What happens when Interim is given more time, more intention, and real-world purpose?
The concept of the 鈥淭raveling Classroom鈥� is redefining what Interim can be, transforming it from a single week into a sustained, for-credit learning experience that blends academic depth, empathy, and authentic problem-solving. This year, that evolution came to life through a new Upper School Core experience led by Lynn Luster, Learning Architect for the Upper School, and Catherine Altamirano, Upper School Maker teacher.
From Interim Week to a Traveling Classroom
鈥淭his is our second attempt at offering a credit option connected to Interim,鈥� Luster explained. Last year, 糖心原创 piloted a for-credit curriculum tied to the Gal谩pagos trip, allowing students to opt into elective coursework aligned with their travel experience.
鈥淭hat elective credit gives students flexibility,鈥� Luster said. 鈥淲hether they need more freedom later for internships, global learning, or just want additional choice in senior year, it opens doors.鈥�
This year, while Gal谩pagos returned as a Traveling Classroom option, Luster wanted to bring the same depth and intentional design to students remaining on campus. The result was Housing Atlanta: Industrial Design, a Core experience spanning three academic modules that culminates during Interim.
鈥淚t spans three mods,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat runway allows students to really dig into the work instead of rushing toward a product.鈥�
Designing With Purpose
Housing Atlanta blends industrial design, architecture, and social impact, asking students to engage with Atlanta鈥檚 housing crisis through both head and heart.
鈥淚 always imagine a course as one giant project-based learning experience,鈥� Luster said. 鈥淭he whole thing is the project.鈥�
The experience begins with an intentional entry event, an essential component of 糖心原创鈥檚 project-based learning approach. Early in Mod 2, students visited a tiny house in Kirkwood that Luster co-designed with an architect.
鈥淓ntry events should spark curiosity,鈥� she explained. 鈥淪tudents could immediately imagine themselves in that space.鈥�
But the visit also provided critical context. Standing among newly built homes, students heard stories of gentrification, displacement, and long-time residents priced out of their neighborhoods.
鈥淚 wanted them to understand that this cool architectural trend exists in the middle of real human stories,鈥� Luster said.
Students deepened that understanding through the Traveling Classroom鈥檚 shared reading, , founder of . 鈥淚t challenges assumptions about homelessness,鈥� Luster said. 鈥淥ur students responded with a lot of empathy, and a growing sense of responsibility.鈥�
Cross-Campus Collaboration: Grade 9 Meets Grade 2
One of the most powerful elements of the course occurred across campuses.
Partnering with Constanza Pizano, Lower School Maker teacher, ninth-grade students collaborated with second graders, who served as their design 鈥渃lients.鈥� Second graders shared their interests and favorite book characters, and Upper School students designed personalized reading hideouts just for them.
鈥淥ur students asked the second graders to be the clients,鈥� Altamirano said. 鈥淭hey had to listen carefully, ask good questions, and design based on real needs.鈥�
To prepare, ninth graders developed open-ended interview questions and practiced how to engage younger learners meaningfully. The resulting interactions were striking: life-sized floor plans, immediate feedback, and visible excitement on both sides.
鈥淔or second graders in Ms. King鈥檚 class, this project made abstract ideas like size, proportion, and scale completely tangible,鈥� Pizano said. 鈥淏eing able to physically step into the designs and talk directly with Upper School students helped those concepts really stick.鈥�
Altamirano saw the impact on her students as well. 鈥淲atching their young users sit inside their designs made everything real,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey could immediately see how experience and scale matter.鈥�
鈥淲orking with second graders has been a memorable experience for me. Recently, we conducted an interview with them and printed out blueprints to full scale. I got to see their faces light up, and that was a moment I’ll never forget.鈥� Emma-Neal Medlin, Class of 2029, shared.
Declan Gallagher, Class of 2029, said, 鈥淲orking with second graders was such a different experience because the professionalism I was so used to wasn’t there. When interviewing 2nd graders, all of their answers were creative and were solely for the purpose of entertainment or fun. That sense of creativity is something I miss a little, and I am very glad that I found that feeling again through this project/class.鈥�
From Design to Impact
The learning culminates during Core week, when students will build a full-scale shelter in partnership with , an Atlanta-based nonprofit that has spent more than 25 years creating temporary housing as a form of harm reduction.
鈥淲e鈥檙e working with a professional organization doing real work in the real world,鈥� Luster said. 鈥淎t the end of this, someone will have a place to go at night. That matters.鈥�
Altamirano emphasized the rarity of full-scale building experiences. 鈥淢any architecture students graduate without ever building anything full-size,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his gives our students a real connection between design and reality.鈥�
Students make authentic design decisions鈥攂alancing budget, materials, and insulation鈥攗sing Mad Housers鈥� blueprints as a guide. 鈥淭hose choices become very real when you think about someone sleeping outside,鈥� Altamirano added.
Ace Estenson, Class of 2029, shared, 鈥淭his experience has impacted me by showing me that work can be fun and exciting while still hard. I have learned that hard work pays off and can be fun throughout the process. Homelessness does not only happen to people who don’t work or don鈥檛 care about life. They are just like us. They have emotions and a beating heart. They should be respected just like how we respect one another. They struggle to get off the streets, as many don鈥檛 want to hire a person without a car or a home. Just don鈥檛 think that they aren鈥檛 human, as they don鈥檛 have what we have.鈥�
A Glimpse Into the Future of Interim
For both educators, Housing Atlanta represents the direction 糖心原创 is headed.
鈥淲e鈥檙e moving toward greater depth of inquiry across all pathways,鈥� Altamirano said. 鈥淪ustained time with the course project changes what鈥檚 possible.鈥�
As the Traveling Classroom continues to grow, experiences like this show how Interim can become more than a moment; it can become a meaningful journey.
Students aren鈥檛 just earning elective credit. They鈥檙e learning to listen, design, and build. And they鈥檙e discovering that their learning can make a real difference.