On Tuesday, Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School sixth grader Volkert Kleeman woke up long before dawn to look for worms in his family’s compost pile. By early afternoon, he had donned many layers and a pair of boots, and he and his dad were setting out, rods in hand, for some winter fishing at Fulling Mill Brook in Chilmark.

“I like fishing in the summer and in the fall during the derby,” Volkert said as he followed a tree-lined path. “I thought, why not try winter fishing, since it’s so different.”

Upon reaching the creek, he pulled off a glove with his teeth and put a worm on his hook. It was a school day, but Volkert wouldn’t be marked absent. For two weeks in December and in June, the charter school transforms into a laboratory for student exploration called project period. Whether they are winter fishing, producing hip hop music, sewing or rock-climbing, students are encouraged to try something new and to learn as much as they can from it… read more