05/13/2026
What happens when students are trusted to create something entirely their own? 💡✨
At our school, Passion Projects are about so much more than the final product. From 1st–5th grade, students spend the year learning with Mrs. Marcus how to dream big, plan, problem-solve, adapt, and persevere through challenges all while creating something completely from scratch! No templates and no step-by-step instructions. Just curiosity, creativity, and determination!
Each 3rd-5th grade student also chooses a character habit they want to strengthen throughout the process. They reflect and journal after their sessions about how they are growing in that area. For example, some focus on engaging and persisting when things get difficult - learning not to give up when mistakes happen, but instead to rethink, adjust, and keep moving forward. That kind of resilience is powerful for all learners, and especially meaningful for our gifted and talented students, who are learning that growth often comes through challenges.
We had 45 incredible creators. Some examples of projects this year are:
📚 Graphic novels and original novels
🎵 Albums of original music
🎬 Stop-motion animation and student-created films
⚒️ Blacksmithing and swordsmithing
🎨 A collection of paintings paired with original songs through QR codes
🍬 A student-run candy business complete with chefs, accounting, and marketing departments
🤖 Mechanical engineers designing and testing robotic builds
🏑 A 4th grader who designed and taught a K–2 lacrosse camp after school in our gym
💄 Special-effects makeup artist
🪨 Geologists, researchers, sculptors, printmakers, writers, filmmakers, and so much more!
Last week, we celebrated their hard work with a Passion Project Showcase and movie premiere, and we could not be more proud of these students. The finished projects were amazing but, of course, the real accomplishment was everything they learned along the way. ❤️
