Stroll Flintridge Prep's campus and you might see honors physics seniors charting the trajectory of a flying potato launched by Dr. Shane Frewen, or Reid Fritz—clad in a hardhat and yellow slicker—walking into the path of a falling water balloon. Celeste McMillin’s anatomy students cradle homemade replicas of human organs while History Department chair Josh Perlman rolls a die to change history. 

From anatomy to calculus, theater to robotics, modeling—creating physical or even computational representations of complex phenomena—helps students explore possibilities. Along the way, they learn to question existing ideas, anticipate outcomes, and gain insights into how our world functions. 

Modeling in motion 

In Fritz’s physics classes, modeling is kinetic. Students push hover discs to study constant velocity models, later combining their understanding of velocity and acceleration to bullseye their teacher with a balloon.  
 
"It challenges them to experience the world as scientists—without all the answers," Fritz says. "It helps them challenge their preconceptions." 

In Jill Henry’s Mega Ramp project, pre-algebra students compete to see whose ramp will send golf balls rolling the farthest. Across three weeks, they create slope graphs, 3D-print mini ramps in the Makerspace, then build 5-foot-tall structures to test their calculations.  

“I like applied math more than just answering questions,” says Lucy Smith ’30 as she observes the competition. “That ramp just beat mine, and now I want to know why!” 
 
This tactile approach inspires bigger thinking. Brian Xu '25 used concepts from Fritz's class to create a virtual reality baseball batting simulation, which he has since patented. 
"(To) create something to help players practice as if they were on the field, I had to look at air resistance and different of pitches to create something realistic," Brian says. 

Connecting the past to the present 

Beyond math and science, modeling is applied across the curriculum, from Dr. Lauren Van Arsdall's VR language exercises to scenario-based Mock Trial. 

In Dr. Charles Kollmer's history class, students role-play historical turning points, taking on various personas in events like the French and Mexican revolutions. Sometimes they result in alternate histories.   

"Modeling is one of the most powerful epistemological tools humans have developed," Kollmer says. "Good history is about capturing a sense of surprise and detecting patterns." 
Ruth Liorsdottir '27 finds that these "games” help her see how small disruptions can create branching timelines that often mirror the present.  
 
"It shows how much one simple thing can change history,” she says.  

According to Fritz, humans are natural modelers without realizing it, whether predicting a football's path or anticipating which lines will land during improv. In the classroom, it shows students that possibilities truly are endless. 

"Modeling helps us see something new about the world,” Fritz says. “It challenges our preconceptions, and we get to do fun stuff too."