I define borders as the imagined limits we all feel are determined by majority beliefs. They can be beneficial when seeking comfort and harmful when restricting opportunities to speak up. I explored the duality of metaphorical borders and freedom.

Congratulations to Adelyn Sim for this fine distinction! I have had the pleasure of working with Adelyn for four years. She has exhibited excellent craftsmanship, creativity, and passion throughout those years. I remember clearly when Adelyn was starting her sustained investigation. We discussed various ways to synthesize her idea of borders and how they played a mixed role in her life. We also brainstormed about materials and processes that might help to convey this idea. There was a large cardboard box in the corner of the studio, and we both looked at it, and the creative ideas started to churn. Adelyn subsequently took her concept of the duality of how containers or restrictions can have positive and negative effects on humans. For her, containers became symbols for cultural norms, which, at times, can sometimes box people in and hamper their self-expression. She continuously returned to her original questions to help guide and sustain her investigation. Adelyn showed courage as she continued to explore different media that would enable her to dive deeply into her idea. It is easy to stay with what you know. It takes courage to try the unfamiliar. Besides her impeccable craftsmanship, Adelyn’s courage is one of the many aspects I admire in her.

The process of writing and research plays a big part in the creation of the Sustained Investigation. With each completed project, Adelyn was required to submit several paragraphs describing how her project synthesized her idea, materials, and process. She was also encouraged to write down how she continued experimenting and revising. These paragraphs gave us structure as we critiqued the in-process and finished work.

If you can, take an AP Summer Institute. I took one in 2022 and benefitted greatly. Part of the time, we were working on a Sustained Investigation—exactly what we asked our students to do. Tap into resources at your school. I am blessed to have a generous English teacher who meets with my students periodically and helps them hone and focus on their sustained investigation statements. Having another set of eyes on their statements is invaluable to the students and me. The key to any teaching is to break large goals into smaller, more manageable steps. In the spring of our third year of art, I require students to create a mini-sustained Investigation. Making process pages helps the students get accustomed to new vocabulary, inquiry methods, and research documentation. They are off and running when I meet them again in September of their fourth year.

The Hill School’s Visual Arts department is a vibrant community that consistently embraces and exemplifies the Hill Arts mission statement of “awaken[ing] the joy of creation.” The Visual Arts Education program has flourished under the direction of Ellen Nelson, who has shared her gifts of creativity and passion since 1987. I support the visual arts program in any way I can, first by meeting the financial and material needs of Mrs. Nelson and her students so they have the necessary tools, time, and space for their unique creative journeys. Equally important support comes through celebrating the arts across campus, encouraging field trips and guest artists, and providing our teachers with copious and creative professional development opportunities. Yebin “Adelyn” Sim found a home in Mrs. Nelson’s classroom when she first arrived at Hill, and her artistic vision has been nurtured ever since—exemplified by the compelling piece being honored by this incredible distinction.