Hello, good people,
I love sharing the learning I am seeing both in and out of the classroom.
Today, I happened upon an awesome student-led activity in AP Literature: Voices of the Americas. Senior Zachary Michael (Product Design) created a lesson for his peers to analyze characters and apply a historical and political lens to their analysis in groups of small collaborative groups. Students were deeply engaged and Zach gave effective support and feedback. Creativity coupled with deep critical thinking and rich discourse—it happens in every department throughout NHS.
We are also excited about learning that brings the real world into the classroom and learning that requires students to step out of the classroom. Working with teaching artists, guest speakers, partner organizations and even parent volunteers gives students the opportunity to see how they might advance their skills in the future and apply their talent to future career options.
Gary Jones, our new Instrumental Music teacher, brought in Brass Over Bridges for an in-class performance and workshop on Tuesday. Mr Knudson’s volunteer mentor, Scott Scheppelmann, a machinist at Keysight, brought his hobby rallycross car, a 72 VW, that showcased years of custom metal fabrication. Kids in both contexts loved the real-world context, seeing their craft in a new way, and hearing about how artists solve problems and make decisions in their field.
When students are deeply engaged in learning, they integrate curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking in ways that build their confidence in themselves and what they are capable of doing in their future. We are grateful for all the ways we do this work together.
Warmly,
Michelle Cortez