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GCE students can’t help but impress during Final Presentations. Students are challenged to share and demonstrate their learning from the term at each Final Presentation. With just a couple of guidelines, they are free to create dynamic experiences that showcase how they connect their learning to their own passions. This term’s presentations varied in format and allowed the guests to experience learning like a GCE student.

We are grateful for our passionate students and all of the people who came out to support the work they do.

After weeks of learning from different experts in the field, the Juniors were ready to build the prototype of their original bike designs. Each group of students was given a client profile for whom they had to design a bike. To prepare for this assignment, they met with the Director of Volunteers at Working Bikes, the owner of EarthRiders Cycle Shop, the Program Director at the Chicago Department of Transportation, and designers and engineers from the James Dyson Foundation. Equipped with a wealth of knowledge and some hands-on experience, the students sought out to build their prototypes using all scecondhand materials from the WasteShed, an awesome resource for teachers and makers!

The Juniors in the Design and Engineering class are addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 9 by examining the guiding question, How does the design process impact product and experience?. SDG 9 addresses the need for resilient infrastructure, and inclusive and sustainable industrialization and innovation. The designers and engineers are investigating the importance of empathy in design, specifically that of gardening tools in the first unit of the course. As a part of this investigation, the students are learning about the physics behind simple machines and spending time in the garden working with and without tools in order to redesign a gardening tool.

As a part of this month’s community lunch theme, Spice It Up, the Sophomores whipped up a macaroni and cheese bar that featured paprika. The preparation of this lunch was a true exercise in empathy for the chefs. In addition to preparing lunch for the community, they also made gluten-free and vegan versions of their meal. This challenge did not deter these ambitious chefs. In fact, they embraced the spice challenge and presented made-from-scratch pumpkin spice cupcakes for dessert.

The Juniors in the Design and Engineering class are addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 9 by examining the guiding question, How does design process impact product and experience?. SDG 9 addresses the need for resilient infrastructure, and inclusive and sustainable industrialization and innovation. The designers and engineers are investigating the importance of empathy in design, specifically that of gardening tools in the first unit of the course. As a part of this investigation, the students are learning about the physics behind simple machines and spending time in the garden working with and without tools in order to redesign a gardening tool.

During the first Unit of the Urban Planning course, Juniors investigated the elements necessary to build a strong bridge. The engineers studied examples of bridges in order to understand the concepts of weight and force, tension and compression, and trusses. Equipped with their newfound knowledge, lots of glue, and 60 popsicle sticks, they set out to build a strong, functioning bridge. After days of hard work, the bridges were put to the test with a set of weights. We were blown away by the results.

The Freshmen in the Who Am I? class are investigating the guiding question, “How will I investigate my Self to know who I am?”. This guiding question will be pursued through two units: Truth & Memory and Doubt & Dream. Students will not only examine their own beliefs and experiences to define who they are, they will also study how philosophers have pursued this question throughout history. In the early stages of this soul-searching investigation, these Freshmen philosophers were tasked with writing their own truth manifestos.

After intense weeks of classes, Field Experiences, and Action Projects, we were all looking forward to spending time with our families. We kicked off our holiday break with a community potluck and student talent show.  The community came together and put together a bountiful and delicious spread. After our feast, we gathered for the student talent show organized by the members of the Music Makers club. We were graced with singing, piano-playing, skating, and dancing by our students.

We left for the holiday break with full bellies and warm hearts. We’re so grateful to everyone who joined us in celebrating the holidays and our talented students.

The students in Rocket Science built and launched their first rockets. Using paper clips, paper, tape, aluminum foil, and matches, the students explored the concept of propulsion. It took some experimentation, but after a few trials, rockets were shooting across the launchpad.