May 2024 Newsletter
Summer Program Schedule Announced
The Possible Zone (TPZ) is excited to offer several new programs this summer (as well as a few past favorites) for dozens of returning students and many others for whom it will be their first time learning in our Innovation Center.
Students will build their entrepreneurial mindset, skills, and networks, as they also explore college and career pathways, and build their STEAM agency. Upon completion of these programs, students will have developed and/or strengthened competencies that are associated with personal, academic, and career success, such as:
- Strong Peer & Adult Relationships
- Critical Thinking
- Growth Mindset
- Perseverance
- Optimism
- Teamwork
Summer 2024 Entrepreneurship programs include:
Ideate (40+ hours)
During Ideate, the second course in the TPZ Eship program, students will learn more about design thinking and utilize various design principles and design elements to create low fidelity prototypes connected to the problems they identified in the first Discover class. They’ll develop and conduct prototype tests to better understand their product/service’s functionality. At the conclusion of Ideate, students will create and present physical, digital, or service-related low fidelity prototypes to an external audience, explaining how the prototype/service solves a problem, and how they used data and feedback to iterate on the design.
Incubate (40+ hours)
Following Ideate, students will take part in Incubate, when they’ll continue to use design thinking to develop a high fidelity prototype of the product/service previously explored during the earlier Eship courses. Additionally, they’ll build on the lean canvas business model—a strategic business planning brief—to assess the feasibility, viability, and desirability of their business idea. Using their experience in Discover and Ideate, students will also have the opportunity to develop and share a pitch that highlights their business and idea development over the course of the three terms. They’ll also share how their own entrepreneurial spirit has evolved during the Eship experience.
Our Pathways program offers high school students the opportunity to explore career and college options, research educational institutions, and craft their own post-high school plans. The summer Pathways programs include:
College & Career Bootcamp (40+ hours)
This program is ideal for students who are considering what they want to do after high school. In this College and Career Bootcamp, students will explore many pathways with the Pathways team supporting their next steps.
College Essay Writing Workshop (8+ hours)
This program is a great fit for rising seniors who want to get a jump-start on their college essay or personal statement. Students will reflect, brainstorm, and draft their essays with guidance from our supportive team.
TPZ Eship students can also immerse themselves in short-term, intensive STEAM experiences that merge their interests with future industry demands. Summer STEAM Deep Dives include:
Clean Energy with National Grid (20 hours)
Students will dive into clean and renewable energy through hands-on projects like building solar circuits and wind turbines. They’ll learn how to track their digital footprint and contribute to a sustainable future. Tools will include: electronics, digital fabrication, and circuits.
Converse Apparel & Footwear (20 hours)
Students will work in teams to learn the Converse product-design process behind footwear and apparel! They’ll learn insights to the field, go on a site visit to Converse’s innovation lab, and express their own creativity through hands-on making at TPZ.
New this summer, TPZ is offering several one-week STEAM workshops in which Eship students will further explore tools and technologies while strengthening valuable social and emotional competencies. These short-term STEAM workshops include:
Fun with Fiber Arts (20 hours)
Students will get their hands on different Fab Lab tools to learn what’s possible with textiles, design, and fiber! Tools will include: sewing machines, advanced printing and dye techniques, hand techniques, and more.
Music Recording & synthesizing (20 hours)
Teens will explore the art of music recording and learn how to craft their own synthesizers and sounds through hands-on projects in the multimedia studio. Tools will include: Ableton Live, GarageBand, and electronics.
Make Big Things (20 hours)
Students will get their hands on the biggest shop equipment in our Fab Lab to design and create something BIG for TPZ! Tools will include: Zund CNC machine, large-format UV printer, and laser cutters.
Animation & Digital Art (20 hours)
This program is a great option for students who have wanted to animate their own video game character or bring a story to life through graphic design. In this hands-on workshop they’ll bring their characters to life in an interactive art display for TPZ. Tools will include: Procreate, Illustrator, coding, and electronics.
Jewelry and Digital Fabrication (20 hours)
Students will explore different methods and techniques to create their own unique jewelry, including transforming hand sketches into machined designs. Tools will include: Laser cutters, desktop mills, Adobe Illustrator, UV printing, hand tools and techniques, and more.
Dance + Electronics (20 hours)
Interactive design takes many forms and in this workshop, students will learn how to connect their movement to sensors with digital outputs to create an immersive experience. Tools will include: 
Coding and electronics, sensors, LEDs, and more!
Podcasting Our Stories (20 hours)
With podcasting, students can express themselves, explore a wide range of topics, and connect with incredible communities. In this program, they’ll learn how to record, mix, and publish professional-quality podcasts. They’ll also work with like-minded creators to produce and release segments and gain experience storytelling. Tools will include: Audacity. recording devices, mixers, and more.
Clothing Upcycling (20 hours)
In this program, students will think sustainably and discover creative ways to transform clothes into new items. Tools will include: sewing machines, garment printing, hand sewing, and additional digital fabrication tools.
Visit the TPZ website to learn more about the summer schedule, enrollment and program requirements, and more.
Spotlight on Recent Funding
The Possible Zone (TPZ) is grateful to Faber Law Group, a firm of former biotech in-house counsels, venture capital senior managers, and pharmaceutical contract specialists, for its recent generous gift to TPZ. This donation provides unrestricted operating support to TPZ’s Student and Family Support Services (SFSS) department. The SFSS team strengthens and stewards the student experience, ensuring that TPZ students experience the Innovation Center and TPZ as collaborative and inclusive spaces that are safe both psychologically and physically. The team also maintains strong relationships and rapport with students, families, and TPZ staff, both individually and collectively, and connects students and families to outside support when necessary. They provide integrated support to promote student well-being, such as 1:1 advising, access to community opportunities that address student and family needs, and enrichment experiences. Faber Law Group actively participates in philanthropic and community engagement initiatives that aim to address important needs in our society; TPZ has been a recipient of Faber’s support previously.
We are also grateful to Citizens Bank for its continued support via volunteer service and a recent gift that supports our comprehensive entrepreneurship (Eship) program. The Eship courses are a gateway for students build durable skills, putting them on a pathway toward economic mobility. TPZ occupies a vital position within the talent development pipeline, helping to shape foundational skill sets that enable students to actively pursue the opportunities that best fit with their goals—whether that means enrolling in two- or four-year degree programs, participating in direct-to-workforce training programs, or taking their own business ideas to the next level and making it their career.
Our STEAM team was honored to earn a recent Infosys Foundation USA Infy Makers Award. This special award is comprised of a money grant as well as professional development for up to three TPZ staff in the Making CS Inclusive multi-month program led by Digital Promise. This award has already been put into action and supported the development and teaching of the recent Deep Dive focused on reinforcement learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics. This curriculum embedded reflection points on the ethics of AI and relevant career pathways through fun, immersive workshops that equipped our students with robust future-ready skill sets. This program will be repeated and shared with Boston Public School partners over the next few years, engaging even more students.
Alumni Corner: Stay Connected with TPZ!
Are you an alumnus who wants to stay more closely connected to The Possible Zone? We offer opportunities for TPZ alumni to volunteer, network, gain access to career-search resources, help spread our stories of success, and more! If you’d like to be more closely connected, contact Andrea Miranda, Director of Volunteers & Alumni Engagement.