SEVEN HILLS The Buzz
A Brief Word from Chris Garten
December 9, 2010
Seven Hills Chorus on Fountain Square, WSTR!
At their festive convocation, the Doherty community celebrates its long-standing relationship with the Open Door; students unveil scarves, blankets, and hats they’ve been crafting for weeks. Some Lotspeich students perform a holiday musical at a retirement home and distribute home-made gifts to the residents. Others lead the annual Mitten Tree drive to benefit families in Madisonville, decking a holiday tree with warm clothing for needy children. Middle School students conduct a Hunger Banquet, simulating the deprivation of the Third World. They host developmentally-challenged visitors from Starfire University and the Director of the Caring Place, and inspired to “pay it forward,” they plan an elaborate drive for food, toiletries, coats, and toys. Upper School students cultivate facial hair to raise awareness of prostate cancer and plan an “alternative spring break” to build homes in Appalachia. These projects provide a host of opportunities for our young people to lead and to devote their talents to bettering the lives of others. We have a great deal to celebrate! Chris Garten, Head of School
Seven Hills named one of Top Five Academic Schools in Ohio The Seven Hills School was named one of the Top Five Academic Schools in Ohio in a study published this week by Gerber Analytics, LLC. This is the third year in a row that Seven Hills has achieved this distinction. This annual study identifies the best schools in Ohio based on each school’s performance on the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT). Continued next page
See page 6 for photos of chorus members making their awesome new scarves!
Watch for the Upper School Chorus on the “WSTR-TV Holiday Carols” program this holiday season. The chorus, Director Tina Groom, and Accompanist Lynne Miller gave a beautiful performance of two songs—“Joy to the World” and “Al Shlosha D’Varim” (translated from Hebrew to mean “The world is sustained by three things: by truth, by justice, and by peace”). The Channel 64 (cable channel 11) will air the program at these times: Sunday, Dec. 19, 8:00–10pm; Friday, Dec. 24, 10pm–Midnight; Saturday, Dec. 25, Noon–2pm; Sun, Dec. 26, Noon–2pm. This is the Seven Hills Chorus’ third year to perform on the program.
Three juniors launch environmental action website MyActions.org Three juniors are responsible for an environmental action website whose results are reaching as far as the Arctic. Michael Young, Jack Tyndall, and Daniel McKinnon created the website, MyActions.org, to encourage people worldwide to track the environmental impact of their actions and train themselves to develop environmentally sustainable habits. Michael Young said, “We started this project because of our concern for climate change and its effect on polar bears.” The project grew from Michael’s lifelong passion for polar bears and his participation in the Polar Bears International Teen Leadership Camp in October in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, the polar bear capital of the world. The camp empowers teen Arctic Ambassadors to educate others about the effects of climate change on
Jack, Michael, and Daniel
polar bears and to organize conservation projects in their communities to work toward reducing the greenhouse gases that are shrinking the bears’ habitat. Michael enlisted the support of fellow
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The OGT evaluates the performance of high school students in the areas of math, reading, social studies, science and writing. The OGT tests are administered by the Ohio Department of Education to tenth graders in all 1018 public, independent and charter schools across the state. This year, just 63 schools, or 6.2% of schools in Ohio, had 91% of their tenth grade students pass all five portions of the test. The proficiency rate for students at Seven Hills was 98%, the third highest in the state. In addition, Seven Hills was listed among the top ten schools in the state in all five subject areas and was cited for excellence in nine of the ten performance categories. Seven Hills is the only co-ed school in the state to achieve this “Top Five” distinction.
environmental enthusiasts Jack Tyndall and Daniel McKinnon, as well as the web design expertise of his father, Craig Young, and MyActions.org was launched. In the months since its launch, the group has made numerous presentations to organizations and individuals interested in developing new habits with far-reaching environmental impact. The website states, “Research tells us that people develop new habits in just three weeks. So sign up now for our threeweek Green Action Team program. To complete the program, just come to this website several times during three weeks and enter your energy saving and CO2 reducing actions. Your actions will com-
WINTER SHAKESPEARE! The school community is invited to WINTER SHAKESPEARE, three evenings of food, fellowship and Shakespeare, in the Young Family Library. Organized by 2010-2011 Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Writer in Residence and Upper Creative Writing teacher Mia Nussbaum (pictured at right), the first evening took place on December 3; the next two will be on Friday, January 7, and Friday, Febuary 11. Please join other Seven Hills faculty, staff, students and families as they partake in a potluck dinner while reading Shakespeare plays. All are welcome; sign up to read a particular part, bring a dish, come and listen or just stop by for a bite to eat. Dinner and reading begins at 5:30pm. Email mia.nussbaum@7hills.org for more information or if you’d like to sign up.
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bine with the actions of others to make a real difference toward our ultimate goal of sustainability.” These actions are as simple as turning off lights, buying locallygrown food, or recycling a newspaper. Supporters can help Michael, Jack, and Daniel in a Polar Bears International team competition in December by entering their actions on MyActions.org: Go to “Build My Relationships” and search for “Seven Hills School” then select “Seven Hills School” and choose “Become Seven Hills School’s student, staff or supporter.” On behalf of Michael, Jack, Daniel and the polar bears, thank you!
A look at what’s happening at Upper School
See page 7 for Middle School, page 12 for Lotspeich, and page 17 for Doherty Alex Markovits, Emily Bedell, Katie Cirulli, Jonathan Tiao.
Senior Virgilio Urbina Lazardi won five Best Speaker Awards at the Junior State of America convention in November. He won for every session in which he spoke. News that was announced after our fall sports report: Senior goalkeeper Ian McNamara was named to the All-State First Team and voted SW Ohio District Player of the Year (Division III)!
Four Seven Hills juniors won First Place in the Chinese Singing Competition on November 13 at Miami University. The Mandarin Chinese I students of teacher Peggy Liu Lovro are Emily Bedell, Katie Cirulli, Jonathan Tiao, and Alex Markovits. They competed in the high school category for groups of 2–5, and each won a certificate and a $200 prize.
It was wonderful to have celebrated alum pianist and composer and Bowdoin College graduate Ahmad Muhammad (’06) perform at Seven Hills on November 22 and 23 at a lunchtime concert and the traditional Thanksgiving assembly, as well as working with John Rising’s instrumental students (George Taliaferro and Gabe Blanco are pictured above). Ahmad’s jazz trio, Ahmad Hassan Muhammad Trio, is on a two-month national tour to bring improvisational music to non-traditional jazz venues, including K-12 schools, colleges and universities, boys and girls clubs, and hospitals across the country. For more information on the tour, go to Ahmad Muhammad tour.
Teacher Peggy Lovro said, “The Chinese Singing Competition was organized by the Confucius Institute at Miami Univer-
sity to promote the Chinese lanaguage and culture and to enrich the students’ learning experience. Emily and Katie sang a traditional Chinese folk song—‘Jasmine Flower’—with beautiful voices and elegant stage presence. Jonathan and Alex did a wonderful job accompanying the singers with their violin performance.” Seven Hills added Mandarin Chinese I to its foreign language curriculum last year and added Mandarin Chinese II this year.
The December calendar is filled with many events that showcase our talented students of all ages. Check our website for dates and times. Some of the members of the ensemble cast: (front) Ari Shifman, Mia Perlman, Ryan MacKenzie; (back) Luke Beckwith, Olivia Williams, Libby Carter, Nathan Markiewitz, and John Lewis.
The Upper School will present The Manhattan Project’s Alice in Wonderland, December 9 at 7:00 pm and December 10-11 at 8:00 pm. The play will be presented in the Thomson Theater of the Donovan Arts Center. Donation is $6 for adults and $5 for students, and tickets will be sold at the door. For more information, phone 272-5360. page 3
Personal Challenge Sharing Day
Projects ranged from metal sculpting/welding to novel writing to international cooking, as Upper students shared their Personal Challenges with the school community on November 9.
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The Contemporary Ensemble at the Upper/Lotspeich Thanksgiving assembly.
“My Spanish 4 class is currently studying the cultural aspect of dining and food,” said Senora Bardon. “The students are preparing a mock dining experience with traditional tapas like shrimp kabobs, sangria, goat cheese, Spanish ham, octopus, etc. to taste and experience a sit down dinner with their friends, as in Spain and Latin America.”
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The Seven Hills School’s
25th Annual Books for Lunch Proudly Presents
Michael Cunningham Pulitzer Prize-winning Author of The Hours Lecture Luncheon & Book Signing Friday, Feb. 4, 11:00 AM
Cintas Center at Xavier University
Dinner with Michael Cunningham Thursday, Feb. 3, 6:00 PM
At the Home of Freidoon & Shiva Ghazi Invitations will be mailed in December. For reservations or for more information, e-mail booksforlunch@gmail.com or phone 871-2098. Reservations are requested by January 15.
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Ms. Slater’s Directing students presented “Three Days of Ten-Minute Plays” Dec. 1-3 at lunchtime in the Black Box Theater. The plays were Apres Opera; The Unintentional Video; Love and Peace, Mary Jo (pictured abvoe); Eating Out; and Gave Her the Eye.
When the chorus members sang on Fountain Square for the WSTR Holiday Carols program and when they performed at their winter concerts, they wore colorful, new winter scarves, which they made themselves with the much-appreciated help of parent Mary Barr.
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A look at what’s happening at Middle School As part of their study of the novel Lord of the Flies, eighth grade English students got a taste of the challenges of jungle living. Small teams of students completed these survival skills in a limited amount of time: building a hut (or reasonable facsimile) to sleep two; peeling and equally dividing a kiwi, using just their fingers; and building two weapons, one for protection and one for life-promoting purposes. The eighth graders’ study of Lord of the Flies will be further enhanced as art students gradually transform Mrs. Maupin’s classroom into a jungle over the upcoming weeks. Seventh grader Holly O’Neal and sixth grader Noelle O’Neal were each in separate riding competitions and scored well. Holly came won First Place at the Majestic Farm Autumn View Combined Test, winning both the dressage and stadium jumping events on her horse McFlurry. On her horse, Coco, Noelle took second place at the Walnut Creek Fall Invitational, an eventing competition involving dressage, stadium jumping, and crosscountry. She had perfect scores on the two jumping elements.
The Seven Hills fifth and sixth grade Boys Strikers team, “Team Antonsson,” ended its soccer season as the Ohio SAY Soccer State Tournament Runner-Up. The team’s impressive run also included a 15-3 overall record and a league championship. The Stingers were coached by Stefan Antonsson, John French, and Marty DeWitt.
The players were (front) Emil Balian, Andres Antonsson, George NeCastro, Chase Gardner, Nick French, Sam Gosiger, Max Routh, Danny Rogers; (back) Vaibhav Vagal, Miles DeWitt, Tindar Cyr, Randy Vaughn, Patrick Samaha, Robby Shaffer, Ben Schiff, Charlie Karamanoukian. Not pictured: Alex Kreines and Matt Kreines.
Antigone
Mrs. Yancey said, “After the sixth graders studied Edgar A. Poe, they each learned Continued next page
Congratulations to the cast, crew, and Director Kristin Henderson for an ambitious and impressive production of Antigone. An original adaptation written for the Middle School by Mrs. Henderson, the Sophocles play illustrated the Seven Hills value on which the school is focused this year: fairness and justice. Following Antigone’s words, “What a person can do, a person ought to do,” the play asked the question, “How much would you risk to stand up for what’s right?” page 7
and sang a stanza from ‘The Raven.’ They could put their stanza to any type of music. They definitely had fun composing and singing.”
Sixth and eighth graders spent November 23 learning about and helping the homeless in the Cincinnati community. The students made individual loaves of apple plum bread for the residents of Tender Mercies, which provides housing and supportive services for homeless people with chronic mental illness in Over-the-Rhine.
As part of their yearlong bird study, sixth grader science students have the opportunity to work with ornithologist professors Dr. Dave Russell and Dr. Jill Russell. Dr. Dave is pictured banding a bird from the Middle School Bird Garden.
The Middle School Physical Education staff hosted Diane Fall, a yoga instructor from the Mercy Health Plex facility, on November 8. PE classes are now in a two-week unit of cooperative games. Ms. Leonard said, “The students will engage in group and individual challenges and cooperative games. They will be learning problem solving skills, teamwork, and communication skills, as well as leadership skills through these challenges.”
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This is Seven Hills’ fifth year for this service learning project and the first year in which sixth graders joined the eighth graders. The project was inspired by Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory,” in
which a young boy bonds with an older member of his household through the process of baking fruit bread. As part of their bread baking day, students were given a look at the lives of homeless and needy people by Jeni Jenkins, Education Coordinator of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, and by Jonathan Adee, Volunteer Services Manager of Tender Mercies. The students presented Adee with over 150 loaves of bread at the school’s Thanksgiving assembly.
Middle Schoolers had a glimpse of the gaps between First and Third World people during their Mini Hunger Banquet on November 17. Representing 15% of the world’s population that are First World citizens, students sat at tables and were served many treats by faculty. Representing the 25% of the world’s population that are Second World citizens, students sat on an inadequate number of chairs and shared pretzels and water. Students representing the 60% of the world population that are Third World citizens sat on the floor and scrambled for one package of crackers and inadequate water. Based on the Oxfam America Hunger Banquet® event, the Middle School mini banquet was part of the school’s focus this year on the value of fairness and justice and kicked off the Middle School Food Drive.
Students learned that the availability of good food was only one of the disparities that separated the First, Second, and Third World citizens.
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Outstanding Middle School Instrumental and Choral Concer ts
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Congratulations to Choral Music Director Tina Groom, Instrumental Music Director John Rising, and their talented musicians for outstanding performances. Watch for more concerts in the upcoming months.
Check out this major art installation in the Middle School Commons! “First semester art students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades created recycled trees to return the materials to their original form,” said Mrs. Donovan. “This installation—Back to Nature: Origin of Paper—was inspired by the work of artist Tara Donovan. We spent nine days constructing this collaborative piece. Students started by weaving newspaper onto wire armatures. The armatures were wrapped around existing columns to create our recycled forest.”
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A look at what’s happening at Lotspeich “Second grade completed a unit focusing on the non-fiction genre and the strategies needed to read non-fiction material effectively,” said Mrs. Necessary. “Students learned about tools like table of contents, index, glossary, labels, cutaways, flowcharts, timelines, comparisons, captions, and close-ups. As a culminating project, students chose an animal of interest and created a non-fiction poster. Students applied the skills they learned to compose paragraphs about their animal and utilize three or more nonfiction tools on their poster to help readers learn more about their animal. Second grade knows non-fiction!”
Mrs. Riser said, “Lotspeich fifth grade sponsored the UNICEF drive this Halloween at Lotspeich. It was UNICEF’s 60th anniversary. Over $1000 was raised again this year. The fifth grade counted the boxes during math class, recorded the box totals, and found the mean, median, and mode for the amount of money per individual box.” Second graders have been studying winter holidays—Hanukkah, Las Posadas, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, and page 12
“The Lotspeich first and fifth grade buddies recently spent a morning at the Cincinnati Zoo as part of the first graders’ study of animal habitats and the fifth graders’ study of scale in math,”said Mrs. Balskus. “Before the visit, the fifth graders measured themselves and their buddies, and they researched the size of a zoo animal in order to draw them all to a one foot = one inch scale.
“Upon their return to Lotspeich, the buddies spent the afternoon together making a diorama of their chosen Zoo animal in its natural habitat. The projects included the scale drawings made by the fifth graders and colored with the first graders. Together they gathered materials to make cooperatively designed habitats. Technology continues to expand our teaching.”
Go to the Lotspeich Corner on our website for many more photos and movies of Lotspeich events and activities.
First graders learned about the Hindu holiday of Diwali— Festival of Lights— from parents Nupur Anand, Raji Ghosh, Balaji Purushothaman and Sangeeta Mathur, and the children painted beautiful diyas.
Christmas. Some students have begun sharing their own winter holiday customs and traditions with their classmates. Hannah Elluru (pictured) shared her family’s Hanukkah traditions, including a menorah passed down from her greatgrandmother. Second graders have also been working in music and drama on a winter holiday performance to be presented to the residents at The New England Club in Anderson and the Lotspeich community. Watch the Lotspeich Corner on our website for photos.
The fifth graders’ recent Greek mythology skits were videotaped by Technolody Resource Coordinator Mrs. Cohen, who posted them on the fifth grade web page for students and their families to enjoy. The Seven Hills fifth and sixth grade Boys Strikers team, “Team Antonsson,” ended its soccer season as the Ohio SAY Soccer State Tournament Runner-Up. See the photo on page 7. On November 16, the fifth grade was part of a fascinating webcast virtual field trip produced by Plimoth Plantation.
First graders in Mrs. Vitz’s class learned about the Jewish Festival of Lights— Hanukkah—when
Mrs. Robbie Michelman (pictured above),
grandmother of Evan, visited the students.
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Second graders enjoyed making negative ghosts with charcoal in art class.
Students enjoyed their karate sessions on December 1 and 3 with Sensei Scott Mastin and two other instructors from the Mastin School of Karate in Silverton.
First graders are doing a yearlong study of Nutrition focusing on the Five Food Groups. Miss Braun said, “Each month we will explore a different food group. November was Vegetable Month. The first graders learned that vegetables come from many parts of a plant including the leaves, stems, roots, fruits, bulbs, tubers and seeds. “The children had an opportunity to taste many different types of vegetables on Vegetable Tasting Day. Our tasting table was filled with many vegetables including cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, carrots, sweet peppers, sugar snap peas, spinach, asparagus, edamame, okra, cabbage, baby corn, and roasted parsnips. “Everyone tried something new and some may now have a new favorite vegetable.”
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“During Explorer’s Day, on December 2, fifth grade students practiced navigating like Columbus, for they learned to use compasses for direction, used a chip log to determine their speed, and wrote a rutter for another group to follow,” said Mrs. Balskus. ”They also tried communicating from ‘ship to ship,‘ using semaphore flags to give simple commands. “Students also learned how the quest for spices fueled the Age of European Exploration. Working in collaborative teams, they became spice experts by researching the origins and uses, drawing, and tasting individual spices.”
Thank you, Parent Volunteers, for another successful Holiday Boutique!
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Wonderful instrumental performances by Mrs. Wilson’s third and fifth grade students
And, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving at Seven Hills without the second graders’ Turkey Tango at the Lotspeich/Upper Thanksgiving assembly! The second graders were joined by veteran Turkey Tangoers— the Class of 2011.
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A look at what’s happening at Doherty The Seven Hills fifth and sixth grade Boys Strikers team, “Team Antonsson,” ended its soccer season as the Ohio SAY Soccer State Tournament Runner-Up. See the photo on page 7.
Mrs. Daily told us, “Doherty’s fifth grade students has a blast during their three days at the Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center. They learned, worked, played, got to know their classmates and learned about themselves. Students learned science and the local natural history of 1796, as they hiked through the forests and fields of the Glen. They experienced the nocturnal world on a Night Hike, saw live animals up close, and made a visit to the Yellow Spring. Students also learned important practices that will ultimately sustain our environment and reduce waste.”
On October 16, Doherty students Ryan Brackett, Reagan Brackett, and Sydney Painter walked in the fundraiser Cincinnati Walks for Kids, supporting Children’s Hospital.
Neharika Hegde-Lang’s parents came to Unit I to explore the area of Microbiology. Mrs. MacKenzie said, “The students watched videos showing closeups of bacteria and viruses in action. They created an hypothesis concerning the germs on their hands and then used petri dishes of agar to grow cultures from their hands when dirty and after they were cleaned. They even made their own hand sanitizer. Thank you to Neharika’s parents for their insightful visit.” Former Headmaster Peter Briggs recently visited with Unit I. It is a long-standing tradition for him to read Cranberry page 17
Go to the Doherty Corner on our website for many more photos and movies of Doherty events and activities.
Thanksgiving to the children on Grandperson’s Day. They enjoyed hearing about cranberry bogs in the East.
Josh Lewis, author of Super Chicken Nugget Boy and the Furious Fry, shared his book and his insights on writing with the students in the library. Mrs. Wolfe said, “Josh is married to former Doherty student and Seven Hills graduate Sarah Kay (’93), and he volunteered to donate
his time while he and Sarah were in town over Thanksgiving.The students howled through the many hilarious situations of the main character, Fern Goldberg. Josh shared some of his insights on writing, and inspired all to begin writing a story.” Last year, Mrs. Dawson’s homeroom class spent much of the spring sharing their daily lives, through photos and emails, with students in County Mayo, Ireland. The two classes exchanged teddy bears, and the communication between the classes was done through the eyes of the bears. The bear Doherty sent was named T.J., after Thomas Jefferson, and was dressed in U.S. Olympic attire. The bear from Ireland page 18
Unit II third graders went on a chilly, fun-filled yet educational field trip to the Rumpke Landfill, along with an Eco Walk through Corryville to view recycled art projects. Students learned about the issues of garbage and how they impact the environment by actually seeing where their garbage goes. On the Eco Walk, students focused on the “what, why and how” of recycling. They did a walking tour of storefront windows decorated with recycled art and then did a hands-on
art project using beads made from recycled products to make necklaces. They learned about an important worm program too. This trip was completely funded by “Keep Cincinnati Beautiful.” Their tour guide was Sadie Ferguson (’04), who works for KCB and is a former Doherty student and Seven Hills graduate. The Doherty students and teachers loved having her with them! For more information on great ways to recycle, visit KCB’s web site at keepcincinnatibeautiful.org.
was dressed in Irish colors, and he was even sporting a green wig! Mrs. Dawson said, “After a long stay, Fionn is now returning to Ireland. Please note that Fionn is now a big fan of The Seven Hills School; he will return to his homeland fashioning a Seven Hills sweatshirt and tye-dyed Seven Hills Soccer t-shirt. The iEARN-based project was an excellent way for students to share ‘A Day in Their Life’ and to learn the culture of another country!” Irish teacher Maria Molloy and Mrs. Dawson are currently communicating about when to Skype with their current classes, as they wish to keep the relationship and conversation about cultures going even though the bears are returning home. Fourth graders are studying flight and aerodynamics. The students are finding that changing variables on the surface of an airplane, such as the elevators and ailerons, will alter the way the plane flies. The students also take into consideration the principles of flight, Newton’s Third Law of Motion, and air pressure when they alter their planes. The final project, after many trial flights, with many plane designs, will be to design their own plane with the “controls” they feel will best allow the plane to fly in the manner that they are proposing.
First grader Anand Patil’s Dad, Dr. Patil, who is an Ear, Nose and Throat doctor, visited Unit I. He showed the students videos of a working voice box. They page 19
Grandpersons’ Day was a big hit! “Thank you to all of the special grandpersons who attended this time-honored event at Doherty,” said Mrs. MacKenzie. “The students gave wonderful presentations, sharing a special memory of their grandpersons. It’s a joy to watch them develop their stage presences and to see them become more and more comfortable with public speaking.” Here are just a very few of our special guests.
studied healthy vocal cords as they were speaking. Then they looked at some with “Boo Boos” from smoking. Thank you, Dr, Patil.
Unit II second graders were exploring volume as part of their Matter and Metrics unit of study. Mrs. MacKenzie said, “It got pretty wet and wild in the science lab.”
Mrs. Patil, Mrs. Kothari, and Mrs. HegdeLang discussed the Hindu holiday of Diwali. Unit I students saw pictures of the celebration, enjoyed traditional food, and completed a project. And all enjoyed a fashion show in tradition clothing. Mrs. Dawson’s fifth graders delivered 90 lunches to the Open Door on November 17. The students provided the supplies for the lunches, they assembled the sandwiches and packed them in bags that the kindergarten and Unit I students had decorated, along with brownies, hard boiled eggs, and apples. Not only do the Unit III homerooms deliver the lunches monthly, but Unit II students also provide various fruits to create a basket and teachers keep a box in the office for essentials that the clients may need. There was a packed house at the Open Door on November 17, and each client not only received one of these lunches made with TLC, but they also each received a fleece hat that was the product of the service project that the Unit III students participate in each year. The students enjoyed seeing that their helping hands and loving efforts were greatly appreciated by the clients of the Open Door Ministries. page 20
Senior Ryan MacKenzie paid a visit to the Doherty second grade to talk about his trip to China this past summer. The children have been studying China since the beginning of school and were excited to learn more about the country and its culture from a former student of Mrs. Roberts. As part of their studies of national parks, Unit I students learned about the erosion of the rock in the Grand Canyon caused by the Colorado River. Then the classes took a walk to find examples of erosion on campus.
Doherty makes a difference in the community with service projects throughout the grades
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