In this post...
- Telling the Story
- Shameless Plug
- What we are learning...
- Things To Do in our Community
Telling the Story
On Wednesday, we welcomed Henry Friedman to speak to the 7th and 8th Grades. Mr. Friedman shared a terrible story - he was born in Brody, Poland (now in Ukraine), in 1928. With the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany in 1939, Friedman and his family experienced the systematic discrimination and isolation imposed with Nazi occupation, and his family went into hiding, protected by Ukrainian families, before they could be forced into the ghetto in Brody or deported. For 18 months, he lived in a crawlspace above a barn with his mother, brother, and a teacher, while his father hid in a different family's barn. He shared with our students some of the most painful moments of that period.
This week, students in 8th Grade also screened the 1956 documentary "Night and Fog," one of the earliest documentary film attempts to disseminate and interpret the Holocaust. Both of these experiences are rooted in our Individuals & Societies curriculum, part of students' inquiry into the events and impact of World War II, but they also coincide with preparations around the world for Yom Ha-Shoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, when people around the world are called not only to commemorate the lives lost in the Holocaust but also to contemplate the ways we can prevent such horrors from happening again. Of course, we know that the Holocaust was not the last genocide - the history of the 20th and now 21st centuries is scarred by genocides around the world.
It is hard to imagine how, at 88, Mr. Friedman has the stamina to tell his story, but there is a clue in the way he framed his presentation on Wednesday - he started and concluded with an emphasis on hope. He tells his story over and over again, he shared, so that young people might - actually, he believes that they will - hear it and prevent history from repeating itself. Friedman ended his presentation with "The Paradoxical Ten Commandments," a twist on the ethical norms that are central to Jewish and Christian religious practice. These commandments urge listeners to do good, even in the face of evil, hopelessness, or apathy. A few examples:
Sixth Grade: Fabulous fire pit beautifully decorated with hand painted titles by members of the Class of 2023! This is a one of a kind masterpiece, and it also comes equipped with a waterproof cover, stocked with all the workings to make s'mores, and full of love from the Sixth Grade.
This week, students in 8th Grade also screened the 1956 documentary "Night and Fog," one of the earliest documentary film attempts to disseminate and interpret the Holocaust. Both of these experiences are rooted in our Individuals & Societies curriculum, part of students' inquiry into the events and impact of World War II, but they also coincide with preparations around the world for Yom Ha-Shoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, when people around the world are called not only to commemorate the lives lost in the Holocaust but also to contemplate the ways we can prevent such horrors from happening again. Of course, we know that the Holocaust was not the last genocide - the history of the 20th and now 21st centuries is scarred by genocides around the world.
It is hard to imagine how, at 88, Mr. Friedman has the stamina to tell his story, but there is a clue in the way he framed his presentation on Wednesday - he started and concluded with an emphasis on hope. He tells his story over and over again, he shared, so that young people might - actually, he believes that they will - hear it and prevent history from repeating itself. Friedman ended his presentation with "The Paradoxical Ten Commandments," a twist on the ethical norms that are central to Jewish and Christian religious practice. These commandments urge listeners to do good, even in the face of evil, hopelessness, or apathy. A few examples:
People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. Love them anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.Education is a fundamentally optimistic profession. People go into teaching or other roles in school life with a certain amount of hope - we believe that the work we are doing will have a positive impact on the world, or at least on one student's life. That hope is reinvigorated every day when we see students demonstrating growth and mastery but especially when we see them demonstrate kindness, love, and care, even in the face of apathy or animosity. We are so proud of our students' ability to lean into difficult territory, such as learning about the Holocaust, but, more importantly, we are grateful for the hope they continue to inspire as they commit to creating a more peaceful, inclusive, and loving world, starting with our school community.
Shameless Plug for MS Auction Projects
Sixth Grade: Fabulous fire pit beautifully decorated with hand painted titles by members of the Class of 2023! This is a one of a kind masterpiece, and it also comes equipped with a waterproof cover, stocked with all the workings to make s'mores, and full of love from the Sixth Grade.
Seventh Grade: Seventh Graders put forward a number of auction ideas this year, and they eventually decided on custom sweatshirts. Instead of one person winning the Seventh Grade auction item, everyone can win! Just select a color for the sweatshirt, and then choose from a variety of student-designed logos and pictures. The logos and pictures, again, came about through a winnowing process where students presented their ideas.
Eighth Grade: Giant Jenga anyone? Have your own 3ft Jenga game for your backyard to entertain all your friends. With its own wheeling storage case and personalized with the Annie Wright colors and words that represent the AWS experience, how can you not jump at the chance?
What we are learning...
Sixth graders continue to explore integers and rational numbers. This week students are focusing on performing operations with rational numbers and connecting rational numbers to integers. In the coming week, students will be introduced to their Summative Assessment, where they will be responsible for identifying, demonstrating, and writing rules for patterns in operations as well as modeling their rule.
Seventh Grade mathematicians continue to explore probability and statistics. This week’s work includes a problem of maximizing profit. Students must analyze a data sample and then make decisions about what type of soup and bread to buy to so a soup maker can sell the most soup to the most customers and not have a lot left over at the end of the day. It requires accurate computation and analysis of the answers found to make reasonable and profitable decisions.
Eighth graders are factoring polynomials. This is one of the most difficult challenges to overcome in the first year of algebra. The numbers interact with multiplication, addition, and subtraction at the same time. There are many possibilities but only one answer. With some perseverance the trinomials do yield their secrets. What we will finally do with those answers will be the subject of our work after the Costa Rica trip.
In the Sixth Grade Strings Class, we have finished our unit on Instrumental Technique and now will move forward with learning songs to perform for the All School Orchestra Concert on May 10 and May Day. Middle School Orchestra will do a special performance in All Schools Chapel on Monday April 24 of the very silly and scary “Rosin Eating Zombies from Outer Space”. They are also preparing for the May 10 concert and looking forward to joining forces with the Upper School Orchestra on one piece there.
To Do in our Community...
- Saturday, April 22nd is Parks Appreciation Day in Pierce County! Parks throughout the county will be hosting volunteer work parties during the morning. There’s no need to register - just show up and be ready to help remove invasive species and clean up these wonderful spaces. For a full listing of parks participating in Parks Appreciation Day, visit Parks Appreciation Day Sites.
- Looking for ways to explore Tacoma and Seattle? Stay up to date with the events calendar on The Tacoma Weekly and Visit Seattle.
