Two recent culminating projects at the end of this school year - in the third and eighth grades - exemplify not only our "joyful balance" yearlong theme, but also how boys learn best: through active experiences that engage their attention, sustain their concentration, and result in superior performance. On Nerdy Derby Race Day, as the mini race cars fly down the 50-foot track (generously designed and constructed by a parent of one of our boys), there isn't an inexpressive face in the crowd. Our third graders, wide-eyed, excited, breath-held, wonder if the cars they designed, built, tested, and revised after several runs through the engineering cycle, have what it takes to be crowned the Fastest, Slowest. or King of the Hill. The third grade Nerdy Derby is an interdisciplinary immersion in math, science, and artistic design. Our boys embrace this no-rules miniatures car building and racing competition. Weeks of collaborating on close observation, data gathering, and drawi...