The few days before March break IMS offered Upper School students a week of fun and creative activities. They had hands on classroom experience along with off-site field trips.

Faculty and students alike loved the different activities and most agreed it was a success and should be part of the regular programming offered here at IMS.

Some of the courses offered along with a brief description of each are listed below.

Music Theory – Mr. Miles & Mr. Kuskin
Students learn scales and modes and the language of music, including reading music.

Lights, Camera, Action! – Ms. Jadow & Mr. Donovan & Mr. Devey
Students used day one of the Intersession to collaborate on a script and storyboards for a short film. Days two and three were spent shooting and editing, and day four included a field trip to Trumbull Studios, a laboratory workshop for exploring immersive cinema, in Southfield, Mass., where Mr. Trumbull himself gave the group a rare insider’s view into his latest innovations in the futuristic special effects technology he is renowned for.

Journalism 101 – Mr. Gargill & Mr. Hodosy
Entails a span of full-time reporting on an issue of local, regional, or national significance with a culminating trip to New York City – to visit the offices of GQ or The New York Times Sunday Magazine to see how a publication is run.

Healthy Lifestyles – Ms. Hogan & Mrs. Wolf
Topics include self-esteem/body image, exercise, and ways for people to have sound minds and bodies.

Stop Motion Animation – Mr. Stewart & Mr. Dewey
Learn the animation techniques behind film classics. The group produced animated short films. A field trip to AniMagic, a museum dedicated to film special effects and animation in Lenox was included.

Repurposing Pallet Design – Mr. C. Pecchia, Mr. D. Pecchia & Mr. Visockis Students will explore and understand the importance of repurposing, reusing, recycling, or up cycling used building material to create a new craft, furniture, artwork, etc…

Wildlife Rehabilitation & Conservation – Ms. Clayton, Mrs. Babcock & Ms. Kotok
Students learn about the local wildlife and how to handle, feed, and care for sick and injured animals. Visits to local wildlife rehabilitation centers – Sharon Audubon, the Trevor Zoo at Millbrook School and the Wolf Conservation Center in Salem, NY rounded out the course.

Band of Brothers – Mr. Pastore & Mr. de Labry
Through the reading of Stephen Ambrose’s Band of Brothers and watching the Spielberg/Hanks miniseries students will learn about the allied efforts to defeat the Nazis – from D-Day to V-E Day. A field trip to NYC to visit the USS Intrepid to provide more background on WWII is included.

Service Trip to Peru – Mr. McGlone, Ms. Bonk, Ms. Kelly
Students hiked and visited local attractions and landmarks and lived life as a Peruvian.

Exploring & Giving Back to Our Community –
Mrs. Knapp, Ms. Schopp, Mrs. Hodosy & Mr. Zenowitz
The group traveled to the farm and energy plant at Hotchkiss and a local sugarhouse to learn how to make maple syrup. They offered services at OWL’s Kitchen, a local animal shelter, and one of the local day care centers.

The Power of Relaxation – Mrs. Frankenbach, Ms. Frisina & Ms. Moody
Students spend four days discovering the sources of stress and how to manage it through various relaxation techniques. Activities, both on and off campus, include: guided imagery, meditation, cooking, yoga, massage, a relaxing film, a trip to an herbalist, and aromatherapy.

Survival Guide to the Real World – Mr. Page, Mr. Barillaro & Mr. Brown
Students learn basic skills related to life – how to balance a checkbook, track credit card use and manage a budget, how to maintain a car, iron a shirt or sew on a button, laundry A to Z, how to cook basic foods, and many other essential skills.

9th Grade Independent Study Project – Mr. Litowitz & Ms. O’Brien
Information about this program was provided to the 9th graders throughout the fall. They made their proposals, and those permitted participated in this Intersession.

Robotics – Ms. Sprague & Ms. Hickcox
Every student learns a few things about ROBOTC, the language that allows humans to tell the robot what to do, and then use that new knowledge to play games and solve puzzles. Students rebuild a robot using different sensors and attachments.