For one sixth-grade class at South Jordan’s American Academy of Innovation, learning about heat transfer became an opportunity to spread real warmth in their community.
This fall, Landon Leak is teaching math, science, and language arts. His class read The Lions of Little Rock, a story about breaking down social barriers amid segregation in the 1950s. While the students learned about overcoming these barriers through human connection, they were also studying heat transfer in science.
Leak saw a parallel between the two concepts. “Trying to spread warmth and joy can also be a form of heat transfer,” he says. “We can’t scientifically prove it, but it feels pretty real.”
To help his students put that idea into action, Landon created the Ripple Effect of Warmth project. Partnering with local nonprofit The Refuge, Landon’s class upcycled two-liter plastic bottles into colorful lanterns for The Refuge’s Walk of Hope event.
Before starting the project, representatives from The Refuge visited Landon’s classroom to talk with students about their mission to assist survivors of domestic violence. Landon says the visit helped students realize their project could make a real impact. “They're excited to have unique opportunities like this,” he says.
Each student glued colorful tissue paper inside a bottle and wrote a short note of encouragement. When displayed together at the event, the lanterns’ colorful light and heartfelt messages created a ripple effect of light and hope—much like the scientific transfer of heat.
This hands-on approach to learning reflects the American Academy of Innovation’s educational philosophy. The school’s project-based model emphasizes creativity and experiential learning over a rigid one-size-fits-all approach.
School is tough, Landon says, and so is life. That’s why he believes experiences like this one are so important for students. “If they feel like there’s hope and that they can make a difference,” Landon says, “That could change their lives.”
To learn more about the American Academy of Innovation, visit AAIUtah.org.
If they feel like...they can make a difference, that could change their lives.