FLOW 2017 Debrief

On Monday, December 11th, twenty of us met to discuss this year's FLOW trips. Attendees included teachers and administrators from RSU 1, administrators from the Chewonki Foundation, and representatives from the Kennebec Estuary Land Trust. An important part of our mission with FLOW is to continually improve the experience as an integral part of students' 8th grade year. We have frank conversations highlighting successes, areas needing attention, and ideas to incorporate into future trips.

Some highlights from the debrief included:

• Formation of a "FLOW Leadership Team" to streamline logistical and administrative tasks
• Continuation of the Pleine Aire art lessons for BMS, and adoption of this programming at WCS
• Continuation of collaboration with KELT for students not attending FLOW and adoption of this programming at WCS
• Improved transparency between parents, teachers, chaperones, OC trip leaders and families
• The Community Room at the Patten Free Library was a great fit for our culminating event
• Improving pre-teaching for students so they are well aware of what FLOW will look like and entail
• Professional Development days devoted to linking the lessons and experiences of FLOW to the Common Core Standards
• Continuing to articulate the significant positive effects of FLOW in the lives of our students 

The two hours we set aside for the debrief always seems to fly by. In my experience, it's unusual for a large group meeting to have all the participants engaged and anxious to participate. It's a testament to the importance of FLOW and its place in the 8th grade curriculum.