American School of Paris
the ASPect DECEMBER 2010
T E A C H I N G A N D L E A R N I N G A T A S P
Engaged Global
Citizens
event. For three days, the student delegates from 65 schools in 25 countries from 4 continents formed committees and explored, debated and found resolutions to the issues brought forward under the conference’s theme of New Frontiers. ASP senior and this year’s Secretary GeneThe ASPect is kindly sponsored by
ral, Guillaume Julian explained the choice of theme: “Humans have always been inspired by the concept of a frontier; new unknowns that need to be explored, and I think that we are currently facing a new frontier with endless possibilities of growth and innovation so long as our national policies accept this growth. Seeing as we are the future leaders of tomorrow, I think it’s our responsibility to deal with the issues that will be pivotal to us in the decades to come. The new frontiers that we face are, in short, how we will adapt the notions that our democracies are based
on: free speech, voting rights, human rights etc… in the 21st century.” Nearly a quarter of Upper School students are involved in the conference and the nine months of preparation preceding it; either as part of the 60-strong administrative staff, as a delegate representing one of ASP’s assigned countries (USA, Tunisia, Myanmar or Paraguay), or performing at the opening and closing ceremonies. (Continued on page 2 )
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he Paris Model United Nations brought together more than 900 participants at ASP’s invitation this month to celebrate ten years of this exceptional student-led
2/school news
Model United Nations An overview By Ouriel Reshef
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odel United Nations is a captivating and authentic simulation of the United Nations General Assembly and its committees, which catapults students into the world of diplomacy and negotiation. In Model UN, students step into the shoes of ambassadors of UN member states, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, to debate current issues on the organization’s vast agenda. The student delegates plot strategies, negotiate with supporters and opponents, debate and seek to resolve conflicts, while navigating the UN’s complex rules of procedure – all in the interest of mobilizing international cooperation to resolve problems that affect almost every country on Earth. Every year, there are more than 400 conferences being held in more than 50 countries, mainly based in and sustained by international schools, and usually held in English. The Paris Model United Nations conference hosted by ASP is very highly regarded and has grown from a local event with a handful of students at ASP ten years ago to 900 international participants today. Before playing out their delegate roles in a Model UN conference, students do research on the particular global problems to be addressed. The problems are drawn from today’s headlines: Peace and security; human rights; the environment; food and hunger; economic development; health; globalization; disarmament and global warming. Model UN delegates also look closely at the needs, aspirations and foreign policy of the country they will represent at the conference. They will also explore the history, geography, culture, economics and society of their assigned country to ensure authenticity of the simulation. The conference is the culmination of several months of hard work. It is designed to provide a joyful and meaningful experience of negotiation, compromise and consensus building, on issues of concern to the global community. Students are confronted with the challenge of defending and furthering the interests and goals of the country they represent, while seeking to accept with due The Aspect - December 2010
respect and consideration other countries’ goals and interests, and then to try to strike an appropriate balance in drawing up the resolutions to be voted upon. The educational benefits of this program are inestimable. To become a diplomat and represent a country (about which one probably had little or no previous knowledge) is an emotional and intellectual exercise, which will never be forgotten. The comprehension of international problems combines with the recognition of the complexity of national interests; thus, the Kyoto or the Doha agreements cease to be catch phrases and acquire greater depth: the interests, needs and specific hopes and fears of each country or region are taken into account and woven into the web of political obligations and cultural differences. The preparations for a conference also include the formulation of position papers, draft resolutions (whose format and specific language need to be mastered) and speeches (formal diplomatic language is required), becoming acquainted with issues on the agenda and with the position of various countries (the one the delegate is going to represent, as well as others which may be identified as partners or as opponents), as well as familiarity with rules of procedure, and the progressive mastery of public speaking skills and elements of rhetoric. The benefits derived from the preparation phase are multiplied during the simulation itself. Meeting with students from other countries and other cultures is immensely stimulating because the delegates have to be flexible and empathetic in order to develop the essential qualities for future citizens: a keen ear and an open mind - both needed to reach constructive common solutions. One of the most distinctive features of the Model UN program is that it is student run. Teachers take a backseat as mere advisors, and new students in the program are instructed by their more experienced peers. This provides the more proactive students with opportunities to move up in the hierarchy of positions commensurate with their talents and skills.
Starting as new MUN club members, students will usually be sent first to a small conference, whose size will not be too intimidating. From there, they may participate in progressively bigger and more challenging conferences. As they become more skilled as delegates, they may be offered the opportunity to chair a committee. At the apex, the most gifted and committed, and those displaying the best leadership skills may join the ranks of Executive Teams in charge of organizing and running such conferences. As Secretary General or one of its Deputies, as Heads of Administration or as Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper published daily during a conference, they have their first professional experience of bringing a project of some magnitude to fruition. A true model of empowerment! PAMUN Secretary General Guillaume Julian, who has also been selected to be President of the General Assembly at the upcoming world-leading THIMUN conference, said: “I remember that in 7th grade I came to visit PAMUN as a middle-school observer and I was really amazed by what I saw, especially by the work of the Secretary General. It has always been a dream of mine to serve as SG of PAMUN and to now be in that position is wonderful. Obviously, there were times along the way when I felt like I wanted to give up MUN but in hindsight, I do not regret all the work I’ve put in seeing where it got me now. To climb the MUN ladder demands a lot of work but it was really worth it.” Students and teachers alike are unanimous in their opinion that these conferences are real character-building exercises for all those who participate. Some will even find their vocation and go on to a career in international relations and diplomacy. Others may follow different paths but will retain a sense of being a world citizen with the conviction that, if goodwill alone is not enough to solve all the problems in the world, it is at least essential and is nurtured at PAMUN and other MUN conferences.
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From the Head
No challenge too great
Let it Snow !
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ibrant. Compassionate. FamilyOriented. These are some of the most poignant words that define the draft for a new mission statement for ASP. Communitywide efforts to keep our students safe during the snow storm this month prove just how aptly chosen these words are for our school.The snowstorm of December 8 was a cloud with a silver lining for me. Faculty, DRAFT MISSION staff, parents, and students STATEMENT impressively worked together to The American School of Paris is a make sure that each and every highly diverse, vibrant and familyoriented community. ASP student could find a safe way Our mission is to inspire every home and would be comfortable student to achieve personal and academic excellence as engaged, here at school until that time. Our global citizens, by ensuring a young people do more than learn challenging, student-centered program with a compassionate and here. cutting-edge environment. In addition to our campus looking more beautiful than ever beneath 10cm of snow, community spirit made us shine. Students caring for younger siblings, parents taking in students who could not get home, faculty members staying until all hours until the last student could leave, our cafeteria crew who made dinner for us all at a moment’s notice, and the willingness of everyone to remain cheerful in the midst of being greeted with a challenge and the unexpected – all seem entirely related to the spirit of ASP and the meaning of our school’s mission. Teaching and learning at ASP goes beyond the classroom. Please enjoy a healthy, happy, and safe holiday season. Mark E. Ulfers Head of School
Vibrant
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This kind of TLC would never be seen at this level in a million years elsewhere… you all went above and beyond and have my sincere thanks as a parent. We know how lucky [our kids] are to belong to such an amazing school family...and days like today just reaffirm that.” " What happened happened, and the most important thing is that… everybody arrived home safely. We really think that all ASP staff did a wonderful job. Thank you very much for taking such good care of our children!!" "I would like to present my sincere gratitude to [the faculty and staff of this wonderful school], for everything you have done and are doing. You are absolutely amazing… We cannot thank you enough for the care and attention as well as the hard work you go through for your students. "
Playing cards with Barbara Trudeau - still teaching and learning and having fun at 8.30pm
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4/lower school langUage arts
Now you know your Lower School Director and Co-Chair of the ASP Curriculum Committee, Margaret Coleman, takes us through the ABC of the Lower School Language Arts Program as the faculty gather their collective breath after a week-long, whirlwind visit by Monique Knight from Columbia University.
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SP’s commitment to learning is not limited to its students, demonstrated by the energy and excitement that accompanied last month’s visit by Monique Knight from Columbia University amongst our Lower School faculty. ASP is an affiliate school of Columbia University – one of the best educational training colleges in the world – with our Lower School Language Arts program following their Language Arts Curriculum with our Readers and Writers Workshops. As a result of this partnership, ASP’s Lower School faculty has access to the most up to date teaching resources, based
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on the latest and most detailed research by this world-class institution and those units of study that have been adopted are also aligned to the Core Standards set in the USA. As part of the partnership, ASP welcomes an expert on campus for a week each year to help our teachers constantly improve
the standards for our students. For the last two years, Emily Smith worked with our faculty, bringing her specialist knowledge to all grades but specifically the higher grades. This year, Monique Knight worked with all classes but brought her specialist insight to the early years literacy program. The work that she focused on had been
Grade 1 Homeroom teacher and Instructional Coach, Maria Lagoutte said: “This year Monique met with and demo-
taught every grade level separately which was new this year. Our goals for her visit were threefold: Firstly we had asked what the teachers needed and she responded to those direct needs, secondly she introduced a new unit for each grade and finally she moved us all along in our reading assessment with a new aspect. It was great working with her, and for me it is a continuous process as I will be following up in the classroom, teaching side by side with the next steps that we identified.”
Grade 3 Homeroom teacher Ciaran McGregor said:
agreed and requested by the teachers themselves working with Director Margaret Coleman and first grade homeroom teacher, Maria Lagoutte who is this year working one-day a week as an instructional coach – a pilot project which is proving extremely successful and popular. As an instructional coach she focuses on the teachers and developing professional skills for literacy learning, ensuring that the Lower School team is constantly working on new strategies and refining existing successes. And it is with Margaret and Maria that Monique could debrief at the end of the week and make recommendations to be implemented before her visit next year. The aim of this training and program is to ensure that every one of our students is correctly placed for learning and can continually move forward on our reading and writing continuum. The Reading and Writing Continuua
“Monique launched our non-fiction reading unit which was great. Specifically what she looked at in our class was techniques to encourage children to engage with what they are reading. She asked the children to have “wonderings” as they read, asking themselves “I wonder why?” as they are reading. And linked to the “wonderings” are “maybes” - if our “wonderings” are clever, the more likely it is that we would find a response to our “maybes” and the more we will learn from our non-fiction reading. Monique was fantastic to work with, and it was clear how much she cares about reading and writing skills for children.”
are the backbone of the language arts program in Lower School providing a system by which student assessment, teaching, testing and learning by our students can all be charted continuously in every grade with Kindergarten Homeroom teacher, every level of learner. Jennifer Mango said: “We worked with Lower School Director and CoMonique on our Readers Workshop and she Chair of the ASP Curriculum helped us to clarify our goals for our K2 readers. Committee, Margaret Coleman Specifically we looked at refining our use of book explained the background: “When bags and helping the children to become more we examined the Language Arts independent, selecting their own level books for curriculum in the Lower School their book bags. This is something we started last four years ago we decided that year, so it was great to have fresh eyes to help us refine it. And it was great that instantly we could put it into practice and implement what we had learned.”
we wanted to find long term improvement that which was sustainable, research based and which would lead to long term changes in teaching and demonstrable learning results in the classroom. “We also, very importantly, identified that we would need someone to help us through the process, from the documents to the teaching and understanding in the classroom. In the first instance we worked with Bonnie Campbell Hill, a leader in literacy instruction and assessment in the US and International Schools. After much research (06-07) and piloting (07-08) of her Reading and Writing Continuua, they were adopted from Kindergarten through Grade 5.” She explained the advantages of working with an aligned continuum: “All learners are at different stages of reading and writing in Lower School and all students develop at different rates and in different styles. That is true in any school, and it is especially true in an international school where many of the students come from various school experiences and others may have English as a second language. “With this continuum, and other assessments, every child can be placed at their appropriate level with in their homeroom, and we know immediately how we can work with them making
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6/lower school langUage arts
of reading and writing, is also part of this system. Children should be able to read and write for meaning and understanding at all levels.” And the visit from Monique Knight was one in a series over the last three years from Columbia University to improve instructional strategies and teaching in the classroom. Margaret continued: “Once we had adopted the continuum we wanted to work with a complimentary program to create a curriculum aligned to the continuum. Columbia is leading the field and we are extremely pleased to be working with them.”
Grade 5 Homeroom teacher Greg Jacks said: “Monique worked with us and the children reading non-fiction, specifically looking at conflict in the context of a book that we are working with about a black girl in the 50s who was not allowed to drink from the same fountain as the others. What was most interesting was the way in which she encouraged a huge amount of interaction between the children, discussing what they are reading and understanding. As a teacher I also gained some new techniques and different things to look for to help the children read-aloud confidently and with meaning.”
AND IS IT WORKING? our teaching individual to the differing learning level groups. In any one time in any classroom, with this continuum we can effectively advance students from as many as five different levels, always maintaining the challenge and direction. “The best curriculum introduces small incremental steps and this detailed continuum allows us to keep the challenge high, but achievable. Our goal is to avoid creating gaps in a child’s learning. We encourage lots of mileage within each level to ensure that there are opportunities to always go back and look at what has been learned and to look forward to what the next steps are. Reading and writing within a variety of genres – fiction, recipes, poems – all sorts
“Absolutely” said Margaret, “But the most important thing is that this is never considered a finished work. We will always be working on it, striving always to meet the needs of our students more directly and comprehensively in a developmentally appropriate timeframe. “And as we are accompanied along the way by Columbia we can be sure that we always have access to fresh research every year, updated curriculum and the professional development to ensure that our teaching and assessment skills continue to grow.” For a detailed description of the Lower School Language Arts Program please visit the Lower School Curriculum pages: www.asparis.org/LSlanguagearts
Lower School Language Arts Core Beliefs and Essential Agreements These statements were developed and adopted by the Lower School teachers as driving forces for the continuum and curriculum review and development 1. All students need to develop competencies in English Language Arts that will prepare them for the diverse literacy demands that will face them throughout their lives. 2. English Language Arts are important, not only as subjects in and of themselves but also a supporting skills as students’ learning in all other subjets as well as their daily life. 3. Students can best develop language competencies (like other competencies) through meaningful activities and settings such as reading and viewing whole texts, writing and creating visual images for recognizing purposes, and listening and speaking to others both within and outside the classroom. 4. Learning is a journey in which every child develops at different paces and in different ways. Experience, culture, developmental stage and background are all important factors in this journey.
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drama across divisions
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All the world’s a stage… (As You Like It)
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his Fall both Middle School and Upper School students were simultaneously given the chance to perform Shakespeare in a dramatic first at ASP. Inspired by the Student Shakespeare Festival that takes place every year in Europe, drama teacher Gillian Lynch decided to bring “The Bard” to Paris and from grade 6 through grade 12 used his 17th Century texts to explore even the most avant garde forms of theater. In the Middle School, Ensemble Theater and Drama Discovery students worked with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Comedy of Errors and Romeo and Juliet using the plays to approach different techniques of theater and production including puppetry and masks. In Upper School, Love’s Labour’s Lost, one of Shakespeare’s most complex and challenging plays was chosen for the Fall Production and resulted in a truly individual, student-led interpretation of this classic. But for all the students, the primary discovery was one of a new language and working together to make the language not just accessible, but enjoyable and relevant for them and for a wide audience, learning as much from the process as from the production itself. Gillian Lynch said: “What is interesting about teaching Shakespeare in an international school setting is that everyone is new to the language and for many of our students for whom English is not a first language that was a very
liberating experience… and they loved it! Everyone is struggling with the language, so everyone was at the same starting point.” And of course central to the study of Shakespeare is the playing of Shakespeare. Ms Lynch said: “What I also wanted to focus on with the Middle School students was performance and not being afraid to show process. I wanted to demystify the idea of a perfect performance and that it is OK to be exposed and to have the collective experience of dealing with that. You cannot teach that by talking to students, they have to experience it. But as a teacher I can help them through the experience so that it becomes meaningful.” The importance of playing Shakespeare was particularly relevant to the eighth graders, who will be studying the play in Language Arts later this year. Ms Lynch said: “It is only when you play Shakespeare that you find the fun and the imagery in the language. The language is very physical and the key to loving Shakespeare is loving the language. I hope this was an introduction that will form their learning experience when they encounter this or any other Shakespeare text again.” It was a love of Shakespeare unlocked
by Ms Lynch in seventh grade that inspired this year’s Upper School Fall Production choice – Love’s Labour’s Lost – Ms Lynch’s favorite play. The students were free to adapt, experiment, cut and interpret with the series of love letters being set to music by the talented group, first inspired by punk, then techno, unitl finally settling on rock and folk interpretations. Ms Lynch said: “It’s not only about iambic pentatmeter, it’s about the story and most importantly, the story they are telling. They own it from start to finish.” In addition, the play became the vehicle for two students’ IB Higher Level Theater final independent project proposals – a key exam component. Lukas Papenfusscline focused on set design and Emma Potorti on costume design. In addition to the community performances of Love’s Labour’s Lost, all four of the productions were performed in some form for all school audiences – and the debrief and critique following the performance was also used as a critical learning tool. Ms Lynch said: “Shakespeare should be fun – for the actors – and the audience, and judging the audience reaction is as important as the preparation. Making Shakespeare enjoyable for others drives the production decisions and lessons.” The Aspect - December 2010
8/middle school social stUdies
Making history In Middle School the Social Studies curriculum ranges from the beginnings of western civilization after the fall of the Roman Empire, to the calamitous events of the World Wars in the 20th Century, and in order that our students can plunge into their learning, these vast subjects are made real
medieval times crosses the
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onks, crusading knights, peasants infested with bubonic plague and viking raiders roamed the ASP corridors in the dramatic culmination of a month long investigation of the Middle Ages by our Middle Schoolers. Medieval Day is the moment when our scholarly 6th graders live out the results of their detailed inter-disciplinary research projects rooted in Social Studies. Social Studies coordinator Mary Carley explains: “We pick right up in Grade 6 where they leave off in Grade 5 with the Romans, and examine the Empire’s collapse and how western civilization started to rebuild itself. The Middle Ages is a uniquely European period of history and since November the students have been engaged in research projects which cross disciplines between Social Studies, Language Arts, French, Drama and Art. “It all starts with extensive research projects which are graded in every aspect; developing research questions, search words, notes, references, how to select sources and write a bibliography etc. From that research, they develop a character, either fictional or real and the characters are all brought together in the four Medieval villages on Medieval Day and played by the students in full costume. “We start the day with a drama improvisation session on the PAC stage which was marked out Dogville-style by the 6th grade Ensemble Theater class The Aspect - December 2010
with the Lord’s Castle, the monastery, the bakery and all the other elements of a medieval village including a river from which the Viking boats might invade! “Fully warmed up, the students go to their ‘villages’ and present themselves to their fellow villagers in formal presentations which are again graded for oratory and communications skills as well creativity and credibility… and they are filmed by the students themselves, bringing technology to the Middle Ages! This is a key part of the day, with the focus on student-to-student teaching and learning as they listen to monks talking about their work, or a peasant presenting about the Black Death or a knight explaining the crusades.
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come alive… through innovative experiential interdisciplinary projects. Middle School Director Kathy Miner said: “It is very well documented that this is how Middle Schoolers learn best – these are the years when experiential learning is the most developmentally appropriate way of approaching education.”
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“This form of presentation also reinforces the work from Language Arts examining historical fiction and understanding how blending fiction with fact can make a story utterly compelling.” In Art the students have also been working hard to create the backdrops for the filming, the banners for the parade and exploring the techniques and designs of the time with breathtaking stain glass windows and illuminated letters. Art Teachers Ana Wier and Stacey Wilson explain the beautiful displays of stained glass windows and illuminated letters adorning the Middle School corridors: “Each individual piece reflects the time, effort, and enthusiasm every student put into this project. However, seeing them together as a whole is a feast for the eyes! Behind the scenes and in the process, students gained new
skills in drawing and color theory. They also experienced the intricate technique of applying gold leaf to parchment.” And in a dramatic finale, all the 6th graders took the Middle Ages to our Lower School with a musical parade. Mary Carley said: “In Language Arts
the students also study Medieval Ballads, which they then translate and set to music in their French classes and which is sung as the medieval community parades through Lower School performing to the fascinated younger students.” Next stop the Renasissance! The Aspect - December 2010
10/middle school social stUdies
Making history come alive…
a twenty-First century approach to the First world war By Dave Lynn
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t is 8 o’clock in the evening and French General Ferdinand Foch is messaging his friend, a German cook on Facebook. They are commenting on a video clip, just posted by a British nurse, a clip regarding the condition of battlefield trenches. All three are quite excited because the next day they would all travel together on a bus to Verdun where they would visit a fort and spend the night in a monastery. While this might seem unlikely in history, it is happening at ASP! Behind each of these characters is an ASP eighth grade student, using his or her own research, class notes, a bit of imagination and the wonders of Facebook to bring history to life. The study of the First World War is the focus of a five-week cross-curricular unit presented to eighth graders each November. The unit aims to offer insight into the reasons why the First World War started,
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how it evolved, and the lasting impact it has had since the peace treaty was signed at nearby Versailles in 1919. In addition to studying the history of the conflict, students study the writings and poetry of soldiers, participate in simulations, investigate the trenches and forts of Verdun in an extended field trip and tie together their findings in a cumulative perspectives project. Eighth grader Andreas Tonckens, who adopted the character of Gustav Mullerbaker, a chef, said: “When we got to Verdun we had a real idea of what happened there, and because of the research projects we were always looking for what our character would have seen or done in those places.” Joaquin Giorgi added: “The preparation was what made the trip great. We thought like soldiers. Otherwise we would have been super bored!” The Perspectives Project has been developed over the years and allows the student to step into the shoes of a participant in the First World War. Students choose from various nationalities and select an identity from a list of roles
including: trench soldier, lieutenant, general, cook, medic, priest or common citizen. Using this as a foundation, students begin to shape their character using information gathered from their textbook, excerpts of the novel “All Quiet on the Western Front”, class notes and individual research. The project culminates with a portfolio of studentcreated documents, related to their character, including letters home, journal entries, poems, sketches, battle plans and photographs. This year, students used the online social media phenomenon, “Facebook”, as a means of having their characters interact. Using specially designed email
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addresses, students created Facebook pages based on the characters they created and the information they gathered through their research. Teachers also created their own time-appropriate identities. Students were only allowed to let other ASP First World War characters “befriend” their characters, ensuring a safe and realistic online environment. Students were required to post a thorough character biography, two quotes and five researched images with
captions. As the project evolved, students posted historical YouTube videos, created time-appropriate group pages and participated in a series of Facebook-based trivia battles during the weekend leading up to the Verdun trip. Eighth grader Jung-Yoon Ha who played a French citizen, living in village destroyed during the war, said: “The interaction on Facebook made the characters more alive. It made us think more deeply about the character and what they would think and say and do, so we had to do more research that we wouldn’t think of otherwise.” Andreas Tonckens said: “Most students had Facebook pages already, but I didn’t so it was really exciting and it was much more interesting than just writing a report on paper and with all the interaction we could really understand what their lives were like.”
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And 8th grader, Sid Cairae said: “There was a lot of nationalism too with Germans yelling at the English and the French. People behaved differently from different countries and we lived that on Facebook.” The climax of the unit was the overnight visit to Verdun, location of one of the most significant World War I battles. Students explored the famous Citadelle Souterrian, and toured Fort Douaumont, which changed hands between the French and Germans several times. After a visit to the Memorial Museum, students spent the evening sleeping at a nearby monastery where they viewed the movie, “Joyeux Noël” a tri-lingual film that features the Christmas Truce of 1914. On the second day, students spent time in the Ossuaire and compared the German and American Cemeteries. The final stop of the trip was a walk around the trenches of Vauquois where the earth will forever mark the scars of that timeperiod. Throughout the entire two-day visit, students keep notes in a special packet that focused on having them view the sights based on the point of view of their First World War perspective. They also collected brochures and took photographs for their portfolio. Based on the submitted First World War perspectives portfolios, and class presentations that followed, students demonstrated a clear understanding of how pointless and horrifying war can be. They gained an appreciation for the soldiers and other non-combatants who served either in or near the trenches. Students also recognized the challenges faced by the generals and war leaders who navigated a complex war with new technology and tactics. They also came to realize the cause-and-effect relationship between events of ninetyfive years ago, and world events in the century that followed.
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12/athletics
Building Teams By Han Hoegen
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e have entered the Winter season and well over a hundred Upper and Middle School students tried out for a spot on the basketball and swim teams. Coaches have a tough job picking their teams in grouping young student athletes together in what they think will be a team with the qualities needed to be successful. This can vary from looking at basic skills in basketball or a certain stroke in swimming to getting the best out of the athletes with the tools they have to offer. In an international school setting the teams do not have the luxury of growing together over the years, however, with new team members arriving every year there is an exciting richness added to team selection, and equally, departures ensure there will
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always be opportunities for new players. It is certainly not an easy task, always keeping in mind that academics come first and the importance of merging the roles of coach and educator. Our first away basketball trip of the season was to Brussels at St. John’s International School with the boy’s and girl’s JV and Varsity teams and although every team plays to win, there is a bigger picture. On the way back on the bus ride I spoke to junior Karson from the Girl’s Varsity team after they had won both their games convincingly over the weekend. From a student’s perspective Karson noted the following on participating on sports teams at ASP: “Balancing sports and school can sometimes be difficult, especially once you start the IB and AP programs in junior and senior year, and your work load starts to pick up. In my opinion, however, there is a lot of value in participating in the sports program at ASP. Though it does take up a lot of time between practices during the week and home games or sports trips on the weekends, personally I find that sports actually helps me in my school work. It is a nice break in the day so that you don't go to school for six hours, and then go home and do more work there. Exercise is always good, and I find that after getting back from practice, I am more energized and focused in my school work. Furthermore, sports provide an amazing opportunity to meet different types of people from all over Europe. You have the opportunity to make
friends through housing each other not just once, but then seeing them later on in the season or during another season. Being on the cross country, basketball, and track team my three years here has definitely added to my ASP experience. One of my favorite parts about ASP is certainly the sports, to a large extent because of the teams. The coaches are great, and there is always a strong sense of community in the ASP sports teams. Win or lose you work together, train together, and play together to help each other reach team and individual goals. You bond through challenging practices or long bus rides together, and by the end of the season you really have a sort of family, and you're there for each other no matter what. I'm glad that I have had the opportunity in my time at ASP to be able to participate in the sports programs. It has truly enhanced my experience here, and is one of my favorite parts about going to school at ASP.” For full results of all games and meets and the upcoming Rebels schedule visit www.asparis.org/athletics