FlexFriday

At last week’s special multi-campus FlexFriday event, FlexSchool students crafted handmade messages of kindness and support, and attached the notes to warm blankets to be distributed to individuals experiencing homelessness. Then they were treated to a live Q&A with Mike and Nick Fiorito, founders of the charity Blankets of Hope. Students shared some of their own charitable endeavors and were able to get advice from the experts on how to take it to the next level.

“Superposition is SO COOL!” This comment by a FlexSchool 5th grader was one of many enthusiastic chats, during a lively FlexFriday discussion with graduate student Felicity Hills about the limitations of our knowledge of physics. “Gravity is a good example. We have Newton’s laws and day to day, most of what we interact with can be described with Newton’s Laws. But for really large, black holes, Newton’s laws are no longer sufficient,” Felicity explained. “What we always do in physics is ask questions about things that sort of push on them: Why can’t we explain this? We want to add to the standard model. We do have a set of equations that explain the standard model, but we know those equations aren’t complete because there are things we can’t understand. We want to refine that and make a better theory.”

November is Native American Heritage Month, and in honor of this cultural celebration, Bronxville students traveled by bus to our Berkeley Heights campus to share a special FlexFriday event.

As we prepare for a special multi-campus event with the Red Hawk Native American Arts Council later this month, our respective campuses have been busy exploring different parts of Native American history and culture.

At FlexSchool, we love hands-on, project-based learning! This week, FlexSchoolers were challenged to transform math class into their own bubble factory. They applied their math skills to every stage – from calculating their daily output, to comparing shipping rates to making and testing a real bubble solution. Who knew math class could be so much fun?

Students from both FlexSchool campuses rolled up their sleeves for a FlexFriday volunteer day at the Pleasantville Community Garden, which grows fresh, nutritious food for donation to local food pantries – an important component of a crucial food supply that might otherwise only include nonperishable and canned foods.

FlexSchool students on both sides of the Hudson River enjoyed a crisp, sunny winter’s day in the outdoors this past FlexFriday.

FlexSchool students got to meet video game producer Steve Patterson on a recent FlexFriday virtual visit. Steve told the story of how he broke into the business, and shared his best tips for building a successful career in this exciting field!

Ever since cardboard entrepreneur Zachary Rotholz of Chairigami introduced FlexSchool kids to the art, science and business of cardboard carpentry in a hands-on workshop, our students have been busy designing and executing their own original creations for our Cardboard Box Challenge. Last week, the students exhibited their work in our Virtual Fair -- and Zachary even returned for the event, to see everyone’s finished products!

Meet our oldest FlexFriday visitor ever: Otzi – a 5,300-year-old mummy with a mysterious past. FlexSchool students got to meet Otzi and learn about DNA science on a virtual visit to Cold Spring Harbor Lab.

What do functioning gears, sturdy dorm furniture and a pair of goggles have in common? They can all be crafted out of cardboard! At a special all-campus event, The Cardboard Carpentry Workshop, FlexSchool students got a crash course in creative cardboard engineering and artistry from entrepreneur Zachary Rotholz -- and then got a chance to put their new skills into action.

In a thought-provoking FlexFriday event, the second of a special three-part series, FlexSchool students watched the conclusion of the important Netflix original docu-drama The Social Dilemma. They then acted as cultural ethnographers and journeyed into a guided intellectual discourse surrounding the history of digital media, as it relates to the film, and what it all might mean to us today. Students then created a special presentation to share what they learned with their younger classmates.

This afternoon, students in FlexSchool’s Build Your Own Alexa Skill class celebrated a big accomplishment: A skill they built together is now certified and published by Amazon!