Past Projects

These are the projects that I taught during my time as a 10th grade humanities resident at High Tech High Mesa during the 2021-22 school year. They focus on the intersection between Environmental Science and Social Science. community engagement, and place-based pedagogy.

Investigative Journalism

Students stepped into the role of an investigative journalist, from researching, to interviewing, to publishing a multi-media article.

On a series of field trips around San Diego, students explored the question, "what are the most pressing environmental health concerns that our local communities are facing?" They then drafted, edited, and published an article on the issue of their choice.

ECKO-Systems
Podcast

In collaboration with the 11th grade, pods of student storytellers and researchers became experts on a specific ecosystem in the traditional homelands of the Kumeyaay people through bi-weekly field-days.

Students then worked together to write and produce a 5-7 minute podcast that explores a compelling, untold story from their ecosystem. All students submitted their podcast to the NPR Podcast Challenge.

Commons Curation

Culminating their 1oth grade and first year of in-person high-school, students transformed their communal space for future generations of students.

Exploring the question "how has the relationship between humans and nature changed throughout time?" students turned their commons into a living museum that tells the story of how humans have interacted with nature in four realms: Earth, Fire, Water, and Air.

Future Project idea:

Inspiration

Indigenizing Music

Guiding Questions

What are the purposes and values of music for Native peoples?
What is the history of suppressing indigenous song, dance, and language in America?
Why was music seen as a threat to the settler colonial project?
How can music be decolonized?

Kara Lu