It wasn’t a typical school day at Albion Middle—students brought their parents to class.

As part of Family Appreciation Week, more than 250 parents, guardians and grandparents joined their kids for a day of hands-on learning, sitting side by side in their classes.

“This day they could do hands-on learning with their kids,” Principal Eric Gardner said. “We told teachers, whatever you do, parents should be included. If the students are doing a math problem, make the parent do the math problem. If they're doing a science experiment, make the parents do a science experiment. It’s our way of welcoming parents and being transparent of what we're doing here as a school.”

More than 258 adults came to support their students in class.

In STEM class, teacher Barry Johnson kicked things off with, “Welcome fabulous new engineers,” as adults and students teamed up to build chassis and test stability in spinning structures.

Nate Bonney liked that it combined creativity with engineering for his son, Corbin.

“He gets to think through it and use that process and learning for his future experiences in life,” he said.

Brooke Morrison was there to support her son, Theo: “This is more interactive than I imagined; I get to see what he does in school better this way.”

Assistant Principal Amanda Parker said the goal was to create a meaningful experience. 

“We wanted to include the parents and make it an engaging experience where they would learn firsthand what’s happening in class,” she said. “This way, they have a better understanding of how to support their students and their learning.”

In a science class, eighth-grader Bridgely Wolfe and her dad, Steve, explored how exercise affects chemical reactions.

“The more we exercise, the more energy is released and it makes more CO2 faster,” Bridgely said. 

Her dad added: “It’s cool to see how physical change makes that great of a difference in a chemical reaction.”

In a history class, there was an active discussion about the sinking of the Lusitania.

“It was an interactive lesson where we were moving about the classroom, asking questions and critically thinking,” said parent Jeni Larsen, who along with her husband, accompanied her son, Jake. “The kids were very engaged exploring conspiracy theories into whether the British sunk the ship intentionally. But it was just great to meet other parents because then it really does create more of a community.”

On other days that week, families were greeted with banners, doughnuts, dog treats and a link to a thank-you message.

“We have amazing families here. There’s a saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child,’ and I feel blessed being here at Albion because it’s true. There are great students, terrific teachers and amazing parents, who do so much for us,” Gardner said. “During this week, we wanted to let them know that we're grateful for all their support.” λ