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“启明星培养我们非常好的一点，
就是让我们去发掘真正喜欢的事情。
对真心喜欢的事，
你会愿意投入时间，
那成功的概率自然会更高。”
——任云驰（Yoyo），
启明星校友、布朗大学本科学生
就像Yoyo说的，
在启明星，孩子们的成长里，始终保留着一块“留白”：
没有标准答案，没有统一路径，只有一个问题——
你到底想做什么？
他们可以选一个主题，用自己喜欢的方式，一路探索下去。
遇到困难，老师不会替他们完成，但会在关键时刻，给出刚刚好的支持。
今年的10年级个人设计项目展览，就是这样一场“自我探索”的集中呈现：
4B班，赢了！
把中药做成“治愈系礼物”
夏常博关注的是：
中学生的那些小烦恼——
用眼过度、学习压力、睡不好......
她没有停在“问题”，
而是动手做出了解决方案：
用20种中药，调配成5款香囊，
每一款对应一种困扰。
更有意思的是，
她还做了一本卡哇伊风格的说明手册——
让同龄人愿意打开、愿意了解香囊和中药。
“做完之后，我对中药有了全新的认识。未来，也许会学医学。”
4B班，赢了！
把宇宙装进VR头显
左润霆想的是一个很简单的问题：
如果玩游戏的时候，顺便能学点天文知识，好不好？
于是——
他用C++写程序，导入3D行星模型，一点点搭建出一个“可以玩的宇宙”。
甚至还用上了AI：帮他优化场景、检查代码。
“这个项目，其实像一次提前预演。
未来申请大学，我可能会走STEM方向。”
4B班，赢了！
用纪录片重讲“古塔”
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袁思成觉得：
古塔很有意思，但现在的讲法，太无聊了。
于是，他做了一件很“简单但有些挑战”的事——
拍一部12分钟的纪录片，让古塔变得“好看、好懂、有意思”。
纪录片里，他不只讲历史，还把“过去”和“现在”连在一起。
拍摄的过程，也变成了一次城市探索：
“去通州拍燃灯塔的时候，我顺便在大运河边走了很久。”
4B班，赢了！
用立方体表达哲学
杜立行把设计课和柏拉图的思想结合在一起。
他做了一个规整的立方体：
用车床打磨，每一面都精确对称。
这，体现了柏拉图说的秩序。
他又在每一面嵌入不同颜色的“眼睛”：
不同的人，看世界的角度不同；但本质上，大家属于同一个整体。
“做完这个项目，我最大的收获，其实是时间管理和工具使用能力。”
4B班，赢了！
把“看鸟”画成一本书
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李利莎把两件喜欢的事放在一起：观鸟 + 绘画。
她画的每一只鸟，
都是自己真正见过的。
这个项目，甚至带来了一点时间压力：
“秋天一过，有些鸟在北京就看不到了。所以我必须按计划推进。”
这些项目之间，
彼此毫无联系，
但它们有一个共同点：
就是都是学生真的喜欢。
而“留白”的意义，恰恰就在这里：
不是让孩子“少做”，而是让他们——
做属于自己的事情。
当兴趣出现，投入就会自然发生；
当投入发生，成长，也就自然而然。
在过去的几个月里，你们以研究者、创造者和创新者的身份投入其中。正是因为你们选择了那些真正对自己有意义的主题，才把“作业”变成了“人生之事”。无论你是完成了一部纪录片、写了一本书、打磨了一项技艺，还是掌握了一项新技能，你们都已经证明：自己拥有影响周围世界的主动性与能力。
请永远不要失去这份好奇心。这个世界需要不断追问“为什么？”和“如何做到？”的人——而你们已经证明，自己正是这样的人。”
——Luke Jones，中学英文老师
兼个人设计项目协调员
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“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，赢了！
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:
Using 20 types of traditional Chinese herbs,she created five 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，赢了！
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，赢了！
Pagodas Reimagined
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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，赢了！
Plato Wood Carving
Leo Du combined 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，赢了！
Birdwatching Journal
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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?
