What's happening: Last week, our honors Design Thinking class took their learning beyond the classroom walls with an inspiring field trip to the Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC), marking the official kickoff of an exciting new community partnership.
Utilizing the acclaimed Stanford University "d.school" framework, our Design Thinking students apply human-centered strategies to tackle authentic challenges.
🎯 bergenPAC Executive Director Jennifer Schuck and the venue’s dedicated team have posed a creative challenge to our students: develop innovative strategies to grow membership.
Why it matters: This initiative highlights an equally vital dimension: the arts as an engine for community engagement, civic pride, and creative enterprise. The performing arts build empathy, bring diverse groups together, and enrich local culture.
During the visit, students toured the facilities and conducted in-depth interviews with staff members to build empathy (an important Profile competency) and pinpoint the core needs of the venue and its patrons. These insights will serve as the foundation as students move into the ideation, prototyping, and testing phases of the design cycle over the coming weeks.
What’s next: Stay tuned for updates and prototypes as their concepts take shape! Great ideas start with empathy, curiosity, and real-world connection. 🤝