The Packer Symposium

January 22 - January 30

(Note: School will be closed on Wednesday, January 29 for the Lunar New Year)

A two week mini-term between semesters, the Packer Symposium program is a highlight of the Upper School curriculum. The array of unique courses designed by our faculty members extends our community’s development beyond the traditional classroom and constructs a rich, meaningful, experience-based educational opportunity that encourages both intellectual development and social-emotional growth.

Registration for Symposium begins in October and students are assigned to their classes in November. To help foster a shared sense of purpose and a genuine intellectual community, Symposium classes are graded Pass/Fail, based largely on a student’s full engagement. Please note that if a student has any unexcused absences or if he or she is late to any class meeting four or more times, their ability to pass the course is in jeopardy. Please also note that some courses have required afternoon, evening, or weekend activities as noted in the descriptions.

Why Martial Arts?

Why did people train martial arts in the past? Why do people train martial arts in the present? We will explore possible answers to these questions through a combination of traditional martial arts movement, reflection/discussion, visits from martial arts masters, and field trips to different types of martial arts studios and museums. Note: students in this course are expected to participate in some moderate physical movement every day. Students will participate in guided self-defense techniques, Aikido/Judo partner work, Tai Chi push-hand partner drills, and Kung Fu forms. If you have ever wanted to try martial arts or explore various styles - this is the course for you! Whether you have extensive personal experience in martial arts or none, there will be opportunities for everyone.

The Business of Entrepreneurship

Through this project and activity-based exploration of Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship, attendees are empowered to identify— and monetize— their own unique skillsets (aka, that thing within you that wonderfully distinguishes you), while generating a list of client prospects to whom they can presently sell these services. Branding and marketing strategies, business structures and formation, interpersonal and business communications, relationship/rapport management and self-regulation, ethics and failure as the paramount stepping stone for success in business and personal endeavors are all explored. By the end of the course, students have a crystallized idea of how to build a viable business and market their skill sets as an income stream.

Latinos in NYC: Culture, History, & Impact

This immersive symposium dives into the rich history, culture, and influence of Latino communities in New York City and the surrounding regions. Students will explore the diverse Latino identities and their significant contributions to the city’s urban landscape, culture, politics, and economy. Through interactive activities, museum visits, community service, culinary experiences, and more, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of the Latino experience in New York City.

The Great Outdoors

Are you looking for an adventure? In the Great Outdoors we will spend a week in New Hampshire's White Mountains where we will be living and learning in the winter wilderness. We will snow shoe, explore nature, learn to work as a team, navigate terrain, prepare meals, and build snow shelters. During the course of the week we will set and accomplish goals as well as appreciate the quietness and inner peace of forest living. Seniors Only. Please note that this trip is physically challenging. We will be away from campus from January 22nd through the 30th, including the Lunar New Year holiday.

Cooking in Service of Others

Creating food is an important form of self-expression, allowing us to find joy and passion through cooking and sharing food with others. This year, we will explore the incredibly diverse culinary worlds that NYC offers and learn essential cooking skills. To hone our skills, we will volunteer much of our Symposium time to cook and serve food in service of high need communities. Each day, we will learn vital skills for food preparation and visit culinary institutions and charitable centers, where we will learn to prepare dishes from different cultures to share with others in the community.

What Lies Beneath: Secrets of NYC's Underground

In this symposium, we’ll explore aspects and layers of NYC’s “underground” - its history, social movements, art scenes, spaces, and secrets. We’ll consider the purpose of the “underground” - both literal and figurative, and consider how what’s “above” relates to what’s “below.” To achieve this, you’ll visit various sites around the city, watch films, hear guest speakers, and create an artifact related to the “underground.” Come along with us while we explore the literal underground, take a graffiti workshop, and discover your new favorite secret spot in the city.

Lotions and Potions

Many products on the market claim to be helpful to our lives. Natural product usage for skin care, hair and body and aromatherapy gains popularity as the public learns more about toxicity, allergic reactions, harshness of certain chemicals and mass product recalls. Adolescent skin care can be extra tricky as increased hormone production (and its effects) increases the chance and frequency of irritation, breakouts, and allergic reactions compared to non-adolescent adults. Through learning about skin and hair types, family history and allergies, the chemistry of making perfume; exploring aromatherapy, and Self-care as an Industry, students will become wiser consumers. They will also develop skills that give them freedom to create what they need without any unnecessary additives (chemical or otherwise). Lotions and Potions will enable students to work and play in the intersection between Science, Health, Self-Care, Culture and Creative expression.

Digital Storytelling on the LES: The Immigrant Experience in NYC

Students in Digital Storytelling explore the Lower East Side through photography and journaling, with a focus on the immigrant experience, then and now. Excursions include visits to Ellis Island and the Tenement Museum, street photography tours of the LES, and tastings at famous local food establishments such as Katz’s Deli and Lombardi’s Pizza. Guest speakers invited to share their experience range from an author of culinary history to famous photographers who have documented life on the Lower East Side. Students will learn how to tell a visual narrative and become their own documentarians.

A Box of Chocolate: Product Design Course with Digital Fabrication

In this symposium, we'll design and make our own box of chocolate. Using creative softwares and digital fabrication we will learn to make food-safe molds for chocolate casting and consider custom packaging. Students will be introduced to technology like 3D scanning, 3D printing, basic 3D modeling, mold making, tempering chocolate, Adobe Illustrator, and laser cutting. This is a hands-on symposium exposing students to Product Design and the creative process. We will focus on the process of making. A finished product is optional.

NYC in Film

Who are we as New Yorkers? Is there even such a thing as a New Yorker? If so, what are our values? What are our experiences? NYC in Film attempts to answer these questions by viewing films set here; visiting museums devoted to the history of and life in the city; and inviting industry pros to discuss acting, directing, and producing in the city. In addition, members of NYC in Film write scripts, scout film locations, and ultimately direct and act in New York-centered vignettes. The symposium culminates in an intimate film festival meant to celebrate and admire one another’s work.

Math & Music

Music is a big part of the human experience, but how exactly does music work, on a structural and physical level? We’ll explore the seven major elements of music and the mathematics used in each of those, and then turn those math skills loose to create interesting new works - maybe you’ll build an instrument, create a song, or write a mathematical exploration. Activities may include tours of places where music is made, going to a concert to experience music in action, working with synthesizers to create new types of sound, and solving interesting musical math problems.

The Power of Democracy: NYC Government

Dive into the heart of New York government! This symposium is a gateway to understanding the complexities of government agencies, operations, law, politics. Whether you aspire to become a future leader, advocate for change, or simply seek to expand your knowledge, this immersive experience promises to ignite your passion for civic engagement. We’ll get a close up look at the FDNY, NYC Courts, The United Nations and other CIty and State offices. We will connect with elected officials, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and political consultants. We'll learn what it takes to govern our diverse city—from crafting compelling campaigns to navigating public opinion to making the city run. As we do so we'll have insightful conversations with city officials who shape policies and champion the causes that matter most to our diverse city. Elevate your understanding of government, and leave inspired to be a catalyst for positive change in the largest city in the country.

All Things Sports

Do you like sports? Have you ever considered all that goes into running a successful sports organization? In this symposium we’ll explore the various facets of the sports industry. Think sports marketing and sponsorship, athlete representation, media and broadcasting, data analysis, public relations, facility management, etc. Some of the most historic sports franchises and stadiums are right at our doorstep, and we’ll have the opportunity to access them behind the scenes. We’ll experience a variety of different organizations, including NBA/WNBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and more. Students will walk away with a better understanding of the sports industry, as well as the variety of career choices that it offers aside from being a professional athlete.

Artistic Alchemy: Art’s Evolution in the 21st Century

Where does inspiration come from in the twenty-first century? Is there such a thing as a new idea? Does it even matter? Paintings inspire movies, films are reimagined as musicals, and comic books become blockbusters. What is the potential when one work of art inspires another work of art? What is gained and what is lost? Students in this symposium will attend two Broadway musicals (The Outsiders and Sunset Boulevard), watch films, and read excerpts of texts. After focusing on original works, students will then experience the same stories in new genres.

So You Want To Make a Podcast?

When Serial exploded in 2014, a podcast revolution was born, leading to thousands of programs in myriad formats (investigations, interviews, scripted, conversational) on a variety of topics (news, comedy, sports, fashion). We'll listen to, discuss, and make podcasts. We'll be visited by podcast professionals to hear about their craft. What you create will be up to you, and by the end of Symposium, you’ll have a podcast that you can submit to The New York Times' and NPR's podcast contests for high school students. Inevitably, much of our time will be spent inside Packer as you produce your podcast; be prepared for detailed work in front of a screen to edit and produce your podcast. But if you want to get outside, you can do that by choosing a podcast topic that will get you into the city, talking and listening to the sources that you'll need.

Where Land and Water Meet

Focusing on the beaches and surfers of New York's vibrant surfing community, this symposium engages with the city’s coastline and the people that live, work, and play there. We'll meet —and surf with —local surfers, board makers, surf shop owners, as well as coastal conservation organizations to learn about the issues facing New York's coastline. Using still and video photography, you'll share what you've learned with the larger world as we craft our own surfing movies and artwork! No previous surfing experience is required; no gear is required. But students must be able to swim and be comfortable with the idea of swimming in a wetsuit in January. Note: students will depart via public transportation from Rockaway Beach each afternoon no earlier than 2:45 pm.

Let the Chips Fall Where They May: Poker Strategy and Sound Decision Making

Can poker be a game of chance if the same people consistently win in the biggest games every year? This quintessentially American card game has been mythologized, its participants portrayed as outlaws and savants, capable of reading an opponents soul by correctly interpreting every twitch or finger tap. Over the last 20 years, winning poker strategy has been transformed and demystified with the advent of widespread online play, data analytics, and neural networks. In this complex game of incomplete information, the most successful players are observant and expert decision makers who use mathematical concepts, such as combinatorics and game theory, along with knowledge of opponent tendencies, to maximize their chance of winning. Students will play poker and explore how its strategic concepts inform decision making in real-world situations beyond the poker table.

Mahjongg!

Mahjongg! In this Symposium, students will learn how to play the tile game Mahjongg that originated in China and gained popularity around the globe. Students will be taken through the history of Mahjongg and learn how it has weaved its way through different cultural groups. Instructors will explain the significance of each tile, the intricate rules of the game, and strategies for gameplay. Activities for this couse include learning Mahjongg at Packer, visiting NYC neighborhoods to play Mahjongg, and _________. Whether you are a Mahjongg master or have never heard of the game before, all are welcome!

East Meets West

As global citizens, you will be well-served by this introduction to Chinese history and culture. You will learn about the Chinese worldview and in the process reflect on your own western attitudes, values and beliefs. Some topics we explore include family, education, the arts and current events. Through exploration of Chinatowns in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, you will learn about the Chinese-American immigrant experience and enjoy a variety of different Chinese cuisines. Most of our days will be spent off campus; guest speakers and visiting artists will engage students during our days on campus.

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