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The Unit: The World Is Our Classroom For more than 40 years, the Unit has enabled students to expand their knowledge and skills by applying them in new ways and through new experiences. Whether regionally or internationally, students discover connections to new environments and between their own lives and the lives of others. An essential part of GSB’s curriculum, the Unit challenges students to think critically, to offer the best of themselves and to cooperate with others in learning and doing. The Unit celebrates the educated imagination and the capacity in each person to see endless possibilities in the shared world.
learning opportunities locally, throughout the US and internationally. Held each May, the two-week program encourages students to explore projects outside of the school’s regular academic curriculum. Although the programs vary from year to year in response to student interests and world events, every Unit program has key factors in common: • Designed and led by GSB faculty members • Project-based • Cooperative • Cross-disciplinary
Reflecting the school’s motto,“The World Is Our Classroom,” the Unit offers experiential
• Socially and environmentally responsible
The Unit dates back to 1973, when St. Bernard’s School merged with the Gill School. Since then, the Unit has evolved into the intensive, two-week program that GSB students anticipate each spring and remember throughout their lives. Each spring at Gill St. Bernard’s brings new Unit offerings – new possibilities for adventure and travel, new opportunities to learn, grow and help others.
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U N IT O FFER I N GS Taking the Reins Research indicates that riding horses can improve an individual’s sensory processing, motor skills and neurological function. For more than 20 years, the Mane Stream facility in Oldwick, NJ has been providing equineassisted therapies for physically and mentally challenged children and adults, including occupational, physical or speech and language therapies. In this Unit, students help with the daily care of the animals at Mane Stream and assist with therapy riding. This Unit is ideal for anyone who loves horses and wants to learn more about the benefits of equine-assisted therapy or help improve the lives of mentally challenged children and adults.
Code U Coding is an innovative, creative process that can lead to new software, computer games, apps and even companies. Coding gives us the ability to build something out of nothing and to distribute it all over the world quickly and easily. This Unit exposes students to coding using the online program SCRATCH and introduces a number of different user-friendly methods for designing and building computer games. Experts from Game U join the Unit for four days to teach the basics of computer game design and help students begin their own coding journey. 3
Ceramics Unit An introduction to ceramics, this Unit covers wheel throwing, a range of hand-building techniques and glazing. Students visit local studios, museums and galleries and take part in hands-on workshops at studio centers. The two-week program introduces the history of the ceramic arts and teaches the techniques for throwing cylinders, cups, bowls and more. By the end of this Unit, students will have created a variety of functional and sculptural clay forms and have a better understanding and appreciation of the ceramic medium.
Shall We Dance? Students participating in this Unit explore how different styles of dance tell stories about the human experience. Through field trips to studios, and workshops with professional dancers and choreographers, students gain hands-on knowledge of ballet, modern, ballroom and hiphop dancing. At the end of the program, students will have created, choreographed and performed their own pieces.
Everyone Deserves a Head Start The chance to put a smile on a child’s face and make a positive impact on his or her life is a priceless experience. In this Unit, students work together to plan classroom lessons and activities suitable for early childhood students, ages three through five. In addition, participants visit Head Start locations in the area and help raise funds to purchase school supplies and other learning materials for the program. Activities include designing classroom projects and planning, organizing and promoting fundraising events. By the end of the Unit, participants have transitioned from students to teachers and have helped make a difference in the life of a child.
The Unit gives students the freedom to experience things they would never have learned otherwise. — Joseph “Julien” Esposito ’15
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Knight Tank
Dive Right In Students in this Unit become certified scuba divers through the National Association of Underwater Instruction (NAUI) in preparation for a lifetime of exploring the ocean’s mountain ranges, volcanoes and coral reefs. Unit participants learn the physics behind scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) at a local indoor pool and take an overnight trip to Dutch Springs, PA to practice open water diving. Along with passing the NAUI course, keeping a daily journal is a required part of this study.
Traveling with friends to such amazing places outside the state and country was a great experience that I will always remember. Being given that opportunity was incredible. — Disha Gupta ’15
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Knight Tank gives students a look into the world of entrepreneurship, leadership and success. Based on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” Knight Tank requires that each student begin the process of inventing a product or service and review the steps for bringing it to market. Throughout the two-week course, students create business plans, assess the qualities of a successful entrepreneur and learn to file for a patent. In addition, they review success stories of young entrepreneurs who made it big in the face of today’s daunting market. They also meet with local business leaders, including a banker and a venture capitalist. The Unit culminates with students presenting their business plans before a panel of experts.
Creative Writing on Monhegan Island For centuries, writers like Henry David Thoreau and Robert Louis Stevenson have been inspired by the great outdoors. Students in this Unit travel to Monhegan Island, Maine, which was the site of a thriving artist colony in the mid-19th century. Amid the stunning natural beauty of the island, students engage in an intensive creative writing experience and begin to develop their own distinctive voices. As a way to reflect on their own writing, students examine the works of published poets and writers. Throughout the two weeks, through a combination of guided exercises and free writing, students begin work on portfolios.
GoPro: Become Your Own Stunt Double! GoPro technology has allowed videographers and photographers to capture never-before-seen moments and explore new visual perspectives. In this Unit, students use GoPro cameras to record nature and magnify human sight. Students use personal GoPro cameras, along with harnesses, drones and other equipment to explore the natural world. The Unit concludes with students editing, compiling and developing a narrative structure for their footage.
Leadership Challenge On campus, students participate in leadership games and challenge themselves on the low ropes course. Students develop problem solving skills and learn how to be reliable team members. During the Unit, students also visit a local YMCA camp, where they explore a vertical playground, scale a climbing wall and take on a high ropes course. 6
The Wonder of Dogs In this Unit, students explore the unique relationship between humans and dogs. Local veterinarians and leading animal behaviorists from around New Jersey discuss their careers and the special bonds they form with canine companions. During the Unit, students spend one day at a local animal shelter and another at Merlin’s Kids, an organization that trains and supplies assistance dogs for individuals with special needs. Additionally, the founder of Merlin’s Kids talks with the students, highlighting the varied careers available to those interested in working with dogs.
The Unit has given me the opportunity to explore incredibly diverse interests, like Taekwondo, cooking, chemistry and interior design – subjects that are unavailable to most high school students. — Paige Knichel ’15
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The Pitchfork Project Inspired by the music criticism website Pitchfork, students participating in this Unit create personal blogs to document their exposure to different kinds of music. Students attend musical performances, ranging from indie rock concerts in Central Park to jazz performances in Soho. In addition, the Pitchfork Unit provides students with opportunities to learn about the music business from the inside through meetings with record executives and composers. Students learn to listen to music with a more critical ear and to appreciate the hard work and creativity that go into producing music.
Acadia National Park Eco Tour Schoodic Point, Frenchman Bay, Mt. Desert Island and Bar Harbor Maine Over the course of nine days, students explore the stunning natural diversity of Acadia National Park. Professionals from the National Park Service, the College of the Atlantic, the Audubon Society and the Mt. Desert Island Historical Society teach participants about marine biology, tide pools, mud flats, coastal forest ecosystems, land and marine aviary, and geology. Students travel by boat to Great Duck Island to learn more about the natural science research being conducted there. Other activities include hikes with dramatic views from Mt. Desert Island and an Eco-Boat tour of Frenchman Bay aboard the “Osprey,” where bald eagles, harbor seals and puffins are sure to steal the show. Students also visit the Abbe Museum, which covers 10,000 years of Native American Wabanaki culture, including the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Micmac and Maliseet tribes.
TR AV EL O FFER I N GS
Students have visited nearly two dozen countries on five continents and traveled throughout the United States.
Mind, Body, Spirit in the Berkshires Students have the opportunity to tone their bodies and renew their spirits during this Unit, which introduces techniques and methodologies for overcoming stress and improving wellness. Participants travel to the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health—a nonprofit educational organization in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts that is dedicated to helping people achieve their highest potential through the transformative wisdom and practice of yoga. Activities include daily yoga classes tailored to adolescent practitioners, outdoor fitness including hiking and kayaking, creative art lessons and cooking classes.
I had the opportunity to travel to Ireland, and this was an experience that I will never forget. Prior to the trip, I never had a real desire to travel. Now, I want to see the world. Getting the chance to learn about and experience the culture of another country was amazing. The sights we saw, the people we met and the castles we climbed left me in awe and with a desire to explore all that the world has to offer. — Isabelle Demontigny ’15
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Dynastic China This Unit takes students to dynastic China to explore the history and culture of Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. Students visit the Imperial Palace and Tiananmen Square, take a rickshaw tour of the Hutong area and visit the Great Wall in Beijing. Along their travels, students also see the life-sized Terra Cotta Warriors, considered the Eighth Wonder of the World, and they attend a Shanghai Acrobats show. In addition, students visit a local school and meet with American business people working in China.
On the Trail Living off what you can carry in your pack, moving only as fast as your feet will take you, sleeping beneath the stars…these are the true tenets of outdoor adventure. Students participating in this Unit backpack approximately 70 miles through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, relying strictly on a compass and map-reading to find their way. While there, they work together to prepare meals, learn basic first-aid, and conduct trail maintenance including clearing trails in disrepair and building bridges over creeks.
Conservation and Sustainability Florida Keys Working with the Pigeon Key Foundation—a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history and environment of the Florida Keys through education and research—students participate in seven days of snorkeling, mangrove kayaking, dolphin discovery, turtle hospital tours, reef fish identification and more. This Unit pays special attention to conservation, sustainability and biodiversity in the oceans of the world.
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Global Aware: Adventures in Service Cuzco, Peru Through the nonprofit organization Global Aware, students travel to the historical capital and World Heritage Site of Cuzco, Peru, where they work in a home for impoverished children from rural households. During the visit, students paint classrooms, plant gardens and construct desks and beds to improve the children’s facility. They also work directly with the children during arts and crafts sessions, computer lessons and more. The eight-day excursion includes tours of the charming pedestrian town and a trip to Machu Picchu, the iconic city of the Incan civilization.
Dutch Delight Holland This Unit introduces students to the culture of the Netherlands, a country rich in history and achievements in arts and engineering. During their stay, students take a cruise through the canals of Amsterdam and visit the hiding place of Anne Frank and her family. In The Hague, students explore paintings from the Dutch masters as well as newer works from Mondrian and contemporary Dutch artists. In addition, they visit the Madurodam for a glimpse of Holland in miniature. Finally, a visit to Leiden allows students to explore the relationship between the Dutch and the Pilgrims.
Both the Guatemala and Puerto Rico Units introduced me to worlds very different from my own. — Tyler Pisack ’15
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Independent Study The option for independent study is offered to seniors. Under the guidance of faculty members, students may work with professionals outside of the GSB community and pursue intensive study in an academic or professional area of interest to them. During a recent independent study project, a senior researched New York City street art and created a photography portfolio and research presentation. Another student spent two weeks learning first-hand about the various aspects of restaurant management. Independent studies allow seniors to explore an area of particular interest to them.
Art and Architecture in Renaissance Italy During an eight-day stay in Italy, students explore the many architectural and artistic wonders of Florence and Rome. This Unit includes visits to the Pantheon, the Coliseum, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Duomo and the Vatican museum. Students also visit the Academy of Fine Art to see Michelangelo’s “David” and other examples of Renaissance art.
Iceland was unlike anything I had experienced at home. The scenery was beautiful in its own right, but learning about the ways in which the country was able to harness its natural resources for renewable energy made the landscape even more impressive. — Kristin Murtha ’14
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Gill St. Bernard’s School P.O. Box 604 St. Bernard’s Road Gladstone, NJ 07934 908-234-1611 Office of Admission, ext. 245 www.gsbschool.org