The Class of 2027 successfully completed their First-Year Independent Research Experience (FIRE) projects in January 2024.

The FIRE project required students to choose an aspect of their identity to explore and reflect upon and culminated in several pages of writing, the creation of a tangible artifact related to their topic, and a discussion with peers that built community and highlighted connections. Our dynamic ninth-graders elected to reflect upon the impacts of their passion for art, nature photography, horseback riding, upcycling fashion, theatre, cooking, dance, electrical engineering, race car driving, music and the environment.

They also reflected upon their identities as people of faith, scholar-athletes, female athletes, an only child, a bilingual teen, the youngest sibling, children of immigrants, Norwegian-American, Turkish American, Asian-American, and more.

Pictured is Axel LeRoy '27 with his artifact, an interactive board of electronics he has built and collected over the past eight years! Damla Aksade '27 holds artwork she created for her artifact, which represents her deep interest in the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator and the way it effects how people interact with others and with their community. 

The ninth-grade English and History teachers who shepherded this project are so proud of students' critical thinking, effective communication, and the way in which they acted with integrity throughout the duration of the project. Congratulations to all!