The first course is Sculpture, which is a year-long class. Making an apple from five different materials may seem a bit challenging, but to students, it is just another assignment on the curriculum.
All students were assigned to use fabric, paper mache, cardboard, foam and clay to make either a fruit or a vegetable. One student made a kiwano (a horned melon), while another made an eggplant.
Ms. Heather Kent wants her students to understand the physical possibilities of using different materials.
“I like working with all of the materials, but it can be difficult,” said Dana Carney ’14.
Students have also made wire figures of animals in motion, resulting in a menacing lion head and a realistic hound dog, among others. “It was a really creative idea; the dog was made really well,” said Dora Huang ‘14.
For those who aren’t sure what the difference is between sculpture and ceramics, Gaby Lucio ’14 explained that “ceramics is using clay [while] sculpture uses [different] materials.” The sculpture class, with 13 students this year, will also be making a pop art and soft sculpture project using sewing techniques.
The second class is the semester course Robotics. Building fully-functional robots is now a possibility for the Tologs taking Mr. Ty Buxman’s new elective this year.
His students build robots from Lego Mind Storm kits that include a brain, which controls the robot’s actions, and sensors. When finished, the robots are able to see color, hear, feel, distinguish brightness from darkness, and judge the distance of an object.
Freshman Diana O’Toole says Mr. Buxman “helps us when we need it and tries to encourage us to fix our problems and do harder things so that we can learn more.”
Mr. Buxman has one requirement for both his students and their robots: to think. His favorite thing about the class is seeing his students “come up with unique solutions by themselves,” and adds that “so far, they are coming up with solutions I haven’t even thought of.” Clearly, they are thinking.
The elective can be taken for one semester or for a full year because Mr. Buxman offers Robotics I and II. He says Robotics II is not repetitive because previous assignments are not repeated. —Melissa Schwaigerlehner and Abby Durkan
