Friday, October 25, 2013

English, Science, and History

After completing the Walden "Connections" unit, the humanities disciplines split up and students rotate through intensive "Focus" courses in English, Science, and History. These courses continue to build on the big questions posed during our exploration of WaldenWho am I? Who do I want to be? How do my life experiences and memories define me? What informs my unique moral code? What is my personal relationship with the natural world?  How do my actions and decisions affect the natural world? Throughout each unit, students are invited to engage in projects that intersect their creative, artistic skills with their academic and intellectual capabilities. 


In the English course, students focus intently on writing, using personal memoir and various book forms as tools to delve inward. The culminating project is to create a personal narrative rooted in memory, and to construct a book that acts as a vehicle for housing that evolving, living, personal history. Above is a spread from Justin's final book. 





The Science course begins with each student “adopting” a plot of Oxbow soil, which they steward for the rest of the semester. Using their plot as a microcosm for global agricultural systems, students explore the soil ecosystem—through a series of tests and observations, students examine the way environmental conditions, nutrient cycles, and microscopic soil life-forms affect plant life in their plot. Students then create a comprehensive soil profile, which they use to determine their soil’s fate, eventually deciding how to amend the soil and what to plant in it. By engaging in a “plant it forward” mentality, students literally sow the seeds that will become food for their Oxbow successors. 



Each section rotating through Science also gets a special focusthis semester the themes were worms, chickens, and bees. The first section studied vermicomposting, explored the worm bin, and dissected lumbricus terrestris. The second section spent a lot of quality time with the new baby Ox-Chicks, studied chicken anatomy, and engaged in lively debate around the moral, ethical, and agroecological implications of eating animals. The final section has been learning about Colony Collapse Disorder and hive anatomy, and will soon try their hand at beekeeping as we peek into the Oxbow bee colony.  











The History course is a journey into the philosophical and moral underpinnings of our society. Each student develops a lens through which they can study history in such a way as to not repeat the mistakes of the past while still honoring the achievements of our local and global communities. Each student also creates a zine, a self-published booklet of ideas, drawings, musings, poetry, and other original work aimed at addressing social or political issues important to each scholar.











The zines are fun and creative compilations of the deep thought and writing that each Oxbow student engages throughout the course. This semester's zines continue the tradition of creativity, fun, and civic engagement that are emphasized in our historical inquiries. The images you see here were made by Sam W. as part of his zine. 



 

Friday, October 18, 2013

GO OUTSIDE!

The hikers circumnavigate Lake Hennessey
Twice a week, for blocks of two hours or more, the whole Oxbow community goes outside. Because, as we know, OUTSIDE LIES MAGIC. Here in the Ox-Bubble we call P.E. classes "Co-curriculars," and each semester we offer a slightly different menu of choices. OS29 has been getting their kicks in outdoors doing invigorating activities like biking, hiking, ultimate disc-ing, yoga-ing, gardening, and adventuring on foot around Napa. Co-curriculars are a great time to re-energize the senses and wake up the brain cells, and students get to engage with faculty outside of the classroom. 

The NapaScapes co-curricular finds a rare Napa rhino
The biking crew takes a break on Las Amigas Road

The gardeners build a stellar compost lasagna

I really can't tell you what these folks are doing...

Friday, October 11, 2013

Cardboard and Tape

Maya's tape sculpture

After moving through the Observation, Place, and Narrative units, OS29 welcomed their first Visiting Artist, Ana Teresa Fernández. Ana is a Bay Area artist who has her toes in diverse array of exciting projects, many of them based in performance and social action. (Former Oxbow Visiting Artist Klea McKenna published an excellent interview with Ana on her wonderful website In The Make -- check it out!)

Ana's Oxbow residency focused on working with commonplace materials to create dynamic, content-rich sculptural works. In a quick warm-up exercise, students used colorful masking tape to make ephemeral sculptures that responded to the unique Oxbow landscape. In a longer, more focused project, students explored the idea of a "hybrid," using a single 4'x8' sheet of cardboard to create vibrant sculptures that combined two seemingly disparate themes or objects. Materials were limited to the one sheet of cardboard, paint, and other simple construction tools.

Nigel's tape sculpture
Darien's tape sculpture
Tumani presents her hybrid sculpture
Katie's hybrid sculpture

Friday, October 4, 2013

Narrative : Moving Images

In the New Media Narrative project, students are introduced to the possibilities of movie-making as a complex visual/aural medium. Throughout the course, they respond to various "challenges" -- in writing, still photography, sound collection and video -- in an effort to build their skills of awareness and composition. Students are also exposed to readings and films designed to grow their understanding of how time, rhythm, association and editing are powerful tools to achieve a particular meaning, effect or outcome for the audience. 

The course culminates with each student utilizing these tools to create a short moving image piece that conveys their introspective spirit and unique perception. Karen, Annie, Jennifer, and Sam have generously offered to share their wonderful work. Enjoy!
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 Karen

 Annie

 Jennifer

 Sam