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HOZA! - February 19, 2010
Though it was a cold and dreary day outside,
the Linden gym was full of song, dance and hope on Wednesday,
February 17, as we celebrated Black History Month.
At Wednesday's All-School, organized
by the Keresan family, Linden students and teachers welcomed
Kevin and Derek from HOZA!, an organization that offers workshops
based on creative mediation. Creative mediation encourages
self-awareness, development and learning by having participants
engage with a creative medium, such as visual art, song, or
dance.
Our students and teachers entered the gym
to the sound of drumming, performed by Kevin and Derek to
invite us to join their indaba. An indaba, Kevin explained,
is a council or meeting between indigenous tribes in South
Africa, where Kevin is from. With this introduction as a springboard,
Kevin went on to share his experiences as a white person growing
up in apartheid South Africa - and to show us how he and other
young people began to bridge the gap apartheid had created.
As a white student at a mixed-race school
(which his parents had purposefully sought out), Kevin had
many black friends, but the bond between them solidified for
life when he saw his friends performing the "gumboot
dance" in the schoolyard and asked to learn it. The gumboot
dance originated in the gold mines of South Africa, where
many black South Africans were pressed into service. Because
many of the workers did not share a common language, they
had to find other ways to communicate; one of these ways involved
tapping on their rubber boots, or gumboots, issued to them
to protect their feedtfrom the fetid water in the mine.
Kevin and his friends began performing this
dance at indabas, weddings and other ceremonies, and seeing
white people and black people work together to perform this
dance touched everyone watching. Through dance, Kevin helped
strengthen the feeling of many South Africans that apartheid
should not continue, and strengthen the opposition that eventually
caused apartheid to crumble.
Dance was just one of the methods Kevin
and Derek used when telling this story today - though a spirited
demonstration of the gumboot dance by Kevin received raucous
applause. They also used traditional South African songs,
such as the children's song "Chocholoza" (roughly
translated as "Chugga Chugga Choo Choo"), an upbeat
call-and-response song, and traditional drumming techniques.
Kevin and Derek had us all on our feet throughout the All-School,
and by the end, they had several girls drumming and dancing
with them in front of the audience!
To learn more about HOZA!, click here.
Let the (Linden) Games begin! - February
12, 2010
Our grade 3/4 class got everyone into the
Olympic spirit at our Wednesday, February 10, All School by
hosting the first-ever Linden Games!
The Joy of Being Active
With the entire school gathered in the gym,
the girls in grades 3 and 4 kicked off the event with a small-scale
torch relay, Once the Olympic flames were lit, the girls told
the story of Summer Olympian Carol Huynh, who won a gold medal
in wrestling at the Beijing games.
Playing the part of Carol, grade 4 student
Sophia described Carol's experience this way: "I was
full of joy. I felt the joy of competing. I felt the joy of
being active. Winning just made it even better."
The importance (and joy) of being active
was the focal point of Wednesday's All School - and to demonstrate
the fun of being active, the grade 3/4 class designed three
very creative indoor alternatives to three popular winter
sports! Our twelve Linden families faced off in some friendly
competition in the Freestyle Feather Race (Freestyle Skiing),
the Pairs Balloon Race (Pairs Figure Skating), and the Egg-and-Spoon
Race (Biathlon).
Because the focal point of the day was fun,
there were no medals presented at the end of the games, but
there was something else enjoyable for everyone: chocolate!
Exploring science at the Sci-Tech Fair
- February 3, 2010
On Thursday, January 28, our budding scientists
shared their discoveries with the Linden community at our
annual Science and Technology Fair.
Each girl taking science at Linden, whether
she is in grade 1 or grade 12, completes a project for this
event. These projects are devoted to searching for an answer
to the students' "I wonder" questions; these year,
these questions included:
- How can I re-design a magnetic train to make it more
stable? (Grade 9)
- Where will food get moldy the fastest: in the fridge,
in a dark cupboard or in the sun? (Grade 1)
- Under what conditions will plastic bottles release the
chemical Bisphenol A (BPA)? (Grade 10)
- What type of fruit or vegetable makes the best battery?
(Grade 4)
- Can I create an electronic lock that will open in response
to a specific series of knocks? (Grade 7)
For students in grades 8 and 11, the Science
and Technology Fair is devoted to advancing their knowledge
in specific areas. Grade 8 students completed a technology
project in which they each built and programmed a robot able
to perform a simple task (e.g. turning a mobile over a baby's
crib, identifying and throwing water on a fire). For their
biology class, grade 11 students took an existing animal and
modified it to adapt to a new lifestyle or habitat. An example
is the "camelephant", created by Arlie, which uses
certain aspects of a camel's physiology to adapt an elephant
to living in the barren desert.
After sharing their findings with their
fellow students and teachers earlier in the day, students
invited the Linden community to see what they discovered from
6:00-8:00 PM on January 28th. As well as showing their finished
projects to their parents and friends, the girls also presented
their findings to three "willing listeners". These
volunteer members of the Linden community - including parents,
friends and alumnae - listen to student presentations and
provide constructive feedback on their work, allowing the
girls to discuss their findings with people outside of their
immediate family circle.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for
this wonderful event!
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