A Week of Wonder in Middle School Leads to New Curiosities and Passions

Apr 27, 2021 | Come to Play, courage over comfort, Have Fun, Highlights, IMAMUSTANG, Maverick, Middle School News

At the end of Mod 5, Middle School faculty and staff tried out something new – A Week of Wonder. An exciting and different week of school, this week centered on the question, β€œHow might we make school more reflective of real life?”

Week of Wonder was designed as a way to encounter topics that students might not normally experience at school, sparking new passions and building upon existing ones. 

On the schedule? A multitude of different β€œclass” offerings – knitting, tie-dying, friendship bracelet making, soccer playing, healthy meal planning, digital design, board gameapalooza, fly fishing, camping, a bake-off, a car garage, a stuffed animal hospital, a history of Atlanta class, passion projects, and poetry, just to name a few. 

Lisa Bijit and Kimberly Jackson offered a class during Week of Wonder called β€œNot Your Average Science Project.” The course focused on digital photography, but through a different lens (pun intended). 

They walked their students through the woods around campus, beginning behind the MAC and ending at the entrance to the Middle School. On their walk, students were instructed to look for fractals and patterns in nature, or more plainly put, to see nature from a different perspective. 

Class of 2027 Cameron Flotta had recently gotten a new phone, and wanted to try out some of the camera features. During their 90 minute adventure in the woods, he played around with different settings (all while having a cast on his arm!). 

Cameron’s class, his teachers, and his parents were all impressed with his final product, but so were the professionals at Getty Images, a visual media company that supplies stock images, editorial photography, video, and music for businesses and consumers, compiling an archive of over 200 million assets.

So far, Getty Images has accepted three of Cameron’s photos to their archive! 

It’s safe to say, Week of Wonder achieved its goals of building community, spreading joy, and helping students work together in dynamic settings, but it also may have set Cameron on a new path of interest!