The Michigan Creative Educators Summit is an event that started in 2009 as a means to showcase innovative/creative efforts (programs, classes, events, and projects) by K-12 Michigan educators and students. With the rapidly advancing demand and need for more innovation and creativity in Michigan and beyond, the DeWitt Creativity Group (www.dewittcreativitygroup.org) set about to create a unique event run for and by students that celebrates talent. Additionally, the DCG has partnered with numerous Mid-Michigan organizations such as LEAP, Inc. (Lansing Economic and Area Partnership), Prima Civitas Foundation, Dean Transportation, Michigan Virtual University, Michigan State University College of Education, MSU Eli and Edythe Broad Modern Art Museum, and others to hold the Michigan Creative Educators Summit in venues as diverse as the Temple Club Building in Old Town Lansing to the Broad Art Museum.
Initially, the Michigan Creative Educators Summit was a forum to promote more innovation and creativity in Mid-Michigan by exposing educators and students to new industries in entrepreneurship, the arts, and STEM related fields. Also, the Summit has served to bring many parties from different walks of life to learn more about the great things happening in K-12 schools throughout the state of Michigan. Unlike many other educational conferences, the Michigan Creative Educators Summit puts students in the forefront of cutting edge change. Many barriers between K-12 schools and the larger society have been lowered as a result of past summits. Students and educators not only share innovative and creative practices, but consider new types of models for more profound collaboration with others.
Throughout the years the Summit has gained greater recognition for offering experiences people cannot get at any other similar event. Partnerships between school districts have formed to tackle incredible project based learning projects such the partnership between the Stockbridge High School Advanced Underwater Robotics Club and the DeWitt Creativity Group. This collaboration between a rural and suburban district spawned an amazing joint effort to search for World War II planes off the coast of Palau - in the process create an inspiring documentary film of the mission – which will screened at the 2014 Michigan Creative Educators Summit. It is a project such as this that will fuel educator and student passion, imagination, creativity, and innovation. Together K-12 Michigan schools and the larger society can work together to build a culture of problem solving. The 2014 Michigan Creative Educators Summit will have numerous school districts participating, including (DeWitt Public School District, Lansing School District, West Ottawa Public School District, Pinckney Community School District, Stockbridge Public School District, Highland Parks Public School District, and Okemos Public School District). As the interest of other school districts grow in participating in more exciting projects at home and abroad, it is with great excitement that the Michigan Creativity Group (a statewide network of innovative and creative educators and students) will launch at the 2014 Michigan Creative Educators Summit.