Dalton News

From Criminal Justice to Exploring Landscape, the HS Intersession Gives Students Time for Immersive Study and Experiential Learning

In our inaugural weeklong High School Intersession from May 1-5, we suspended our academic schedule for the week allowing students to participate in offerings designed by faculty, staff, and administrators. The topics were wide-ranging, including Video Games: Culture and Design; Jewelry Design: From Historical Treasures to Cutting Edge Processes; Criminal Justice: Policing, Prisons, and Courts; Understanding the Landscape: Out of the Wild/Into the Wild in the New York Metropolitan Region.
Inspired by our teachers' vast experience and expertise, our courses used the city as a classroom. In total, high school students took over 1,000 subway rides, many to new cultural landmarks and neighborhoods. It's hard to go far in one day, yet some intrepid students made it all the way to Poughkeepsie.  

Students made ice cream, pizza, cooked in instant pots, and ate in almost every borough (sorry, Staten Island). They learned to knit, built a working escape room in Helen Parkhurst's former office, and constructed masterpieces out of Legos. One canoe was built along with custom paddles and displayed for First Program spring tours.

An emerging theme from this year's offerings was a connection to contemporary urban problems and the value of civic engagement. Students confronted the complexities of homelessness, challenges in sustainability, and the positive impact of upcycled fashion.

In the Dalton Plan, Parkhurst writes, "By 1913 we had worked out the laboratory plan so as to partially eliminate the timetable, but it was not until 1915 that we were able to get rid of it entirely." It's taken us an additional 108 years to eliminate our timetable once again for a week, and students enjoyed the freedom and focus that it allowed. We look forward to building awareness and experience with Intersession 2024.
Back

Additional Photos

(Grades K-3) 53 East 91st Street
New York, NY 10128
General: (212) 423-5200 | Admissions: (212) 423-5463
General: info@dalton.org | Admissions: fpadmissions@dalton.org

(Gr. 4 Dalton East & PE Center) 200 East 87th Street
New York, NY 10128
General: (212) 423-5200 | Admissions: (212) 423-5262
General: info@dalton.org | Admissions: admissionsmshs@dalton.org

(Grade 5-12) 108 East 89th Street
New York, NY 10128
General: (212) 423-5200 | Admissions: (212) 423-5262
General: info@dalton.org | Admissions: admissionsmshs@dalton.org