Grades 9-12 Campus Happenings

Grades 9 to 12 ONLINE LEARNING

PHYSICS CLASS IS IN!

Physics teacher Mrs. Jane Mast became a Screencast-o-matic pro in order to create videos that would help teach principles of rotation and rotational motion to her students. Talk about a virtual classroom! Be sure to see our Lamplighter Extra content online to see her videos!

CLASS DISCUSSIONS MOVE ONLINE

Students in Mrs. Gretchen McTavish’s 8th period AP English class were only halfway through Henry David Thoreau’s Walden when the stayat-home order went into effect in March. Students gathered online to continue discussing the book. Online readers can click on the image (right) to hear a little of the conversation!

A TIME FOR PRAYER

When Grades 9-12 faculty member Mr. Kirby King’s Bible class ended their time in the classroom, he had been teaching about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Mr. King decided to give a daily prayer assignment based on the teaching in Matthew 6 better known as the Lord’s Prayer, and this (left) was a journal entry from one of his students.

Grades 9 to 12 ONLINE LEARNING

TOURING CHOIR GOES VIRTUAL…

Dock’s Touring Choir put aside the disappointment of their canceled concert season and European tour to record a virtual choir piece that is also a statement of faith: Mark A. Miller’s “I Believe.” Combining 45 voices in 4-part harmony is an incredibly complex task in itself. Doing it virtually— synchronizing 45 separate recordings—is almost inconceivable. Yet Touring Choir senior Miguel Santiago and Director Mrs. Michelle Sensenig did a masterful job of editing, infusing this beautiful choral work with even greater poignance and emotion. We are grateful to them and to the choir for creating such a strong and beautiful expression of faith during a season of disappointment and uncertainty.

….AND ZOOMS WITH COMPOSER

Dock students from the Touring Choir and Chamber Choir spent part of a late-April afternoon on a Zoom call with composer and performer Moira Smiley, who wrote two of the songs the Touring Choir was rehearsing to sing for their Spring 2020 tour prior to the move to online learning. Smiley led the choir in warm-ups, talked about how she writes music, answered questions, and even performed a few of her songs! “It was a real privilege to learn directly from the composer of the songs we sing,” said Mrs. Sensenig. “Dock choirs look forward to sharing these songs with the community in the future.”

DOCK SENIOR CONNECTS WITH…SENIORS

Dock senior Sarah DeGeorge was recognized recently for her volunteer work bringing joy to the residents of Independence Court of Quakertown. Sarah has been doing her own variation of “Painting with a Twist” at the personal care community for over a year, bringing art supplies and teaching residents how to paint, step by step. “Each time she visits our facility the group has gotten bigger, and they are more skilled at painting due to Sarah’s abilities,” says Charlene Chanoux, Life Enrichment Director at Independence Court. “As soon as she leaves, they ask when she will be back. Her patience, creativity, and kindness bring much joy to our Life Enrichment Room.”

MAKING AGRICULTURAL CONNECTIONS

Online learning did not slow down Environmental Science faculty member Miss Valerie Metzler, who helped her students connect with our region’s agricultural roots through virtual trips to local farms and participating in the raising of chickens. Miss Metzler used funds from the Class of 1963/David Souder Endowment to purchase Freedom Ranger chicks, a breed that grows quickly while grazing in open pasture (unlike most broiler chickens), as well as a pen, bedding and feed. She also purchased a camera that allows students to view a livestream of the pen through an app on their phone. “This is a neat way for students to feel more connected, like they are involved in helping to raise the chicks,” said Miss Metzler. “I will be using this for students to do behavior observations on the chickens as well.” Students also researched and prepared projects in areas they were passionate about, such as careers in agriculture, soil conservation, genetic modification, hydroponic and vertical gardening, and building a pole barn. Miss Metzler was hoping to end the class with a chicken dinner together, but that will have to wait for the fall!

We appreciate the willingness of our administrators and faculty to jump in (literally!) to help raise money for tuition assistance.

Dr. Herman Sagastume, executive director of Healthy Ninos Honduras, stopped by the EC-Grade 8 Campus to do “curbside pick-up” of the donations our Dock students and their families collected as part of our All-School Service Project. He is pictured with EC-Grade 8 principal Mrs. Bronwyn Histand.

DOCK STEPS UP GIVING DURING QUARANTINE

It takes more than a pandemic to keep the Dock community from showing its generous heart. During the time our students were engaged in online learning, we saw multiple examples of this generosity: • Our first-ever Dock Rocks Giving Day, held in conjunction with our first-ever Virtual Country Fair & Auction, netted nearly $80,000, which will be used to provide tuition assistance for Dock families. Providing a big boost were a number of matching gifts and “The Principal Plunge,” which saw EC-Grade 8 Principal Mrs. Bronwyn Histand and Grades 9-12 Principal Mr. Martin Wiens take the plunge into Groff Pond once fundraising targets were met. Special Guests Mr. Ken Kabakjian (Grades 9-12 guidance counselor) and Mrs. Jayne Longacre (EC-8 faculty) also jumped in to help the cause. • Despite a cancellation of our All-School Service Night due to Covid-19, we were still able to raise over $1,300 for Healthy Ninos Honduras, providing much needed support for their efforts to battle child malnutrition in that Central American country. •

Dock’s 6 th Annual Spanish Department Food Drive resulted in a contribution to Manna on Main Street of nearly $1,100. During the quarantine, Manna provided more than twice the amount of groceries to more than double the typical number of families it typically serves, distributing well over 1,000 meals each week. Thank you to Dock Spanish faculty member Dr. Anabella SilverMoon for organizing the drive!