Notes from
Ca rdigan
Nonprofit Organization U.S. POSTAGE PAID Canaan, N.H . Permi t No. 1
Cardigan Mountain School Canaan, New Hampshire 03741
August 1976 The 1976 Summer Session opened on Wednesday, June 23, and again this year, the school had a capacity enro ll ment of over 130 students from a ll over the nation and the wor ld, inc l uding such foreign countries as Japan , Holland, Luxembourg, I ran, Mex i co, and the Dom ini can Republic. The faculty for the Summer Sess i on brought together a wide range of ideas and educationa l approaches. Cl asses are considerab ly smal l er during the Summer Sess ion , and the emphasis is p l aced on individualized i nstruct i on. The curricu lum for the Summer focuses main l y on the fundamentals of English and mathematics, which for most s tud ents , ma kes up the bulk of their morn ing studies. The remaining period or periods are devoted to e ith er Deve l opmental Reading , Typing, French , or Language Training , depend in g upon the individua l requirements of each student. Grading is based upon the effort that a student shows in his subjects , and there is no formal l etter grade given for accomp li s hment. The result i s that the c l asses are structured so that a student may work at his own pace with the teacher's superv i s i on and help. The enthusiasm shown by the Summer Session students was excellent , and there were a number of in-class activities offered in each class , whi ch helped to ma ke their program of study as meaningful and effective as possib l e. There were qu it e a number of students on the Effor t Honor Roll, both at the mid-term and at the end of the summe r, which certain ly speaks well for the attitude of the student body toward their work. After noons , following the one hour reading period were for act i vit i es. This year , there were more different activities offered than eve r before. In addition to the outdoor sports and instructional activities of baseba ll, lacrosse, tennis, sa ilin g, canoe in g , archery , riflery, soccer, and trapshooting, students were also offe red instruction in jewelry making, woodshop, track and fie l d events, sketching, cond iti on i ng and go lf . In addition, one member of the faculty offered courses in photography , mode l rocketry, and astronomy. Part of the activity program every sum~er is the drama class offered by Mr . Fink be i ne r . Th e end product of this al l -summer course i s an operetta , which is presented du rin g th e c l osi ng ceremonies on the l ast day of the session. This year, Mr. Finkbeiner and his group produced Gi l bert and Sull i van's The Mikado. The p roduction was exce l lent, with much good singi ng and acting , and the aud i ence enjoyed it as much as the actors did! A further aspect of the activity program in the Summer Session is the on-going batt l e between the Green and White teams during Tuesday evening act i vities. This summer , i t l ooked as if the Whites wou l d walk away with the award because they maintained a s ub stant i al lead in the standings throughout the six weeks, but everyone was surprised when the Green team won the Great Race on the final day, to emerge victorious by an e i ght po int marg i n. The Greens had been trailing by a seemingly hope l ess ninety-two points go in g into the race, and thei r win was an upset for the Whites. Both teams deserve congratu l ations for their continuing competitive spirit. This summe r, the students were given many opportunities to visit interesting p l aces in New Hampshire and to have outside groups, shows, and exhibits come to· campus. Wednesday and weekend afternoons were free for the students to select their own activit i es , and on those days there was usual l y an off-campus trip offered. Trips went to Lost River, the Polar Caves in Pl ymouth, New Hampshire, the Montshire Science Museum in Hanover, and the traditional climb up Mt. Cardigan. Other school events included the Canaan July 4 parade
-2(in which the School had its own prise-winning float) and procession, and excursion to see the Circus Kirk, a traveling three ring circus comprised of college students in White River Junction, Vermont, and a Sunday evening outing to see 11 Up With People 11 when it came to the Upper Valley area. No Summer Session is complete without the annual trip to Hampton Beach in Hampton, New Hampshire. This year, a group of about 20 students opted for a mountain trip to Franconia Notch. Most of those who went on the mountain trip had not previously had the opportunity to climb a mountain, so they were pleased to have this offered to them. The rest traveled in three buses down to the New Hampshire coast for a day of swimming, beachcombing and, for those who wanted, deep-sea fishing. The weather was warm, and the sun came back after a week-long absence, and everyone enjoyed the swimming, splashing, and sun worshipprng. Afterwards, the group went to a nearby camping and cooking area for a picnic dinner of hamburgers and hot dogs before returning to school. On Tuesday, August 4, we were treated to a performance of different musical forms by several members of the faculty and student body. Mr. Beiber of the Math Department gave a lesson and played some examples of modern jazz guitar, fol lowed by Mr. Kirch's singing of Three Leider by Schubert and Brahms. The program then turned to a piano/flute duet by Mr. Finkbeiner and his daughter, Cynthia, and then a piano duet with Andy Finkbe i ner . It was an enjoyable program made all the more meaningful because the performers were part of the Cardigan Community. Study halls were hard to find the last week. On Wednesday night the traditional Summer Session Talent Show took place, featuring student and faculty music, skits, and presentations. There was everything from serious ragtime and jazz to 11 Spl ish Splash 11 and 11 Rubber Ducky 11 ; from Mr . Coffin's slide show to 11 Three Little Maids from School 11 from The Mikado, performed by three husky faculty members; and from an excellent dance routine~ four of the girls to a fine example of pretidigitation by one of the boys. It was an enjoyable evening, and al 1 the performers worked their hardest to bring it about. Thursday night brought the last Caravan show from the University of New Hampshire. This series presenting different aspects of the performing arts had been a continuing feature throughout the summer, and it wound up with a fine program of folk and bluegrass music on the C.M.S. quadrangle. Other shows had included silkscreening and graphic arts, mime and poetry, and an old time minstrel show, and dance. Before the show, however, the entire school was invited to celebrate ' ' Everybody's International Birthday 11 in the dining hall. Students decorated tables and made costumes to represent their state or country. It was a festive time and a pleasant way to close the summer. Final ceremonies were held on Friday, August 7, and awards for outstanding academic effort and activity achievement were given, followed by a picnic dinner on the Clark-Morgan 1awn. A description of the summer would not be complete without mention of the continuing progress made on the Recreational-Social Center, and on the construction of the new house next to Greenwood House. During the course of the summer the Recreational-Social Center took shape and the work progressed to putting the brick facing on the outside . The next step to be completed is the roof and from then on it will be largely a matter of finishing up the inside. The building is on schedule, and the next school year will show its great value to our sports and recreation program. Ground was broken in early July for the new house, and to date, the walls are up, and the workmen are beginning to put the interior construction into the building. The new house wi 11 provide alternate housing for a group of 8 students in a home situation with a faculty family, and it will be completed either before or shortly after the 1976-1977 school year commences. It has been a busy and enjoyable summer and winter school is not very far awayi Many thanks to all who made this Summer Session as successful as it was for all of us at C.M.S.