midterms, activities and photo teasers

"What is history?"

McKinley, Junior, Montana wrote, "Everything. It is when I wrote 'Everything' and a billion years ago. It is all that has happened before this moment. A more important question is - 'What do we consider history?' It seems that objects must be thousands of years old for them to hold our interest. Many textbooks argue that history starts in the 1400's in Central America because that's when our textbook writer's descendants arrived. Others will go back to Mayan times which we can barely fathom. It is what writers consider 'important' enough to pass on through time which brings us to - What is time or importance?"

Just a little thought bubble

The last question asked why developing critical consciousness is important. Sadie, Senior, Wisconsin, responded with, "You don't want us to come to conclusions after uncovering only a fragment of a story. This is important because jumping to conclusions and making assumptions leads to ignorance. The danger of ignorance lies in its tendency to make people feel as though they are aware of the true nature of a situation, and can therefore make just and informed decisions, without actually knowing what they are doing and how it could affect others. You want us to question our perception of reality so as to empower ourselves through viewing the world through a variety of different lenses and perspectives."

Students just completed the Literature Synthesis Surprise, a midterm assignment asking them to connect the themes present in 5 different pieces we have read so far.

Some quotes they incorporated into their work include:

Maddy, Sophomore, California: "Land as.....hot as torture, your step in Honduras, your blood in Santo Domingo, at night your eyes in Nicaragua. Touch me, call me, grip me, and throughout American lands....I knock on doors to speak, I tap on tongues that are tired, I raise curtains, I plunge my hands into blood: O sorrows of my land, O death rattle of the..."

Sarah M, Junior, North Carolina: "Eight soldiers in uniform appeared like ghosts out of the darkness, their rifles pointed at us."

Madeline, Senior, Washington: "One didn't have to like people to believe in their right not to be squashed by the U.S."

Ash, Junior, Oregon: "They are the souls that sew your soles, the little feet that fill big shoes, the weary backs that hold the globe, the little hands that stitch the world."

Sharleen, Junior, California: "Los Nadies - Los hijos de los nadies, los duenos de nada - Que no hablan idiomas, sino dialectos - Que no tienen nombre, sino numero - Los nadies, que cuestan menos que la bala que los mata."

Izzy, Sophomore, California: "That are not, even though they are."

Back when we were on the Río Dulce:

Our first encounter with El Río Dulce was a wet one and not just because we were on a river. After an already full day of having lunch at Finca Ixobel and touring Castillo de San Felipe the rains that we had been passing in and out of on our travel from Remate finally hit us just as we were loading bags onto the boat for our final push to our Finca Tatin. Upon entering the humid jungle hostel, complete with tree houses and hammocks, we were greeted by the kind smiles of Gabi, Luis and the other workers who made our stay both comfortable and memorable. Our five days there passed quickly full of classes and activities with delicious and filling Argentinian (inspired by the Argentine owner) meals to break up the day.

On Saturday we traveled by boat, the only way to reach the costal town of Livingston. There we got a glimpse into the Garifuna culture of Guatemala’s Caribbean coast. We tested the waters that morning with a hike along the shoreline ending up at our destination where we got to fully enjoy the Atlantic Ocean. There were handstand contests with Annie and Maddy, and swim stroke lessons with Meredith leading the way, and lots and lots of pictures as Kaitlyn and Katy documented each splash. Afterward we took a short walk up stream and rinsed off the salt water in the Siete Altares (seven alters), a river with seven fresh water pools considered sacred by certain Garifuna religious beliefs.

TTS25 splashes in Rio Dulce

Returning to the small downtown of Livingston for an ocean inspired lunch complete with Garifuna drummers and dancers who taught the girls some new moves. The ladies then had their chance to explore the many tiendas, which lined the main street, returning with empty ice cream cones and a few artesian souvenirs.

The following day we kayaked up ri

ver, docking at one of the many community projects along the way to dip in a natural hot spring. Although most of us chose to cool off in the river instead.

On our last day at Finca Tatin we visited a unique school.Shortly after breakfast, we wandered out of the back of the hostel, along a slippery, windy jungle path making our way across a stream and up a hill to where a previously hidden campus. The students of the school were just getting out of class for their morning break, perfect timing for some casual interactions. Maya set TTS loose in pairs with little direction only to find out as much as they could about what we had just stepped into. It didn’t take them long to disappear into the crowds of students. Annie, Madeline, Maddy and Leila were swept away on a tour, led by a student training to be a tour guide. They returned excitedly chattering about the tortillas they made and all they had seen. Others were immersed in conversation or taken to the gymnasium to play games. After a short amount of time we re-grouped to share what we had learned about the school.  We found that the school was a boarding school specifically for middle school and vocational students – part of the Ak’ Tenamit project.  It focuses on training indigenous Mayans who come from all over Guatemala in sustainable tourism and rural community development through an innovative curriculum and work-study program, which allows even those who can’t afford to pay tuition to attend. Although nothing was planned when we got there soon enough we were thrown into a classroom of students.  After a hot potato game of introductions our gals paired up with the students to share stories – a perfect opportunity to practice their Spanish, and some even learned a little Q'eqchi' one of the local Mayan languages spoken in certain communities in Guatemala and nearby Belize. The visit ended with an outrageous game that I’ll have to let each of your daughters describe to you in person, as they thought it was the highlight of the visit!

GEOMETRY

After midterm exams on polygon and circle angles and segment relationships, Leila and Izzy are beginning their study of trig and triangles.  Additionally, students are working on conic, cubic, and spherical constructions, building 3D models and calculating surface and total area.  Finally, students are near completion of their artistic designs featuring polygon and circle relationships, a culminating creative project for the first half of the semester.  Check back soon for snapshots of their work!

¡Saludos desde Matagalpa!  Since we arrived in Nicaragua, Advanced Spanish has been busy immersing ourselves en la cultura Nicaragüense.  At Casa Juventud en Managua, students worked with three local cooks to prepare fresh-squeezed juice for dinner one night while conversing about great music, school, and family.   At Casa Materna, a program aimed at reducing infant mortality with a home for mothers soon to give birth, students took turns translating for the group.  Bella was able to combine her interest for medicine with translating medical terms expertly.  At the market in Matagalpa, students practiced negotiating prices in Spanish while buying several days’ worth of fruits and vegetables for snacks and meals for the group.  Sarah M. did an excellent job talking with locals at the market.  Sharleen also joined the class for the market trip, and her language expertise was most helpful.  Students turned in their first five profiles on “A Day in the Life” in Central America and will continue to conduct interviews and gather information for five more profiles during the second half of the semester.  Finally, we are continuing to make our way through the class novel, Manilo Argueta’s Un Dia en La Vida.

Travel Journalism students just completed their investigative journalism midterm.  Eleven members of the TTS community volunteered to act in a fictional story about a seemingly inexplicable occurrence in Masaya, Nicaragua.  Hannah, Leila, and Sharleen interviewed the eleven witnesses (TTS student and teacher actresses) on the Masaya mystery and then proceeded to write a feature article about the events effecting the Nicaraguan town. Students did a fantastic job conducting interviews, taking notes, and writing with a quick deadline!

While in Managua, TJ students also visited the Universidad Centroamericana de Managua, the University of Central America in Managua (UCA).  Students conducted interviews, examined murals and statues erected in memory of Nicaragua’s poets and martyrs, and learned about the journalism major in Central America.  Students also had the unique opportunity to tour the UCA’s radio station, meet with students studying journalism, enter the recording studio, and watch from the control room during a live broadcast.  Our guide also gave us an overview of the debate on free speech and journalistic responsibility in Nicaragua’s history.  We learned how journalists have helped turn the tides during wartime in Nicaragua and about the tremendous sacrifice local and foreign journalists have made here in the past, losing their lives while covering stories.

Also at Casa Juventud, students met with Andrea, a journalist from the University of San Francisco.  Andrea shared with the students about the pros and cons of life as a journalist, about her studies at Colombia’s journalism school, and about the process of getting published, her work as a free-lancer, and writing at California Magazine.