Where do the kitties of St. Frances Animal Center turn when they need their room decorated? To the Middle School art students of The Georgetown School, of course! Dressed in old tee shirts and carrying paint brushes, paints and their design for the murals, kids from the 6th, 7th and 8th grades went with Mrs. Patrick, Dr. Neubauer and Mrs. Crosby to the shelter on Friday, May 8. They spent the day painting brightly-colored cats on the walls. “We were able to make a really good start on this project,” Mrs. Patrick reported while seventh-grader Camille declared, “It was a good day’s work!” The students fulfilled 6 of their 15 required community service hours that day. The St. Frances Animal Center was created in 1983 by a group of community members who were concerned about our area’s homeless dogs and cats.  The shelter’s website boasts 76 adoptions just this month!

National politics made a show in Georgetown on Friday, May 8, when newly-announced Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson chose the Winyah Auditorium as the venue for one of his very first campaign speeches. Organized by the Georgetown County Federated Republican Women’s Club, the event attracted a overflowing house and Kingfishers were on hand to help. At the ready in our uniforms, we moved chairs, hung signs, directed traffic, ushered in people with tickets and guarded the doors to the reception in the Es’Dorn Room afterwards.

Before Dr. Carson arrived, Kingfisher journalism students took pictures and circulated, talking to the attendees. Adam (no last name) is a proponent of private enterprise who was asked by Dr. Carson to follow his campaign and sell his buttons and tee shirts all over the country. Former Georgetown mayor Linwood Wilson told us he thought Dr. Carson was serious about running for president–he wasn’t just doing it to raise his ratings on Fox News. Many people tried to get in, even though they hadn’t preregistered. Nathan and Zach, who were ushers, had to actively block them at the door. “Yes, I have a ticket but I don’t want to show you right now,” said one lady as she tried to push past. TV and news media had special permission to use the balcony and Kingfishers watched the event from the balcony’s double doors.

Dr. Carson’s speech drew applause from the crowd on points such as businesses making money, a tax holiday to bring American money back from overseas, lower corporate tax rates, a flat or fair tax for individuals, support for Israel, reduction of the number of government employees, help for veterans and more money for our military in the war against Islamic extremists and maintaining the Constitution.

On Tuesday morning, April 28, Kingfishers gathered in the school parking lot to load four rental vans and two Gates-mobiles with camping gear, snacks and their sense of adventure. Most of us didn’t know exactly where we were going.  Just after Columbia, students began to realize something was afoot as we pulled off the highway into Riverbanks Zoo and Gardens. Students enjoyed feeding the giraffes and admiring their eyelashes (Sara even kissed one!) but the meerkats stole the show, popping up and running back and forth in the cutest manner imaginable. “Those elephants need some lotion,” remarked Sarah G., observing their wrinkly skin. With a final farewell to the penguins, we headed west on I-26.

Around 4:00 we arrived at Clemson University (where Mrs. Patrick’s kids attended) and enjoyed a nice walk around the campus and a snack in the cafeteria. After we left Clemson, somehow the word had gotten out that we would be staying in yurts for the night. What is a yurt? For a Tibetan nomad, a yurt is an animal-skin-covered frame, but for us it was a little bit nicer—spacious, clean and quiet tents that we found when we arrived at Wildwater Adventure in Long Creek, S.C. around 6:00. The kids unpacked coolers full of food, rolled out their sleeping bags and set up for the evening. After a meal of hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers, we gathered around the bonfire for songs led by Nathan, Zach and Sarah E., stories told by Jonathan and Camille, and an anti-rain dance performed by Top.

The next morning the air was filled with the smell of frying bacon. When breakfast was cleaned up and everyone was packed, we headed up the hill to the Wildwater Center to check in for our adventures. First, the high school got ready for whitewater rafting. After struggling into our wet suits, we went to the shed and gathered our life vests, helmets, and paddles. A few kids were nervous at first but by the end of the day they were glad they went. Savanna screamed the most and Dr. Gates fell out. We all plunged into the water and shot Bull Sluice with great abandon. Charles had the biggest grin on his face!

In the meantime, the middle school students were putting on harnesses and getting ready to do the high ropes course and the climbing wall. The guides taught us to ask permission from our climbing buddy before moving a tether. One by one students scrambled up the net on a pole about 30 ft. high and began to maneuver themselves carefully around the course. Johnathan, Wilfredo and Camille were champs who conquered their fears and completed the ropes course for the first time, but even the more experienced kids were terrified up there. “My leg was shaking and my harness got looser,” said Ryleigh. “Yeah, but we had to do it, otherwise we would have looked dumb,” said Grayson. The climbing wall was less intense but just as fun. When you got to the top, you could ring the bell. Middle School went out to lunch in Clayton, Georgia, and saw a coyote on the way back to Wildwater.

We arrived at the Asheville Downtown Inn and Suites around 5:00. After we stood in the parking lot for what seemed like an eternity, Dr. Gates finally came out and distributed the keys. We put our luggage in the rooms and took a walk to have dinner at a hipster restaurant called Farm Burger right down Patton Avenue. The after-dinner walk around Asheville revealed many things that we wouldn’t see on an average day in Georgetown, such as a hookah bar and a park with a weekly drum circle. We also got the opportunity to perform on one of the open stages downtown.  The students were very creative: some sang, told stories, or did a dance, and others made jokes. After laughing at one another, we walked back to the hotel and it was lights out!

The students and teachers enjoyed breakfast together at the hotel (they let us make our own waffles). The students were told to put on their uniform shirts and load up in the vans. When we arrived at the Biltmore House a little later, the students were so surprised and excited; they couldn’t wait to get inside! As we began to walk around the house we got separated. We roamed around, some people taking longer to look at certain rooms or things than others. When we all had completed the inside tour, we gathered back up to walk around the Biltmore Botanical Gardens. There was a cello player in one of the greenhouses, making beautiful music. After the long, hot walk to the Bass Pond, we headed back to the hotel to take a break. On the way, we ate at Mela, an Indian buffet, where Mrs. Crosby loved the spicy spinach and the kids tried mostly chicken. At the hotel, we were given the option of swimming in the outdoor pool or shopping around downtown Asheville. Dr. Gates and Dr. Razzi took a group of students to the Mast General Store while Mme Gates stayed at the hotel to watch some of the students go swimming in the 50-degree weather. Dr. Neubauer, Camille, Ryleigh, and Bronwen went out shopping on their own, including going to the pet store. Later, we gathered in the lobby, expecting to go to a baseball game. But since it was raining and chilly, we took a vote and decided to go see a sneak preview of Avengers: Age of Ultron instead. The students had a blast and were so excited that they got to be one of the first crowds to see the new movie!

When we woke up Friday morning, it was time to pack our things. We ate one last waffle, put all of our gear in the vans, and headed home. On the way back, we had one stop left to make: the N.C. Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A craftsman named Bob Collison was turning wood to make bowls which his wife would paint and we watched him a long time. We then toured the gallery upstairs. “We totally have to buy a loom this summer,” said Avery and Isabella.  Since it was getting to be a pretty day outside, we had the option of taking a hike with Dr. Gates from a trail head at the Center or painting with Mrs. Patrick. Students enjoyed doing both activities. After we finished up at the Center, we piled into our vans and the final stop was Georgetown! The students and teachers had a great time and can’t wait until our trip next year. “Ten out of ten, let’s do it again,” said Top.

by Meredith Owens and Top Lee

 

The Kingfishers went on a joint art and science adventure to Morgan Park for Earth Day 2015. “Get your art materials together and go out and have fun!” Mrs. Patrick told the students. So, as soon as students arrived, they began to gather resources for their art projects by taking photographs and sketching things they saw.

Some students made funny videos in Morgan Park about the importance of not trashing nature. “Recording those videos was so funny,” said Top. (The entire school watched one video together, featuring a talking raccoon, parakeet, shark and mole).  Next, students helped Dr. Neubauer clean up the park by gathering trash and recyclables. “This is so awesome,” said Dr. Neubauer, watching Meredith, Sarah E., Sarah G., and Lochlyn experiment with oil pastels. The happy group returned to TGS around noon after an enjoyable Earth Day morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TGS ninth grader Avery Rose Higgin’s  painting “Fly Boy” was chosen for the Horry-Georgetown County High Schools 14th Annual Juried Art Exhibition this year! TGS artist-in-residence and art teacher Kathy Patrick was very proud of her student. Indeed, the whole school was thrilled for Avery. “This is a huge honor,” said Mrs. Patrick, “There were around 350 entries and only 77 were picked for the show.” At the opening reception at the Burroughs and Chapin Art Museum on Sunday, April 19, the mood was festive and the food delicious as proud parents, dignitaries and friends wandered around enjoying all the wonderful art.

Congratulations to Avery for her outstanding work and to Mrs. Patrick for being such a great teacher! The exhibition continues through May 17th so don’t miss it.

 

On the weekend of April 17-18, our partner The Mitney Project sponsored the first annual Gospel and Gullah Festival. As part of the festivities and in conjunction with the Cultural Council, tenth-grade art student Sarah Green had the amazing opportunity to learn from two professional artists: Jonathan Green and Charles Williams. “It was great!” said Sarah, “I made two paintings and learned so much.” Jonathan Green’s art features a re-imagining of African-American culture in the Lowcountry painted in vibrant color, where immigrants instead of slaves create a vision of hope and reconciliation. Charles Williams, a native Georgetonian, is a realist painter whose landscapes capture the human emotional response to nature. Sarah had a great morning and was “all smiles” after working with these artists.

As part of our first annual Shakespeare Festival, all students participated in a stage combat workshop, led by two members of the American Shakespeare Center’s traveling troupe. After an active warm-up during which we learned about the history of the ASC, Patrick and Patrick got us to think about what is most important about stage combat: safety, believability, and how the “violence” must help tell the story. There are many tricks to stage fighting. These tricks involve using the sight lines of the audience, choreography, fake noises and more. In Shakespeare’s day, there were not a lot of stage directions spelled out for actors. Patrick and Patrick acted out a scene where Hamlet and Laertes fight. The only real clue that Hamlet and Laertes should be scuffling was the line “I prithee, take thy fingers from my throat.” This is called an embedded stage direction.

Then all the students got foam swords and learned a little about stance, advancing, retreating, parrying and thrusting. The leaders told us always to practice in slow motion and taught us the dueling salute: sword to the face, up to the heavens, figure eight swish in front then tap the ground. En garde!

To help biology students better understand the material they were being taught, Dr. Neubauer required them to create short videos about cellular respiration.  “They were… intriguing and made me question my existence,” Lochlyn laughed.
The students had three genres of films to pick from: western, sci-fi, and horror. After being divided into three groups, each group chose a genre. Savanna, Maston, and Douglas’ group filmed a horror video they called “The Basement.”  Meredith, Isabella, Trinity, and Sarah’s group created a western film. Avery Rose, Charles, Chris, and Hurley’s group put together what Hurley named a “Wi-Fi,” or a Western/Sci-Fi.
“They were very creative and each video was different,” Dr. Neubauer commented. The students used various resources, including the front lawn and the basement of their school building as settings for their videos. They also used many creative props, such as vindaloo curry, a screwdriver, and a mysterious bearded person.  Using all of these materials gave the students the opportunity show their creativity!

(by Isabella Neubauer)

Ryleigh continued the fabulous Neubauer spellebrity tradition by placing third at the 27th annual Scripps-Howard Regional Spelling Bee, sponsored by the Myrtle Beach Sun News.  The event was held on March 3 at Myrtle Beach High School and involved 54 elementary, intermediate and middle school students from Georgetown and Horry Counties.

Ryleigh went 9 rounds over about three hours.  Was she scared?  Ryleigh admits she was “very nervous.”  She gave her secret for managing the jitters: “I just listened to music in my head and tried not to pay attention.”  Congratulations, Ryleigh–you are awesome!