From Poetry to Experimental Rocketry: Middle School InDependent Enrichment Activities (IDEA)

By the time students reach Middle School, chances are they have found hobbies and academic interests that extend beyond the classroom. The only problem can be finding time to spend on them amidst increasingly busy schedules.

 

Tower Hill’s new InDependent Enrichment Activities (IDEA) program gives Middle Schoolers blocks during the school day to delve into areas that make them tick or try their hands at something new — from poetry to video editing to experimental rocketry. During periods that would otherwise be used as a study hall, students can explore subjects on their own with mentorship from teachers.

“Here is an opportunity for kids to independently be involved in enrichment activities that they are willing to spend the time learning,” says Head of Middle School Paul Capodanno. “I think it should be part of their day.”

The variety of options offered is as varied as kids’ interests. On the technology side, students can practice computer programming, LEGO robotics, animation, web coding or TV production. Students who lean towards the expressive arts can contribute to a new magazine, take part in a poetry group or spruce up school walls with artwork. One group is researching Tower Hill’s history in anticipation of the school’s Centennial in 2019; others are decorating lockers before athletic events or flexing their mental muscle playing chess. 

The experimental rocketry club, led by science teacher Timothy Weymouth and woodshop teacher Rich Pierce, has students creating their own designs to fabricate out of wood and later launch outdoors. This and the other hands-on projects tie into the Middle School faculty’s desire to integrate the broader “maker movement” into school, where teachers encourage kids to learn by building things themselves. The process, Capodanno says, is just as important as the content. 

“The teachers are there to support, but they are not doing it for them,” Capodanno says.

The Virtual Tour service club, for example, checks in with an adviser each week but is largely on its own to create short videos about each grade in the Middle School for prospective students. They interview students and teachers, edit the footage and plan to share the finished product on the school’s website.

“We want more people to come to Tower Hill,” explains 6^th grader Gianna Abbrescia. 

Later in the year, students will explain their projects in presentations at school gatherings. The first batch of kids participating already hope to fit the clubs back into their schedules next semester, and some have started to recruit their peers. 

“I’m hoping that the kids will generate the next set of sign-ups,” Capodanno says.