In continued alignment with its Strategic Plan and commitment to innovative, hands-on learning, The Derryfield School is proud to announce two exciting new Upper School STEAM electives launching in the 2026–27 academic year:
- Applied Computer Science: Escape Rooms (S)
- Applied Computer Science: Animatronics (F)
Both courses are open to students in grades 9–12, are cross-listed with the Mathematics and Science Departments, and fulfill Derryfield’s Design graduation requirement. Together, they represent a bold expansion of applied engineering and creative technology offerings—bringing imagination, circuitry, and code to life.
Applied Computer Science: Escape Rooms (Spring)
What if students didn’t just solve puzzles—but engineered them?
In Applied Computer Science: Escape Rooms, students learn how to design and build the interactive systems behind immersive escape room experiences. The course introduces students to embedded systems through hands-on exploration of buzzers, lights, relays, switches, and sensors. As their skills grow, they program microcontrollers to automate these components and bring increasingly complex challenges to life.
Projects may include:
- A rotating ambigram puzzle
- A cryptographic mastermind-style game
- A multi-layered safe-cracking challenge
- Programmable locking mechanisms and responsive props
Beyond circuitry and code, students explore user experience and storytelling. How do you design tension? How do you ensure a puzzle is challenging but fair? How do you prototype, test, and refine?
This course embodies Derryfield’s commitment to real-world, project-based learning—requiring critical thinking, collaboration, iteration, and creativity. No prior electronics or programming experience is required.
Applied Computer Science: Animatronics (Fall)
If Escape Rooms unlock systems, Animatronics brings them to life.
Applied Computer Science: Animatronics introduces students to the art and science of creating life-like puppets and moving machines. Blending engineering, design, and performance, the course explores how motors, actuators, sensors, and Arduino microcontrollers can transform static creations into dynamic, responsive figures.
Students begin by building small interactive puppets, learning how to:
- Use motors and actuators to create controlled movement
- Integrate sensors to respond to touch, light, or motion
- Program Arduino microcontrollers to automate behavior
As the term progresses, students advance to more complex builds—designing machines that walk, gesture, and mimic human or animal behaviors.
The course sits at the intersection of engineering and artistry. Students must think structurally and mechanically while also considering realism, expression, and audience experience. The result is a learning environment where design thinking meets imagination.
Like Escape Rooms, no prior building, electronics, or programming experience is required—making the course accessible to both curious beginners and experienced makers.
Advancing Derryfield’s Vision for Innovation
These courses reflect Derryfield’s commitment to:
- Digital Tools and AI Integration
- Interdisciplinary, hands-on learning
- Preparing students to approach complex problems with confidence
- Cultivating creativity alongside technical fluency
They also reinforce the habits outlined in the Portrait of a Derryfield Graduate—problem solving, collaboration, creativity, communication, and self-advocacy.
At Derryfield, STEAM is not theoretical. Students design, build, test, revise, and present work that blends mathematics, science, engineering, and art in meaningful ways. Whether programming a cryptographic puzzle or animating a mechanical creature, students are challenged to turn ideas into tangible, functioning systems.
In 2026–27, Derryfield students won’t just study technology—they’ll invent with it.
