How did Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel?

Slowly and methodically, it seems.

Sketches show that Michelangelo used calculations and various techniques to practice drawing on paper before drawing directly on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

Students in John Brooks’ Art Through the Ages enrichment class at Briarcliff Middle School used similar techniques, replacing scenes from the Old Testament with Autumn leaves and drawing on a poster board instead of on a ceiling of a church.

It’s all fun and games in Jamie Yoo’s Exploring Music Class at Briarcliff Middle School.

Students who do not participate in chorus, band or orchestra take the class, which explores music theory, history and learning about cultures from their music.

Gratitude can help people focus on what they have, instead of what they lack. Cultivating a grateful mindset can be as easy as a short daily activity of simply jotting down a few sentences in a journal.

To help students increase feelings of gratitude, Todd school counselor Gillian O’Connell applied for a grant from the Briarcliff Manor Education Foundation to gift each fourth-grade student in the school with a copy of the book “A Simple Seed: of Growth, Gratitude and Giggles,” by Katie Wood.

Moving our bodies and moving ideas is the main theme in “The Choreography of Leadership,” a workshop that Briarcliff High School students recently attended.

The students, freshmen and sophomores in Diane Guida’s Introduction to Dance class, spent the day at Gibney Dance Company in New York City.

Briarcliff Middle School seventh graders got a taste of healthcare innovation recently when they spent days designing, building and testing a foot-and-ankle brace.

Seventh graders in Design and Modeling class with Austin Perry worked in groups that allowed them to develop their creative, collaborative and engineering skills.

High school students may not always see the link between their traditional math classes and future success in life, but two courses being offered at Briarcliff High School make their usefulness clear: Personal Finance, taught by Jennifer Murphy, and Quantitative Reasoning, taught by Tracy Campanile and Marlon Anglin.