Learning Through Experience

LEARNING THROUGH EX

By Kate Muttick ’97

Director of Experiential Learning

One of the most appealing things about our Upper School is the way Morristown Beard centers student choice. From customizing the curriculum to introducing new clubs and activities, we encourage students to explore and refine their interests. With core values like intellectual risk-taking and critical thinking, students use the curriculum as a catalyst to discover more about themselves and the world around them.

Morristown Beard has intentionally created the time and space for more students to realize their interests. In launching our newest signature program, the Interdisciplinary Concentrations, MBS is providing a pathway for students to pursue their passions.

One of the program’s goals is to complement student experiences in the classroom by connecting activities, internships, community service work, guest speakers, field trips, and summer studies. Yet practicing a passion is also a learned responsibility, thus students must apply and acknowledge the program’s expectations before charting their course. This signature program is not compulsory, and the students who do best are those who are naturally curious and self-motivated. mentors, ICP participants grow in knowledge but also in self-confidence and understanding. There are four different cohorts around which everything is organized: Arts & Innovation, Ethics, Leadership and Justice, Global Citizenship, and Data Analysis and Research Methods.

Each cohort has faculty mentors who oversee the program and work one-onone with students. These cohorts meet once a week to investigate a case study, participate in a workshop, or hear from a speaker.

Passions and Programs Evolve

Much like student passions are refined as they experience learning, the ICP program evolves from year to year. While students may enter the program with specific interests and experiences, the goal for year one (as sophomores) is to create depth of knowledge and spark intellectual curiosity. Students are exposed to a broad variety of content and challenges throughout the year before deciding which cohort they will commit to for the duration of the program. As students spend one quarter in each cohort, they solve problems and partake in activities that help build connections and broaden their knowledge base.

PERIENCE:

For example, in Global Citizenship students practice the “think globally, act locally” mantra regarding topics such as immigration, politics, culture, and sustainability. In Arts & Innovation, hands-on projects introduce design thinking concepts as students practice stages from ideation to prototyping. In addition, students explore creativity as a process and how innovation manifests in different ways. Data Analysis and Research Methods includes everything from hard sciences to global trends as students build data literacy while learning to capture and manipulate raw information and investigate a variety of topics. Finally, the Ethics, Leadership and Justice group uses case studies to investigate business ethics, ethical leadership, and the legal repercussions associated with violating the social contract.

Being exposed to such a broad variety of topics will either encourage students to examine new interests or solidify their previous passions. In either case, students will finish sophomore year by committing to a cohort and pursuing summer studies associated with the group.

In ICP year two, 11th graders participate in experiential collaboration projects. In small groups, they develop skills in teamwork, planning and executing events, public speaking, presenting to clients, and practicing activism/raising awareness. Each of the cohorts is loosely connected to the theme of sustainability, yet specifically solves a problem related to their area of interest and growing expertise. A secondary, but significant, goal is to serve the School community. This is also the year when students have the ability to design their schedule as they begin to choose elective courses that further investigate their interests.

In ICP year three, students return to their primary passions and propose a project for the duration of their senior year. Aligned with some of their course selections, students use design thinking to identify a problem and solution. While continuing to work with mentors, they themselves become leaders to underclassmen pursuing this process. After presenting their final work to the community, students graduate with not only a special designation on their transcript, but also with a sense of purpose as they further their academic studies and begin their careers.

Each concentration sets a student out on a journey in a particular direction, but there is no saying what a student will find along the way. We are confident that each journey will be filled with conversation between peers and teachers, and these conversations will enlighten, surprise, and inspire all involved, bringing them to a new understanding of the world at large. As an interdisciplinary program, students investigate some of the current century’s most pressing concerns and challenges, while also addressing questions and problems that have endured for centuries before our own. The program reaffirms Morristown Beard’s commitment to powerfully preparing students for learning and for life, by complementing classroom lessons and by allowing students to explore, create, design, and make. As students customize their learning like never before, the possibilities are profound.

STUDENT STORIES

Samantha Brown ’24 - Arts & Innovation

For Arts & Innovation participant Samantha Brown ’24, growing up around interior design fostered an early interest in the effects of spaces, sustainability, and healthy materials. With a broad interest in the arts, she joined the ICP program to further cultivate her interest in commercial real estate investment. When she thinks about a potential career as a developer, Samantha says, “The place you live has such a big impact. If I can combine design with market analysis, it will meet all of my values.” Samantha finds that working in a cohort of students with divergent passions means, “you need to be innovative in your thinking and processes. Being asked questions by my peers helps me articulate my ideas in new ways and really understand my project.” In addition to taking electives such as Architectural Studio and Human Scale, Samantha finds herself energized by the frequent speakers who visit her group.

Earlier this year, Marlene Borruso (ATA, LEED AP BD+C, WELL AP, Fitwel Amb) from USA Architects Planners + Interiors Designers, met with the cohort to discuss her experience designing WELL buildings, which use a people-first approach. Borruso explained why spaces should advance human health and well-being, whether it’s a single interior space or an entire campus. She spent time talking with Samantha about her interests and introduced her to a grant program that helps developers rehabilitate historic buildings in a sustainable way. For example, a Philadelphia police station that was repurposed from former stables that were otherwise abandoned. As Samantha investigates architecture and real estate, she will design a senior year project that puts her growing knowledge into action. This summer she will take two classes at Fordham University: Real Estate Development and Pro Forma Analysis and Real Estate Development Principles and Process. As her understanding grows, her true interests come into focus.

To that point, cohort advisor and design instructor Matt Martino notes, “We started the year with conversations about adaptive reuse. With interests like real estate development and interior design, the big question was: how do they fit together? Are there ethical considerations? This led to her investigating topics like sustainability, energy conservation, and even the health and wellness of the occupant.”

As Samantha conducted independent research, she realized how adaptive reuse projects can add value. In today’s competitive market there’s a question of how to add value to real estate and really differentiate your portfolio from the competition. Samantha is working to find a solution that she can apply in her own pursuits.

STUDENT STORIES

Erica Adu ’24 - Global Citizenship

Global Citizenship participant Erica Adu ’24 found herself wrestling with a fundamental question: how do we serve each other? Erica says, “I was thinking about helping people. I’m very drawn to human design and what responsibility we all have to be good global citizens. With family members in other countries, I think a lot about helping people.”

Indeed, it is a shrinking world. Faculty mentors Aline de la Torre-McCloskey and Brad Turner have scaffolded their program around the UN Sustainable Development Goals. From ending poverty and hunger to encouraging climate action and responsible consumption, these 17 goals are designed to be a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

Erica has always been interested in food. In fact, her 8th grade capstone project explored the relationship between food and culture. Yet Erica says, “my love of food comes from abundance and the ability to experiment. It’s glaring to see people who don’t have enough to even sustain themselves let alone to experience the joy of eating.”

As she thought about the UN goal of “No Hunger,” she connected with America’s Grow-A-Row; a Union Township farm that grows produce for families, food banks, soup kitchens, and food pantries in New Jersey, New York City, Philadelphia and eastern Pennsylvania. The nonprofit donates more than 2.4 million pounds, or 9.6 million servings, of farm fresh produce annually. Additionally, they collect “not quite retail perfect” produce from ShopRite stores and redistribute it to local food pantries in New Jersey. The organization’s planting, picking, rescuing, and produce delivery are all volunteer efforts.

This spring, Erica and her cohort visited the Pittstown farm to assist in planting and farm maintenance. Next fall, the entire class of 2023 will participate in a volunteer harvest and learn more about hunger and ways to help. For her senior year project, Erica “envisions creating a model of nutrition for soup kitchens.” Building on her relationship with America’s Grow-A-Row, she plans to “establish meal plans and make connections in our own backyard.” This mentality echoes the many conversations she has shared with her faculty mentors who continually ask, how can we make an impact in our community? And, once we’ve identified global “problems,” what are we doing to design solutions? Erica is already planting the proverbial seed and will continue to explore the connections between food, identity, and sustainability in agriculture.

Guest Presenters

JENNIFER COTTER, the Chief Content Officer at Peloton, spoke to the Global Citizenship cohort of the Interdisciplinary Concentrations Program (ICP) about growing the at-home fitness business globally while emphasizing the importance of being a socially-conscious and values-driven company.

She outlined the values of the company and also discussed the creation of the Peloton Pledge, the culmination of the company’s efforts and commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization. She also emphasized the importance of accountability and putting the plan into action on a daily basis.

In a Q&A with students, Mrs. Cotter spoke about the challenges and opportunities that the pandemic presented and how Peloton experienced global growth.

PHIL MATARAS, founder of ArDrive, spoke to ICP students about the creation of his blockchain-based permanent storage application.

He explained that while many users trust services like Dropbox or Google Drive to steward their data—services potentially susceptible to data leaks—ArDrive allows users to maintain ownership and control of their data on the Arweave blockchain.

Mr. Mataras explained that he founded ArDrive several years ago as a way to get permanent storage in the hands of everyone, and also to reinvent how a typical centralized business is run. He said that collaboration and profit-sharing are important parts of ArDrive’s mission, and he is looking forward to attracting more users and teams to grow ArDrive as a platform in the future.

DR. KATE HIGGINS, an adjunct professor in the Rutgers

School of Engineering, spoke with students in the Arts & Innovation cohort of the Interdisciplinary Concentrations Program (ICP) about the design process and how she generates new ideas and innovation.

She emphasized that observation is a key skill needed in the design process and that engineers need to immerse themselves in the environment they’re designing for.

Dr. Higgins worked with the students on a design brief focused on how to create a bicycle helmet that more people would wear. In just five minutes, the students generated a host of ideas to explore further—incorporating wearable technology, a slimmer profile, customizable colors and more features into the design. She emphasized that while brainstorming sessions are critical, it’s also important to begin prototyping early in the process.

SHAUNA ALVAREZ, Executive Chef and Programming Lead for

America’s Grow-A-Row, spoke to students about this local nonprofit organization that provides fresh food for neighborhoods struggling with hunger issues. Based in Pittstown, NJ, America’s Grow-A-Row aims to impact as many lives as possible through a volunteer effort of planting, picking, rescuing, and delivering free fresh produce.

The presentation was arranged by MBS sophomore Erica Adu ’24 as part of her passion project with the ICP Global Studies Cohort

The organization was founded in 2002 by a father and daughter who planted a family garden and gave their excess vegetables to a local food pantry. In the first year, they donated 120 pounds of produce. Today, the organization donates more than two million pounds of produce a year and relies on the work of more than 9,000 volunteers annually.

In addition to growing its own vegetables, Grow-A-Row is also committed to gleaning—saving produce that would otherwise go to waste. Every day, volunteers rescue “not quite perfect” produce from local supermarkets and deliver it to local food pantries. The organization distributes produce locally and regionally through partnerships with Community FoodBank of New Jersey, City Harvest, Philabundance, Feeding America, and many others.

Interns with CORAL RESTORATION FOUNDATION spoke about the efforts of the foundation, which is actively restoring reefs in Florida through their offshore Coral Tree Nurseries. The talk was arranged by MBS sophomore Ellen Manke ’24, who completed a summer program with the organization.

“I worked with them through a summer camp, became passionate about the cause and wanted to continue the work at MBS through the ICP program,” said Ellen.

The speakers emphasized that everyone can play a part in the restoration effort and be ocean stewards by reducing your carbon footprint, seeking sustainable seafood, reducing use of plastics, choosing sustainable souvenirs, using reef-safe sunscreens, rethinking your diet and food waste, supporting ocean-friendly legislation, and spreading coral reef awareness.

DATA ANALYSIS & RESEARCH METHODS:

SEEKS TO ENCOURAGE EXPLORATION FROM HARD SCIENCES TO GLOBAL TRENDS, STUDENTS WILL LEARN TO CAPTURE AND MANIPULATE RAW DATA, INVESTIGATING A VARIETY OF TOPICS.

DATA ANALYSIS & RESEARCH METHODS: SEEKS TO ENCOURAGE EXPLORATION FROM HARD SCIENCES TO GLOBAL TRENDS, STUDENTS WILL LEARN TO CAPTURE AND MANIPULATE RAW DATA, INVESTIGATING A VARIETY OF TOPICS.

Service learning, internships, summer work and senior projects.

Advisor-Led Cohorts

Service learning, internships, summer work and senior projects.