Friday, March 23, 2012

March--Pollen is everywhere!

A walk around campus with my camera--so beautiful and captivating! The only thing that chased me back inside was the pollen. Everything is covered in yellow.















Elley Schopler and Willy are teaching their Life Skills class. This week, students learned how to sew on a button, tie and tie, and iron a shirt. Very important skills! They also wrote thank you notes to Sharon and Judith who taught them self-defense earlier this week. Josh and Will are deep in concentration as they sew their buttons.




































Alum and big brother Joseph returned to CFS to join sister Leah and fellow musician Kai in Jonathan's Jazz Improv class. They sounded great!

CONGRATS TO DAVI!
Davi Nydick-Cheshire was accepted to the Youth Leadership Program in Central Europe. This program "focuses on a combination of grassroots leadership development skills and cross-cultural opportunities for sharing and learning." During this summer experience, she will travel for two weeks with a focused stay in Belgrade and Budapest, meet with US NGO's and community centers, and have multiple opportunities to interact with youth of the area. Congratulations, Davi!

THE YOUNG ATHLETE: NUTRITION AND HYDRATION
Our Athletic Liaison Committee presents Joshua Jacob Alexander, MD, Director of Pediatric Rehabilitative Medicine and UNC School of Medicine, on Sunday afternoon, March 25th, from 4:00-5:30 in the US Meeting Hall. What should an athlete eat? Why is water so important to consume? Is Gatorade better than plain water? Can I play sports if I don't eat lunch? Bring your questions and come to this informative afternoon.

SPRING BREAK ON THE HORIZON
One quick week and spring break will be upon us. Will we make it? Are we counting the days...hours...minutes?! We are looking forward to welcoming grandparents this Friday morning for CFS Grandparents Day. Our visiting grandparents attend classes with their grandchildren. At noon on Friday, we will all head out for a well-deserved (and needed!) rest. Safe travels to those of you who are heading to the beach and beyond. See you in April!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Mid-March Magic

Last week, I shared some pictures that a student had taken on my camera. These top two pix are also from that group of photos. Springtime at CFS is truly a beautiful event. Something new pops out each day!













Elise wanted to get her American Literature classes up and moving this week. They are reading The Scarlet Letter. Here are some of the group assignments...along with photos to illustrate...

In the manner of Dr. Seuss (or any rhyming poet… Frost?), tell the conversation that Hester and Dimmesdale have in the forest to plan their escape.

Act out the four interactions that Dimmesdale has at the beginning of Chapter 20 (XX) [before he goes home]… what if he said all of the things he thought? What would he say?

In a series of physical poses (statues), show the progression in character for (1) Hester, (2) Pearl, (3) Dimmesdale, and (4) Chillingworth through the novel to the point where we are now (Chapter XX) as a simultaneously posted set of pictures.

This was a fun activity!















S.A.L.T. & P.E.P.A.
(Students Advocating for Love and Tolerance: Protecting Equality and Protesting the Amendment) Sunday afternoon from 1-4 in the US Meeting Hall, Randall's Dinner Party Civics class will host a conference on Amendment One for students, teachers, parents, and friends. Information will be shared about the amendment, high school activism, and how to create a vision for activism in the Triangle. Following a variety of speakers, break-out sessions will be offered. We are excited about this afternoon conference, which is open to other high school students in the area. All are welcome to attend.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Highlights from last week and looking ahead to beautiful spring weather...

A student borrowed my camera this week to use in her digital photography class. She had an outside assignment to complete. These top 2 pictures are photos that she took on campus. I thought they were great...so I borrowed them for my blog. Below her 2 pictures are shots of some of the 25 people (parents, students, staff and board members) who showed up Saturday morning to work on the damaged soccer field. Thanks to all who worked to hard to fill the ruts! According to Alex, the girls should be able to play on this field in the next few weeks. We are very grateful for that.























The Cabaret featured a variety of musical and theatrical presentations. We had a lively and appreciative audience. I have included pictures of most, if not all, of the acts. Thanks to all the staff and students who participated. We sold lots of yummy baked goods and beautiful rugs made by women in a tiny Nicaraguan village. Special appreciation to senior Crispin Whittier who did such a great job emceeing. You can see him with his skinny friend below. The money raised will go to service projects in Nicaragua, Trinidad, and the Galapagos Islands. Gracias!












































































































FRESHMAN/SOPHOMORE COLLEGE NIGHT
College Counselor Elise London will host an informational evening about our college process for freshman and sophomore parents on Thursday at 7pm in the Meeting Hall. She has invited seniors who can talk about the college process from their own firsthand experience. Even though the focus for this evening is freshman and sophomore parents, all are welcome to attend.

SENIOR FORUM TO NEW YORK CITY
Philip Gary's Senior Forum class will head to New York City later this week. In NYC, they will tour Wall Street and the Financial District, including organizers of the "Occupy Wall Street" movement.This class focuses on entrepreneurship and will visit a number of financial institutions and small businesses. They will also make time to meet with CFS alumni and enjoy an evening at the theatre. Safe travels!

BEAUTIFUL WEATHER IS HEADING OUR WAY. ENJOY!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Week of March 6, 2012

The CFS Blood Drive was a huge success! Will and Andrew set a goal of 50 donations. 65 people showed up and 51 were able to donate blood. Congratulations to Andrew and Will (seen below) on their excellent organization and perseverance in seeing this job through to the very end. Below, you can also see Emily R. defending her Senior Seminar paper before a classroom full of readers and observers. Emily's defense was her final academic act before leaving for France, where she will spend her last term as a senior. Welcome back Jamie who teaches Senior Seminar with Elise.




























We celebrated Nick Lent (state champion swimmer in the 50-yard freestyle) and the girls varsity basketball team (runners up in the state final game). Congratulations to all of our fine athletes!

CABARET (CFS GOT TALENT!): This Saturday at 7:30pm in the Center. Our Dancing with the Stars judges will return to "judge" the acts in the Cabaret. We are limiting the number of talented acts so that the evening will not last too long. Our emcees promise to be very funny. Yummy baked goods will be on sale. The Cabaret is an annual fundraiser for our End-of-Year Program. Please join us for this family-friendly event. We promise to make you laugh!