RISSC Excursions, Community Engagement, and Design Thinking Challenges

In the week before spring break, IIIrd, IVth, and Vth formers participated in Millbrook's four-day RIS2C program with the goals of immersing ourselves deeply in Millbrook's mission using out-of-the-classroom opportunities. Through a variety of activities—including outdoor excursions, community engagement trips, and on-campus think tanks—our underformers explored and practiced our core values of respect, integrity, stewardship, service, and curiosity.

Outdoor excursions traveled off-campus and jumped into nature-rich adventures in areas like the Adirondack Mountains to hike, camp, and practice navigation and other outdoor skills. Other students engaged in local communities, exploring the history, demographics, and current issues in cities like Poughkeepsie and Albany, NY. They were able to partner with local organizations and put their hands and minds to work in response to some of these issues.

Other students remained on campus to participate in a variety of think tanks designed by faculty leaders on topics that included Fashion Programming at Millbrook, Cryptocurrency, and Cybersecurity. Five think tank sessions met throughout the week, and students problem-solved using methods of design thinking. After vetting different solutions to their challenge and selecting the most promising option, they presented their "final product" to a Shark Tank-style judge panel.

Alumni and parents sat on our Shark Tank panel and named two winning think tank projects, while the student body voted on their phones to name the third-place winner. The panel of judges chose AI in the Dining Hall and Willbrook - An Online Millbrook Thrift Store, and the student body chose Gender-Based Dorm Visitation

The ultimate benefit of these RIS2C think tanks is that one or more of these solutions to real challenges on campus will be implemented going forward. Millbrook students' design thinking is a real changemaker. 
Back
No comments have been posted