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Mod 2

2023 Edition

The iD Connection is the official newsletter of Innovation Diploma program, serving as an important communication channel for the program. This newsletter aims to create a stronger sense of community among iD students, parents, faculty, and other stakeholders while storytelling student work and explaining nuances of the Innovation Diploma program at the Mount Vernon Upper School.




23-24 Design Briefs

Focus by Mod


  • mod 1 Fortune 500 companies
  • mod 2 Future of... (ux)
  • mod 3 Non-Profits & Startups
  • mod 4 Local & “other”



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Innovation Diploma | The iD Connection

Walker Cohort Grade 11


G11 students are in their second mod of running design briefs on their own. Generally, seniors lead in mod 1, but starting this mod, juniors are starting to take lead roles. The task is a big one as they guide the purposely ambiguous design brief, The Future of Air Tranportation. See their work at the showcase of learning on December 18. Time TBD

Jorgen Cohort Grade 9


G12 students are teaming up with the Walker cohort for 4 Design Briefs to future-cast the industries involved with Air Transportation. They will transform the learning studios into their vision so that visitors to the showcase on December 18 for families and again on December 19 for executive guest tours.

Lewis Cohort Grade 12

In American Inequalities, our Malala Cohort is learning about Hard History through rich discovery work and case studies. They've watched Ava DuVernay's 13th, visited the High Museum's new exhibit showing southern photography from 1845-present, and are reading Matthew Desmond's Poverty, by America. Currently, students are engaged in a design sprint based on the Human Rights Watch World Report 2022. All of this groundwork will play a crucial role in the design brief they'll start at the beginning of Week 5.

Our G10 Biomimicry students are excited to participate in the Biomimicry Institute's Global Youth Design Challenge (YDC)! This project-based learning experience challenges high school teams to design bio-inspired solutions to real-world problems. By immersing themselves in the amazing world of biology and engineering design strategies, students will learn to think creatively and sustainably.

Malala Cohort Grade 10

In Writing for the World, the Jørgen Cohort is recording episodes for Season Five of the Getting Into Good Trouble podcast, an iD freshman tradition. The teams are using the tools of the Innovation Diploma to understand world protests and explain them by completing research and speaking to experts. In working to create an outside-facing project, the cohort will get their first taste of the outside feedback essential to the design brief process. Listen wherever you get your podcast or ask your smart speaker to play The Getting Into Good Trouble Podcast.

Listen to Dean Droke and Herris Fentress Discuss the Council on Innovation

Cohort Check In

Monday Evening December 18

Time: TBD

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Scenes from the

Council on Innovation