Mark Whelton

Superintendent

Mark Whelton, Superintendent, Bridgeport Spaulding Community School District in Bridgeport, Michigan. Mark is a sixth-year superintendent and leader of a dynamic group of educators, a sports enthusiast who lives a vision of “No Barriers, Just Possibilities,” which requires a student’s-first focus and an understanding that you can lead a horse to water but, you can’t make it drink, UNLESS you add salt to its food. So, what is your salt?

Mark holds degrees from Central Michigan University, Marygrove College. Over the past 23 years, he has been a Teacher, Principal, Intervention Specialist, Data and PLC Coach at “The Institute for Excellence in Education,” and an integral part of the Financial Independence Team at the Michigan Department of Education.

Mark is a leader in the area of technology integration for student engagement in a post-automotive industry region of Michigan. He has worked to develop long and short-term plans to support student engagement with various curriculums using technology as the vehicle to open academic doors and prepare students for the future.

Company Bridgeport Spaulding Community School District

AllSessions

Day 2

September 21, 2023

12:30 pm

Applying ESSER Funds to Transition High-Poverty Students from Consumers of Information to Producers, Applying Knowledge and Learning Through STEAM [Small & Rural/DEI]

Directors

Andrew Betka Flinnoia Hall III Mark Whelton

21 September

Time: 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm

Location: Directors

Speaker: Andrew Betka Flinnoia Hall III Mark Whelton

Bridgeport Spaulding students are transitioning from consumers to producers, applying STEAM knowledge. We shifted focus to becoming problem-solving educators and students. SmartLab Learning shares our belief in nurturing big dreams within our disadvantaged community. This session explores long-term solutions, backed by research, to support student engagement and create world-changing creators.

Focus: Small & rural Districts/Urban School Districts/Diversity, equity, Inclusion/Teaching & Learning/After School/Out of School.

Takeaways:
1. Project-based learning through STEAM Labs can change the lives of learners (Examples of HS students now employed out of school)
2. Investing one-time funding into long-term project-based learning can change the trajectory of students’ lives through the vehicle of student engagement.
3. High-poverty schools benefit from innovative approaches to learning and an alternative to stagnant, traditional learning models.
4. Hands-on learning inspires innovation for students to become problem solvers.