In this introduction to emergency medicine, students learned life-saving techniques and even some advanced procedures such as intubation and placement of IVs. Through their daily work with a Greenwich Emergency Medical Service (GEMS) ambulence team, students earned certifications in AHA first aid and BLS Healthcare provider. And beyond this 3-week course, several students have pursued further training on the path to becoming certified emergency medical technicians.

In this exciting cultural intersession offering, New York City served as students' daily classroom. Students explored a wide range of culturally rich New York City neighborhoods.

Beginning on the Lower East Side with a visit to the Tenement Museum which showcases New York’s rich immigrant history, to explorations of Harlem, East Harlem and Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, to name only a few, students became experts on navigating the neighborhoods while learning about their rich histories and identities present in these neighborhoods today. Students researched where they would like to visit and planned all aspects of their trips. This program included:

• Visits to museums and iconic locations which may include The Tenement Museum, Apollo Theater, and El Museo del Barrio

• Lunch at authentic restaurants (ex. soul food in Harlem at Red Rooster, dominican food in Washington Heights at El Malecón, Italian food of Arthur Avenue in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx)

• On-street interviews

• Photography

The French Farm intersession took Upper School students to the GCDS's farm right here in Greenwich. The program provided students with the opportunity to contribute to the revitalization of the farm so that it can become a functional space for the GCDS community. An area of immediate focus is the greenhouse. Currently the greenhouse lacks the functionality needed to facilitate its purpose. Students were presented with the problem of redesigning/restoring the greenhouse with the goal of making it both functional and sustainable. Through their own research and innovation, students designed and proposed various solutions to make the greenhouse more efficient, evaluate the proposals and implement their ideas. The intersession incorporated both classroom research and design time accompanied by hands-on work time at the farm.

In this intensive intersession course, students will learn to navigate the complexity, energy, and strategy of the American political landscape in our current election cycle. Each day, we’ll explore the full range of media coverage, polling data, and political punditry, ensuring that students develop a critical eye for identifying bias, seeking accurate sources, and analyzing conflicting information. We’ll synthesize the day’s front-page news, television coverage, and social media strategy.

When we can, we will take advantage of connections to local government and national government officials, seeking to hear from and challenge voices from across the political spectrum. This is NOT a partisan course, and while we understand that students may have chosen a political party, we ask that they enter with an open mind and a willingness to have their beliefs challenged.

When you think of a motor, what comes to mind? A car? A lawnmower? A robot? What about a refrigerator? Or a camera tripod? Or a computer? Motors are part of our modern world, and in many ways they support our way of life. Without motors, we wouldn’t have cold food, the stock market, multi-story buildings, or sliced bread. In this intersession course, students will investigate just exactly what comprises motors and machines, and how they are integral to our way of life. We begin with demonstrations of the power of simple machines, and extend our inquiry into the different types of electric motors, combustion engines, and machines as conceptual systems of function.

Students will develop a plan to utilize motors and machines at GCDS in a way that benefits the community. Along the way, students will develop skills in engineering, fabrication, and research for design, ultimately searching to understand our community as a machine in itself, with every cog as integral as the next.

The class trip to New Orleans takes place during the first 4 days of Intersession and will be in sync with the Band’s Intersession topic: New Orleans & the Origins of Jazz. Students will attend the JEN Conference to participate in educational jazz workshops, masterclasses, and performances by notable artists. Students will have the opportunity to explore New Orleans with special field assignments geared towards the experience of being a musician.

Upon returning from New Orleans, in addition to daily music creation, improvisation, and rehearsal, students will collaborate to offer a representation of their New Orleans experience by crafting individual podcasts and/or photo-essays and a final presentation. On the closing day of Intersession, the band will perform dixieland jazz and invite the entire school to celebrate in the spirit of Mardi Gras.

The design of the Nike Air Jordan 5 with its aggressive and sharp-edged midsole was said to be inspired by the shark teeth frequently painted on American World War 2 fighter jets, while Vans classic checkerboard design originated in the mid 70's as a result of teenage skaters using black pens to color their midsoles in the same pattern. Sneaker culture and design go hand in hand, and we want to explore the many ways that this happens.

In this intersession, students will explore the origins of the phenomenon known as "sneaker culture" and its intersection with cultural elements such as music, sports, history, art and more. What cultural elements are behind some of our favorite sneaker designs? What design would you want to see incorporated in a sneaker if you had the chance to be the architect of a new sneaker from a major brand?

Over the course of 3 weeks, students will also design their own sneaker and travel to New Balance world headquarters outside of Boston to finalize their design and produce a pair of their sneakers

Broadway plays and musicals are an important artistic influence on the culture of America. Productions that draw on actual historical events are especially interesting, whether they are a commentary on life during a certain time span, or whether they strive to teach the details about a moment to a new generation. Our goal in this intercession program is to attend plays and musicals on Broadway and our near community, and explore the historical significance of each story. Just as printed stories help us see context through someone else’s viewpoint, so to can an entire production give us insight into someone else’s experience. Participants will attend productions and will explore different elements of the production: from design and financing, to casting and historical representation. The course included backstage visits, and talk-back sessions with performers for select performances. Students travelled into the city to see:

Ain’t Too Proud—The Life and Times of the Temptations, Come from Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Fiddler on the Roof (A Fidler Afn Dakh), Hadestown, Hamilton, Oklahoma!, To Kill a Mockingbird, and West Side Story