There’s a video on social media that depicts two Columbus Municipal School District students as animated characters, cheering about the upcoming end-of-year state assessments.
The idea behind the video started when Kimberly Gardner, Stokes-Beard Elementary principal, sat down with the two third grade students last week.
When meeting with their principal, Richard Smith, 8, and Sariah Chandler, 9, assured Gardner they were prepared to pass the benchmark reading assessment. Gardner said she realized the two students were not only prepared for the reading gate, but also ready to educate the public on their test preparations. Smith and Chandler then wrote a script and helped create an animated video that the district uploaded to its social media page on Tuesday.
“I was hoping to explain that it’s OK about this test,” said Smith, who, along with Chandler, is in Courtney Stringer’s third grade class. “Our teachers have helped us to get to this point and beyond. We are sure that we can do it and we will pass that test.”
All third grade students in Mississippi must pass the reading assessment — which is part of the broader year-end English-Language Arts exam for third grade — before entering the fourth grade.
Smith and Chandler worked with the Stokes-Beard technologist, Kimberly Hyde, to produce a brief video, lasting only 90 seconds and showcasing the students’ hard work and self-written scripts.
Hyde worked with the animation of the two characters, while Chandler and Smith spent Monday recording their lines. When Chandler and Smith saw the final video, neither student was shocked by the outcome.
“I was amazed, but I was not surprised,” Chandler said. “I really kind of expected it because we really do have talent.”
Both Chandler and Smith said their teacher has prepared them with practice assessments and homework.
“Our teacher has taught us a lot,” Chandler said. “She can see where we are and the places we need to go. The stuff we are not proficient in, she’s helped us.”
Gardner and Hyde helped interview students to see who could best represent the district.
“Richard is my well-spoken, well-thought-out guy,” Gardner said. “He even corrects me sometimes. Richard is an all-around outstanding student. And Sariah here is the same.”
Wonder Media
The video features two characters having a conversation about the upcoming test and sharing the ways their teacher has prepared them. Hyde used a software, Wonder Media Story Maker, to upload the audio, create the animation and export the video.
The animation program is based out of California and geared toward teaching children how to produce their own creative content.
Stokes-Beard has had the software for the past four years, previously using it to make news segments for the school. By next year, Hyde said, she hopes to simply supervise students working on similar projects.
“My goal is to start in August,” Hyde said. “Where they are saving everything, where they are doing the animation, where they are exporting it. Now that they’ve seen the animation process, maybe they will think ‘I can do better.'”
Stokes-Beard started the project, Gardner said, to educate the public and parents about the upcoming test third grade students will take April 24.
“This was one way to get on social media, what we are doing,” Gardner said. “They have been practicing hard for the test. It is our hope that all our students pass. This is just out the mouth of the babes, just student accounts of what they’ve been doing. Adults can speak all day long about what we are doing to practice, but when students speak I think it speaks volumes. They are very authentic with what they believe and what they say.”
For Hyde, Smith and Chandler exceeded her expectations.
“It was not a whole lot of leading,” Hyde said. “After they had the conversations with Mrs. Gardner, they came to my room. Some students you have to guide them. But with these two, I may have had to guide them for a few seconds, but they just rolled with it. I thought it was precious. It makes you smile, to think ‘hey those are our children.’ They wrote the script and they are doing this and it’s just outstanding.”
The video ends with Chandler and Smith confidently cheering a phrase they say each school day.
“We will be proficient,” they said. “We will show growth. We will be falcon strong. All year long.”
Online
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.