Imagine a world where one can go to school and pursue their passions; a world with no restraints, where the only limiting factor is one’s own imagination. This world is being brought to West as students are welcomed into the creative world of Genius Hour.

Genius Hour is a movement that allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom. The movement was inspired by the search-engine giant Google, which allows its engineers to spend 20% of their time to work on any pet project that they want. Google’s policy has efficiently worked so that 50% of Google’s projects have been created during this creative period.

“It’s mainly about finding a problem and fixing it,” junior Mathew Vondersaar said. “It lets us think outside of the box more and lets us make an impact in our free time.”

At West, teachers have put aside a full English period every Friday for students to work on their projects. Checkpoints have been set and required reading has been approved so that students can keep up with their endeavors.

“It inspires me to think more about what’s going on around me instead of just what’s happening at Plano West and that in a year we are going to be out there in the world ,” junior Julianne Plambeck said. “What we do makes a difference.”

Some students like Plambeck are broadening their horizons and striving to approach problems on a global scale. Plambeck is attempting to raise $1,500 to create 500 trip care packages stuffed with food and supplies to send to American soldiers abroad. She is even creating a website in order to collect virtual donations. However, other students such as senior Carson Ford are using their own experiences to solve problems.

“I have worked really closely with women experiencing domestic violence through a charity, and I want to see a sense of security in their kids,” Ford said.

Ford’s project involves collecting bears for children exposed to domestic violence. The project hopes to instill a feeling of safety in the children and allow them to come to the understanding that there are people who care for them.

“My English class has two bears in it, and they kind of provide me with a sense of relief,” Ford said. “They calm me down during Advanced Placement English tests. Since the bears calmed me down, I figured that they would do the same for the kids, too.”

With a unique blend of ambition and experience, students are truly given the opportunity to pursue their passions and discover a bit more about themselves along the way. The projects will come to a close with the end of the semester. In the meantime, students will use their creativity and inimitable ideas to test the boundaries of their imagination and create changes in the community. This month looks promising with each student hoping to achieve their own individual goals and learn a few new things along the way.

“I hope to learn a bit more about myself and others and help them get to a better place,” Vondersaar said.