The 3A and 3B classrooms went off the grid this week as the culminating event in their study of electricity, circuits, and solar power. What started as an inquiry-based project on alternative sources of energy grew into a fantastic, authentic challenge to utilize solar energy to power individual desk lamps...
Part of the beauty of having a fully operational workshop in the Commons is that students can work to fulfill identified needs in the community. Last year, the valiant members of the Upper School Design Thinking class built shoe shelves for outside the CMEE, make Adirondack seats for the playgrounds...
The Seventh Grade is tackling the problem of how to design a vertical hydroponic growing structure which maximizes access to nutrients (sunlight and liquid food), includes a system to deliver that food (solar-powered pump and plastic tubing), and takes up a limited amount of space. They are in the early...
As part of their unit studying simple machines, the Third Grade made good use of the Project Space to set up various tests to lift loads with different sizes of pulleys. With the help of Leader In Residence, Ja’Daiza Johnson, the entire class was able to choose several pulleys to...
Design Thinking Classes — Guest blog by Ja’Daiza Johnson, Commons Leader in Residence Design Thinking has been a great set of classes so far this year. The two Middle School Flex Time classes have been working on various projects to get the students familiar with the design process and to...
The new gaga court is complete, and the Middle School students love it! The flex time Design Thinking class spent a good part of the fall designing and building the new element of the Middle School playground. Once the dimensions were finalized, it was just a matter of cutting into...
There’s just something about fall and catapults…. Both 8th Grade and 4th Grade students built catapults (or less formal launchers) as part of their science classes. As punkin’ chunkin’ devices can be found at most farms this time of year, it was time for our students to try their engineering...
The Project Space was hopping last week! The Environmental Science class and Hospice classes were doubled by the visiting Scottish students who joined their host seniors. The Hospice class spent the day working with past Harley teacher and Garden Club supporter, Barbara Willard. They worked to plant hundreds of bulbs...
This newly crafted sign from the Workshop heralds the start of our oak tree nursery. Primary C students collected 4,184 acorns from our Harley campus this fall. Of those, about half are healthy enough to use in our eagerly-anticipated Oak Tree Nursery. The space between Flag Hall and the Field...
We are so excited to begin this 2014-15 school year IN the Commons! As part of the continuing evolution of the building as our teacher, we are delighted to add two capable and vivacious women to Harley in support of the programs and activities in the Commons. They are our...
