Welcome Winterim New Curricular Offerings Open the Door to Big Ideas and Questions IN DECEMBER, THE SCHOOL PUT ITS REGULAR CURRICULUM ON PAUSE TO INTRODUCE WINTERIM. Modeled after shortterm, mid-year programs offered at the college level, Winterim gave students an opportunity to break from the traditional academic schedule and enroll in one class that was intensely focused on one big idea or question. The new model has become a permanent part of the annual academic program. One of the things that made Winterim unique was that all courses were designed by faculty, who paired up to co-teach in many instances, and were open to students across grade levels. Rather than Kori Rimany ’14 with a book from her new Winterim course, Women & Prison incorporating tests and quizzes, students were challenged to complete a final project and put into practice what they learned over the term. Morgen Fisher ’03 and Spanish teacher Teresita Magana, had the For example, Environmental Racism & Justice, a course opportunity to pursue EMR certification through the National taught by science teacher Charles Lovejoy, introduced students Registry. In fact, Hailey Lovallo ’21 was continuing to take classes on to environmental racism issues in their own communities and her own toward her certification this spring. around the world. Their research into topics such as air and water Planting a seed pollution affecting the Crow nation in Montana, the burakumin “In many ways, I think the structure of Winterim, the theory behind in Japan, and communities in Connecticut, included interviews it, is what students will find in college. You’re not getting graded on with key stakeholders and documented how environmental issues presentations or mini assignments, just one big project,” said English have resulted in discrimination and poor living conditions for teacher Kori Rimany ’14, who taught Women & Prison, a course the residents of those communities. Their findings, and proposed influenced by her college internship experience at the Women’s solutions, were recorded in an e-book and individual podcasts that Prison Association in New York City, and her thesis project on served as their final projects. women and the criminal justice system. In Cryptography, taught by math teacher Austin Arkin, For each class, students watched one episode of the television students learned about historical and modern ciphers, and used series, “Orange is the New Black,” and then participated in a group those techniques to design an online escape room as their final discussion about what was represented in the show versus the reality. project. Students challenged their peers to crack the code and beat Students considered intersectionality, mental health, the transgender the escape room. Those who enrolled in the Emergency Medical experience, motherhood and sexual violence in the context of Responder course co-taught by Science Department Chair Spring 2021
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