Project-MOONSHOT ACADEMY

Thunders and Whispers

Disciplines/Subjects: Sound Art, Installation Art Key Themes: Listening modes, soundscape, field recording, sound editing The earliest VR virtual reality display was created in 1968. As early as 1932, Russian composer Alexander Scriabin created the earliest existing stereo recording. Binaural stereo headphones, which have been in mass production since the 1960s, have been able to accurately transmit ambient sound, but why did the concept of “virtual reality” not become widely accepted by the general public until the popularization of VR headsets 60 years later? What is the unique experience of sound in the visually dominated perception of reality? In his exploration of sound art, pioneering French composer Michel Chion proposes three modes of listening that differentiate between the source, the semantics, and the qualities of the sound itself. Learners in Exploring Moon Contemporary Media Art use this as a starting point to break the habit of perceiving and describing the sounds around them in a more multidimensional way. After visiting the Sound Art Museum with rich listening objectives in mind, we tried to create a more complete sound experience for our peers by combining different playback media and environments with recordings, objects, and favorite songs around us. Sound Art is another perspective on music. We used our cell phones to record samples from our lives, learning modern digital editing techniques to paint a soundscape as if we were making music, refreshing our imaginations of uniqueness and resonance, and capturing those fleeting fluctuations as we shared them over and over again.

The -ism Project

Disciplines/Subjects: Visual Arts, English Key Themes: European and American art history, analysis, personal perspective The popularization of mainstream art history has long been dominated by the European and American viewpoint of “originating from Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece, passing through the Renaissance and Baroque, to Romanticism, Impressionism, and up to modern contemporary art”, which tells a relatively single logic of development and values. As a form of communication common to all human beings beyond language, the history of art has always been incredibly diverse. In the artistic path of Moon Exploration, to communicate smoothly in the context of contemporary art from Europe and the United States, we will respect and systematically explore the masterpieces and the causes and consequences of the traditional narratives. At the same time, we cannot help but ask: In the face of such an authoritative framework, where do we place the movies, stars, topics, and culture that have inspired our appreciation and creativity since our childhood, and where do we place ourselves? So we drew our art history maps, turning straight timelines into spider webs, trails, mountains, and clouds, to see a more unique connection between ancient and modern art and Chinese art from our perspectives. After studying the techniques of specific art genres and combing through their development, we gradually became curious beyond the generalization of the big time, “What does contemporary realism look like?” “Does rebellion have to be Dada?” “Where are the female artists in Abstract Expressionism?” “What is unique about Chinese art history?” Information found with genuine curiosity is more memorable, and characteristics are more interesting after comparison. After an essay, or an exam, the distance between creation and research seems to be closing.

Self-Portrait

Disciplines/Subjects: Visual Arts Key Themes: Self-portrait, Collage, Found object, Art therapy Self-portraits are a recurring theme in artists’ creations. Whether it’s a realistic self-portrait meticulously drawn by observing oneself in a mirror, or an abstract self-portrait created using any materials or objects to convey personal traits, this is an essential step in art learning and creation. In the Self-Portrait unit of the Art Track, learners will start by identifying ten personal keywords and then complete three works centered on self-expression. These three projects include: Life Album (with cover) – exploring direct self-expression. Readymade Sculpture – using real objects and materials to convey unique characteristics. The Opposite of Me – identifying and attempting to approach or even embrace one’s opposite side. Following these three creations, learners will utilize their ELP time to produce a fully developed and polished self-portrait. This time, their audience will include the entire community.

Four pages comic

Disciplines/Subjects: Visual Arts Key Themes: Comics, Graphic Novel, Chris Ware Famous comic works like The Avengers, Dragon Ball, and Old Master Q are often regarded as children's reading material and thus dismissed by many adult readers. However, when we revisit the history of storytelling through images, we find many extraordinary artistic works that are innovative in style and profound in content. For instance, the graphic novel Maus, which deals with the theme of Nazi concentration camps during World War II, became the first such work to win a Pulitzer Prize, demonstrating to readers worldwide that image-based storytelling can rival even the most serious literary creations. When we grow accustomed to recording life through abstract written language, we often face the limitations of vocabulary and expression, making it challenging to fully articulate our thoughts. By turning to image-based storytelling, we might discover that our thoughts and emotions inadvertently emerge between panels. In this process, whether we quickly convey a story through concise frames or repeatedly use a series of similar images to create the atmosphere, our creative expression takes on a magical transformation. The graphic novels of artist Chris Ware show us how the mundane can be reinterpreted through images, becoming thought-provoking and impactful. In this comics unit, students who have learned about creating multi-panel narratives will take inspiration from Chris Ware’s Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth to identify moments in their own daily lives worth recording and reimagine them through their creations. This project aims to challenge the stereotypical perceptions of comics as a creative medium.

Poetry Illustration

Disciplines/Subjects: Visual Arts, English Key Themes: Poem, Illustration, Surrealism Since the invention of photography in the 19th century, the main function of painting at that time has almost been replaced. For a while, many people claimed that "painting is dead". However, the ensuing Impressionism, Cubism, Surrealism, Pop Art, and Minimalism paintings have given this form of expression unprecedented vitality. Among them, surrealist paintings are known to many people for depicting dreams, mental states, and other highly emotional ways. Poetry, as the genre closest to surrealism among all forms of written expression, can often bring readers a certain kind of unspeakable reading experience by splitting and reorganizing different images. This unusual experience always makes readers complain that "I can't understand it". Even the title of "poet" is in some cases a kind of derision rather than a description. American poet Richard Brautigan's poems often contain a lot of prose descriptions. Imaginative imagery is scattered throughout every line of his works. After the Illustration unit, learners in the Narrative Image class each chose a piece from Brautigan's Selected Poems as the inspiration for the unit and completed a surprising illustration. To let the learners' works be seen by more people, we have chosen to bring such an exhibition to you in the Little Theater. We hope you will enjoy it.

Phenological Investigations: Understanding Plant Responses to Environmental Changes

Disciplines/Subjects: Phenology, Botany, Ecology Key Themes: Phenology, Plant Physiology, Data Collection and Analysis, Environmental Changes Students will take on the role of phenologists, scientists who study the timing of biological events about environmental conditions. This project will involve observing and documenting the phenological stages of various plant species on the school campus, and analyzing how environmental factors influence these stages. This real-world task allows students to engage in authentic scientific inquiry and produce meaningful outputs that could be used for ecological studies or shared with the local community.

Finding the Right Location with GIS

Discipline/ Subject：GIS, Design Key Themes: GIS Campus Map, Sign Design Course Background Originally titled "Finding the Right Location with GIS," this onboarding project was designed by Mora Jiang, who structured the research questions, project outcomes, and all the acceptance criteria in advance. The course has been offered at MSA for several years. After examples of how GIS can impact everyday life, Mora would always ask learners: "Do you have any problems you want to solve using geographic thinking? Let’s work on them together. If not, we’ll proceed with my prepared project. Your choice." Problem Identification In the Fall semester of 2024-2025, a group of 9th grader freshmen responded to Mora’s question by venting their frustrations about the school’s confusing layout: "The campus design is disorienting. — I often lose my sense of direction." "There aren’t enough maps or wall signs. Even when I find them, they’re sometimes incorrect." After discussion, they formulated their research question: Why do people in MSA community frequently get lost? Validation & Data Collection Mora challenged them: "Is it possible that only newcomers get lost? What evidence supports the claim that ‘people always get lost’?" She also pointed out that statements like "there aren’t enough maps" lacked data. Students conducted on-site investigations: Documented uneven distribution, obstruction, and inaccuracies in existing maps/signage. Deepening the Inquiry To address whether non-newcomers also struggled, these students designed a survey. Mora advised: "Interview community members first to confirm this is a genuine issue." Interviews with 31 students, teachers, staff, and parents revealed widespread navigation challenges. Key findings from 175 survey responses: 90% admitted struggling to locate rooms. Top issues: missing/incorrect map info and ineffective interior signage. Solution Development When there was sufficient evidence, the learners chose to start with the most popular problem they were capable of solving: dividing themselves into two groups, the map group and the wall sign group. The map group was responsible for correcting the errors in the school map and adding more user-friendly features such as "current location" and the shortest routes. While Wall Sign Team group needed to modify the inner-circle wayfinding system from a design perspective. This definitely required the help of a design teacher. Fortunately, not long after the students sent out their questionnaires, they received support from Design Teacher Guo Xuzheng. Guo Xuzheng not only fully supported the design of the wayfinding system, but also agreed that the final output of this boarding class could be used as the final assignment for the design course. The assignments of the two courses could be combined to reduce the students' burden and enable them to focus more on the project. At the same time, another design teacher, Kyson Zhang, got highly involved. He not only gave detailed suggestions on the students' inner-circle wayfinding system, but also participated in several rehearsals in person. Unexpected Challenge The students originally thought that making the map and redesigning the inner-circle wayfinding system would solve the problem. However, as the project progressed, a major obstacle stood in their way: the classroom numbers in the school were irregular. For example, the room after C102 was not C103, but E102. To quickly locate a room, they had to rearrange the door numbers; otherwise, no matter how many maps and wayfinding systems were placed, people would still get lost. Rearranging the numbers of all the rooms in the school was far beyond their capabilities. How could they drive this change? They had to approach the school leaders. But how could they get the school leaders to agree to such a major change? They carefully planned an on-site presentation and PK competition targeted at the founder of Moon School, the principals of the high school department of Moon School, the person in charge of the logistics department of Moon School, the person in charge of student affairs at Moon School, their grade leaders and coaches. Please watch the VCR.

The Roar of the Mortar: An Invincible Siege Weapon

Disciplines/Subjects: Physics, Engineering, Computer Science Key Themes: Experiment Design, Scientific Calculation and Derivation, Engineering Manufacturing and Processing What is the experience of designing and making a "weapon"? Let's feel together with the students from Introduction to Physics, experience the hardships of the process and the beauty of the results, the agony of failure and the joy of success. Welcome to our Physics Project Exhibition. In this project, students have designed and simulated an important historical task from a war scenario—accurately hitting an enemy command center with simulated artillery shells. In this challenge, students not only apply fundamental principles of physics but also require innovative thinking, practical experimental design, and the application of their knowledge to solve real-world problems. The core task of the project is to use an existing tennis ball launcher or various "weapons" designed and built by students to simulate the firing of artillery shells. By adjusting parameters such as launch angle and initial velocity, students aim to hit distant targets with precision. The challenge was completed in three different ways: Experimental Method: Students designed and implemented multiple experiments to explore how launch angle and initial speed affect the trajectory of the balls. Through data analysis, they determined the optimal launch parameters. Theoretical Method: Using the physics of projectile motion, students performed precise mathematical calculations to predict the landing point of the artillery shells, determining the exact launch angle and velocity needed to hit the target. Engineering Design Method: Some students took on the challenge of designing and building their launchers. Through experimental testing, they continually refined their devices, striving to improve shooting accuracy through precise engineering. This project not only involves fundamental physics knowledge but also cultivates students' creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Through this exhibition, you will see how students have turned theoretical knowledge into practical solutions, demonstrating their learning journey from theory to application.

Project

Real-world projects creating positive impacts for self, others, communities, and the planet.