How Does a Passion Become a Project?

One of the foundations of the Crossroads Middle School curriculum is to give students the freedom to explore their own developing interests. The Middle School Electives program offers an abundance of opportunities for self-advocacy and self-expression to flourish, particularly through the Passion Project elective. 

As the name suggests, each student in the class designs a project that reflects their individual interests, skills and curiosity, and pursues it in a supported environment. “It’s fun because it’s self-directed,” said Middle School Core Teacher Ayana Peters, who designed the course. “Many students have schedules that are so booked that this becomes a kind of sacred time for them to just work on something they feel passionate about.” 

Students come together at the beginning of each class to check-in, report on their progress and discuss any issues or concerns they may have. After the check-in, everyone settles into their own project. Projects run the gamut: writing a novel, making a documentary that highlights student-musicians and how they balance academics and musicianship, building an online store to sell artwork, creating a 3D-printed sword inspired by a favorite video game. As eighth grader Jade Troughton said, “It’s really fun just to see what everyone comes up with to work on and to see how their project comes out.”

Jade is collaborating with fellow eighth graders Morgan Scott and Quinn Afrasiabi on a project that involves interviewing their peers. “We’re asking questions about common issues in Middle School and finding out how people are dealing with them,” explained Morgan. “A lot of people are having the same struggles, and it’s interesting to hear other people’s opinions.” The team is editing the video interviews into short episodes and thinking through issues around privacy and permission as they consider the best way to share them. 

While some students come to the class knowing what they want to work on, others are drawn in just by the prospect of creating something of their own. Ayana helps students shape projects that make sense for them and supports their process. She also encourages students to find mentors. “I’ll send them to other teachers, staff or other students who might have expertise that is useful or who might be good to talk to if they’re feeling stuck,” she said. 

When seventh grader Alexis Quezada was considering what her topic might be, she reached out to Seventh Grade Academic Dean Lindsay Robinson. They happened to discuss that Lindsay had taken time off from work after giving birth to both of her children, which made Alexis curious about how family leave is handled in different parts of the world. Alexis is now researching government policy and the personal experiences of parents in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Germany and Japan. She plans to compile what she learns into a slideshow to share with her peers. 

No matter what they’re working on, students in the class relish the chance to create something independently. “There’s so much room for creativity and we have so much freedom,” said Jade. “We learn what it’s like to make something from scratch.”