Stories of Connection: Unleashing a Perspective of Possibility

AN INTRODUCTION FROM CHRIS WHITTLE

At Whittle School & Studios, we recognize learning happens everywhere and all the time. During this unprecedented season, when living rooms double as classrooms, innovation has never been more crucial to student success. As a modern school, we are harnessing the power of the new digital age, while recognizing that education can no longer be local or national in its outlook.

When we first envisioned our academic program, we dedicated a lot of time thinking about the future and how to prepare students for tomorrow’s world. The spread of Coronavirus illustrates both the interconnectedness of this earth, and the necessity of adaptability. As classes transitioned into the distance-learning environment, we modified our curriculum to be fit for the virtual-space.

This period in time demonstrates the importance of entrepreneurism, a skill all 21st century learners must possess to thrive in the Innovation Age. In response to the pandemic, two Upper School students Calla and Grant, at our DC Campus created a website dedicated to sharing gratitude for healthcare workers around the world. The efforts of these students illustrate the possibilities that follow a shift in mindset. What if instead of fearing the inevitable change ahead, we dream of the how we can contribute to progress? Great inventors throughout history approach the challenges of their day with a “perspective of possibility.”

I encourage you to follow the examples of big thinkers, and of our students, who approach today’s problems with tomorrow’s solutions. To read more about their efforts, please read below. To view their website and share a message of gratitude to the health care heroes, please click here.

Chris Whittle

Chairman and CEO

30SECONDTHANKYOU.COM

COVID-19 has upended American’s daily lives as people struggle to grapple with their new normal. Students are adjusting to come to terms with online school and not being able to see their friends. Two Whittle students, Calla and Grant, however, have taken this time to reflect about what is important to them. In response, they founded 30secondthankyou.com, a website that thanks healthcare workers for their tireless service during this time.  

30SecondThankYou.com started during the first week of spring break after both students discussed a mutual feeling of helplessness during this crisis. In hopes of advancing positivity, they created a platform where people can share video messages of gratitude towards healthcare workers. In a 30 second video, people across the US are sharing gratitude to healthcare workers.  

Neither Calla nor Grant had website design experience, so they found a developer who was willing to donate time to make the backbone of the website. After finding Zach, a coder who helped them design and build the website, they saw their idea come to life. The duo then reached out to family, friends and other contacts in the larger community, such as peers from other schools and organizations in Washington DC, including Martha’s Table and D.C Food Project both of which are dedicated to COVID-19 relief. Within one week, they were able to collect more than 50 videos for healthcare workers to view. 

“We are reminded of our success every time we open the website. When we go onto the site and see the incredible design and the unbelievable amount of videos that we have collected in such a short amount of time, we both know that we are going to achieve our mission of thanking healthcare workers and being able to remind them how much they mean to us. In such a short amount of time, we have collected numerous videos from people from all over the country. The care and dedication from other leave us amazed and moved that so many people want to help with this cause.” 

- Calla  

Both Grant and Calla have acknowledged the skills that they have learned through this experience in practicing leadership and communication skills in a real-world context. In addition, with the help of Zach, Calla has learned how to code, something she never imagined learning. Perhaps the most important lesson learned was how to rally a group of people around a cause, something they both admit will help them pursue future passions.  

In the upcoming weeks, they will start reaching out to hospitals to share the many thank yous they have collected with the front-line heroes. They are still collecting videos and will continue to do so because, “healthcare workers need our love and support more than ever”. 

Calla and Grant shared that these past few weeks have put things into perspective for them, and has served as a reminder of how important health, family, and everyday resources are to our physical and mental wellbeing. Across the United States, healthcare professionals are working overtime, spending time away from their families and risking their own health to try and stop this virus from taking away the lives of others. Thanks to 30secondThankYou.com, people can easily share their gratitude from the safety of their own homes.   

(Center: Calla and Grant) Upper School and Middle School Students, Washington DC Campus