Loose Leaf Notes

– The following also appeared in The Floyd Press newspaper.    

Taste test surveys and interviews were conducted, data was collected and analyzed, signs like “There is no Planet B” were painted and clown face paint was donned in preparation for Springhouse Community School’s (SHCS) first Project Presentation November 6th at the Floyd EcoVillage.   

Ten students gave mid-semester presentations using power point, prezi software, lecture and videography.  One student exhibited a display of art and writings on dream analysis. The 2 ½ hour program was attended by family and community members and included an intermission with refreshments.

Presentation subjects included the history of clowning, how the media affects body image, teen mental health and how music affects emotions.  Noah Hairfield demonstrated power poses that boost energy during a presentation on body language in which the audience learned that only 20% of communication is done with words.

Three students reported and presented a photo journal slide-show on their experiences in New York at the Climate Change march, where 400,000 people were said to have marched.  Another student’s pastry baking project was introduced by student advisor Ezkeil Fugate as “the chemistry, history and art of the crème puff.”

Most students sought out mentors relevant to their presentation subject matter to work with.  Andrew Finn skyped with a music therapist from Radford University for his presentation on how music affects emotions and health.  He shared a video of a despondent man with dementia and the man’s dramatic lucid reaction after listening to the music of his generation on an iPod.

There were a couple of humorous disclaimers.  “Don’t get all your information from a 13 year old girl who did a research project.  Educate yourself,” Yeshe Cooley told the audience at the close of her presentation on Teen Mental Health.   Maren Weber began her presentation on the history of clowning with a warning to people with “coulrophobia” (fear of clowns) to consider leaving the room.

SHCS is a project based learning environment that serves students in grades 7 – 12.  “The project presentations develop and demonstrate student learning in critical thinking, research and public speaking,” said student advisor Joe Klein.

Student advisor Jenny Finn remarked that the presentations were more dynamic because the students chose project topics that they were passionate about. “When it’s relevant to them, they are more engaged.  The audience was more engaged because the students were more engaged,” she said.

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