STEAM Rising By Julie Fisher, Chair, Fine Arts Department
When the morning sun heats the air above a cool body of water, air condenses, steam rises. This fascinating phenomenon is scientific and picturesque all at once. It satisfies both halves of the brain; the left side being the logic center, and the right side ruling emotions. Life experiences represent interactions between both spheres. Multiple perspectives lead to deeper and broader understandings. This is why educators at Foxcroft strive to offer a more enlightening, holistic approach to learning. Walking students across the bridges that separate academic disciplines enables them to confront and overcome the complexities of their individual worlds. Great scholars and inventors alike bridge their technical expertise and analytical thinking with their creative powers and imagination. Leonardo da Vinci said, “To develop a complete mind: Study the science of art. Develop your senses — especially learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.” Art and science share a sense of discovery and experimentation that render them inextricably linked. The importance of connections among science, technology, engineering, and math have already been recognized at Foxcroft, most notably in the formation of the STEM Department. Now, with the additional alliance of the arts, STEAM is forming. This change in the
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Designing Women Julie Fisher, Chair of the Fine Arts Department, works with Aglaé Hunter ’20 in the Innovation Lab’s digital art studio.
atmosphere is evident in our new learning spaces, teaching practices, course offerings, and after-school programming.
Additional collaborations continue to
The opening of (The Innovation Lab at Foxcroft School TIL@FXC) has played an enormous role in this shift to more integrated learning. A Digital Design and Fabrication class was added. The former STEM Tech course has been revamped and reintroduced as STEAM Technology with a STEM and an art teacher partnering to deliver instruction. The renovation of Schoolhouse will be pivotal in continuing our efforts to bridge disciplines. Our future makerspace will be the creative hub for interdisciplinary activity across the entire school.
during our Festival of Arts. In April, Helen
solidify our initiatives in STEAM. A Science Photography contest is a recurring exhibit Cudahy Niblack ’42 Arts Series lecturer, Mo Regulinski, inspired us with her wearable art creations designed with a focus on medicine and healing. The student-led STEAM Club held a Coding Art workshop for students — largely because of piqued interest in our computer science program — and during Admission Open Houses, our students guide visitors through laser cutting, t-shirt making, and drone flying. It is this blend of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics — and what it brings across the spectrum of academic, professional, and personal endeavors — that will inform the course we chart as we move forward and allow the
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STEAM to rise.