GIRLS WIN ROUND 1

The girls varsity basketball team was hot last night! They beat Cape Fear Academy, 52-35. The crowd was equally hot--probably the biggest crowd that we have had in the gym for an athletic activity. The semi-final game will be Thursday night in High Point at 7pm. Alex Gordon, our Athletic Director, is organizing fan busses to go to the game. In order to reserve a seat on a fan bus, please contact Alex at agordon@cfsnc.org. The seats will be first come, first served. We hope to get a big crowd at the next game...and then hopefully on to the finals!!

GO QUAKERS!!!

BIG WEEK in the Upper School 2.22.10

Are you in the mood for pictures? I have just a few. Wow! What a week. For the first time in the history of the school, our girls basketball team won their conference championship! On Saturday night, they beat Calvary Baptist, 41-39. Jamilah and Esther have been chosen for the all-conference team. Zoe was selected all-conference Player of the Year. Patience was chosen as coach of the year. Wow!! Congratulations to all these fine athletes. Tomorrow (Tuesday), the state tournament begins with a first round home game at 5:30. We hope to get the biggest crowd ever to cheer these girls to victory.
Our Spring Symposium was a big success. So many wonderful workshops. Here you can see a little of our Trash Fashion Show. Fashion designers Tyler, Jazmun, and Afreya really demonstrated their creativity with some wild and wonderful new styles.

The students in the incubator session got so engaged in presenting their ideas that this group didn't make it to the fashion show. They worked together until the final minute of school. How exciting to see kids so involved in sharing ideas, building on those ideas, and then listening to the ideas and plans of others.

We began the morning with our panel discussion. I so appreciate the willingness of our panelists to take the time to share their knowledge of Social and Sustainable Entrepreneurship with our students. Not surprisingly, Connor, the 16-year-old who started his own business when he was 8, was a big hit. Below, you can see Dan Kimberg from Student U, another engaging speaker.

Here, you can see Shane sharing a thought with Jamie during his oral defense. Below, a group of students formed an impromptu drumming session on the patio in the spring-like weather that finally arrived last Thursday.

Some art work to share. Here are a couple of projects from Homosexuality and Religion. Hannah, Hannah, and Celeste made the two women with guns pointing at them. The outline of the guns is made from quotes against homosexuals. Below, you can see Rosie's beautiful rainbow cross.

Amelia's Clay and Sculpture students created some interesting pieces. Kelsey is hiding behind hers.

Miles and Crispin share their projects.

Theresa completed her sculpture before heading back to Germany.

With Spring Symposium behind us, End-of-Term reports are due at 8:30am tomorrow morning. Advisors will share these reports with their advisees as they prepare for student-led conferences on Thursday and Friday. On Monday, March 1st, we will begin the spring term. This is where we start to pick up speed...as we move through the spring term and head for the End-of-Year program. I'm hoping that we can slow things down and enjoy each day.

Last week of winter term 2.15.10

I had fun coming out to school on Saturday morning to capture the snow before it melted. The entire campus looked like a winter wonderland. Here, you can see the big steps with our "Hello Friends" sign on the old log cabin building. Below, you can see the view from my office window and the beautiful cafe patio, which was built by our senior service class.

Members of the Head Teacher Committee bring a Valentine's Day surprise to the 6th period classes on Friday. Can you see Jamie in the above picture attempting to teach his Modern European History class? I'm pretty sure he has a smile on his face.

Director Shane Burbage is shooting a scene for our Hitchcock class with assistant Will and actors Jeron and Maddee. The film is nearing completion. Shane assures me that we will be able to include it on this blog. More to come about that...

Jonathan McGovern's Weight Training class is hard at work. Here's Maddee again, working on her abs! Below, Kelsey is timing Neal and Joe as they hold this painful (?) position.

I was able to visit Annie's Modern Dance class this week as the dancers shared their final choreography with the class. They each chose a specific piece of music, developed an intention, and choreographed a solo dance. This week, they will trade music to see how their choreographic choices look when paired with different types of music.

Sydney, Jessica, and Kyle

Ella and Dan Annie and Samantha

EXPERIENCIAL ANATOMY FOR DANCERS & ATHLETES

Annie will offer this new 7th period class during the spring term. In this dance class, students will learn about the body with the goal of being able to sense basic information about the body and its parts. Think bones, skin, eyes, and breath. Understanding the body deepens our capacity to be present on stage, on the field or court, and in day to day life. A final project will enable students to share their anatomical knowledge in a creative performance. There is still room for students to join this exciting new opportunity.

BAGEL TUESDAYS

Yes, it's that time, once again. Order forms have been mailed home. They are also available on Willy's counter. The cost is $30 for bagels and hot drinks, $20 for bagels only, and $10 for hot drinks. Checks should be written to CFS. Bagel Tuesdays continue to be a favorite of our students. A bagel and a hot drink seems to put everyone in a very good mood!

ORAL DEFENSE PANELS

Senior Seminar was designed to create a challenging, advanced-level social studies elective for motivated seniors. This year's theme is freedom and responsibility. There is a special emphasis on the works of Plato, Kant, Hegel, Marx, and Nietzche. The class culminates in an Oral Defense where students submit a final paper to a panel of four adults and spend one hour defending their work. We are presently in the midst of Oral Defense panels. These seniors are defending their ideas with thoughtful, substantive arguments that demonstrate a deep understanding of a wide variety of philosophical ideas. Quite impressive!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK. IS SPRING AROUND THE CORNER?

Games Cancelled

Tonight's games have been cancelled due to terrible weather conditions, but the basketball players looked so great today! The were all dolled up and ready. I just thought you had to see them. Sadly, half of the boys team didn't make it for these pictures. Please mark your calendars for Wednesday afternoon and evening, when we hope Senior Night will actually happen. Until then, just enjoy the beauty of these talented young athletes.

GO QUAKERS!!

SENIOR NIGHT THIS FRIDAY

This Friday evening, we will celebrate Senior Night for our basketball players. The boys JV team will play at 4:00, girls varsity at 5:30, and boys varsity at 7:00. We hope to get a big crowd at the gym to cheer our wonderful players.
Congratulations to our Senior girls: Esther and Chloe!

Congratulations to our Senior boys: Jeron, Aydin, Eric, Tony, and Andrew!
Our girl's team is currently ranked #3 in the state. I have been told that this is the highest ranking ever for a CFS team. The boy's team has had a good season in other ways than wins and losses. They have had their share of success and the team has held together well through their struggles. Sorry that I don't yet have photos of the JV teams. I hope to include those in my next blog, along with some action shots. Until then, WE HOPE TO SEE YOU FRIDAY NIGHT!

Week of February 1, 2010

I write this blog from home, as we are surrounded by beautiful snow and ice. Hopefully, we will be back in school tomorrow. We'll see...
It is such fun to visit Amelia's Portfolio class. This truly is a class where one can see students taking control of their own learning. Each student has a project in process, and they are all unique and different. Here you can see some of the students giving constructive criticism and helpful feedback on the work of others. Above, you can see Ella's finished t-shirt. Below, she is ironing her newly silk screened, original design.

Emily is beginning to add a multitude of colors to her drawing.

Student feedback--honest and ever so helpful.

Frances's Cooking class was working on a variety of spaghetti sauces, home made biscuits, and a yummy fresh salad.

Susan and MS teacher Francoise are co-teaching a combined MS/US service class. They recently sponsored a friendly Pennies for Peace contest in the US. Our students contributed over 32,000 pennies! The culminating celebration was a game of Survivor, which you can see here. Naomi won the game for Jamie's advisee group.

STAFF DEVELOPMENT

We have a planned early dismissal for Tuesday, for staff development. The staff will spend the afternoon involved in CPR and First Aid training. I am hopeful that the roads will be clear so we can start school on time. Be sure to check the CFS website for weather-related announcements.

IMPROV SHOW

Sadly, we were forced to cancel our Saturday Improv performance. Once we get back to school, Shane and I will look at the calendar to see if we can reschedule another performance. Those of us who attended Thursday's performance were highly entertained. Lots of laughs!