We Encourage Exploration
Independent schools encourage students to learn about the world and about themselves.
Independent schools encourage students to learn about the world and about themselves.
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Bodies and Bagels with Fourth Grade
In what has become a fall tradition for Oakhill Day School fourth grade students, Bodies and Bagels is a fun morning showcase where students show off their creativity and smarts by giving their parents a walk-through of their recycled material human bodies. Students work in groups to apply skills learned during their life science unit […]
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Eighth Graders Use Beebots to Explore Vectors in Physical Science
Eighth Graders recently used Beebots programmable robots to explore vectors in physical science class. The teams of students were given a grid mat, a Beebot, compass rose direction cards, a meter stick, and a recording sheet. They were then given time to explore by programming the Beebot to follow the paths and record the distance […]
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Students Consider “What is Right?” through Project Based Learning
Project Based Learning (PBL) is a cornerstone of a Foothills School education; it lets students learn collaboratively by asking questions that enhance their understanding of a subject. Last year, fifth and sixth graders spent a semester focusing on one driving question, “What is Right?” Activities included immersing themselves in the history of street art — […]
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Open Window School Student Experiment to Fly to the International Space Station
This fall students at Open Window School have their heads in the clouds, actually far above the clouds. They are working in teams on proposals for microgravity experiments to be conducted by astronauts 250 miles above sea level on the International Space Station (ISS). One of these student-designed experiments will be among 22 selected from […]
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Exploring the Library with Augmented Reality
“It’s like magic!” “How’d they do that?!” These are the excited voices of Lower School students as they took a creative tour of our newly updated library in September. We moved away from a monotonous, information-overload orientation to a more engaging experience that had students moving around the library space on their own. We created […]
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Auroral Splendor – Teachable Moments
Like most schools, Conserve School teachers and staff are always alert for “Teachable Moments”. This year solar activity has set the stage for some great ones. Here is a description of one such moment from Conserve School’s Head of School, Stefan Anderson. “This past Labor Day evening Conserve School students and staff were fortunate to […]
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New Partnership Means the Sky’s the Limit as Girls Develop Drones
Last fall, a group of Foxcroft School students were the only all-girls’ team to participate in the Kashmir World Foundation’s (KWF) Da Vinci Drone Challenge, part of a worldwide initiative to develop unmanned aerial vehicles to help save endangered species from poachers. They learned the fundamental components and electronics of remotely operated aerial vehicles, built […]
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Pre-Schoolers, Teachers Collaborate in Design Thinking
Emily is wide-eyed with concentration as she skillfully handles an electric screwdriver. There’s a squeal of delight when Olivia completes a circuit. There are the inevitable groans from the class as a tall tower collapses and needs to be built yet again. These are the everyday sights and sounds of excited preschoolers in McGehee School’s […]
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Green Design, Sustainability, and Empowerment
During their Green Design unit, ninth grade students in their first year of design study researched the concept of micro loans and how they are given to women in developing countries to use for starting a small business. By reading case studies the students discovered that the businesses usually involve the design and making of […]
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Hands on Lake Studies
High School students from across the country get a chance to experience hands on lake studies while attending a semester at Conserve School, an environmentally focused semester school in the northwoods of Wisconsin. The school’s 1200 acre campus has access to eight lakes, providing students with a variety of settings to develop their water quality […]
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Kent Place Students “Splash Into Science” During Summer Trip to Florida
More than 20 Kent Place Middle and rising Upper School students and four faculty and staff members chose to spend a portion of their summer breaks this June in Florida for the “Splash into Science” Global Service Learning trip. This trip was far beyond a typical science field trip. The girls hiked the Everglades at […]
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Science Fair… With a Twist
This year, we completely changed our science fair. All work was done in the classroom, and we attained authentic student work. More important, we emphasized reflection and sharing with all students. All projects had to display a reflection celebrating successes and sharing particular challenges (or what didn’t work). Many students also included thoughts on what […]