Somehow, it’s already our last full week of school. Students spent the first hour of their morning doing a dress rehearsal for the concert, and we’re all so excited for tomorrow! Grandparents’ Day will be a blast, and this year’s Spring concert is going to be amazing. We’re also thankful that Wednesday is a late start to give students a chance for some rest after a busy Tuesday.
This weekend, eighth grade students were able to experience the joy of a job well done. They have worked hard with Mrs. Breckner in Advisory all year long to plan and fundraise for their class trip to Kansas City on May 3-4. Students raised money by planning bake sales, helping with a uniform buy-out day, and designing a t-shirt for the Winter Mixer. Eighth grade students left The Summit at noon on May 3rd and spent their Friday night at Dave and Busters, playing arcade games and eating dinner. They then headed back to the hotel for fun in the pool. Students were up early on Saturday morning for breakfast at the hotel before spending a full day at Worlds of Fun. Each student purchased the fast lane pass and enjoyed skipping lines to ride all sorts of thrilling and terrifying roller coasters.
In Model United Nations, the final focus has been upon improving the local community. As such, students were given a creative prompt to design their own non-profit organization. Students could choose to work in a group or on their own, and their ideas have ranged from an animal shelter to a safe place for homeless LGBTQ+ teens. This final project was designed by Mrs. Maddox, who also arranged for a guest speaker to come in and share with students. Mrs. Shannon Porter, the CEO of Empower: Abilities (formerly known as Southwest Council for Independent Living) came in to share with students about her time spent working with and leading a non-profit organization in Springfield. Mrs. Porter was also able to bring in some of the exciting technology Empower: Abilities helps to distribute within the community.
Students in the seventh grade geography class have worked hard completing their Oceania projects. Their group videos are full of information about the region, and most of them are quite humorous, as well. Students in this class have been diligent all year, and in recognition of this, the class will celebrate with a feast with foods from around the world on Thursday, May 9th.
Sixth grade students have been working hard to finish the school year strong. The class is wrapping up by studying the Civil War. Students have spent time reading primary sources, listening to songs from the era, discussing Abraham Lincoln’s letters, and crafting a research-based essay on a topic from the war. These students have done such an impressive job this year, and it’s been exciting to look back at their growth. Their final task is to complete either a culminating project or take an essay test to show their mastery of the eras studied.
Seventh and eighth students have developed some wonderful critical thinking and communication skills throughout American History I this year. Students have conducted research (primary, secondary, and tertiary), completed projects to show their mastery, presented to classmates as experts on their subject matter, and have proven to have a good grasp of the foundations of American history and government. They will have the opportunity to show their learning and make connections from across the course during a final essay exam set for May 10th.
High school students have turned in their third and final project of the year and are in the midst of preparing for their final exam, which will be a take-home essay test. While there is always more to learn in history, these students have worked diligently and have a solid foundation of knowledge in American history. This class has been able to take field trips, hear from guest speakers, choose their own research projects, use databases to do research using peer-reviewed journals, present their work to fellow students, craft projects that show their learning, and discuss various points of America’s past.
