Our Wildwood, Volume 51

GOOD TO KNOW Useful information about and for us

Into the Wild Night Showcases Eighth Graders Global Citizenship and Design Thinking “What is one way that I can impact social, economic, and/or environmental justice issues as a global citizen?” That’s the question 8th grade students asked of themselves as they embarked on Into the Wild, a capstone humanities project that engages them in active and thoughtful inquiry on what it means to be a global citizen. While the resulting projects are as diverse and varied as the students that create them, they all have one thing in common: all Into the Wild projects must connect to at least one of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as “No Poverty,” “No Hunger,” or “Affordable and Clean Energy.” According to Humanities teacher Alex Cussen, the process students undergo through Into the Wild is just as important as the final project. Students move through important key strategies while incorporating Design

Thinking steps (Prepare, Pitch, Perceive, Prototype, Produce, and Present) as they narrow their focus and arrive at their final destination—presenting their projects to family, friends, and teachers at Into the Wild Night. “Into the Wild is really meant to hone student skills in time management, giving and receiving feedback, reflecting on challenges, and adjusting their next steps,” Alex said. “All of these milestones help students build on successes and failures as they begin to see themselves as citizens seeking change.” Most projects take the final form of either an educational or social action campaign, meant to teach real audiences about a specific U.N. SDG goal and how to address it, or an invention or product aimed at tackling one of the SDGs head on. Some of this year’s student projects included a “Get Well Bear,” a stuffed animal with crucial first aid essentials stuffed inside for easy child access, a website with 3D renderings of tiny homes to help combat L.A.’s homelessness crisis, and a filtering device for removing trash from L.A. waterways. “Eighth grade is a time when students are becoming themselves and discovering their own agency and ability to change the world,” said Humanities teacher Sam Lyons. “Into the Wild Night is a celebration of all their hard work they’ve accomplished on their path toward becoming the reflective scholars, bold innovators, and compassionate leaders reflected in Wildwood’s mission.”

Henry C.-P. ‘28 brings his idea for affordable and clean energy (UN

Sustainable Development Goal #17) to light—literally!

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