Explo: The Documentary
Explo:
The Documentary
Created by
Aubrey G. & Helena Y., '26
With mentorship from teachers Richard Garries & Callia Wolff
Spring 2025
In the spring of 2025, two seventh graders, Aubrey and Helena, set out to learn the craft of filmmaking as part of their Exploratory project in our Grades 5–8 program. Exploratory, “Explo” for short, invites students to pursue a personal interest over the course of a trimester, following a question or curiosity wherever it leads. For these two, that path led to documentary work. After exploring different ideas, they chose to turn their cameras toward the class itself, hoping to capture what it feels like to learn through independent study.
They filmed hours of footage, interviewed peers and teachers, and learned to shape a narrative using Adobe Premiere Pro and CapCut. Along the way, they studied documentary structure, pacing, and filming techniques, experimenting with how each decision changes the story a viewer sees. The final piece offers an honest, thoughtful look at Explo through the eyes of the students who live it. Now eighth graders, Aubrey and Helena have given us a window into the kind of deep, self-directed learning that takes root when young people are trusted to follow their questions.
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