Week of January 12, 2009

Happy New Year! As I mentioned in my last blog, January IS a very full month. We have hit the ground running...and will continue running straight to February. I included some photos from our December talent show because it was a great success. At the bottom is Xin singing "Mathematical Pie." She won the award for most adorable talent! Then you can see some scary staff members pretending to be the Quaker N'Oats. Hopefully they won't be covering Miles and Chris who performed a number together. Above that, you will find a photo of Jamie teaching in Senior Seminar while students furiously take notes. In the next few weeks, the Senior Sem students will be working hard to prepare for their oral defenses of their final papers. They each invite 2 adult readers who will join with Jamie and Elise in presenting questions at their defense. With a sports-filled winter in mind, I included photos of the JV basketball team and the steamy swim team pretending to swim above water. Just a few highlights of recent weeks.

FOOTLOOSE AUDITIONS

This spring, we will present the musical Footloose, which will offer many opportunities to a variety of students. This week's audition schedule will give you an idea of what I mean. We will audition the following areas on the following days: Monday-Dance, Tuesday/Wednesday-Singing, Thursday-Acting. Students will have the option of dancing/singing/acting only or in any combination. We will also have alive band, which has already begun rehearsing with Drew. Students will be taking many leadership roles, such as stage managing, lighting, sound, set design and construction, and costuming. The following staff members will be actively involved: Susan, Annie, Drew, Jim Henderson, and myself. You might want to mark your calendars for April 23-25.

DAR HE

On Tuesday morning at 10am, our students will see a live production of Dar He: The Lynching of Emmett Till. This one-man play is written and performed by local actor, Mike Wiley. Playing all of the roles himself, Mike will chronicle the murder, trial and confession of the men accused of Till's lynching. Mike's play is riveting, and we are thrilled that he could fit us in to his busy schedule, especially at this time of year. Although the Center will be quite full, you are welcome to try to squeeze in if you would like to see this amazing show.

MLK JR. DAY CELEBRATION

As you know, we are in the midst of our week-long MLK Jr. Day Celebration, which will culminate in our annual all-school gathering at 10:30 next Monday morning. Community Dance and Choir rehearsals have already begun. The drumming ensemble will begin on Wednesday from 5-7 in the Middle School. The Poetry Potluck is scheduled for Thursday from 5:30-7:00. Please check the CFS Website for specific times and places. All ages are invited to participate in any of these activities.

WHAT'S COMING UP?

On January 20th, we will show the presidential inauguration ceremony on the big screen in the Meeting Hall. Some of our staff members and students are braving the crowds and will be in DC. The rest of us will watch this historic event on screen. On January 22nd, Annie will take the 7th period dancers to see choreographer Shen Wei at the Bryan Center. On Friday, January 23rd our freshman class will go with Susan, Jamie, and Jon to see a production of Hamlet at the Temple Theatre in Sanford. That night, from 9-12, we will host a rave in the Meeting Hall. (i.e. We are having a dance!) On January 29 and 31, the Improv class will perform for the public in the Meeting Hall at 7:30pm.

The month of January is also a busy month for admissions, when 4th year Middle Schoolers and students applying from outside CFS visit the Upper School. Bryce's U.S. History students have been hard at work researching their genealogy in preparation for writing their Family History papers. As I mentioned earlier, the Sr. Seminar students are preparing for oral defenses. Jon and Susan's Capstone class is headed to Newton Grove to work with Father Tony and the migrant farmworker families. Sherri's Eastern Philosophy class is working on a mandala. Bob's Geology students are in the depths of the earth's surface as they prepare for their trip west in May. Needless to say, life is not boring!