Greetings GreenMount Community,
I’ll start
today by giving you an update on our eighth grade students and their
experiences in Costa Rica. We have received
reports from Ms. Elaine, and everything is going well. The group arrived safely and has begun their
experiences with a hike up to a volcano into which no one fell (joke). Actually, they got to the site at which one
can view the volcano and a large lake, and the mist at altitude hid both from
view except for a brief moment when a breeze blew the mist away. The hike was interesting as the students
experiences the wildlife and jungle along the way.
In San Jose, our group has had the
opportunity to work with a mask-maker and create traditional masks of their
own. They have also been dining on traditional
dishes of beans and rice as well as dishes with fresh fruit and
vegetables. It appears that everything
is going well and that the students are very enthusiastic about everything they
are doing. They are doing a good job of
representing our school, too. Even the
TSA people in Miami complimented them!
Ms. Elaine and Mr. Ellis challenge the students right from the beginning,
making them responsible for finding their way through airports and through the
streets of San Jose. Soon, they will be
in the village where they will have more opportunities to demonstrate leadership. I won’t be able to give you another update on
the trip because the group will return on Friday, after which we begin our
spring break. However, at some point and
in a Community Day meeting, the students will present a slide show of their
trip. I hope many parents will come to
see how effective and enriching this international trip is.
Speaking of
Community Day, we had a great one on Friday when Loren Cornish visited to share
his amazing art with the students. We
were very lucky to have him visit and he has promised to come back just to have
more time to learn about our school. I
was very proud of our students on Friday as they responded to his questions
demonstrating their deep understanding of creativity and self-expression. In fact, he said at one point, “I came here
with the intent of talking to you. And now I am learning so much from you, it is
much more interesting to hear what you have to say.” On two occasions the responses he got from
students nearly brought him to tears and he had to pause for a moment. I guess we don’t always know what great kids
we have here until someone from outside our school community experiences their
talent and insight. We are all doing a
pretty good job, it seems.
We are most alive when our hearts
are conscious of our treasures. -- Thornton Wilder
Cheers,
Steve
