個人設計項目展：留白的力量，真的好大！

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“啟明星培養我們非常好的一點，

就是讓我們去發掘真正喜歡的事情。

對真心喜歡的事，

你會愿意投入時間，

那成功的概率自然會更高。”

——任云馳（Yoyo），

啟明星校友、布朗大學本科學生

就像Yoyo說的，

在啟明星，孩子們的成長里，始終保留著一塊“留白”：

沒有標準答案，
沒有統一路徑，
只有一個問題——

你到底想做什么？

他們可以選一個主題，
用自己喜歡的方式，一路探索下去。

遇到困難，老師不會替他們完成，
但會在關鍵時刻，給出剛剛好的支持。

今年的10年級個人設計項目展覽，
就是這樣一場“自我探索”的集中呈現：

4B班，贏了！

把中藥做成“治愈系禮物”

夏常博關注的是：

中學生的那些小煩惱——

用眼過度、學習壓力、睡不好......

她沒有停在“問題”，

而是動手做出了解決方案：

用20種中藥，
調配成5款香囊，

每一款對應一種困擾。

更有意思的是，

她還做了一本卡哇伊風格的說明手冊——

讓同齡人愿意打開、愿意了解香囊和中藥。

“做完之后，我對中藥有了全新的認識。未來，也許會學醫學。”

4B班，贏了！

把宇宙裝進VR頭顯

左潤霆想的是一個很簡單的問題：

如果玩游戲的時候，順便能學點天文知識，好不好？

于是——

他用C++寫程序，
導入3D行星模型，
一點點搭建出一個“可以玩的宇宙”。

甚至還用上了AI：
幫他優化場景、檢查代碼。

“這個項目，其實像一次提前預演。

未來申請大學，我可能會走STEM方向。”

4B班，贏了！

用紀錄片重講“古塔”

袁思成覺得：

古塔很有意思，
但現在的講法，太無聊了。

于是，他做了一件很“簡單但有些挑戰”的事——

拍一部12分鐘的紀錄片，
讓古塔變得“好看、好懂、有意思”。

紀錄片里，他不只講歷史，
還把“過去”和“現在”連在一起。

拍攝的過程，
也變成了一次城市探索：

“去通州拍燃燈塔的時候，
我順便在大運河邊走了很久。”

4B班，贏了！

用立方體表達哲學

杜立行把設計課和柏拉圖的思想結合在一起。

他做了一個規整的立方體：

用車床打磨，
每一面都精確對稱。

這，體現了柏拉圖說的秩序。

他又在每一面嵌入不同顏色的“眼睛”：

不同的人，看世界的角度不同；
但本質上，大家屬于同一個整體。

“做完這個項目，我最大的收獲，
其實是時間管理和工具使用能力。”

4B班，贏了！

把“看鳥”畫成一本書

李利莎把兩件喜歡的事放在一起：觀鳥 + 繪畫。

她畫的每一只鳥，

都是自己真正見過的。

這個項目，甚至帶來了一點時間壓力：

“秋天一過，有些鳥在北京就看不到了。
所以我必須按計劃推進。”

這些項目之間，

彼此毫無聯系，

但它們有一個共同點：

就是都是學生真的喜歡。

而“留白”的意義，
恰恰就在這里：

不是讓孩子“少做”，
而是讓他們——

做屬于自己的事情。

當興趣出現，
投入就會自然發生；

當投入發生，
成長，也就自然而然。

在過去的幾個月里，你們以研究者、創造者和創新者的身份投入其中。正是因為你們選擇了那些真正對自己有意義的主題，才把“作業”變成了“人生之事”。無論你是完成了一部紀錄片、寫了一本書、打磨了一項技藝，還是掌握了一項新技能，你們都已經證明：自己擁有影響周圍世界的主動性與能力。

請永遠不要失去這份好奇心。這個世界需要不斷追問“為什么？”和“如何做到？”的人——而你們已經證明，自己正是這樣的人。”

——Luke Jones，中學英文老師

兼個人設計項目協調員

Talk · Passion | 任云馳：我在美國看到的文科生就業

Talk · Passion | 什么專業，這么上頭？

Talk · Passion | 準留美必看：美國大一新生的7x24小時

律師篇 | 做律師，門檻有多高？

“One thing Daystar does exceptionally well is encouraging us to discover what we truly love.

When it’s something you genuinely care about, you’re willing to invest the time—

and naturally, your chances of success become much higher.”

— Yoyo Ren, Daystar alumna, Brown University

Just as Yoyo shared,

at Daystar,

there is always space intentionally left open for each student’s growth:

No single right answer;

no fixed path.

Just one essential question:

What do you truly want to explore?

Students choose a topic,

and pursue it in their own way,

following their curiosity as far as it takes them.

And when challenges arise,

teachers don’t step in to do the work for them—

but instead offer just the right support at the right moment.

This year’s tenth grade Personal Project Exhibition was a powerful reflection of that journey of self-discovery:

4B班，贏了！

Chinese Herbal Sachets

Katy Xia focused on the struggles of secondary school students—

eye strain, stress, and sleep issues.

She didn’t stop at identifying the problems. She created solutions:

Using20 types of traditional Chinese herbs,she createdfive different sachets,each designed to address a specific concern.

Even more thoughtfully,

she created a cute, illustrated instruction booklet— designed to make it approachable and engaging for her peers.

“Through this project, I see Chinese medicine in a completely new way.

In the future, I might consider pursuing medicine.”

4B班，贏了！

Space VR Game

Polo Zuo asked a simple question:What if learning astronomy could be as engaging as playing a game?

So he built it.

Using C++,

importing 3D planetary models,

he constructed a fully interactive, “playable universe.”

He also integrated AI—

to optimize scene design and debug code.

“This project felt like a preview of my future.I may pursue engineering or another STEM-related field.”

4B班，贏了！

Pagodas Reimagined

Carson Yuan believed that

ancient pagodas are fascinating—

but often presented in dull ways.

So he took on a deceptively simple challenge:

to create a 12-minute documentary

that makes them engaging, accessible, and meaningful.

He connected past and present— and turned filming into a journey of urban exploration.

“While filming the Ran Deng Pagoda in Tongzhou, I spent a lot of time walking along the Grand Canal nearby.”

4B班，贏了！

Plato Wood Carving

Leo Ducombined design with Plato’s philosophy.

He crafted a precisely engineered cube—

machine-polished, perfectly symmetrical. This represents order.

But embedded in each face,

he included differently colored “eyes”:

Each eye reflects a unique perspective;

each person sees the world differently;

yet all are part of the same whole.

“My biggest takeaway wasn’t just the final piece— It was learning effective time management and design skills.”

4B班，贏了！

Birdwatching Journal

Lisa Li combined two passions:

birdwatching and drawing.

Every bird she illustrated

was one she had personally observed.

The project even introduced a sense of urgency: “Once autumn passes, some birds disappear— so I had to stay on schedule.”

These projects don’t follow a single pattern,

and they share one essential thing:

They are all driven by genuine passion.

And that is precisely the purpose of “leaving space”:

Not to have students do less,

but to empower them to do

what is truly their own.

When interest emerges,

effort follows naturally;

and when effort is sustained,

growth becomes inevitable.

“You have spent the last several months as researchers, creators, and innovators. By choosing topics that genuinely mattered to you, you turned 'schoolwork' into 'life work.'

Whether you created a documentary, wrote a book, perfected a craft, or learned a new skill, you proved that you have the agency to impact the world around you.

Never lose that spark of curiosity. The world needs people who ask 'Why?' and 'How?'—and you have proven that you are exactly that kind of person."

——Luke Jones，

Secondary School English Teacher & Personal Project Coordinator

Selectives

Talk ? Passion | Yoyo Ren: Your Major Matters Less Than You Think

Talk · Passion | Wen Zhuang: A “Science Enthusiast” Who Loves Life

Talk · Passion | While Others Are Still Adjusting, He Has Already Earned Dual Recognition from His University

Talk·Career | How Hard Is It To Become A Lawyer?