On Tuesday, February 2, 41 students exhibited their work at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT. Bruce staff members Corrine, Anna, and Dan were essential during the set-up earlier in the day. We are grateful to the hundreds of attendees who browsed over 100 pieces in the museum’s lecture gallery for nearly three hours. Both the Greenwich Time and Greenwich Free Press covered the event. Here are some reflections from our staff and students.

Mike Belanger, Humanities: 

When I was in high school, I played drums in the school band. During the week of a concert, I remember feeling this intense rush of excitement. Soon the seats of the auditorium would be filled–at least the first few rows–with our friends and families. The countless hours spent in the rehearsal room had paid off and the theme of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter would be showcased for an actual audience (apparently my band director really liked movie soundtracks).

This past Tuesday, I witnessed this same rush of excitement from students in Innovation Lab. The work they had completed in STEM and Humanities wouldn’t languish away in the closet of a classroom or simply be marked with a red pen and then handed back. Instead, their work would live on as part of the community’s experience. Perhaps a piece of artwork made someone see the world in a new light. Maybe a student’s project inspired someone to pick up an old hobby. Far from solely being a measure of their learning, the value of our students’ work extended beyond the walls of the high school, able to be discussed, pointed at, and of course, complimented.

Schools have concerts for the musicians, art shows for the artists, and games and meets for the athletes. Now, for students in Innovation Lab, we have exhibition night. I’m already looking forward to the next one.

Nicole explains her STEM Self-Portrait. She designed a Greenwich landscape in Desmos, an online graphing calculator. Her physical portion includes molded glass and slime. 

Siobhan N., Sophomore:

This exhibition proved to me that I am able to reach anything I wish to do in life. I am not the sort of person who likes public speaking and when I don’t know you I can be quite quiet. This exhibition forced me to speak to people I don’t know and made me realise that I am a lot more comfortable with it than I realized. I am able to speak to people like a professional and show the passion I have for my learning the same way as the Innovation Lab teachers show us when they teach our classes. The amount of comfort I had when talking about my projects shocked me. The only thing I wish for in the future is that I will be as passionate and comfortable as I was when talking about my work at the Bruce as I will be in doing my job. (Read Siobhan’s full post.)

Siobhan explains her artwork. Her wax encaustic paintings pair with her image in Desmos, an online graphing calculator.

Katherine Hurst, Sophomore:

Before the exhibition, I thought of my project almost as a failure. All the wonderful comments and compliments I heard about my work helped me see my STEM project in a different light. I learned that although things don’t always work out, I should not give up and find a solution and it might even turn out better than the original plan. I think that I am able to grasp concepts and latch onto a project and work on it non-stop and I think that this is one of my strengths. I have always been stubborn and a perfectionist. Through these projects I am able to see how imperfection can be beautiful too. (Read Katherine’s full post.)

Grant in front of his STEM Self-Portrait. His physical piece (top) includes crystals he grew and battery-operated miniature lights. He recreated the image in Desmos, an online graphing calculator (below).

Robert B., Sophomore: I was able to take a broken strip of LED lights and turn them into a fully functional set of lights with quick disconnects to change colors. (Robert’s full post.)

Fjolla G., Sophomore:

The overall experience of the exhibition was breathtaking. Having work I made be shown in a real museum was an awesome experience. The vibe I felt throughout the whole night at the museum was pride. Pride was shown in the parents, students, and teachers. It was such a lovely night and being able to be a part of an event so special is unforgettable. (Real Fjolla’s full post here.)

Alex K’s Humanities modernism drawing (left) and STEM Self-Portrait physical piece – a crystal tree (right).

Kathryn P. explains her STEM Self-Portrait physical piece – a thermochromic bouquet. (Read her full post here.)

James B. exhibits his Humanities piece (Modernism Pacman) with his STEM Self-Portrait – a deconstructed computer with tinted lights.

Sofia presents her STEM Self-Portrait. She created the image with hundreds of equations in Desmos, an online graphing calculator.

Julia’s STEM Self-Portrait. For her physical piece, she created three clay plates. As part of her work, she completed a technical description of how clay is fired and glazed, available here.

Chloe exhibits her STEM Self-Portrait. Read her explanation of the image here.

Emily’s STEM Self-Portrait. The emojis are painted with a pigment that disappears when heated to a certain temperature, creating the allusion of ‘sending’ and ‘receiving’ the image. Read her commentary on what she learned here.