A Mid-Pen Minute

It’s not every day that you’re allowed to play with fire at school, but Dragons in David Oliver’s fifth-period chemistry class recently made flames in the name of science. In a Mid-Pen Minute, Dragons observe the characteristic colors produced by specific metallic ions when vaporized in a flame.

Food labels have a reputation for being misleading. In this Mid-Pen Minute, science teacher Meenu Baloda’s fourth period Advanced Biology students prepare to analyze milk samples from home to see if the protein content listed on the container is accurate.

Mid-Pen students, staff, and parent volunteers fanned out across the South Bay on Wednesday, October 23, for our Fall Community Service Day. Since its inception 24 years ago, the biannual event allows Dragons to lend a hand at various non-profit organizations in the area.

Kate Waffle’s sixth period English Fundamentals class recently learned how to get inside a story—with the help of virtual reality (VR) technology.

The art studio is dim. The only light is from the afternoon sun and two spotlights that cast a bright glow on a random assortment of objects—from plants to a compressed air duster—on a table in the center of the room. Lo-fi jazz plays in the background, but your ears might miss it if they’ve already latched onto the quiet buzz in the room as students sit around the centerpiece and take in their subject matter.