A group of motivated students from Bronxville High School are sharpening their coding skills through an interdisciplinary, project-based artificial intelligence course, taught virtually by graduates from Stanford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other prestigious universities. 

The students’ exploration into AI is supported through a generous grant from the Bronxville School Foundation, which funds an AI Scholars introductory course and the Deep Dive advanced course, and a one-on-one AI mentorship program for students who have completed the advanced track. 

Eleanor Fahy, a sophomore, expressed her enthusiasm for applying AI to her passion for science. 

“I want to do something in science, specifically in biology, and AI is so important,” Fahy said. “It’s going to be involved in every aspect of our lives. I’m really excited to learn and understand it more so I can apply it to my future.” 

In the introductory course, students delve into machine learning algorithms and techniques through an engaging, hands-on approach, eventually applying their knowledge in live coding labs. They will also develop valuable skills in Python, machine learning and artificial intelligence. As a culminating project, they will complete an instructor-led group project, where the students will use AI to solve problems in the discipline of their choice, putting their programming abilities to practical use. The curriculum is designed to provide students with a firm understanding of AI concepts, such as computer vision, natural language processing and neural networks. 

In the advanced course, the students engage with cutting-edge technical ideas through lectures and programming notebooks and discussions about ethical challenges in machine learning systems. The course also features workshops to help students design their own AI projects, and panel discussions from AI experts. As part of a multiweek final project, the students will apply innovative machine learning techniques to model real-world systems. Projects may include building a reinforced learning model for self-driving cars, preserving privacy in natural language processing models or using AI to detect skin cancer from photographs. 

Vincent D’Amato, a junior, said he is excited about applying AI to sports analytics. 

“AI interests me because it’s a new market, it’s untapped and it’s something that people could make a lot of innovations with,” D’Amato said.
 

From art creation to role-playing and collaborative activities, Bronxville Middle School educators are focused on helping sixth, seventh and eighth graders explore who they are, strengthen connections within their community and prepare for real-world challenges. As part of an enhanced middle school advisory curriculum, under the leadership of Julia Brogan, Alyssa Dioguardi, Connor Mitchell and Jennifer Zopp, the district has incorporated lessons on belonging, developing an inclusive school community and anti-bullying. 

During a recent eighth grade advisory activity, students created “Identity Art,” or a piece of artwork that showcased a part of their identity they wanted to share with others. In addition, they created social scenario role-plays that a typical eighth grade student would encounter.  

“By having students act out these scenarios, we created a way for them to come to life so that students have a firsthand experience with learning how to navigate these situations,” Mitchell said. “We also took the opportunity to overhaul the eighth grade portfolio building section to allow students the chance to showcase how their involvement in middle school connects to all aspects of the Bronxville Promise.”

The seventh grade advisory curriculum was updated to create an engaging and relevant learning experience for students that covered topics like the impact of texting and bullying through social media. In addition, educators incorporated more role-playing scenarios to encourage active student participation and real-world application. 

“We emphasized practical life skills, such as organizational techniques and effective group work,” Zopp said. “This included lessons on decluttering binders, working collaboratively in class, and developing effective study schedules for final exams.”

In their sixth grade advisory classes, students participated in a hands-on, interactive activity called “Common Thread,” during which the advisor would make a personal statement while holding a ball of yarn. Students who related raised their hand and the yarn was passed to them, creating a physical web as they held onto the thread. The goal of the activity was to highlight how shared experiences connect people, symbolizing the strength of community. The student enjoyed a visual representation of their connections and how the web showed the strong bond they share. It served as a discussion starter about the importance of unity. 

“Our community will become stronger when we connect and find common interests or stories,” Brogan said. “The group discussed how the web is symbolic of a community, what they learned about themselves and others, and how making connections makes a community stronger.”

The lessons were developed over the summer through a generous grant from the Bronxville School Foundation.

From hearts and a lighthouse to a book, paintbrush and trees, a new wall mural at Bronxville Elementary School serves as a dynamic reflection of student creativity. The colorful work of art, designed and painted by artist Bren Bataclan, was brought to life in one week while capturing the spirit of the Bronxville Promise. 

The process began with a series of school assemblies, where Bataclan taught students how to draw his signature characters. He invited them to explore their own creativity and draw designs based on themes like kindness, environmental care, global citizenship and creative thinking. The students filled pages with hearts, characters holding hands, flowers, globes, magnifying glasses, pencils, paintbrushes, lightbulbs and the beloved Bronco mascot. After reviewing 685 drawings, Bataclan began working on the layout and incorporating the students’ visuals into the final design. 

“His mission of spreading joy through art was evident throughout the elementary school during his weeklong residency,” Principal Rakiya Adams said. “He engaged students in creating images that represent the Bronxville Promise and symbolize our unity as a school community. Mr. Bataclan most importantly encouraged students to embrace the artistic process and challenged them not to erase their work. He exemplified this philosophy by leaving his pencil marks visible on the mural, demonstrating that he, too, values the process.”  

The students were actively engaged throughout the process as they watched closely, asked questions and saw their own artwork take form on the school walls. Bataclan’s approach encouraged the students to trust their artistic instincts. He said the purpose of the mural was to bring joy, make students, teachers and families smile when they walked by and feel proud, knowing they were part of something meaningful. He also hoped that the mural inspired students to keep creating their own characters. 

The project culminated in a mural unveiling of the final piece on Oct. 25, showcasing not only Bataclan’s vibrant art, but the imagination of every student in the school.  

The experience was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Bronxville School Foundation.