Daystar Academy

Near the end of this year, our seniors gathered with the underclassmen to share a little wisdom from the road they've traveled. Some talked about study habits. Others talked about friendships, challenges, opportunities, and the lessons they wish they had learned sooner. All of them spoke from experience.

One of the beautiful things about a small high school community is that learning doesn't just happen in classrooms. It happens in conversations. In mentorship. In stories shared between students who have walked the path before and those just beginning the journey.

As the Class of 2026 takes their next steps, we're grateful for the ways they continue to invest in the students coming behind them. One of the marks of a great community is this: those who have learned something worth knowing take the time to pass it on.

As part of their inquiry into measurement, our 2nd grade students explored the classroom with measuring tools in hand, making estimates, comparing lengths, and thinking critically about which units of measurement made the most sense for different objects and situations.

Then came a surprise challenge: measuring Ms. Reilly!

The classroom quickly filled with conversation, collaboration, and lots of mathematical thinking as students worked together to determine just how tall she was.

At Daystar, we want students to see math as a tool for understanding the world around them. Whether measuring a pencil, a classroom table, or a favorite teacher, learning becomes more meaningful when students can connect concepts to real-life experiences.

Our 4th grade students spent a day at the Art Institute of Chicago near the end of the year, practicing one of the most important skills an IB learner can develop: curiosity.

As they moved through the galleries, students closely observed works of art, asked thoughtful questions, and explored the stories, perspectives, and cultures represented in each piece. They learned that art is more than something we look at—it is a way people communicate ideas, preserve traditions, express beliefs, and make sense of the world around them.

Through careful observation and inquiry, students developed a deeper appreciation for how art reflects the values, histories, and experiences of communities across the globe.

At Daystar, we want students to be thoughtful observers of both art and life—people who notice, ask good questions, and seek to understand perspectives beyond their own.

Our 4th grade students spent a day exploring the dunes near the end of the school year. One of the gifts of creation is that it invites us to slow down and pay attention—to notice the intricate systems that sustain life, the beauty woven into the natural world, and our responsibility to care for it well.

We were blessed with a beautiful day, curious students, and countless reminders that God's world is both wonderfully complex and worthy of our attention.

This year, our youngest learners explored a big question: What does it mean to be a thoughtful neighbor and caretaker of God's creation?

As part of their IB inquiry Caring for Birds, students investigated the important role birds play in the world and how birds, people, and habitats are deeply interconnected. They explored how birds impact their environments, how people affect birds, and what responsibilities we have as caretakers of the earth.

To bring their learning to life, students headed outdoors to gather natural materials and design nests of their own. Along the way, they thought like scientists, designers, and bird-builders, considering what birds need to survive and thrive.

Each nest was unique. Each reflected creativity, problem-solving, and a growing understanding that even the smallest creatures play an important role in God's world.

At Daystar, learning begins with wonder, grows through inquiry, and helps students discover their responsibility to care for the people, places, and living things around them.

This year, our 8th grade artists took their learning outside for a lesson in plein air drawing, creating art while immersed in the landscape itself.

Armed with sketchbooks and viewfinders, students headed to Cottontail Park to frame scenes from the city around them and translate what they saw onto paper. Along the way, they encountered a few real-world artistic challenges: gusts of wind that flipped sketchbooks shut, grass and dirt instead of classroom chairs, and the not-so-simple task of drawing Chicago's Willis Tower one window at a time.

One of the things we love about using the city as our classroom is that learning becomes a little less predictable and a lot more memorable. Sometimes creativity grows best when students step outside, embrace the challenge, and learn to see the world a little more closely.

Our 6th grade students put their engineering skills to the test this year, launching bottle rockets designed, built, and refined in collaborative design teams. Students spent weeks thinking like engineers—developing prototypes, testing ideas, solving problems, and making improvements along the way. Launch Day was the culmination of that work, as teams tested their bottle rockets, launch pads, and fuel packet designs to see what would actually get off the ground.

Learning at Daystar isn't just about finding the right answer. It's about asking questions, taking risks, learning from failure, and trying again. And let's be honest—it's also about finding reasons to launch things into the sky.

The learning didn't stop the last week of school. Our 5th grade students visited Brookfield Zoo, where they spent the day observing and marveling at the incredible diversity of life God created.

One of the gifts of using the city as our classroom is the opportunity to encounter God's creativity firsthand. From towering giraffes and playful primates to colorful birds and creatures from around the world, every exhibit offered a reminder that creation is both beautiful and wonderfully complex.

The last day of school called for one final visit from our favorite falcon. It was a full-scale preschool love attack. Hugs and high-fives. One of the greatest joys of working with young children is that they don't hold back their excitement. When they love something, everyone knows it. A great ending to a year filled with wonder in the WonderZone. See you in the fall, little Falcons!