PROJECT W EE K 2020 :
Exploring Greater Boston
(AND THE KNOWN UNIVERSE)
By Jack Stedman
W
hether they’re working at a chocolate factory or the State House, an antique instrument shop, or an astrophysics lab, Commonwealth students use the school’s annual Project Week to engage in work they find meaningful in highly individualized ways. Luckily, this year’s Project Week—held about a month and a half before the pandemic shuttered most businesses—was no different.
Somerville Chocolate
H
annah Jenkins ’22 was distracted by chocolate
in chemistry class. But she wasn’t daydreaming about lunch; she was thinking about how crystal structures form. A few weeks prior, she had spent her Project Week at Somerville Chocolate, a small-batch chocolate shop. There, she learned the art and science of tempering, or the heating and cooling of chocolate to specific temperatures to ensure a smooth and consistent crystal structure. Hannah now has a wealth of knowledge on the chocolate-making process: she can tell you all about sustainable sourcing, roasting beans, and the arduous task of wrapping individual bars. She can also tell you about running a small business and how much creativity, flexibility, and labor is involved in that venture. Somerville Chocolate is located in a communal space shared by the hip Aeronaut Brewing Company and other vendors. As Hannah stepped out of the Commonwealth classroom and into this business playground, she found a robust environment of collaboration. On a typical day, she might meet the person who hand-paints signs for the brewery, chat with the man who rents shop space to make cacao-based health foods, or observe someone who runs community meetings in the taproom space. While homework may seem like the most laborious task a tenth grader can think of, Hannah has seen the trials and tribulations of self-employment. One key takeaway: the ability to multitask, like checking emails in between stirs while refining a chocolate batch. If you stop by Somerville Chocolate, you can experience this creative space for yourself. And you can try Hannah’s favorite, the Hawaiian dark chocolate.
20 CM Summer 2020
Hannah Jenkins ‘22 (left) with Eric Parkes, owner of Somerville Chocolate
