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iD Leadership Team Explores Design Thinking in San Francisco

January 21, 2026 (January 21, 2026) by Mount Vernon School

Earlier this month, members of Mount Vernon’s Innovation Diploma Leadership Team traveled west for a three-day, student-designed immersion in design thinking, storytelling, and experiential learning. The San Francisco trip, conceived, pitched, and largely executed by students, marked a milestone for the program and offered powerful inspiration for what innovation can look like when learners lead….

Designing Tomorrow: Grade 6 Reimagines Sustainable Cities Through Real-World Exploration

April 21, 2026 (April 22, 2026) by Mount Vernon School

For the past four years, each spring, Grade 6 students step into the role of urban planners through the Future Cities Project-Based Learning (PBL) experience, an immersive, inquiry-driven journey that challenges them to answer a powerful question: How might we design a sustainable city of the future? This signature Grade 6 experience has evolved into…

Designed for Curiosity: How Middle School MDE Brings Inquiry to Life

January 14, 2026 (January 20, 2026) by Mount Vernon School

At Mount Vernon, learning begins with questions. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Middle School Maker, Design, and Engineering (MDE) program, an intentionally designed, inquiry-driven experience that provides every student with access to meaningful, hands-on learning. “I think the message about Middle School MDE is around access,” says Chris Andres, Middle School MDE…

Designing Tomorrow: iD’s “Future of Cities”

December 10, 2025 (December 10, 2025) by Mount Vernon School

For the fifth consecutive year, the Mount Vernon Innovation Diploma (iD) is launching its signature “Future of …” design series, and in 2025, students are exploring one of the most complex challenges of our time: the Future of Cities. The “Future of …” is a design unit that spans the nine weeks of Mod 2…

Behind the Scenes: How Mount Vernon Teachers Design the Future of Learning

December 3, 2025 (December 3, 2025) by Mount Vernon School

Ever wonder what happens on a Late Start Day? When Mount Vernon students arrive a little later on Late Start Days, something exciting is happening behind the scenes. While learners ease into their morning, our faculty and staff are already designing experiences that will shape the School for years to come. Mount Vernon is more…

Designing What’s Next: Council on Innovation 2025

November 12, 2025 (November 12, 2025) by Mount Vernon School

On November 7, 2025, Mount Vernon School hosted its Council on Innovation (COI), a dynamic convergence of thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and students collaborating to design what’s next. Guided by Chief Innovation Officer Jared Colley, the day invited participants to look beyond the horizon through signal scanning and scenario design, exploring a series of plausible futures…

From the Ground Up: Mount Vernon Students Design Furman’s First High School Summer Entrepreneurship Experience

May 7, 2025 (May 7, 2025) by Mount Vernon School

In a powerful alignment of purpose and possibility, Mount Vernon’s Innovation Diploma (iD) program has formed a strategic new partnership with Furman University’s Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This collaboration marks a milestone for both institutions—each committed to developing entrepreneurial thinkers who thrive in uncertainty, lead with empathy, and design for real-world impact. The…

Personal Geographies: Blending Innovation, Design, and Purpose

December 4, 2024 (December 4, 2024) by Mount Vernon School

The Journey of Purpose—central to Mount Vernon’s 10-year strategic plan—encourages students to explore who they are and where they are headed. This vision is brought to life in Mount Vernon Studios, the School’s innovative Arts program, through the department’s annual theme of Personal Geographies, which invites students to navigate self-discovery through creativity. In Upper School,…

Exploring the Possibilities of Mobility in Design: Grade 7 Mini Golf Design Project

October 30, 2024 (October 30, 2024) by Mount Vernon School

As part of a transdisciplinary, grade-wide exploration, Grade 7 is starting a multifaceted project-based learning (PBL) journey exploring the possibilities of mobility in design. The end goal? Construct a mini-golf experience for the entire school community and debut it at Mustang Rally 2025. Over the next 8 months, this learning experience will help students see…

Designing the Future of Fun: Inside the Design Process for Mustang Rally

April 10, 2024 (June 12, 2024) by Mount Vernon

At Mount Vernon, innovation isn’t just a buzzword; it’s a daily part of life and learning. For the second consecutive year, Grade 8 students in Impact Design Lab (IDL) are taking on the challenge of reimagining the field games for Mustang Rally, our beloved annual spring carnival. This year’s project, much like the ones before…