Restaurant Reviews, Cooking & Chemistry, Civ Debates & Acton Lakeside Visit (Session 2, Week 2)

Welcome to the Second Week of the Second Session’s Launchpad Newsletter!

This week was filled with thoughtful learning, hands-on experimentation, meaningful discussions, and even a special visit from another Acton Academy. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to in the Launchpad Studio:

🍽 Genre: Crafting Restaurant Reviews

In Genre, we focused on writing a short restaurant review to prepare for the longer, more detailed version coming later this Session. Each learner chose a memorable dining experience and wrote a brief reflection capturing the atmosphere, flavors, and overall impressions. At the end of the week, everyone received peer critique to help refine and elevate their writing.

🧪 Quest: Cooking & Chemistry

During Quest, we continued our exploration of the Cooking and Chemistry course. This week’s focus was on heat and temperature—how they influence food and the cooking process. Learners also explored cooking without heat, including fascinating tools like liquid nitrogen. We were introduced to new formulas, and we completed a lab experiment examining how temperature affects flavor, forming and testing our own hypotheses.

⚖️ Civ: Marbury vs. Madison & the Louisiana Purchase

In Civ, we dove into two major historical topics: the Marbury vs. Madison case and the Louisiana Purchase. Learners debated constitutional alignment, the limits of government power, and the role of the Supreme Court. Some of the key questions we discussed were:

• Who did more damage to his country?• Jefferson for violating his commitment to limited government?• Napoleon for sacrificing the future to fund a high-risk war?

• Do Supreme Court Justices rule mostly based on:• Interpretation of the Constitution?• Personal preference?• Political views?

These discussions encouraged deep thinking about leadership, ethics, and the balance of power.

We also began developing our NGA (Next Great Adventure) plans for the rest of the year—setting goals for interviews, apprenticeships, and overall growth. Learners worked hard to make these plans thoughtful and detailed.

🤝 A Special Visit From Acton Lakeside

We were honored to welcome learners from Acton Lakeside—13 visitors in total—from both their Discovery and Journey Studios. They spent Thursday and Friday with us to learn more about the AABC Journey and Launchpad Studios. The visit was energizing and inspiring; we shared ideas, learned from one another, and built new friendships. Their visit reflects the example our learners are setting for other Acton schools around the country.

🎃 Halloween Celebration

Last week, we also enjoyed our annual Halloween Party! Learners arrived in creative costumes and took part in:

• the Costume Contest

• hat and pumpkin decorating

• capture the flag

• indoor trick-or-treating

• Studio Halloween movies

  
  

It was a festive highlight of the week, and excitement for next year’s celebration is already brewing.

Overall, it was a fun, busy, and meaningful week—full of learning, exploration, and new connections. Thanks for reading, and we look forward to sharing even more next week!

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