Coming off of their long term writing project, middle school switched gears this week and has begun work on stories that are considered “classics;” “The Most Dangerous Game” for 7th/8th, and “The Monkey’s Paw” for 6th. I really enjoy teaching these two stories because even though they were written decades ago, they still have something very relevant to say to our current student population. The old axioms “be careful what you wish for” and “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes” are shown prominently in these works of short fiction, among others. They began these stories with an exploration of literary terms and devices that are illustrated by this text, as well as vocabulary that will help them expand their understanding of language. The reading of these stories and further discussion/assessment will continue next week.
That is not to say that we’ve abandoned their writing now that it’s been turned in. All grade levels took some time to reflect on their performance during this most recent writing process. They were asked to write about what they did they were proud of, what they struggled with, and what goals they will set for next time. This led into a great discussion about being patient with themselves as writers and realizing that, like any true skill, it takes practice, determination, and fortitude to improve in writing. I also explained how important it is to celebrate your victories as a writer before focusing on your shortcomings. The power of positive thought is so important to the growth of any young artist and I’m hoping they’ll able to shift their focus and accentuate the positive in future writing projects.
High School is tackling that age old question: How do I write when the inspiration well runs dry? Considering that they spent a large portion of the last couple of weeks writing a non-fiction piece about themselves, I thought it might be a good idea for them to flex their creative fiction writing muscles for a bit. They were tasked with combing the internet to find a writing prompt in a genre they enjoyed. It could be anything so long as it appealed to them and gave them inspiration to write. It can be very easy for young writers to stagnate once they leave school and don’t have teachers feeding them prompts and topics. Hopefully, by seeing the vast amounts of writing tools available to them for free, they’ll remember that they have options even when they “have nothing to write about.”
And we can’t forget electives! Science Fiction students began their long term novel “Dune” this week by Frank Herbert. Considered a classic of science fiction, I’m already getting favorable reports that students are enjoying the book and even reading ahead! We’ve only been able to have a single class discussion, but it was incredibly insightful and the students had a ton of enthusiasm. The class ran late because they didn’t want to stop the discussion. I thought this was a good problem to have.
And last, but not least, our photojournalism class had a visit last week from Miss Amy to discuss a possible “High School Takeover” of an upcoming Raven Report. Thanks Zee for the great idea! Building on that, we are looking at implementing a regular school blog that could serve as a school newspaper of sorts to address life here on campus and they many wonderful things that are still happening despite having to adapt to our current circumstances. Today in class, they elected to call it “The Summit Scoop.” Thanks Bryn for the great suggestion! Verity has been hard at work as well beginning the process of outlining what will be our yearbook and Ainsley has been making the rounds taking photos that we can use in our various publications. All in all, we’re on a good path and I’m very excited to see where all these fantastic ideas lead us!
We also have a lot of exciting opportunities available to support the school. Below is some information about how you can help and get involved. Have a great weekend!
Support The Summit
Check out these great opportunities to support The Summit:
Summit Face Masks: $15/mask
Click here to order face masks. Quantities are limited and sizes vary. All proceeds support SPO and their activities for the year.
Summit Umbrellas: $30/umbrella
Click here to order Summit umbrellas. Show off your Summit pride with our brand new umbrellas! Quantities are limited so be sure to order yours today!
Fall Mums: $12/mum
Click here to purchase mum vouchers from Wheeler Gardens. Friday, October 2nd is your last day to purchase a mum voucher and support SPO! Each $12 voucher is good for one (1) 2-gallon jumbo hardy mum from Wheeler Gardens.
Scrip
Scrip is a great way for families to earn rebates that go towards their Summit Growth Fund! The first Thankscriping Day is coming up on Thursday, September 17th. Families can earn up to 20% with 85+ bonuses on eGift cards and money added to reloadable gift cards on this day. Questions? Email Summit Scrip Coordinator & Parent, Phil Isley at scrip@thesummitprep.org.
Pre-Order the 2020-2021 Yearbook
Click here to pre-order the 20/21 Yearbook. Designed by The Summit High School, don’t miss out on this year’s memories. Pre-order your copy before September 30th to save 10%.
AmazonSmile
AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice, The Summit Prep. You must go through smile.amazon.com (not amazon.com) to log into your Amazon account for the benefits to be applied.
