We Spark Creativity
Independent schools champion the natural creativity in every child, growing creative problem solvers and nurturing artistic skills.
Independent schools champion the natural creativity in every child, growing creative problem solvers and nurturing artistic skills.
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Gould Academy: Using Design Thinking to Inspire Creative Confidence
Gould Academy’s new Marlon Family IDEAS Center – which stands for Innovation, Design Thinking, Entrepreneurship, Arts and Science – boasts an entire floor of dedicated maker and design thinking space that supports innovation and collaboration through building creative confidence. Applying design thinking to this creative space is based on years of practice at the Institute […]
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Ranney Faculty to Attend World-Renowned Design Institute
…Student curriculum is evolving across all divisions and disciplines through the incorporation of design thinking… The Nueva School Design Institute in San Mateo, California houses a world-renowned Innovation Lab (I-Lab) created in partnership with IDEO and Stanford University’s d.school. The institute has pioneered the teaching of design thinking across the globe, and eight of Ranney […]
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Admiral Farragut Academy’s Kollyne Thomas joins legacy of celebrated authors with winning entries in the Scholastic Awards
Kollyne Thomas ‘16 is constantly searching for the perfect connection of words. A voracious reader amongst a bevy of readers in her family, Kollyne’s love for literature helped mold her into her current status as a meticulous writer. Since the time she could hold a pencil, Kollyne’s evolution as a wordsmith has moved from the […]
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The Hill School Is My Home
The Hill School (Pottstown, Pa.) has a flourishing performing arts program that includes outstanding instrumental and vocal ensembles. In 2016, the a cappella Hilltones and Hilltrebles poured their creative talents into this music video production that highlights key Hill community values and students’ emotional connections to the School, while also providing a scenic tour of […]
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Celebrating Women’s History Month: Amelia Earhart
Third-graders gave first-person presentations on presidents and famous people to their classmates. In celebration of Women’s History Month in March, one student dressed up as Amelia Earhart.
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Periodic Table of Elements Come to Life as Superheroes
Sixth grade students recently completed an exciting STEAM project in science combining research, storytelling and moving making. Each student researched an element, then used the science behind the element’s chemical and physical properties to create a superhero. Sixth graders gave their superhero a backstory about how they got their powers and appearance. After creating a […]
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Bristle Bots: How to use a Design Challenge to engage learners
Fifth graders recently completed a fun and engaging design challenge. Students were only given a list of available materials and tools in which to create a ‘Bristle Bot’ made from parts of an electronic toothbrush. The students worked in small teams, facilitating collaboration among the group. Students discussed ideas before building, reinforcing communication skills as […]
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The Adirondack Chair Project
Adirondack chairs are popping up across the Ranney School campus in Tinton Falls, NJ. The chairs are being created by students in the Visual Arts Department and, thus far, include a children’s books chair, a theater program chair crafted in collaboration with the Upper School Thespian society, and a tennis-themed chair devoted to the winning […]
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Students Bring Personalities of Civil War to Life
As part of an annual in-depth study of the causes and effects of the Civil War, seventh grade students complete a variety of participatory activities related to this important conflict. Highlights of the study include taking part in Civil War Week where they join either the Union or Confederate army and “live the life of […]
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Students Voted “Best in Region” in Verizon’s Innovative App Challenge
Inspired by a personal challenge, a group of 7th and 8th graders designed a concept for an app that would help those affected by neurological disorders by providing musical therapy for speech, movement, and memory rehabilitation. They submitted their idea, NeuroNote (Watch: https://youtu.be/V3WRlY2VCFY), to the Verizon App Challenge and were 1 of 6 schools in […]
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The Intersection of Art and Science
Turning Point School in Los Angeles offers a unique middle school elective class, Art Installation, where students brainstorm and collaborate to create an entire artistic installation based on a topic of their choice. Last year, students installed a piece entitled “Opposite Emotions” which provided a window into the emotional and social lives of middle school […]
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Genius Hour: Learning How to Learn
Genius Hour is often described as a classroom version of a practice at Google, where engineers spend 20% of their time on pet projects of their choice; it’s estimated that about 50% of Google projects have emerged from this creative time. Fifth grade teacher Chris Loeffler introduced the concept to students by going through the […]