A NEW DAY DAWNS - Boston Latin School

BreviA
bls partnership program
10 Bulletin fall 2007
Art Smarts
imagine having an entire museum to
yourself. No waiting in line, no packed
exhibition rooms. eighth graders in the
BLS Connections Program don’t have to
imagine, thanks to a partnership the school
has had with the isabella Stewart Gardner
Museum for more than a dozen years led by former
Assistant head Master/Program Director Ruthann Russell and
now coordinated by Assistant head Master Sherry Lewis-daPonte
’88. What started out as an informal connection—classes going
on occasional tours—has turned into a formal one with the
museum’s School Partnership Program that includes exclusive
access to the museum during off hours.
“The majority of student visits take place early in the morning,
before the museum is open, without the distraction of other
visitors,” says Michelle Grohe, the museum’s director of school
and teacher programs. She says this luxury is more than just a
nice perk, however. it’s a critical part of the learning experience.
“There’s something to be said for just sitting on the floor and
looking at something for 20 or 30 minutes. it’s a great opportunity
for students to slow down,” she says. “They don’t need to rush.
Looking takes time.”
in fact, learning how to look is one of the program’s main goals.
BLS teachers meet each summer with the museum’s education
staff to brainstorm ways to weave what’s available at the museum
into the Connections interdisciplinary curriculum, which includes,
among other subjects, U.S. history, Latin and visual arts. once
the school year begins, students regularly explore the museum,
work with the artists-in-residence and analyze objects and
paintings. Students express their findings through discussions,
writings and art making. each student is also given a free
membership for the year to visit the museum with family and
friends.
Grohe says that rather than “telling” students what they should
know about art, the idea behind the program is for a student to
look at a piece of art—Botticelli’s Lucretia, for example—and ask
his or her own questions. “This approach, called visual thinking
strategies, allows students to create their own meaning,” she
says.
“Never before have i been asked to analyze a picture on the
computer and then later visit it,” says Megan Duckworth, a
student who had never been to the Gardner before joining the
Connections Program. “Projects, like the Lucretia project, are
fuller with more life in them. i will remember visiting the museum
to see Botticelli’s work and other pieces of art because i actually
saw them in person, and not just a copy of them.”
eureka!
if you’re thinking about a future career in science, what could be
better than sitting side-by-side a professional scientist every week
for a few hours, working together on a project?
That’s what students in the Science Project Mentor Program
experience. Created as a way to help students take a look at
science as a possible career path, the program partners students
with a local scientist to work for 10 weeks on a project.
“Students who participate in the program are interested in
science, but they have a limited knowledge of technology and real
life applications,” explains Science Program Director Kathleen
(Rama) Bateman ’93. “Throughout the 10 weeks, the students
are encouraged by their mentors to explore all of their ideas
and use the most current technology to create experiments that
generate meaningful results.”
Newly appointed Assistant head Master Alexandra Montes
McNeil P’10, a former physics teacher and program director
who founded the partnership, says, “even if they don’t go on to
become scientists, they have more of an appreciation of science
and what scientists are about.”
What’s unique about the program is that although students often
do work offsite in real labs, they don’t help scientists with their
existing research—the students design projects of their own and
all are entered in the school’s annual Science Fair in February.
“We have students building robots that will deliver medication
to patients’ bedsides and other students determining if the
materials in our reusable water bottles are affecting our bodies as
environmental estrogens,” says Bateman. “it gives them a chance
to meet working scientists and see what they’re really like.”
Currently, about half of the mentors come from harvard’s
Longwood campus, says Meg Andrews, a harvard doctoral
student who focuses on mentor recruiting. A quarter are staff
scientists from Merck, which is located across the street from
Latin School. The remainder are from Tufts Medical School.
Karina Meiri P’06, ’10, an
independent scientist who
has been running the
program with Montes
McNeil, Bateman and
Andrews, says being
with real scientists
makes learning
more intriguing for
students.