Students present mini‑electives — local history, engineering and entrepreneurship — as Bronxville moves to student‑led courses

High school teachers and students described a third year of student‑facilitated mini‑electives that move instruction from teacher‑led classes to a student‑teaching‑students model, emphasizing project‑based work and community partnerships.

At the meeting Dr. Ray Levero introduced the program and said the electives channel student passions into public‑facing projects. "Big historical events always happen somewhere and often that place is right within our own square mile," student Cooper Keading said while describing the One Square Mile elective, which partners with the Bronxville Historical Conservancy and Bronxville History Center to produce archival research and community‑facing historical projects.

Teacher Ben Cornes described a project‑based engineering elective that begins with a bridge project and combines presentations on structural engineering, materials science and urban planning. Student Andre Carmon said many peers had not previously encountered civil engineering and that the course seeks to broaden exposure and allow students to teach one another.

Brian Howling introduced an entrepreneurship elective and played a video from Diana Mackenro, a junior who founded a nonprofit called Dance for Hope. Mackenro described receiving a Lucy grant, building a website, and mentoring nine student ventures that will compete in a Shark Tank‑style pitch event on April 7.

Board members asked students about motivations and course structure; students said electives use hands‑on, interdisciplinary lessons and plan succession so juniors can hand courses to younger students next year. Trustees praised the student leadership model and encouraged continued partnerships with town archives and community organizations.

The presentations highlighted classroom innovation, local partnerships and opportunities for work that is both scholarly and public‑facing.