At Mount Vernon, learning isn’t just about mastering content—it’s about discovering purpose and making an impact. Our intentionally designed learning journey provides students with transformative experiences that shape both their academic and personal development. This year, we introduced Impact Summits as pivotal capstone experiences at key transition points in Grades 5, 8, and 11, empowering students to demonstrate their learning, leadership, and agency in tangible ways.
These Impact Summits are more than just milestone projects—they are launchpads for self-leadership, social capital, and meaningful contributions to the world. Rooted in The Impact Ready Project, they challenge students to take ownership of their learning, deepen their relationships, and find purpose through personal discovery and community engagement.
The Grade 5 Impact Summit serves as the first step in this journey, introducing younger learners to the concept of impact—how their ideas, choices, and passions can shape the world around them. By engaging in real-world problem-solving and service-oriented initiatives, these students begin to see themselves as change-makers, developing the confidence to lead with purpose.
Grade 5 Year-Long Purpose Learning
Throughout the year, students engage in three phases of learning that integrate foundational literacies—such as reading, writing, numeracy, and scientific inquiry—while also developing critical skills like communicating, critical thinking, and problem-solving. The culmination of this journey is the student-led showcase at the Impact Summit after the G5 Bridging Ceremony on May 22, where students share their learning and demonstrate how they have applied these skills to make a difference.
Phase 1: Discover Passion & Purpose (Trimester 1)
In the first trimester, students focus on discovering their passion and defining the scope of their learning. Fifth-grade students summited Kennesaw Mountain together. At the top, students wrote their purpose statement and discussed what attributes would be impacted through their project work. After creating their statements, students went on six different small group expeditions to explore possible topic selections. The structured framework helps them express their purpose:
“[Interest] matters to me and is consequential to others because [reason]. I make an impact by being a [skill] while demonstrating [attribute].”
Here is George F.’s purpose statement:
“Cooking and baking matter to me and are consequential to others because everyone deserves to be fed. I make an impact by being a communicator (skill) while demonstrating creativity (attribute).
Phase 2: Prototype & Develop Impact (Trimester 2)
The second phase focuses on translating purpose into action. Students participate in expeditions and research-driven projects, applying scientific inquiry, numeracy, and digital fluency. They plan and execute their own real-world learning experiences, such as investigating cruelty-free brands with an expedition to Sephora, exploring artistic inspiration at the High Museum of Art for an Art Lending Library, and creating animal enrichment toys for the Atlanta Humane Society.
Through these activities, students hone their ability to gather knowledge, iterate based on feedback, and assess the broader impact of their work. Davis C., who worked on a baseball charity project, reflected: “I learned how important it is to give back to the community. We shouldn’t just take—we should also give. I now understand what it takes to plan something with a goal in mind.”
Phase 3: Deploy Impact & Showcase Learning (Trimester 3)
In the final trimester, students deploy their projects and share their learning journey. Students choose the format that best represents their work, whether it’s leading a chapel service, launching a business plan, creating a service-learning opportunity, or showcasing an artistic representation. This phase focuses on refining leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills. Students will give formal presentations showcasing their Impact Summit journey as well as display their essays outlining their experience after the G5 Bridging Ceremony on Thursday, May 22.
Isabel K., who worked on a baking project, shared: “We baked a chocolate marble banana bundt cake as a trial for people in need. They gave us helpful feedback that will improve our product. I really liked being able to help—I put myself in their shoes to imagine how it would feel to be helped.”
Sam A., offering advice to future fifth graders, said: “Don’t think about Impact Summit as just another project—think about it as helping someone else. Even if you think it’s a huge project, don’t worry—it will click in eventually.”
A Foundation of Leadership
The Grade 5 Impact Summit is a transformative experience that sets the foundation for self-leadership, community engagement, and global citizenship. As these students continue their journey at Mount Vernon, they will build upon the experience developed in Grade 5, engaging in deeper, more complex applications of purpose-driven learning. In Grade 8, they will refine their leadership abilities and expand their social impact through collaborative, real-world challenges. By Grade 11, they will leverage their experiences to design and implement bold, innovative solutions that reflect their passions and aspirations for the future. Through these intentional milestone Impact Summits, we are preparing students to navigate their Journey of Purpose with confidence, equipping them to lead and contribute meaningfully in an ever-evolving world.
