Preparing for an AI-First Future—With Safety at the Core
For nearly 80 years, Norfolk Collegiate has been a forward-thinking school rooted in innovation. Today, that mindset is shaping how the school approaches one of the most urgent shifts in modern education: artificial intelligence.
As generative AI reshapes every sector, schools around the country are rewriting policies, rethinking assessments and reevaluating what teaching and learning look like in an AI-first world.
Norfolk Collegiate is choosing to lean in.
Start With Concepts, Then Tools
In December 2025, Dr. Sid Dobrin ’85, a leading national voice on generative AI and a Collegiate alumnus, returned to campus for two days of workshops and discussions with students, faculty, administrators and families.
“I intend to provoke you. I don’t make promises or predictions,” Dr. Dobrin told faculty and staff. “When we’re introducing AI to students, it’s about slow scaffolding concepts… and it requires human expertise. That’s why you start in upper elementary.”
Dr. Dobrin stressed that before students are asked to use AI tools, they must first understand the concepts behind them, including safety, problem-solving, logic and guardrails for responsible use.
“You have to start with AI safety,” he added. “AI is not a genie in a bottle. The human must be in the loop.”
A Brief Look Back at AI
Artificial intelligence as a field was formally named in 1955-56 by computer scientist John McCarthy. Since then, AI has evolved in waves, from early chat programs in the 1980s, to adaptive voice assistants like Siri and Alexa in the 2000s and 2010s, and to generative AI platforms gaining mainstream adoption in the 2020s.
Today, AI literacy is no longer optional. It is a workforce expectation.
“We have to acknowledge that education is workforce development,” Dr. Dobrin said. “Employers still want strong communication and problem-solving skills, but now they’re also looking for AI literacy. The top two skills today are communication skills and AI literacy.”
What Is Norfolk Collegiate Doing?
Collegiate has launched a proactive strategy guided by its AI committee, which includes faculty, staff and senior leadership working alongside Dr. Dobrin to develop safe and effective curriculum integration.
The committee’s priorities include:
- Evaluating how AI impacts classroom teaching and student learning
- Establishing guardrails that both protect and empower students
- Identifying safe AI integration points across the K-12 curriculum
- Ensuring privacy compliance, including alignment with FERPA standards
“We’ve taken a thoughtful, proactive approach to AI in the classroom, and Dr. Dobrin will help guide us as we continue to learn and build,” said Head of School Scott Kennedy.
Dobrin also encouraged students to continue discussions beyond school walls, sharing ideas and questions with their families at home.
The Bottom Line
AI isn’t replacing the classroom; it’s reshaping it. And, as Norfolk Collegiate continues this work, one principle remains unchanged:
This article was written by the author with the help of AI-assisted editing.
“The human must be in the loop.”
To learn more about Dr. Dobrin ’85 and his work in generative AI, click here.
This article was written by the author with the help of AI-assisted editing.
