T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R S T. L U K E ’ S S C H O O L
Welcome to 377 The Magazine for St. Luke’s School. Our mission is to bring you new perspectives on life and learning on the Hilltop through the lens of a particular topic. In this issue, we celebrate curiosity. The indicates that you can find out more about that specific story at www.stlukesct.org.
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” –Albert Einstein
Curiosity is the engine that drives a lifetime of learning. When we say we foster a culture of curiosity at St. Luke’s, it means we entice our students with opportunities to dive into the unknown.We want them to break things and fix them; imagine them, design them, and make them. In an era when technology has created a hands-off society—we encourage kids to be hands-on.We want them to try things.We expect them to fail, and try again.To quote Science Chair Michael Mitchell: “A culture of inquiry, regardless of the academic subject, says it’s good to be curious, it’s good to try, and it’s okay to mess up so long as you learn from it.” As you will see in these pages, we are creating our own Maker Movement on the Hilltop. From art classes to STEM Scholars, students are enjoying the freedom to explore, tinker, and determine how things work. Teachers report “amazement” at what students, given the chance, will create using their knowledge and imagination. We dedicate this issue of 377 to the curious mind. At St. Luke’s, it is a most precious resource.
Mark Davis, Head of School
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Using the LEGOS® Intro to Simple Machines system, our fifth graders work as young scientists, engineers, and designers. Science teacher, Susan Bralower explains: “They start with simple machines, which they eventually combine into more complex machines. Students work in pairs and collaborate with other groups. They learn about cause and effect, how to make predictions and draw conclusions. They also learn how to design and redesign—a key part of the scientific process. They do all this while having fun, which is what science should be.” 2
Assistant Head of Middle School and science teacher, Mark Chuhta, calls his class Make: “The whole curriculum is about exploring creativity. We use small electronic pieces called Little Bits to build prototypes. Kids build everything from a mailbox that lights up when you have mail, to a Brother-Proof Door that buzzes at sibling intruders. Now I have kids who want to program, so I bought an Arduino open-source microprocessor. They’ve taken apart a remote control car and plan to turn it into a robot using the microprocessor and traditional code.” 3
In early winter, SLS ceramics students began a hands-on project that taps engineering and aesthetic abilities. The birdhouse project begins when students are asked to sketch out their visions for a birdhouse. Art teacher Sean Lynch explains: “Before touching the clay, students need to plan where the entrance would be, the angle of the roof, and what architectural details they wish to include. Then they bring their sketch to life in 3D. There is always a bit of mystery involved, and things inevitably go wrong. Students have to make alterations and find a way to make their birdhouses work.�
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Thanks to a generous SLS family, our students have a MakerBot 3D printer. Students use modeling software to capture their imagination, and the printer allows them to explore their design tangibly. St. Luke’s senior, Tyler Gabriele (pictured), uses the MakerBot for the required engineering curriculum and for sheer pleasure: “I’ve designed a two-sided peanut butter jar and a four-color marker. I was able to print these objects and turn them into fully functioning products. I can turn any image in my head into a real physical shape or design. I love spending free periods printing whatever I designed the previous night.”
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“STEM is like a training camp for key skills like encouraging curiosity and patience, and making friends with failure.� Yale Professor Ainissa Ramirez, Author of Save Our Science: How to Inspire a New Generation of Scientists
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“Being a STEM scholar has provided me with the opportunity to participate in some serious research early on in my educational career, something that I will be able to build upon in college and beyond.” Steven Gerasimoff, STEM Scholar
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KNOWLEDGE
STEMs from Curiosity
Freedom and responsibility abound in St. Luke’s Scholars Programs. Whether Classical, Global, or STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), SLS Scholars take on a challenging year of independent study and research. While every scholar has a faculty mentor, the project concept, execution, and delivery of results rest squarely on each student’s shoulders.
Now in its second year, the STEM Scholars Program has three senior students selected for strong academic backgrounds and ambitious research proposals. Aidan Stone is studying Music & Memory. His advisor is science teacher Adriana Andrade. Kathleen (K.C.) Kelly and Steven Gerasimoff are working jointly on exploration of Cellulosic Ethanol Production. Their advisor is science teacher Alec Lebris.
Aidan Stone: Music & Memory 377: What made you want to research music? AS: Music has been an important part
of my life for as long as I can remember. We always have music playing in the background at home–mostly classical, but a variety of other genres as well. I started playing the piano when I was in kindergarten, and I started singing in grade school. Music makes me happy; it relaxes me and
motivates me. Surprisingly, music also helps me to concentrate. Because music holds such power in my life, I became interested in researching specifically how music affects us neurologically–how does music make us feel the way we feel? 377: Is being a STEM Scholar difficult? AS: The most challenging part has
been working on my own. I am pretty good at working independently, but being responsible for every detail of such a large project has been tough at times. Having a good advisor,
someone to bounce ideas off of, has really helped. Dr. Raymond (SLS Consulting Psychologist) was also very helpful with my research. 377: How would you sum up your STEM Scholar experience? AS: The most rewarding part of my
project has been having the opportunity to combine two things that I am passionate about: music and science. I am happy to be a STEM Scholar because it is such an honor. I also really appreciate the opportunity to design and execute a research project. I am sure the experience will be very helpful in college.
Steven Gerasimo and Kathleen Kelly: Cellulosic Ethanol Production 377: When looking at alternative energies, why cellulosic ethanol? SG: Cellulosic ethanol has enormous
potential in the energy market, but there is currently not enough supporting research to validate it as an alternative fuel source. In the near future, cellulosic ethanol could possibly become a solution to the world energy crisis; and having a part, no matter how small, in that is truly exciting. KK: I picked research around Cellulosic Ethanol Production because it solves a world problem that interests me a lot. Our fuel supplies are running out, and this is a solution to that problem. It is also much cleaner and better for the environment than the fuel we use today.
377: What has been your biggest challenge and best reward? KK: The most challenging part of this
has been understanding the concepts that we’re working with. Some of the ideas behind what we are doing are complicated, and it took me a little while to understand how it all worked. The most rewarding part has been running our first couple of experiments and seeing results that really make sense. I feel like I’m learning something beyond the normal curriculum. SG: Learning “how” the experiment
runs, or “how” the reaction occurs has been relatively easy to comprehend.
Understanding “why” our results do or don’t reflect our predictions, and their significance, is the real challenge in our research. Conducting research independently has taught me to always look deeper into the problem at hand, the data, or the results, to get a clearer and more detailed picture of my work. Having the freedom to experiment allows me to approach a problem with several strategies and from multiple angles, and to solve it with original methods, hands-on research, and critical thinking: skills required in the 21st century.
You walk up to your car, and it unlocks and starts. You step up to the cash register at Starbucks, and your latte is paid for sans charge cards, money, or identification. You sit down at your computer, and it logs you in. You walk away, and it locks down. Welcome to the new normal as envisioned by tech entrepreneur Kurt Collins, co-founder of Enole. Collins is a pioneer in mobile user identification technology and just may redefine how we interact with technology (and our coffee). Center for Leadership Director, Jim Foley, met Collins at a TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) conference and convinced him to bring his brilliance to the Hilltop. Collins spoke with a packed room of Upper School students during a Lunch & Lead. He shared his adventures in tech startups, his pride in being a lifelong “geek,” and his certainty that failures are as valuable as successes.
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A point of pride for Collins is the Hidden Genius Project, an initiative providing technology mentorship for young black men. During his visit, he spoke to St. Luke’s Multicultural Student Union and the Black Student Alliance. Collins also managed to squeeze in stints as a guest computer teacher as well as a little break-dancing during his
presentation to the seventh and eighth grade students, who apparently glommed onto Collins’ past membership in a dance crew. Throughout his stay at SLS, Collins spread the magic of “doing what you love” but made clear that passion is no substitute for “working incredibly hard.” In the words of St. Luke’s Senior Alex Robertson: “St. Luke’s was honored to have such a multi-talented entrepreneur provide expertise in such a wide range of areas. After all, Mr. Collins is the exact kind of person the Center for Leadership wants to see in our student body: a true leader.”
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377 caught up with St. Luke’s alumnus Brandon Fulljames, with the help of math and computer science teacher, Jeff Kress. We asked Brandon what he’s been up to... “I work as a programmer at Solutions Thru Software International. We make the Department of Motor Vehicles testing software for a dozen or so states in the United States and multiple provinces in Canada. I’m involved in investigating new technology for use going forward and products to tie into our current line. Being the ’go to guy’ for all the shiny new toys in the world is rewarding. “SLS was incredibly supportive in letting me explore the wide world of programming. Every class I took gave me a new avenue to investigate, and any time I asked if I could try something I was given the go-ahead. Even when I got a little over-ambitious, it turned into a learning experience.” 10
Noteworthy: Brandon’s mom, Gaye (“Gracie”), is also an SLS Alum!
Science teacher Adriana Andrade’s students have been exploring the most remarkable machine ever made: the human body. “I asked students to research and present the most important muscles used in their favorite sports activity. I’ve been amazed by what they created. There are some beautiful, detailed drawings. The kids are so proud, and some even want to frame their work. They responded to this project because it’s so relevant for them. Most students are either athletes or very active. They want to fully understand how their bodies work.” 11
Last fall, the Center for Leadership (CFL) and the SLS Science Department took St. Luke’s first field trip to the World Maker Faire. Held on the grounds of the New York Hall of Science in Queens, the faire is an annual highlight and mecca of the Maker Movement. CFL Director Jim Foley says: “This is a movement we want to tap at St. Luke’s. The maker attitude and energy drive interest in programs like STEM and foster scientific thinking in general.” Science Chair Michael Mitchell agrees: “Scientific thinking applies across the curriculum and throughout life. We want students to be curious and adventurous. Programs like the Rube Goldberg Challenge, the Egg Drop, the Gardening Program, Exploravision, and Flight Day are meant to inspire all students, not just future scientists.” St. Luke’s has started its own Maker Movement right here on the Hilltop, and there’s no telling how far we can go. The School recently began a campaign to raise funds for a new science wing and hopes to also have a “fab lab” with ample space for tinkering and invention. “Our science curriculum is already strong,” commented Foley. “The new spaces will take SLS and our students to a whole new level, and signal our community’s commitment to science and imagination. It will be St. Luke’s tribute to curiosity.”
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On the front cover: A St. Luke’s rite of passage, the egg drop is an annual eighth grade challenge. Pictured: Eighth grade students, Hunter Libman and Georgia Nelson. On the back cover: Assistant Head of Middle School and science teacher, Mark Chuhta. Let us know what you think at communications@stlukesct.org. 377 Editor: Nancy Troeger Production Director: Jane Ahrens Photography Director: DesirÊe Smock Design: Peapod Design 3/2013/#7/Curiosity