“The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.”
–Leonardo da Vinci

In PCD's da Vinci Nature Lab, you will be as apt to find art students observing and drawing butterflies and bugs, as you will to find science students analyzing the structure of a shell. Founded as a collaboration between PCD art teacher Michele Mennucci and science teacher Mary Frances Hanover, the Nature Lab is a dedicated classroom where art and science come together. The “da Vinci Program,” the only high school program of its kind in the country, is appropriately named for the archetypal “Renaissance man” (1452 - 1519), whose artistic brilliance was enriched by his inquiries into the fields of mathematics, music, engineering, anatomy, botany and geology.

The mission of the PCD Nature Lab and the Leonardo da Vinci Program is to instill a sense of wonder and curiosity about the natural world through observation and investigation. Teachers work together in a cross-curricular environment to help students discern the connections between art, science and design. With an emphasis on observation, interpretation and reflection, students experience the world in new and exciting ways. As art students increase their understanding of the natural world and develop their technical drawing skills, they find that the two go hand in hand. They come to appreciate the integration of the disciplines and experience how growth in one translates to increased proficiency in another. They also learn about the artists throughout history who incorporated their understanding of the sciences into their work. Science students are challenged to consider how form and function are related—how the design of a pine cone, for example, supports the need to carry and spread new seeds. Environmental science students are encouraged to connect their observations in the Nature Lab with their study of the wetlands and woods surrounding the PCD campus.

The classroom is an open, environmentally friendly space, which showcases an ever-growing variety of natural specimens. Most have been donated, like the 30+ birds’ nests, the taxidermal bobcat and pheasant, and the large collection of horseshoe crabs. There are also some live tenants in residence including fish and a guinea pig. Pine cones, shells, baleen, minerals and fossils provide additional subjects for artistic and scientific scrutiny, and the walls are adorned with artwork inspired by nature. Additional artwork illustrates universal connections: students consider da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man and Fibonacci’s mathematical sequence in revelatory ways when they come to work in this new environment.

The multi-disciplinary nature of the da Vinci Program makes the lab a unique resource. Lesson plans bring the program’s mission alive for both PCD students and visiting schools. The plans are integrated with the Promethean interactive smart boards so students can be engaged on many levels in an accessible learning space for both Middle and Upper School students.