CROSS-CURRICULUM CREATIVITY
Yi Han was featured drawing Chinese characters in Aidan Suttlehan ’ 17 ’ s music video for “ Sync .”
IT IS ALL ABOUT CREATING , SO THE BIGGEST THING IS FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO TAKE WHAT THEY ’ VE LEARNED IN THIS CLASS AND CONNECT IT TO SOMETHING IN THEIR REAL LIFE .”
– Dylan LaGamma ’ 09 , Incoming Chairperson of the Visual and Performing Arts department
“ It ’ s sort of like inter-departmental learning ,” LaGamma said . “ It is all about creating , so the biggest thing is for them to be able to take what they ’ ve learned in this class and connect it to something in their real life ,” he continued .
AP Chinese , another challenging class , also has a way of crossing over with other curricula . The small class size has its benefits as students receive one-on-one attention in which they are able to get instant feedback from their teacher .
Interestingly , one of the course requirements is four years of Chinese language but the AP course has only been available at Fordham Prep for three years .
“ The students really work very hard to prepare for the course . I usually give them work in the summer , and last year I even scheduled a few meetings throughout the summer to give them some help and support while they ’ re getting ready for the class ,” said Chinese language teacher Yi Han . One of her students who had never taken a Chinese course before studied all summer with a private tutor to catch up to the AP level so he could take the class .
One would not immediately equate an advanced Chinese language course with an art course , but Han notes that the AP Chinese exam does require students to learn about traditional art forms in comparison to Western art .
“ We talk about art a lot ,” she stated . “ We compare contemporary and traditional art and we also explore opera . Last year , we did a project about different cultures and their traditional clothing , cultural masks and face paint , and different meanings of colors in different countries . In one of my student ’ s projects , they said that ‘ EDM culture is the color of music ’,” she added .
One of her former students , Aidan Suttlehan ’ 17 , was inspired by the characters he learned to draw in class and asked Ms . Han to help him with a music video for his song ” Sync .” In it , she is featured in first-person view drawing Chinese calligraphy with watercolor on pages in a book while standing on a street corner in Chinatown .
“ I might have encouraged him ,” Ms . Han laughs . “ We have very creative students who have various talents . I think as a teacher , my role is to do my best to support them so they can achieve their dreams ,” she added .
In September 2022 , the Prep will offer a new AP Environmental Science course taught by science teacher Analisa Blanco . She is a bit nervous about her new course but is ultimately excited for students to learn about the ways in which they can positively make an impact on the planet . Her plan for the class includes hands-on projects and labs in an inquiry-based setting . Blanco ’ s goal is to help students see science as a “ creative endeavor .”
“ I feel like this is real world for them being that this is environmental science ,” she said . “ Yes , it is looking at some of the molecular or cellular basis of certain things , but most of it is really looking at the Earth as a big picture . It ’ s looking at our planet as a biosphere and how we might have an impact in order to protect it as well as what we can do to stop some of those negative impacts . So I think it ’ s very applicable to their world , and frankly , I don ’ t think they realize how much impact they do have being young men ,” she continued .
Blanco intends to use her nervous energy to be open to growth . She hopes that the students will see her efforts and transparency as a way to help make the new class a learning experience on both ends of the spectrum .
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I DON ’ T THINK THEY REALIZE HOW MUCH IMPACT THEY DO HAVE BEING YOUNG MEN .”
– Analisa Blanco , science teacher
SUMMER 2022 VOLUME 42 , ISSUE 3
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