Project Week 2015 Recap

Essential Questions for Project Week 2016

It's hard to believe, but we need to start planning for Project Week 2016! This year, we will begin all project proposals with just the Essential Question. This is the most important factor of each new project, and it will be used to develop all other aspects, such as location, cost, activities, and final products.

Essential Questions must meet the following criteria:

• Must be 1 sentence only.
• Must define the scope and purpose of the entire project.
• Must be academically rigorous.

While the emphasis will be on developing our off-campus offerings this Spring due to logistical planning, any and all projects may be proposed at this time, including on-campus projects. The Director of Experiential Learning will help each project leader, both students and faculty, to complete the Project Proposal Form after an Essential Question has been submitted for review.

Steps for completing the Project Proposal Process and important dates to remember are listed below:

1. Submit Essential Questions for all 2016 Off-Campus Projects to the Director of Experiential Learning by May 4, 2015.
2. Meet with the Director of Experiential Learning to revise Essential Questions and begin filling out the Project Proposal Form in May, 2015.
3. Submit a final Project Proposal Form for all 2016 Off-Campus Projects to the Director of Experiential Learning by May 23, 2015.
4. All off-campus project proposals will be reviewed by the Project Week Committee in June, 2015. At this point, off-campus projects may be approved, denied, or revised based on the Committee's review.
5. A Draft Project Guide of all approved projects to-date will be available at the start of the school year in September, 2015. 

*Inclusion in the Draft Project Guide does not guarantee that an off-campus project will occur. Projects will occur if there is enough student interest and if deposit deadlines are met.

Student Self-Assessment and Feedback Form

Dear Students,

I hope that Project Week 2015 was fun, educational, and life-changing for you. Please help us improve the program by taking a few moments to thoughtfully and honestly respond to the questions on the Student Self Assessment Form. Please be as detailed and as honest as possible.

Here are some incentives for you:

The first group to reach 100% participation on the assessment form will earn a pizza party from the Director of Experiential Learning.

Each student who fully completes the assessment will be entered into a drawing for gift cards worth up to $50.

Archery Day 5

"The history of the bow and arrow is the history of mankind."
-Fred Bear

"An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. When life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it's going to launch you into something great. So just focus, keep aiming." 

-Author unknown

Our last day on the range consisted of numerous competitions and a lot of shooting. Individual progress was easy to see, and the scores got better and better.

Ragged Mountain

Our final day of Project Week was spent at Ragged Mountain. We met with Bryan Harper who is the terrain park manager at Ragged. Bryan is in his first year in this position and has a progressive vision and solid work ethic. He explained to us his history/story about being in the snowboard industry.

Bryan started as a park ranger at Loon. Then he started driving the groomers at Waterville and coaching with the academy. Now he is the boss of the park at Ragged Mountain. In his first year in this position, Ragged has already started to receive much more attention compared to past years because of Bryan's promotion and hard work.

Our group went into the maintenance shop and Bryan showed us all the various tools he and his crew use on the job. He gave us a quick demo on welding, showed us the various steel he uses throughout the year, the paint he uses on the features, and the groomers used for shaping. Bryan is someone that followed his passion and made a life out of it.

The majority of the group took laps through the park and some of them even learned some new tricks. The members of the group not only progressed as skiers and riders, but also received an in depth look at the snow industry. Fred took one face plant, but besides that, it was a successful week!

 

 

 

Jay Peak: Day Two

With the smell of bacon and eggs adrift, the group rolled out of bed to find the temperature had seriously dropped over night and nearly six inches of fresh snow was on the ground. Some members had their first turns in the infamous Jay woods. We slashed through the new powder to find the snow underneath had hardened significantly over night. Fresh snow, cold temps, and sunny skies: winter ain't over yet!

Just prior to lunch our group met in a conference room in the Jay Hotel to discuss the history and operations at Jay Peak with their CEO, Bill Stenger. Bill explained to us how Jay Peak used to just be a recreational area that was then purchased from a lumber company. After slowly evolving into a ski mountain, Bill had a vision to create not just a ski mountain, but a resort destination. This was made possible through a government sponsored program created by George Bush Sr., commonly known as EB-5.

This is how the EB-5 program works. In order to stimulate the US economy, the government looked to international investors. If the investors are willing to contribute $500,000 to a project (such as Jay Peak) they get expedited visas for their family. This allows projects like Jay Peak to quickly raise capital and expand on projects like the waterpark, golf course, hockey rink, and slope-side condominiums.

Jay Peak is now a resort destination, with nearly a million visitors annually. Being so close to Canada has allowed Jay Peak to tap into both the New England and the Canadian markets. There are year round attractions at Jay Peak, the economy has been stimulated, but more importantly, the riding and skiing are still great.

Making A Glass Flower

Make a Heist Movie Behind the Scenes

Many thanks to Stang for creating this awesome behind the scenes slideshow!
It was a great week!

Vieques Final Day: A Trip Ends, But A Journey Begins

Project Week comes to an official end tomorrow because one week is seven days... not five. Although it is easier to stay a full week on an island in the tropics, that doesn't change the facts. And today didn't get any less interesting. It may have been one of the best. Kayaking and snorkeling made for a beautiful and vacation like experience...

However, this trip was not just a vacation, like most of you may be thinking. This trip, for us, was life changing. And we mean that. We have spent the whole week showing and telling you about the amazingly cool stuff we have done, but we haven't told you about the effect it has had. One cannot enjoy the true meaning of life without going outside their boundaries. 

Becoming a global citizen has made all of us better in unique ways; it has given us perspective, helped us make connections, and created shared experiences with friends that will last a lifetime. 

All of us learned that the most important thing in life, above all else, is passion. Everyone either is or has the ability to be passionate about something. What you decide to do with that is up to you. 

To quote our song of the trip, "I want you to know that it's our time." Our group, the students at New Hampton, the students here in Vieques, this generation, needs to wake up. We control what lies ahead and results will come sooner than we expect. And it doesn't take a trip to Vieques to realize that. It just takes hope. We would encourage everyone to not just get caught up in the things that society may want you to be, but rather get yourself caught up in what you want to be. 

Signing out from paradise. Have a good spring break everyone!

Food, Identity, Culture: Final Video by Carmela!

NHS Greenhouse Day 6 - Project Symposium

At the project symposium, students were able to share and teach skills that they learned through tout the week at the greenhouse.

The group set up, ready to teach.

Lala shows a student how to plant.

Igor demonstrates how to build a shelf.

A student investigates Makayla and Ivana's
worm habitat.

NHS Greenhouse Day 5 - The Greenhouse is a Classroom

Over the week, the greenhouse has transformed into not only a place to grow food and flowers, but more importantly, into a classroom. It was a classroom for the twelve students and two faculty who worked on the project. It is now a much more conducive space for teachers to use going forward as a lab and classroom.

There is ample shelving and storage space so that planting tables can actually be used for planting, and the greenhouse is now the permanent home to hundreds of composting worms.

 

There is now a drip irrigation system installed. This not only saves time for those watering plants, but it can be used to display engineering and design skills.

The greenhouse now has a flexible solar panal which will provide power to offset the need to plug into the grid. 

Hundreds of seedlings have been planted in a soil mixture researched and chosen to give them the best chance to survive and thrive.

Two faculty members had an opportunity to get outside, get their hands dirty, and most importantly, learn from these twelve awesome students.

 

Island of Capri

We woke up this morning to a beautiful sunny day! The Lemon and Orange trees in Sorrento were shining with the morning sun! After a brief breakfast, we all boarded the bus to the Sorrento Port! Our destination was the Island of Capri. We boarded the Jet Boat that was a one-way trip to Capri.

So there we are, waiting for the boat to arrive, watching everyone turn around and look at us to stare in amazement at how tall we are! Pictures were taken and excitement rushed through our bodies; for a brief moment we felt like what it must be like to be a celeb!

Finally, the boat arrived and we all boarded the jet. We sat patiently, ready to leave Sorrento. As we were leaving, the whole group was shocked at how big of a boat we were in and more importantly, how fast a boat like this can move!! The ride was amazing as we were flying across the Mediterranean Sea.

When we arrived in Capri, all of us got off the boat trying to imagine what would be waiting for us. I really wanted to learn the history behind the Island, and that is what I would learn almost instantly. We took a private boat across the outskirts of the Island. On this trip we got a first hand look at all the Grottos that exist along the outer walls of the Island. We also learned the history of Tiberius, who was a past Emperor of Rome. He was the only Emperor to live on the island as he was always in fear of someone trying to kill him. Legend has it that Tiberius would walk his women up to the edge of the beautiful cliffs under the notion of a romantic walk. Once there he would push them off! Apparently no one got the message and he did this for many years!

We also learned that there were a lot of natural arches and parts of the Island were actually sinking as the other side of the Island was lifting up (like a see-saw). After the private boat ride, our personal tour guide, Anthony, showed us around the beautiful island, from the expensive hotels (upwards of $3,000 U.S. dollars per night), clubs that cost around $100 dollars at the door to enter (Beyoncé frequents this place), beautiful gardens (with killer leaves), nice restaurants and a tram ride up to the city center. We took a bunch of pictures amongst ourselves.

After the quick little tour, we took the rest of the morning to shop eat and enjoy our friends. Looking back on our day I really appreciate the time we spent together because learning about the culture as a group can make us grow in so many ways. Ways that we will cherish forever.

Sorrento and the Beach!

MEALS

Today we had lunch in Pompeii; the two choices were pizza and pasta. The pizza is thicker than in Rome, it is called Neapolitan pizza. In Rome, the pizza is much thinner. One of the other things this region is known for is their lemons. Not only small lemons, but big lemons too! The lemons in this area can be as big Katie Tucker's head. Lemon ice drinks are common, and we had the opportunity to taste the common drink. Gelato is a nice sweet dessert that we all have had the opportunity to have almost every night! Tonight for dinner we had penne pasta with fried eggplant and mozzarella cheese. For dessert we had chocolate cream puffs.

The authentic Italian food here is different in many ways! For starters, the pasta is almost always cooked al dente, which is a little firm! The sauce also contains a bit more olive oil than the sauce we are used to, and the tomatoes give it a much sweeter taste! The food has been AMAZING!

ANCIENT CITY OF POMPEII

Our next stop on the way to Sorrento was the Ancient City of Pompeii. This city was destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. and was almost perfectly preserved under the lava rock. In 1860, the city was discovered by some archaeologists and has been made to look as it did in its hey day. 

At the time of the eruption there were 11,000 people in ancient Pompeii, only 2,000 bodies have been discovered though. Many of these bodies, including some pets, were mummified by the lava and were frozen in their form when they died. This amazing feat of nature really allowed us to imagine what was happening when the eruption hit. The ancient city of Pompeii originally had roofs and different stories on their houses but due to the volcanic ash it was mostly burnt down to just walls.

An amazing engineering display was the aqueduct system that allowed water to get to the entire city, much like a well for tap water used in houses today. Walking on the roads, ruts could be seen from the ancient carts that transported large amounts of goods throughout the city. We got to see the laundromat where slaves washed clothing with urine as well as the old world fast food stops complete with wine and other food items.

ARRIVAL TO SORRENTO AND BEACH EXCURSION

After we left Pompeii we took a relaxing drive to our new hotel, the Sisters Hostel, a new hostel in Sorrento that was a bit of an upgrade from our last hotel. The rooms were very big and the lobby is very pretty. After we settled into our rooms we took a relaxing break. Mr. Churchill, some of the group, and I decided to go to beach. We gathered in the lobby and marched single file along the road until we got to the side of the cliff and walked together down a zigzag patterned road to the beach. Once there, we decided to take our shoes off and walk in the warm black sand. 

We took a fair amount of artsy pictures on the rocks, did some yoga and watched Mr. Churchill take a polar plunge in the freezing cold water. While walking back from the beach, I made the naieve decision to walk barefoot in an attempt to save my white converse from discoloration. Katie and I arrived to the hotel and decided to wash our feet in the bidet, and blood started leaking from my foot. Long story short, my feet suffered a minor operation by Mr. Churchill. After a quick shower we went to dinner and had a classic Italian meal.

Thursday (Part Two): The Long Cold Night

After we summited our second peak, also with phenomenal views, we trucked down and made it to our campsite with the last light of the evening. We quickly packed down tent sites and built a kitchen, working together as the temperatures dropped quickly and the wind picked up. Our water bottles had all frozen on the hike and we were most concerned about getting more drinking water. First one stove then another stopped working, and those with water set about helping those without. It was too cold to risk waiting for dinner to cook, so we feasted on our snacks, trail mix, and one of the Summer Sausages Mr. Brummer had thought to pack in order to fuel up for the night.

While we waited for the water to heat up enough to sanitize, we kept our minds occupied with ghost stories and quoting Step Brothers. It's surprising how much time you can pass with those characters. This was by far the longest and toughest night and we were happy to see sunrise on Friday.

Thursday: Up to Mt. Willey and Mt. Field

Thursday dawned overcast and windy. We stared a little nervously at the sky while we made our oatmeal, but in general we were feeling strong. Some in the group reported feeling a little less rested and a little chillier than the day before - Savannah had to warm her boots up in her jacket and everyone had a couple extra layers on. After breakfast, we broke down camp and got ready for our day of summits. Unfortunately, we got out of camp behind schedule, which meant we had to make up time on the hike.

Making up time was not going to be easy on a trail where a significant portion of the middle stretch was practically vertical. Drew Muzzey took over point and was able to run up these patches with his fully loaded pack. Unfortunately, this was the point at which Conor Soucy's snowshoes gave up the ghost and he had to make the climb in just his boots. This was by far the toughest part of the hike we had experienced.

BUT, when we got to the top of Mt. Willey, the views were spectacular. The early clouds had burned off and we had the clearest skies and views for miles and miles. Each peak was outlined distinctly and it was easy to see how the White Mountains once had the stature of the Himalayas. We were joined by a Gray Jay who happily ate trail mix out of the hand and kept a close eye on us. We couldn't linger long as the time was getting late and we still had to scramble up Mt. Field.

Wednesday: Hiking to Ethan Pond Shelter

We woke up Wednesday on Burleigh and headed north. Anticipation was high and we were ready to hit the trails. It took us a while to sort out snowshoes at the trail head, but with a wave to Mr. Leung who dropped us off, we turned our backs on school and phone service and went happily into the trees.

The terrain was relatively manageable on that first real hike; still, it was an adjustment to use the snowshoes. We quickly came to appreciate them when tramping off trail and realizing without the snowshoes, we'd be in up to our hips. Little did we know what lay ahead...

But for now, we were enjoying the journey. Students were quick to observe the ways in which time passes differently when you are on the trail - hiking a mile is different than walking or driving one, especially when all you have is your imagination to keep you entertained. Conversations ranged from body building, thanks to the Con(n)ors, to past lives to re-quoting full movies.

We pulled into Ethan Pond shelter mid-afternoon. Kayla went over the Leave No Trace principles before we set up camp, which really helped to impress on us how special it was to be where we were. As a group we became more aware of our surroundings throughout the week and how little we matter out there; it's all about the nature.

Packing down tent sites was much different off Burleigh; the snow was easily two feet deeper up there, which we fully understood once we realized we were standing on the bear boxes. We were able to dig out the vestibules of the tents, so there was a nice area to stand up to take off boots before scrambling into the tent. That night it snowed about 3 inches and we woke up to the tent flies bowed with the powder. We shook off the snow and our sleep and got ready to make breakfast.

What We Learned in Tinker Shop

Marco: Throughout Project Week my group, Tinker Shop, was exposed to the variety of jobs that the maintenance staff complete on a daily basis. In working under the supervision of Dana and David, we sought to learn a practical application of woodworking: the installation of windows. Undoubtedly, this was the most interesting thing that we learned all week. Although learning maintenance on a car was fun and enticing, it was the most difficult. There are so many components to a car/truck and each model is different, creating some degree of confusion for me. Lastly, the most applicable thing I learned was how to change the oil and tires on a car. This is something I foresee myself doing in the future whether it is on the side of the road or in my garage.

Kaitlyn: The coolest thing that I learned during Project Week was how the heat works in Pilalis, Meservy, and Lane. I went into the boiler room in Pilalis and saw how big it was and how much energy it took to heat each building. The hardest part of the week was the mechanic part and learning about cars. There are so many more parts than I thought there were, and it is a very complex machine. Things that I will use in the future are the carpentry skills that I learned. Learning how to use the table saws and nail guns were very useful because if I ever want to build something by myself I will know how to! Project Week was very fun and it put me out of my comfort zone by doing things I had never done before.

Becca: The main reason I picked Tinker Shop for Project Week was because I signed up late and it was my only remaining option. In all honesty, I had no idea what "Tinker Shop" was. Once I started to be involved in the activities, this amazing project provided numerous life lessons. These lessons would be essential to know throughout life regardless if it was the past, present, or most importantly the future. My favorite activity was driving around the tractors and handling the power tools. I truly believe that this was the most fun all week. I enjoyed handling and playing around with these objects. The hardest part of the week was the mechanic part. Although this module was the most important in my mind. When my car breaks down, or my tire pops, or even if I need to change my filter or oil, I will now know how to. I can pass this extremely important knowledge down to my friends and family members that are not aware of this information. I am very excited that I went out of my comfort zone to learn new and useful skills that will be very important in my life.

Jon M: Throughout Project Week in Tinker Shop I learned many skills that I believe I will use later in life. By far the most interesting thing I learned was the process of making maple sugar. We went to local sugar shacks around New Hampshire where we talked with the owners. One difficult thing was driving the heavy equipment, mostly because I did not want to break anything. All the skills I learned throughout the week I believe can be used later on in life and I am thankful for doing this project.

Mark: The coolest thing I learned throughout the week was how to use the power tools in the wood shop. The hardest thing I learned how to do was maneuver my way under the car to get the oil so I could change it. I almost got stuck trying to change it, which was not fun. I will use the general tools and abilities I learned through out the week to help me later in life, such as cutting wood at the right angle and length. The week was a blast and I loved every second of it.

Guthrie: My favorite part of the week was working in the wood shop. We learned a lot about the tools that you need to use and how to be safe. The most difficult part for me was driving all the machines. I have never driven a machine with a gas pedal before, so that was an interesting experience because I was scared I was going to crash an expensive piece of equipment. The most useful thing I think is the automotive teachings. Having to rotate my tires and change the oil are things that I will have to use later in life and so it is good I know how to do it.

Maurice: The most fun thing I learned to do was using the woodshop tools and building windows and the picnic tables. This was the most fun because working with powerful, dangerous tools is always fun. The most applicable skill was working with cars and learning to change the oil and such because I will use those for my whole family's cars. Overall it was a fun and good week that I will take things from.

Christian: Tinker Shop was a blast this year. I really liked how we got to drive the machines that they use throughout the day. The hardest part was using the saws because I was nervous and didn't want to hurt me or anyone else. What I will take away from all this, and probably use the most, will be changing the oil and tires. All in all this was a great week.

Cole: The most important and coolest part of my week was learning how to use power saws and nail guns and also learning how to use some heavy machinery like the snow plows and wood splitters. The hardest part of my week was making the picnic tables and cutting the wood at the right measurements and angles. The one thing that I learned that is very important and is going to be most applicable going forward is the use of some handy tools like the saw and hammer and the use of power tools and how those work and how to use them properly. Now I can be a little more handy around the house.

Charles: The coolest thing that I did over project week was changing the oil on a car. This is a very useful skill and it was also cool to see how the car worked. The hardest thing was cutting trees with the trimmers because it wasn't that fun, and therefore pretty hard. The most applicable thing I learned was how to go maple sugaring; this is a cool skill to know if I ever want to do it myself.

Tuesday: Day One in the Snow on Burleigh Mountain

We spent our first day "off campus" getting used to packing down places for tents and building kitchens and living rooms. Kayla taught us everything we needed to know about setting up tents and making sure things were done as efficiently as possible.

Then, of course, there was the sledding. The slope was fast and the day was warm. Everyone took at least 3 runs and most people got some air off the jump. A small scouting crew went all the way up to the top of the mountain and got a glimpse of snowshoe hare tracks.

By the end of the day we were ready to eat our pita pizzas cooked over the open fire. We lounged in our "living room" and eventually called it a night. Several of us planned to sleep out because the night was so warm, but the onset of rain sent us into the tents. We woke up early the next morning, packed up camp, and headed out.

Hanging out in the living room

Jay Peak: Day One

Hearts sank when we pulled into Jay Peak and saw that the upper lifts were not spinning. Although it was sunny, the winds on the upper mountain were fierce and the whole upper mountain was closed. However, the group showed some real gumption and decided to hike the lower park. We sweated out our bus legs, laughed together, and stomped some tricks.

Once we checked into our condo, we decided to ride the small double lift just off of our porch. To our delight, we found a large hip, and the group had a very enjoyable session. The snow was very soft and playful, and we threw ourselves around in the air. It seems like everyone wants to try flips once the snow gets soft.

Our meeting with Ski Patrol was very informative. We learned about common injuries, accident prevention, basic first aid, splinting broken legs and arms, neck and head injury protocol, and the daily routines of a ski patroller. Many of the guys/girls that work as ski patrol also double as nurses and doctors. The best advice for avoiding injury: slow down!

After our tour of the ski patrol facility, the group sat down for a family style dinner. We reflected on the day and talked about the core of skiing and snowboarding: friends and fun. Many concluded that our day spent on the bunny hill, launching off a dirt snowbank, laughing with old and new friends, was the highlight of the trip so far.

We eased our muscles in the waterpark, lapped around the lazy river, and shot down water tubes to close our evening. Tired and tucked in, the group dreamt of our next full day at Jay to explore.