The Value of a GDS Education

At GDS, students are taking the measure of the world around them as they grow and develop their critical thinking skills. They’re learning to gather information, analyze it from different perspectives, and collaborate as they tackle a challenge and lead ethically. Teaching children to approach complex problems with an open mind and a discerning eye is what GDS does best, no matter what the subject. The value of that kind of education is simply immeasurable.

The value of that kind of education is simply immeasurable.

APPROACH ANGLE 

Oliver Malkin ’26 measures Lucas Qi ’26 before calculating the height of the GDS Lower/Middle School building. Middle School math teacher Angelique Errett walked among the various groups to supervise their progress.
 

Sosi Audain ’26 and Sanae Debgupta ’26 untangle a tape measure as they prepare for a geometry project using similar triangles and shadows to indirectly calculate the heights of taller objects. (Credit Jason Putsché)

SPARKING LEARNING

Left: In Polly Martin’s High School chemistry class, Christian Charles ’24 and Olivia Brown ’24 observed the various colors that different metal ions emit when burned. Charles used a spectroscope to identify the wavelengths of light that emanate from the resulting metal cations (positively charged ions).

Right: Juanita Irving-Pettyjohn Jr. ’24 used a cobalt glass slide to spot a second salt masked in a two-salt mixture, while Ella Lynn ’24 took a turn holding the double salt in the flame.

A DROP IN THE POT 

Alumna Ali Squire ’97 led a workshop on the significance of resins in art during the Middle School STEAM Day. Serena Wise ’27 (pictured) and her classmates measured non-toxic epoxy in a one-to-one ratio with a quick-cure hardener before mixing in color. Ali (parent of Layla ’28, Elle ’29, and Ruby ’32) guided them in creating their own epoxy resin keychain souvenirs. The workshop–Exploring Resin: Science in Art–was one of many events that day designed to engage students in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.

MEASURING THE MARIGOLDS

After Earth Week ended on April 22, GDS 4th graders counted how many “green actions” Lower School students had taken to preserve and protect our planet. The whopping tally: 2,949. The actions included using both sides of the paper before recycling, turning off lights when leaving a room, and riding a bike to school. Another team of 4th graders (pictured) measured pinches of seeds into 500 packets for distribution to the community. Students and staff took home “Save the Bees” and “Bring Home the Butterflies” native wildflower mixtures.