Updated Class Descriptions, February-May 2024

Math: From Counting to Calculus (Josh Wachtel) This spring we took up Geometry for several weeks, including the use of a compass and straightedge to bisect and quarter circles as well as constructing hexagons and pentagons. Then we covered analytical geometry, discussing Cartesian coordinate planes and studying various x and y functions. Finally, we \concluded the class with several lessons about the characteristics of curved functions, the limits of the fibonacci sequence and a basic proof of differential calculus. It was a whirlwind tour, and for everyone who stuck with it - including me - a lot of fun!

Playing Music (Josh Wachtel) This spring was characterized by fluctuating attendance with a number of new students trying the class at different
times. We continued to work on playing together by improvising as well as working on songs that kids brought to work on as a class.

Physical Science (Josh Wachtel and Melanie Dana) This spring we studied pendulums and tried to make a harmonic pendulum. We worked with simple machines, especially levers, and talked a lot about the three types of levers. Kids experimented with levers using various materials. We ended the year with an egg drop which was a lot of fun for all who participated!

Lunch Class (Ellen Morbyrne) February-May we've been building on our winter successes and experiments. We've made Mac & Cheese (with veggies), Curried Tofu & Rice, Purple Sweet Potato Latkes, Pesto Pasta, Bean Burritos, Fancier Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Savory Crepes, Sweet Crepes, Sesame Veggie & Rice Noodle Stir Fry, and Sheet Pizzas. Whew! Once again, this team of kitchen wonders has improved previous skills, learned new skills, reveled in comfort meals, and pushed on what feels comfortable. We beat the crepe curse (huzzah!), indulged in some repeat favorites, and tried out new possibilities. Thanks to the whole group for being kind, hardworking, funny, and a solid team!

Radio Drama/Podcasting (Saleem Mizrachi) In this class since the beginning of the semester we've recorded several stories including a Prologue, a fantasy thriller written by a class member, Travelogue, an epic odyssey told about a personal experience , and The Kraken's Treasure a sci-fi pirate escapade by another teen. For all of these stories we collaboratively revised, rehearsed, voice acted (shoutout to several teens’ characters and one teen’s spine tingling screams), narrated, recorded and created all of our own sound effects. Keep an eye out for the final versions of these on our soundcloud, and if you haven't already done so, check out our first completed episode, The Case (honorary mention to a teen for composing the theme music).

Songwriting & Performance (Saleem Mizrachi) We've had many people join this class throughout the course of the semester. It was very cool to see how each of the songs we've learned together morphed and shifted depending on the personnel and instrumentation available on any given day. The group that has coalesced to share a performance at our upcoming shindig has worked very hard to prepare a dynamic and balanced selection of tunes for your enjoyment. This class has been a very supportive atmosphere for teens to try their hands at new instruments and continue honing their craft on the ones they've chosen.

Bridge (Teresa Jones) Bridge is a centuries-old game that continues to evolve with each generation of players. Its complexities know no bounds! A dedicated group of teens started the year playing Spades, a much simpler and excellent preparatory card game, and rapidly transitioned to bridge. Each week or two we added another layer of nuance, such as how to bid no-trump hands, when to bid a ‘game’ and how to keep score. Usually there would be two separate bridge games running–as each game requires two sets of partners. On days when we didn’t have the right number of people, we branched into three-handed bridge--where one person bids two adjacent hands--and several teens willingly took on this extra challenge. Teresa will be emailing out links to a couple of excellent bridge apps for teens who want to keep their bridge skills developing over the summer. And any parents, siblings, cousins, or friends who are willing to learn bridge – you have an excellent teacher available in your teen! 

Fire class (Teresa Jones) Every Thursday–except for extreme weather days–a group gathered around a roaring Solo stove to converse and enjoy being outside. Topics ranged far and wide, outside the scope of what might get discussed under the fluorescent lights of the common room. On inclement weather days, we met in the classroom for board games. The group changed over time and welcomed anyone and everyone to warm their hands, and add their two cents. On the last day of class, we finally got our act together and roasted marshmallows and made s’mores. 

Mythology: Percy Jackson Style (Teresa Jones) In Mythology class, we untangled the complex family tree of the Greek gods (no small task) and explored the important characters of each episode of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. We also discussed how themes from the excellent adaptation of Rick Riordan’s book speak to the lives of teens right now. After completing the series, we rigorously critiqued the original movie (from 2010) and ended the semester watching the mind-boggling “A Hero’s Journey: The Making of Percy Jackson.” We discovered that the actors were indeed 13-year-old teens with talent, commitment and stamina who engaged in much of their own stunt work!  

From Garden to Forest…to Greenhouse…and Back to Garden (Teresa Jones) We spent the fall planting and tending the North Star raised beds, learning about native plants at the River Walk in Sunderland, and diving into different aspects of plant biology such as seeds, flowers and fruits. We had a somewhat terrifying exploration of the world’s most dangerous plants–luckily none of which grow in New England. We spent January and February at the Smith College Lyman Plant House, a delightful break from the dreary cold and wet of winter, culminating in the stunning bulb show in early March. Many thanks to the parents whose driving made those trips possible. We also undertook a year-long project of growing native trees from seed. We collected seeds from several species in the fall, prepared them for their winter cold treatment, planted them indoors in the early spring, transplanted them into special deep-rooted tree pots, and we have been watching the miracle unfold before our eyes. Those tree seedlings, along some houseplants (succulents) we have propagated, will be available for families to take home from the shindig. Please give these wonderful plants a home! The garden beds now contain thriving garlic and flowering bulbs (planted last fall), as well as onions, spinach, radishes, cilantro, and annual flowers planted this spring. Throughout the year, teens have brought houseplants to class from around North Star for special attention, repotting, and rejuvenation. It has been a year of plant delight.

Batman: the Idea (Aaron Damon-Rush) finally caught up with the modern age of Batman films in the last leg of the year, starting with Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012). We examined themes of Nolan's Batman movies, including wealth inequality, corruption, and the importance of symbols. We also heavily discussed the racial coding of the villains in these movies and how they related to a post-9/11 world's view of "evil." We took a breather and enjoyed the lighthearted goofiness of 2017's The LEGO Batman Movie, and discussed how it uses parody to provide a metatextual commentary on Batman's role in popular culture. Finally, we ended the year with the most recent theatrically-released Batman film, 2022's The Batman. This was perhaps our darkest incarnation of the character yet, in both style and content, and the class discussed the movie's allegorical connection to grunge music and the life of Kurt Cobain. We also talked about representation—The Batman is the first Batman film ever to feature multiple actors of color in leading roles—and the ways in which the film portrays the police compared to other Batman adaptations. With a little bit of time left at the end of the year, we watched some much-requested cartoon episodes and celebrated."

Writing Workshop (Aaron Damon-Rush) has maintained a pretty consistent presence of 5-6 teens with a heavy focus on writing. While we did manage to squeeze a couple more workshop days in, most of our last classes were spent generating simple prompts and then working on our writing projects independently, with some time to check in at the very end. We've seen some really impressive projects develop in this class, and it sounds like several people plan to continue their work after the year is over. I look forward to offering more writing support next year!

Handwork (Aaron Damon-Rush) As a relaxed, informal group, Handwork has seen interest ebb and flow. I'm quite happy to see people taking advantage of the class in this way, whether using it to fill time between other classes or simply wandering over and joining in while chilling in the Common Room. We've had some great LEGO creations built and modified over these last few months. In some ways, I like to think of Handwork as my open office hours for North Star—since my desk is isolated off on the other side of the building, Handwork gives me a chance to socialize in the Common Room and engage with the teens in an informal setting."

History of Rock and Roll (Melanie Dana) We started the last portion of the class with an exploration of hippy culture and used the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival performances as a jumping off point for looking at the explosion of musical styles that developed in the 1960s and continued into the 1970s. We also continued to track the civil rights movement against a backdrop of soul and funk as well as protests against the Vietnam War. Next, we turned to technological development, especially the Moog synthesizer, and how these advancements fueled creativity especially in prog rock. We also talked about the migration of album-oriented rock music to FM radio which eventually replaced AM radio by the late 1970s as the place to hear popular music. We looked at the emergence of heavy metal, punk, disco and rap in the 1970s. We also examined how the way we listen to music has changed over time by playing old records on a Victrola and new vinyl on a modern turntable as well as looking at the difference between analog and digital music. This led us to MTV and the second British invasion of the early 1980s.

Visual Algebra (Melanie Dana) Playing the Prime Climb board game was a good jumping off point for talking about multiples and factors. After that we returned to algebraic equations, particularly linear equations in slope-intercept (y=mx+b) form. Students were offered a choice of activities exploring slope and graphing lines on the Desmos online platform or worksheets and graph paper. We spent a lot of time analyzing linear word problems and patterns that grow linearly by making tables and graphs and then deriving equations from them.

Open Maker Room (Melanie Dana) 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, and creating cosplay type items.

Social Issues (Ken Danford) We’ve been following the events in Gaza, and the related protests here in the United States. We’ve also been following the cases against Donald Trump, especially the current trial.  Beyond these sorts of headlines, we are looking for LGBTQ related news, as well as environmental issues, economics, and other interesting stories. How about lowering the voting age in local elections? Supreme Court cases? A brief reaction to Kristi Noem? A ban on Tiktok? Our discussions sometimes get raucous. Also, we try to consider our sources and assess what we can believe and what else we need to know. More to come in the Fall.  

Hiking Group (Loran Saito and Josh Wachtel) Our hikes during this period included Ruggles Pond, Poet’s Seat, Bullitt Reservation/Chapel Brook Falls, Temple Woods Loop Trail, North Sugarloaf, Williamsburg Dam Trail, a private woods hike in Northfield, Sunderland Town Park (twice!), Long Mountain Summit, Mineral Hills, Woolman Hill (with a guided visit to the Nelson Homestead), Bear Swamp, and Mt. Tom (with traditional ice cream at Mt. Tom’s Homemade afterward). This year distinguished itself by not ever canceling because of bad weather—we even hiked in the rain a few times!

Service Trip to New Orleans (Loran Saito) In this period we completed the planning phase of our Service Trip, and then completed the trip itself. The careful preparation and advance paid off, and we had an excellent trip. We flew out of Worcester Airport and returned to Logan Airport, with relatively easy travel both ways. We rented cars for days when we visited more remote sites, but primarily we walked and used buses and streetcars to get around. We stayed in an Air Bnb. Our service sites included a community garden, a shelter for families and trans people, a food bank, and a conservation organization. In our non-service hours, we visited the French Quarter, we had a home-grown ghost tour led by a trip participant (no ghosts spotted, unfortunately), we visited Mardi Gras World and saw the amazing Mardi Gras props under construction, we took a Bayou tour by boat, we visited an old cemetery, we attended an open-air concert, we tasted beignets, and we had lunch at a restaurant staffed by young people (ages 16-20) training to work in the food industry.

Volunteering at Amherst Survival Center (Loran Saito) We continued consistently with our group of 4-5 volunteers, adding a few new people toward the end of the year. As we had done all year, we mainly helped prepare fresh food for distribution, sorting, packing and displaying donated fruit, vegetables, breads and desserts. We worked outdoors in all kinds of weather! Several times we helped in the pantry, including packaging eggs for distribution.

Bread (Loran Saito) In this period we made Challah, Chocolate Cherry Bread, Chunky Cheddar Cheese Bread, Fig & Walnut Soda Bread, Lemon Blueberry Bread, Inside-Out Pumpkin Muffins, Parmesan Garlic Knots, Light & Crispy Cheese Popovers, Graham Crackers, and Cake Donuts.