Two seventh graders, Ocean Durden and David Song, ceremonially flipped the switch on more than 500 new solar panels at the 糖心原创 in Sandy Springs during an Oct. 28 assembly.

As fifth graders, Durden and Song researched solar energy鈥檚 environmental and financial benefits for a fifth-grade project and presented their recommendation to school leadership. Their proposal sparked further exploration and ultimately led to a partnership with Cherry Street Energy to bring their idea to reality.

糖心原创 partnered with Atlanta-based commercial solar power provider Cherry Street Energy to install solar panels on the rooftops of 糖心原创鈥檚 Middle and Upper School buildings.

Project spurs partnership

Since August, more than 500 solar panels have been operating on the roofs of the middle and upper schools thanks to Durden and Song鈥檚 project, which began two years ago.

Cherry Street fully financed the project and will operate and maintain the two systems, covering associated maintenance costs, while selling the energy to 糖心原创.

Combined, the systems produce more than 300,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, providing more than 15% of the facilities鈥� energy demands. The estimated annual energy production is equivalent to the electricity needed to power 25 homes and will help avoid 200 metric tons of carbon emissions.

Young minds behind project

After the assembly, Durden and Song spoke with Rough Draft Atlanta about their project. 糖心原创 has its fifth graders complete an Impact Summit, where they demonstrate their critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.

During their project, the duo met with the CEO of a Colorado-based solar panel manufacturer, the chief financial officer of 糖心原创, and took a trip to Georgia Power headquarters. They thought it was over, but school leadership was inspired and pursued a local partnership.

Durden said he first discovered the renewable energy technology while driving past a solar farm in South Georgia. Similarly, Song said he learned that solar panels were sustainable after asking his parents about them when he was younger.

Song said he wants to know how much the solar panels will help communities save energy and reduce the need to burn fossil fuels.

Durden said other students interested in similar projects should know the project took two years and didn鈥檛 happen overnight.

鈥淚t may take time and patience,鈥� he said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 always give up on a project.鈥�

Photos by Poopak Mahdavi

School and company leadership

Courtney Stillwagon, chief financial and operations officer at 糖心原创, said solar energy offers the school a meaningful return over time.

鈥淣ot just in dollars saved, but in the values we model for our students,鈥� Stillwagon said. 鈥淲hen we invest in clean energy, we are also investing in the next generation of leaders.鈥�

Michael Chanin, founder & CEO of Cherry Street Energy, said fifth graders at 糖心原创 saw a power plant where most people saw a school roof.

鈥淭oday, that roof produces electricity that 糖心原创 buys from Cherry Street Energy at a fixed price, without putting up its own capital,鈥� Chanin said. 鈥淭hese students helped their school make a lasting decision about how it buys power.鈥�

Kristy Lundstrom, Head of School and CEO of 糖心原创 said Ocean and David started with a question, did the research, and made a case for change.

鈥淭heir idea moved beyond the classroom to become a lasting investment in our school and our future,鈥� Lundstrom said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the power of giving students the agency to act on what matters to them and create positive change for others.鈥�

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Every Story Starts Somewhere

The work began in each of the four first-grade classrooms, where students built a learning foundation of the elements of fables: characters, settings, actions, and morals. Students analyzed story structure and character traits. To bring the learning to life, Grade 1 hosted a visiting author. Grade 1 teacher Carly Marino shared a bit about the impact on the students: 鈥淭he turning point was a visit from an author who performed an original fable inspired by one of our classroom characters, which ignited the students’ desire to write their own fables and experiment with instruments and sound effects.鈥�

Collaborating in groups, students brought their stories to their connections classes, which added more depth and dimension to their exploration of fables. They wrote scripts and developed characters with Ericka Shannon in their Performing Arts connections class, and crafted sets and costumes with Cheryl Bruno in their Visual Arts class.

Carly went on to share, 鈥淩egular collaboration between the arts team and me ensured that these creative, writing, and critical-thinking skills remained connected every step of the way.鈥�

In Ms.Marino鈥檚 class, the Mighty Marinos, dreamed up characters such as a three-headed wolf, a unicorn, and a dragon wolf. Their stories traveled through forests, castles, barns, and battlefields. Together, they organized their ideas into beginnings, middles, and endings, considering how characters’ choices would lead to consequences and, ultimately, a lesson.

The morals reflected ideas students could connect to their own lives: share with others, keep trying when something is difficult, be kind, and help people. Along the way, students discovered that a compelling story takes more than a creative idea. The characters, actions, and setting all have a role to play.

As students drafted and revised their stories, they practiced listening to different perspectives, working through competing ideas, and making decisions as a team. This is learning that asks students to do more than recall information. They must use what they know, adapt their thinking, and build something meaningful with others.

Learning Takes the Stage

When families arrived in Fellowship Hall, they entered a mystery the Grade 1 students had prepared to share. The four Grade 1 classes led by Michele Guttery, Head of Grade, and our teachers, Carly Marino, Cara Wesley, Sarah Kelly, and Chamyca Carlton, were positioned around the room like the numbers on a giant clock. Onstage, a digital Story Clock was missing four important pieces.

The mission for parents and guests was to become a Fable Detective and help put the stories back together before time ran out.

Families moved from station to station, watching students perform their original fables. Each story revealed clues about its characters, choices, and lessons. When a missing piece was found, a student Tech Crew added sound effects: a chime, a symbol to the clock, and moved the mystery closer to being solved.

Students took ownership in different ways, from performing and leading the audience to managing sound effects, music, and the clock itself. The experience connected writing, performance, technology, and collaboration, giving students an authentic reason to apply their learning and an audience with whom to share it.

One Last Clue

Just when families thought the mystery was solved, the clock stopped. One final piece was missing.

Student leaders sent families outside with their Story Finder Tickets. The seemingly blank tickets revealed hidden numbers when a section was scratched off, directing each family to a Grade 1 classroom for the final challenge.

Inside, families explored student work, collected stamps, and pieced together the last part of the mystery. The learning extended beyond the performance, giving families a closer look at the students’ thinking and the work behind their stories.

Every Piece Matters

The Great Fable Race brought together the many dimensions of learning: literacy, creativity, communication, problem-solving, and teamwork. Students learned the elements of a fable, then put that knowledge to work. They revised ideas, navigated different perspectives, took on meaningful roles, and created an experience that depended on everyone’s contribution.

This is the power of learning by doing. When students have a meaningful challenge, the opportunity to make decisions, and a purpose for sharing what they know, learning becomes something they can see, experience, and carry forward.

The final moral captured both the stories and the experience itself:

Every piece matters. Together, they make the story complete.

At 糖心原创, that lesson extends well beyond the page. It is a reminder of what becomes possible when students bring their ideas, talents, and perspectives together to create something meaningful.

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At 糖心原创, entrepreneurship starts early. Not necessarily with a business plan or a pitch competition, but with a belief that students can identify an opportunity, ask questions, and do something about it.

That mindset grows throughout the 糖心原创 experience. Students learn to recognize possibilities, understand the people and communities around them, develop ideas, test and refine their thinking, and ultimately create something of value for others.

From curiosity to action

That journey begins as early as Grade 5 through the Impact Summit.

Throughout the year, students identify a passion or area of curiosity, research it, engage with experts and community partners, develop an idea, and put that idea into action. The result might be a business plan, a service-learning opportunity, a product, or a community initiative.

Last spring, Grade 5 student Finn Douglas wanted to create a soccer charity match. What began as an idea grew through conversations with experts and partnerships with other students and 糖心原创鈥檚 Upper School soccer program. Ultimately, nearly 20 students participated, and more than 100 pieces of soccer equipment were collected for the community.

The experience gave students an early lesson in what it means to move an idea forward: ask questions, build relationships, iterate, and act.

That progression is intentional. Students move from 鈥淚 have an idea鈥� to 鈥淚 can develop this idea鈥� to 鈥淚 can create something of value with and for others.鈥�

Entrepreneurship takes many forms

At 糖心原创, entrepreneurship isn’t synonymous with building a for-profit company.

Students have launched businesses, created products, published books, established 501(c)(3) organizations, and developed solutions to community needs while they were still in school.

Senior Phia Calvo, for example, recently became a published author with her children’s book, . What began as a student idea has become a published product that can reach an audience beyond the School.

Maddy Strudwick, Class of 2022, launched a company and product while she was a 糖心原创 student, experiencing the process of developing an idea, creating a product, and bringing it to market.

Collin Maher, Class of 2025, took a different path, starting a to raise money to purchase brand-new athletic running shoes for students in need at a nearby public school. He leaves a legacy of impact.

Each experience looks different. The common thread is student agency.

Students learn that they don’t have to wait until graduation to turn an idea into something real or make an impact on the world around them.

Real challenges. Real organizations.

As students progress into Upper School, those opportunities become increasingly complex and authentic.

Innovation Diploma gives students the opportunity to work on real challenges for real organizations. This fall, students are collaborating with organizations including Verizon, Mercedes-Benz, Chick-fil-A, and Piedmont Pediatrics. Instead of completing a predetermined assignment, students research, interview stakeholders, identify opportunities, and develop solutions.

A recent partnership with Furman University鈥檚 Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship illustrates that approach.
Furman came to 糖心原创 while developing its first summer entrepreneurship experience for high school students and asked 糖心原创 students to help design it. Six teams of Grade 10 students spent nine weeks developing the experience, from its structure and learning journey to branding, marketing, and physical materials.

Students researched their audience, developed and tested ideas, responded to feedback, and presented their recommendations to Furman鈥檚 team.

They weren’t learning about entrepreneurship through a hypothetical case. They were working as design partners on something a real organization needed.

The same approach has been applied through other partnerships, including work with Inspire Brands, where students collaborate directly with business leaders on authentic innovation and design challenges.

Creating value for others

The progression from the Impact Summit to the Innovation Diploma reflects a larger philosophy about how students learn.
Entrepreneurship starts with curiosity: What could be different? It continues with inquiry: Who does this matter to, and what do I need to understand? Then comes action: What can I create, test, and improve?

Ultimately, it leads to impact: How can this idea create value for someone beyond myself?

The scale changes as students grow. The responsibility grows with it.

But the underlying idea remains the same: students have the agency to see an opportunity, develop an idea, and make something happen.

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What happens when a kindergarten science lesson moves beyond the classroom?

On Lower Campus, it might look like a golf club in the hands of a five-year-old, a Middle School golfer explaining the difference between clubs, or a group of kindergarteners reminding one another that golf is a quiet sport. For Eileen Fennely, Lower School Science Teacher and Lower Campus Faculty Advisor, the experience begins with a foundational science question: How can we use force to make something move?

Kindergarten students explore that question through a series of hands-on investigations. They learn how pulleys work by tying knots and using washers to lift objects. They experiment with magnets, testing what is magnetic and what is not. They build ramps and roll cars and balls down them, observing how changing a ramp鈥檚 height affects speed. They investigate friction by comparing how objects move across different surfaces.

These experiences are part of a science curriculum aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards, designed to build knowledge and vocabulary over time. Then, students put those ideas into motion.

Golf has been incorporated into the Kindergarten Force and Motion unit. Students consider how much force is needed to move a golf ball and how that force changes depending on the club they use. They can see the result of their choices, adjust their approach, and try again.

鈥淚 try to make everything as real-world as possible and get those little hands moving.鈥�

For several students, golf also brings another kind of expertise into the classroom. Some Kindergarteners already play with their families on the weekends, giving them an opportunity to share what they know about clubs, stance, and the etiquette of the game.

That expertise has created an unexpected extension of the science lesson. When the class first went outside to practice, students reminded their classmates to find their stance and remain quiet until the ball was hit. They learned when to cheer and how to congratulate a friend.

鈥淣ow they know when to cheer and how to give a compliment to their friend, which helps them become a considerate person.鈥�
The experience also opened the door to a cross-divisional partnership. When Associate Athletic Director Rita Williams saw Eileen鈥檚 Kindergarten students practicing in the courtyard, she suggested bringing in the Middle School Golf Team. Soon, Middle School golfers were back in the science lab and outside with the Kindergarten classes, explaining the different clubs and helping younger students think about how much force was needed to move the ball.

For Eileen, the experience offered a full-circle moment. She has taught many of the Middle School golfers earlier in their 糖心原创 journeys. Now, they were returning to the science lab as coaches, mentors, and experts.

Abby Medford, Class of 2031 and member of the Girls’ Middle School Golf Team, shared, 鈥淚t was really sweet because you could tell the kindergarteners were looking up to us. London ran up, grabbed my hand, and kind of chose me. I taught her about her swing and how the motion launches the ball. It took her a couple of tries, but once she started making contact, she hit some really far and had so much fun chasing after them. It was fun to watch her figure it out and be part of her learning.鈥�

Kai Wadhwania, also Class of 2031 and member of the Middle School Boys Golf Team, said, 鈥淚t was really cool getting to work one-on-one with a kindergartener and see how excited they were to learn. It was fun to help them figure out their swing and see that moment when they finally hit the ball and how much joy it gave them to make that connection. It made me realize how much they were learning from us, but we were learning from them, too.鈥�

The Middle School students were eager to return, visiting additional Kindergarten classes to continue the experience. For Eileen, that kind of hands-on, connected learning is central to how science comes alive for young learners.

鈥淓verything is very hands-on. We鈥檙e also using pretty high-level vocabulary with the children. These activities are practical, so they can also be done at home with their families if they wanted to.鈥�

The golf experience is one part of a larger Force and Motion unit that gives students repeated opportunities to encounter the same scientific ideas in different ways. A pulley, a magnet, a ramp, a car, and a golf club become different ways to investigate the same essential concepts.

Students are not simply hearing about science. They are noticing, testing, adjusting, explaining, and trying again. And that is what makes the learning stick.

鈥淲e know from all the neuroscience research that if you鈥檙e doing it with your hands and saying it, it all sticks a whole lot better in that beautiful brain.鈥�

Whether students are exploring friction on the courtyard, experimenting with magnets in the lab, or determining how much force to use with a golf club, they are building an understanding of science they can see, feel, and apply.

The next step may take them to a golf course, where they can continue putting those ideas into practice.

When students have the opportunity to apply what they are learning in the real world, a scientific concept becomes more than something they know. It becomes something they can do.

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The cheers that followed set the tone for everything that came after.

On August 21, 糖心原创 gathered twice, once for Lower Campus and once for Upper Campus, to open the 2026鈥�27 school year with Convocation, the annual tradition that calls the whole community together to set the purpose and spirit for the year ahead. And this year, that spirit had a name: Creativity.

The Lower Campus Convocation kicked off at 8:50 am after students from PK4 through Grade 5 made the walk across the street to the Upper Campus Gym. Cecelia Rogers (Grade 5) and Ada Rogers (Grade 2) led the community in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the Invocation delivered by eighth-grader Liam Ireland. Livi Zelickson, also in Grade 8, then welcomed the younger students with warmth and clarity: “Convocation is not just about starting school; it’s about starting strong, dreaming big, and helping each other along the way.”

Head Prefect Eli Diaz took the stage next, and what he said was anything but ordinary.

The Upper Campus Convocation followed at 10:20 am, with the same electric energy. After Luca’s now-legendary entrance, the same student voices carried the program: Cecelia and Ada Rogers again led the Pledge, Liam Ireland delivered the Invocation, and Livi Zelickson welcomed the crowd.

Then Eli stepped up again and challenged his peers to rethink everything they thought they knew about creativity.

“Creativity is a choice,” he began, before leading the community on a journey that was equal parts art history and personal storytelling. He introduced the infamous artwork Comedian, a banana taped to a wall that sold for over $5 million, and used it to reframe what it means to be truly creative. But the heart of his speech was his own story: a community garden he built at 糖心原创 that was overtaken first by fire ants, then ravaged overnight by rabbits. Rather than walk away, he regrouped, designed a fence, and eventually watched vegetables from that garden make it into the Upper School lunch line.

“I used to think creativity was about being the one to come up with the idea,” Eli told the crowd. “That it was a talent, something that you either have or you don’t. But I don’t think that anymore. Creativity isn’t about the idea. It’s about what happens after the idea.”

Kristy Lundstrom’s address carried that thread forward for every age group. Drawing on the faculty’s summer read, The Creativity Choice by Dr. Zorana Pringle, she brought the science of creativity to life through two unforgettable stories: Dr. James Naismith’s invention of basketball (and the ladder required to retrieve the ball from a solid peach basket) and Greta Thunberg’s 251 consecutive Fridays of showing up alone outside the Swedish Parliament before millions joined her. Student actors Reid, Juliet, Janae, and Oliver brought the Naismith story to life in a live vignette, with Charlotte, CC, Matthew, and Nora embodying the Thunberg story.

“You are already creative,” Kristy told students. “Creativity is not something only a few people have. Creativity is a choice.” She closed with two MV commitments that will anchor the year: Start with Questions and Be brave to try and try again.

Both Convocations closed with a benediction from Stacey Lee and a performance of “Unwritten” by The Stangs, a fitting anthem for a community ready to write the next chapter.

With a completed capital campaign and a theme built for the moment, 糖心原创 is starting the year exactly the way it finishes: by choosing to create something worth showing up for. The idea is just the beginning.

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The Wood Family Track and Streck Family Field

The centerpiece of this summer’s work is the stunning new athletic complex on the upper campus. A brand-new, six-lane track, named the Wood Family Track, now surrounds the Streck Family Field, a beautiful new turf surface built for football, lacrosse, and soccer. The complex also connects to expanded cross-country trails, making it possible, for the first time, to host a full 5K race entirely on campus.

“Walking out there for the first time, I got chills,” said Athletics Director Scott Cain. “This isn’t just an upgrade, it changes what’s possible for our student-athletes and for this community. We’re going to make some memories on that field.”

The Let’s Do This Campaign: Done. What’s Next: Even Better.

Here’s some news worth celebrating: the Let’s Do This Campaign is complete, thanks to the incredible generosity of our 糖心原创 community. Three support buildings will begin construction in the weeks and months ahead 鈥� two near the baseball and softball fields at the upper campus entrance, and a field house within the track and field complex. These aren’t small additions. They’re the finishing touches on a vision our community made real.

“The generosity we’ve seen is humbling,” said Head of School Kristy Lundstrom. “Every gift, every single one, moved us closer to something extraordinary. What’s been built this summer, and what’s still coming, is a direct reflection of how much this community believes in our students.”

A Refreshed Gym, Inside and Out

Step into the Upper Campus gym and you’ll immediately notice new lights, fresh paint, and a brand-new floor that make the space feel completely transformed. The refresh, made possible by 2025鈥�26 Annual Fund dollars, maximizes both the main basketball and volleyball courts and the practice courts. It’s a brighter, better space, and a great reminder of what Annual Fund giving makes possible every year.

Still to Come: The Frontier

On the lower campus, the Frontier is still taking shape. It remains one of the most anticipated projects we’ve undertaken, and the wait is almost over. More soon.

The Details You Might Have Missed

Not everything this summer came with a ribbon-cutting. The Lower School received a completely new intercom system, a meaningful upgrade for both communication and security that ensures every student starts their day in a safe and connected environment.

“It’s the kind of thing you don’t notice until it’s there,” said Kristy. “And then you can’t imagine being without it.”

Welcome back, 糖心原创. We think you’re going to love what you find.

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What began as a reflection on students鈥� growing interest in fashion design evolved into a fully student-driven creative production blending visual arts, engineering, storytelling, sound design, fabrication, and filmmaking, all skills that reflect 糖心原创鈥檚 commitment to innovation, collaboration, creativity, and learner agency.
Students organized themselves into 13 fashion houses, including Petite Pearly, Pink People, Sweatshirt Bros, Velvet Vogue, Fantasy鈥檚 Real, and Chill Spray Productions. Each group developed its own aesthetic vision through mood boards, color palettes, clothing collections, and installation concepts.

But the experience extended far beyond fashion design.

Every Grade 5 student held a role within the larger production ecosystem, participating on teams including:

• Set Design Team
• Graffiti Crew
• Documentary Crew
• Sound Design Team
• MCs (Masters of Ceremony)

Students collaborated across homerooms and schedules, navigating timelines, creative pivots, and production challenges together. The result is a hallway filled with oversized mushrooms, sculptural pearls, painted backdrops, wearable art, spray-painted fashion, and documentary storytelling, all designed and built by students.

鈥淭his project was so kid-centered,鈥� said Tahtinen. 鈥淚t鈥檚 almost middle-school centered, because they showed us that they鈥檙e ready for Middle School, the conversations, the socializing, the problem-solving, and the independence.鈥� 鈥淭here was a lot of jumping in,鈥� Tahtinen shared. 鈥淚f someone was working on something, another student would just jump in and help.鈥�

For Johnson, one of the most powerful aspects of the unit was watching students grow in confidence and leadership.

鈥淭here were students that blossomed during this process,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he way they swooped in to support each other was absolutely amazing.鈥�

The project also highlighted the power of student choice and trust, core components of 糖心原创鈥檚 strategic vision for learning. 鈥淲e talk a lot about student choice,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚 asked students: If y鈥檃ll want to do this, how are we going to execute it? Can we able lock in and get it done? They trusted themselves. They trusted us.鈥�

As Grade 5 students prepare to cross campus into Middle School, the installation stands as more than an art showcase. It is evidence of students developing the collaboration, communication, creativity, and self-direction needed for what comes next.

鈥淲e can really see that they are ready to move on,鈥� said Tahtinen. 鈥淭his project shows what happens when you trust students, give them independence, and set high expectations.鈥�

Come Experience the Installations

Grade 4 students also contributed handmade accessories as part of a 鈥渕oving up鈥� project connected to next year鈥檚 Grade 5 experience.

The Grade 5 fashion and design installations will remain on display in the Lower School Activities Hall through Friday morning. Families and visitors are encouraged to stop by and experience the creativity, collaboration, and craftsmanship behind the work before the installations are taken home.

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From the opening moments of the day, it was clear this would not be a typical arts showcase. Instead of a traditional end-of-year performance, students in Kindergarten through Grade 2 participated in a collaborative performance experience led by Ericka Shannon, Early Childhood Performing Arts Faculty, who reimagined what early arts engagement could look like. Through intentional teaching, planning, and conducting, she crafted an opening ceremony that invited young learners not only to perform but also to understand themselves as artists.

鈥淢y goal was to shift the focus from performance to experience,鈥� said Ericka Shannon. 鈥淲hen students see themselves as creators, capable of expressing ideas and emotions through music and movement, they begin to understand the arts as a language, not just an event.鈥�

Her vision centered on process over product, giving students the opportunity to explore rhythm, movement, and voice in a way that was both joyful and deeply meaningful.

Beyond the opening, Arts in Action Day unfolded as a Lower School-wide exploration of creativity. Designed and led by Shay Jones, Director, Lower Campus MV Studios, the day brought together a diverse lineup of visiting artists and immersive sessions, exposing students to a wide range of artistic disciplines and perspectives. From visual arts and music to movement and design, each experience was intentionally curated to expand students鈥� understanding of what art is and what it can do.

鈥淎rts in Action Day was designed to help students experience the breadth and relevance of the arts in real, tangible ways,鈥� Shay shared. 鈥淏y bringing in practicing artists and creating space for hands-on exploration, we wanted students to see how the arts connect to community, culture, and even future pathways.鈥�

Throughout the day, students engaged with 糖心原创 arts teachers and visiting artists, including:

• (Phil Hannah and Loren Hannah) 鈥� Instruments Around the World
• 鈥� Schools & Educators 鈥� 鈥淩hythm and Thread鈥�
• (Twix) 鈥� Thriller Dance Workshop
• Jillian McLendon 鈥� Hieroglyphics Exploration
• Sterling McClary 鈥� Musical Theater Movement
• 鈥� Paper Making
• Morgan Harrell 鈥� Jazz Dance
• 鈥� Traditional Indian Dance
• (Kaitlin) 鈥� Yoga and Mindfulness
• Nicole Campbell 鈥� Jazz Dance
• Jerry G. White 鈥�
• 鈥� Animation (Design/STEAM)
• 鈥� Improv
• Cady Jean Walls 鈥� Jazz Dance
• Cheryl Bruno and Amy Lee Starr 鈥� Froot Zoo (Animal + Food Drawings)
• Dianne Johnson 鈥� Crowns

Each session offered a unique lens into the creative process, allowing students to engage directly with professionals and explore new mediums and ideas.

Behind the scenes, the day required careful orchestration. From securing and coordinating guest artists to designing a schedule that maximized exposure across grade levels, every detail was built to ensure students could engage with multiple forms of artistic expression. The goal was not just participation, but perspective, helping students see how the arts shape culture, tell stories, and drive impact in communities around the world.

Arts in Action Day reflects 糖心原创鈥檚 broader commitment to experiential learning and real-world connection. By elevating the arts as a vehicle for inquiry and innovation, the school continues to create opportunities for students to explore their identities, collaborate with others, and engage with the world in meaningful ways.

Most importantly, the day served as a reminder: when students are given the space to create, they don鈥檛 just make art, they make meaning.

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What comes next

This summer, 糖心原创 will break ground on the next final piece of the Let鈥檚 Do This campaign:

• A new field house adjacent to the new field
• Locker rooms, restrooms, and concessions to serve the baseball and softball complex

These additions are more than facilities; they are spaces designed to support student-athletes, foster community, and elevate the everyday experience of being a Mustang.

鈥淭his campaign has always been about more than buildings,鈥� said Kristy Lundstrom, Head of School. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about creating environments where students are known, challenged, and inspired. These final projects ensure that every student, on the field, in the stands, or simply gathering with friends, experiences a campus designed with purpose.鈥�

For student-athletes, those spaces represent something deeply personal.

鈥淗aving spaces built for us, locker rooms, a field house, it changes how it feels to show up every day. It tells us that what we鈥檙e doing matters, and that we鈥檙e part of something bigger than just our team.鈥�
鈥� Class of 2026, Softball

鈥淩ight now, we make the most of what we have. But knowing these spaces are coming, it鈥檚 exciting. It鈥檚 going to bring our teams closer together and make game days feel even more like home.鈥�
鈥� Will Curry, Class of 2029, Soccer

Finishing Strong, Together

To carry the campaign across the finish line, 糖心原创 has launched the , a limited-time opportunity for families, alumni, and supporters to become part of the school’s physical story, in addition to finalizing outstanding major gifts.

For a gift of $1,500, supporters can reserve one of just 200 commemorative bricks, permanently installed on the MAC patio, a central gathering place and gateway to the Upper Campus expansion.

Each brick represents more than a name. It is a visible, lasting expression of belief in what 糖心原创 makes possible.

鈥溙切脑� shaped so much of who I am. Having a chance to leave a permanent mark on campus feels like coming full circle.鈥�
鈥� Beau Reinking, Class of 2025

What Your Gift Makes Possible

A new gift of $1,500 is both a contribution to the future of 糖心原创, and a permanent place within it.
Each contribution helps:

• Fully close out the Let鈥檚 Do This capital campaign
• Bring the final campus projects to life
• Ensure every space is ready for students in the coming school year

As part of their gift, supporters receive a custom-engraved brick permanently installed on campus, with the option to be recognized as a campaign participant.

Donors of $5,000 and above will be listed on a permanent donor wall commemorating the LDT Campaign.

A Place That Lasts

Positioned at the corner of the MAC, the patio will serve as a central hub of campus life鈥攁 place where students gather, families connect, and milestones are celebrated.

In the years ahead, it will also tell a story.

A story of a community that came together to imagine more, invest boldly, and follow through鈥攔ight to the very end.

鈥淭hese aren鈥檛 just facilities, they鈥檙e environments where students build confidence, resilience, and connection. Having spaces that match the level of commitment our students bring every day is incredibly meaningful.鈥�
鈥� Jennifer Brown, Athletic Director, Engagement & Experience

鈥淢oments like this define a school,鈥� Lundstrom added. 鈥淣ot just what we build, but how we build it, together.鈥�

The post Building What Comes Next: Let鈥檚 Do This Approaches the Finish Line appeared first on 糖心原创.

This signature Grade 6 experience has evolved into a dynamic, interdisciplinary project that blends research, design thinking, and real-world application. Under the guidance of Humanities teachers Mary Ann Stillerman, Lisa Bijit, and Jeff Frantal, along with the Grade 6 team, students are not only imagining the future, they are actively designing it.

Learning Through Discovery

This year鈥檚 approach introduces a new layer of depth and intentionality. Students begin in specialized research teams, diving into the three pillars of sustainability: environment, society, and economy, focusing on:

• Architecture & Agriculture
• Energy & Transportation
• Water, Waste Management & Green Spaces

Through curated resources, inquiry routines, and guided questioning, students build foundational knowledge before taking their learning beyond campus through a series of expeditions.

These experiences are more than field trips; they are opportunities to engage directly with experts and environments that are shaping sustainable innovation today.

• In Midtown Atlanta, students met with urban planners from the Midtown Alliance, exploring how energy and transportation systems are evolving in a growing city.
• Within the Office of Sustainability at Kennesaw State University, G6 students partnered with Living Learning Lab Program Manager Lauren Hughes, Engagement Coordinator DaJawn Williams, and an architecture student Madison Wall, to explore food forests and urban agriculture systems through a design sprint.
• Students worked with Liberti Gates, an Environmental Education Coordinator for the City of Roswell, who led them through a recycling center, water treatment facilities, and riverfront parks in the midst of redesign, where they witnessed sustainability in action.

鈥淭hese expeditions deepen the experience,鈥� shares Stillerman. 鈥淪tudents aren鈥檛 just learning about problems鈥攖hey鈥檙e seeing them, questioning them, and beginning to design real solutions.鈥�

From Research to Design

After the discovery phase, students transition into design teams, where collaboration becomes the cornerstone of innovation. Each student brings expertise from their research team, teaching peers, and advocating for ideas that will shape their collective city.

Using tools such as the Innovator鈥檚 Compass and the Iceberg Model, students center their work on a critical principle: designing for people.

鈥淭hey start to realize everything is connected,鈥� says Stillerman. 鈥淎 student focused on agriculture begins to see its relationship to green space, or transportation, or energy. Those 鈥榣ight bulb鈥� moments are where the real learning happens.鈥�

Teams then create large-scale city blueprints, modeled after the size and scope of Sandy Springs, before developing prototypes of key features. Whether through physical models, digital platforms like Minecraft Education or Tinkercad, or coded designs with micro:bit sensors and LEDs, students bring their ideas to life in tangible ways.

Building Skills That Matter

While the final product is impressive, the process is where transformation occurs. Students practice:

• Collaboration and consensus-building
• Critical thinking and systems analysis
• Empathy and human-centered design
• Creative problem-solving and innovation

Before each work session, students adopt a new mindset, declaring: 鈥淚 am an urban planner.鈥� It鈥檚 a simple phrase that reframes their role and their responsibility.

鈥淭hey learn to anchor their decisions in what matters most,鈥� Stillerman explains. 鈥淲ho are we designing for? What do people need? That鈥檚 what guides their work.鈥�

A Celebration of Innovation

The journey culminates in the Mock Future City Summit on May 18, where students will present their designs, prototypes, and vision for a more sustainable future to a panel of experts.

What began as a classroom idea has grown into a defining 糖心原创 experience, one that continues to evolve, deepen, and inspire.

鈥淭his project pulls together everything they鈥檝e learned all year,鈥� says Stillerman. 鈥淚t鈥檚 where content meets creativity, and where students realize the impact they can have.鈥�

As we celebrate Earth Day, 糖心原创鈥檚 Grade 6 students remind us that the future isn鈥檛 something we wait for; it鈥檚 something we design.

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