Excerpts from This Week at NCS

THIS WEEK AT NCS

Staff writer and photographer Becca Miller shares insights into our students’ day-to-day lives in the “This Week At NCS” blog, which is distributed by email and posted online every Friday during the academic year. These excerpts share just a few highlights of the fall semester. To learn more about the innovative hands-on lessons our students and teachers participate in, visit northcountryschool.org/ thisweekatncs.

Orientation 2022 I Sept. 23

We kicked off the new school year with several orientation outings. The younger grades headed to mountains just a few miles from campus, while 4th and 5th grade classes hiked nearby Cobble Hill and 6th graders hiked to the summit of Mount Jo. Our 7th graders built forts together during a fun wilderness challenge, while our 8th grade class spent the day exploring our 220-acre campus. They played team building games, harvested vegetables from our gardens, and cooked a farm-fresh lunch in the Teaching and Learning Kitchen. Our 9th grade class traveled a bit farther from home to visit MetroRock Climbing Gym in Vermont, where they were able to practice their rock climbing techniques.

Be Kind to Bees I Sept. 30

Our beehive is one of many spots on campus where students can participate in the seasonal cycles of our farm. The beehive, which sits between our greenhouses and raspberry patch, was the site of an afternoon out-time led by 4th and 5th grade teacher and resident bee enthusiast Elyssa. Students learned about the ways the bees interact with our gardens by pollinating our many fruits, vegetables, and flowers, in addition to providing us with beeswax and honey. The group then discussed the different ways we can prepare our bees for winter before everyone donned bee gear and opened up the hive.

English Class in the Children’s

Garden I Oct. 7

Our 6th grade English class took advantage of our region’s beautiful fall weather to have class in one of our

favorite outdoor learning spaces, the Children’s Garden. The lush setting provided the perfect backdrop for the group to act out a scene from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.” By acting out the book’s roast-mutton scene, the group was better able to understand the dynamics between the characters, as well as the scene’s clever and sometimes subtle humor.

Art Every Day I Oct. 7

Our 5th grade 2D art class is learning about reduction-cut printmaking, which involves carving designs into plates of soft, cut rubber, then using those plates to make prints. The decorative and nature-themed designs will be coated in colorful ink and pressed onto sheets of paper that will be folded into thank-you cards and other stationery.

Engaging with Nature while

Engaging with Neighbors I Oct. 14

Our 4th grade scientists have been studying how the different seasons affect the coniferous and deciduous trees in our region, while also learning how Leave No Trace principles of outdoor ethics can guide how people interact responsibly with nature. To accompany this unit, the class participated in a program offered to 4th grade classes through the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK), a local conservation and education organization that seeks to connect students to their local surroundings through science, observation, and thoughtful recreation. Through the program, the group visited the ADK headquarters for a guided hike up Mount Jo, where they learned about the history of the land, the science of photosynthesis, and fall foliage, and how they can responsibly enjoy and care for the wild spaces all around us and for our shared global environment.