Dear Readers,
Welcome to the third issue of The Lab School: A Journal of Insight and Inquiry from Campus School of Smith College. From our desk at Campus School, we have watched the semester unfold in bursts: third graders walked past in their raincoats, single-file, on their way to the Art Museum; sixth graders returned from Nature’s Classroom with smiles on their faces; the voices of new student teachers filled our halls. Afternoons were punctuated with children’s voices singing “This Little Light Of Mine” over music teacher Cindy Naughton’s piano-playing, and with giggles and whistle-blows spilling out from gym class.
Amid the sounds of the semester, we were reminded of the school traditions that 2016 alumna Saenger Breen highlighted in her autumn Open House speech, featured in this issue of the journal– those threads that tie current Campus Schoolers to classes past and future. From the “brain-attic” of our library, to the flora of our Botanic Gardens, this issue comprises five new stories about life and learning at Campus School. We invite you to explore them, and wish you a wonderful Winter Break ahead.
Sincerely,
Brittany Collins ’08
Rosetta Marantz Cohen, Professor of Education & Child Study
Sam Intrator, Professor of Education & Child Study
Co-founders of The Lab School journal
Smith College Botanic Gardens as Campus School Classrooms - “I love being a kind of Willy Wonka of plants, saying ‘welcome to my magical world of dirt and leaves and tactile, experiential learning,’” shared Gaby Immerman, landscape and education specialist at… ... Continue Reading
“Mirrors and Windows”: An Overview of Campus School Library Curricula - A quirky quote from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes series, reads: “a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with… ... Continue Reading
Inquiry, Inc. Comes to Campus School: Student Teachers, Student Researchers, and STE(A)M at Smith - “Paradise Pond wouldn’t be so paradisey if all of the trash went into it!” an eager third grader exclaimed on a warm October morning. Circled on the carpet in Jan Szymaszek’s classroom,… ... Continue Reading
Q&A with Best-Selling Author Jenn duBois ’96 - Jennifer duBois ‘96 is the author of A Partial History of Lost Causes, which won a California Book Award for Fiction, a Northern California Book Award for First Fiction, and was a… ... Continue Reading
Brittany Collins ’08 & Saenger Breen ’16: Fall 2018 Open House Speeches - On November 3rd, 2018, prospective Campus School parents joined Head of School Chris Marblo, Director of Admissions Maureen Litwin, Campus School teachers and alums for the Fall 2018 Campus School Open House.… ... Continue Reading