Each spring term, The Workshop welcomes approximately 20 seniors to this immersive, interdisciplinary, project-based course. With an eye toward reimagining what school can be, The Workshop is the seniors’ only academic commitment for the entire term. Students work closely with peers, faculty, and community and global partners on a series of linked, interdisciplinary projects that revolve around a single theme: Experiments in Education. Within that theme, students engage in faculty-led projects for the first few weeks, then spend the rest of the term exploring areas of personal interest.
A variety of projects have blossomed over the years, including Listening to the Buddhists in Our Backyard. Guided by instructor Andy Housiaux and guest mentor Chenxing Han, students explore Buddhism in the Merrimack Valley by visiting Buddhist temples in local communities. They speak with monastics and lay people, immerse themselves in the physical spaces, conduct research and interviews, and produce meaningful work.
In collaboration with Andover’s Abbot Learning Garden, Workshop students work with Allison Guerette, Andover’s sustainability coordinator, on projects that have included building an Abbot Learning Garden orientation program, creating lessons-in-a-box used to host younger students at the garden, and, of course, weeding and planting.
