Community Based Experiences Can Change Kid’s View of Education

Story by Enari West, K’Mari Sam and Erin Calloway. Photo courtesy of Brandyn Poole, CapX Program Manager.

Washington DC. November 30, 2023. You may be wondering what your child is actually talking about when you ask them about their day at school. Well if you didn’t know, we’re here to tell you that your child might be talking about CapX. CapX stands for Capital Experience Lab, and is a program that offers the perfect experience for students at Blow Pierce Middle School, allowing them to go on field trips two times a week, have celebrations of learning every module, and actually experience what they are being taught at school in the real world.

CapX is a different program than what is offered at other schools. In a regular school’s learning environment, you learn from only being in the classroom and you don’t go on community-based experiences (for short CBE’s). However, CapX learning happens both in school and on CBE’s, so that students can have hands-on experience. One community-based experience that we’ve gone on is to the National Museum of African American History and Culture for the Great Migration lesson, where we learned about how African Americans migrated from the south to the north in order to find better opportunities. This CBE also hit on the Harlem Renaissance and Civil Rights Movement lessons, where we learned about the Black Panther Party, Martin Luther King, and how activists inspired Black Americans to be successful. 

CapX describes its program as, “an educational incubator that champions real-world experience as core to student achievement in Washington, DC and beyond.” Right now CapX is only available at Blow Pierce. However, the goal is to expand and collaborate with other schools in the DC area.

Seventh grader Enari West loved the program, “CapX was a really fun experience for me and my peers.” CapX is built for kids to have a more enjoyable experience in school as they learn. Parents, consider bringing your child to Blow Pierce for CapX, you won’t regret it!

Enari West, K’mari Sam and Erin Calloway are sixth and seventh grade scholars at Friendship Blow-Pierce Elementary.