verbal/logical – word smart
Bodily/kinesthetic – body smart
Naturalist – nature smart
Musical/rhythmic – music smart
Visual Spatial – picture smart
Interpersonal – people smart
Intrapersonal – self smart

The Purple Cow Lounge
Artist-Katrin Calloway
The Purple Cow is a privilege for the Dream Middle School students.  Each day six students may go to this funky lounge during recess and lunch to “hang out”.  In the Purple Cow the students may listen to CD’s, read teen magazines, play board games, and socialize.  The students, along with administration, select all of the entertainment choices for this lounge.  The Purple Cow represents being remarkable and “standing out” in a crowd (or herd).  The Dream Middle School students have the potential to become Difference Makers, to create meaningful and successful experiences for themselves and others.  Our students are Purple Cows!
 

The Multiple Intelligence Doors
Artist-Katrin Calloway
Quote from wall:    Follow your Dreams and the universe will open
                                     doors for you where there were only walls.

The eight doors represent Dr. Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences.  Dr. Gardner proposes that intelligence is not a single quantity or concept, but really consists of a set of eight abilities or intelligences…eight ways to be smart.

It is our goal that when a student graduates from Dream Middle School, they will know how they learn.  Each student will be able to customize their future learning to meet their individual learning styles.  Our graduates will know how to receive and transfer all information to solve problems and make relevant products for their world.  Each student in grade eight is given three keys.  As they finish their final year at Dream Middle school they will move their keys to the doors that represent their strongest intelligences.  The Dream Middle School graduates will exit the Dream door proudly on their final day of school.  These empowered young knowledgeable people will continue their learning journey knowing who they are and how they learn.  Dream Middle School graduates will be passionate leaders who are intrinsically motivated to make all their dreams a reality.