Carlmont students and teachers displayed their hard work at open house for parents and families.
Open house is an annual event when families visit their students’ classrooms to meet teachers and look at some of the projects students have worked on throughout the semester.
What I like about open house is that the event is classroom-based. It helps allow Carlmont to spotlight the classes that make Carlmont great. I think it’s a strong community builder to have families walk into the classrooms and see the work and learning that our students and teachers do. — Gay Buckland-Murray
Many teachers have students complete projects and presentations. For example, the Biotechnology Institute (BTI) program students presented for their English class during the event. The students picked a topic relating to biotechnology applied in the real world and researched their topic.
“My project was about the de-extinction of the wooly mammoths and how it would help our arctic climates,” said Yailin Drumm, a Carlmont sophomore in the BTI program.
Another Carlmont student in BTI, sophomore Lily Hinde, did her project on xenotransplantation, an artificial method of creating an animal-human chimera.
“I chose this topic because there is a big problem with organ shortages, and too many people are on the organ waitlist who need organs. Our topic has the potential to save many lives,” Hinde said.
Aside from visiting current teachers, parents and students could also visit classrooms they were interested in taking in the following years. Additionally, there was a presentation about colleges and universities.
“This year, Carlmont introduced counselor presentations in the student union to provide information about general registration and college readiness,” said Carlmont Principal Gay Buckland-Murray.
Last year, open house was on March 16. However, Carlmont’s department chair and calendar committees decided that an earlier time would work better based on when students select their classes for the upcoming school year.
“The department chair and calendar committee worked in tandem with feedback from departments that having open house earlier would support the course registration process,” Buckland-Murray said.
The open house was strategically placed earlier this year to help families inquire and understand future classes from teachers.
“I hope families come away from the evening with a sense of pride in the school and the work that goes on there. Students have so many great opportunities at Carlmont, and I hope that message comes through. Carlmont is an inclusive community that serves and supports all learners,” Buckland-Murray said.
