2010-2011 Module 3

Mathematics with Jenny Feaster

We are at the end of Module 3. Most students have been diligent and have completed their mid-semester requirements. If your student is at all falling behind in pace you will receive a Mid-Semester Warning. Please help encourage your child to get back on pace and avoid an Incomplete. There are a few students who have already finished their first semester requirements and are now working on second semester requirements. I have been pleased with the progress each student has made this module.

Students in the 7th and 8th Grade Upper School Math Classes will be taking the AMC 8 Mathematics test. This is a math contest that will recognize student achievement in mathematics. The test will be administered November 16, 2010.

Mathematics with Dan Hill

The students in my section have thus far been working pretty hard; the majority of them have remained on or ahead of pace for the first quarter. If your student has fallen behind pace, I will be assigning lots of homework, so be prepared for some whining.

I don't have anyone interested in the AMC 8 in my section, but I em do have some interest in the AMC 10, which is in the spring.

English with Jill Sugg

AP students handed in the final copy of their Academic Fair research paper. They wrote a definition paper and began writing personal journals.

Advanced English 8/9/10 handed in the rough draft of their research papers and began reading Charles Dickens' classic novel Great Expectations.

English 7/8 also handed in the rough draft of their research papers and did a unit on The Odyssey.

English and Social Studies with Matt Wilhelm

American History: Students have looked at the controversies regarding the creation and ratification of the Constitution, and issues related to the first decade of the United States.

Civics: Students have looked more in-depth at the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances, and looked at the controversies related to these that occurred during the presidency of George W. Bush.

Current Events: Students have learned basics of American government, such as political ideology, the role of parties, and basic principles of American government such as rule of law, limited government, separation of powers, and checks and balances.

World History: Students have looked at the origins of monotheism as well as contributions of the ancient Greeks via the philosophies of Socrates and Plato.

English: Students have been hard at work on their Academic Fair research papers. Students' rough drafts were generally very good and their topics should help to create a very interesting Academic Fair on November 19.

Science with Lori Hilliard

Environmental Science: The Environmental Science class is headlong into the study of human populations and the effects on the Earth's resources. We have played many simulation games and have calculated our ecological footprints. Students were surprised to learn that if everyone on the Earth lived as we do, that it would take an average of 5 Earths to sustain the population.

Human Biology: The Human Biology class has concluded their study of the integumentary system. From memorizing the layers of the epidermis to simulating the effects of exercise and quantity of sweat produced daily, the students have worked hard in this course and I am very proud of their efforts. We will continue to have weekly medical terminology quizzes.

Chemistry: Mole Concept has been the focus of this class in the last module. Students are learning to use mathematics concepts in new ways and seem to find it challenging and rewarding. Finding the number of moles of chalk (Calcium carbonate) that it takes to write one's name on the paved road was both educational and made us feel a little like rebels in the road.

Biology: The study of botany has really put this class in the green zone. Their leaf collections were outstanding and their exam scores amazing. I am very proud of all their efforts. The students have used their artistic skills in many ways during this course of study as well as continuing to hone their microscopy skills. Observing mitosis in onion root tips and learning new slide staining techniques has been a challenge as well.

Spanish with Celia Battle

Spanish 1: Students have enjoyed Destinos and have studied Episodes #3 and #4. They have learned about Spanish customs and culture, new vocabulary, basic grammar and are mastering sentences related to the episodes. I am very pleased with the interest and enthusiasm that the class has shown in this endeavor. Kudos to the students for keeping their ring binders organized and up to date and many thanks to the parents for supplying our first period treats to keep the class focused and energized.

Spanish 2: Students have completed another chapter in our Realidades textbook and have enjoyed challenging verb competitions. Most performed quite well in the test and have mastered the vocabulary, grammar and reflexive verbs in six tenses. We will focus on increasing spontaneous classroom conversations and class discussions of a variety of topics.

Intermediate Spanish 1: Students have studied thematic vocabulary, have written creative paragraphs and given oral presentations of these topics. Conversations and class discussions have helped to solidify the learning experience. Reading our student magazine AHORA has provided numerous opportunities to initiate conversations and learn about the life and interests of high school students in Spanish speaking countries.

Intermediate Spanish 2: This class has selected a wide variety of topics for research, class discussion and writing. We have engaged in daily conversations about current events, students' interests, world religions and medical issues. In developing these topics students have reviewed grammar, verb tenses and vocabulary use while continuing to improve their oral and written communication skills. This is a very lively and energetic group!

Advanced Spanish: The Advanced Class has been learning about Spanish history from the time that the first groups inhabited the Iberian Peninsula to the time of the Reconquest. Students have done research and given oral presentations to the class about Spanish artists, painters, musicians and writers. We have continued our review of Spanish grammar and verb tenses. This class is highly motivated to increase their oral communication skills and they do so daily during our lively discussions of all kinds of topics, from current events to philosophy and cultural trends.

Physical Education with Krista Moll

We started out the navigation unit and we will continue with this navigation unit throughout Module 4 as well. Thank you for having your child come prepared to class with a compass! Students learned about the parts of the compass, how to use a compass to get from point A to point B, and we briefly touched upon plotting UTM coordinates. It's not easy plotting coordinates and I suspect we'll be taking a couple classes to practice this before we start plotting UTM coordinates from the geocaching website to search for caches near the school!

Music with Glenn Mehrbach

Each week during this module we looked at a different aspect of music. The first week I went over the musical theory that I taught earlier in the semester, and gave the students resources and homework pertaining to this. This turned out to be very perplexing for a large majority of the students, and I realized that either I had not explained the subject very well, or had explained it too quickly. Since I didn't get much feedback from the classes while explaining the theory, I thought everyone was understanding. I was very wrong. So the homework ended up being more of a gauge for myself on how much each of the students knew about music theory. The next week we studied the history of classical music, from the earliest Gregorian chants to music written a little more than 10 years ago. It was a great way for the students to see that what they think of as "Classical Music" is really only a small part of the entirety of the genre. The comments of the students were very enlightening for me as well. The next week we began work on what I call "Human Garage Band," where each class creates and performs a song from scratch. I learned a lot about many of their abilities through this, discovering some talents unknown to me on keyboards, drum set, vocals and lyric writing. Some of the songwriting continues into the next module. I may have the best song performed by the class at the Academic Fair. Regardless, it was a very creative way for the students to discover what goes into making a song, from conception to performance.

Art with Brittain Peck

In Module 3 we have continued our break from Betty Edwards' exercises as outlined by the curriculum in Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, but have maintained the central focus on "observation" that permeates her writing and lessons while opening increasing opportunity for the students to explore their own observations and ideas in their work. Our first lesson dealt with a cut and paste paper collage made from photocopied objects from each student's locker. The students were asked to explore their own locker for three to five auto-biographically meaningful objects which we then did our best to photocopy. We then discussed the difference between the original object and the photocopied image on the piece of paper as an example of a subject and its representation, noting that the representation is itself a new, unique entity not to be thought of as synonymously with the original object. Once this distinction was clarified, we began approaching the photocopied images as new objects, exploring them for unexpected material that may be used to create entirely new images in our collage. As a working mantra, the students were encouraged to create collages that were themselves original and interesting objects, rather than imitations or attempted duplicates of either the original objects or their photocopied images.

For our final lesson, we moved even closer to the students' individual insights and ideas, while still maintaining a focus on observation, by looking at the example of a currently alive and creating Dutch artist named Helmut Smits. We discussed the meaning and role of "concept" in art and other objects and discussed the problematic title of "conceptual artist" as it is applied to artists like Smits. Understanding that the power of Smits work lay in his ideas (rather than his skill as a painter or draftsman) and his ability to give his ideas a form and presence in the real, material world, the students were challenged to focus on their own ideas as the basis for possible works of art. The exercise was one in brainstorming and conceptualization, devoid of any materials or actual art-making. Understanding that such a process can only be completed by a similar brainstorming and exploration process with tangible materials to give form to the students' ideas, this exercise leaves open possibilities for future work and continued creation.

Module 3 concludes my time working with your children as their art instructor and I can honestly say that I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with them and share my passion for art and art making. They are a bright group of talented individuals and I look forward to hearing about their future accomplishments.

Thank you,
Mr. Brittain

Dramatic Arts with Roni Peterson

We have been doing memory enhancing exercises. These included the Mirror Exercise where one student faces another and uses hands, arms, head, legs, and body movements that the other student must mirror, as though being the reflection. This exercise helps actors with concentration, and observations needed while performing. The Camera Exercise has one student in front of the class, all students change their seats. The student in front examines the new seating of the students and concentrates on where each student is now sitting. When he/she is ready, he/she takes an imaginary picture with an imaginary camera and leaves the room. The students then move once again to another seat. The student returns to the room and using his/her memory (picture), puts the students back into the seat they were in when the "picture" was taken. The more advanced exercise is two students face each other and one will strike a pose. A "picture" will be taken and the student who is to remember the pose will turn back to other student and then the pose will be changed. It can change by the movement of one finger, a glance, a smile into a frown. The other student is then asked to put the pose back to the original.

The concept of Method Acting was discussed and the definition of Sensory Memory was taught. I did this as a lecture, giving students examples of exercises they could do at home. This is an advanced course in acting and I will not be going into it further in class as it can get extremely personal and I find it inappropriate for this age group. We also began to lean long form improvisation. We will continue with this during Module 4 along with the use of props in the improvisations.

Music Performance with Glenn Mehrbach

VOCAL ENSEMBLE CLUB
The vocal ensemble continued to make wonderful progress this module. We narrowed down our work to three songs: "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel, "No Mirror's in My Nana's House" by Ysaye Barnwell of "Sweet Honey in the Rock," and "Jump" by Van Halen (the "Glee" version). We also took a look at "Proud Mary," by John Fogerty (also based on the "Glee" version). All of the students are becoming more comfortable with singing harmonies, more assured of their own voices, and more comfortable with singing together as a group. It is very exciting to watch, and I look forward to showing everyone their progress at the Academic Fair. Bri Oleson is our resident soprano, carrying the high notes with assurance and style. Amy Hillsman has carried herself well in whatever role she is given, and sings a strong lead vocal on both "No Mirror's" and parts of "The Longest Time." Sophie Reiter has been adapting well to harmony singing, and is beginning to increase her vocal volume with each rehearsal. Ryn Wilkes is making good progress toward constant pitch recognition, and once she finds the correct pitch to sing, she really gets "in the groove" and sings with gusto. Lance Wilkes is the volume measure by which we measure ourselves. If we could all sing as loudly and clearly as Lance, we would have no need for microphones! I want to thank Lance for making the effort to be prepared for class. Whatever he's doing to prepare for the early morning classes is really working. And finally, last but not least, is our new-found bass vocalist, Alec Porter. Alec's rich and vibrant baritone really holds up the low end on certain of the songs, and his solo vocal style is also evident at times. I am really enjoying watching Alec develop his range and vocal style.

MUSIC PERFORMANCE CREDIT BAND
The Credit Band made great strides during this module. After a rough start trying to find the right places for all the members to fit into, we have an excellent dynamic going for us now, and I really like the progress we're making. We continued to refine "Pinball Wizard" and "Moondance," and started serious work on "Don't Rain On My Parade." We also began to dig into a new Barlow Girl song, "Song for the Broken." On the jazz front, we began experimenting with different arranging and vocal styles on the old jazz standard "Comes Love." I played them about 10 different versions of the song, to show how each different performer can bring something fresh and new to any song. Olivia Arges continues to grow stronger vocally, and has begun to be more expressive as a performer as well. I continue to encourage her to sing with her whole body, and to think of each song as telling a story to the audience. Grace Kirkpatrick's improvisations continue to mature and grow, both on the violin and vocally. Whatever ways she expresses herself musically, she does it with passion and style. Brian Powell's current dual role as guitarist and bassist is working out very well. He is really taking the difficult part on "Song for the Broken" in stride, and performing it with more musicality and ease at each session. And his bass playing is becoming more assured as well. Zachariah Claypole White is making big strides in the class, from learning the correct scales for solos to mastering difficult rhythms to playing with more articulation and attack. His understanding of the guitar, music in general, and how to play and listen at the same time is a joy to watch. I've asked Rachel Roush to fill a lot of shoes this year, and, so far, she is filling them well. Whether playing the keyboard string parts on "Don't Rain On My Parade," bass on "Comes Love" and "Song for the Broken" or vocal leads and harmonies on "Pinball Wizard," Rachel always tries her best, and is wonderful to teach. I always enjoy the mornings when she arrives early to set up the room for me. Despite being absent for a few classes because of her clogging career, Sarah Chetty remains a backbone for the group, and is beginning to master all of the moderately difficult keyboard parts I've given her. Her improvisations on "Moondance" become more expansive and expressive each time she plays it. Lastly, Elisabeth Parker continues to show her talent and patience on drums. We were able to get her a new hi-hat during this module, which she uses with great aplomb. And after much encouragement, her musical fills are growing more assured and adventurous, and her basic rhythm playing keeps us all in line. She does a wonderful job of reading the music I write for her, but bringing her own energy and style to it as well. I look forward to everyone seeing their progress at the upcoming Academic Fair.

2010-2011 Module 2

Module 2 Upper School

Mathematics with Jenny Feaster

We are at the end of another module. Most students have been diligent in class during Module 2. They are progressing in their requirements and learning the material very well. If your student is falling behind in pace we will take this module to progress so that later they will not receive a Mid-Semester Warning. Please help encourage your child to get back on pace and avoid an incomplete. Overall, I am very pleased with student progress. I am encouraged by all of the efforts and interest in math.

Mathematics with Dan Hill

With pretesting behind us, we've settled into the routine of class, and some of us have been making quite a bit of progress. Students should now all have pace calendars; please keep an eye on your student's progress with respect to his or her calendar. If students maintain appropriate pace, we may have a few days where we put aside the usual grind to talk about something extracurricular (but still mathematical) and engaging.

English with Jill Sugg

Advanced Placement Composition wrote the rough draft to their research papers and saw the classic film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire" in conjunction with their summer reading. Advanced English 8/9/10 selected topics for their research papers and procured their 5 sources; they also saw the film version of "Much Ado about Nothing". English 7/8 did a short story unit and vocabulary as well as declaring their Academic Fair topics. A lot of researching going on!

English and Social Studies with Matt Wilhelm

American History: Students have explored the life in the Virginia and Massachusetts colonies, comparing their political systems, economies, and cultures.

Civics: Students have examined the Constitution and the powers it grants to the executive and legislative branches of the government. They have also looked at the practicalities of the legislative process.

Current Events: Students have learned about the history of Islam, and continued to examine the controversies regarding Muslims in America.

World History: Students considered the origins of civilization in ancient Mesopotamia, including their religious beliefs and political and social organization.

English: Students have read a series of short stories and they also wrote a piece of short fiction. Preparations for Academic Fair are about to shift into high gear!

Science with Lori Hilliard

Environmental Science The study of habitats and population ecology has dominated this module. Students have produced amazing lab reports and visual/oral presentations on an extreme habitat of their choice.

Human Biology: Medical terminology and the integumentary system have been the focus of this module. Students have proven themselves to be amazing laboratory practitioners.

Chemistry: Writing and naming formulas has been successfully mastered by this class. I am proud of all of their efforts to be successful in such a difficult course.

Biology: Botany has been the topic of interest this module. Students will hand in detailed leaf collections upon return from conference week.

Spanish with Celia Battle

Spanish 1: Pre-testing and review are over and we have begun our video series Destinos. We are studying vocabulary and grammar related to the first two episodes and students are learning about the main character, his family and the mystery that will be solved.

Spanish 2: Now that pre-testing and review are completed we have settled into the class routine. We are solidifying grammar concepts and verb tenses as well as increasing thematic vocabulary and classroom conversations in Spanish. Students are being challenged daily to communicate in Spanish in class.

Intermediate Spanish 1: Pre-testing and review are completed. Our overall focus is to increase thematic vocabulary, improve oral communication and improve writing samples. Students have been challenged to prepare "hot topics" to share in lively class discussions which motivate them to communicate daily with one another in Spanish. We are also working on developing short paragraphs related to the topics covered in class.

Intermediate Spanish 2: After review and pre-testing we have started to engage in daily conversations of "hot topics" presented daily by the students. From these conversations we develop thematic vocabulary lilsts which are also used to develop writing samples in class and in homework assignments. These students are settling into this new routine and are enjoying conversing in Spanish about all sorts of topics of interest to them.

Advanced Spanish: Now that review and pre-testing are done we have started a comprehensive study of grammar and verb tenses as well as started learning about Hispanic countries. This will continue all year, along with daily discussions of current events, literary readings and improving the quality and quantity of the students' written work. This is a very enthusiastic and high energy group and time flies in class as everyone communicates in Spanish about a wide range of interesting topics.

Physical Education with Krista Moll

During the last few weeks Upper School students learned about caving formations, equipment needed to cave, and basic movement through a cave. It was fun and humorous watching them crawl underneath tables and climb over playground apparatus. They did a great job with it all and I was glad to see many of the students used the movement and information we learned in class during our caving trip in early October during conference week. Our next unit is navigation. I'm hoping you have received a handout explaining your child will need a compass by the week of October 18th. A Brunton or Silva compass is typically what is used, but any compass similar to the compass I had listed on the handout will do. Also, if you happen to have a UTM grid overlay tool or would like to buy one for your child to use, that would be great. I have a few and I plan to buy more, but it will be helpful having some students bring their own UTM tools. They are a few dollars depending on which one you get and I believe REI sells them as well.

Music with Glenn Mehrbach

After breaking down the elements of music in our first class, and analyzing students' song choices to get an idea of what kind of music they like and listen to, we began to learn about music theory. The first element as explored was rhythm, which finished up Module 1. We started Module 2 talking about harmony, and explaining about notes, intervals and chords. We diagrammed what makes up a scale, in terms of whole steps and half steps, and how that knowledge can help us identify the 4 major chords. I tested the students on hearing types of chords by ear alone. I also brought in some "boomwhackers," which are long colored tubes that, when struck on something hard, produce a specific musical tone. We used these to demonstrate melody and harmony. It was also a good chance for the students to practice working as a group, since each person generally had one tube. Different classes had varied success with the boomwhackers, and we played tunes like "Louie, Louie," "Heart and Soul," "Happy Birthday" and "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Just before the break I began bringing in 17th century rounds (like "Frere Jacques") to teach about how melodies work, and sometimes intertwine to create harmony. We had a lot of very shy singers, but also made found some very resonant and musical voices during the exercises.

Art with Brittain Peck

Working within the scheduling confines of student conferences, our Upper School art classes continued their study of left and right brain cognitive processes through hands-on drawing exercises. Each class has progressed through the mirrored facial profile and upside-down line drawing on their own schedule. Following these two exercises we have undertaken an exercise to place increasing emphasis on our ability to observe and describe with increased specificity and accuracy. Our latest lesson is what is oftentimes referred to as a blind contour drawing; "contour" meaning that the drawing focus on the edges and lines in the observed objects and "blind" meaning that the students are required to create the drawing without ever looking at their paper. The concept behind doing such a drawing is to break the overall process of observational drawing into two distinct parts; the observation or looking and seeing that a person does with their eyes and the drawing or actual movements of the pencil that a person does with their hands. Because the physical coordination required to create even the most impressive and accurate of observational drawings is no greater than what a person needs to be able to write their own name, the "missing link" between being able to accurately draw what a person sees is not a challenge to the person's hands so much as it is a challenge to their eyes. Normally, we observe the world with a cursory, summarized understanding because doing so allows us to efficiently edit and process the infinite amount of stimuli and information around us to be able to complete even the most basic every day tasks. For example, we do not need to think about whether a stop sign is older, more faded, or leans more to the left than the last stop sign that we saw, but rather simply note that it is a stop sign and that we need to stop our car. Therefore, drawing more accurately is largely connected to seeing more accurately and more in depth than we normally do. The blind contour exercise is intended to direct the student's entire focus onto the object being observed without splitting their attention between observation and drawing. The finished drawings from this exercise seldom look like or resemble the object that the student was looking at, but this is not the goal of the drawing. Instead, it is the act of concentrated observation that is the primary focus of this exercise which provides students with practice in a more fully engaged experience with the world around them.

Dramatic Arts with Roni Peterson

During this module all classes continued to complete their original scripts using the summer vacation prompts. The students then performed the skits "on book" which is a term used when reading from a script. Their performances were critiqued by me and then performed again. The students are learning how direction can change the structure of their performance. We will continue working with these original scripts and have different students playing different parts. We also did some improvisational exercises using one word prompts.

Music Performance with Glenn Mehrbach

VOCAL ENSEMBLE CLUB
Great progress was made by all the students in the Vocal Ensemble in Module 2. We took our time for the first few sessions, practicing various warm-ups, working on vocal projection and tone, and learning how to sing together and in tune. We used parts of the songs "One Love" and "Lean On Me" for these purposes. They may not even be songs we perform as a group, but it really worked on them hearing each others voices, seeing how they fit into the harmony, and trying to sing and listen at the same time. I gave solos throughout as well, to see how well the students could show their own individual personality. Their pitch recognition, projection and rhythm improved markedly in the few classes we worked this way. In the next few classes we started working on full songs, beginning with "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel, and "No Mirror's In My Nana's House" by Ysaye Barnwell, the leader of the a cappella women's group "Sweet Honey in the Rock." I also purchases copies of "Jump," originally by Van Halen but made famous again in the TV show "Glee." As I told them in the first class, each student has particular challenges to overcome, and we will be keeping these in mind as we begin to work more seriously on the songs I've chosen. I look forward to continuing our rapid progress in the coming weeks.

MUSIC PERFORMANCE CREDIT BAND
The Credit Band made good progress in a number of areas in this module. We learned one rock song, "Pinball Wizard," in a hybrid of the Who and Elton John versions, one jazz/pop song, "Moondance," by Van Morrison (with extended improvisation for all the players), and I handed out the music to a musical theatre song, "Don't Rain on My Parade," by Bob Merrill Jule Styne (made famous by Barbra Streisand). We also started playing "Comes Love," a very flexible old standard, which I hope to use to demonstrate the varied ways to arrange and interpret a song.

We have a lot of new members in the band this year, and it has been a real challenge getting everyone on the same page, and finding music that challenges and stimulates the group without either going over some students' heads, or conversely boring others. "Pinball Wizard" has been a good example of the kind of song that fits this criteria.

Olivia Arges is continuing to grow and mature as a vocalist. And though we haven't had many opportunities, Sarah Chetty's improvisations are becoming more adventurous and detailed with each try. Elaine Elisabeth Parker has become very comfortable on drums, and she is trying very hard to leave that comfort zone in creating improvised fills for all the songs (I recommended she listen to Keith Moon of the Who for inspiration), and not stick so slavishly to the written page or her own memory. And it's great to have Grace Kirkpatrick with the group for the whole year this time, and she is kept busy with some quick runs on her electric violin and her sterling vocal harmonies. Her improvisations have shown more intention and promise this year as well. Newcomer Rachel Roush, a member of the Club Band last year, has been our "utility player" so far, playing piano, singing, and lately trying her hand at the bass guitar. I hope to explore even more of her musical gifts in the coming weeks, including finding a good song for her to sing as a solo. Zachariah Claypole White brings a lot of confidence and style to the class, and he has been improving in his rhythm, chord recognition, and listening skills with each class. I know that working with sheet music and following bar numbers present a challenge for Zach, and I really appreciate the effort that he puts in during and outside of class to feel comfortable working in this environment. And Brian Powell, formerly a keyboard playing in what was the "B Band" a couple of years ago, has the makings of a fine guitarist. His attack on the instrument, knowledge of music reading from his piano days, and his willingness to explore the bass guitar as well has made him a pleasure to work with. I am very excited about watching and helping this group form a personality of their own in the weeks to come.

2010-2011 Module 1

Mathematics with Jenny Feaster

Students have prepared well for pretesting. The homework these past two weeks has been to practice basic math facts on websites such as aaamath.com, aaa.math.com, and coolmath.com. These are great resources that can be used continually throughout the school year. Please remember that your child should only work on math for about an hour at night; if it is taking longer, please just send in a note with your student in the morning, and he or she will be excused from a notice. However, please be sure that your student is concentrating on only math for that hour.

Mathematics with Dan Hill

I took a poll at the beginning of Module One and reviewed some topics that the students seemed to think needed to be reviewed. We then entered a state of Prolonged Pretesting Purgatory from which we have since emerged, caliper-scarred and ruler-bruised, evaluated, measured, placed, and ready to tackle the labor of the year.

English with Jill Sugg

All classes engaged in review and pre-testing, including various writing assignments based on summer reading. Advanced 8/9/10 saw the film of To Kill a Mockingbird and wrote a literary analysis essay on the novel. AP Language saw the film of The Hours and has been practicing multiple choice in preparation for May. English 7/8 saw the film of "A Raisin in the Sun" and wrote a five paragraph analysis. Everyone is off to a great start and it is nice to share ideas about the summer reading. So far so good!

English and Social Studies with Matt Wilhelm

Along with pre-testing, students in American History, World History, Civics, and Current Events have discussed 9/11 and the controversy regarding the "Ground Zero mosque." These classes have also examined challenges associated with the war in Afghanistan, and discussed how these obstacles might be successfully addressed.

High School English: Students have completed pre-testing, discussed some of their reading from over the summer, and viewed the documentary OT: Our Town about a high school production of that play in Compton, California.

Science with Lori Hilliard

Environmental Science: The school year has started with a bang in this class. After cleaning the cobwebs out of our summer brains, we all pretested successfully. The class is beginning their studies with work Biomes and Climatograms.

Human Biology: Review, Pretesting and microscopy have been the focus of this module for the Human Bio class. The students have been great laboratory practitioners and I am very excited about their futures as scientists this year.

Chemistry: Review and Pretesting was quickly mastered by this group of brainiacs. The study of atomic theory and electron configuration notation has normalized our speed of information uptake. I have enjoyed watching them get excited about learning something completely new and I love those light bulb moments that are happening.

Biology: Review, Pretesting and leaf collections has been the focus of this module for the Biology class. We have covered modern taxonomy and the 3 Domain Theory of classification along with collecting specimens around campus.

Spanish with Celia Battle

Spanish 1: Students have learned the names of countries and capitals in the Spanish-speaking world as well as articles, gender and plural of nouns, article/noun/adjective agreement, greetings and numbers 1-100. Pre-testing, Review and Post-Testing have been completed during this module.

Spanish 2: Students have reviewed vocabulary, grammar and verb tenses. Emphasis has been placed on increasing students' conversation in class. Pre-testing, Review and Post-Testing have been completed during this module.

Intermediate Spanish 1: Students have reviewed vocabulary, grammar and verb tenses as well as a variety of reading selections for comprehension and discussion. Pre-Testing, Review and Post-Testing have been completed during this module.

Intermediate Spanish 2: Students have reviewed vocabulary, grammar and verbs tenses as well as a variety of reading selections for comprehension and discussion. Writing samples have been used to demonstrate the correct use of grammatical structures and more complex verb tenses. Pre-Testing, Review and Post-Testing have been completed during this module.

Advanced Spanish: Students in the Advanced class have reviewed vocabulary, grammar and the use of complex verb tenses, both in discussions and in writing samples. Emphasis has been placed on conversations and discussions of topics of interest to the class as well as current events. Pre-Testing, Review and Post-Testing have been completed during this module.

Physical Education with Krista Moll

It's the beginning to what I presume will be a successful year in my physical education class! Each year I have been trying to take on a different approach to what engaging in physical activity is all about. My first year teaching here at Camelot Academy we did team and individual sports. Last year was a fitness based program. This year, I am excited to explore outdoor education. Considering my classes are almost always held outside, I feel this is a fantastic direction to go in! For the first two modules, the students will be learning about caving. Even though I only saw my Upper School classes two or three times this first module, we were able to discuss possible outdoor education units as well as learn some of the terminology and history of caving. Most lessons will be taught mixing up information, like what types of caves there are, while engaging in fitness exercises. At the end of the students second module, during conference week, they will have the opportunity to go to Bluff City, Tennessee and do some actual caving in Worley's Cave!

Music with Glenn Mehrbach

For the first music class, we talked a lot about music. I asked the students to tell me all the places they might hear music throughout their day, what purposes music might have in different situations, and about what turns a set of sounds in actual music. Then I explained about the six building blocks of music. I also played them some orchestral music, and asked them to point out the different instruments that they heard. There was a chart of musical instruments on the wall that helped students match the sounds they heard to the pictures of the instruments. Lastly, I gave them an assignment, which was to pick 3 of their favorite songs and tell me, in quantitative terms, why they liked them. I asked them to send me YouTube or other links for me to listen to the songs as well, and gave them my email address to send the results. Some of the students have still not completed the assignment.

In the second class we talked about the first building block of music: rhythm. I gave them each a percussion instrument, and we played various rhythms that I wrote on the board. We learned 4 different rhythms, and then played them all at the same time, with varying success. We learned about percussion notation, about how to describe volume and time changes, and the meaning of time signatures. After that we learned about "call and response," with the students improvising percussion patterns that the rest of the class was asked to imitate. In some of the classes we also sang a little.

In the third class I played one selection that I had chosen from each of the student's homework assignments. I asked the students to read what they had written, listened to the song, and then talked about it. I kept the conversation focused on musical terms: instrumentation, dynamics, structure, vocal quality, quality and variety of the melodic line. The students had very varied and interesting choices, and it was a learning experience for me as well.

I intend to continue this pattern throughout the semester, with one class being more theoretical, and the next experiential.

Art with Brittain Peck

As the school year begins, our art classes are focusing on observation. We have been discussing the traditions of observation in Western Art and challenging these notions by challenging ourselves to find alternate ways of seeing the world and making images which represent it. Our first lesson of the year challenged the students to observe the room in which we meet, the upstairs meeting room, in a manner other than within the traditional norms of perspective-based drawing. Examples of the students' approaches included architectural, texture rubbings, surrealistic, and compression of 3 dimensions into a flat 2 dimensional portrayal. Following our first lesson, we began a series of lessons and readings based upon the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. Based on the notion that the two hemispheres of our brain are each best equipped to handle different tasks based upon the nature of the cognitive processing associated with these tasks, the book addresses the specific correlation between right-brain processing and the acts of looking and drawing. After first discussing the differences associated with the two hemispheres of the brain, students have engaged with activities designed to help them better understand and experience the qualitative differences between Left and Right Brain processes. The activities have included a study of hand-writing and the expressive nature of hand-drawn lines, grid-based copying techniques to understand placement, proportion, and angles of lines, mirroring drawings of facial profiles to understand the difference between named objects and spatial relations, and upside-down drawings to break our recognition of objects and forms to allow ourselves to understand the complex nature of their construction rather than remaining fixed in the summarized, stereotyped understandings that we use to quickly and efficiently handle the multiple stimuli of an infinitely diverse environment. As we complete these exercises, students will be encouraged to apply their heightened observational and drawing skills to making their own observations and observational art based upon their own unique perspective of the world around them.

Dramatic Arts with Roni Peterson

In all of the classes a handout was given which contained materials that each student is responsible to bring to each Drama Class.

We spent some time during one class period going over a handout about "How to be a grown-up", which was about ways of taking responsibility for one's own actions. Since socialization and self-esteem are such an integral part of this class, I felt this information useful as reference material to be available to each of my students.

In all of the Dramatic Arts classes we started the semester with getting back into the practice of public speaking by sharing with the class some highlights of our summer.

The assignment for the end of the first module and for Module 2, is to use the "summer highlight" as a prompt for writing a short skit. Each student will act as the writer, director, and performer of their skit using other members of the class as actors. Each student must perform in his/her skit but not necessarily as themselves. I am excited to see what these talented students produce.

A handout was given to aid the students with their skit writing. It was emphasized that this be a "short" skit, performance time no more than a minute or two. Due to the size of the classes, students may be asked to perform in more than one skit, and I did not want them to have to learn too many lines which could overwhelm them. This exercise will be a starting point for more scriptwriting assignments and character studies that we will be doing during this semester.

Music Performance with Glenn Mehrbach

VOCAL ENSEMBLE CLUB
I've only had one chance to meet with the Vocal Performance Club, but it was a very productive session. We learned about what everyone expected from the class, talked about any songs or types of music they might be interested in performing, and I told them what I would like to explore for each of them in the coming year. Then I gave them some exercises to help find out everyone's vocal range. We ended the class by learning and practicing the harmonies to Bob Marley's "One Love." After a few tries they began to have a wonderful blend. We also sang a little bit of "Twist and Shout" which allowed each of them to show off the solo vocal skills. It is my hope for the class to explore both of these aspects of vocal performance, harmony group singing and solo stylistic singing, as well as learn how to add movement to our singing arrangements. I was impressed with the overall talent of the students, and am looking forward to the months ahead.

MUSIC PERFORMANCE CREDIT BAND
I've only had a chance to meet with the Music Performance Class twice, but we accomplished a lot in those two sessions. The first day was spent mostly plugging everything in and making sure it worked, talking to each student about their expectations for the class, finding out personal favorites in terms of songs and genres, and letting them know my expectations and hopes for the class. We ended up playing a little, but not too much. The second class we started to learn "Pinball Wizard," in a hybrid arrangement of the original by The Who and the version by Elton John. Since we have a very varied experience level in the group this year, with some students having years of experience both reading traditional sheet music and playing their instrument, and others having only read guitar tablature and having less playing time under their belts, it will take a few weeks to find a good way for everyone to work together. But from the way things went on Wednesday, I am very encouraged that this process will lead to terrific results. Each player has a unique and powerful voice, and I look forward to the challenge of finding a way for each of them to express that voice successfully, and also work in harmony to create wonderful music together.

2009-2010 Module 9

Mathematics with Jenny Feaster

The end of the school year is coming upon us. I appreciate all of the hard work and dedication that Camelot students put into their studies. Most of the Upper School students will complete their semester or course math requirements. However, students who received a Mid-Semester Warning may need to attend summer school to fulfill the rest of their requirements. Summer School is also a great tool to move ahead for those students striving to reach a particular goal. It is not too late to sign up for summer school!

English with Jill Sugg

Advanced Placement Literature students and English 8/9 Advanced read Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor.

While the AP students are busy writing a variety of practice essays for the big national test coming up on May 6th, 8/9 Advanced students are writing an essay on how O'Connor uses symbolism and irony to convey theme. Mandatory AR for 8/9 Advanced is Joseph Heller's Catch-22, so if your child has not yet acquired a copy, please note the May 20th due date on having that book read. Advanced 8/9 also did a short fiction unit.

English 7/8/9 students did a short fiction unit. They also saw the classic James Dean film based on John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden and wrote a five paragraph essay on how the story parallels that of Cain and Abel.

All English classes brought in original anonymous poems and we ate while we read them. We were moved by how honest, artful, funny, and powerful the student work was. Everyone left with a packet of poems authored by his or her class. This is always my favorite classroom experience of the year.

English and Social Studies with Matt Wilhelm

American History: Students studied the impacts of the Great Depression and the New Deal on the American economy and political system.

Civics: Students have examined a range of issues, from the funding problems facing Social Security and Medicare to school re-segregation, using the Wake County busing policy as a foundation.

Current Events: Students looked at the recent declaration of Confederate History Month in Virginia as well as a Florida law that mandates history must be taught as fact, not as a process of interpretation. These issues formed the basis of an inquiry into what the study of history truly involves.

English 10/11/12: Students have been writing responses to class readings at ten11twelve.wordpress.com. These readings have included Anton Chekhov's short story "The Bet," as well as a pair of articles dealing with the prevalence of ADHD in American life.

World History: Students examined the Nazis' rise to power in Germany in the 1930s, and looked at World War II from several different perspectives.

Science with Lori Hilliard

Environmental Science: Students have been working on building solar ovens to accompany our study of alternative energy forms. I can't wait to see the finish product and see what they cook up.

Human Biology: This class finished their study of neurobiology and the affects of drugs on neuronal transmissions. All students successfully mastered their exams and have moved on to more diagnostic problems.

Chemistry: Periodicity and Acid/Base reactions have been the focus of Module 9. Students have completed many laboratory activities including making their own acid/base indicator solutions from plant extracts and production of hydrogen gas.

Biology: The study of invertebrates has filled this module for the biology students. They have examined sponges, starfish, and earthworms.

Physics with Dan Hill

This module the physics students have been studying angular mechanics: rotation, torque, angular momentum. We also visited the ice skating rink to pay close attention to the action of mechanics in a low-friction environment. Some of us even learned to ice skate; I spun around until I was sick, sacrificing my physical comfort for science!

Spanish with Celia Battle

Introduction to Spanish (US)—Students have mastered the use of the imperfect tense and have begun to read a short novel in Spanish, "Pobre Ana."

Introduction to Spanish (MG/US)—Students continued to compare the use of regular and irregular verbs in the preterit tense and the imperfect tense. They have started to write sentences to describe past actions as they learn to tell a story in Spanish. These verb tenses are challenging and require daily review and practice in order to master memorization of the conjugations.

Spanish 2—Students are mastering the use of the preterit and the imperfect tenses in the same writing passages. They continue their study of Mexican history as they read, answer questions and have discussions in class in Spanish.

Intermediate Spanish—Students have reviewed the subjunctive mood and have practiced the use of the present subjunctive tense and the imperfect subjunctive tense. They are learning Spanish refrains and how to use them in conversation. We read a classic short story, "Una carta a Dios" and did an oral literary analysis of the story.

Advanced Spanish—Advanced students have read and studied passages from the novel De cómo las muchachas García perdieron el acento by the award-winning Dominican novelist Julia Alvarez. They are now reading another short biographical work by the same author, El cuento del cafecito. Daily class discussions focus on these readings as well as topics of interest that students bring to class.

Physical Education with Krista Moll

Each Upper School class had a little variation in what we did the last few weeks. However, fitness was the same as usual, working through a circuit training layout. We usually get through two or three cycles of the circuit depending on how many breaks we take in between each. I feel they have done a great job working through the circuits. Depending on which class the students are in, they either played Gaga on their sport/game day and moved onto discgolf (Wednesday's class) or they played discgolf and moved onto tennis (Friday's class) throughout the module. Gaga is a fun ball game the students thoroughly enjoyed playing on the porch here at Camelot. For discgolf, we are taking the students to Cornwallis park and having the students play through half of the course. Tennis is being played at the tennis courts at Forest Hills Park.

Please be on the lookout for a waiver form from the American Tobacco YMCA. This is the fitness center we will indeed be going to in May during P.E. class. I am very excited to be taking our students to this particular fitness center. They are within walking distance of the school! Therefore, we will be walking to the YMCA instead of taking the bus, which means the students get to exert even more energy!

Art with Brittain Peck

After completing the initial printing of their woodblocks in a single color, the students were charged with the further challenge of incorporating additional color into their printing process. The students were presented with a variety of techniques and methods to use color with their print, including carving an additional block(s) to print a second color, selectively inking their woodblock with more than one color of ink, painting on the printing paper with watercolor before printing the woodblock, and creating a color collage on the printing paper in a technique referred to as chine collé. Overall, I was very impressed with the students' creative approach to the use of color in their printed images as well as the technical abilities that they mastered in the process of learning new approaches to creating art.

Following our lengthy study of relief woodblock printing, we have shifted our focus to begin a study of observational drawing using charcoal. The students have been encouraged to challenge their fundamental understanding of how to create a drawing from seeing objects as forms and structures to prioritizing the contrasts of light and shadow in an environment. While using very simple media, this lesson provides a challenging opportunity for students to see and experience the world around them in dramatically different ways and to create drawings that can feel awkward and uncomfortable to the students' existing drawing sensibilities. Understanding these challenges, I have been very impressed with the students' courage in meeting the challenges of the lesson.

Music with Daniel Raimi

The Upper School music elective has been working hard on several fronts over the past few weeks. Our main points of emphasis have been understanding the Sonata form and writing our own pieces, as well as understanding the inner-workings of basic harmonic structure. We've discussed how best to add chords to simple melodies, and different strategies to make those harmonies sound distinctive. We've discussed chord inversions, arpeggiations, and the different types of chords we can use to harmonize entire measures and individual notes.

Students took our second quiz, which asked them to write a brief Sonata, harmonize an existing melody, and analyze a song that they may choose from a list. These songs range from the Beach Boys to Britney Spears, and each one of them has several distinctive structural features; whether it's an unusual set of chords, distinctive time signature or tempo, or a very wide-ranging melody. Students will be listening closely to these pieces in search of some of these unusual musical twists and turns.

Finally, several students have been preparing a brief piece to be performed at Evening of the Arts. Since so many of the students in class are already performing with other groups that evening, the entire class will not be performing together, but about half of us are working on a foundational piece of post-modern composition by the "minimalist" composer Steve Reich called "Clapping Music." It's short, sweet, and loud!

Drama with Roni Peterson

The students wrote their original monologues using the character from their journals. They performed them and I gave them specific direction on those performances. I surprised them during one class when my husband, a professional cinematographer, brought his camera and sound equipment to film the students performing their monologues. The students did a great job. A DVD was made from the taping session and I played it for the students and had each student write a critique of their performance as homework. Only I read their critique. I must say that they were able to honestly look at their performance and chose the things that I too would have commented on. It was a very good experience for them to actually see themselves acting as others see them. Students were also given a film vocabulary quiz on the camera department and electric department terms and crew positions.

Four short scenes were chosen from the play "13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview", to be performed at the Evening of the Arts. The students and scenes chosen were those that volunteered to perform. We used a portion of the class time to rehearse those scenes. Improvisation exercises were also covered during this module. I have arranged to have a working actress come to speak to the class during Module 10. I asked her if she would be willing to act in some scripted materials with the students and she agreed. I think that the students will enjoy her visit.

CLUB CLASS
We made good progress on a lot of songs this module, short as it was. We started out most of our sessions with a vocal warm-up, focusing on harmonizing, and applied that to our songs. Our blending and note retention is much improved on "One Love," "Imagine," and "I Get Around." We started learning two new songs: "Accidentally In Love," by Counting Crowes, with Rachel Roush on lead vocal, and Queen's "Somebody To Love," with Lance Wilkes handling the famous Freddy Mercury part. Alec Porter was unable to attend a couple of classes because of a back injury, but returned showing improvement in his guitar playing on all the songs, and more vocal confidence on John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change." Kriea Giffin-Dean, with the help of a drum set I lent her, is becoming more assured with her drumming, and I am hoping she will be able to integrate the hi-hat and ride cymbal with the rest of the kit by our Broad Street Cafe performance. Brianna Oleson sings with much style on "One Love," and adds pure and agile soprano harmonies to the other songs in our repertoire. Rachel continues to be our jill-of-all-trades, singing soprano and alto vocals, playing drums, tambourine, and piano. Sophie Reiter continues to improve on her vocal volume, harmony retention, and stage presence on her solo song, "The Way I Am."

Remember our upcoming performances for the "Evening of the Arts" on Friday, May 7 at 7pm, at "Artsplosure" in Raleigh on Sunday, May 16, at 2pm, and at the Broad Street Cafe on Thursday, May 20, at 5pm. We will be performing for 10 minutes on May 7, and doing our entire repertoire on May 20, both along with the Credit Band.

CREDIT BAND
This module was spent narrowing down our choices for end of year performances, refining existing songs, and starting to think more about the performance of the music, as opposed to just getting the notes right. We added a few new songs, one of which, a Charlie Daniels tune called "The Devil Went Down To Georgia," was performed by the "B" band last year. We are resurrecting this one to showcase Grace Kirkpatrick's new electric violin. We also learned Elton John's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," which will be sung by guest Tate Arges at the Broad Street Cafe Performance, and "Cities On Flame," by the Blue Oyster Cult, to showcase Lennon Klinger-Mehrbach's smoking guitar playing. Refinements continued on "Roundabout," where we are finally able to play the entire song, top to bottom, without a break, and "The Weight," with it's improvisatory nature, and shared lead vocals with Josh Stallings and Lennon. We also continued to work on Josh's original song, written for the band, called "Perfection," and Lennon helped to arrange his song assignment, "Camelot A Band for Winners." Lastly, we completed the reshaping of two songs from the first semester, with Grace effortlessly learning her harmonies and newly created violin parts on "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" and "In My Life."

Remember our upcoming performances for the Evening of the Arts on May 7 at 7pm, and at the Broad Street Cafe on Thursday, May 20, at 5pm. We will be performing for 10 minutes on May 7, and doing our entire repertoire on May 20, both in tandem with the Club Band.

2009-2010 Module 8

Mathematics with Jenny Feaster

Each student has been working hard to keep up with his or her math pace requirements. Many students have exceeded these requirements with incredible success.

English with Jill Sugg

Advanced Placement Literature is reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. They finished that novel over Spring Break as well as the play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" I applaud them for their ambitions and work ethic.

Both English 7/8/9 and Advanced English 8/9 read The Things They Carried, a part fiction/part memoir of the Vietnam War which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Classes were privileged to hear a speaker who actually went to the war in 1969. I was very proud of the students for their maturity and the excellent questions they asked.

English and Social Studies with Matt Wilhelm

American History: Students examined the election of 1812, the introduction of the income tax, and the role of propaganda/public relations/advertising in the shaping of modern society during the 1920s.

Civics: Students evaluated the recently passed health care reform legislation reflecting on our previous discussions of that topic.

Current Events: Students practiced critically analyzing a documentary film by viewing Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story. They also discussed health care reform.

English 10/11/12: Students have embarked on a creative writing unit, the early results of which can be seen at ten11twelve.wordpress.com!

World History: Students learned about the rise of totalitarian states in Europe during the 1920s and 1930s, including Stalin's USSR, Mussolini's Italy, and Hitler's Germany. They have also studied the role of propaganda in mass society.

Science with Lori Hilliard

Environmental Science: Water pollution and prevention have been much debated topics in this class. Students are analyzing the long term effects of individual actions. I am very proud of them for maintaining such high expectations from themselves as it pertains to their environment. We did analyze water quality from samples taken from Forest Hills Park. The students found relatively high levels of phosphorus which is an indicator of some type of pollution.

Human Biology: The dissection unit was a success for this class. Everyone completed the study and learned a great deal. I am impressed by the maturation of this class this year. Moving into high school and college level texts while in the 7th and 8th grades is notable.

Chemistry: Addition reactions and substitution reactions along with polymerization has been the focus for the chemistry students in the last module. Students have completed many labs, from super smelly to bouncy to edible, organic chemistry has been a blast.

Biology: Protozoans and their identification has been the challenge for the biology students this module. Students chased and identified several species of protozoan that we cultured from Forest Hills Park. The good news is that we found no fecal coliforms or ameoboid organisms, much improved from prior years.

Physics with Dan Hill

This module the physics students did a couple of labs to examine just how personally powerful they are. Next up: rotational mechanics.

Spanish with Celia Battle

Introduction to Spanish / (US)—Verb conjugation challenges have been going strong in this class as students master regular and and irregular reflexive and stem-changing verbs. They have covered Episodes 12 & 3 of Destinos and are beginning to study Argentina.

Introduction to Spanish / (MG & US)&Students are working very hard to learn regular and irregular preterits of reflexive verbs. They are progressing in their study of Destinos Episodes 7 & 8 and are uncovering new information leading to the search of the mystery character. This is a very energetic and enthusiastic class and everyone is enjoying the verb and vocabulary challenges.

Spanish 2&Students continue to read and discuss the early history of Mexico and have learned about the different indigenous groups present in the area in the early 1500s. They are also learning grammar and mastering verb tenses of regular, irregular and stem-changing verbs.

Intermediate Spanish&The class continues to have daily animated discussions in Spanish of topics of interest, current events and school related activities. They have watched a contemporary video from Spain and have discussed at length the main character's dilemma, motivation and persuasive ability to accomplish his goal. We have emphasized understanding cultural differences in behavior and social interaction of adolescents in Spanish speaking countries.

Advanced Spanish&The advanced class is involved in a comprehensive study of verb tenses, idiomatic expressions, colloquial phrases and false cognates. These are the more rigorous aspects of reading, writing, comprehending and speaking Spanish. Students have daily discussions of current events and topics of interest to the class which they bring to the class.

Physical Education with Krista Moll

The students finished off an Ultimate Frisbee unit over these last few weeks. I was very impressed with their energy level, positive attitude, and teamwork. I love how carefree Frisbee is and the fact that you can pick up a game pretty much anywhere. I think the students shared that enthusiasm. I hope to see some of them on the Ultimate team this Spring! I have also been preparing them for our upcoming gym outings. As I mentioned in the last update, I have been planning to take the students to a fitness gym once a month. The plan was to start this March, but I have postponed it until mid April. They have been working diligently on their own individualized exercise plans. The plan is for Mike and I to drive the students to the gym. They will have about 40 to 45 minutes to do their own exercises. Some students are paired up and some students are not depending on how familiar they are with a gym atmosphere. However, the first time we go, all students will be given a quick tour of the gym so that they are able to easily locate what equipment is where. They will also be given a run through with how to use specific equipment related to the exercises they chose. Mike and I will be monitoring them at all times to help them out when needed and to make sure students stay on task. I am really looking forward to giving them this kind of experience! They seem to be really excited about the opportunity to try something new and to focus on goals they specifically set for themselves. If you have any questions or concerns, please send an email or phone call my way. Thank you!

Art with Brittain Peck

Upon completing our lesson and application of the various methods to transfer the students' drawings to their woodblocks, the students have been involved in an intensive cutting process. Carving the blocks has occupied a majority of class time over the course of Module 8, with reiterations of the basic carving principles and techniques to facilitate the students' grasp and retention of the techniques. As carving drew to a close for the majority of the students, we were introduced to fundamentals of inking a block to ensure quality results over numerous printing runs. In the last week of the module, the students moved primarily into printing, with upcoming grades to be based on the students' approach and completion to their woodcut. I am more than impressed with the quality of the students' visual imagery and thankful for their attentive focus in and out of class.

Music with Daniel Raimi

The Upper School Elective has had a busy few weeks working through our core elements and beginning to experiment with some other projects. Students have been learning the basic elements of music theory, including construction of scales, chords, keys, and a number of other elements of "Classical" European music techniques. Along with these elements, we've made sure that they all make sense in our ears, by doing extensive ear training exercises. In these exercises, students are asked to identify specific musical phrases in technical terminology. They are asked to identify intervals (2 notes played next to each other), chords and their relationship to one another (we've focused on the I, IV, V, and vi chords), and specific rhythms which they listen to and then are asked to notate on paper. Students had a take-home quiz, and the results were generally very good. Along with these projects, students had a visit from the master Zimbabwean mbira musician Cosmas Magaya, who's doing a 5-week residency at Duke, and has been working there with a friend of mine. Cosmas came in and showed us how his 22-key thumb piano works, told us a little history behind the instrument and his own life, and taught us about the construction of the mbira. Students had the chance to play some of his mbiras, and listen to a master musician perform up close! In the coming weeks, students will be making presentations on music that they write, perform, or study. Choice of pieces will be left up to the students, and I'm looking forward to hearing their performances, and learning about their insights into some great music.

Drama with Roni Peterson

During this module, the students continued to journal. We worked on the play, "13 Ways to Screw Up a College Interview". The students took on different characters, and then traded characters that they wanted to act out. It was interesting to see the different interpretations of the same character done by different students and the reactions by the class to the performances. I am hoping that some of the acts will be performed at the Evening of the Arts.

We watched the original version of "the Miracle Worker " in class and then scenes from a revised version and discussed the differences in direction, acting, color versus black and white filming, etc. It was the consensus that the original was better in all aspects. The students were tested on some of the "film" vocabulary terms and will study and be tested on the Camera Dept. and Electric Department terms in Module 9. An original monologue is to be written using the character from their journal. It is to be one minute long and will be graded on content, and performance and on how well they are able to take direction. I have thoroughly enjoyed teaching this group of students. They are all very talented and creative. I am in the process of reading the journals and I must say they are more than I expected! I am thrilled.

Music Performance with Glenn Mehrbach

CLUB CLASS

During this module we firmed up our song list for the rest of the year, and continued to refine the material we've already chosen. We now have a solo or solo song for each member of the group. Lance will sing the Freddy Mercury part on Queen's "Somebody To Love," Bri will sing lead on Bob Marley's "One Love," Sophie is doing a wonderful job with Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am," Rachel is just getting started with the Counting Crows song "Accidentally in Love," Alec is making good progress with his singing and guitar playing on John Mayer's "Waiting On The World To Change," and Kriea has solo parts in "Imagine," "Lean On Me," and is spending a lot of time improving her technique on the drum set.

As far as group songs, the group is really starting to gel on "I Get Around," with lots of added percussion and hand claps, and much more confident harmonies from Sophie, Kriea and Lance. "Imagine" has a wonderful feeling about it as well, with both solos and harmonies sounding more assured and beautiful each time we rehearse it. "Lean On Me" still needs the most work, but it is the most complex song as well. I am hoping that one is ready for the end of year performances.

CREDIT BAND
We spent the bulk of this module really digging into the Yes song "Roundabout." It is a very complex piece of music, and a real challenge for all the students. I am very pleased with the concentration and progress on this piece, and look forward to everyone hearing the finished project for at least one of our end-of-year performances. Besides that, we continued to refine songs we'd learned previously, spending a good amount of time on "We Are Golden" by Mika and "Never Alone" by Barlow Girl. I introduced 4 versions of the jazz standard "Autumn Leaves," to expand our improvisational abilities, and learn how to be creative with the arrangement and style of a song. We also started learning 2 of the original songs that I assigned the class to write in the last module. We made good progress on Josh Stallings' "Perfection," and started work on Lennon Klinger-Mehrbach's "Camelot A Band for Winners." Lastly, we took a stab at reconfiguring two of the first semester songs, since the make-up of the class has changed since then. Grace and Josh both stepped up to fill out the harmonies on "In My Life" and "You've Really Got A Hold On Me." Overall, class time has been very productive.

2009-2010 Module 7

Mathematics with Jenny Feaster

On Friday, March 12th the Upper School students will be celebrating π Day! (3/14, π Day, is really on Sunday). We will celebrate by discussing the origins of the famous number π and eating Pie.

We are about a week and a half away from the spring mid-semester. This is the time for students to focus on the pace for their math course. Students are expected to be halfway through their semester requirements by March 17.

English with Jill Sugg

AP Literature read All The King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. A field trip to meet with Carter Wrenn, accomplished political campaign director, at his offices has been scheduled for Wednesday, March 10th.

8/9 Advanced and 7/8/9 Regular read classic detective fiction novel The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett and saw the 1941 film starring Humphrey Bogart.

All classes have been reading poetry from a wide variety of sources.

English and Social Studies with Matt Wilhelm

American History: Students have encountered the challenges of Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, and the final stages of American settlers' conflicts with American Indians.

Civics: Students learned about the dynamics of a modern mayoral campaign through the lens of the documentary film Street Fight. In addition, students have begun examining the role of the Supreme Court in American politics.

Current Events: Students have learned about issues related to the earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. They have also been evaluating criticisms made of the modern business corporation in the documentary film The Corporation.

English 10/11/12: Students continue to read Prozac Nation while also reading short stories and articles regarding the significance of depression in today's world.

World History: Students have learned about the Industrial Revolution, the "Scramble for Africa," and have moved into the 20th century and the causes of World War I.

Science with Lori Hilliard

Environmental Science: Soil and soil studies have dominated this module. Students have completed many labs ranging from soil identification and permeability testing to culturing bacteria from the soil and identifying it as to type using the microscope and staining techniques. An interesting factoid that students discovered was that an acre of land can contain up to one ton of bacteria.

Human Biology: The cardiovascular system has taken this class straight to the heart of their study of human biology. Students have all successfully completed several laboratory assignments and case studies, and have mastered an exam that would make a college freshman panic.

Chemistry: Organic chemistry has kept this class on the ball this semester. Along with building 3-D models and closely analyzing everyday materials for hydrocarbons, the students constructed edible organic molecules, proving that organic chemistry is not all smelly.

Biology: Microbiology has been the intensive focus of this module. Students have learned to identify bacteria cultures using various staining techniques. Many days were spent mastering certain laboratory procedures that culminated in a practical lab that was very difficult and well done by all.

Physics with Dan Hill

The Physics class has had a rather large unit on work and energy, but that's understandable, because it's energy's changing of form that makes everything happen. After this we will have a short discussion of power, and then it's on to me twisting their arms until they know all there is to know about torque and rotational motion.

Spanish with Celia Battle

Introduction to Spanish—Students are very energized competing in verb tense games. They have learned stem-changing and reflexive verbs in the present tense as well as the use of possessive and demonstrative adjectives. Students have studied Episodes 9, 10, and 11 in Destinos.

Spanish 2—Students have studied the preterite tense and have enjoyed daily verb competitions in class. We continue our study of pre-Hispanic Mexico and have read and discussed this period of time in history as well as the beginning of the colonization period.

Intermediate Spanish—Students have studied in depth the uses of several verbs as well as two of the perfect tenses. They have played verb games and have enjoyed competing against each other to attain mastery of these tenses. Daily classroom discussions in Spanish of topics of interest, news, current events and readings continue to be the focus of this very energetic and enthusiastic class. This motivated group of students planned and organized the Camelot Academy Haiti Fund Drive quite successfully. I am very proud of them!

Advanced Spanish—Students have completed a variety of challenging AP readings. They have studied vocabulary and grammar from these readings and have had daily discussions in Spanish about current events as well as other issues of interest to the class. Students continue to do writing samples about these topics. This is a very cohesive and motivated group of students whose ability to speak Spanish increases every day.

Physical Education with Krista Moll

This semester we are switching it up a little. We will continue to have one day of fitness and one day of games, but on the fitness day, we are focusing on a full body workout. Mostly, I will use circuit training as a means to establish a full body workout. So far, with the incorporation of music, the circuit training has gone very well! I have been impressed with the hard work exerted by the students. As for their game day, each class voted on three to four sports they wanted to play throughout the semester. This last module and the beginning of this month, Ultimate Frisbee is the game of choice. On a final note, I'm excited to say that we will be taking the students to Millenium Fitness Center once a month starting in March. Before we head to Millenium Fitness Center, the students will be creating their own exercise program to work on at the fitness center.

Art with Brittain Peck

The students have made a considerable amount of progress in our study of woodblock preparation, carving, and printing. We began this module by creating high contrast black and white drawings for the specific purpose of reproducing these images as woodblock prints. We then covered a variety of transfer methods to transfer these images from the paper to the surface of the woodblock. These transfer methods included graphite and pressure transfers as well as acetone or chemical xerox transfers. With the images transferred, we had an introduction into the process and technique of cutting the block. The students ended the module in the process of continuing to cut their images into the block in preparation for our upcoming study of the printing process.

Music with Daniel Raimi

The Upper School music elective is off to an excellent start, and I'm excited about the coming semester. We've begun by understanding the basics of music theory. Students discussed and did homework on topics such as: constructing major scales, constructing major and minor chords, understanding and naming intervals and understanding and naming all the different 12 major keys using the circle of fifths. Students have been assigned various tasks in which they write short pieces and then perform them, and I've been enjoying their work very much. We have a wide variety of interests and experience levels in class, so it's going to be a challenge to keep everyone on the same page, but I've asked students to keep me up to date with their experience and opinions on the class. In the coming weeks, we're going to be performing one of Bach's 2-part inventions (#8) on a variety of instruments and students will have the opportunity to make presentations on a piece of music of their choice. Also, we'll continue our work with ear training, identifying intervals, chords, melodies, and rhythmic values.

Drama with Roni Peterson

I am very excited about the Dramatic Arts Elective. We began with the explanation of the material we will be covering during the semester. We begin each of the classes with some sort of group warm-up, be it voice or tone exercises, breathing exercises, or tongue twisters. Each of the students was given a folder for handouts, and a composition book to be used for journaling. I have asked the students to create a character and to journal, as their character, at home or during free time, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. They are required to write at least a paragraph for each entry. The entries should include daily happenings in the life of the character that they chose. They may include other characters in their entries that their own character encounters or interacts with. They could be the character's family, friends, co-workers, etc. I will check their journals every Monday, as this will count as homework. During class, each student introduced themselves and explained why they chose drama as their elective. I then asked them to re-introduce themselves as the character that they had created for their journal. The variety of choices was outstanding! The students really embraced the idea of journaling and I am so pleased with their enthusiasm. We are presently working on a one act play where all of the students have a part. We are focusing on character development. I am pleased with the progress they are making. We will continue with character study during Module 8. The students were given a quiz on theater vocabulary and will be given other tests on film vocabulary, as well as other terms used in the Dramatic Arts. I will be screening two film versions of The Miracle Worker and discuss their differences in direction, acting, lighting, music, etc. We will also be performing portions of the original play The Miracle Worker in class. I am so pleased to have the opportunity to be teaching this particular group of students as they have shown me that they truly want to be in this class by their enthusiasm, effort, class participation, and willingness to learn.

Music Performance with Glenn Mehrbach

CLUB CLASS
This module in the Club Class was mainly spent refining and augmenting songs that we started earlier in the year. Substantial progress was made on all fronts. Rachel is sounding terrific on the drums on "I Get Around," and the vocalists are feeling more and more comfortable with the deceptively difficult harmonies. Alec continues to improve as a guitarist and vocalist on "Waiting on the World to Change," and Kriea (with a little help from Sophie on cymbals) is beginning to own the challenging drum part. "Lean On Me" shows significant improvement, both vocally and instrumentally, including terrific solo parts by Lance and Bri, and good concentration on the difficult contrapuntal parts on the bridge section of the song. Multi-instrumentalist Rachel is really finding her way with the piano part. Refinements continue as well on "The Way I Am," with Sophie on lead vocals.

One new song we began this module was John Lennon's "Imagine." We created our own arrangement of this during class, which I later wrote out just for us. There are various class members sharing the lead vocals, singing back-ups, duets, and playing the instrumental parts during the song, and the progress has been quick and solid. I think it will become one of our best numbers.

Lastly, we used some class time for general vocal warm-ups, exploring ways to improve our breathing, posture, vowel formation and harmony singing. I continue to reinforce all these ideas within the context of the songs we are practicing.

CREDIT BAND
This module in Credit Band was a very creative and productive one. We continued to work on existing songs, learned some new ones, and each student composed his or her own song for the class. "Never Alone" and "We Are Golden," both of which we started last module, are now in very good shape, and ready for some final polishing. "The Weight" is also really shaping up. In the absence of Sarah and Lissy one day, we decided to have a "vocal day," in which we worked on harmonies on all of songs that sometimes get neglected while we are working on the instrumental parts. It was a very beneficial day. I introduced the jazz standard "Autumn Leaves," in 4 different versions, which we will be playing in various forms over the next few weeks. The students are playing from "lead sheets" drawn from "fake books," which give only the melody, chord symbols and other minimal rhythmic information, and require the players to come up with the rest. This has been a good challenge for the group, and we will continue to explore the various journeys you can take with this song in the future, which also provides chances for all of the players to expand their improvisational skills.

A big concentration this module was on "Roundabout." We spent most of the time on a number of sessions on the song, and our work is really starting to show some great results. The song takes a great deal of concentration and skill on the part of each and every player, and I really appreciate the continuing focus by the students during these sessions. It is a real tour de force, which I hope to have ready in its entirety by the Evening of the Arts.

We also looked at and listened to the results of some of the songs the students wrote for and about the class. Lennon's and Josh's particularly show promise for further exploration, and we will continue to work on turning their work into performable songs for upcoming performances. Josh, in particular, did a fine job of creating an entire arrangement, with a full band sound and accompanying lyrics. I really appreciated that extra effort.

2009-2010 Module 6

Mathematics with Jenny Feaster

We are 4 weeks into the new semester, and students have been working hard to keep up with their paces in math. February 24th, students have the option of taking the AMC (American Mathematics Contest) Grade 10 test. This contest is a test with 25 questions that is administered in 75 minutes. It contains problems that cover topics through pre-calculus. Please note calculators are not allowed on the test. Several students have expressed interest in the contest and will be taking it on the 24th.

English with Jill Sugg

Advanced Placement Literature read Nabokov's Lolita, focusing in particular upon the narrative technique of unreliable narration. Their take home test required them to analyze the author's use of foil characters and motifs as well as those psychological aspects that make Humbert Humbert so pitifully deranged and so fascinating. AP students also read "Oedipus Rex" by Sophocles for AR.

Advanced 8/9 and English 7/8/9 read Dean Koontz's Odd Thomas, a cult favorite in popular culture in the last decade, and wrote a five paragraph essay on the author's use of humor, poignancy, and suspense. Advanced 8/9 read Judith Guest's Ordinary People for AR and saw the Academy Award winning film directed by Robert Redford.

All classes began a poetry unit which will continue to be interspersed with our next major works. Classic and modern poetry are blended with a focus on total meaning, figurative language, poetic structure, and an appreciation for the art of putting our feelings on paper in a way that others can relate to.

English and Social Studies with Matt Wilhelm

American History: We have been looking at the Civil War, examining its direct and indirect causes, important decisions made by both the Union and the Confederacy and their impacts, and the war's legacy.

Civics: In the wake of the Scott Brown victory in Massachusetts, we have been examining voter behavior and the factors that drive it. We have also started an in-depth look at political psychology.

Current Events: Students in this class have also been looking at electoral politics, albeit from a more elementary perspective. Students have learned about the electoral process, voter behavior, and the importance of money in politics.

English 10/11/12: We have read and discussed Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. Students will follow this book with Elizabeth Wurtzel's Prozac Nation to get a more modern perspective on psychological struggle.

World History: We have examined the Scientific Revolution, the Protestant Reformation, and the impact of John Locke's ideas on the liberalization of governments during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Science with Lori Hilliard

Environmental Science: Rock formation and identification have been the focus of the last module. Students conquered these topics using hands on investigation. It has been a "rocky" start to the new semester.

Human Biology: Muscle ID and an understanding of the muscular system have been very exciting in this class. Students have enjoyed learning about their movements and how it relates to their favorite sports. Dissection of the chicken wing was also a highlight of this module.

Chemistry: The students have been blown away by our study of the Gas Laws. Proving the molar weight of a gas experimentally was a slight challenge and remembering all 8 formulas needed for the exam was a bigger challenge. Both were successfully conquered by this great group of chemists.

Biology: The conclusion of our study of Genetics has led this class into many great debates and has produced some very educational brochures about inherited disorders. I am very proud of the efforts of this group.

Physics with Dan Hill

The Physics students, now liberally glazed with the joint concepts of work and energy, are examining the workings of simple machines (levers, inclined planes, gears, pulleys, thumbscrews, etc.).

Spanish with Celia Battle

Introduction to Spanish—I am quite pleased that this class has worked very hard to learn stem-changing verbs in the present tense and they know how to use these in class. We have had many verb drills to help reinforce these new concepts. Students continue to follow the Destinos main character as she goes to Argentina in her next adventure to try to solve the family mystery.

Spanish 2—Students continue to increase their use of vocabulary and verbs as well as positive and negative indefinite words. They have begun to read about pre-Hispanic Mexico and to learn about the indigenous peoples that lived in that area. Class discussions focus on this topic as the students demonstrate their ability to apply their readings in classroom conversations.

Intermediate Spanish—Students continue to have daily discussions in Spanish about current events. They have increased their ability to communicate about topics pertinent to life today, world news and school matters. I am very proud that this class has taken a leadership role in an all school fundraiser for Haitian relief. Students are planning, organizing and running these creative events themselves with minimal adult supervision.

Advanced Spanish–This class has been reading AP excerpts from Hispanic literature. They are studying vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, literary devices and the use of a variety of verb tenses, both in fiction and non-fiction samples. Daily conversations continue to generate lively and challenging discussions of current events, personal anecdotes and a variety of topics of interest to the class.

Physical Education with Krista Moll

We have stayed pretty consistent with alternating upper body, lower body, abdominals/lower back, and jogging and conditioning each fitness class. With the cold weather and the snow, it has been a little difficult staying on task. However, they have been a great bunch of students and have stayed positive regardless of the weather!

Art with Brittain Peck

Module 6 opened with the introduction of a new extensive lesson in printmaking, in particular relief printmaking seen through the lens of poster design. The students were first introduced to the idea and practice of relief printmaking through the creation, design, and printing of Styrofoam printing blocks. We then moved into the stage of conceptual development in which the students were encouraged to explore their interests and concerns through the process of designing a visual voice to their ideas. We looked at the use and design of posters during and after the Cuban Revolution, focusing on the relationship between ideas and visual design, the use of bold colors and graphic shapes, and the use and incorporation of text as a visual object. The students then worked to create thumbnail sketches of their designs to move closer towards their final compositions. We then recreated these small designs as scale layouts, using cut colored paper, rather than markers of colored pencils, to prioritize the students' understanding of the relationship to shape and color in their compositions. At this point, the students took part in a mid-level critique to provide the students with an opportunity to gain facility and confidence in discussing their work and creative process with their peers. This mid-level critique marked the end of Art for many of the students as we transitioned into the new Upper School elective schedule. Those students who have continued with Art have begun to take the next steps towards producing their poster designs as multi-color woodblock prints. As the first step in this process, the students have begun the process of color separation, and in doing so, are gaining hands-on experience in the fundamental processes of print production.

Music with Daniel Raimi

Upper grades worked on a few things this module. We finished our recordings of "Should I Stay or Should I Go," and students will get their own copies of the songs within a week or two. Our next step was to focus on writing and understanding traditional musical notation. Students were given worksheets and asked to identify and write specific patterns of notes and rhythms. We studied notes ranging from the "A" below "middle C" up to an "A" above the treble clef staff, and rhythms ranging from whole notes to sixteenth notes, including quarter note and eighth note rests. After going through the worksheets, students were asked to write a short piece of music, which I then performed on guitar. We had a slight challenge, which was that if any student could write a piece of music that I was unable to play, they would win a cookie. After some revisions and plenty of huffing and puffing, we had a few cookie-winners, and I had a blast playing the students' pieces.

We also began work on a series of "ear training" exercises, where students listen to short musical phrases and have to identify the specific melodic notes and rhythms used in the phrase. They then write down the musical phrase, training their ears to hear certain patterns in music. We also went through a series of chords: Major, Minor, Diminished and Augmented, working to simply hear a chord and identify it's type. The students showed a strong ability to distinguish between the different sounds, and should soon have "ears of steel," as we say in the music-nerd world.

Drama with Roni Peterson

During Module 6, the Upper Grades continued with improvisation exercises. Comic strips were handed out and groups were formed to write original scripts based on the comic strips. Each student was to take on a character that was in the strip and to embellish it into a short scene. It certainly was interesting to see how they were able to work as a group in writing a script, and to take on the characters.

Music Performance with Glenn Mehrbach

CLUB CLASS
Between a late start to the year because of the ski trip, snow days, and regular school holidays, Module 6 meant a little less than 3 weeks of sessions this year. But we got a lot accomplished in that short amount of time. We polished up some old songs, and began learning a whole batch of new ones. Before winter break I asked the students their preferences about songs to sing, and how to sing them. They said they'd like to have individual solos as well as group singing songs. So we began by featuring Sophie Reiter on "The Way I Am." Sophie surprised us all with the quality and volume of her singing, and I hope that confidence extends to everything she sings with the group. We also started working on "Waitin' On The World To Change," featuring guitarist Alec Porter, who only recently expressed an interest in singing for the class. After finding a good key for him, he is really finding his way with the song. Bri Oleson and Lance Wilkes began sharing the lead vocals on "Lean On Me" based on the arrangement by the cast of the TV show Glee. We also continued work on "I Get Around" with the verses sung with gusto by Lance.

Another wonderful development in the class is the willingness of students to try playing different instruments. Rachel Roush, who already has experience with lots of musical instruments, will be featured on piano, percussion, and drum set. Kriea Giffin-Dean is showing herself quite adept at the conga, and is finding her way around the drum set as well. Alec Porter, as I already mentioned, is becoming quite the vocalist as well as our guitarist, not only singing lead, but helping sing back-ups on other songs as well. And Bri has agreed to play key-bass on at least 2 of the songs, which really helps the sound of the group. I hope to hand more of the instrumental chores off to group members in the second semester, and take myself out of mix as a piano player.

I look forward to continuing work on these songs in the next module, and finding more songs for the individual members to shine on. Their willingness to work together, support each other in trying new things, and always try to do their best no matter how large or small their part in a particular song is very inspiring and gratifying.

CREDIT BAND
As with the Club Class, a late start because of the ski trip, snow days, and regular school holidays meant that Module 6 was a little less than 3 weeks of sessions this year. But we made the most of those sessions. Also like the Club Class, I based most of our new material on suggestions from the students. I am happy to have Grace Kirkpatrick back in the class again, after spending her first semester in New York City. We began learning "The Weight" by the Band, with Lennon Klinger-Mehrbach handling most of the lead vocals, with one verse and harmonies by Josh Stallings. After a tentative start, they really seem to be understanding the song, and continue to improve vastly each time we play. We also started on "Never Alone," by one of Sarah Chetty's favorites, Barlow Girl. This song features Sarah on piano, and has a passionate lead vocal that has really brought out new colors in Olivia Arges' voice. Just before the break we began work on "We Are Golden," by Mika, a suggestion from Elisabeth Parker. This is a fun and silly song, but really requires energy and attention to make it work properly. Olivia also needs to show some new aspects of her vocal personality to make this song work. Along with her always wonderful violin playing, Grace has also been singing harmonies for the group this semester, and doing a wonderful job. I look forward to exploring her vocal abilities, and maybe even her keyboard chops, as the semester progresses.

We continue to work on "Roundabout," by Yes, which we began in the first semester. We added a violin part to the arrangement, and rearranged the vocals to compensate for the loss of Viola Samadi, who is not with us this semester. Little by little, this very difficult song is coming together. We also continued work on "One Note Samba" and "Mack the Knife," both which challenge the students to expand their rhythmic sense and improvisational skills.

Speaking of improvisation, that is something we continue to work on, with varying results for each band member. It is an important skill for any musician to have, and I will continue to create opportunities for all of them to expand their abilities in that area.

Lastly, I am determined to have the students write at least one class song in the 2nd semester, and gave them an assignment before the break for conferences of coming up with at least one verse, chorus and lyrics of a song. I look forward to seeing the results.