Physics on Ice: Student Voice and Community Support Bring Learning to Life

Andrew Miller
14 minutes ago
2 min read

On Thursday, April 9, Westwood High School Physics students traveled to the Skating Club of Boston for a field trip that brought physics concepts to life in a powerful and memorable way. What made this experience especially meaningful was that the trip itself grew out of student voice. As students explored physics concepts in class, they recognized that ice skating would offer a unique and authentic way to see those ideas in action. Their curiosity and initiative helped turn that idea into reality.

The day began by giving students time to get comfortable on the ice. The group included a wide range of experience levels, from members of Westwood’s boys and girls hockey teams to students who were stepping onto skates for one of the first times. The mix highlighted a positive and supportive environment as students helped one another, learned from one another, and shared in the experience together.

The Skating Club of Boston went above and beyond in making the trip extraordinary. In addition to hosting our students, SKB brought in skaters from the national team pathway, ranging from middle through high school, to demonstrate advanced figure skating skills. Students also had the chance to watch accomplished pairs skaters Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov perform lifts, throws, and turns up close on the ice. Seeing that level of skill and precision in person was spectacular. Even 2026 U.S. National bronze medalist Maxim Naumov happened to be at the facility, and a few students recognized him and were able to say hello.

A big part of what made the experience so meaningful was the connection between the skating expertise and the physics concepts students were learning. Coaches and staff from the Skating Club of Boston helped students understand the language and techniques of figure skating, while physics teachers connected those demonstrations to concepts such as conservation of angular momentum, centripetal force, and angular velocity. That intersection of athletics and science deepened student understanding in a way that would be hard to replicate in a classroom alone.

After observing the demonstrations, students had the opportunity to explore the physics for themselves. They rotated through six stations on the ice that focused on concepts including moment of inertia, friction, vectors, and Newton’s laws, angular momentum, and velocity. Students even had a chance to explore other ice sports, such as curling, as they connected class concepts to real movement and real experiences.

Overall, the trip was a joyful and meaningful example of student initiative, community partnership, and learning in action. A huge thank you to the Skating Club of Boston for their generosity and hospitality, to Brooke Osborne Brown and the Westwood parent community for helping organize the trip, and to our students, whose ideas and enthusiasm helped get it off the ground. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate student voice and bring physics to life right here in our own community.