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Catherine Watson and Matt Norko, Middle School Science
"I'm very excited to tell you about the robotics unit of 6th grade science. Thanks to Annual Giving we were able to purchase lab kits from Vex Robotics. Over the last three years we've purchased 30 kits (18 this year!), which has finally enabled us to use one kit for just two students - which was our goal. Since we're now able to use groups of two students, they also learn much more. Eliminating groups of three and four has allowed each member of the group to work together to build and program a truly remarkable robot."
Sara Campolettano, Middle School Science
"Annual Giving has funded great instruments for our labs. We use microscopes that have built-in cameras constantly so we can take pictures of slides, download them onto my computer and project them on a screen. That allows us all to see the exact same images--very helpful for discussion and testing. Last year we created an interdisciplinary project with the art class where I emailed the slides to art teacher Denise Minnerly. She printed them out and the kids used them to make complex layered images in acetate. I appreciate every bit of what Annual Giving provides and I feel so lucky to be able to get all the supplies I need to make the experiments more interesting and fun for the kids."
RoseAnn Martinez, Fifth Grade
"Our SMART Board is amazing and the students are totally motivated to use its interactive features. There are so many ways that it makes teaching and learning more efficient and enjoyable. We use it to put students in work groups where we have their picture next to a project, and then the next week we can move the pictures around to change the groups they're in. I use it to teach lessons with manipulatives, matrices, and graphs. We have used it to teach geometry concepts such as Area and Circumference of a circle. We had fun looking at YouTube video clips about Pi and even learned words to a song that helped students understand the concept. Our next unit is Egypt and they are already asking if they can create Power Point presentations to display through the SMART Board. From my perspective, there are so many uses of the Smart Board that save time and energy. With all the lessons online, I can access them and have them up on the board without having to recreate them."
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Elizabeth Cleary, English Department Chair
"I don't know what we'd do without The Visiting Writer's program. It's one of the highlights of the year, not only because these writers share the joys and struggles of their craft, but also because it's a chance for the entire Upper School to have direct access to someone who is out there in the world doing the elusive but important task of writing. These visits allow students to meet with authors in small group and individual sessions and provide a window into the world of a writer. For some students it is transformative. I overheard one saying, 'I never thought I was publishable until now.'' For a young writer, it is inspiration that is life changing."