Talent Show 2011

The Quaker N'Oats started us off with a medley of holiday songs. You may recognize some "old" faces in the crowd as we were joined by a couple of returning alums. This year's talent show was jam-packed with talent. Madeline and Anna Lee emceed the show with humor and respect for each act. Our talent covered a wide spectrum, from singing, to juggling, to stand-up comedy, to Tai Kwan-Do, to a slide slow of "class art" doodling. Everyone enjoyed the show and left with smiles on their faces. (I know--They might have been smiling because they were heading out to a 2-week break!) But really, I think they were smiling because they loved the show and appreciated the wide variety of talent. I'm sorry that I didn't get a picture of the Women's Varsity Basketball team. I do, however, have a video. I will try to get that up on my blog.






























































Best wishes for a joyful and restful holiday vacation. I hope you are able to create some wonderful memories as a family in addition to finding some quiet time for yourself. I wish you all a happy and healthy new year.

Biology field trip with Frances

Frances and Rob took this group of young scientists to the Contemporary Science Center at the Museum of Life and Science for a day-long lab and study of genetically altered corn. As you can see, our students worked hard and had a great time. Coincidentally, Jon took another group of students to the Race exhibit to the same museum on the same day. Please notice our intrepid Frances carefully recording lab results. She is truly the queen of Biology who loves to get her students excited about science!

Week of December 12, 2011

The holiday spirit is in the air throughout the Upper School. As you can see, Willy's windows are covered with snowflakes of all shapes and sizes. I have also included a photo of some of the snowflake artists. Then you can see Jon's advisee group's gingerbread houses. Look closely to discover which is the Hanukkah house. We have holiday trees and wreaths in many rooms. Some groups are celebrating with Secret Santa fun. It is nice to feel the holiday spirit abound as we make our way toward Winter Break.


































Some final shots of dancers, techies, and a wonderful cake. Following the last concert on Friday, parents put together a wonderful party for the entire cast and crew. Congratulations to all on a magical performance.






WISHING ALL OF YOU A WARM AND WONDERFUL WINTER BREAK! HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE HOLIDAY. xoxo

Week of December 1, 2011

Great news! Jamie's surgery went well. The tumor was benign and it is all gone. Jamie may be home from the hospital this weekend. Let's all keep holding Jamie and his family in the light as he works to help his body heal. We are so very grateful!!

The dance concert is just around the corner. These pictures were taken at a rehearsal this week. Such talented dancers! There are 28 dancers, 10 techies, and 4 drummers involved in the production, which includes 8 student choreographers. The concert is at 8pm on Thursday and Friday, December 8 and 9. There is an open dress rehearsal at 7:30pm on Wednesday night. Once again, Annie Dwyer works her magic!






























Dave Worden, Ivey and Carol Blackmore made a fascinating evening presentation about their work in Nicaragua. I am hoping to get them to make this presentation again for the Upper School community. If they agree, I will let you know. This is a must-see presentation.










A certain advisee group is getting into the holiday spirit. They went into the woods and retrieved a holiday tree. Above, you can see them singing holiday songs. We certainly enjoyed a festive advisee time today!


CFS Open House is this Sunday from 2-4. The Upper School program will begin in the Meeting Hall at 2:30. If you know of someone who might be interested in learning more about CFS, please send them our way on Sunday. In the meantime, enjoy a beautiful weekend.

Jamie

Holding Jamie in the light. Surrounding him with love and light. xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving!

Best wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving vacation with your families. Our Thankful Turkey was put up by a group of friendly seniors. I was able to include a few more service pictures below...our group at the Lemur Center and shots of our students helping Early School children with art projects.

Wednesday, November 30

7:00 – 8:30 pm

Upper School Meeting Hall

A presentation and sharing by our very own Dave Worden along with Carole and Ivy Blackmore

From the Ground Up:

The Development of a Weaving Cooperative in Nicaragua

Sponsored by the CFS P.A.C.E. Grant Program

El Ocotal is a small rural village near Matagalpa, Nicaragua. While stationed there from 2007 to 2010, Ivy Blackmore helped 17 village women start a small cottage business of weaving small rag rugs and placemats. As the project developed, Carol Blackmore procured several looms and traveled to El Ocotal to train the women. What was then needed was a building to house the looms and the business. Thanks to a CFS sponsored P.A.C.E. Grant, Dave Worden was able to spend six weeks in the village in the summer of 2011 to design, supervise and help construct a much needed facility. We hope you will come to hear about Dave's amazing summer experience!

Winter Service Days 2011

According to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don't have to know Einstein's theory of relativity to serve. You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

Monday and Tuesday of this week, our US students are all involved in service. The pictures in today's blog highlight some of the students who are working on campus. Students always look forward to our service days, yet we often have to remind them that service isn't always exciting...it is often mundane while at the same time important and necessary. Here you can see Bob with a group of hard working guys who are mulching the bank that runs the length of both soccer fields. I included a group of shots to give you an idea of the scope of their job.

Below, you can also see some of our techies taking lights down in preparation for the dance concert...and a full year of using the lights in the center. One of the dance groups is working on some lifts in their dance. A group is cleaning and drying out all of the yoga mats while another group is rebuilding the deck to the Music Hut.





























































Hopefully, I will get some pictures from the off-campus groups so I can share them with you. We have groups at the Food Bank, the Lemur Center, NC Land Trustees, Tiger Rescue Center, the NC Museum of Life and Science, and Caring House.

WEDNESDAY'S SCHEDULE
As you know, we will have a noon dismissal on Wednesday. Our plans for the morning include students attending their 7th period class from 8:30-9:45. Following a short break, we will all view the documentary Freedom Riders: Could You Get on the Bus? According to the DVD cover, "Veteran filmmaker Stanley Nelson's inspirational documentary is the first feature-length film about this courageous band of civil-rights activists." We are watching this video in preparation for our Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration in January. Joan Mulholland (one of the Freedom Riders) will be with US students before the celebration and then speaking at the celebration. Joan's visit offers an amazing opportunity for our students. I want them to be well prepared and knowledgeable about this important time in our history.

More to come about service...

Fall Symposium 2011

We had a great day! So much talent! Here are some of the highlights. In the picture above, you can see Diali Cissokho & Kairaba, the triangle's hottest new African dance band. (Please notice our own Jonathan Henderson playing bass on the left.) This band is great! They will be playing at Talulla's on Franklin St on Friday at 10pm. Kairaba played as a part of our lunchtime entertainment. Please also notice a picture of the most amazing potluck lunch ever! (Thanks to all the families who contributed. We do have some containers left. You can help us remind students to take them home.)

Other highlights of the day (photos below) include Kai teaching a workshop on World Music, CFS alum Will Gordon singing a Lithuanian song, our own Kyle tapping with Ironing Board Sam, Jim Henderson playing his double saxes, Brian OliverSmith singing 2 arias, Jason Thomas playing 2 numbers on his cello, Deja Blue (a cappella group from Duke), and 50 of our students learning Hip Hop from Ronnie West. What an amazing day! The workshops were wonderful and included everything from Music & Technology to Creative Song-writing.















































































Here's one for you, Dad. xoxo



Thanks to all who contributed to this very memorable symposium day. And now we settle in to the winter term.