Celebrating the Success of Electives Week: A Showcase of Progressive Learning
At The Marylhurst School, we cultivate curious minds, creative spirits, and engaged learners. We just wrapped up our first round of classes for the first session of Electives Week, and it was nothing short of fantastic!
Electives Week is one of the many ways we bring our educational philosophy to life. It’s an opportunity for kindergarten through 8th grade students to explore their interests, develop new skills, and engage with their community meaningfully. This round of hands-on classes included:
Dance Around the World: Explore Different Dance Styles
Helping Animals: Explore Sanctuaries and Make a Difference
Holiday Traditions and Treats: A Tasty Journey Around the World
Leatherworking
Pan-American Art Adventure: Create Art from Across the Americas
Quilting
Stop Motion Filmmaking
Symbols in the Sand: Create a 3D World
Victorian Flower Language: Create Art and Poetry with Hidden Meanings
Winter Storytelling and Writing: Create a Collaborative Tale and Build It
The Bluff: Writing, Art, and Outdoor Adventure
These electives embodied a core tenet—learning through doing and sharing that learning with a real-world audience. They encouraged students to engage thoughtfully, move intentionally, and connect deeply with their peers, instructors, and the subjects they explored.
For instance, Dance Around the World invited students to immerse themselves in diverse cultures through movement, blending physical activity with cultural appreciation. Helping Animals nurtured empathy and stewardship as students learned about caring for animals and contributing to their well-being through advocacy. Hands-on electives like Leatherworking and Quilting combine craft with creative expression. At the same time, Stop Motion Filmmaking challenged students to think critically and problem-solve as they meticulously brought their imaginations to life frame by frame.
Other electives, such as Symbols in the Sand and Victorian Flower Language, encouraged students to explore personal stories, history, and symbolism, finding meaning in art and nature. Meanwhile, Winter Storytelling and Writing allowed young storytellers to hone their narrative and illustrative skills, and The Bluff inspired ingenuity and connection with the outdoors.
These varied offerings showcase how our electives help students connect to the world around them, discover their passions, and nurture a lifelong love of learning. Electives Week isn’t just about learning something new; it’s about engaging the whole person—mind and body—in the joy of exploration and making.
We’re proud of our students for their enthusiasm, creativity, and collaboration this week. Thanks to our talented faculty, parent volunteers, and staff, who made this session possible with innovative ideas, thoughtful mentoring, and passion.
We can’t wait to share session two with you soon!
