Amazing Grace
The last quarter has been a whirlwind of work winding down to when summer releases students back to their countries of origin.
In 7th, 8th, and 9th grades the students finished the nonfiction unit studying Amazing Grace, the True Story along with the lyrics to Amazing Grace. It was a creative way to use reading strategies to compare texts, learn new vocabulary, and explore changes in people as well as society. Students observed what happens historically when people give their hearts and lives over to God and become new creations and they gained a better understanding of the importance of sharing the testimonies of the dynamic lives of Godly men/women who change the world for good. After such an intense study we lightened up with descriptive writing about personal events such as the 8th grade trip to Dorney Park. Many students were able to not only use more sophisticated vocabulary than before, but also used descriptive metaphors to bring the reader into the experience.
Mrs. Kemp
African Music
Middle school learned about African culture. How African music and movement of dance has impacted their daily lives. They also got to show how music affected them and why they liked music.
Mrs. Colon
New Challenges
Middle school has tried many new things even above their age level. This of course was not told to them till after they started. They have learned in 6th grade to paint with watercolors and the different techniques of how to do this. 7th grade amazed themselves on how well they did when challenged to work with oil pastels. 8th grade did great work with their sculptures. They used paper to create anything from a can of soda to a remarkable detailed drum set.
Mrs. Colon
We had a wonderful Spring Program. Elementary students danced to Shout to the Lord, with streamers. The middle school danced to Go Fast, and high school danced and ministered the songs that they did in Hawaii. The high school electives also danced to I’m Free.
Mrs. Rosario
Stereotypes
During 2nd semester, eighth graders read the Newbery winner, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, which takes place in the rural South, pre-Civil Rights. Students learned about stereotypes, prejudice, and racism and discussed how these flawed and often inaccurate attitudes are developed and how we Christians should respond to help bring about change and justice. Additionally, eighth graders prepared mini-speeches (with expert research and Biblical support) to debate with their classmates about whether or not the N-word should still be used today.
Mrs. Foster
Crystals, Minerals, and Rocks
The 8th grade Science Classes completed two projects. The first was from a unit study on Crystals, Minerals, and Rocks. Each student found a particular rock, mineral or crystal to research. The research included fun facts and how the mineral, crystal or rock is used in our everyday lives. They also created a booklet with this information including pictures and a bibliography.
Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis
The second project was from a unit study on Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis. Each student created a PowerPoint presentation. They displayed vital information, location, graphics, and statistics of the volcano, earthquake or tsunami of choice. They also included the effect and cost factor caused by the volcano, earthquake or tsunami.
Mrs. Christian
Advanced Pre-Algebra
We have been building some amazing items with our newly discovered geometry knowledge. The students have memorized and used several perimeter, area, volume and surface area formulas and were tested on their knowledge using a building project. They had to come up with a 2-dimensional scale drawing first and then construct the object using blocks or polydrons. We have some promising engineers in our future.
Miss Stahler
The end of the year for 8th grade Social Studies was quite fascinating as we ventured into the 1990’s and 2000’s. We analyzed Bill Clinton’s and George Bush’s presidencies and the students each presented about the various culture wars that started in the 90’s. Groups of students read different NY Times articles about the many terrorist attacks by al-Quaeda in the 90’s, which set the stage for the attacks on 9/11. We debated about the United States’ declaration of war on terrorism everywhere, and had what turned out to be a very timely discussion about the Patriot Act and the right to privacy vs. the NSA. The students have been reviewing for their final by drawing timelines, creating cause-and-effect diagrams to see how technology drives history, and writing essays to describe enduring themes in American history.
Mrs. Roh
¡Llegamos al fín del año!
This year, 8th Grade was introduced to conjugation forms of regular, irregular, and stem-changing verbs in the present tense. As cultural highlights included comparing and contrasting differences between American football and fútbol (soccer), we also delved into, and became enthralled by, a small community in an isolated section of Colombia where students were required to take a zip-line as a form of daily travel to school. With Middle School’s foundational Spanish completed, the fun has just begun, as High School field trips including theater, restaurants, and museums will take learning the culture and Spanish language to a whole new level. Looking forward to it.
Sra. Jean-Pierre
Abstinence
In our 8th and 9th grade classes, we were given the opportunity this year to implement an abstinence program. We were able to sit in a chapel where the author of the book spoke about the program. In both 8th and 9th grade we tackled the important issue of purity and the reason why God wants us to remain on track to achieve our dreams. The lessons were really impactful. On my Final exam of the year, I asked them to define the most meaningful lesson and to my surprise 78% of both classes cited that this particular lesson meant the most to them. All in all during the course of this year I have seen a steady growth in the area of God in the lives of the middle school and the High school students which I taught. Glory be to God.
Pastor Racoma