Class of 2026

Lower School students tackle many of their STEM projects in the Idea Lab, the makerspace housed in the Lafayette Campus Enrichment Center. New signs point the way to the Idea Lab – the result of a design thinking challenge given to fifth grade students by art teacher Claire Caffery and Idea Lab coordinator Ashleigh D’Aunoy. The two teachers tasked the fifth graders with designing a logo for the space, and took them through the process that would be followed by a professional designer. 

 

Susie Gottardi, a professional graphic designer who is the manager of marketing and design at the Hilliard Museum, along with Ms. Claire, introduced students to logo and graphic design and to the idea of working for a client. The student groups met with their client, Ms. Ashleigh, and asked her questions about her design preferences and her needs for the logo. Finally, the students created several drafts of their designs and met with their teacher and their client to discuss each iteration. 

 

A panel of judges selected some of the designs to be converted to digital images, and a local sign company manufactured and installed the signs – one pointing up the stairs, one on the wall outside of the Idea Lab (complete with LED lighting), and one decorating the soffit inside the lab. Once the signs were hung, the students were invited back to the Idea Lab to see the results of their work.