Black history month begins! Year 5 – Week 22 In Review — The Forest School

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”
—Frederick Douglass

Check out this week’s updates below…

spark studio

Sparks are literally flying in the studio in more ways than one!

We are learning how to spell, write, and pronounce dinosaur names as we gather facts about each one. We ended the week with a field trip to Fernbank and came up with many adjectives to describe what we felt on our adventure. It went something like this … excited, happy, fun, thirsty, hungry, nervous, tired, refreshed, brave, etc.

Our Valentine’s Day Tea is right around the corner. It is a formal tea, and the learners are encouraged to dress in their finest clothes. Tables will be set with linens, china, and silverware. It is a beautiful lesson in grace and courtesy wherein we will be practicing etiquette, outlining details to execute a party, creating a menu and seating chart, as well as making decorations.

The learners will also create valentine bags to receive their valentines to take home at the end of the day. Passing out valentines is optional. Final details will be coming this week.

Have a restful weekend!

elementary studio

Week 5 is in the books, and we are digging our way through the Mesozoic Period.

Heroes were introduced to and tried their hand at becoming Paleo-artists! These are the men and women that create what prehistoric animals looked like based on scientific evidence. What a cool job! Make sure to talk to your heroes about how their dinosaurs turned out! They’ll need this skill for Exhibition.

During Civilization, heroes visited the Reformation period this week and made distinctions between Martin Luther and Martin Luther King. This was ideal timing as we started Black history month. Heroes then became modern-day “Martin Luthers” and created their own “95 Theses” by writing suggestions for things they think should be changed, added, or removed from our Rules of Engagement, Studio Contract, Freedom Levels, etc. They had some great ideas! 

We are finalizing our TV scripts in StoryArts by participating in round-robin groups for grammar, story, and format before a visit from our expert, producer, screenwriter, and novelist Jeffery Stepakoff. What a great week! 

middle school studio

This week has been an informative week! In the Studio, we have been cultivating a spirit of never giving up when you fail as well as taking accountability for your actions. The Studio culture is truly turning into a place for fun, deep learning, and reflection. This week heroes continued the Quest challenges. focusing on their final garden designs for Exhibition. In this, learners were able to use their creativity to come up with something worth while. Furthermore, learners where able to pitch their community garden ideas to Tyler and other experts and receive critical feedback to help improve their pitches.

Story Arts is continuing to go well as learners are in the process of writing their TV script episode for expert Jefferey Stepakoff (head of Trilith Institute and former head of Georgia Film Academy) to provide feedback. They also learned about a new platform on Google to help them format their scripts. In Civilization, learners where stoked about the new challenges and formatting. In addition to discussing well known black history figures such as Malcolm X, MLK, Rosa Parks, this week our heroes were introduced to 35 more key figures that they might not have known about. Next week, learners will study and portray each figure. There are two weeks remaining in this session, and we’re excited it will conclude with the learners having had great experiences together!

high school studio

We’re thrilled to share that it is evident that self-direction, accountability, and resiliency is alive and growing in the High School Studio! This week in Story Arts, heroes have been so ecstatic about making their own television show that they have been asking for more time. This is a great sign! For Quest, heroes have been thrifting, literally! In order to make their garden stand out heroes have taken to the thrift store to find antiques that make their garden different and unique from others. We can’t wait for you all to see them. In Civilization, we have turned our focus to Black history month. Thus far heroes have learned about land grants, redlining, and banking systems. Our approach this year is to allow heroes to discover untold stories from African Americans and indigenous peoples. Hold on to your seats…it’s going to be a fun ride!
In addition, behind-the-scenes heroes have been doing great things in their communities. I’d like to give a huge shout-out to Jazmin, Cheyanne, and Maia who will be volunteering with the elderly this weekend giving them “glam-overs”. Our heroes are truly amazing so when you see them let them know! Have a great weekend!
-Onward