Reflections Volume 7 Fall 2022 A Student Journal of the Arts Alumni Association Logos
This issue is dedicated to Penny Allen, Lower Division Head, Former Lower Division Teacher, and Alumni Parent, who retired from The College School at the end of the 2022 school year.
Penny’s calm and caring nature are two of her defining characteristics as well as her ability to so easily see the good in everyone. Quick to lend a hand, Penny happily shares the beautiful flowers from her garden and finds great joy in the children who cross her path. Penny’s wit, smile, laugh, and presence will be greatly missed, but she is sure to be one of those educators whose name is inextricably and forever linked to The College School. Vladdy KindergartenA.
Arts Journal Project Coordinator Leah DevelopmentZueger & Communications Associate Cover Kindergarten,Artwork:Class of 2030
House Banners - Fifth Grade, Class of 2025
Annabel C. Fourth Grade
Isaac FourthH.Grade
Evie P. First Grade Nora H. First GradeWakely C. First Grade
Cori L. Fifth Grade Maddy P. Fifth Grade Zayna J. Fifth Grade
By Sophia N., Fifth Grade 1941-1942; Athens Greece; Asterousia Mountains, Crete World War II began in 1939. A year and a half later, my great-grandfather, Mimi, was dragged into the chaos. Before the War, he attended a prestigious medical school to become a doctor and lived with his mother and father in Athens, Greece. After nearly completing his studies, Mimi worked for the Red Cross, proudly supporting Greek soldiers. Greece was brought into the War on April 6, 1941, when Germany invaded. The Ger mans captured Mimi along with other members of the Red Cross, taking them to a facility on the island of Crete and forcing them to work for their army.
Mimi never gave up on his search for Panayota and finally found her months later. During the time of his capture, Panayota and her family found safety in the countryside for five months hid ing from the Nazi soldiers who were hunting them. When the family arrived back in Athens, there was no one left in their family except for Panayota and her mother. Her father and brother both died protecting their family.
Mimi and Panayota were very excited to see each other, in spite of their hardships. Joyous tears were shed, and love was spread, building a family that continues to grow to this day.
While he was walking without clothing in the mountains he came across a shepherd who gave him aid. The shepherd took Mimi to his boat and gave him clothing, fresh water, food, and trans portation back to Athens.
During daylight, the prisoners were constantly being watched by the German guards. They did not stand a chance of escaping. At night, before the guards would go to sleep, they took away the prisoners’ clothes and any supplies the doctors might be able to use to help the Greek Resis tance, like pain medication, surgical equipment, ropes, stethoscopes, and stationery kits.
Three days later, they arrived in Athens only to find everything dark and empty. Homes were bombed with rooves caved in; families were starving and scared for their lives. He was sad to see the sight but the only thing my great-grandfather could think about was where his true love Panayota could be. Mimi and Panayota had only seen each other a few times, but they both knew they were destined to be together forever. Panayota and her mother were from Athens, and her father was from Austria. Her father was a general in the king’s cavalry.
Despite the lack of supplies, Mimi was determined to flee. One night, he leaped through the stone window into the warm air and did not look back until he reached the Asterousia Mountains.
Love Grown In War
Olly P. Fourth Grade
Wilderness Senses
I am standing on the edge of a cliff at Devil’s Sandtable in Giant City State Park, Illinois. A gust of wind blows my hair and pulls at my helmet. I look out at the creek and trees below me. A rush of fear envelopes me, and I inhale and push myself to rappel down. I see a falcon gracefully soar overhead, swift as a wave in the ocean. I have to take the first step. (touch) I feel the uneven rock beneath my feet. My sneakers scuff against the sandstone, and it’s rough as sandpaper. I feel my heart pounding inside of my chest and the slick, weathered rope against the palms of my trembling hands. (sound) I hear the clatter of people climbing below – people still awaiting this extraordinary experience. I hear myself breathing quickly as I notice the person leading the rappel has stopped talking. I take a deep breath and close my eyes (smell) as I fling myself over the edge of a 75’ bluff, smell the creek beneath me and the smell of food from our lunches down below. But in the meantime, I just enjoy the moment.
By Ellie W., Sixth Grade (sight)
Anna K. Third Grade S. Third Grade
Nora
Top row, left to right: Ann M., Cami C., Ben W. - Third Grade Bottom row, left to right: Rafferty M., Violet E. - Third Grade
Alex FourthM.Grade
The Flowers of Spring By Sabine A., Sixth Grade Caleb M. Second Grade Alexander M. Second Grade Hamza O. Second Grade Jack SecondT. Grade Xavier O. Second Grade Joylin SecondB.Grade Claire SecondH.Grade Drew SecondS. Grade
Abbie T., Eighth Grade Lailah M., Seventh Grade
Solo Night
Ellie SixthW.Grade
Wilderness Senses
By Sammy S., Sixth Grade
The night air was cold but not harsh. [Sound] The wind was mostly still, and the woods were silent aside from the occasional dripping of water. The water dripping down would hit my sleeping bag, but there was never enough of it to soak through. [Sight] As I lay there, the only things I could see were the damp, mossy rocks above me and the dark silhouette of a tree that swayed at the slightest gust of wind. When I sat up to put my flashlight away, I realized how cold it actually was. At that moment, I was grateful for my warm, cozy sleeping bag that hugged me nice and tight all night long. [Touch] When I laid back down to close my eyes, I felt drowsy but calm, and although I was just sleeping on dirt, it felt just as good as a bed. Then, laying still, I slowly fell asleep.
Maggie Q.
Third ThirdRaffertyGradeM.Grade
Scarlet B. Eighth Grade
The Best Leaders Can Be Those Who Struggle the Most
Eighth Grade Graduation Speech
By Scarlet B.
On the first day of the Sixth Grade Wilderness Experience, my half group rappelled from the top of the 80’ tall Makanda Bluff. From the bottom, it seemed to be too perfect to have come from na ture. It looked like the rock had been sawed in half. From the top, the view of the land around me was beautiful. As I watched my peers descend the cliff and push through their fears, my turn to rappel drew closer. Once I was standing on the edge, looking at my classmates on the grass below, and my fear hit me. The way down looked far. My harness hurt. I began to cry. Slowly, I rappelled down, crying the entire time. At the bottom, I realized I was so scared that I hadn’t been able to enjoy it. So in Eighth Grade, when I heard that we would be rappelling again on our all-Middle School Stewardship trip, I was excited about the new opportunity. I told myself that I would try to enjoy the rappel.
The view from the bottom of Green’s Cave on the first day of our trip was breathtaking. A small stream flowed from the darkness of the cave. Water dripped from its limestone walls. It was almost too beautiful, too extreme, too tall to feel like it was real. I didn’t know how tall it was, but it was definitely taller than Makanda Bluff; definitely taller than 80’. Just the sight of the cave from the bottom struck fear inside me. When our class split into groups, one to rappel first and one to stay at the bottom and rappel last, I knew I wasn’t choosing the first group. Darel said the first group was for the confident people. I was not confident. From the ground I watched my classmates lower themselves down from the top of the cliff. They made it look easy. Maybe it was easy for them. After the first group had all rappelled, and we had eaten lunch, it was time for my group to go up. I tried to ignore my building fear as we trudged up the steep trail to the rappel site. At the top, we were greeted by Jon from vertical voyages, Fifth Grade teacher
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Beckett A.,
Scott McClintock, and Darel Shelton. Them, and the beautiful view. Below was the Meramec River, clumps of tall trees, and green cow pastures. Above us, vultures soared on strong winds in the cloudless, blue sky—an almost comical reminder of how deadly a fall from the top of the cliff would be. I didn’t want to be the first to rappel, and I didn’t want to be the last, but every time one of my friends reached the bot tom and their belayer asked who wanted to go next, I stayed quiet. Finally, it was my turn. I was the last person, aside from the few people who had decided not to rappel. I was clipped into Darel’s belay, and he instructed me to lean back in my harness. He told me I could trust the gear, that nothing bad would happen, and that my only roadblock would be fear. I tried to lean back and lower myself down, but the ground felt too uneven for me to trust my footing. I didn’t trust the ropes to keep me from leaning too far back. I couldn’t move. I was stuck. Once again, I started to cry. I don’t know how long I stood there, strapped into my harness, stuck, but eventually, I un clipped from my harness to join the group of people having a hard time rappelling. They were practicing by rappelling on the hillside. When the rest of the group left to go back to the rappel site, I continued to rappel on the hill, where I wasn’t scared. When I came back up to the cliffside, Magdalene decided to try to rappel. She did a great job, despite almost not trying at all. That gave me hope. After she reached the bottom, I was clipped into the harness again. This time, I better understood how to lower myself because I had practiced on the hill. Slowly, I leaned back and began to lower myself. My footing still felt wrong. My harness began to hurt, and I remembered the same thing happening in Sixth Grade. Again, I started to cry. Still, I continued to lower myself down, crying, until I reached the part of the cliff where my feet couldn’t touch the rock anymore. Once I was off the rock, it wasn’t so scary. The view of the cave was incredible, and my classmates started cheering. Once at the bottom, I actually felt proud of myself. I was excited to use my experience to help the younger students rappel on our second rappel day. Seventh Grade...continued
Somehow, on our second day of rappelling, Green’s Cave looked even taller than before. As we stood at the bottom of the cave, Joy, a sixth grader, ap proached me. She asked if we had to rappel. I told her no, we weren’t required to rappel but that I think it’s beneficial to get clipped into the harness and make your decision then. I told her about Magda lene. How Magdalene had chosen not to rappel before trying and then how she decided to be clipped in and did a great job rappelling. When the group that I was in started the long hike to the top, Joy was with us. At the top of the cliff, Darel gave us instructions, and the first two people rappelled. I talked to the sixth and seventh graders about my experience rappelling. I told them I was scared, but that I was glad I did it in the end. I wanted to use my struggles to help people that were scared like I was. After a few people had rappelled, Jansen, who was the other eight grader in my group, learned how to belay, and started belaying, and I was clipped into a separate rope so that I could stand closer to the people rappelling. Eventually, It was Joy’s turn to go. She was clipped in and slowly started to step down the cliffside. I could tell she was scared. After a few steps, she asked Darel if she could stop and climb back up. Darel told her that she could, but it might Jansen D., Eighth Grade
be more difficult than rappelling down. She took a few more steps and asked again if she could come back up. I suggested that she take just a few more steps, and she did. I told her what I had learned about rappelling myself. She was on the same rope that I had been on, so I could give her tips on areas that I struggled with. Soon, Joy reached the bottom. I was proud of her for making it and proud of myself for being able to help her. I felt like a leader, even though I had never before considered myself to be one. For as long as I can remember, I have had a cer tain idea of what a leader is. I thought a leader was always very brave and outgoing; that a leader was always someone who easily gets past their fears and overcomes challenges. Someone unlike me. At the beginning of our Field Eco theme this year, we were given the journal prompt, What type of leader are you? I had no idea what to write. I wanted to simply write that I am not a leader because I didn’t think that I was. I didn’t think that I was capable of leadership. I started comparing myself to the class that was in Eighth Grade when I was a sixth grader. I compared myself to the students in that class that I thought were good leaders, but all of them were very different than me. I ended up writing only, I don’t know. I’m not real ly used to leadership and resorted to drawing smiley faces at the top of my page for the remainder of our reflecting time. I’ve come to realize, however, that while many good leaders are brave, outgoing, and seemingly fearless, that’s not always the case. Sometimes, the best leaders are the ones that were afraid. Sometimes the best leaders can be those who struggle the most.
It’s a slide, and you go around in circles. This is where you stop. You can go around as much as you want. You press this button to stop. There is a jellyfish. The people have to dodge the jellyfish so it doesn’t sting them. There is a bridge over the slide. There is also a kite that flies up in the air during the obstacle course. Here is the circle around it that makes it stay in. In case you want to get out of the obstacle course, you go on the slide like this, then go across this line, and then out!
This is a block, and this is a spinner wheel. You need to be really careful on it. This is a life stander and a teenie platform. You walk on this and then climb on here and jump up. You climb up this ladder and then go here. This is the rooftop. And that’s it!
Obstacle Course Study
Tallulah S., Big Bend
Ruby S., Big Bend
Nolan W., Big Bend
They line up here in a big line. First, they jump over a big rainbow. Then they go under a tunnel. Then they go over a cheetah’s back and then under an elephant’s trunk. Then they dive and go deep into the ocean and go under the ocean and then climb back up a mountain. Then they get dirty in the mud, in a big pile of mud. They climb up a wall and it ends when they jump over the whole house! And that’s the end of the obstacle course.
Ella B., Sixth Grade
Charlotte B. Newport Corliss NewportT. Ivanka NewportC. Maddy NewportB. Libby K. Newport
Marley B. Fourth Grade Maxwell A. Second Grade
Stella FourthB.GradePreston E. Eighth Grade
Sammy S., Sixth Grade
Layla FourthC.GradeMarleyR.SecondGrade
Cover Kindergarten,Artwork:Class of 2030 Vladdy A., Henry B., Damacia B., Nina C., Ryland E., Reid G., Jack H., Chaise J., Grace K., Morgan K., Annabelle L., Milo M., Georgia M., Gust O., Maxine R., Ava S., Benji S., Felix S., Ciara S., Pete T., Kalli W.
Preschool-Eighth Grade 7825 Big Bend Blvd. Webster Groves, MO thecollegeschool.org63119 Alumni Association Logos (One color when grayscale not available)
