"Habits of Mind" is a collection of 75 embellished mask and hand sculptures and personal reflection essays by students in the IGNITE gifted program at Denali Montessori School. The show, which opened Friday, May 4, will be on display at the Alaska Humanities Forum offices during regular business hours through May 28.
Below are four examples of the sculptures and writings in "Habits of Mind."
For more information on the exhibition and the Habits of Mind concept click here.
Margeaux, Grade 6
Habits of Mind: Thinking Flexibly, Creating, Imagining, Innovating, Questioning & Problem Posing
I am a thought swirling around inside a head/I wonder what I will be/I hear the question that I am to answer/I see a light bulb beginning to appear/I want to pop out with a big BANG/I am a thought swirling around inside a head
I understand like a musical note/I shout each note as loud as I can/I dream to bring joy with each new idea/I try to make something never heard before/I hope to make old new and new old/I am a musical note
I pretend to know the answer like the wise old man/I feel curious about the new world/I hold each new idea with understanding and grace/I think like a trickster so watch out/I cry out for the answer/I am like the wise old man
I reach for the stars like a rocket/I desire to break through the atmosphere/I work to appreciate the simple beauty in stars/I search for the big surprise wating for me/I am Margeaux
Zoe, Grade 5

Habits of Mind: Creating, Imagining & Innovating, Listening With Empathy and Understanding, Thinking Flexibly
I am as flexible in my thinking as a bending straw/I wonder about things I never saw/I hear beautiful music when my dad sings/I see pretty big mountains that flow with streams/I want to know more about Earth as it is/I am as flexible in my thinking as a bending straw
I understand people because I listen with empathy and understanding/I say things that are kind, funny and nice/I dream of getting a dog someday/I try real hard to work everyday/I hope that I can see a shooting star when we camp this summer/I am a listener with smiles and laughs
I reach for my creative mind when writing/I wish for a big thick book/I work hard to get what I need/I search for someone who appreciates me for who I am/I explore my mind for what I want when something is needed
I pretend I can manage my impulsivity/I feel mad when I mess up/I touch my forehead when upset/I worry about silly little things/I cry when I get impatient/I am emotional/Zoe
Jacob, Grade 3
Habits of Mind: Creating, Imagining & Innovating, Metacognition, Listening With Empathy & Understanding
I am a creator - I think as I create/I wonder what to create/I hear nothing but the scratching of my pencil/I see my ideas on my paper/I want to create, create, create/I am a creator
I understand how to think within my head/I say nothing when thinking/I dream silence/I try to share my ideas with the world/I hope I can/I am an inside thinker
I try to block out other people's feelings/I feel what they feel/I touch their feelings/I worry about what they feel/I cry as they cry/I don't have to be a telepath
I reach out to be accurate/I desire to be correct/I work to be accurate/I search for an answer/I explore all the different ones/I am Jacob
writing on forehead reads: "it's all up here"
Jada, Grade 4
Habits of Mind: Finding Humor, Creating, Imagining & Innovating, Managing Impulsivity
I am as funny as a clown trying to juggle/I wonder what people think of me/I hear lots of people laughing at me/I see lots of people walking around/I want more people to stop and watch me/I am as funny as a dog trying to hot glue
I understand why people smile when they see my artwork/I say, "I know what's funny!"/I dream that people will buy my artwork/I try to get people to buy and like my work/I hope that the next day things will change and people will buy my work/I am thinking flexibly
I pretend that I am in a balloon flying across a field of flowers/I see all the amazing flowers, and animals/I touch all the flowers when I land/I worry that I will not get to smell the flowers/I cry that people will laugh at me/I am gathering data through all my senses
I reach for more time to work/I desire to get better at not getting distracted/I work at not destroying things/I search for a cure to help me/I explore the world for a potion that will cure me/I am Jada