Village School News
Last night, the culminating event of the Village School program took place for Grade 5 students: the Primary Years Programme Exhibition (PYPx). Students have been inquiring into an area of passion, and they have immersed themselves in their projects for the past eight weeks. But really, their educational experiences have been building toward this moment since they walked through Chadwick’s doors. As they have prepared their student-initiated PYPx projects, students have drawn upon all of the research, communication, social and self-management skills that they have been developing throughout their Village School careers.
The breadth of topics that Grade 5 students have chosen to investigate reveals their true diversity and creativity. From World War I to the influences of K-pop to robots to our relationships with animals, Chadwick Grade 5 students' interests have resulted in a variety of engaging presentations. Prior to the pandemic, PYPx was held on campus, but this year, students shared their final presentations in a virtual event.
“Our Grade 5 students have led the way in their inquiry and journey throughout the PYPx process. We are proud to celebrate with them. It is a moment in their journey that represents a culmination of their learning in the Village School,” said Mei-Lyn Freeman, Chadwick’s PYP Coordinator who has been working closely with the Grade 5 teachers and students throughout this process. “They have been given the opportunity to inquire into their passions, take action, collaborate with each other, and celebrate who they are today. We were thrilled to share this moment with the community in the Virtual PYPx last night.”
In addition to preparing, rehearsing and fine-tuning their presentations, students have inquired more deeply into their topics by creating a number of other works. Students drew upon their drama experience to create a still image designed to express the ideas and feelings behind their exhibition topic, a drama form known as a tableau. Through the world language program, students published a book that included a piece of writing about themselves and their topic in Korean or Mandarin. Students were presented with a copy of this book at a celebration where they were able to discuss their journey as an author with their friends and teachers.
Students have also worked collaboratively on other elements of this year’s Virtual Exhibition. In a student directed art project, students collectively designed a PYPx t-shirt that considered various themes and concepts representing their PYPx topic, memories of Chadwick and their personal experiences in the Village School. In past years, the exhibition has also included a musical performance as part of the Opening Ceremony. Instead, this year’s class voted for a song, rewrote the lyrics, individually recorded themselves at home, and used the recordings to produce a music video. The process of creating these additional collective works enhances the students’ creativity, responsibility and sense of community.
Congratulations to our Grade 5 students on all they have learned and accomplished through the PYPx and their Village School careers!
See more photos related to the PYPx.