December 2019
Find the Joy in Lifelong Learning
The new year brings the opportunity to reflect and grow. Launched in 2015, the Fund-founded EPIC elective (Experiential Project-based Innovative Capstone) offers BHS seniors the space to build the skills they need to appreciate the gift of learning , and seize the opportunity to direct their own learning in meaningful ways. Current EPIC students are hard at work: trying, failing, resetting, learning. Here are a few of their insights:
From a student studying neural networks:
I had a lot of fun with the calculus and the details. There is something satisfying about working to understand difficult, complicated problems that eventually all make sense. (...) I also learned that I enjoy the freedom of just learning a concept deeply and not needing to rush through or skip over sections for the sake of homework/time management. (...) The desire to learn the content drove me about as much as it would if I was building something.
From a student learning to design an audio synthesizer:
During this process, I feel like I learned equally as much about myself as I did about audio synthesis. One of the things that I learned is that when I am really interested in a subject I can learn to push through failures and not get discouraged. When I have done projects like this in the past, they almost always had a point of failure. Usually, when this happened I just gave up and took whatever I learned before I failed and put it into my next project. For this project, I tried to push through any and all forms of failure. (...) Pushing through those failures was not only empowering, but where my actual learning took place.
From a student learning to compose violin music:
Despite years of learning violin, I’ve never been pushed to think creatively about music. Through this project, I’ve learned that creating music isn’t about coming up with a genius melody from the get-go. Like any art form, composing music takes trial and error and endless effort to achieve a desirable product. I got frustrated several times during the process, and the lack of time to work on it made it even worse. But I ultimately stuck with it and created something I’m proud of.
From a student working on stretching and flexibility for dance:
I have realized that (as cliche as it sounds) if I work hard at anything and put in consistent effort, I can always see results. (...) Especially in dance, growth isn’t linear. It’s not as if I improve by the same amount every day when I work hard. Often, you won’t even notice any growth at the beginning of your journey. The important part of growth is realizing that, and not getting discouraged by it. If you do that, you’ll see how exponential growth really is, and sometimes those results can be even more exciting than predictable ones.  
This kind of education matters. Thanks to a tradition of giving, the BHS Innovation Fund has been able to provide consistent funding for teachers who see a need, and design courses that fulfill the gift of learning. See more about EPIC at our Master Class for parents last year here , and learn more about 20+ years of Fund programs at BHS here .

If you would like to make a year-end, tax-deductible donation to the non-profit BHS Innovation Fund, we welcome your contribution in any amount. Learn about donation options and support curriculum innovation here.

We'll be back in 2020 with more news from BHS classrooms, more opportunities to get involved, and more events... including three Drop-Ins with Fund Ambassadors in January!

Happy New Year from your friends at the Fund!
Save the Dates
Join us for a Drop-In with Fund Ambassadors in January! Learn more about what we do and how you can get involved, while connecting with BHS parents over coffee or a drink:


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The mission of the Innovation Fund is to empower the BHS faculty and community by fostering a culture of innovation and supporting the development of new ideas and initiatives that will enable our students to thrive in the 21st Century.