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Fourth graders at The Peck School recently celebrated Día de los Muertos with a colorful and meaningful classroom project that brought this vibrant cultural tradition to life. After learning about the history and customs of the holiday, students discovered that Día de los Muertos—The Day of the Dead—is not a day of sadness, but a joyful celebration of remembrance.

They explored how families honor loved ones who have passed on by creating beautifully decorated altars, or ofrendas, filled with items that those individuals cherished in life—favorite foods, photographs, candles, and more.

To connect their learning with a hands-on activity, students decorated marshmallows to resemble traditional sugar skulls, a popular Día de los Muertos symbol meant to celebrate the personalities and memories of those who came before us. With bright colors, bold patterns, and plenty of creativity, each marshmallow calavera became a small, handmade tribute to the tradition’s joyful spirit.

Fourth graders not only created art, but also gained a deeper understanding of how cultures around the world honor memory, celebrate life, and keep loved ones close across generations.
 

In fifth-grade history, students aren’t just learning about ancient civilizations—they’re stepping directly into them. This week, students traded laptops for lumps of clay as they created their own Sumerian-inspired tablets, echoing the practices of one of the world’s earliest writing cultures.

“The Sumerians used styluses to write on clay tablets to record information," said Sutton S. ‘29  shared. “They didn’t have high-tech things back then.”

Students also explored early symbol systems, learning that some ancient alphabets contained 25 characters instead of modern English’s 26-character alphabet. Armed with this background knowledge and a stylus, students carved messages into their tablets. 

Students were encouraged to choose any message—whether meaningful, humorous, or motivational—as long as it reflected their voice.

The clay tablet project blends creativity with history, allowing students not only to study ancient cultures, but to experience a piece of them firsthand—messy hands and all.
 

The Peck School’s annual Community Art Project brings students, faculty, and staff together for a colorful collaboration outside of the art studios —and this year’s project is literally buzzing with creativity and community spirit!

Inspired by the cooperative nature of a beehive, every  student decorated their own laser-cut wooden hexagon that, when assembled, form a stunning, wall-sized installation that reminds us how every member of the Peck community contributes to a shared whole. At the center of the hive lies a special hexagon engraved with Peck’s InDeCoRe Values—Care, Resilience, Gratitude, Respectful, Courage, and this year’s newly added value, Loyalty—as voted on by the eighth-grade class.

Other hexagons played on the theme with laser-etched sayings such as  “BEE Respectful,” “BEE Grateful,” and “BEE Courageous,” reinforcing these guiding principles for students in a fun, visual way.

Faculty and staff decorated laser-cut wooden bees to represent their departments or grade levels, creating a buzzing display that truly reflects the spirit of community and collaboration at Peck.

Together, the hexagons and bees form more than just an art installation—they celebrate how every individual at Peck helps the community “BEE” its best!
 

This fall, Peck’s kindergarteners brought their classroom learning to life with a hands-on field trip to Ort Farms in Long Valley, New Jersey. After completing their classroom unit on pumpkins and apples, students got to experience the real thing — exploring the farm, feeding animals, and picking their very own pumpkin to take home.

During their visit, students enjoyed a hayride, navigated a corn maze, and learned fascinating facts about how corn grows — discovering that each strand of silk on an ear of corn represents one kernel! They also had the chance to see farm equipment up close, feed goats and chicks, and enjoy a classic fall treat: fresh apple cider donuts.

“After studying pumpkins and apples in class, visiting Ort Farms allowed our students to experience everything they’d learned in a real and exciting way,” said Kindergarten Homeroom Teacher Kristin Young. “Seeing their curiosity come alive—from feeding animals to picking their own pumpkins—was such a special moment.”

Joined by parent chaperones, the kindergarten classes celebrated a perfect autumn day of hands-on learning, curiosity, and joy.

In The Peck School’s Woodshop, seventh graders are taking time into their own hands—literally—by designing and building one-of-a-kind clocks. This long-standing woodworking tradition, led by Mr. Mortensen, has been a highlight of the seventh-grade curriculum for more than 30 years.

Each student begins with a simple block of wood and transforms it into a working clock that reflects their personal interests and creativity. Using tools such as the band saw, router, drill press, and laser cutter, students craft designs that are as artistic as they are functional—ranging from coastal landscapes to sports-themed creations.

“The clock project gives students an opportunity to really stretch their imaginations,” said Woodworking Teacher Mr. Mortensen. “It’s utilitarian—it tells time—but it transcends that. It becomes something beautiful, something that expresses who they are.”

While the project allows for artistic freedom, it also builds technical skills. Seventh graders are introduced to new tools like the saber saw and router, expanding on the foundational woodworking techniques they learned in sixth grade.
 

The Peck School community came together during a recent All-School Assembly to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Students took to the stage to share the significance of this important holiday, educating their peers about its traditions, history, and cultural meaning.

Several students also shared personal anecdotes about how their families celebrate Diwali—describing festive decorations, delicious foods, and time spent with loved ones. Their stories brought the holiday to life, offering the audience a meaningful glimpse into the joy, light, and togetherness that Diwali represents.

This celebration reflected Peck’s commitment to honoring cultural diversity and fostering an environment of inclusion and respect. By learning from one another’s traditions, students gain a deeper appreciation for the many ways people around the world celebrate community and kindness.

Peck’s third graders are embracing technology in exciting new ways this year in Jen Garvey’s Design and Technology class. Equipped with iPads, keyboards, and styluses— students have access to a perfect blend of creativity and practicality. The new devices allow students to move seamlessly between typing, coding, drawing, and multimedia projects while developing essential digital literacy skills.

Along with their new devices, students are learning to type through the All the Right Type program, where students dive into proper typing techniques. By meeting their monthly typing goals, students earn “tech recesses,” where they can enjoy extra time in the lab designing, coding with Dash robots, or pursuing their own tech-inspired ideas.

“Typing is still a foundational skill,” said Lower School Technology Teacher Jen Garvey. “Even as technology evolves, with the use of AI and Siri, typing is an essential part of being an effective communicator. They won’t be writing their dissertations with talk-to-text one day.”

Through these experiences, third graders are gaining confidence as creators, collaborators, and digital thinkers—ready to take their tech skills to the next level.
 

Eighth-grade students in Amy Papandreou and Caroline Sugg’s math class recently took their study of graphing linear equations outdoors for an interactive twist on traditional learning.

Instead of plotting points on paper, students became the points themselves—positioning their bodies on a large coordinate plane mapped out on the pavers outside Lindenwold. Working in teams, they raced against one another to correctly form their lines, blending math, movement, and collaboration.

“This activity helps students truly internalize what it means to graph a linear equation,” said Upper School Math Teacher Amy Papandreou. “They’re not just plotting numbers—they’re problem-solving, communicating, and moving through uncertainty together. Often, the team that communicated most effectively ended up winning.”

Graphing linear equations is just the beginning of how students will apply these skills. The concepts they are mastering now will lay the groundwork for future studies in fields like science, social science, and economics, where understanding relationships between variables is key.
 

At The Peck School, second graders are learning a powerful tool for focus and self-regulation: mindfulness mantras. During classroom transitions, students pause to take a breath and recite “anchor words” such as I am calm, I am peaceful, I am mindful, I am grateful, I belong.

 These affirmations encourage children to reset, center themselves, and bring their full attention to whatever comes next in the school day.
“Mindfulness is about listening with curiosity and kindness. When students use their anchor words, it brings focus and calm to the day. Even if there’s chaos around them, they have something that grounds them. It’s a coping mechanism they can use anytime, anywhere,” said Second Grade Homeroom Teacher Jane Attah.

Each student creates an individual mantra, which becomes a personal reminder of resilience and balance. Ms. Attah integrates the practice throughout the day—during transitions, while lining up, or waiting their turn—ensuring mindfulness becomes a natural and consistent part of the classroom culture.

This mindful approach not only supports emotional regulation in the Lower School but also prepares students with lifelong strategies to manage stress, refocus, and approach challenges with clarity.
 

In Peck’s fifth grade music class, students are diving into rhythm in an engaging and interactive way. One of their current focuses is a rhythm pattern exercise called syncopa, a method that introduces the concept of syncopation—playing or singing on the “off beats.”

Students first learn the rhythm through a spoken poem, then bring it to life by layering it on drums and other percussion instruments. The activity not only strengthens their sense of rhythm but also builds collaboration as they work together to combine different parts.

“This lesson really encapsulates what I do, which is use language as our common way to understand rhythm. Just like learning to speak before you learn to read, students learn rhythm through syllables and sound before seeing it written on the board,” said Upper School Music Teacher Sebastian Guerrero.

By approaching music as a language, Guerrero helps students build a strong foundation in rhythm that prepares them for more advanced musical challenges in Upper School. Whether singing seasonal songs or drumming out syncopated beats, fifth graders at Peck are discovering that music is as much about process and creativity as it is about performance.