GHS Innovation Lab

Innovation Lab welcomes another year as a program that offers rigor, choice, and real world connections to our students.

As many of you already know, Christina Shaw, former Humanities teacher and program associate of Innovation Lab, will now serve GHS as the interim Cantor House administrator.  She will still be involved in our program as the administrator representing InLab at the high school.

Assuming the role of program associate is Courtney Hawes.  She will continue teaching English as part of our Humanities faculty.  

Courtney Hawes: English, Humanities 9; Humanities 11; Design Studio 11

Courtney Hawes is a twenty-three year veteran of teaching, both in the United States and Europe. After twelve years teaching in Connecticut, she embarked on the adventure of teaching and administration abroad, first in Switzerland and then in England. Six years later, she returned and became a founding teacher for Innovation Lab at Greenwich High School.

Courtney earned her B.S. in Secondary English Education and her M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Connecticut. She was the Greenwich Teacher of the Year in 2003, a former board member of the CCTE, a State of Connecticut Mentor, Coach, and Assessor for the BEST program, a National Writing Project Fellow and CFG Trainer and Coach. While she has taught every grade level from 6-12, she cites her work with Innovation Lab as the most exciting endeavor of her professional career. With Innovation Lab, she has presented at High Tech High Deeper Learning conferences and for NEASC.

We are thrilled to introduce Kathy Mendez as our newest faculty member.  She is a distinguished veteran teacher of the Social Studies department and will now work with Courtney Hawes as part of the Humanities team.

Kathy Mendez: Social Studies, Humanities 9

I am honored to be joining the Innovation Lab team this fall as the social studies cohort for the inaugural 9th grade Humanities class with the amazing Ms. Hawes as my English partner.  Intellectually curious from an early age, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. As a Michigan native and lifelong Cubs fan, I could often be found playing “school” with my little brother; we would do science experiments after watching Mr. Wizard’s World and act out scenes from my favorites films, musicals, and books like Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, and The Princess Bride. I also loved to listen to stories from my grandfather, who was a D-Day veteran at Omaha Beach. This is what shaped my love of the arts, history, philosophy, and fascination with human behavior, storytelling, and ingenuity.  A few years after meeting my soulmate in the University of Michigan Marching Band (Go Blue!) and graduating with a B.A. in History and minor in Psychology, my husband and I moved to Connecticut, where I was fortunate enough to find this dream job working at Greenwich High School.  Over the past eleven years, I have had the privilege to teach Global Studies, Civics, and Advanced Placement Psychology. Honest to goodness, I feel like I’ve won the lottery by getting to work and learn alongside such talented, intelligent, and creative women and men each day. I’m excited to see our students flourish in InLab as they investigate, innovate, collaborate, and change the world!

Below you will find short statements about the rest of our current Innovation Lab faculty.

Brian Walach: Math, STEM 11 and Design Studio 12

Brian Walach is mathematics and STEM teacher at Greenwich High School. He has taught a variety of math classes for the past seven years and is a founding member of GHS’ Innovation Lab, launched in 2014. Since then, Brian has co-taught and co-planned interdisciplinary STEM courses with science teachers, including Environmental Chemistry/Algebra 2 and Precalculus/Physics. His favorite project was building t-shirt cannons with students to study vectors, parametric equations, quadratics, and the physics of projectile motion.

Brian earned undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and History and a Master of Arts and Teaching at Quinnipiac University (‘10, ‘11). He holds a dual-certification in math and history and is pursuing his Sixth-Year certificate with a cohort of Greenwich teachers through Mercy College. Brian’s most valuable professional development includes conferences at High Tech High School in San Diego, CA and two visits to NCTM yearly meetings. An avid international traveler, he has long-term goals of visiting at least one new country per year and earning a private pilot license.

Michael Belanger: Social Studies, Humanities 10; Design Studio 9 and 12

Michael Belanger has taught social studies at Greenwich High School for eight years. He was one of five teachers chosen to plan the pilot year of Innovation Lab and continues to teach Humanities in the program. He has visited innovative schools all around the country, including High Tech High in San Diego and the iSchool in New York City. As part of Innovation Lab, he has participated in the design of multiple projects that focus on building choice and purpose into a traditional American history curriculum, including muckraker documentaries to teach the changes of Progressive Era, modernist art to illustrate the conflicts of 1920s, and children’s books as a vehicle to explore the seismic shifts of the 1960s.

Michael has a BA in History from Fordham University, an MS in Secondary Education from University of Bridgeport, and an MA in American Studies from Fairfield University. Because he loves school so much, he is currently finishing up his MFA in Creative Writing from Fairfield University. His debut novel, The History of Jane Doe, is being published in June 2018 by Dial Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Jessica von Brachel: English 10 Humanities; Design Studio 9 and 10

Before I found my way into the best job I’ve ever held, I worked in a variety of fields in which the power of language and storytelling drove my work. What I lacked was a sense of community. Recognizing what I enjoyed doing and what I wanted to add to it led me, finally, to teaching high school English. Here at GHS I’ve had the opportunity to teach ninth grade English, Short Fiction, Film as Literature, and AP Language and Composition. It has been the most challenging and fulfilling work of my life. I am thrilled to be a member of Innovation Lab as a partner of Mr. Belanger in Humanities, and a Design Studio instructor for both the ninth and tenth grades.  I enjoy sharing my love of language, storytelling, and community with our learners and hearing what it is that drives and excites them. I look forward to finding meaning in our learning and to sharing our discoveries with the world outside of the classroom.

Lauren Moskovitz: Math, 10 STEM and Design Studio 10

I am super excited to be a part of the Innovation Lab this year. I have been teaching mathematics at GHS for 15 years.  Over these years I have been a part of several houses, working with a diverse and talented team of teachers. I have always strongly believed, from the very beginning days of my teaching career, that math and science shouldn’t be taught in isolation.  Without math how would we communicate the wonders of science? Without science how would we continue to push the limits of mathematics? STEM education connects our students worlds to their learning, which ultimately fosters deeper understandings. This strong connection breeds ingenuity.  I am inspired to have this tremendous opportunity to collaborate with the Innovation Lab Team to bring science and math alive to my students.

Ben Gawle: Physics STEM 11; STEM 10; Design Studio 11

When I graduated from Greenwich High School in 2005 I would not have believed I’d be returning to teach physics within the next decade (and neither would my physics teachers). I graduated from UConn with a degree in civil engineering, and after earning my certification, I went on to work at a small structural and forensic engineering firm in the city. Though climbing skyscrapers was fun, my real passion has always been for teaching and learning about science! I come from a family of mostly Connecticut teachers, so I guess you could say it’s in my blood.

While working at schools in New Canaan, I earned a masters in physics education, and eventually returned home to Greenwich High School in 2016. It has been (and will continue to be) a great pleasure working with the team of professionals in the GHS Science Department, but I am also tremendously glad for this opportunity to branch out to the Innovation Lab! I look forward to exploring new ideas and inventing new ways to communicate my passion for science to InLab students this year and hopefully for many years to come.

Joseph Baske: Social Studies, Social Science Research 12; Humanities 11

I’m so excited to have the opportunity to help guide the InLab seniors in their social science research class this coming year. In my 20+ years at GHS, I’ve taught everything from AP Euro and US history to Economics to ESL freshmen, but always with an emphasis on project-based learning. I believe if my students leave with more questions than answers, I’ve done the my job.

Outside the classroom, I passionately play and follow basketball, read history, and love to learn with my wonderful family who are all in the Greenwich schools.

My Favorites:

– movies: Usual Suspects, Lego Movie

– songs:  Dance Off, and Stop the World & Melt with You

– books: Infinite Jest, Cultural Amnesia, Thinking Fast Thinking Slow, and From Dawn to Decadence

– basketball moves: The Dirk and the Up & Under

– food: steak and anything free or eaten with good friends tends to be delicious

I look forward to teaching and learning with InLab for many years to come.

Ric Felten: Physics/Chemistry, Science Research 12

I have a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from SUNY at Buffalo and a master’s degree in chemistry from Saint Joseph College.  I worked as a senior methods development chemist for ten years. After a career as industrial chemist, I founded a laboratory specializing in scanning electron microscopy as well as x-ray and infrared spectroscopy.  I have taught chemistry and physics for the past ten years, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to apply my past experiences to the senior research being performed in the Innovation Lab.

The Innovation Lab teachers love reading! We will join you in reading the summer reading, and we can’t wait to find out what you think!

All Innovation Lab students will read two books for summer reading – one assigned grade level text listed below and a self-selected text. For your free choice, we recommend choosing from past Greenwich Reads Together books or from a list of age-appropriate, award-winning books. ( Questions? Contact courtney_hawes@greenwich.k12.ct.us)

InLab Freshmen: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

InLab 113A Of Mice and Men and Code Girls by Liza Mundy

InLab Sophomores: Code Girls by Liza Mundy (2018  Greenwich Reads Together Selection)

InLab Juniors: Code Girls by Liza Mundy (2018  Greenwich Reads Together Selection)

InLab Seniors: follow the summer reading directions for AP or Shapers or for the wider GHS.

Read widely. Read well. Enjoy!

You must take notes on both books. The notes should help you remember your books so that you can successfully write about and discuss them when school begins.  They must be your own notes, not printed information from the Internet.

→ Your notes should include:

• Book title & author
• Identification of a few significant characters and traits
• 3- 5 significant quotations from throughout the book (include page numbers)
• A reflective paragraph analyzing what the book means to you with 3+ specific text references

Need inspiration? Here are some suggestions…

Check out these possible selection sources:

• http://www.greenwichlibrary.org/Teens/ReadThis.aspx

• http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/alex

• http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_Century

• http://www.npr.org/series/you-must-read-this

• Read Alike Lists:  http://atn-reading-lists.wikispaces.com/Read+Alikes

• Or consider InLab teacher, Mr. Belanger’s,  YA novel: The History of Jane Doe

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On the heels of an exciting and professional exhibition at the Bruce Museum in February, InLab students worked hard to prepare their National History Day work for a Parent Showcase on March 15th in the GHS Media Center, and half of the juniors and sophomores elected to compete in the Fairfield County Regional NHD competition on Saturday, March 17th. There were even four seniors who elected to compete independently of their classes!

This year’s theme, Conflict and Compromise in History, afforded students many creative avenues of exploration. Students are allowed to choose the format for presenting their research–documentary, exhibit, website, performance or paper–and we had nearly every style represented.

We are thrilled to share that Innovation Lab swept the group performance category with first, second, and third place honorees! We are equally proud that our students placed first in individual performance, second in group exhibit, and third in individual documentary! All of our students shared their work and participated in a rigorous interview about their scholarship and creative choices. Congratulations to all of our competitors who spent the better part of a Saturday at Sacred Heart University showcasing their work!

Regional Competitors:

“The Real Cost of Nuclear Energy” A documentary by Charles Achoa, Julian Ribushofski, Tyler Rozmus

“The Forgotten Inferno: The UpStairs Lounge 1973”  An exhibit by Lucas Brien, Aditya Malhotra, Evan Pey, Isabella Sampedro

“Making W.A.V.E.S in World War II” An exhibit by Alexandra Cid, Ridge Muskus, Jessica Neri, Jessica Toscano

“The NACGN and ANA Merger: Conflict and Compromise” A documentary by Kathryn Papas

“The 38th Parallel in Cold War Korea”  An exhibit by Mark Lorenz and James Mair

“Conflict in the Vietnam War, Compromise in Humanity” An exhibit by Iven Zegers and Will Taki

“The Battle Without Guns: The Story of the Miracle on Ice” An exhibit by Max Leite and Preston Bitteker

“The Columbine Shooting: Conflict and Compromise Over Gun Control” An exhibit by Kaija Tschakert

“Did Cold War Technology Help or Hurt the World?” An exhibit by Daniel Thivierge

Regional Winners:

3rd Place Individual Documentary: “The Space Race: How Conflict on Earth Compromised the Dominion of Space” by Liam Brinton

2nd Place Group Exhibition: “Greenwich Women Face the Great War” by Sophia Fernandez & Sydney Harris

1st Place Group Performance: “Barbara McClintock: Jumping Over Conflict and Creating Compromise to Expand the Knowledge of the Genome” by Flora Dieveich, Sofia Dodaro, Katherine Hurst, Nicole Wood

2nd Place Group Performance: “Society’s Compromise is a Whole New Crime: The Rape of Recy Taylor” by Sophie Anderlind, Jody Bell, Nina Hirai

3rd Place Group Performance: “The Questions We Didn’t Ask, The Stories They Didn’t Tell: How Equality and Identity Were Compromised Under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Ari Ceppi & Gracie McCooe

1st Place Individual Performance: “The Pentagon Papers: An Inner Conflict, An External Compromise in American Values” by Emma Olmsted

James Flynn (right top) and Ted “The Man” Gilman (left top) from the Greenwich Audubon Society explain the different invertebrates the students will encounter in the river. 

A week and a half ago, the sophomore STEM class was knee-deep in data collection. Literally. We were all standing in the middle of the Mianus river looking for invertebrates to help measure the health of the Mianus River watershed area. The students had this opportunity to work with the Greenwich Audubon Society and contribute to the data records that the Audubon has been tracking over the years. This past week they have been working full tilt on a series of environmental issues projects where they are tracking small scale models of major global issues. Oceanic Garbage Patches, global climate change with polar ice melting, oil spills, and eutrophication to name a few.

Testing the effects of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere on ice melting. measuring temperature, relative humidity, oxygen and carbon dioxide levels.

Their math content has been focused on statistical analysis of data set and determining trends in the patterns of data using the mathematical functions the patterns look like. The students are in the midst of collecting the data to interpret those trends and come up with their interpretations of that data. The project set up has been challenging as students and their teachers have been scrambling to find the materials to put everything together.  We have plastics sitting in sea water, algae blooming in a pond water tank, oils spills in several containers, planter boxes and pots with fertilizers and plants set up to measure water runoff, and a sealed chamber with carbon dioxide periodically pumped in to measure ice melt rates. We are using a variety of probes that can measure several different ion concentrations in different substances, dissolved oxygen, soil moisture, atmospheric oxygen and carbon dioxide, pH, turbidity and even this temperature thing. The students have been evaluating this data in several setups and looking at their impacts. Hopefully they can draw some good conclusions, suggest further areas of research, or maybe even hint at solutions. Who knows? Its just exciting to see them working so hard on these ideas, and I am looking forward to them to be able to present their results to not only their junior peers who conducted similar research the year before, but also get feedback from professionals, that can help to direct them to refine their projects. I’m just hoping the ocean acidification project doesn’t accidentally delete the data from their seven day long test. I’m pretty sure they learned their lesson after a three day control test data set went missing. Fingers crossed!

“You joined InLab? How is that?”

This is what I hear from students, teachers, and members of the community when I mention my new role in Innovation Lab. “Do you like it?” “What makes it any different from the other classes you teach?” “What are you actually doing down there?” So, for my first blog post, I thought it might be useful to reflect on my short experience as a new teacher in Innovation Lab.

Riding the local bus. Our first field trip together. 

Officially I’m here to be a Humanities teacher, or perhaps facilitator is a better term. I’m partnered with Mike Belanger, and together we lead a double block that aims to pull our English and history content together through long-term, high stakes projects. To execute the projects well, the students must acquire, synthesize and apply their understanding of skills and content. We can differentiate with students to make their knowledge acquisition process most appropriate for their level of interest and ability. We can provide individualized support as they synthesize and evaluate what they have found. And we can question them appropriately to help them apply and express their understanding.

But what I’m really doing is learning, and it’s difficult. I am struggling to learn to let go and let the students make mistakes. Basically, for now, I fail in letting them fail. Intellectually I know that we learn from failure. Most would agree with the prevailing pedagogies that tell us that letting students fail is good practice. They’ll develop grit, they’ll get real-world experience. But how often do we feel that we have the time to let failure happen? What does it feel like to fail during an observation, or when you have a summative assessment coming up? To me, failure has always felt like a great concept, but not a realistic option in my classroom. Now, in InLab, I’m learning through my students, my colleagues and my own missteps that it is possible. InLab provides us with the space, the flexibility, and the mindset, to fail and to fail well.  I’m not comfortable with it, yet, but I’m learning quickly!

And that’s the thing. I’m learning as much as my students are. This is a new kind of learning curve. It’s not just the content; I have to make a serious shift in my habits and teaching methods. One of the best things about this situation is that because how we learn is such an integral and transparent part of the InLab philosophy, my students are one of my greatest resources. One student gets distracted from her work by articles about 21st-century learning, and another is willing to brainstorm new grading systems. We collaborate to find the best ways to learn.

Preparing for our Greenwich Issues and Interviews field trip with Greenwich Oral History Project sources. 

Early in the year, our class went to Greenwich Avenue to interview experts on local issues. We had some incredible successes that day. Students interviewed the head of the Conservation Commission, the First Selectman, a local attorney, and a small business owner. We also had some groups who left empty-handed. In the end, they all understood why their days had worked, or not worked, for them. With this knowledge, they enter the interview portion of their current documentary project better prepared.

As we head towards the end of our first quarter, our tenth graders are in production mode on short documentary films that use their understanding of the Progressive Era, social issues, argumentation, storytelling, and persuasion to identify, research, and identify solutions for modern local issues. There are hours of conferencing and guidance, and hours of letting go. In a week they’ll be editing, and soon after they’ll screen their rough cuts in class. It’s hard to say what the results will be. I expect some will be successful, and others will not. But I know that the students will take what they learn from this experience, and apply it to the next project. I know that they will be able to assess their growth and learning, and that they’ll be able to set goals for their next project.

Emma Olmstead with Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei

So, to answer your questions: How is InLab? It’s difficult, it’s engaging, it’s different, and it’s the same. Do you like it? I love it. What makes it any different from the other classes you teach? I have more flexibility, more permission to explore and make mistakes, and more time with each of my students. I’m in front of the room less, but at the table with students much more. I don’t have more time or less work but my practices have changed. What are you actually doing down there? Much of what my creative fellow teachers already do outside of InLab, but with the environment that allows us to take it even further. We encourage our students to drive their own learning, to express their learning in complex and meaningful ways, to focus on growth, and to find success in failure.

We are excited to share that we have expanded our physical space and our teaching staff! InLab has two new Cantor rooms, 516 and 520, a rehabilitated outdoor courtyard, and five additional faculty members.

Joining the 10th grade team of Michael Belanger (History/Design Studio) and Dana Schlosser (Chemistry/Design Studio) are Jessica von Brachel (English/Design Studio) and Lauren Moskovitz (Math).

Joining the 11th grade team of Christina Shaw (History/Program Associate), Courtney Hawes (English/Design Studio), and Brian Walach (Math/Design Studio) is Ben Gawle (Physics).

Founding teachers of the 12th grade team of Ric Felten (Science Research) and Joe Baske (Social Science Research) are supported by Design Studio 12 teachers, Courtney Hawes and Mike Belanger.

Learn more about our new teachers below!

Jessica von Brachel        English 10 Humanities 

Before I found my way into the best job I’ve ever held, I worked in a variety of fields in which the power of language and storytelling drove my work. What I lacked was a sense of community. Recognizing what I enjoyed doing and what I wanted to add to it led me, finally, to teaching high school English. Here at GHS I’ve had the opportunity to teach ninth grade English, Short Fiction, Film as Literature, and AP Language and Composition. It has been the most challenging and fulfilling work of my life. I am thrilled to be joining Innovation Lab as a partner with Mr. Belanger in Humanities.  I look forward to sharing my love of language, storytelling, and community with the sophomore class and to hearing what it is that drives and excites them. I look forward to finding meaning in our learning and to sharing our discoveries with the world outside of the classroom.

Lauren Moskovitz        Math 10 STEM

I am super excited to join the Innovation Lab Team this coming 2017 – 18 school year.  I have been teaching mathematics at GHS for 14 years.  Over these years, I have been a part of several houses working with a diverse and talented team of teachers.  I have always strongly believed, from the very beginning days of my teaching career, that math and science shouldn’t be taught in isolation.  Without math how would we communicate the wonders of science?  Without science how would we continue to push the limits of mathematics?  STEM education connects our students’ worlds to their learning, which ultimately fosters deeper understandings.  This strong connection breeds ingenuity.  I am inspired to have this tremendous opportunity to collaborate with the Innovation Lab Team to bring science and math alive to my students.

Ben Gawle        Physics 11 STEM

When I graduated from Greenwich High School in 2005 I would not have believed I’d be returning to teach physics within the next decade (and neither would my physics teachers). I graduated from UConn with a degree in civil engineering, and after earning my certification, I went on to work at a small structural and forensic engineering firm in the city. Though climbing skyscrapers was fun, my real passion has always been for teaching and learning about science! I come from a family of mostly Connecticut teachers, so I guess you could say it’s in my blood.
While working at schools in New Canaan, I earned a Masters in physics education, and eventually returned home to Greenwich High School in 2016. It has been (and will continue to be) a great pleasure working with the team of professionals in the GHS Science Department, but I am also tremendously glad for this opportunity to branch out to the Innovation Lab next year! I look forward to exploring new ideas and inventing new ways to communicate my passion for science to InLab students this year and hopefully for many years to come.

Joseph Baske        Social Science Research 12

I’m so excited to have the opportunity to help guide the InLab seniors in their social science research class this coming year. In my 20+ years at GHS, I’ve taught everything from AP Euro and US history to Economics to ESL freshmen but always with an emphasis on project-based learning. I believe if my students leave with more questions than answers, I’ve done my job.

Outside the classroom, I passionately play and follow basketball, read history, and love to learn with my wonderful family who are all in the Greenwich schools.

My Favorites:

• movies: Usual Suspects, Lego Movie
• songs:  Dance Off, and Stop the World & Melt with You
• books: Infinite Jest, Cultural Amnesia, Thinking Fast Thinking Slow, and From Dawn to Decadence
• basketball moves: The Dirk and the Up & Under
• food: steak and anything free or eaten with good friends tends to be delicious

I look forward to teaching and learning with InLab for many years to come.

Ric Felten        Science Research 12

I have a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from SUNY at Buffalo and a master’s degree in chemistry from Saint Joseph College.  After ten years as a senior methods development industrial chemist, I founded a laboratory specializing in scanning electron microscopy as well as x-ray and infrared spectroscopy.  I have taught chemistry and physics for the past ten years, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to apply my past experiences to the senior research being performed in the Innovation Lab.