Exploration of freedom, responsibility, and activism in Four Freedoms April 10

In the fall of 1941, as the United States considered it's probable entry into World War II, Franklin Roosevelt delivered a State of the Union speech outlining the four freedoms America would fight for: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from fear, and freedom from want. Norman Rockwell depicted these four freedoms in a now famous series of paintings as part of the U.S. war stamps effort. In the Four Freedoms expedition, King students examine Rockwell's paintings and the historical origins of the four freedoms in the context of their own values, images, and perceptions of the world today. Like Rockwell, each student will create a piece of art that captures her of his interpretation of one of the freedoms. Their work, and the students' artist statements, will be hung in a local gallery.

In The Wide World of Engineering Students Explore the Impact and Ethics of Engineering Oct 4

Follow the Expedition Wiki as it Develops

What is involved in designing skate boards or skate board parks? Does the idea of designing a roller coaster thrill you? Are you concerned about global warming, and would like to make changes in our lives that have the potential to reverse it? Would you like to help develop artificial limbs, organs, or other implants that can work within the human body?

Who are engineers and what do they do? How do they impact our lives?

York 8 is immersing itself into the world of engineers. We are learning that almost everything that we do - from the moment we get up in the morning, until the moment we go to bed at night - is influenced by the work of an engineer. The students will investigate the many types of engineers, the engineering design process and ways in which engineers use science and math to influence those designs, and the ethical questions that arise as engineers develop their ideas.

Highlights from Last Year: Expeditions and Events from 2006 -2007

York 8 Explores How Engineering Has Transformed Nearly Every Aspect of our Lives May 24

Dr. Kate Sheldon and Michael Bush, both visitors from Idexx, present to York Eight students during the Engineering Your Future Expedition.

What is involved in designing skate boards or skate board parks? Would you like to be able to develop a car with better fuel economy? Does the idea of designing a roller coaster thrill you? Are you interested in global warming, and would like to make changes in our lives that have the potential to reverse it? Would you like to help develop artificial limbs , organs, or other implants that can work within the human body?

Who are engineers and what do they do? How do they impact our lives?

York 8 has immersed itself in the world of engineers. We are learning that almost everything that we do - from the moment we get up in the morning, until the moment we go to bed at night - is influenced by the work of an engineer.
Each student has researched and written a five paragraph essay on a specific field of engineering, its impacts on our lives, and an innovation that is being developed today. In addition to research, they are taking on the role of the engineer as they design and build their own boats in technology education. A trip to the Landing Boat building School introduced the students to the engineering design and construction of boats first hand, before beginning their own design. As the students develop their understanding of what an engineer does, they are at the same time looking at the underlying principles of physics and mathematics which drive an engineer’s design.

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Join York 8 on Tuesday from 4 - 5 pm at Grapheteria for the art opening of Four Freedoms, an expedition on civil liberties and social responsibility. The collages and artist statements of all students will be hung in the studio's gallery. If you can't make it on Tuesday, stop by over the holidays.

Four Freedoms Expedition Challenges Students to Explore Civil Liberties and Expression in the Context of their World Today by Caitlin

The eighth grade York class has started out the year exploring the concept of freedom by looking at Norman Rockwell's famous illustrations of the four freedoms, printed in the Saturday Evening Post in 1943. These images of Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear, Freedom of Speech, and Freedom of Worship were inspired by Franklin Roosevelt's State of the Union speech in 1941. York Eight students started out by examining these images and what they meant in the 1940s, then moved onto studying the concepts and meanings of freedom today.

The expedition has included investigating and discussing important court cases dealing with the freedoms, hearing from several guest speakers, exploring other controversial freedoms, and more recently the launching York Eight's second annual Four Freedoms Blog. As an exercise of free speech, students are requested to adhere to three basic expectations on the blog; all comments are sincere, all comments are signed, and all comments are about freedom. So far the blog has proven that we can handle freedom quite well. It is a lively venue for heated debate, while still being appropriate and thoughtful.

The final product for this expedition will be a “Freedom Collage” produced by each student that conveys a message about one of the four freedoms. Students have started to collect images, but the actual assembly of the collages is yet to come.