Digital Chapel Magazine Issue 57

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DIGITAL CHAPEL Issue #57 | May 2019

SCIENCE FAIR

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YOUNG TROJANS

SHAKESPEARE IN 7TH & 8TH

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WORLD BOOK DAY

NEW TEACHERS

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CHAPEL’S BEST UNDER 40

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YOUNG SCIENTISTS Science Fair showcases 82 projects The 7th edition of Chapel Science Fair happened on April 16 and showcased 82 experiments performed by 7th and 8th grade students. The event took place in the auditorium and counted on the participation of Chapel staff, parents and students. Every year, students begin their projects in February and carry them on for 2 months while being advised by the Science teachers. Students come up with a research question, elaborate a lab report, describe the experiment and discuss the results. Their final step is to turn in their paper and present their poster during the event.

During the Science Fair, each student presents their research to people who walk around the tables to learn about the projects. Judges circulate anonymously in the general public and assess students. This year, there were 37 judges comprised of Chapel teachers, guest teachers and students who had outstanding performances in previous Science Fair editions. Winners were announced at the end of the fair.

According to Ms. Ingrid Vompean, Head of the Science Department, “the Science Fair celebrates the effort and commitment students have for their projects, which despite being challenging, is a rewarding experience”. Ms. Theopi, 7th grade Science teacher, states that one of the highlights is student growth: “They learn a lot and feel proud when they present their projects at the Science Fair. We, as teachers, are also proud of them, especially because we see our young scientists and researchers incorporating the scientific method not only in their projects, but also in other situations of their school life.”

Ms. Vompean adds that there is visible progress between the beginning and end of the proces, “Students mature their critical thinking and scientific writing skills. Also, the quality of this year´s projects was praised by judges and guests”. The 2019 Science Fair winners were: 7th Grade - Walter G. 8th grade - Valentina B. Physical Sciences - Ingrid V. (7th grade) Behavioral Sciences - Matina S. (8th grade) Biology - Nicole J. (7th grade) Overall winner - Matheus C. (8th grade)

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SPORTS Young Trojans promote friendly matches After only three months since it started, Young Trojans has already promoted four friendly matches in and outside of Chapel. The program was founded by sports director Mr. Bruno Pereira, and it is the largest sports program ever developed at Chapel School. It gathers more than 160 3rd to 6th graders to play four different sports (basketball, volleyball, soccer and cheerleading) every day of the week with the collaboration of eight coaches and one assistant.

The first matches happened in March, when Chapel hosted St. Nicholas School for basketball and soccer games. “It was a great event with more than 200 students participating in the games and being supported by parents and our school community”, explains Mr. Pereira, one of the event’s planners. In the friendly matches hosted by Chapel, the Young Trojans count on the Booster Club, a group of mothers who run the school’s snack bar on game days and use the profit to sponsor the school’s sports projects. In the same month, about 70 students from 5th and 6th grade traveled to Campinas (90 km away from São Paulo) to participate in a sports festival at EAC (Escola Americana de Campinas). They played soccer, basketball and volleyball games and obtained good results for Chapel.

April was a particularly busy month for the sports program, with two more friendly matches: 5th and 6th graders played against three other schools and 3rd and 4th graders traveled for the first time to take part in a sports festival. Chapel hosted St. Paul’s School for volleyball matches, Colégio Salgueiro for basketball and St. Francis College for soccer. In the last month, the Young Trojans traveled to Campinas to play friendly basketball and soccer matches at EAC (Escola Americana de Campinas).

Mr. Pereira comments that the program has deeply contributed to the sportive development of all students and promotes even more Chapel’s sense of community: “Not only parents and relatives stay to watch the games, but also teachers and assistants, bringing the community close together”. The sports director also reiterates the goals of the Young Trojans project: “The program is aligned with the school’s educational expectations on discipline, behavior and social-emotional development. It provides the students with experiences only sports can bring”, he adds.

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Cheerleaders coming soon The Cheerleaders are the only Young Trojans team that has not debuted yet. According to Mr. Pereira, the 25-student group has been practicing their choreographies since February under the supervision of three teachers, “They have been developing choreography and cheers for our teams and they should debut next semester”, discloses the director.

Get to know what four Young Trojans students have to say: Gabriela K. (3rd grade) - basketball, soccer and cheerleading “I like playing with my group and helping other players. I also enjoy discovering the positions I am good at: in cheerleading I am a flyer, in basketball I am the point guard and in soccer I am a striker. I made new friends in Campinas and, despite losing the game, I had lots of fun!”

Bernardo S.P. (4th grade) - basketball and soccer “I am really enjoying the soccer lessons because we learn about ball possession and soccer techniques. We had a blast in Campinas! We played, ate and played some more!”

Enrico M. C. (5th grade) - basketball and soccer “I am really happy because Chapel now has basketball and soccer teams. In the past, we only had indoor soccer. I also enjoy practicing a lot because we know we will play against other schools and in tournaments. Going to Campinas was great! It was the first time I traveled to Campinas and I really liked playing for Chapel.”

Maria Sophia C. (6th grade) - basketball, soccer, volleyball and cheerleading “I really like sports and I have made many new friends. In Campinas, I enjoyed the bus ride because we played and chatted. We were anxious before the game, but also very excited. When I came back, I felt like practicing even more for the next games.”

Click here to see the photo album.

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THEATER Students stage Shakespeare comedies through English and Art projects An Art and English interdisciplinary project inspired 7th and 8th graders to show their talent by performing two plays from English playwright William Shakespeare. Under the guidance of English teachers Ms. Sara Knox and Ms. Maxine Baines, students immersed themselves in the Shakespearean world through two comedies: A Midsummer Night's Dream (7th grade) and Much Ado About Nothing (8th grade). Both plays were probably written in the 1590s.

“It was a process”, explains Ms. Baines.

“We started by studying Shakespeare's life, the culture of his time, what he wrote and after that we read and paraphrased some sonnets. Then, we read original plays, we watched the respective movies and worked with their main theme. Finally, we divided students into groups and assigned their characters, and had them create a new script adapting archaic English to modern English”, adds the teacher.

Ms. Knox explains that students could use slang and add funny remarks while adapting their lines, allowing them to not only learn, but also have fun. “It was important to have students work on body language as well, since theater is both a means of improving text comprehension but also an opportunity to foster different skills”, explains the teacher.

The setting was produced by the students in Ms. Sylvia Almeida’s Art classes and Art Club. They created both the setting and the costumes and performed for peers and teachers on April 8 and 9 in one of the school’s largest classrooms which was transformed into a stage.

“The project allowed students to learn several skills. Drama is an opportunity that allows introspective students to shine and develop their self-confidence and self-esteem”, concludes Ms. Baines.

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ACADEMIC EVENT World book day is celebrated with special activities World Book and Copyright Day created by the United Nations and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - was celebrated last Friday, April 26. Students and staff dressed up as book characters and honored several stories and their authors on a day that was fully dedicated to special reading-related activities.

In the morning, after presenting their favorite books and characters, elementary school students went storytelling in the ECEC. After break, on the field, about 300 students participated in a D.E.A.R (Drop Everything And Read) activity, when they simultaneously spent 20 minutes reading a book they brought to the event.

Author Gu Braga had workshops and storytelling moments with ECEC and ES students about his book The Sky is Falling. Activities started on Thursday, with theater and body language workshops for 4th and 6th graders and kept happening on Friday, with storytelling sessions from Pre I to 3rd grade. Gu Braga’s sessions were marked by his interactivity and excitement, providing students with moments full of laughter and fun.

In 5th grade, the day was celebrated by performing the Trial of Dorothy Gale, from The Wizard of Oz. Students and teachers dressed up as the book characters and simulated a trial with a journalistic cover. In the end, the young lady, who was charged for melting the Wicked Witch of the West, was considered not guilty by the jury.

“World Book Day is a special celebration at Chapel which connects our love for literature through learning and practice. We truly celebrate our passion for books and storytelling through workshops, students Choice Projects and series reading, Drop Everything and Read with 350 students on our beautiful field, classroom presentations and dressing up as our favorite book characters. This day gets even better every year”, comments Ms. Serena Aguilar, ES principal.

The festive day ended with a storytelling session at a student-packed ES library. Ms. Fernanda Caires, head librarian and the event co-planner, explains that “World Book Day is now part of the school calendar and it is always a fun day filled with activities that celebrate reading”.

Click here to see the photo album.

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NEW TEACHERS Religious experience Ana Lucia | 3rd to 6th grade religion teacher The newest Elementary School Religion teacher is an old friend of Chapel: she used to visit the school as a teenager since she was friends with one of our former students. This semester, Ana Lucia Dias is back to the school as an ES school teacher. She has a degree in Psychology from Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC-SP), a degree in Pedagogy by Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar) and a Cambridge Certificate of English.

Before teaching at Chapel, Ms. Dias worked at bilingual and international schools - such as St. Paul’s School and Escola Internacional de Alphaville where she was an ES and Kindergarten teacher. She tells us that teaching religion is a way of fructifying her own personal religious experience, especially her knowledge of other religions: ‘I lived in Israel for more than a year, where I had two religious experiences: one, with a Jewish family and another with an orthodox Christian family. I could see different perspectives of faith and I now I understand the existence of God to different cultures.

The new teacher is enjoying her experience at Chapel: 'The school is wonderful, teachers are excellent and students are interested and inquirers. It is an institution that vibrates learning and education, with many events related to learning', she explains.

When she is not teaching, Ana Lucia Dias likes reading and swimming. 'I love swimming.

And I need to start practicing again because Chapel food is too good!', she says playfully.

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CHAPEL’S BEST UNDER 40 Gonzalo Alvarez, 20 years old.

Where he lives: Segovia, Spain Years enrolled at Chapel: from 9th (2013) to 12th grade (2017) What is your academic background?

I am currently at my second year of Business Management at IE University in Segovia campus. Next year I will study for a semester in Madrid (only the two first years are in Segovia) and then I will spend one semester as an exchange students in Shanghai, China.

Briefly describe your UNIRAID 2019 rally experience First, I would like to thank Chapel for the support it has given me (Chapel was one of the team’s sponsors). The rally experience from February 23 to March 3 has changed our lives. UNIRAID is more than a race. It is a charitable and entrepreneurial challenge that brings students from Spain, Portugal and Andorra together.

One of its main goals is to cross the Moroccan desert in a more than 20-year-old car to deliver at least 40 kilos of donations to the less fortunate who inhabit the area we cover.

The race lasts 10 days and takes a circular route that starts at Tanger (in the North), goes to Zagora (South) and then goes back to its starting point. The race is much more than being the fastest car, the goal is to help those in need. This adventure is also a business project: besides reaching its main goal, we need to calculate the revenue and expenses to generate more profit for social actions. For this particular project, financing was provided exclusively by sponsors, donors and contributors.

Briefly describe your professional life.

I have already worked a lot, actually. Since I was 10 years old, I participated in a summer camp in the United States, by the time I was 16, I became an advisor in training, which I did for two years and after turning 18, I worked for them for three months in summer. Last year I was an intern at Havas Group, a multinational advertising company, in São Paulo. This year I will be an intern at a car sharing company in Madrid.

Your greatest goal in life is: I want to have a fulfilled personal and professional life, with the goal of achieving happiness and stability.

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Tell us your best memory from Chapel.

My best memories from Chapel are the friends I made. Even though I have good memories of the food and the sweets!

How did Chapel influence your life?

Chapel taught me work ethic and social values, such as friendship and interpersonal skills. It taught me how to act when facing the unknown and how to take the best part of the lessons life offers us. It also taught me to think differently. I learned that not belonging to the norm makes us even more special.

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ENGLISH VERSION

DIGITAL CHAPEL is a Chapel School publication. All rights reserved.

R. Vigário João de Pontes, 537. – Chácara Flora – CEP 04748–000 São Paulo – SP – Brazil Phone: +55 11 5521–7763 – www.chapelschool.com Articles: Paula Veneroso and Chapel team – Translation: Chapel School Photos: Chapel files – Design: Otávio Garcia

Follow us on the social media channels: @ChapelSchoolBR @ChapelSchoolBR @ChapelSchoolSP DIGITAL CHAPEL #57

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