Skip to content
FA News

4th Graders present solutions to Cornell at capstone event

4th Grade Signature Program
Written by

This year, Friends Academy partnered with the Cornell Lab to engage in a design-thinking challenge with our Lower School Entrepreneurship students.

LS 4th grade signature experience Final Presentation 2024-24

The challenge they offered our students is a real-world problem that Cornell scientists, software developers, and project leads are working on themselves: How to redesign their world-renowned Merlin Bird ID app to make it more "kid-friendly."

LS 4th grade signature experience Final Presentation 2024-26

LS 4th grade signature experience Final Presentation 2024-34

After many months of fieldwork, research, and prototyping, our 4th-grade class presented their research-based solutions to the Cornell Lab on the morning of Friday, May 24.

LS 4th grade signature experience Final Presentation 2024-49

Their presentations showcased a wide range of thinking from opportunities to improve literacy and learning outcomes in lower school-aged students to technological innovations with new app functions, greater accessibility, and even a new Cornell Lab drone!

LS 4th grade signature experience Final Presentation 2024-38

LS 4th grade signature experience Final Presentation 2024-28

LS 4th grade signature experience Final Presentation 2024-70Photography by Alvin Caal/Friends Academy

Download Premium

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

A girl is standing and speaking inside a classroom with several other children seated on wooden benches around her.

About the Author

Daniel Mendel, Director of Innovation

Blog
Six students at Friends Academy were recognized in the regional round of the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.
Students

Six Students Receive Honors in the 2026 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

The Friends Academy girls’ 4x400m relay team won the Division 2 New York State Championship and nearly matched its own school record in the process.
Athletics

Girls’ 4x400m Relay Team Wins New York State Championship

Despite falling in the Nassau County boys’ basketball championship game, Friends Academy still earned an at-large bid to the NYSPHSAA regional semifinals.
Athletics

Despite a Loss, All Is Not Lost for Boys’ Hoops