IC Day shakes up the month of May

Ajay Chakraborty ’26, Connor Morsell ’27, Ezra Walters ’27, and George Kanteliotis- 26 pose in Philly’s Masonic Temple on IC Day 2024 – Communications

Since 2017, the school has dedicated one day in May to the pursuit of further knowledge. Dubbed “Intellectual Curiosity Day,” or IC Day for short, allows students to explore topics they typically would not, both on and off campus. 

“IC Day is a day for interdisciplinary exploration, intellectual risk, and experiential learning,” IC Day coordinator and Science Department Chair Dr. Daniel Goduti said. “Our goal is for it to highlight core virtues as a community of learners.”

Prior to IC Day, students select and rank activities they would like to participate in. This year, students had sixteen course options to choose from, ranging from learning how to make pasta to visiting the historic Martin Guitar Factory. 

“There really are activities for everyone,” Dr. Goduti said.

Not all students ended up with the courses that they had initially ranked as their top picks—a byproduct of certain popular courses—which resulted in generally mixed feelings. 

“I got into [a course], but honestly, I’m not super excited about that because I put it lower down on my list at five or six,” Fourth Former Kevin Chan said. “I didn’t get into any of the other ones I wanted to get into.”

Mr. Kevin Tryon (left) leads the beekeeping group during last May’s IC Day – Communications

Other students are looking forward to IC Day. 

“It’s really great that IC day offers students a chance to explore specific interests,” Fourth Former Thomas Lentz said. “I’m personally excited to meet people that I might otherwise [wouldn’t].”

“I hope that students take advantage of the opportunity to try something out they’ve never done before.”

IC Day Coordinator Dr. Daniel Goduti

Whether students are looking forward to IC Day or not, it still stands as a once-in-a-year opportunity for learning, free from the pressure of grades and assignments.

“I hope that students take advantage of the opportunity to try something out they’ve never done before,” Dr. Goduti said. “Part of becoming an intellectually curious person is keeping an open mind and a willingness to ask good questions. IC Day is a chance to practice a behavior that will help you throughout your life.”