This article appeared as "EdTech Sampler" in the Winter 2026 issue of Independent School.
When generative AI tools burst onto the educational scene, faculty members at Holton-Arms School (MD) found themselves both intrigued and apprehensive. After a survey of both students and faculty found that more than half of the community was already using AI, but 90% of faculty lacked formal training, school leaders knew that professional development was essential. They formed an AI faculty committee at the beginning of the 2023–2024 school year, drawing members across grade levels to research, discuss, and ultimately craft a philosophy around AI’s role in education.
In fall 2024, Lucia Hassell-Lee and Troy Gordon, the school’s co-directors of technology integration, came up with the idea to host an “AI Tasting,” a one-hour, hands-on workshop designed to demystify AI tools for teachers. The event would feature multiple stations in a room and require participants to rotate every 10 to 15 minutes to get information about each tool.
They invited two students who had tried to begin an AI club without much success to co-lead sessions. In their first tasting in December 2024, Hassell-Lee, Gordon, and the two students walked upper school department heads through various AI tools, including Magic School and Quizizz (now Wayground), Gemini, Brisk, and more. What followed was a remarkable shift. The two students, once passive participants, became co-teachers and ambassadors, meticulously preparing presentations and even assigning tasks to their adult collaborators.
Faculty who had once hesitated to use AI began experimenting with new tools and sharing their newfound enthusiasm. The program’s success snowballed, expanding from small leadership groups to full faculty sessions and eventually to presentations at regional conferences, including the May 2025 Technology & Innovation Conference of the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools. In November, the team brought the AI tasting experience to new faculty and organized a student-led panel for a Boston school district. In December, they participated in the CloseUp Next Gen Roundtable while attending the NAIS AI Symposium.
Perhaps most striking is the cultural transformation. Teachers now collaborate in communities of practice, sharing tips and lesson plans, while students mentor their peers and lead initiatives with the now successfully established AI Innovators club.
In the future, they plan to partner with more schools. “This is the paradigm shift,” Hassell-Lee says. “It’s the moment where students realize they can make an impact that is immediate and lasting.”
Holton-Arms School’s AI Tasting at the 2025 Technology & Innovation Conference of the Association of Independent Maryland and DC Schools.
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