Science, Arts, and Letters Night
Students, parents, and teachers mingled in the halls of Community High School on April 27 for Science, Arts, and Letters (SAL) Night, as the sounds of masterful music traveled throughout the rooms. The night had exhibits of some of Community’s best science projects and writing publications, as well as paintings, photography, and drawings. The backing track for all of these impressive presentations was provided by a combo from the Community High Jazz program.
Most of the action took place on the second floor. The media center, French classroom, and the hallway outside were all filled with poster boards for different projects. Green design projects for Ann Arbor’s Lower Town property, created by the Foundations of Science (FOS) I classes, were shown in the media center. Monique Bassey, an architect from SmithGroupJJR in Ann Arbor, came to judge the efforts. “I really enjoy working with the youth and high schoolers and helping them understand their designs,” Bassey said. “[I like] talking with them as well, giving them confidence so that they know that they can do it.”
Marcy McCormick, a FOS teacher whose students worked on this project, likes the idea of this real-life scenario. “I love that it’s a local project, and we’re having students research an actual plot of land,” McCormick said. “In the next five to 10 years, I imagine that this area is going to be developed, and [students will] have this project to be able to look back at and be like: ‘that was my idea.’”
Across the hallway in the French room, projects from the Ecology and Forensics classes were presented. The poster board explosion filled all of the tables, and the students’ impeccable design work was evident as one traversed the room. The Forensics projects, which depicted model crime scenes, provided examples for viewers to learn more about real scientific work.
In the hallway outside, aromas from FOS III’s soap projects filled the air. Each soap for sale had its own poster, so the hallway was tightly packed. Senior Maggie Mihaylova liked the diversity when it came to all of the science projects. “They all looked very different, which I liked,” Mihaylova said. “They were all very unique.”
The front entrance hallway of Community was where the arts and letters portion of SAL Night came in. The walls were lined with dozens of different pieces of art, and tables set up around the hall had students and staff selling subscriptions to The Communicator and Free Verse. “It was really nice because we’re sharing all this great writing and people are buying it and looking at it,” said Mihaylova, who is also an editor of Free Verse. “It felt very professional to be selling our work.”
On the first floor, Zebrotics presented its robot, as short films by FOS IV Physics students were played for an audience in the computer lab. In Steve Coron’s art room, one could take a break from the noise and crowdedness of upstairs to enjoy a snack and drink, as well as a quick conversation, before returning to the exhibits above.
The sense of community felt by all the people at SAL Night was tangible as people complimented and bought students’ work, and the variety of projects presented represented the diverse population of creative minds at Community.
