Week of March 23, 2009

As you might be able to tell from a couple of these photos, this will be Elise's last week before she goes on maternity leave. In one shot, she is experiencing the laying on of the hands from her trusty advisees who gave her a baby shower this weekend. In the other photo, Elise is sharing important information with regard to our college process with parents of freshmen and sophomores. The positive feedback from this informative gathering suggests we should definitely do it again. Two of these photos show the basket weaving process that is being taught by Willy. As the weather gets nicer, our basket weavers enjoy sitting in the sun and working on their baskets. I also included a shot of the students in our Princeton Review class who are hard at work on Wednesday night. In the other more joyful picture, you can see happy students sharing a laugh on the deck.

FRIENDS SCHOOL OF BALTIMORE

This weekend we hosted 32 students and 4 staff members from the Friends School of Baltimore. After spending their spring break working for Habitat for Humanity in Miami, this group left for home at 4am Saturday morning. They arrived at CFS 14 hours later, ready for some pizza and a good night's sleep in our Meeting Hall. We quickly realized that our schools had much in common, which came as no surprise. Next year, when they plan a repeat trip, the Upper School may become more actively involved. We discussed the possibility of sending a group to go with them. At the very least, they will plan a longer stay at CFS so we can get to know each other better.

NCAIS STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

Next Sunday, Jon and I will take a group of 18 Upper School students to Charlotte for the North Carolina Association of Independent Schools Student Inclusivity and Leadership Conference, which will be held on Monday, March 30th. Students from Jon's African American History class will present a workshop. The rest of our students will attend workshops and have the opportunity to interact with students from across the state. MS teachers Toni Williamson and Christel Greiner and 4 MS 4th years will also join us.

JUNIOR RETREAT

After a day of "rest" on Tuesday, Bob, Dylan, Jon, and I will take off for Quaker Lake with the juniors for our annual junior retreat. Leaving after school on Tuesday, we will return at noon on Wednesday, April 1st. This retreat offers juniors the opportunity to begin to think ahead to their senior year as they share specific ideas about ways they hope to lead the Upper School when they return as seniors for the 2009-2010 school year. We have found this experience to be important for the junior class. During this retreat, we plant the seed of leadership as the realities of their approaching senior year begin to take shape. Very exciting!

ALL-SCHOOL MEETING FOR WORSHIP

On Wednesday April 1st at 10:35am, all units of the school will once again come together for an all-school Meeting for Worship. We shared a Meeting such as this in November and found it to be quite meaningful for all ages. With the Lower School sitting in the center, surrounded by Middle School students, and Upper School students encircling the group, we will light candles for the Early Schools and share 30 minutes of silence together. During this Meeting, our image of community, which often includes each individual unit, will be broadened to include the the school as a whole. Together, we will share the power of silence.

Due to my trips to Charlotte and Quaker Lake, I won't attempt a blog until after spring break. Enjoy the spring weather, and I'll see you in April!