8 minute read
and Learn to Change the World
WHAT IS MINIMESTER? MINIMESTER?
It’s a three-day break from the usual High School schedule during which students can pick and choose from a catalog of 38 immersive experiences curated and led by faculty and staff. The theme of each offering is based on the interests and talents of the individuals who lead them.
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FINGERLICKIN’ BUTTERY FRENCH BAKING
GET ON THE BUS
We made cinnamon buns during Fingerlickin’ Buttery French Baking!
EXPLORING THE SCIENCE OF FERMENTED FOODS
From kombucha to kimchi, food chemistry never tasted so good! Overnight stays at three historically black colleges in Maryland and Virginia included a stop in Baltimore for a CIAA basketball tournament.
THE ART OF DJING
Browsing a record store as we learned the basics of mixing vinyl and digital
THE POWER OF PLANTS THE BIG BLUE
We dug into the basics of landscape design and urban gardening because green space helps the mind, body and planet.
UKRANIAN EGG DECORATING
Getting wet and wise as we learn to scuba dive and soak up information on underwater exploration and marine life conservation.
MATHEMATICS OF GAMBLING
Pysanky we made using wax and dye, in keeping with an ancient Ukrainian egg decorating tradition
WOODWORKING
Woodworking awl the way! Making dovetail joints by hand is tough, but everyone got the hang of it. We each made a lidded box. Who knew math could sharpen our strategy skills? Each day, we played backgammon, blackjack, or poker. Competition was fierce!
BAR-B-CURIOUS
Pilar grilled as our pitmasters smoked meat. Learned tricks of the trade from Wagshal’s Pam the Butcher and business insights from Hill Country Barbecue.
GDS IN ACTION
TRYING TO DO GOOD
When the High School history department started brainstorming about coursework for its rigorous Upper Level classes, the teachers thought about ways that would encourage students to do something, not just know something.
Against that backdrop, Marjorie Hale* figured that “action research projects” were a no-brainer for students in her UL American Government and UL International Relations classes. After all, they were studying in the nation’s capital, just a stone’s throw from Congress and the rest of the federal government, not to mention a wide range of public interest groups.
So starting in Fall 2020, Marjorie started asking her students to identify issues they’re passionate about and do something—at least three things—to influence it.
“This assignment works because the kids really care,” Marjorie said. But Caring doesn’t always translate into succeeding, and that’s okay too.
Students may not get a single response to letters they’ve written. Articles they hoped to publish may get rejected, and workshops they’ve organized may not attract a single person.
“That teaches them something too,” Marjorie said. “Sometimes, when we push for change, we fail. That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to do good in the world.”
* Marjorie was an HS history teacher for 11 years, and she’s currently in Colombia with her family for the school year.
Here are what students have to say about some of the actions they’ve taken:
IMAN DORMAN ’22
Highlighting Plight of Syrian Refugees
Iman grasped the human toll of the Syrian refugee crisis two years ago when she watched Salam Neighbor, a documentary that chronicled the plight of five displaced Syrians in Jordan’s Za’atari camp. For her action research project, Iman wanted to figure out how, or even if, she could do anything to help ease the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. She decided to sign up to provide online tutoring of Syrian refugee children in the Washington region through Solutions in Hometown Connections.
“This project opened my eyes to how international issues can play out at home,” Iman said. “It helped me track huge issues somewhere else in the world back to myself and my community. …It made me feel the scale of the problems.”
Noura examined a Trump-era policy that turned away thousands of immigrants at the Southern border without giving them the opportunity to seek asylum. She designed a poster that highlighted the issue and posted 50 copies of it throughout GDS and her neighborhood. The poster provided a QR Code that linked to a form letter that anyone could send to President Biden urging him to repeal the policy.
“I did research on what a form letter is, how to write it, and how to send it,” Noura said. “I took all the information I learned in my American Government class about how immigration laws are made and who enforces them and channeled it in a way that makes an impact on a topic I care about. … I got to understand how to connect with our government.”
NOURA ANGULO ’22
Helping Asylum Seekers
SHAI DWECK ’22 AND SETH RIKER ’22
Combating Homelessness
Shai and Seth teamed up to challenge the federal government’s response to homelessness in the United States and its disproportionate impact on communities of color.
The duo prepared a video that tracked the history of homelessness dating back to the pre-Civil War era. High School history teacher Topher Dunne, who collaborated on the video, plans to use it as a resource for Waging Life in the DMV, a track he teaches as part of the GDS Policy Institute summer program.
“We wanted to make sure that the legacy of our project will live on past our time at GDS and influence the education others get at School,” Seth said. He added that he learned about how mental health and so many other social justice issues have contributed to the rise in homelessness.
Shai and Seth also released a one-episode podcast in which they discussed the relationship between homelessness and race as well as what steps listeners can take to help ease homelessness in their communities.
“This project showed me that it’s easy to become knowledgeable on an issue. The harder part is figuring out how to take that knowledge and make an actual impact,” Shai said. “I don’t know if we completely cracked that egg, but hopefully what we put out inspired people in some way.”
ZACHARY JAGER ’23
Bolstering Funding for Medical Research
Zachary explored the role of federal investment in medical research, focusing specifically on racial disparities and a legislative proposal that would create an agency designed to hasten life-saving medical innovations.
“You would think that NIH and CDC could do any research they want,” Zachary said. “But this project showed me there’s so much more out there for them to do if they could just get more funding.” To do his part in bolstering research, Zachary arranged a fundraiser for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which is dedicated to finding cures for childhood cancers. As a pitcher for the GDS baseball team, Zachary had his friends and family donate money for every person he struck out or every game he played.
“I am hoping in the future that (federally-funded programs) will have more money and work alongside places like ALSF,” he said.
MENTAL HEALTH TEACH-IN DAY
With the mental health crisis raging among teens, a group of students decided GDS needed more than just a lecture or assembly to address the issue. They wanted a full day devoted to mental health maintenance, with speakers and workshops galore.
And so the first GDS Mental Health Teach-In Day came to fruition on January 6, the culmination of much planning by the GDS High School Student Mental Health Collaborative.
“We wanted to have the day serve as a tool for education and connection,” said Sophie Zinn ’22, one of more than two dozen student leaders who helped organize the event. “We also wanted to bring attention to (the Collaborative), to let students know that we are here as a resource for them.”
Keynote speaker Ross Szabo, Wellness Director at UCLA’s Geffen Academy, set the tone by emphasizing that mental health is something that has to be tended to regularly, not just in a crisis situation. “Mental health has to be something you foster, grow, and wire in your brain from this time forward, much like your physical health,” Szabo told the students.
The day allowed for dialogue in small groups. Max Grosman ’22, another student organizer, said the topics covered went beyond anxiety, depression, and other mainstream mental health issues to include less discussed issues, such as the intersectionality of mental health and certain identities.
“We made sure we incorporated sessions on masculinity, gender, and race,” Max said.
The day, which was divided into morning and afternoon sessions, also provided practical how-to instruction on everything from meditation to yoga. Students led some of the discussions, and the organizers set aside a room for anyone who needed to speak to a counselor during the day.
High School counselor Gaby Grebski, who helped organize the event, said many students told her the panels were very helpful, and she expects GDS will hold a similar teach-in day this school year.
“We now have a good template that will make the event easier to organize,” Gaby said. “Students got to explore mental health in a way that was positive, and that’s the goal. We need to keep talking about it.”
Other faculty and staff members supporting the Mental Health Collaborative for this event included Gabrielle Holder, Caitlin Hutcheon, Bobby Asher, Michelle McKeever, Ricardo Carmona, and Quinn Killy.
What does the Hopper Fund do?
EVERYTHING. EVERY DAY.
CORY ROYSTER
The Hopper Fund provides critical support for all of our programming, facilities, staff salary, and professional development and allows us to offer more robust financial aid packages. Quite simply, the Hopper Fund supports everything, every day. Your gift to the Hopper Fund allows us to continue to invest in the people and programs that make GDS unique.
