Garden City’s Locust School holds day of innovation
Garden City’s Locust School has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School, an honor awarded to schools that demonstrate a commitment to innovation, leadership and excellence in integrating technology into learning. To celebrate this achievement, representatives from Apple and educators from across Long Island visited the school on May 5 to observe students participating in engaging, tech-infused lessons.
The day began with classroom visits to kindergarten and first grade rooms, where guests experienced learning in action. As students explored lessons centered on creativity, collaboration and future readiness, visitors witnessed how Apple’s innovative technology enhances student engagement and expression.
Kindergarten students engaged in hands-on lessons including “Making Sticker Books with Photos using Keynote,” “Draw, Label, Create: Exploring with Markup and Photos,” “Snap, Record, Write – A Walk Around with Numbers” and “From Page to Performance – Bringing Stories to Life with the Stop Motion App.”
First grade lessons included “Measure Your Way with Pages: A Differentiated Math Adventure,” “Using Keynote for Stop Motion,” “Act It Out: Animal Edition with Photos and Pages” and “Building Community – A Virtual Map in Keynote.”
Using iPads and Apple tools, students brought their learning to life by recording videos and audio, taking photos, animating drawings and producing short films featuring original characters. These activities highlighted their ability to communicate, create and problem-solve in innovative and meaningful ways. Each of these tech enhanced lessons are seamlessly integrated into the core curriculum to support and extend student learning.
The day concluded with a panel discussion featuring Locust School teachers and leaders, who shared strategies for designing impactful, tech-infused learning experiences. In collaboration with Lauren Lavelle, District-wide Technology and Science Staff Developer and Apple Learning Coach, the team shared insights into how thoughtful integration of technology can elevate student voice and creativity.
Visitors left inspired and equipped with new ideas to spark creativity and elevate learning in their own classrooms.
