This past Friday, the halls of Baxter Academy were filled with energy and ideas as students presented their draft Flex Friday proposals—the starting point for a year of innovation, persistence, and community engagement.
Flex Friday is our signature program, giving students the chance to dedicate twenty percent of their time to long-term projects that blend rigorous STEM learning with meaningful real-world application. Each fall, students propose their projects, explaining the problems they want to solve, the methods they plan to use, and the community impact they hope to create.
This year’s projects reflect both creativity and relevance. A team is beginning research on the history of women’s entrepreneurship in Guatemala and creating a virtual museum tour, shedding light on stories too often overlooked. They will be partnering directly with staff from @creamos_guatamala. Another group is designing search and rescue drones to support emergency response. Some students are building coding models to explore climate change scenarios, while others are collaborating with students in Kenya on a podcast dedicated to Girls in Stem. They will be working with @girlkindkenya.
But the work doesn’t stop with proposals. Across the school, students are deepening their knowledge through macroeconomics coursework, while others are already interning with local businesses or exploring career paths in engineering, architecture, public media, and Maine’s ocean industry. The common thread running through all of this is Baxter’s belief that education must be built on rigor—it must be about the Real World Now.
We celebrate our students’ curiosity, persistence, and accomplishments, and we are deeply grateful for the mentors, organizations, and community members who make these opportunities possible. The success of Flex Friday is not just a measure of what happens inside our classrooms, but of how learning connects outward—to our city, our state, and the world.
As we look ahead to the year, we invite community members to join us in this work. Whether as mentors, partners, or collaborators, there is a place for everyone who believes in engaging and supporting the next generation of innovators. The next opportunity for engagement will be on Flex Friday Elevator Pitch Day. If you would like to join us on site or meet several students by ZOOM, please fill out this form. If you’d like to join us on this day as an expert in relevant subject matter, reach out to our Executive Director, Anna Klein-Christie, for more information.
We appreciate your continued interest and support!