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Weekly News
3/6-3/10
This move-up day, our rising 9th graders got a taste of what it's like to be an upper school student. Starting with Biology class with Sierra and then World History Class with Ben. In World History, the students were broken up into four groups based on four different historical empires. Each empire had a specific resource that only they had access to, but had to trade with other empires to get the other resources they needed to survive. Along the way, they had to deal with events like the plague and raids on their caravans by the Mongolian empire. Students went to either Algebra 1 or Geometry with Carter and Sam. During Meeting for Worship, the US Quaker Life Committee organized a meeting on big life transitions, and students and faculty spoke out into the silence about those big changes in their lives. After lunch, students ventured back up to the Annex and went to Creative Writing. The rising 9th graders learned about the importance of trusting intuition rather than overthinking when it comes to writing poetry. We discussed some games that early 20th-century surrealists like Andre Breton designed to help relax the mind and take thinking out of the equation. Then we moved into a specific surrealist game called bibliomancy, which entails asking strange questions and using the books of other poets to provide "answers." One participant asks a question (questions that elicit a yes or no response are off limits) of another person in the room. The person asked flips through the pages of a provided book and stops on a random line that is read aloud. This line is the "answer" to the question. They then had a session with Lauren and Lindsey, the Upper School Learning Specialists, on high school expectations. Many of them actively contributed to the discussion, which enhanced the overall experience—special thanks to Gram, Simone, and Seth for their contributions! There was a clear understanding among students that the transition from middle school to upper school is quite different from moving from Galaxy, due to varying rules and the added responsibilities and independence. However, everyone: teachers, advisors, and the school counselor, is here to support them and help them navigate high school successfully. And the rising 9th graders finished up their busy day on campus with English class with Maura. They reviewed our daily vocabulary and grammar routine. Our word of the day was the adjective voracious. After a brief overview of cautionary tales and explanatory myths, students volunteered for parts in a reader's theater version of Echo & Narcissus. Thanks to the Class of 2030 for bringing this ancient story and relevant themes to life!
A big thank you to Hype for organizing the spring pep rally on the Bob Page Campus! We celebrated all our incredible spring athletes and groups, including the Track and Field team, Tennis team, Golf team, the cast and crew of the spring musical You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, and our very own robotics team, the CitrusDuckz. The CitrusDuckz wowed the crowd with a live demonstration of their robot before they compete at the state championships. We ended the pep rally with two lively games, musical chairs, and a relay race. Congratulations to the winners. Go Bears!
Ben’s World History:
In World History we have just finished our exploration of the Crusades as a means of cultural diffusion during war time. Both classes engaged in a simulation of trade interactions during the period. During the simulations students were tasked with trading in order to survive and had to deal with a number of surprising problems along the way. This exploration ended our unit on Cultural Diffusion and connection. This week we began our new unit on Revolt and Revolution, focusing first on the Chinese Communist revolution. In World History we’ve spent time examining how Mao Zedong rose to power through his utilization of China’s rural population. In Honors World History we’ve been discussing the Chinese Communist Party's use of revisionist history in order to reshape events from their past. Both classes are currently working on a cause and effect assignment dealing with an event from the Chinese Communist revolution. From here we will also be exploring European cultural revolutions, the French revolution and finally the Mexican revolution.
Laura Mae’s World History:
In World History, we are just beginning our unit on revolution. We are beginning with the French Revolution. So far, we have learned about the different Enlightenment thinkers of the time. Embraced our inner philosopher and debated in a salon. We have also discussed the challenges of French society that led to the French Revolution, rewritten the Tennis Court Oath, and learned about the moderate phase of the revolution. Now we are focusing on the radical phase, including the Reign of Terror, the role of Robespierre, and the trial of Louis XIV. As we continue to learn about the Directory and the rise of Napoleon, we will take a big-picture view of how revolutions emerge across the globe, including the many Latin American revolutions and the Haitian Revolution. Don’t be surprised if you hear your student chanting “Vive la révolution.”
US History:
In both US History and Honors US History, we are wrapping up units that started the rise of Industrialization, the rapid role of immigration, and the impacts of empire on society. We started the unit looking at the Gilded Age, and debated whether industrialists should be remembered as robber barons or captains of industry. We then compared immigration between Ellis Island and Angel Island, and the role of racism and prejudice in immigration laws during that time. Students also then created book jackets about progressive reformers and muckrakers. Then, we redirected our focus to the South, with the rise of Jim Crow laws. Students read articles and discussed the differences between Booker T Washington and WEB Dubois during this time. The unit ends looking abroad with American Imperialism and the role of the US in WWI, both in combat and brokering peace.
Honors Government and Political Advocacy:
In Honors Government, students just finished a unit on Identity and Membership in the United States. This unit included looking at the legal side, from Supreme Court cases, immigration laws, and the process of becoming a US citizen. Your student took a mock-citizenship test. If you want to try it on your own, ask your student for a copy! The unit also included looking at diverse and personal experiences of being in America. Some of the sources were: I Hear America Singing, Let America Be America Again, This is America, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July, Minor Feelings, The Promised Land, and My Two Lives. The unit ended with a personal essay, reflecting on the American Identity from the perspectives of the authors of the above sources and their own experiences in the US. In these last few weeks of school, we will focus entirely on the Advocacy Project. Students are pulling together all of the components we worked on all year and compiling them into a paper and presentation. Be on the lookout for an invite to see your student present their advocacy project in mid-May.
Upcoming Events
Friday, March 20
Juniors take ACT, Contact Lauren Dean, ldean@ngfs.org with questions.
Friday, April 10
SAT for Juniors, Contact Lauren Dean, ldean@ngfs.org with questions.