Innovation School Comes to Episcopal

How would you brush your hair without using your hands?
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This is a question being posed to students in one of the Design Studio courses being offered this year on campus through a partnership between Episcopal's Upper School and NuVu Studio of Cambridge, Massachusetts. As their introduction to NuVu’s methods, these students are asked to think beyond the brush and even consider the room around them in the components of their design.  Naturally, they are fearless and simply dive into the project.  A few begin browsing the internet to learn more about hair brushes, others begin sketching and brainstorming, while still others immediately begin cutting and measuring cardboard for their prototype.  All of this is exactly what NuVu Fellow Dyani Robarge, Upper School Instigator Melissa Estremera, and I want the students to do.  

NuVu describes itself as an innovation school.  The overall concept was created by MIT graduates Saeed Arida, Saba Ghole, and David Wang, based on the architectural studio model and geared around multi-disciplinary, collaborative projects.  In short, students are presented an open-ended question or challenge and asked to identify and create innovative tools or processes to solve it or improve upon it while working in collaborative groups.
This kind of smart, innovative learning is just what Head of School Hugh McIntosh envisioned bringing to the Episcopal School of Baton Rouge.  Project-based learning is such an integral part of what happens here that NuVu was an easy addition to our campus.  NuVu also answers the call for more hands-on learning opportunities for those students who learn best by doing.

NuVu offers a full-time school in Cambridge, Massachusetts for middle and high school students. The NuVu X program, which is what is offered on site at Episcopal, allows other schools to integrate NuVu’s approaches into their own school day.  Former Episcopal board member Jennifer Eplett Reilly, Jewel Reuter, Sarah Pulliam and Hugh worked for some time to bring NuVu home to Episcopal.  Now that the studio is up and running, our students have access to a laser cutter, 3D printers, a vinyl cutter, a workshop and even a sewing machine and fully stocked electronics cabinet. All of these tools help students make their designs a reality. 
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NuVu will be a constant partner in the Episcopal Design Studio courses, with Dyani Robarge serving as the school’s full-time, on-site Fellow.  Dyani is an architectural designer, having earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Ohio State University and a Master’s of Advanced Architectural Design from Carnegie Mellon University.  She previously worked for The Neighborhood Design Center and Triad Architects in Columbus, Ohio.  Her areas of interest include building renovations, graphic design, model-making and data visualization.  Together with Dyani, we will coach the students throughout the NuVu research, design and production process.

This year, the inaugural group of NuVu Episcopal students will tackle four large projects:

• Designing assistive devices for children with developmental disorders
• Outfitting sports equipment to prevent injury
• Identifying ways to assist people still recovering from the 2016 flood
• Developing a better method for safely harvesting community fruit in Baton Rouge as part of the City Citrus program​

​Over the course of the year, students in grades 10th through 12th will create innovations inspired by these topics.  Studio time is scheduled in two-hour class sessions in the main gym classrooms, G1 and G2. Class assessment is based on creativity, responsibility and collaboration.  As studio coaches, we guide the students, while also allowing students the independence to make their own decisions and experience the process of trial and error.  Critical thinking skills, flexibility, and the value of working constructively with others will be emphasized in order to complete each studio successfully.

Having a NuVu studio right here at Episcopal is an amazing opportunity for our students, which allows us to make true innovation a critical part of their education and aligns well with our goal to be a leader in education innovation.  At similar NuVu studios in Massachusetts, Florida, Scotland, and India, students are doing amazing work. These teens have tackled everything from making a beating heart model for the blind to study heart functions to creating an anxiety vest that simulates a hug for those with anxiety disorders - and much more.  Now that NuVu is in Baton Rouge, just imagine what our Episcopal students will do!

Want to learn more about NuVu at Episcopal?  We invite you to join us for a NuVu Open House on September 27th from 6 pm to 8 pm in the Design Studio (G1 and G2).  
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To learn more about all of the innovative opportunities available at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge, we invite you to click here to schedule a tour.

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Elizabeth "Betsy"Minton

Elizabeth "Betsy" Minton is the Instigator at Episcopal School of Baton Rouge.  She enriches instruction by generating interdisciplinary curriculum, spearheading hands-on, project-based learning, and supporting faculty in the application of education standards in innovative and creative ways. In addition, she coaches the Middle School robotics team and is the Design Studio coordinator.  She has over a decade of elementary classroom experience in general and special education with graduate coursework in literacy, special education, and technology integration. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Bates College and was a 2002 Teach for America Corps member.