Year-long Project Work Culminates in US iFest

Apr 8, 2015 | Impact, Media Galleries, Upper School News

IMG_2952Exhibiting compassion, discovery, character and confidence, students in grades 9-12 negotiated an 8-month expedition to create impact – their iProject. Individually or in small groups, students were asked to uncover a specific need or issue within the following four categories:
Arts & Life
Business & Entrepreneurship
Social & Community Engagement
Technology, Engineering & Design
Encouraged to create a product, solution or awareness originating from one’s personal interests, integrating disciplinary knowledge, deepening understanding, and applying insights to real-world contexts, students were given the space and time throughout the school year to focus on their iProjects. During their journey, the students walked through the process of identifying a need, interviewing end users, seeking feedback on multiple iterations, discovering a solution and ultimately delivering a professional presentation at iFest — a celebration of work done and goals accomplished.
Several examples of the 129 iProjects:

  • iPhone-Controlled Drones
  • Anti-Bullying video
  • Publishing A Book of Poetry being sold on Amazon – Random Words in a Random Order
  • The Restoration of Waller Skate Park
  • Steering Wheel for the Hearing Impaired
  • Personal Reflection MoVe Talks – Finding Myself, Mind Palace, Living With Anxiety
  • Writing, Recording and Marketing an Extended Play (EP) Solo Album
  • Authoring a Children’s Book – Snake & Mouse
  • MVPS School Store
  • Project Smile – Capturing passion and thoughts in photographs
  • Environmentally-friendly Feral Cat House
  • YOUniversity – A management system to organize the college search process

During the celebration, all students were given the opportunity to observe the other iProjects and offer feedback in the form of: I Like, I Wish, What If… Armed with thumbs-up “Like” stickers, students voted for their peers in each of the four categories. To conclude iFest, several performers took the stage to share their voice with music and lyrics.
If curiosity and passion drive learning, our Upper School students learned a lot.
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