Innovation Lab Winter Newsletter
February 2021 - Deeper Learning in and for the real world.
Celebrating the End of Semester 1
Greetings, Friends of Greenwich High School Innovation Lab!
In this Winter Newsletter, we showcase student projects from Quarter 2 and and congratulate all of our students on completing their first semester in this hybrid learning adventure.
We continue to be amazed by the unwavering commitment of our students to follow their passions with perseverance and tenacity. We hope you enjoy seeing samples of their hard work!
Many thanks for your support,
The GHS InLab Teaching Squad
Ben, Brian, Courtney, Joe, Jessica, Kathy, Mike, and Rick
Check out our latest InLab Padlets, which include student testimonials curated from FlipGrid ("What InLab Means to Me") and information about our upcoming
virtual Open House on February 24th (7-8pm).
Do you know a student who would be interested in joining InLab this Fall?
Scroll down for information about our Project-based program and
the application process for Fall admission. For more information, please visit our website
ghsinnovationlab.com or email us at ghsinnovationlab@greenwich.k12.ct.us.
Did you know Innovation Lab (InLab) has openings for all grade levels?
Any student who will be enrolled at Greenwich High School in Fall 2021 as a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior is eligible to apply for our Project-Based Learning (PBL) program in STEM and Humanities. New for 2021, seniors interested in a single STEM research or Social Science research class are invited to apply!
What is Innovation Lab? Greenwich High School's Innovation Lab offers a project-based, interdisciplinary option for English and social studies (as Humanities 9, 10, 11) and/or STEM (science and math 11). Honors and College Prep levels offered. Check out the InLab course offerings in the Course of Study Guide!
When are InLab Applications Due? Applications will be accepted through March 5, 2021. Please visit the ghsinnovationlab.com website for the Google Form application.
Want to learn more?
Join us at the Innovation Lab Virtual Open House on Wednesday, February 24, 7-8 pm. **
Watch the Live Stream Here and use this link to share questions/comments with the presenters.
Taking a Stand for Human Rights
In this Quarter 2 project, our 9th grade scholars became researchers, experts, and advocates for causes, ideas, and actions by investigating human rights issues in contemporary African countries. After listening to famous speeches as models to better understand the techniques of applying rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos) students wrote original speeches where they demonstrated their ability to TAKE A STAND. They applied research-based evidence to create a call to action with sustainable solutions and shared their speeches in FlipGrid.
These speeches not only bring to light the importance of perspective, compassion, and empathy, but they demonstrate a mastery of content in order to be well-informed and open-minded global citizens. For many of these students, this was the first time they had ever written a speech for a class assignment, and we couldn't be more proud of what they were able to accomplish. We hope you enjoy watching these young change-makers in action! Speeches on Padlet.
What is Genius Hour?
Dear future ninth-graders,
In Design Studio 9, Genius Hour is used as a way to highlight our creative abilities in a manner not common in a standard classroom. It allows us to focus on anything that piques our interest, and then devise a plan to share what we’ve learned. For example, in my project, I was interested in the Uighur genocide in China. To showcase my knowledge, I created a website that displayed information about the genocide and an art piece that showed the labour camps in a different light.
For me, this project required a lot of adaptations. The original plan was to just make an art piece and a video. But, my plan changed, and now it’s easier to understand the Uighur genocide overall, and the art piece provides a visually appealing addition, which is a victory in my book.
When you do your Genius Hour project next year, there are a few things you can do to make it a success.
For starters, choose something that wouldn’t feel like work, but actually something you’d have fun doing. You’ll be less excited about your project when you have to create the entire thing in a rush the night before, which leads me to my next tip...
This may go without saying, but try not to procrastinate. Create a plan for your project. Write down which days you’ll do what, and stick to it. This will make what is required of you rather clear-cut and reduces the risk of forgetting something.
Lastly, take lots of pictures and document your process: even if you think it looks bad, even if you don’t want people to see this, take as many photographs of the process as possible, and make sure they’re not blurry, because that was all too common while I was working.
Hope this helps!
Lara Olmsted (Current InLab 9th Grader)
Link to all DS 9 Genius Hour Projects or click below!
Last Spring, our very own Frankie Pugliese (current InLab 10th grader), won Honorable mention in the NPR national podcast challenge with his podcast "The Importance of Family Dinners". We expect another strong showing this year! Check out the 9th grade blogs below to read more about their Semester 1 projects, goals, Genius Hour presentations, and moments when they "failed beautifully".
GHS Explained Docuseries & Design Thinking
America in Crisis: Lessons from the Past
Junior Humanities students have chosen pivotal events and crises from the last half-century in the United States as the focus of their projects to submit to the Connecticut History Day and National History Day competitions this Spring. All of our InLab students in Humanities 10 and 11 will participate in this year's virtual event on March 20th with projects focused on the theme Communication in History: The Key to Understanding. We anticipate that our students will continue their streak of placing at the state, regional, and national competitions. We wish all of our GHS students good luck!
Humanities 11 students have chosen a wide range of riveting topics this year! Check out their student blogs where they describe their projects and evaluate the U.S. government's response these various turning points in contemporary American history:
Still Unsafe at Any Speed? Vehicle Safety in America (Jack)
Iron Lungs: Jonas Salk and the Legacy of the Polio Vaccine (Richa)
The H1N1 (Swine Flu) “Pandemic Playbook” (Ryan)
FEMA’s failure: Hurricane Katrina (Stephen)
Hurricane Maria: Diplomacy in Crisis (Carolina)
The Legacy of the Waco Siege (Ali)
Breaking the Social Contract: The Flint Water Crisis (Lillian)
The Crysis: The Auto Industry Bailout (Parker)
Injustice in Philly: the MOVE Bombing (Jackson)
The Legacy of Race & Housing in America: The Watts Riots of 1965 (Julien)
Social Justice Campaigns battle America’s War on Drugs (Junior)
Grassroots Activism: The American Indian Movement (AIM) (Chelsea)
Three Mile Island: Illuminating Regulations in Nuclear Energy (Remy)
Equal Pay for Equal Work: The Gender Pay Gap (Izzy)
The impact of the Stonewall Riots on LGBTQ+ rights (Jamie)
Our Seniors are creating films documenting research on the nature of change as illustrated through personal narratives. Topics include changing experiences, views and policies on Late 20th century immigration and the impact of the AIDS Crisis on LGBT+ acceptance. Students have completed research, story-boarding, and are currently filming scenes in class. The focus is about finding and sharing individual stories and oral histories that bring broader research to life through compelling scenes, imagery, dialogue and story arcs.
Updates from Mr. Walach & Mr. Gawle
We're moving on to a car crash project next where we study collisions in car crashes. The week before February break, students completed online simulations to maximize safety. For an interesting video, watch for crumple zones - or lack thereof!
We were able to order pinewood derby cars for an "Eggwood Derby" competition and students will receive their kits over the next couple days. Students who are remote will have their kits delivered.
Stay tuned for videos of eggs surviving in a competition where "poaching" ideas is encouraged and it shouldn't be "over too easily"!
Check out what our Seniors have been up to!
Graham's project to make a rotary subwoofer is mostly done (see video) but he now has a broken piece that needs to either be replaced or remade. He has tried seeking a replacement part, but it looks to be custom, so he is planning to remake it himself at home.
Francesco tried 3-D printing an artificial hand to see how it fits together and get a better sense for his design for a robotic hand. He has also started testing pressure sensors with an arduino and eventually modify the code to have it control an electric motor that will drive the grip of the robotic hand.
Katherine is making great progress with her design for a device to demonstrate polytonic overtones despite many setbacks. She has attempted 3D printing different parts to get a design that works for her and has made revisions to a design that she is hopeful will truly play two notes using one continuous stream of air (not splitting a stream of air).
Matt has collected the instruments needed for taking atmospheric data from a weather balloon and is working on how to get it ready to fly. His original plan was to use hydrogen gas to fill the balloon and has made some significant steps to getting hydrolysis working to produce the hydrogen, but it is not fast, efficient, or safe enough to be feasible, so he is now planning to use helium gas.
Alex's project measuring how sound affects plant growth is moving steadily along. While Alex waits for the plants to grow enough during a trial to get an accurate measurement, she is designing a 3D printed pot that fits the custom Bluetooth speaker she wired herself as a prototype for a product that could be marketed and sold.
Meet Pidgeon!
Veronica
I am in my senior year at Greenwich High School and this is my third year in Innovation Lab. Despite many challenges I know I’ll face with the new year, a quote by Chidi Anagonye from The Good Place often helps me come to terms with these challenges: “It turns out life isn’t a puzzle that can be solved one time and it’s done. You wake up every day, and you solve it again.” Read more on Veronica's Blog.
Quentin
I chose to join InLab because I felt that a different way of learning would help me reach my full potential. In Design Studio, we have been focusing and learning about how the brain works towards setting goals. I have learned a lot about the research of the brain and how an individual's brain works. I have also learned that by setting goals, you are more likely to achieve them. Read more on Quentin's Blog.
Francesco
Our Greenwich High School Innovation Lab teachers are passionate about their content and implement cutting-edge learning strategies. Organized into two areas, Humanities and STEM, co-teaching is common and both areas are linked closely to a year-long thematic arc. Teachers also share responsibility for the Design Studio elective. Greenwich High School's Innovation Lab offers a project-based, interdisciplinary option for English and social studies (as Humanities) and/or STEM (science and math). Ninth, tenth and eleventh graders are eligible.
Click here to find out more about our program's philosophy and approach.
Humanities 9-11 & Humanities Design Studio
Michael Belanger, Humanities 10 & DS 10 (email)
Courtney Hawes, Humanities 9 & 11, and DS 12 (email)
Kathy Mendez, Humanities 9 &11 and DS 9 & DS 11(@edtechmama, email)
Jessica von Brachel, Humanities 10 & DS 10 (email)
STEM 11 and STEM Design Studio
Brian Walach (@mrwalach, email)
Ben Gawle (email)
Questions? Comments?
Email: GHSinnovationlab@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Website: https://ghsinnovationlab.com/
Location: 10 Hillside Road, Greenwich, CT, USA
Phone: (203)863-8867
Twitter: @GHSInLab