Session 7: Year 5, Week 31 In Review
change-makers and self defense
Check out this week’s updates…
spark studio
Thoughts from the Spark Studio.. Each moment that we are aware of our choices, we are building our character.
It is a constant process of self-awareness and self-improvement that makes us better people.
By understanding our motivations and decisions, we can become more conscious of our actions and their impact on others. We can learn to be mindful of our words and our actions and choose to behave in a way that is in line with our values. This will help us to create a character that is grounded in integrity, compassion, and respect. Furthermore, we must take the time to nurture our character, day by day, moment by moment.
We must be open to embracing new ideas and experiences. By cultivating an open-mindedness and a willingness to learn from our mistakes, we can expand our understanding of the world and continue to build our character. Ultimately, by taking the time to nurture our character, we can create a strong foundation upon which to live a life of purpose and fulfillment.
“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
elementary studio
We had a great time in Elementary this week!
In this session, our focus in Quest is on gardening. Learners have done a lot of hands-on experiments to explore the idea of plant life! During our time this week, Heroes created a light maze for their plants. We’ve discussed how to properly take care of our plants, cell structure, and the hormones in the plants that cause them to thrive while also exploring the scientific method. We are all very excited about what the rest of the session holds and what the learners create!
In Civilization, we explored the founding fathers and the American Revolution. Heroes researched important historical figures from this time.
This week our Heroes presented their research on the Change Maker they were assigned. Through these presentations, Heroes learned about the contributions of people like Muhammad Ali; and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. We discussed common traits among these change-makers: resilience, curiosity, and civility. Learners will now select the Change Maker they emulate and begin researching that person. Our Heroes are so excited to embody such incredible human beings, and we look forward to what they create!
Have a great weekend!
middle school studio
This week at school was busy, with learners making the most of their time in different subjects.
The school continued to let learners use their time wisely to catch up on any missed work, giving them about 2 hours of dedicated work time. In Story Arts, learners continued to work on their wax museum and write about their creators, using their imagination and creativity to bring their characters to life.
In Quest, learners could work on their badge called "DND" or collaborate with their peers to solve a Cold Case. It was an excellent opportunity for them to collaborate and share their findings, developing their problem-solving skills.
In Civilization, the learners started working on this year's Story of the World Project, where they summarized everything they had learned over the course of the school year. It was an excellent opportunity for them to reflect on their learning and see how far they have come.
This week our Middle School Heroes learned what traits make quality handwriting. They used this new-found knowledge to assess their fellow Heroes' handwriting and select three winners who displayed the best handwriting. We concluded the class by hearing more presentations about lesser-known Change Makers like Chess Grandmaster Master Maurice Ashley and Erno Rubik, the inventor of the Rubik's cube. Heroes will now select their Change Maker and begin preparing for their Wax Museum presentations.
Finally, Trilith had a volunteer day, where learners had the chance to earn some Service Learning hours. It was an opportunity for them to give back to the community and develop essential skills like empathy and teamwork. Overall, it was a productive and exciting week for the learners, with many opportunities for growth and development.
high school studio
What a week in High School!
We had many significant launches topics ranging from resilience to self-defense, to the use of weapons of self-defense versus more peaceful solutions, and how to write a cover letter for a professional resume. The Heroes also finished writing drafts of SNL skits.
The highlight of the week was self-defense through stunt coordinator and a Forest Mom, Shauna Galligan. She taught the learners some more physical defense techniques and how to do this in the setting of making a film.
One of the things the high schoolers can look forward to the rest of the session is that they will have a choice to write their statement of purpose, an essay around their best community service contribution over the years, or a professional cover letter and resume. More details on that to come.
Our High Schoolers are taking on the roles of writers, but before they enter the writer's room, we do warm-ups and activities to get them moving and thinking out of the box. We are preparing them to perform comedic sketches and have been studying the brilliant work of Key and Peele. This week's discussion centered on simplicity's ability to be universally comedic. Our Heroes will take all this energy and inspiration into the writer's room and deliver their first draft of their sketches next week!
We will continue Civilization conversations across lines of differences and how to empathize with people from diverse backgrounds.
The year is winding down, and we are excited to graduate our seniors on May 20th at Trilith Lake. Bring a lawn chair, and we’ll see you there!