Seventh Grade 20% Project Helps Girls Follow Their Passions

What mattered to you in 7th grade? How did you want to use your time and talents to make the world better? These ideas are at the heart of the 20% project – a chance for our 7th graders to grow by diving into something they are truly passionate about and sharing it with others. Social science teacher Kollin Falk and English teacher Amanda Muir challenged their girls to use 20% of the second semester to explore a topic that deeply interests them.

“It was amazing to watch their confidence grow and see how proud they were of their work,” Muir said.

In 1948, 3M pioneered workplace innovation by allowing employees 15% of their time for creative projects, leading to inventions like Post-It Notes, before Google expanded the concept to 20% of the time, resulting in revolutionary products like Gmail and Google News.

From STEM to history to art projects, each girl studied something meaningful. Then, she wrote a 10-page research paper, created a symbolic artifact, and gave a 5-minute presentation on her topic. The project was inspired by the Japanese idea of ikigai—your reason for being. Mr. Falk taught our girls about the people of Okinawa, who are among the longest-living in the world. They believe living with purpose is key to a long, happy life.

“We tried not to have certain parameters on what the girls studied, because we wanted to make sure that they focused in on their purpose,” Falk said. “We gave our girls expectations that they didn’t think they could meet. They didn’t think it was possible, but then they met and exceeded those expectations.”

The 20% Expo featured a vibrant gallery curated by the Middle School Art Council in the Wiener Theater lobby, along with engaging presentations from selected students. We give these 20% projects a well-deserved 100%!

“When our girls are passionate about something, the work that they produce is amazing. This project really shows that,” Falk said.