Cross Bridge Scholars Program Overview

What is Cross Bridge?

            The Cross Bridge Scholars Program is an academically rigorous enrichment program designed to build a unique collaborative learning program among students from the Honickman Learning Center Comcast Technology Labs in Philadelphia and Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania.

Mission Statement

            The mission of The Cross Bridge Scholars is to use individual and institutional resources to design multi-media projects and an online magazine, working together in a cooperative learning environment.   The students will then use their projects and cooperative experiences to promote open discussions and greater understanding on difficult issues within their respective communities and to build personal skills, self-confidence, and mutual respect.
            The online magazine will impact the students’ institutions, be accessible to people outside of EA and Honickman Learning Center Comcast Technology Labs, and –in essence– be a bridge in transforming assumptions and stereotypes between communities.

Academic Goals

The Cross Bridge Scholars Program emphasizes these academic disciplines:

• Writing
• Culture and Media Studies
• Race Studies
• Technology Application
• Problem Solving

Program Instructional Sessions (Implementation) – 3 types
BridgeTalk- Discussion-oriented program days. Open, honest and frank classroom discussions are crucial to building community and honestly confronting the important issues.
Building Sessions- Project-based program days.  These are days when Cross Bridge Scholars will be engaged in writing articles, creating multi media and designing other collaborative projects
Bridge Days- These days are designed to give the students unique and interesting experiences that will also serve as reinforcement for the activities that happen in the BridgeTalk and Building Sessions.  It is also a chance for us to have some fun! 

Pedagogical Philosophy

Each Instructional Session or Activity is structured in such a way that it engages the CUBES rubric of instruction and social engagement (Confront, Understand, Build, Express, Solve).