HIVE (Hub for Innovation and Exploration)
Hero
The HIVE is the Lower School’s branch of the Center for Innovation where Christian Deeper Learning comes to life on the Lower Campus.
The HIVE is a place where students are immersed in interdisciplinary, hands-on learning experiences. They learn to work collaboratively as they creatively find solutions to real world problems. Lessons learned in their classrooms will be extended and expanded upon in the HIVE. Since a relationship with God permeates all parts of our lives, it follows that all parts of a child’s education are interconnected. In the HIVE, children connect different threads of knowledge every week. By engaging a child’s imagination, students will develop their God-given creativity and grow in their understanding of God and His creation.
Through collaboration with different students, children grow in their understanding of their own gifts and appreciation of others’ contributions. As a member of the Body of Christ, each student brings a valuable and essential perspective to the work of the group.
Learning Across Grade Levels
In the HIVE, students often have a chance to connect learning across grade levels and divisions. Third graders learn about simple machines and build complex Rube Goldberg machines to demonstrate their learning. At the same time, eighth grade students are learning about the same concepts at a different level. At the end of the unit, third graders take a field trip to the Upper Campus, where eighth graders host them for a Rube Goldberg celebration.
At Christmas time, fifth graders demonstrate their learning of Renaissance art and architecture by constructing child-sized cardboard gingerbread houses in Renaissance architecture style. They then invite the younger students to come and enjoy the Christmas village, acting as tour guides. These types of cross-age experiences enhance the community of DC and the learning of students of all ages.
See the HIVE in Action
Outdoor Learning
The HIVE is complemented by DC's Outdoor Learning program through field trips and field studies. Excursions to community partners, nature centers, historical sites and area museums round out deeper learning. These experiences build on Lower Campus students’ core liberal arts curriculum, fostering experiential, engaging and developmentally appropriate learning.