By Ellie Grace Grinnan

What do you want to be when you grow up? This is a question every child is asked. Answers vary: doctor, astronaut, princess, firefighter, vet, teacher, singer, and so much more. But one common theme between them is that children believe that these careers are possible. To a child, the ideas for their future seem limitless. Envision Richmond, Collegiate’s 8th Grade Capstone program, helps reinforce the idea that students can make a difference. Capstones play a major role in the life and growth of a Collegiate student.

The first time Collegiate students experience a program like this is in 4th Grade, when they engage in a project focused on the Collegiate community. Then in 8th Grade, students focus on the Richmond area. In Upper School, Seniors choose from a variety of Capstone classes which focus on issues both close to home and around the world. According to Collegiate’s website, Envision Richmond “immerses our 8th Grade student body in the local community with an intensive leadership and civic engagement curriculum.” The program sends students into the Richmond area, allowing them to gain and sharpen life skills.

Before the entire 8th Grade participated in Envision Richmond, it was an optional Capstone for Seniors. Then, around 2010, it turned into a program that 8th Grade students could apply to partake in, with roughly 30 students accepted each year. Since 2015, it has been a grade-wide experience, where they take a week off of school to fully dedicate themselves to this project.

8th Graders rafting on the James River.

Before the week of the program, the 8th Graders split into two groups. The first group goes on a rafting trip down the James River, and the second one goes on a walking tour of the city. The goal of these trips is to “allow kids to see the city from a different perspective,” according to Dr. Wendi Moss, 8th grade English teacher and Envision Richmond coordinator. This part of the program allows for them to familiarize and engage with the city. They grow in their knowledge as their guides share new information with them, whether they are rafting or walking.

There are ten topics that students get to rank, and then they are placed in groups for the week. This past year everyone got one of their top five choices. The options cover a wide range of interests: urban design, streets bridges and connections, healthy communities, clean water, business and jobs, tourism, historic preservation, affordable housing, unhoused, and non-car networks. These topics ensure that students will have the opportunity to dedicate themselves to a topic they want to learn more about and are passionate about. Dr. Moss also is very intentional about the groups and tries to ensure people are mixed up with students from other advisories. 

Envision Richmond is structured off of the Richmond 300 plan, the guide for our city’s growth. The plan was created by the Richmond City’s Department of Planning and Development Review and was officially recognized in 2020. To prepare for this immersive week, the students first learn about the plan. The Richmond 300 plan goes through the five stages of design thinking. The first stage is empathy, which Dr. Moss explained is cultivated through getting to know different people around Richmond and forming connections with them. The second stage of design thinking is identifying a need in a certain community. This year in particular, the teachers gave groups a certain user to focus on, allowing them to dive deeper as they develop a solution. The next stage is to come up with ideas to help improve or solve the need your group decided on. The fourth stage is to prototype something and then finally to test it. These five stages take place over a week and conclude with a presentation addressed to leaders in the community.

The week kicks off with the first two days off campus, where the students travel to five to seven places and talk to different people and leaders about their topic. They get a mix of views and stories that help them form a sense of their issue and how they can make an impact. Dr. Moss shared that, after these two days, “I think the coolest thing is for the kids to come back and be like, ‘I learned this.’” Each child receives a rare and personal experience. The places they travel to range from Ukrops Market Hall, to court rooms, to organizations working to reduce homelessness. Claire Beville (‘29) reflected on her personal experience, saying it taught her “that there are so many ways to help your community.”

Students work together on their solution.

The rest of the week is dedicated to coming up with ideas to help solve the needs and creating a prototype. This time allows “the kids who are more artistic and big thinkers to shine,” according to Dr. Moss. This next part of the process encourages each student to speak up and share their ideas. The 8th Graders discuss their take-aways from their off-campus trips and the needs they witnessed in the Richmond community. This time is very much student-based, allowing them to take on leadership roles.

Reflecting on my experience as an 8th Grader in Envision Richmond, I remember this was one of the first times in school where I was not reliant on a teacher, but rather thinking things through for myself and with my peers. Each group is designed for students to make new connections with people they are not normally with. Halfway through the week, their groups shuffled even more to combine different people and topics. For example, students working on tourism and historic preservation partnered to see how they could solve combined issues.

The final part of this week involves 8th Graders sharing their creations and ideas though presentations to people running organizations focused on their topic around the city. These adults are always eager to talk to the 8th Graders and hear what incredible ideas they come up with. The issues and solutions vary year from year as improvements and changes are made. Beville was part of the healthy communities group, and they came up with the idea of the Shining Garden Houses: three-story homes with gardens on the roof to provide housing and healthier, more sustainable food to their occupants.

Dr. Moss summed up the week well by stating: “Sometimes, when sitting in school at 13 and 14 and 15, you don’t necessarily think you can make any difference,” but this week changes that for these children. I remember that week encouraging me that I could make a difference and to explore and pour into topics I was fascinated by. Beville also reflected on how the week made her realize “that we’re so lucky for the opportunities we have.” Envision Richmond pushes the 8th Graders out of their comfort zone by proving to them they can make a difference, and that their ideas and dreams are not too big.

All photos courtesy of Collegiate School.