Natural cycles make the world go ‘round

WEST MILFORD — A “cycle” is defined as a complete round or series of occurrences that is repeated. That may not sound very important until you realize that the water cycle, day and night cycle, sleep cycle, and oxygen cycle all determine how we live our lives.

Those are just a few examples of how cycles affect us, but there are numerous other, more subtle ways in which plants, animals and people rely on patterns of behavior that repeat themselves.

West Milford students in the Learning Unlimited program explored some of those ways on a recent project night at Marshall Hill Elementary School.

Parents, siblings and anyone else who wanted to attend the event were able to witness a variety of impressive presentations, given by a class of students that were exceptionally knowledgeable on the subject.

It was interesting to see how different the role of cycles can be. Jeremiah Sanchez chose the “Lifestyle of the Octopus” as his subject, explaining the life-process beginning with the hatching of an egg, while Dylan Bednarski showed how cycles relate to business, in his project titled the “Video Game Creation Cycle.”

Julie Cheshire, director of Learning Unlimited, explained that the course gave students the opportunity to learn about various cycles and how they relate through experimentation, inquires, stories, and art activities.

“We also discussed how we might be able to apply our knowledge of the Earth’s cycles to one day create a sustainable habitat on the moon,” said Cheshire.

While the fifth graders’ projects focused on the subject of cycles, sixth graders were given the opportunity to do a project of their choice, to celebrate their last year of eligibility for Learning Unlimited.

Brandon Licursi shared his extensive knowledge of the Duke University Blue Devils basketball team, using graphs and charts to help illuminate the program’s history of success. Sophia Meany’s project, “Modern Architecture,” was another example of a student following her passion.

Learning Unlimited provides additional enrichment to students requiring a greater challenge. Classes are offered as a supplement to a student’s regular studies, and promote an environment that encourages concepts such as teamwork, creative thinking and analysis.