Sunday, November 2, 2008

Week of November 3, 2008






















We have a very big week ahead in the Upper School. As you can see, I have included pictures from our Halloween celebration on Friday: A Jewish Santa Claus, Sarah Palin (who made a wonderful speech), and a set of Dominos. I was also able to get some shots of today's dress rehearsal for Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour, which will be performed on Thursday and Saturday at 7:30pm in the Meeting Hall. This is a serious play, which tackles the topics of rumors, lies, bullying, and gay/lesbian issues. Our all-female cast is hard at work with Susan, their director, preparing for this thought-provoking performance. There will also be an open dress rehearsal on Wednesday night. This play is appropriate for older Middle School and all Upper School students. We hope to see you there.
No Umbrella
In preparation for Tuesday's elections, we will show an award-winning documentary on Monday: "No Umbrella - An Election Day in Cleveland at its best, and at its worst." This 26-minute documentary offers an "unblinking look at the 2004 Election Day failures in one of Ohio's poorest neighborhoods. In the most hotly contested state in the country, gridlock at inner city polls ignites tempers and sets off charges of conspiracy. 'No Umbrella' drops us squarely into the chaos." I look forward to sharing this documentary with our students and to the discussions that will ensue.
Election Day
Tuesday night, Bryce's Campaign '08 class will host an election watch party in the Meeting Hall beginning at 7pm. We will have network coverage on our big screen. Food will be provided by Bryce's class. Senior Samantha Strom has organized this event. All students and families are welcome to attend.
Washington, DC
The busses will depart sharply at 5:30am on Friday morning. Students should aim to arrive at 5:15. They are welcome to bring pillows and blankets, and are encouraged to bring a bag breakfast...and lunch, if they so desire. According to the weather channel, the temperature should be around 60 degrees, no rain in sight. Students have completed their museum/tour forms and have been placed in morning and afternoon supervised groups. 3-5pm is free time. During free time, students must be in groups and may visit any museum on the Mall. All staff members will be available to join with groups on a random basis. The only students who have permission to leave the Mall are those who have signed up ahead of time to go with Tim O'Hara to a rally against genocide that one of our students, Sarah Nydick Cheshire, has organized. During the day, we have 3 check-in times when we will all meet to count heads. Most of our staff members will have cell phones and all students will have a map of the Mall and staff cell phone numbers. At 5:00, we will walk to Union Station for dinner. We are scheduled to depart at 7:00. As we near home, students will call parents to let you know when we will arrive. We are expecting to arrive in Durham around 11:30-12:00. Please be ready to pick up your child at that time. Last year, some staff members waited an extra 45 minutes for students to be picked up. That was painful! We are looking forward to another great experience in Washington, DC. Thanks so much for your support.
Book Fair
The annual CFS Book Fair is November 7-9 at the Regulator Book Shop on 9th Street in Durham. The Upper School reading time is from 2-3 on Saturday afternoon. Old 86, and Upper School band, and the Quaker N'Oats will perform. We hope to have some readers as well. Hope to see you there!
Yes, it's looking like a very full week ahead. We hope to see you at one of these events. Have a great week. Get out and vote. Enjoy the fall colors.

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