Hundreds of Pittsburgh-area educators have been fueled by an extra dose of inspiration and energy, thanks to the Remake Learning Assembly. This annual gathering, held this year on Friday, September 25th, filled the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh’s campus with dozens of hands-on experiences and thought-provoking presentations from members of the region’s ever-growing learning ecosystem.

These opportunities for learning and creating — led by everyone from space science experts and local librarians to professional dancers and museum staffers, along with classroom teachers, teams of eager high schoolers and even a 4-year-old alpaca named Mystic — were a key part of the day. And attendees got much more, including a concise recap of the past year’s successes and an inside look ahead at what’s ahead as Remake Learning approaches its 20th year.

More than anything, Remake Learning’s Assembly included an abundance of laughter and joy as old friends exchanged hugs and warm greetings, while new connections were built among educators from every corner of the Remake Learning network.

“What inspired us to attend this year’s Assembly is the same thing that inspires us every time we travel with the horses: the realization that the day will be filled with small moments that become big ones,” said Laura McGee, director of community outreach at Bella Terra Stables.

Although most attendees only spent a few moments with Bella Terra’s equine therapy horses during the Assembly, “a brief interaction that looks small from the outside often becomes a meaningful experience for the person meeting the horses, and those moments have a big impact and open doors to deeper connection,” McGee said. “Last year, small moments led to several positive partnerships.”

Each year, the Assembly captures the spirit that makes Pittsburgh’s learning community special, says Casey Mindlin, co-chair of the “Won’t You Be a Reader?” campaign and a longtime member of the Remake Learning network.

“Pittsburgh’s a city where we know that we all do better when we all do better. We get together, enjoy each other, and derive energy from one another’s efforts. We’re able to replicate best practices, but laugh together when stuff doesn’t work out,” Mindlin says. “The Assembly energizes me. I would never miss this.”

For Cristen Dando, the children’s library outreach coordinator at Whitehall Public Library, this year’s Assembly was a chance to get inspired by the many different ideas and projects that Remake Learning members were showcasing.

At her own table, Dando and her team invited attendees to design their own miniature terrariums with a range of craft materials — helping adults and kids explore the concept of ecosystem building and learn about plant life cycles, while using their imaginations. “I’m excited to see participants’ creativity as they create their own magical miniature worlds,” she said.

For WQED’s director of education partnerships, Gina Masciola, the Assembly is always a great day “for reconnecting with partners that we maybe haven’t been able to see every day in our work. It’s kind of like, ‘Oh yeah, we were supposed to talk! Let’s get back together!’”

Masciola said it’s also valuable to have so many students attend the event. She appreciates the opportunity for educators to “watch what they’re interested in and what they’re gravitating to.”

Throughout the day, students of all ages were authentically centered — including a group from Aquinas Academy who cheerfully handed out flyers for their upcoming play, and others who hosted their own hands-on activities.

Just one example: The first exhibit that visitors encountered inside MuseumLab was led by high schoolers from SLB Radio’s Youth Media Express and Youth Media Corps, who invited attendees to write “a letter to a stranger” and eventually receive a letter in return from someone else.

These students, including Ishani Aluguvelli, Anika Reddy and Elena Xiao, said they really enjoyed having face-to-face, informal conversations with adults at last May’s “Something in Common: Reimagining Civic Life, Together” event. They were glad to again have their voices valued by the Remake Learning community, this time at the Assembly.

Students from Ruach Bicycle Club and Neighborhood Learning Alliance also participated by speaking about their organizations on stage at the New Hazlett Theater, where Remake Learning’s Stephanie Lewis led the crowd through a look back at the previous year’s accomplishments and Remake Learning’s executive director, Tyler Samstag, shared a glimpse of what’s ahead.

Lewis noted the many ways that the network opened its doors, created space for bold ideas to grow, and ensured that learning really did happen everywhere during what she called a year of “What If?”

“We connect. We experiment. We learn. We remake,” Lewis told the audience. “So as we celebrate everything this network has done this year — and as we get ready to enter our 20th year together — let’s continue to ask, ‘What If?’”

Samstag then shared a glimpse of what’s ahead — including four “bets” that will shape the future of learning in the Pittsburgh region. These include:

• “Unwalling” our schools by connecting them deeply with the many resources that populate our learning ecosystem, from local museums, parks, libraries and universities to advanced manufacturers, artists, scientists, roboticists and more.
• Helping Pennsylvania become a laboratory for ecosystem learning — a topic that will be explored when the next installment of the Forge Futures conference comes home to Pennsylvania and focuses explicitly on ecosystem building across the Commonwealth.
• Catalytic capital investments of nearly $6 million have already brought approximately 130 bold Moonshot ideas to life. That work is continuing through investments in making playful learning part of Pittsburgh’s infrastructure and through Maker Learning Moonshot Grants that will look 10 years ahead to the question “What will it mean to be a maker in 2037?”
• Building infrastructure through celebration, including the next edition of Remake Learning Days in May 2027 and a promised “Assembly of all Assemblies” to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Remake Learning’s founding.

As educators, students and many other visitors at the Assembly learned about these new opportunities and celebrated the many innovations and relationships that were dramatically on display throughout the day, it was clear just how rich and varied the Pittsburgh region’s learning ecosystem has become.

In so many big and small ways, says Bella Terra’s Laura McGee, “Remake Learning creates a space where people from all walks of life can connect, imagine, and explore what’s possible in education.”

Meet the Storytellers

Melissa Rayworth

Melissa Rayworth is a writer for regional and global news outlets, and a communications consultant who works with people, foundations and companies to tease out and tell their stories across media.

Jade Hambrick

Jade Hambrick is a photographer documenting life in Pittsburgh since 2020.