Innovation

With an ethos of "Always Curious, Always Innovating," Flint Hill offers a dynamic and robust JK-12 Innovation curriculum that taps into our students' natural curiosity and inspires them to ask, "What if?"

Students build a foundation of innovative learning through design thinking challenges and collaborative projects in their computer science classes and in the Innovation Lab. By Middle and Upper School, students tackle robotics, media production, engineering, cybersecurity, and more. Along the way, they amass the tools and strategies they'll need to become the next generation of innovating changemakers.

22

Innovation courses offered

16

Students competing in the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition

1

green screen video production studio

+ lines of student-written code

800

Hours spent designing 4 magic wheelchairs

37

Trophies earned by Upper School Robotics students

Innovation in Grades JK-6 incorporates creativity, communication, collaboration, persistence, and iterative thinking. Innovation classes are focused on the concept of innovative thinking through design thinking and design challenges. Students learn about robotics through both hands-on and application-based robotics work. They learn the language of coding in computer science; as they get older, they work in the Innovation Lab using 3D printers and other more advanced tools.

Middle School Innovation is about exploration and discovery. Students select from a collection of hands-on, project-based courses designed to unlock creativity, problem-solving, and trailblazing abilities. Whether it's learning how to code, building a robot, making a lightsaber, or producing a news segment, Innovation classes provide a platform for students to unleash their creativity, collaborate with others, and develop skills that they will draw upon well beyond their middle school experience.

Courses Offered
Programming I
Programming II 
Makers
Robotics I
Robotics II
Audio/Video Production

Upper School courses provide challenges and skills that students seek, enriching their classroom experiences. For the explorer, there are semester-long or full-year courses in robotics, computer science, cybersecurity, and engineering. Students with a discovered passion may dive deeply into cybersecurity and AP and Honors computer science and robotics. The most challenging courses provide unparalleled opportunities for students to hone their skills and perform at their highest levels. Innovation students leave Flint Hill equipped to succeed and ready to make a positive impact in the world.

Courses Offered

Computer Science I
AP Computer Science A
AP Computer Science Principles
Advanced Topics in Computer Science
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
Python Programming
Cybersecurity: Defense Against the Dark Arts
Cybersecurity: Forensics
Cybersecurity: Networks
Robotics
CAD I
CAD II
Advanced Aerial Robotics - Honors
Innovation Incubator
Physical Computing
Discovery of Engineering
Independent Study

CRACKING THE CODE EARLY

Huskies are introduced to Computer Science in Junior Kindergarten. They learn essential computational thinking skills including pattern-recognition, algorithms, decomposition, and abstraction through lessons and activities like this one involving some friendly robot mice.

INCUBATING IMAGINATION

As they progress with the Innovation curriculum, Flint Hill students exercise the core value of "imagining what's possible," navigating interdisciplinary problem-solving and completing short- and long-term projects of increasing complexity and depth. 

RESILIENT EXPERIMENTATION

Creativity is at the center of the Lower School Innovation curriculum. Something that our students do all the time is reprocess what they've done: Can I make it better? How might I improve this? What can I do differently on this or the next project?

MINI GOLF, MAX FUN

6th graders used cardboard, hot glue, felt, and other craft supplies to create their own miniature golf hole. They coded servo motors to make the windmills, trap doors, bridges, and tunnels move so the holes would be more challenging and have a higher par.

MAKing MAGIC!

Middle School Makers students teamed up with Magic Wheelchair to make a local 9-year-old’s Halloween wish a reality. The students logged over 200 hours building a royal costume in their Makers class that she could wear with her wheelchair.

SPARKING SOLUTIONS

In the Makers classroom, Middle School students use design thinking, prototyping, collaboration, and problem-solving skills to complete increasingly difficult challenges that are presented in a rich storytelling environment. Middle School students also have the option of taking Robotics and Audio/Visual Production.

ENGAGING A CHANGING WORLD

At Flint Hill, students take Innovation classes to satisfy their own natural curiosity. Answering questions like, “How does this work?” helps them better understand the world around them and be effective problem-solvers. Upper School Innovation courses are designed to take students deeper into the subject matter and move them toward college preparation and professional skill sets.

DISCOVERING ENGINEERING

The Newspaper Bridge Challenge in the Upper School's Discovery of Engineering course emphasizes collaboration, imagination, engineering principles, testing, and the lessons learned from working within seemingly impossible limits.