ROV Used to Monitor Blueback Herring Migration

by Dr. Brent Boscarino, high school science teacher On May 11, 2017, a group of PDS HS students utilized an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to monitor and record the annual blueback herring migration during the group’s routine American eel…

Trout and High School Science Buddies

By Lynn Fordin, Grade 2 teacher The second grade class is studying the Hudson River this year. This immersion is truly an example of an integrated curriculum. It transcends traditional classroom boundaries in so many ways. Today, for example, our…

The Pizza Place

By Judy Purcell, PreK teacher A pizza puzzle in our class inspired weeks of activities based around one of our favorite foods, pizza!! The dramatic play area in our classroom has been transformed into “The Pizza Place”. The children created…

The Food Truck Emerges

Sixth graders completed their structure of a food truck, built of Goya cans, at the Poughkeepsie Galleria mall! The truck is striking for several reasons: it has a lighted sign, reading How CAN I help you? It has brightly lit…

How CAN We Help You?

The sixth grade is in the final two days before the big Food Bowl build on Friday evening (March 3) at the Poughkeepsie Galleria! Behind the scenes, the students have to practice. What looks like simple stacking has to carefully…

Are We Running Out of Juice?

Early in the faculty meetings planning for this year, Jake Lahey, our 7-8 history teacher, wondered if we might create an interdisciplinary study that asked students to consider the history and processes that humans use to get energy from the…

True Service Learning Couples Awareness and Agency

by lgraceffa A student walked into my office today, with great excitement. She and her mom had taken time after school to deliver a play kitchen to the downtown Poughkeepsie daycare where some of our students volunteered during this year’s…

Before the Colonists

  One of the key concepts for seventh grade history is to help students realize that the Americas were full of people before the colonists arrived. My own image from childhood– a handful of Native Americans eating dinner with pilgrims–…

Essential Questions: Starting the First Week off Right

In a school like PDS, where teachers are advisors, and where we spend so much time getting to know students well, it doesn’t take long to “get down to work,” in the subject areas. In all classes, teachers and students…

A Day on the Fields for Middle School

A Day on the Fields for Middle School It’s a long tradition that near to the start of the year, the middle school students and advisors spend a day outside. Students work to solve game-like problems together, engage in some…