Independent Study at Sora - Middle School ISE Showcase

At Sora, students have the opportunity to explore a topic of interest and complete a project through an Independent Study Expedition (ISE). Middle school students who completed ISE projects this spring presented their work at the ISE Showcase hosted by Lauren Jaffe, Middle School Humanities Expert and ISE Advisor. 

“We are celebrating dreams brought to life, visions turned into reality, and the incredible journey of our students who have poured their hearts and souls into their passion projects,” said Lauren. “Our students have taken this unique experience and transformed it into something extraordinary. While I have had the privilege of offering guidance and support, it is the students who have truly  brought their passions, perseverance, grit, and dedication to their projects.” 

In an Independent Study Expedition, Sora students spend two learning Cycles (6-week periods at Sora) to create their project. During the first Cycle, they develop an idea related to the world around them, coming up with solutions to challenging problems that involve extensive research. During the second Cycle, they develop their own milestones, targets, and goals to complete a project. 

“This is truly inquiry-based learning at its finest,” said Lauren. “Their projects are a testament to their ability to dream, to strive, and to overcome. These are not just tasks or projects, they are pieces of their hearts and souls, reflections of their deepest passions and most fervent dreams. Watching these incredible minds shine has been an honor. They have supported each other with kindness, sought out expert guidance beyond the world of Sora, and developed projects that resonate with their personal journeys and growth. They have not just grown as students but as remarkable individuals, ready to make their mark on the world.” 

Below are summaries of each student’s presentation:

Arabella F. - Disney: The Art of Attractions

“My goal throughout life has always been to become a theme park designer and character artist for Walt Disney Studios,” said Arabella. “My project revolves around how Disney Imagineers create attractions throughout the parks. I analyzed Disney attractions and the designs within them in order to create my own attraction design.”

Arabella analyzed four rides and specific aspects of the design:

• Haunted Mansion: Pepper’s Ghost Effect
• Expedition Everest: Animatronic and Queue Design
• Rise of the Resistance: A-1000 Animatronics & Trackless Ride Vehicles
• It’s a Small World: Set Design & Inclusivity

In her ISE Showcase Presentation, Arabella provided an overview of features in Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion experience, including elevator illusions and spooky statue illusions. She then explained how Pepper’s ghost effect works, using glass, light, and mirrors. 

Next, Arabella shared her own ride design based on a story she created about kingdoms of cards - hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds. Arabella’s kingdom design incorporated the art style of It’s a Small World. During a war scene, Arabella incorporated Pepper’s Ghost Effect from the Haunted Mansion and created an animatronic figure design inspired by Expedition Everest. 

You can see Arabella’s full project here. 

Manu M. - Grammar Blog

“I came from Columbia 3 years ago without knowing any English,” said Manu. “Communicating with people whether it was at school or just with friends was a struggle that I noticed even more in my writing. This made it difficult for others to understand due to grammar difficulties.” 

In her blog, Manu shared her experience with grammar and tips and tricks in both English and Spanish. 

Manu began improving her grammar by using Grammarly to spot mistakes. She also took lessons on Khan Academy. “I was surprised to learn about many aspects of sentences that I hadn’t known before, which helped me catch errors in my writing.”

Manu wrote stories using different tenses to practice grammar. She practiced quotations and dialogue. 

Manu’s tips and tricks for improving grammar:

• Take notes
• Use highlighters
• Practice
• Write down what you learned
• Take breaks 

Lucy L. - More Than A Garden

Lucy redesigned her family’s vegetable garden to be more efficient, productive, and pleasant to look at. She researched topics to provide information to the architect to incorporate into the design, including:

Personal Connections

Lucy’s family’s garden is at the heart of their family life. They enjoy spending time in the garden and her parents plan to remain in their home and want to continue tending to the garden as they age. She shared that her father’s family came from Europe and her mother’s family came from Okinawa, Japan. 

“When my family first came to the US, gardens were a survival component,” said Lucy.  

There are also emotional components to the plants in the garden, some of which were gifts from friends and family members. 

Practical Considerations

Lucy considered that her family’s farm is in a microclimate, a small area that differs from the climate of the surrounding area. 

Next Steps

Lucy attended meetings with the architects, took notes, organized documents and plant types, and considered her family’s desires for the garden, and the practical needs. They are working toward the final product. 

“My definition of a garden is a place you can rest, and where you can enjoy and grow to your heart’s content,” said Lucy.

Ava B. - Paradox Philosophy and Henotic Art

Ava read Alice in Quantumland by Robert Gilmore, about Quantum Physics, and Sophie’s World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy by Jostein Gaarder. She then created 3 books with a diary and reflections on each chapter of those books. 

Ava began with 3 thesis questions: Who am I?; What is real?; How do I know what I know?

Here is an image overview of what Ava learned about Quantum Physics. 

She focused on 3 main theories:

• The Copenhagen School Interpretation - what we see could be based on chance and probability
• Many Worlds Theory - “There are many worlds which exist in parallel at the same space and time as our own.”
• Mind Over Matter Theory - “We cannot choose what we see but what we do see becomes the reality in the world, at least for the time we observe it.”

 Ava created two additional Canva books, one about her personal views on Paradox Philosophy, and another about an art movement she created based on Paradox Philosophy called Hinotic Art. 

Ava created the logo below for her Henotic Art movement, inspired by the yin and yang symbol. 

“The sun and the moon represent day and night. The sun and moon being merged into one refers to the union of paradoxes and my attempt at resolving them. On top of the sun and moon is an atom. It represents the comparisons that are both quantum physics and Newtonian physics as well as quantum physics and philosophy. The atom also represents the modern views of the world and the sun and the moon stand for older ideas and the history of thought.”

Ava shared the artwork below in the Henotic Paradox style, inspired by the work of M.C. Escher. 

“The artwork is supposed to create tension inside the mind where the viewer is trying to connect the opposing perspectives into an image that makes sense based on what we are used to. It is almost like the brain trying to resolve a paradox.”

Ava shared a few more philosophy-inspired pieces of art, which she is submitting to external art competitions. 

Arlo B. - Chicken Are Feety

Arlo showed his pet chicken. 

“My beloved chicken child that I love with all of my heart, she succumbed to state 3 frostbite, and her feet had fallen off, so through my Independent Study Expedition, I have been working to try to develop her very own new feet so she doesn’t have to be a footless chicken."

Arlo explored the possibility of 3D printing prosthetics for his chicken. 

“It would allow her to balance as she did before she lost her foot,” said Arlo. “It would provide her a feeling of realism as if she never lost her foot in the first place. And finally, it would allow her to fit in with the rest of the flock.” 

Arlo met with a local prosthetic specialist and chose one to 3D print, using a design based on prosthetics for runners. He also met with a specialist in making animal prosthetics and learned how to properly care for and clean prosthetics.

Arlo iterated on the process of 3D printing his prosthetic design and has a final model and blueprint. 

Laura K. - Cowspiracy

Laura explored whether cows are friends or foes. 

She began by exploring the question, “Where does meat come from.” “For people without a farm, it’s not so straightforward. Meat can come from the system of factory farming, which by now, with this much consumption, is the only way to survive in the meat market. Laura researched the environmental impact of industrial cattle farming, including deforestation, greenhouse gases, and water pollution, as well as sustainable solutions.

Laura shared the pros and cons of factory farming:

“As you can see, industrial agriculture provides some benefits, though there are many drawbacks as well,” said Laura. “Ultimately, it is up to you to weigh the pros and cons. If you decide you do not want to support industrial agriculture, there are plenty of alternatives.” 

She explored the benefits and drawbacks of cows on our environment and human life. 

“We find two perspectives, an environmentalist who often sees cows as a major contributor to environmental issues and a cattle welfare advocate who emphasizes the importance that cattle have in the ecosystem,” said Laura. 

Laura created a documentary to showcase both sides of the debate. Her final conclusion is that the amount of meat we currently consume is not sustainable. Ethically raised farms require a lot of space and the world is not equipped to raise so many cattle. “My conclusion is - eat less meat if possible. It can be sustainable to eat a moderate portion of meat a few times a week or no more than 300 grams per week which is equal to around 3 chicken breasts or one very large steak,” said Laura. “What I want to emphasize is the importance of avoiding factory-farmed meat.” 

Levi L. - Surrounded by Species: Cave Creek Canyon

Levi created a website for Cave Creek Canyon, a family favorite place to explore. He explored the Canyon, took photos on long hikes, learned about the Canyon’s mammals, reptiles, birds, and plants, and created an easy-to-use field guide website.