The end of the school year and an express train filled with events, final exams, feasts, pageants, displays, presentations, performances, ceremonies, farewells and of course graduation commencement. Read more about graduation from The Poughkeepsie Journal I took this unofficial picture of the graduating class at the outdoor adventure trip last September.
Graduation was on Wednesday and all the students were gone by the end of the day. And then the rains came and the leaks in Gilkeson began. An investigation of the roof indicated raccoon damage – teeth and claw marks. All fixed now. These pictures are of a raccoon on the Kenyon House roof this spring. Steve Mallet to the…
Nice article about two PDS students in the Poughkeepsie Journal Students to study theater at Powerhouse Hannah and Wiley, rising seniors, have been selected to participate in the Powerhouse apprentice training program at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie this summer. Read more Wylie and Hannah were seen recently in American Life in the James Earl Jones Theater at PDS For information,…
…you don’t have to be a scientist for science to be transformative… Some years ago I had the pleasure of hearing Brian Greene explain string theory to a group at an NAIS national conference in Boston. His audience comprised a majority of non scientists and he made his work in theoretical physics both fascinating and accessible. Here he is on…
This was the culmination of a year long study, investigation and exploration of the life and history of the Hudson River. This first and second grade presented their work with a puppet show that had it all – river creatures great and small, river people famous and unknown – birds, fish, ice-boats, the lighthouse, tugs, PCBs, pirates and singing with…
It’s testing season and here’s a timely reminder that traditional testing for ability is not the last word in thinking about what makes for success. This is from a May edition of Education Week Robert J. Sternberg often writes about a lecture-style psychology course he took as a college freshman in which he got a C. “There is a famous…
The maple wood blocks . . . are in my fingers to this day. – Frank Lloyd Wright I have recently rekindled my interest in the work of Friedrich Froebel – the educational pioneer often recognized as the inventor/ creator of the kindergarten. One aspect of this story is the connection between the toys, blocks and shapes that were commonly…
It was part of a math number and counting project and then both kindergarten classes brought in their personal collections to share. Glass beads, shells, coins, cards, model cars, photos of India, quarters and stamps. And the stamps included this one honoring the teachers of America issued on July 1st 1957. I had this one in my childhood collection too.…
The effort effect on display at Buttercup Farm Nature Reserve, near Poughkeepsie. See below for a photo of the dam. Intelligence is not fixed. It is it is learnable and teachable. It can be changed. The way we approach learning and thinking makes all the difference. It is our ‘mindset” that keeps us back. If we believe, and if we…
Seeing red, going green, in a purple haze , once in a blue moon. Pictures from the first and second grade.
The final project for the eleventh grade drama class was the stage presentation- directed by Laura Hicks – of American Life – scenes from the plays of David Auburn, Eugene O’Neill, Jane Martin and Wendy Wasserstein.
The pH rises and the bubbles stream out; pop, From the misty stream. The water running and the fish swimming wildly from the broken dam A single river peacefully and calmly Over the rock’s rage Bubbling test tubes Images of science class A beautiful sight! Elements make up Things around the universe They are what makes us ! Water is…
We don’t own the words of course, but it was fun to come across these words from the PDS mission statement: Poughkeepsie Day School graduates students who: Possess a rich academic knowledge base and know how to think as creative, flexible, independent, resourceful learners for life Are intellectually curious, active seekers, users and creators of knowledge echoed in the words…
It was standing room only at Radio City for Sir Ken Robinson’s keynote speech at the NAIS annual conference last week. I’ve written before (here) about his TEDTalks address on Creativity and Education that went viral in 2006. His book Out of our Minds: Learning to be Creative is a great read. What a treat, then, to hear his latest…
A day of ice pellets and time to catch up a little. And it’s been a busy season as usual. The annual Peacemaker’s assembly was a really terrific event. Planned by the high school students in Bernadette’s Civil Rights elective it was an inclusive, moving, joyful multi-media event. All grades participated. Here are a few pictures to capture a little…