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Our Photo Walk Series aims to provide the community with a snapshot in time—a celebration of work being done across grade levels, content areas, and divisions. 

While Intersession at the upper school has existed since the inception of the high school, Intersession for lower and middle school students is relatively new. This year, with Director of Enrichment and Summer Programs Katie Saylor at the helm, lower and middle school students participated in a myriad of courses, which allowed them to explore new areas of learning and dig deeper into areas of passion. 

Take a look at a sampling of offerings our lower and middle school students participated in last week.

Lower School 

Traveling Reptile Show, by Avery E.-M., fourth grader
We were shown 18 reptiles and bugs. There was a tortoise, a super long snake, some lizards, two types of scorpions, more snakes, frogs and one student, Helena G., even got to have a tarantula put on her head!

Broadway Dance
Led by alumna Emma Saarnio '22, students had the opportunity to learn a dance to "Shake It Up" from James and the Giant Peach Jr.

Emma wasn't the only alumna to return to Nueva to lead an intersession course; in the upper school, Sophia Hoerrmann '22 taught "Jewelry Making" and Jason Hwong '20 taught "Computer-aided Manufacturing for CNC Machining," "Modeling Dynamic Mechanical Systems," and "Modeling Earth Systems: A Computational Approach to Earth Science."

LEGO Robotics
In Lego Robotics, students built spinning tops and launchers, and then coded them.

Middle School

Art and Identity
In this session, students learned about the work of artist Julie W. Chang, who uses the language of patterns to explore the personal and political forces that shape and misshape our lives: narratives, cultures, myths, and expectations. Students then had the opportunity to use images and icons to represent the unique aspects of who they are to create their own "pattern identities." 

Baking and Cooking
Led by a chef from Junior Chef Stars, a local and independent culinary school, students got to work making pies and burritos. Yum! 

Live Reporting
In this workshop, students were introduced to live reporting, sports broadcasting, and community journalism. They learned how to operate and produce on-the-go video with Midpen Media Center's mobile producation studio and broadcast truck. 

World Rhythms
Students in this workshop explored rhythms from Brazil, Spain, the Caribbean, Ireland, North Africa, and across the United States. They learned the foundational technique of hand-drumming and then practices rhythms from around the world while learning a little about each place.
 

American Sign Language
Students in this workshop got a feel for American Sign Language (ASL), learning the ASL alphabet, playing games, and singing and signing songs. Pictured below, eighth graders Ella B. and Pablo Z. sign "I love you."