This year, Upper School (US) Science Teacher Trish Tate will be leading a new local program, titled, “Exploring Animation with the MFS Preschool.” Working with the preschool is an aspect unique to Tate’s program, as MFS students typically aren’t able to participate in Intensive Learning until fifth grade. This upcoming week marks the start of MFS Intensive Learning, where students will go on international and local trips, each centered around a specific experiential learning goal.
“After two years of local programs exploring science experiments, I wanted to do something different than what I usually do in my daily classes,” Tate said. She elaborated, saying, “I’m not an expert on animation, but it seemed like something fun and creative that the preschool teachers mentioned they had done with their kids before.”
“Last year, the preschoolers worked on a yearlong project with stop motion animation. Learning how to use stop motion animation is something new for this year’s preschoolers, but we hope to make a collaborative story that we can set up and act out,” shared preschool teacher Garrett McVaugh.
On the first day of the program, the group will be visiting Otherworld Philadelphia, an interactive museum where the students will learn about art and animation. Next, the students will have a chance to watch an animated film with the preschool. On the other days of the program, the US students will visit the preschool classrooms to work collaboratively on a stop motion film, which will be the culminating project. During the second half of each day, the US students will return to their classroom to continue preparing materials for their project.
The course description for Exploring Animation with the Preschool states that the goal of the program is to “expand our understanding of ‘community’ in separate divisions through a collaborative project or shared interest.” This goal is an expansion of MFS’s previous efforts to promote interdivisional collaboration through events such as Friendship Day, Thanksgiving Happening, and the Lower School Buddy Program.
“The fact that there are so many [16] Upper Schoolers engaged in it feels really good,” Tate added.
One student in the program, Rohan Dhulipalla ’27, said that his interest in this Intensive Learning program stemmed from his participation in Friendship Day. He shared that he “had a lot of fun playing with the kids [on Friendship Day] and wanted to continue working with them through [Exploring Animation with the MFS Preschool].” Dhulipalla also added that he believes this program “creates a role model [environment] where the Lower Schoolers can become more excited for Intensive Learning every year.”
Jordan Litinetsky ’28 said he chose to join Exploring Animation with the MFS Preschool since he “did the Lower School buddy program in eighth grade and wanted to have a similar experience.” Additionally, Litinetsky shared that he thinks “the program is really important since it gives [US students] and the Lower Schoolers insight into a cool possible career option.”
Talking about the collaborative aspect of Exploring Animation with the MFS Preschool, McVaugh said “We should capitalize on these opportunities for partnership, and find more ways for Lower, Middle, and Upper school students to work together through shared learning.”
