Saturday night performance cancelled

Sorry to announce that the Saturday night Improv Show is cancelled due to snow and ice. Thursday's performance was very funny and highly entertaining. We will talk about rescheduling this show when we get back to school. Enjoy the snowy weekend!

Improv Show Thurs/Sat January 28/30, 2010

Our annual Upper School Improv Show will be held tonight (Thursday) and Saturday in the Meeting Hall at 7:30pm. Given that the weather report is very sketchy (snow in the forecast) for Saturday, you may want to run out to school tonight. You don't want to miss this show!
IMPROV PLAYERS (above)

One Improv player (Crispin) on a ladder. Below, you can see senior teacher, Shane, leading an exercise. This class is taught by Shane and supervised by staff member, Guillermo, who is quick to say that he has learned a lot from the students. Guillermo is actually quite funny!

If you are planning to come to Saturday's show, we will post a cancellation notice (if necessary) on the website. Hope to see you there.

Week of January 25, 2010

A few final shots of our MLK Jr. Day celebration. There are lots more on the CFS website at http://www.cfsnc.org/. Above, you can see the elder dancers who danced Lumban, the welcome.

You really need to hear this story. Baba Chuck wanted one of our Upper School dancers to be the Emissary of Peace in the final dance. He was very clear that the identity of this dancer must be kept secret and that he needed 2 male dressers who could also keep the secret. I asked Shane and Andrew if they would be willing to be the dressers. They willingly agreed and understood that they would have to arrive early (7am) on Monday to learn how to dress the secret dancer. None of us (except for Baba Chuck) realized until Monday morning that they would also be in costume and dancing! As Baba Chuck explained the drill to them and showed them their costumes, neither Shane nor Andrew blinked an eye. They followed their instructions and did an amazing job as welcomers and presenters of the Emissary of Peace. These young men are such fine examples of students who are open to new experiences, respectful of their elders, and cheerful in the face of fear! After all, at the last minute, they performed in front of the largest crowd that has ever attended an event in the gym. Thank you, Shane, Andrew, and our Emissary of Peace! (Photo above)

Annie and I are sharing a final hug with Baba Chuck Davis and one of his amazing dancers, Toya. CFS principal, Mike Hanas, looked oh, so festive in his African garb, as did Alex Gordon who danced with the elders.

IMPROV SHOW

You are invited to attend our annual Improv Show this Thursday and Saturday, January 28 and 30 at 7:30pm in the Meeting Hall. Teachers Guillermo and Shane (of dancing fame!) have assured me that this performance is family friendly. Shane also tells me that you might want to attend both performances, as each, by design, will be unique and different. If you are in the mood to laugh and enjoy the company of an audience of happy people, come on out for our Improv Show on Thursday and Saturday!

COOKING CLASS

Frances and her class of cooks have worked hard throughout the term to learn about nutrition and to share their knowledge with the rest of us. I am only too happy to be one of the recipients. This class meets twice a week. On Tuesday, they shop and make preparations. On Thursday, they cook and then sell their delicious food at a very reasonable rate during lunch. Last week, we enjoyed a choice of 2 vegetable soups and homemade corn bread for $2. The previous week, we had vegetable chili and fresh-made soda bread.

SPECIAL THANKS

Frances's sewing class sewed the dance costumes for the elders. Each dancer brought in a sheet. Frances and her students created skirts, tops, and headdresses for each of us. Then, Amelia and her Yarn Arts students tie-dyed the costumes, making the dancers oh, so colorful. Techies Neal and Eric quietly and unassumingly gave their time to our celebration by running the sound, which included 3 microphones and an audio clip by Martin Luther King, Jr. Dylan and his service classes (along with John, Terry, and David) worked tirelessly, laying the floor in the gym and setting up the risers and 500 chairs. The boys varsity basketball team then took it all down on Monday afternoon. Thanks to all who contrubuted to our MLK Jr. Celebration!

MLK Jr. Celebration in full swing! January 14, 2010

When I walked into the drumming rehearsal last night, my breath was taken away by the numbers of drummers. They were everywhere! Drummers of all ages, from little ones to adults...all with big smiles on their faces. Under Jonathan Henderson's leadership, they were coming together and creating amazing rhythms. Earlier in the day, Ann Atwater captivated her audience of Middle and Upper School students as she spoke of her personal experiences with Civil Rights, or as she said, "Poor people's rights." Dancers have been reuniting for rehearsal and review. And we continue to make masks.

Jonathan Henderson teaches a rhythm to two of the drummers. Over 40 enthusiastic rhythm-makers were in attendance.

Mike Hanas greets Ann Atwater and welcomes her to CFS.
One of our young readers at the Poetry Potluck with her mother.

Middle School dancers run through their routine while Upper School dancers try on their masks.

TONIGHT:
Former CFS parent, Tom Magnuson, is a local historian who researches the trading paths of the Native Americans in North Carolina, dating back to the 1700's. These paths came right across Mt. Sinai road and along Rt. 10. Stories of these trading paths involve Native Americans, African Americans, and Quakers. We hope you will join us for Tom's lively talk this evening (Thursday) in the Upper School Meeting Hall at 7:00 tonight.

DON'T FORGET THE PARADE ON SATURDAY AT NOON!

Peace and Blessings,

Carrie

Unmasking Our History January 12, 2010

What a week we are having! As I told Mike after Sunday's gospel choir rehearsal, it's all about the process. On Sunday, we had over 40 singers at Mt. Sinai Baptist church--parents, students from Middle and Upper Schools, staff members, and church members. Every time we finished learning a song, we all broke into applause because the music is so beautiful...and we are having so much fun learning it together. I hope you are finding a way to be a part of this process. Just in case, here are some suggestions...

Tonight (Tuesday): Don't stay at home. Come to the Middle School for the poetry potluck. Bring a dish and a poem to share. Last year, we had a lot of macaroni and cheese, and it was great! Don't have a poem to share? We will have books on hand...or you can just listen.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), Ann Atwater will speak to Middle and Upper School students at 10:30am in the Center. You are welcome to join us!

Also tomorrow (Wednesday), the drumming ensemble will have its first rehearsal at 5:00 in the Middle School.

Three good reasons to get out of the house! Meanwhile, scroll down and take a look at some of the masks that have been created already this week. These masks were made by Early, Lower, Middle, and Upper School students. Amazing!

Week of January 11, 2010 MLK, Jr. Celebration Begins

Happy New Year and welcome back to the second half of this school year. As promised, we start of with a bang! We have begun our almost 2 full weeks of exciting and educational activities in preparation for our MLK Jr. Day Celebration next Monday, January 18th, at 10:30am. The members of the planning committee have attempted to plan something for everyone. We hope you will find time to participate. Below, you can see the indominatable Chuck Davis with Drumming Ensemble director, Jonathan Henderson, and two of his US drummers, Spencer and Joe. Jonathan, Spencer, and Joe are drumming for the Elder dancers.


Here you can see the first rehearsal of the elders. Chuck worked us hard for 3 hours!

The gospel choir began rehearsing last Thursday at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church. Above, you can see some of the 40 singers with our director and CFS grad, Nia Patterson Downing. Below, pianist Roy Alston is working with some of the younger singers. Our next rehearsal is Sunday evening, January 10, from 5-7 at Mt. Sinai Baptist Church.

Beginning Monday and lasting throughout the week, students of all ages will be making masks with Carol Blackmore. According to Carol, "Masks can be both suppressive and empowering. An emotionally protective mask can be something we impose on ourselves in order to become more like a dominant culture, in order to feel safe when there is good reason to fear. This contrasts with how masks have been physically made and used for thousands of years as vehicles of personal power and transformation. The goal of this project is a sense of the mask as representing different ways of feeling and becoming..."

POETRY POTLUCK

On Tuesday night in the Middle School, all are welcome to participate in our Poetry Potluck, from 5:30-7:00. We will begin by sharing a potluck dinner and enjoying each other's company. After dinner, those present will gather for a sharing of poetry on issues of race, segregation, civil rights, and local history. Participants are welcome to share personal poetry or that of a favorite poet. All ages are welcome. Bring a dish and a poem to share!

COMMUNITY DRUMMING ENSEMBLE

The first rehearsal of the drumming ensemble will be held Wednesday night, from 5:00-7:00 in the Middle School. You do not need to sign up ahead of time. Please bring a drum if you have one. Drums will also be provided. All ages are welcome.

ANN ATWATER VISITS UPPER SCHOOL

We are honored to welcome Ann Atwater to the Upper School this Wednesday. Ann Atwater is a civil rights activist who was the subject of a 2002 film and book entitled An Unlikely Friendship, the story of a relationship between Atwater and C.P. Ellis, a former Ku Klux Klan leader. Ann will visit Susan's Civil Rights class and then share her story with a larger group of Middle and Upper School students.

HIDDEN VOICES

Former CFS parent Kathy Williams and her colleague Linden Harris will give a presentation to Upper School and 4th year Middle School students on Friday afternoon. They will talk about the African American community in Chapel Hill on how they turned their oral history project into a performance piece about the relationship between the community and the University. They will present readings and music from their play, Hidden Voices.

There are many opportunities to get involved in our MLK, Jr. Day celebration. Please find the time to participate. A reminder that we will be collecting children's books throughout the week for Read Seed. We are also sponsoring a food drive for the NC Food Bank on Monday, January 18th, at our all-school celebration.

PEACE AND BLESSINGS,

Carrie