November 2023-February 2024

Updated Class Descriptions
November 2023-January 2024

History of Rock and Roll (Melanie) We examined the time period between 1959 and 1964 when a variety of pop styles vied for chart dominance including girl groups/Brill building, surf rock, Motown and soul. We then looked at the emergence of skiffle in post-war England and how that led to the British Invasion of the early 1960s. We focused on the Beatles, of course, and the blues revival scene in London. We also learned about the Beat literary movement and the revival of folk music which led to folk rock. Next, we’ll explore the explosion of rock music through the 1960s and accompanying social movements.

Visual Algebra (Melanie) We played around with ‘age’ riddles for quite a while, solving them algebraically when possible and then creating our own riddles to challenge each other. After the winter break, we turned our attention to prime factors and have been enjoying the board game Prime Climb which provides opportunities to use prime factoring and practice mental math.

Open Maker Room (Melanie) This class is an opportunity for members to use all the resources in the maker room for their own projects and enjoyment. Some of the things teens have done include: woodworking, drawing, painting, foam model making, using the knitting machine, and creating cosplay type items.

Physical Science (Melanie and Josh) We’ve continued using hands-on experimentation to understand the motion of rolling balls, dropped balls, and pendulums. We discussed the scientific method and changed one variable for each of a number of pendulum trials to determine whether the length of the pendulum, the release angle, or the mass of the bob affected the period. We gathered and analyzed data and used the mathematical formulas for acceleration due to gravity and calculating the period of a pendulum to check whether our data match the calculated values we should expect (they did—very closely!).

Math: From Counting to Calculus (Josh) We’ve spent the last few months investigating Algebra, including linear graphs as well as basic algebraic logic. Recently we’ve taken a January detour looking at the value and meaning of prime numbers and harmonic ratios to ancient people, the relationship between number, measure and time, and why we have a seven day week. 

Playing Music (Josh) Our fall class culminated with a performance of two songs at the North Star holiday party. In January, we are regrouping with some new students and doing practice on instruments and selecting songs to learn. 

Service Trip to New Orleans (Loran) Our group has been slowly working toward our trip. As of the end of January we have established all of our volunteer sites, purchased plane tickets and reserved an Airbnb, and now we’re refining our plans for free time and talking about our traveling styles and preferences. Many of the group members have raised a significant amount of money toward their balances through our group chores and fundraising projects. 

Volunteering at Amherst Survival Center (Loran) Our group has established a work routine for our volunteer shifts at the Survival Center. We work outside each week. We start by putting away the fresh food donations that are left outside by the pantry. Next, we individually bag 25 desserts for Craig’s Door shelter. A short while into our shift, the fresh food donation van arrives and we unload it, sort the boxes by approximate content, go through it, and package and display it for clients to pursue later. Our crew often focuses on bread and desserts; sometimes we are asked to contribute in other ways, such as putting away food in the pantry. 

Desserts (Loran) We wrapped up Desserts class at the end of December, just before leaving on our Winter Break. Our final Desserts projects in November and December included Chocolate Pudding with Raspberry Whipped Cream, Cranberry Curd Tart, Lemon Olive Oil Cake, Eggnog Rice Pudding, and Iced Sugar Cookies.

Hiking Group (Loran and Josh) We continue to be graced with a streak of nearly perfect weather for our hikes. We’ve had some close calls, but so far no need to cancel any hikes for weather reasons. As the winter goes on, we continue to have a solid group of 5-10 hikers who brave the cold week after week. We are grateful for our parent helper Susan who frequently joins us on our adventures, and we want to reiterate the invitation for other parents to join us. In this time period, our hikes included Cranberry Pond and Roaring Falls, Broad Brook/Fitzgerald Lake Greenway, Buffam Brook Community Forest, Puffers Pond, Saw Mill Hills/Roberts Hill, Mt Warner, Skinner Mountain, Big View, Whately Woods Community Forest, and DAR State Park. 

Bread (Loran) In this Wednesday Zoom class, we’ve continued alternating yeast and quick breads from week to week. In this period we made Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips, Vermont Honey Oat Bread, Cranberry Orange Scones, Soft Pretzels, Eggnog Bread, Cinnamon Star Bread, Soft Dill Bread, Carrot Bread, Bagels, and Orange Bread. 

Social Issues (Ken) Still trying to understand the world, including the conflict in Gaza, the slew of legal cases involving the former President, the ongoing presidential primary campaign, and lots of other topics such as the Gender Queer book incident in Great Barrington, where police entered a middle school to remove a book.

Batman: the Idea (Aaron) In Batman: the Idea, we saw a major shift in our class structure as we expanded to a 2 hour class. This gave us more time to discuss the films we looked at each week. In November, we discussed Tim Burton's 1989 Batman film and how it cemented the concept of the “dark and gritty” Batman in the popular consciousness. Then, we discussed Burton's 1992 follow-up, Batman Returns, perhaps the weirdest and darkest Batman film ever made. We examined both films, and Returns in particular, through the lens of Auteur Theory, examining the creative influence of Tim Burton and collaborators such as Danny Elfman on the Batman mythos. We closed out the fall semester by watching episodes from some of the many Batman animated television shows. In January, we resumed our discussion of Batman films with 1995's Batman Forever and 1996's Batman & Robin, both directed by Joel Schumacher. We talked about the impact that commercial sponsors such as McDonald's and Kenner Toys had on these films following the controversial reception to Batman Returns, as well as how Schumacher's aesthetic sensibilities differed from Burton's. Finally, we discussed the intense fan backlash to the lighter, campier tone of Schumacher's Batman films, and how Schumacher—a gay man—infused his take on Batman with undeniable queer themes. We also discussed Batman and Robin's historical connection to homosexuality, going back to the moral panic of Dr. Frederick Wertham in the 1950s and continuing to the present day.

Writing Workshop (Aaron) In the latter half of the fall semester, Writing Workshop began to focus more heavily on our “workshop days,” where teens would bring in previously-written pieces to be read and critiqued by the group. There was so much interest in these classes that we ended up adding several more to our schedule. After we returned from winter break, the class size dwindled considerably, leaving us with a core group of 4–5 teens. The group now seems less interested in workshopping and more interested in using class time to write, so we are currently adapting to suit these new sensibilities, placing a greater focus on writing prompts and exercises, while still leaving room for workshopping when there is a desire for it.

Handwork (Aaron) Handwork is not exactly a typical class—it's held in the Common Room every Friday afternoon, and it's fully drop-in. We recently received another large donation of LEGO bricks, so I've been using the class time to sort them out by piece type, per the request of some teens. Some teens have opted to help me organize, but most simply make their own strange and wonderful creations. Some teens have ongoing projects they work on every week, while others start from scratch each Friday. On occasion, we get people who stop by just to socialize, and don't even engage with the LEGOs or their own craft projects. It is a friendly, relaxing way to end the week.

Southern Cookin’ (Volt and Niko) My class is going great, we have rave reviews on the food and even if people don't like it usually they'll try a little bit of it for the experience. I am very happy with how we run the kitchen and how people come together at the end to clean up.

A People’s History (Adrie) A People's History continues to be led by the teens' interest in various areas of the world and moments in history. We recently learned about samurai in feudal Japan, the siege of Leningrad in WWII, and the ancient Maya. We use videos and discussion, and try to always discuss the wider context and relevance to our current moment. This is an engaged, thoughtful, and curious group.

Meteorology (Frank) In the Meteorology course we have been focusing on circulation in high and low pressure areas, atmospheric stability and fronts. We apply those topics and earlier basic topics to an analysis of the current weather on the day of class. We also apply those topics to an analysis of recent storms.

Bridge (Teresa) Bridge continues with a dedicated group of participants and a few new courageous teens who have joined North Star recently. We are exploring the more nuanced elements of bidding, including how the complex scoring rules can impact the ‘contract’ a team wants to create. True to our plan, there have been forays into bidding and playing ‘no trump’ hands, perhaps the most challenging contract to win in bridge. The teens have taken over running their own games–shuffling, dealing, bidding, playing and scoring–and we rotate through practice hands with newer players. Occasionally, we play an open hand–all cards on the table–to notice how we approach the game differently and learn from one another. As we head into the spring, we will keep delving deeper into unusual bidding strategies, like the ‘short club’ and ‘doubling’ – adding defensive bidding into our collective toolbox. Lots of fun in store!

Fire (Teresa and Ken) Every Thursday–except for extreme weather days–a group gathers around a roaring Solo stove to converse and enjoy being outside. Conversations range from hearing about North Star alums or interesting activities about liberating learning, to recent events in our lives, to upcoming adventures. As we head into late winter and spring, we will focus on broader participation in preparing, lighting and tending the fire, and continued community building around its warmth. 

Mythology: Percy Jackson Style (Teresa) Mythology class is underway, exploring important characters and themes in each episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Each week we watch an episode and share how we understand–and agree or disagree with–Rick Riordan’s presentation of Greek myths. We note differences between the book and the episode, and speculate why something may have been altered. After a few missed Tuesdays, we are gaining some momentum with our weekly conversations. As we look toward the spring, we will likely complete our time together with a collective critique of the original movie, and ideas for what we might do next in the realm of mythology. 

From Garden to Forest…to Greenhouse (Teresa) Our plant class has migrated for the winter months to the Smith College Lyman Plant House, an amazing collection of more than 6,000 botanical species in different microclimates (greenhouses) that could occupy a lifetime of visits. We have explored plant adaptations specific to different biomes–areas of specific precipitation and temperature–and gone on treasure hunts to find plants with interesting characteristics. We have discovered ancient plants with no seeds, and modern ones that cannot grow without human interference. And who knew that there are actually three true cactus species in the Amazon rainforest? That there are fruits larger than bowling balls that people love to eat (except watch out for the seeds!)? That some citrus trees have thorns large enough to deter a moose (not that they occur in the same habitat)? We will continue to go to the greenhouse through the winter, and likely explore some other greenhouses in our area, like the UMass Durfee Conservatory. As the weather warms, we will expand our trips to include outdoor sites of interest, a list that the teens are helping generate. Many thanks to the volunteer parent drivers who are making all this possible! We will also get back to growing things here at North Star, including the many native trees whose seeds we put in the fridge for their winter cold treatment, as well as vegetables and flowers for our raised garden beds. We eagerly await the emergence of the bulbs–garlic, daffodil, grape hyacinth–that we planted last fall. Spring is coming! 

Music Improv (Saleem) After exploring different methods and processes of improvised music making (rhythm and melody games, and live looping etc.) Music Improv turned into an Advanced Recording tutorial with two students.

Recording Studio (Saleem) learned a small repertoire of songs including Stand by me, Leaving on a Jet Plane and Rumble in addition to some original songs. We recorded our rehearsals of these songs to learn how to improve our performances of them. This class culminated in a live performance at our Winter Celebration and has since morphed into Songwriting & Performance.

Sound Effects & Film Scoring (Saleem) In this class we adapted a sci-fi thriller short story that a student had written for audio format. Two students acted as the main characters, and two contributed musical scores and sound fx. This was a very collaborative process with multiple class members contributing to the revision process and giving helpful feedback throughout. We have recently finished editing our first episode and will be sharing it online very soon. This next iteration of this class happening in the winter/spring session is called Radio Dramas and Podcasting.

Mysteries of the Mind and Spirit (Ann) We have been looking at labyrinths as a metaphor for life’s journey, through tracing different labyrinth types and drawing one ourselves. We are moving on to the meaning of sacred objects and how to create our own sacred objects in order to help us focus inward and build strength and confidence.

Smash Art (Emily) Smash Art is a visual art experience involving both 2D and 3D projects.The premise of the class is simple: destroying a material in order to create something new. It is largely student-led in that participants weigh in on whether they'd like to extend a project or move on to different materials, or whether they'd like to work independently or in a group. So far, we have worked with plaster, plexiglass, oil pastels, crayons, ceramic, wax, and paint-filled balloons.