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Rye schools showcase critical‑thinking projects; high school pilots AI as a writing companion
Summary
At an annual critical‑thinking exposition, Rye educators presented K–12 authentic projects intended to deepen problem‑solving, collaboration and communication skills; the high school English department shared a classroom pilot using large language models to help students refine style and structure while preserving student ownership of ideas.
The Rye City School District presented student and teacher projects during its critical‑thinking exposition on May 6, highlighting districtwide work to design authentic projects that require research, collaboration, multimodal production and iterative feedback. Superintendent Dr. Murray introduced third‑grade projects from Milton and an English department pilot using AI at the high school.
Why it matters: District leaders said critical thinking is a core element of what the district calls the Rye Commitment, and that longer authentic projects and specific instructional design elements are intended to develop transferable skills — collaboration, communication and problem solving — across grade levels.
Third‑grade projects: Third‑grade teachers Katie Ridley and Danielle Holbert presented “Becoming a Global Citizen,” a sustained project in which students researched a country (choices included Kenya, Brazil and China), synthesized information from multiple sources, selected a problem to address, and chose a product (podcast, poster or video) for an authentic audience. Student groups produced videos and fundraising efforts (lemonade stands and bracelet sales) to donate proceeds to an organization supporting water access in Kenya. The teachers emphasized student choice, research, collaboration and regular peer feedback as central design elements.
High school AI pilot: English teacher Anthony Fabrizio described a classroom pilot in which Advanced Placement students used a large language model (ChatGPT) as a focused drafting and revision tool. Fabrizio said students came prepared with their ideas and used the model to ask pointed questions about style and structure, not to generate finished essays. He and his students—identified in the presentation as Niko Lard, Cameron Harwood and Arif Shah—said the experience reinforced student control over content and helped students ask stronger writing questions. Fabrizio also noted faculty conversations about broader concerns, including labor and environmental impacts of AI, and described the pilot as an early, carefully scaffolded step toward thoughtful classroom use.
District professional learning and next steps: Dr. Murray said the district has moved over several years from studying instructional strategies to designing curriculum tasks and now to sustained authentic projects. The district plans learning walks focused on critical thinking, will reintroduce a previously developed critical thinking tool into professional learning, and intends to study AI in more depth next school year to evaluate how it can appropriately support instruction.
Board response and student reflections: Board members praised student presentations and highlighted the SEL value of learning to collaborate with diverse peers. Students described the project work as challenging but rewarding; one student explained how research about the Amazon led to a broader chain‑reaction explanation of environmental impact for classmates.
What did not change tonight: The exposition was a presentation and professional learning showcase; no policy or budget decisions were made in connection with the projects during the meeting.
