Exhibitions, Experiments, and Everything In Between

spark studio

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
We had a tea party
With friends old and new.
At Forest School,
At Spark Studio too,
We sipped and we giggled—
It was fun through and through!

This week marked the beautiful culmination of our much-anticipated tea party. Our learners dressed in their finest attire and truly rose to the occasion as they practiced their manners, demonstrating thoughtful “pleases” and “thank yous” throughout the celebration. It was a joy to witness their pride and confidence.

During our gathering, students shared the haiku poetry they carefully composed, played festive games, and sipped our personalized tea mix. We also took time to reflect on our favorite moments from the session and from the tea party itself. Their reflections were heartfelt and full of gratitude for time spent together.

Adding to the magic of the week, our Chinese New Year dragon dance made a special appearance just before the school-wide badge ceremony. Learners paraded around the school in vibrant, magical movement, bringing energy and celebration to the entire community.

It was truly a beautiful week filled with meaningful experiences and special moments that will stay with us all year long.

A special thank you to all the parents who contributed food to make our tea party possible, and especially to our wonderful moms who volunteered their time to serve our little heroes. Your support helped make this celebration so memorable.

We hope you have a wonderful winter break! We love our Spark Families.

lower elementary studio

Like any great recipe, this Session required care, attention, and a willingness to experiment. Learners thoughtfully measured ingredients, adjusted the “heat” when needed, and trusted the process. By the end, they weren’t just following directions—they were confidently leading in the kitchen.

The Exhibition was lively and celebratory, showcasing teamwork, creativity, and growing confidence. Many groups clearly explained how salt, fat, acid, and heat affected their dishes, including chemical reactions, flavor balance, and ingredient interactions. Learners answered questions thoughtfully and demonstrated noticeable growth in leadership and voice projection.

Most teams aligned their recipes with Chef Leigh’s vision for a children’s cooking class, creating kid-friendly, practical dishes. Collaboration, perseverance, and experimentation were highlights, and Chef Leigh shared she would “love to try my twist on the watermelon salad and the Dutch babies,” reflecting the care and creativity learners put into their work. A big thank you to families who supported learners collaborating at home and to Chef Leigh for being our Expert and User this Session.

During Reflection Day, learners took time to think deeply about their choices, teamwork, and the science behind their dishes. They revisited salt, fat, acid, and heat to explain not just what happened, but why. They reflected on communication, their roles within teams, and how well they met Chef Leigh’s needs, building self-awareness, intentionality, and thoughtful problem-solving skills along the way.

Virtual Day Plans: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1639IBRbggzn6rBUuyWv5VUdmGGcTs5EZ1Bt6jVGqZ_w/edit?tab=t.0

Studio Update: Starting next Session, we will use a three-tier warning system to help Heroes notice and take responsibility for their actions. It encourages reflection on how choices affect others, allows learners to address peers respectfully, and gives opportunities to practice leadership, accountability, and problem-solving. Through this system, Heroes build empathy, confidence, and contribute to a kind, responsible, and collaborative community.

upper elementary studio

Exhibition, Music, and the Start of a Play

This week marked a huge milestone for our community: our Exhibition at Enzo. We are incredibly proud of the hard work, creativity, and collaboration learners brought to this Quest.

Before the Exhibition, learners competed in Master Chef–style challenges across three categories: salad, red sauce, and ice cream. Working in teams, they developed recipes through testing and retesting ingredients, refining flavors, and problem-solving together. Learners also dug into the science behind their food, researching chemical and physical changes, identifying local, farm-fresh suppliers, and calculating the cost per serving for each dish.

Each group presented their work to Chef Andrea, who generously opened the doors of Enzo to our learners. One of the most powerful moments of the day was seeing him walk around the restaurant with learners’ recipes in hand, preparing each dish exactly as it was written. And the best part? The dishes turned out genuinely delicious.

We are deeply grateful for the partnership we’ve built with Enzo, and we’re excited that they’ve shared their enthusiasm for working together again in the future.

In addition to the culinary Exhibition, we were thrilled to see learners share their creativity through live, original music performances at Enzo. A huge shoutout to Autumn, Dottie, Ana, and Mika for performing, and to Eily, who helped write Ana and Mika’s song. While we didn’t have time to finish recording all demos this session, we’ll be wrapping those up when we return—and are hopeful we may even find a way to record some of these songs in a professional Studio.

As the Session wrapped up, learners also shifted gears into preparing for their learner-created play, tentatively titled Love and War and Aliens. The writing team worked hard to edit and finalize the script by Wednesday so everyone could participate in a table read. On Thursday, we held auditions and cast the show, assigning roles across acting, sound engineering, design, dancing, and singing. It’s been exciting to see how many different ways learners are stepping into the production.

We also celebrated progress and perseverance during our badge ceremony on Thursday, honoring learners who completed badges and recognizing the effort behind that work.

Materials Needed for the Play
As we move into building sets and props, we could use some help gathering materials. Learners brought home a letter earlier this week, and we realized we need one additional item as well. Right now, we are looking for:

6 medium Home Depot cardboard boxes (for periaktos sets)
LOTS of duct tape (for sets and props)
Gray face paint (for alien skin)
Old electronics, wires, etc. (for a large mecha-dragon and robots)
Lots of black butcher paper (to block out light)

If you’re able to donate, please email Hadrian at hadrian@theforest.school so we can coordinate and avoid doubling up.

This week was a powerful reminder of what learners can do when they’re trusted with real work, real audiences, and real responsibility. From designing and cooking dishes in a professional kitchen, to performing original music, to launching a full theatrical production, learners showed creativity, courage, and collaboration at every step. We’re incredibly proud of them—and excited for what’s coming next.

middle school studio

Failure, Feedback, and Flight: A Week in Middle School

This week in Middle School was a masterclass in iteration, resilience, and real-world learning.

We wrapped up our Story Arts unit on comics and graphic novels—an exploration of visual storytelling, pacing, dialogue, and character development. Learners crafted original comic pieces, blending narrative arcs with intentional panel design and expressive illustration. To close the challenge, we welcomed two experts who spent time reviewing each learner’s work one-on-one.

Rather than simply offering praise, they leaned into thoughtful critique—commenting on composition, clarity, emotional impact, and craft. Most importantly, they encouraged learners to keep going. The challenge may be over, but the work of becoming a storyteller never is. Watching learners receive professional-level feedback—and take it seriously—was powerful. It reinforced that creative work doesn’t end at submission; it grows through revision and reflection.

While Story Arts brought depth, Quest brought ignition.

The highlight of the week was our Rocket Quest Exhibition. The week prior, learners engineered their own rocket fuel—designing propellant recipes, measuring ratios, and forming solid fuel cores. This week, they had three attempts to launch their rockets.

The first launches didn’t go as planned.

But that’s where the real learning began.

Between each attempt, teams gathered to analyze what might have gone wrong. They examined moisture levels in the air and in their fuel mixtures. They reconsidered the assembly of the rocket body and propellant casing. They questioned the tools being used and whether handling procedures impacted ignition. They evaluated the ratios and ingredients in their propellant recipes. Every attempt became a data point.

Instead of frustration, we saw focus. Heads together. Calculators out. Fuel grains inspected. Adjustments made.

By Exhibition time, learners were ready to share not only their rockets—but their reasoning. Parents heard each team’s Flight Readiness Review, where learners presented their mission, design decisions, predicted outcomes, and safety considerations. They spoke like engineers defending a prototype.

Then we stepped outside.

Although no rocket made it off the launch pad, several produced thick plumes of smoke. One showed visible movement. Another ignited cleanly but lacked thrust. Each launch drew cheers—not because of altitude, but because of effort and progress.

Our aerospace expert confirmed what we already suspected: designing usable solid rocket fuel is an extraordinarily challenging task—even for professionals. He commended the learners for tackling a complex engineering problem with seriousness and grit.

And that may have been the most important takeaway of the week.

In Middle School, we’re not chasing perfect outcomes. We’re building thinkers who analyze, adapt, and persist. Whether revising a comic panel or reformulating propellant, our learners are practicing the habits that matter most: curiosity, collaboration, and resilience in the face of difficulty.

Sometimes growth looks like a rocket soaring into the sky.

And sometimes it looks like smoke, small movement, and a team determined to try again.

We saw plenty of lift this week.

high school studio

This week marked a powerful and celebratory close to the session as we completed Quest: Preventative Mental Health and reflected on the meaningful growth that took place across the Studio.

Quest — Complete
Heroes officially wrapped up their Quest focused on preventative mental health, exploring national trends, analyzing real data, and developing practical strategies to support well-being.

The depth of learning was clearly visible at Exhibition, where Heroes authentically demonstrated what they had discovered and created. This wasn’t just a presentation—it was true evidence of understanding.

Even more encouraging was the wonderful feedback from audience exit surveys, which confirmed that the impact of Hero learning was felt beyond the Studio walls.

Final Badge Challenge — Hero Reflections
For the first time ever, we concluded the session’s badge with a final reflection challenge (pilot challenge). Each Hero met with Guides and was given:

2 minutes to present their portfolio of work
Time to verbally explain what they learned throughout the session

This moment created space for ownership, voice, and deep reflection—allowing Heroes to recognize their own growth in a meaningful way.

Studio Badge Ceremony
We also held an intimate badge ceremony inside the Studio, celebrating each Hero’s “ahead” status in badge completion.

This celebration honored not only finished work, but also:

Persistence
Responsibility
Commitment to excellence

It was a proud and meaningful moment for our Studio community.

Session Reflection & Looking Ahead
To close the week, the Studio engaged in an overall session reflection, identifying what worked well and how we can grow even stronger next session. This mindset of continuous improvement ensures that each session becomes more intentional, supportive, and impactful than the last.

We are incredibly proud of the growth, honesty, and ownership our Heroes demonstrated this session—and we are already excited to make next session even better.

Session 5: Year 8, WeeK 23 In Review