Innovation
Middle School
Innovation is thoughtfully integrated into Lake Highland’s Middle School curriculum in core courses and as elective courses in our Innovation Institute. Within core coursework, students leverage technology to take an active role in their learning, curating and constructing knowledge from a variety of resources. Our Innovation Institute curriculum provides unique opportunities for students to experience their ideas coming to life through the design of apps, use of 3-D printer renderings for projects, coding robots, and fabricating life-size designs in build-spaces.
Computer Science
Students create apps for mobile devices, explore the impact of computing in society, and learn how computing applies in various career fields. The primary tool used in this class is MIT App Inventor which will allow students to design, develop, and test apps for Android tablets. Students also learn programming in Python.
Innovative Robotics
Through hands-on learning, students use VEX robotics kits to engage their natural curiosity while simultaneously developing a better grasp of the engineering process and how it can be applied in computer science, robotics, and the real world.
Engineer Design & Modeling
Through varying design challenges, students identify a problem, brainstorm possible solutions, choose or synthesize a solution, build a prototype, test and evaluate it, and finally present the prototype to a panel. The projects vary from creating a foot/ankle orthosis for a child with cerebral palsy to 3D printing a puzzle to stop motion animation.
Automation & Robotics
Students learn and apply the fundamentals of electricity and circuit design as they design and build original products that light up or move. After studying mechanical and electrical concepts, students construct and program autonomous robots using the LEGO Mindstorms program, creating and programming for a variety of tasks, from autonomous cleaning robots to sumo-inspired battlebots.
Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurial dreams will be explored as students identify problems, develop business plans, and evaluate the risks and rewards of their enterprise. Design, marketing, and leadership skills will collide in a whirlwind of discovery as students learn by doing, all the while discovering their passions and solutions to meet real-world needs. The capstone of this course is an extensive and exciting Shark Tank-style presentation to local business leaders and entrepreneurs.
Art with Circuits
Students explore electricity and circuits by first manipulating snap-together electrical components and then designing and building simple circuits using switches, transistors, resistors, LEDs, motors, and more. Students also learn basic electrical engineering and prototyping skills to design and construct their own unique, custom electronic creations.