Genre Restaurant Project, Democracy Debates, Alpine Adventures & More (Session 2, Week 3)

Welcome to the third week of the second session’s Launchpad newsletter!

In Genre, we began narrowing down our restaurant choices. Learners spent time reading food reviews, shaping their reviewer personas, and taking a virtual tour of their top pick. Next week, we’ll finally be eating at our selected restaurant—something we’ve all been looking forward to. After so much prewriting and exploration, the excitement is definitely building!

In Quest, we kicked off Module Three of our six-module course (halfway there!). We explored phase behaviors (solid, liquid, and gas), learned thermal and interaction energy formulas, and conducted a hands-on lab to observe how temperature affects the phases of fats. It was highly engaging, and everyone walked away with new insights.

In Civ, we focused on governing systems—specifically, democracy. We researched populist movements, read Federalist No. 10 by James Madison, and discussed why the U.S. has two dominant political parties—and whether having more might be beneficial. A key question we grappled with was:

Who would you rather be governed by, and why?

• Aristocrats—who may be out of touch with the common person and might vote in favor of their own interests?

• Common Citizens—who might vote for their own interests rather than the good of all?

This led to thoughtful and lively discussions.

We also hosted learners from Threefold Launchpad in Pennsylvania! Their five visitors joined us for a day and a half to observe our systems and how we collaborate with the younger studios. It was an incredible exchange—both groups learned from one another and had a genuinely great time together.

Friday was our tri-weekly Alpine day! We started off chilly, with red cheeks and cold hands, but the day quickly warmed up—literally and figuratively. The schedule was packed: a schoolwide tail tag game, a stunning two-hour hike overlooking the Hudson River, cooking (and eating!) time, and plenty of team-building games. We returned home tired, happy, full, and connected.

Overall, this week was filled with learning, exploration, and meaningful bonding within and beyond our Acton community.

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