Kudos to our 6th graders, who earlier this month presented their final eco-home projects on Herrick Quad to fellow students, faculty and staff, and parents and special guests! This annual project encourages students to tap their math, science, art, Spanish, and history skills as they work in mini "consulting" groups to craft prototypes of environmentally sustainable and culturally responsive houses to assigned locations, this year including cities in Mexico, Peru, and Spain. The presentations were the culmination of weeks of research, teamwork, and problem solving.

Students shared the inspiration as well as the design process to presentation attendees. For "The Mini Alhambra" home based in Granada, Spain, Team LEGS (Laurel J., Elizaveta Z., Gabby O., and Sadie L.) focused their time on researching cultural and religious influence from the Moors and Christians as well as the Islamic and Arabic style for a more traditional take on architecture while incorporated eco-friendly elements such as a laced window and solar panels. At "Casa de Limonada" in Campeche, Mexico, Abby H., Naomi D., Izzie d. M.v.O., and Stella W. took inspiration from the area to create a lemon window, skylight, flat roof, colorful exterior, insulation with cellulose wadding (which prompted the team to rework the lighting circuitry to accommodate the roof work), and Mayan steps.

In their reflections, across the board students shared that the experience taught them about time management and working together as a group—how to communicate ideas, navigate difference in opinions, divvy up job responsibilities, and (maybe most importantly!) stay calm.

Kudos, 6th graders! Click here to see a gallery from presentation day. (Another shout out to the students who, in groups, played short music pieces on their string instruments as an added surprise during the presentations!)