Pikes Peak School of Expeditionary Learning opened its doors for a gallery night May 8. Parents and students were invited to view the year’s work in each classroom, where walls were lined with photos and student work, covering different subjects for each grade.Seventh and eighth grade students recited poetry as part of their study of life before and after the Great Depression. Sixth grade was studying solar panels and will give a presentation to the PPSEL board advocating the use of solar panels in the school’s new building currently under construction. “We’re studying the science behind solar panels,” teacher Jay Stutz said. Classroom walls were lined with worksheets of students exploring the advantages and disadvantages of solar panels. For their next expedition, sixth grade will do a space simulation. “Some students will be in mission control and some will be up in space,” said Stutz.In the kindergarten classroom, students had been studying butterflies and visited the Butterfly Pavilion. In first and second grades, pioneers were the expedition subject, with students comparing pioneer life to today. As part of their studies, the class visited Glen Eyrie, which was student Micah Dome’s favorite expedition. “I liked all of it,” he said.
