By Jenna Goldenberg, Director of Teaching and Learning All Greenhills seniors enroll in senior seminars that engage them in the intensive study of special topics that serves as the capstone to students’ previous work in upper school English courses. The portfolio of seminars grew this year with the addition of a new course, Film as Literature. This course was created through the collaboration of English Teacher/Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Kelly Williams and Math Teacher/Dean of Students Tom Ward. Film as Literature treats film as an object of analysis from both a visual and narrative perspective and explores…
…a little more familiar.” “Maybe it will create a connection where teams will come out and support each other,” he continued. “My guys will come watch some of the middle school matches, or the middle school players will come out and watch a varsity match. I think that would be awesome. It’s the future of the program, after all, right?” (This is the first of a two-part skills clinic story. The second will include the field hockey, cross country, and volleyball clinics, which are taking place after this first part was published.) By James Schapiro, Communications and Athletics Information Coordinator…
…of Southern Maine. His books include several volumes of poetry, including The Far Mosque, winner of Alice James Books’ New England/New York Award; The Fortieth Day; and the cross-genre text Bright Felon: Autobiography and Cities. His novels include Quinn’s Passage, named one of “The Best Books of 2005” by Chronogram magazine, and The Disappearance of Seth, and his books of essays include Orange Alert: Essays on Poetry, Art and the Architecture of Silence, and, most recently, Fasting for Ramadan. For more information, please visit his websitewww.kazimali.com. Middle School: Found Poetry gives us an opportunity to celebrate ordinary language, to find…
…where he led a robotics workshop. He also played hockey and lacrosse during his college career. “This year’s winners … exemplify the combination of intellectual prowess and public mindedness that characterizes MIT students at their best,” said MIT Prof. William Broadhead in a school press release. He co-chairs the school’s distinguished fellowships committee. “Those of us who have had the pleasure of working with them through the application process have been impressed at every turn by their immense potential for local and global leadership.” That kind of leadership is at the heart of the Schwarzman Scholarships, created by Stephen A….
…peers: Greenhills works hard to make sure middle school students use a consistent framework throughout the curriculum to discuss, both orally and in writing, concepts in science, literature, history, and other disciplines. “Whether it’s a scientific explanation, a persuasive speech, or an analytical essay, variations on a claim, evidence, and reasoning framework can assist students in making deeper connections between ideas and becoming more effective oral and written communicators,” Novak said. “Our seventh grade students write explanations across the curriculum, so we wanted to share our work with other middle school teachers. ” The complete article is available at www.greenhillsschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ScienceScope2016Explanations.pdf….
…said Quincy McLaughlin, associate head of school and head of upper school at Greenhills. “We kept an eye on support and information that would feel useful, relevant, and informative given the environment.” Different guest speakers offer different things, but all can inspire students who share their interests. For instance, Nicole Zhong, a freshman at Greenhills, recently became interested in journalism as she sorted through news regarding the Michigan government’s response to the pandemic. So when she heard that Yamiche Alcindor, chief White House Correspondent for PBS, would present a webinar to the entire Greenhills community she was especially excited. “One…
…Robotics. This fall’s challenges included building a new CNC machine (CNC stands for “computer numeric control”), designing and constructing a functioning lift mechanism for the robot, programming new routines for the robot’s autonomous mode, and launching the team website, which you can visit at www.ghlawnmowers.org. December was also the month that Team 5530 moved into the new Robotics shop. “We are so thankful for this room, because we can actually use the table saw and CNC machine without having to worry about leaving a huge mess in the physics classroom or in the hallway,” said junior Ramya Chigurupati. “Using this…
Months of hard work came to fruition at the third annual 8th Grade Capstone Night on May 23. At this year’s event, 8th graders read from their memoirs and/or presented their Social Action Projects (SAPs), both of which were a culmination of work accomplished by each student over the course of the year. “It’s a meaningful learning experience for the 8th graders to highlight their hard work and have their parents there to appreciate it,” explained Head of Middle School Jamey Hein. The Memoir Project starts in October, when English teachers encourage students to recall childhood events and reflect on…
…for them. The students were more excited about checking, watering, and nurturing their plants than I would have ever predicted. With all the fun and excitement that was happening in the greenhouse, and with a growing number of “friends” coming with the students to help (and then deciding to plant their own), we decided an official club should be formed. I wanted the club to have a loose structure, so students could come and go as they needed–the only accountability they have is to their plants. If they don’t tend to their plants enough, the plants will die. Students often…
On Tuesday, May 12 the Capstone Showcase will celebrate 8th graders’ completion of two major academic capstone projects: the Memoir Project and the Social Action Project (SAP). Additionally, some of the students will have alternative energy projects on display from science, and there will be an 8th grade art display in the gallery to kick-off the evening. Family members are encouraged to attend the event, which will feature personal student-led readings and reflections from the memoir project as well as group presentations from the Social Action Project. “Each student has worked incredibly hard on these two major academic endeavors, both…
…campaign also takes special care not to promote the white privileged attitude that has caused certain Detroit communities to be stripped from their native residents by subcultures of largely middle-class, white people. The central component of the campaign is a promotionally informational website … (with) an interactive directory. … To promote the website and interactive directory and, by extension, the city itself, I produced a film advertisement, and designed and printed campaign posters and t-shirts. … The development of the website … demanded the most time, required the broadest analytical and creative skill set, and was the most educational and…
…research findings into the water quality project, using the unit to help students use evidence to make claims, then change those claims as different evidence comes in. When the unit starts, students test the water for pH and thermal pollution. Based on those tests, they usually find that the stream is healthy for freshwater organisms. But a few weeks later, the project takes a sudden twist: when students test the water for dissolved solids, they find that the water isn’t all that healthy. “The water quality based on that test is terrible,” Novak said. “There are way too many dissolved…
…school as academically rigorous as Greenhills.” In addition to Ashok and Nor, Anika Bery was also named a 2024 Scholar Athlete Award finalist—a prestigious honor in its own right that only 120 students in the state can lay claim to. Greenhills was one of only five schools in the state to have three finalists, and the only school with two winners. Students applying for the Scholar-Athlete Award must have at least a 3.5 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and demonstrate active participation in other school and community activities. The application also requires students to produce an essay on the…
…proud to have implemented the MI HEARTSafe program at Greenhills, and we’re truly grateful to the Pardington family, who encouraged and supported us throughout the process from start to finish — in addition to their generous donation of an AED to the school,” Seng said. Beyond that support, Jack Pardington ’16 was personally instrumental in the school’s successful application, Seng said. His senior project last year actually drove the application. “The school’s administration provided resources, including CPR certification training, for all of our faculty and staff,” Seng said. “We believe we have taken positive steps at Greenhills for raising awareness…
…School of Medicine Dr. Dan Siegel articulates seven essential mental nutrients for optimal brain development, including playtime, downtime, and connecting time. Dr. Siegel reminds us, “Just as you wouldn’t eat only pizza every day for days on end, we shouldn’t just live on focus time alone with little time for sleep. The key is balancing the day with each of these essential mental activities. Mental wellness is all about reinforcing our connections with others and the world around us, and it is also about strengthening the connections within the brain itself. When we vary the focus of attention with this…
