May 4 - 8

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa participated in the classical recital for piano.  She played "Nocturne No. 5" by John Field.  She got to select her piece this year and really loved this one.  It was fairly difficult, but she worked hard on it and did such a great job.  She loves playing the piano and is looking forward to selecting a pop song for the summer pops recital her teacher will be having in August.  Marissa has also been working on her music reading skills and has learned so much music theory this year through her teacher's group lessons.  

She also had her final oral exam for her Quest class and the end of year Quest ceremony and celebration.  She was so nervous for the oral exam, but did an excellent job! 

CALEB

Caleb participated in the classical recital for piano.  He played "Minuet" by Alexander Reinagle.  He also played the first part of the Super Mario theme music, which was not planned.  :)  

April 27 - May 1

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa had a science fair project to complete for her Pyramid class.  She chose to complete a project about chickens.  She compared the number of eggs, quality of their shells, color of the yoke and size of the eggs.  There were many factors she took into consideration including natural light, food, and unexpected problems such as predators.  It was a really fun project and everyone had so many questions for her as they went around looking at the different projects.  

April 20 - 24

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa had a concert for her hand bell choir class this week.  They did such a great job!  She has learned so much about music and playing in an ensemble through this class.  The conductor, Claudette, is moving to New Orleans so this was her last concert.  It was very emotional for everyone.  Marissa loved all the songs they played, but was extra excited about the pop song they included.  It was Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and was really fun for the audience.   

April 13 - 17

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa participated in a Supreme Court simulation.  The case was DC v Heller, which was about gun laws and the 2nd Amendment from a case in 2008.  Marissa was the attorney representing Heller, the respondent.  There were three on her team and three on the side of the appellant.  She did a fantastic job!  She learned so much about the court system, preparing a law Brief, and arguing in front of a judge.  It was a very memorable experience.  The judge from Morgan County made notes for each of the students.  He told Marissa that she should consider going into law because she was very good at making a case and was very prepared.  That meant so much to her.   

April 6 - 10

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa participated in a marketplace event for her liber skills class this week.  She made resin earrings and necklaces as well as homemade scrunchies that she sewed.  She made $136 which was not as much money as she had hoped to make, but she was still excited about it.  She loves learning about being an entrepreneur and running a business.  

March 30 - April 3

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa had tech week and performances for her Classical Acting class.  They performed Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.  Marissa was three different parts and had really quick costume changes.  She played Jessica (Shylock's daughter), Salerina (a town gossip and Antonia's servant), and the Dutchess at the court scene.  She did such an amazing job playing three very different parts in the play.  It was amazing to watch!  She's excited to take the show on the road with her classmates to perform at a few local elementary schools this spring.  

March 23 - 27

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa had a clogging competition in Idaho this week.  She had one team dance in the champ level, one team dance in advanced, four advanced solos, advanced freestyle and an advanced A Capella duet.  She did so well!  She received 1st on all of her solos earning her the "master soloist" award.  She also had a dance off with her freestyle and ended up taking 1st in the senior level for advanced freestyle.  It was an amazing weekend for her to show her skills at a sport she has come to truly love! 

March 16 - 20

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa participated in an egg drop experiment for her Pyramid class.  She is learning so many principles about math and science in her class.  The first semester was based on Zoology.  The second semester is based on Physics.  She really enjoyed testing and experimenting with materials at home to make sure she had a contraption that would keep the egg from breaking when it hit the hard floor.  She did a great job and learned so much in the process.  

March 9 - 13

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa read "I am Malala" for her Quest class.  It was a very powerful book for her.  She read about a girl her age who stood up to the Taliban.  She learned how she, too, can stand up for things that are not right.  She also wrote a paper after reading the book that went along with the themes and topics she learned from the book.  Attached is her paper.

The Edge of the Cliff

March 2 - 6

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa read "Supreme Power: 7 Pivotal Supreme Court Decisions That Had a Major Impact on America" for her Quest class.  She also read " "Great Decisions of the US Supreme Court."  She was asked to study a set of court cases in detail and give an oral presentation about it.  Her cases were called "The Modern Monkey Trial" and had to do with creationism versus evolution being taught in the courtroom.  She did a fantastic job.  Below is the paper she used to give her oral presentation.  

The Modern Monkey Trial

February 23 - 27

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa read "Logical Fallacies" for her Pyramid class.  Some of the things she is learning in her Pyramid class are to look for patterns, and to use logic skills in every day life.  Marissa really enjoyed the story examples that were given in the book.  One of her favorite stories was the appeal to emotion fallacy.  She liked it because it specifically taught her how to avoid giving in when someone tries to guilt her into doing something for them.  

February 16 - 20

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa wrote a paper about Martin Luther King Jr for her Quest class.  She was very inspired by the book "My Life with Martin Luther King Jr." and many of the principles MLK Jr. lived by throughout his life.  She was excited to write her paper, using high school students as her intended audience with her being a speaker at the high school.  It's been so much fun to watch her gain so many skills including writing and speaking this year.  The link below is her paper.

Martin Luther King Jr

February 9 - 13

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa has been working on crocheting.  She gets a lot of her crocheting done while listening to audiobooks.  It is so much fun to watch her learn more handcraft skills.  She also was asked to help in a juniors class of 8-9 year olds.  They were reading the book "Warm as Wool" and learning about sheep sheering and how wool is made.  Marissa came into class and taught the kids how to finger knit.  It was such a hit!  She's so great at mentoring younger children who are learning.  

February 2 - 6

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa read "My Life with Martin Luther King Jr" by Coretta Scott King for her Quest class this week.  She loved how Martin Luther King Jr based all of his decisions on what he felt was right for his people.  He also based his decisions on what he felt God wanted him to do.  She really enjoyed reading the book and completing the blue book written test in class to show how much she had learned.  Marissa was very inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. and eager to learn more about him.  

January 26 - 30

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa read "The Book Scavenger" for her Pyramid class this week.  It is about a game where people hide books in public places and post puzzle clues online so others can find them.  Her Pyramid class brings in a lot of math and science concepts.  This book was perfect about discussing puzzles and patterns that you can see all throughout mathematics and science.  Her favorite thing about the book was the idea that books can make anywhere feel like home.  

January 19 - 23

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa wrote a paper for her Quest class.  It was based on the book "Ghandi, Fighter Without a Sword" that she read last week.  She did such a great job tying in many references with this paper.  The more she reads, the more connections she is making between people, history and principles.  It's really fun to watch her put them all together.  

Ghandi

January 11 - 15

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa read the book "Ghandi, Fighter Without a Sword" for her Quest class.  She loved learning about Ghandi.  She especially loved how much of an impact he had on the world without using violence.  Being able to peaceably fight for what matters is something that is very important for her and she loved learning more about him.  She is also getting better at her blue book tests and not allowing a written exam in class to stress her out.  It has been so much fun to watch her academic growth this year!

  

January 5 - 9

WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

MARISSA

Marissa had to come up with an invention for her Pyramid class.  It was supposed to be an invention using biomimicry.  She came up with a design for a better rake for leaves.  It combines two rakes that can then pivot to become a shovel to pick them up.  The plant she patterned her design after was a venus fly trap.  She calls it "The Venus Leaf Trap."   

She made a blueprint of it on paper and then created a small version of the invention to show her class.  She did a fantastic job!