Cedar Rapids school officials tout ‘soft skills,’ student diversity at State of the District event

CEDAR RAPIDS - At an annual State of the District event Tuesday, officials from the Cedar Rapids Community School District touted an emphasis on developing students' soft skills and the diversity of the student body.

Both of those district qualities match the needs of local employers, Superintendent Brad Buck said, noting employers are looking for more skilled and diverse job candidates.

'From that statement, local leaders generally go on to explain that the attributes these workers need are soft skills, or what we refer to as 21st century skills,” Buck said. 'Creativity, the ability to problem solve, collaboration and a willingness to learn and grow.”

Buck emphasized building students' workplace skills before they graduate from high school and pointed to several post-grad options other than the pursuit of a four-year college degree, such as certifications, credentials and two-year degrees.

'I'm not advocating that we discourage students to pursue four-year degrees, they have value for many reasons,” Buck said. 'At the same time, they are not the only path to a successful future, and they are not the best solution for every person.”

In the audience of the end-of-the-year event - held to spotlight district successes - were representatives from several of the district's unconventional school options. They included the student-run business Metro Made, based at the alternative high school, and Jefferson High's BlendEd Academy, which focuses on personalized learning.

Teachers and students from the district's recently added magnet school options, Kenwood Leadership and Johnson STEAM academies, as well as Roosevelt Middle - soon to be Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy magnet - also attended.

Kennedy High student Afnan Elsheikh and Roosevelt Middle student Celestte Panduro shared personal stories about their education, illustrating Buck's points.

Elsheikh told the some 100 district employees and community members at the event that her experience working for her school's news magazine has taught her about self-direction and compromise.

Panduro, who said she and her family emigrated from Honduras, praised the district for embracing 'diverse cultures and diverse personalities.”

That, too, Buck said, lines up with Iowa businesses' desire for a diverse workforce.

'The great news is that our Cedar Rapids students have increasingly become more diverse,” he said. 'Specifically, this school year, approximately one in three students in this district will be from a diverse background, and over 60 languages are represented as the primary language for our students.”

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