Nervous, excited and hopeful, 62 third- to eighth-graders from seven area schools turned up January 15 at the Winyah Auditorium, where The Georgetown School of Arts and Sciences was hosting the 2015 SCISA Regional Spelling Bee.  Grade by grade, they took their places on the stage to spell words such as wanderlust, ampere, coloratura, vivisection and potash, while the audience of teachers, parents and friends held its breath awaiting the outcome of each spelldown.

Ryleigh Neubauer, seventh-grader, came in first place for her grade and will advance to the SCISA State Spelling Bee in February. She is continuing the tradition begun by her older sister Isabella, who made it to the Scripps-Howard National Spelling Bee four years in a row. Great job, Ryleigh! Congratulations to our other TGS participants who did a good job too: Tiyon, John Grey, Camille, Johnathan and Jesse.

Thanks to Dr. Gates for pronouncing, to all our volunteers, to people who contributed food for the bake sale and to the Winyah Auditorium for use of its space. Special thanks to Mrs. Crosby and Dr. Neubauer for organizing this annual event so successfully.

At lunch on the last day of classes (Friday, December 12), students gathered around our lovely Christmas tree in the hall to exchange Secret Santa gifts.  One by one, they stood up, jumped in the air, spun right, spun left and dropped to the ground.  Only then could they open their presents!  This year’s gifts were an amazing and thoughtful collection–everything from bow ties to camouflage Santa hats to candy to iTunes cards to Superman pajamas.  There was even a tee shirt that said “Santa, I can explain….”  Secret Santa cheered everyone up and got us all in the mood for the holidays!

All of Middle School enjoyed a quick field trip to the Dock Street Theater in Charleston on December 7 to see an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “Marley and Scrooge.”  They set out after first period with Mrs. Crosby, Mrs. Patrick and Mrs. Bodie to have time to eat lunch in St. Philip’s cemetery before attending the play at 11:30.

Mrs. Crosby and Mrs. Patrick have seen this production many times and they both declared that this show was the best ever.  The students were also very enthusiastic.  The character of Marley was the universal favorite: he got to fly about the stage on guy wires, flipping and swooping and shouting his lines in a very scary way.  Jesse said it reminded him of Betelgeuse, while Bronwen and Ryleigh said the flying looked like fun and that they would like to try it!

The kids identified some highlights of the show.  They loved the grave scene, where the Spirit of Christmas Future shows Scrooge his own death and Scrooge repents.  They also loved all the scenes with Marley and when the cast sang “Angels We Have Heard on High (Gloria)” at the end.  Many were intrigued by the differences between the actual play and the script which they read in class and everyone had a very good time. Thank you, Mrs. Crosby, for arranging this treat and thank you, Mrs. Patrick and Mrs. Bodie for chaperoning.

The evening of December 2 marked the start of our very first basketball season at TGS! Our Kingfishers entered the Lions’ den of James Island Christian and did their best to hold their own.  Although the Lady Kingfishers led through halftime, the Lions came back to win 39-23. The boys also lost to JICS in a friendly scrimmage. But all in all, we made history!

Elizabeth’s energy and ball-stealing boosted morale and wowed the audience as she worked with her sister Sarah (point guard) and followed instructions from her other sister Rachael on the sidelines. Savanna was another stand-out of the game, rebounding almost every one of the other team’s shots. Sarah held the team together and helped the new players Isabella, Avery, Tiyon and Grayha. Spirits were high after the game despite our loss because our basketball program was finally launched. Coach Gates said, “It was a great first start and very entertaining.” Senior captain Sarah said, “I thought we played really well–it was many of the girls’ first time on the court and they did great.”

The Winyah Auditorium was the scene of bustling activity the day before Thanksgiving, as citizens of Georgetown gathered to express their thankfulness through words, music and dance in a “Gathering of Gratitude.”  Thom Martin, music director of Georgetown Presbyterian Church and president of the Winyah Auditorium, brought together several different groups including our school, Helping Hands, Hispanic Outreach of Georgetown Presbyterian, and the Mitney Project for the program.  Thom passed the mic around, giving everyone the chance to share their gratitude (in English, Spanish, Hindi and Hebrew!).  The program included a dramatic reading by Sam and Dr. Gates, a cello solo by Nathan, flute solos, children’s songs led by Senora Yorky and two dance numbers with Shakeema helping.  The “Gathering of Gratitude” was an opportunity for citizens of Georgetown to come together and realize how blessed we are.

Bronwen and Jayla put finishing touches on our middle school mural, which was entered in the Wyland Foundation National Mural Contest. This year’s theme was oceans and our mural’s title is “Oceans Live.”  Art teacher Kathy Patrick is very proud of the hard work, research and efforts of the middle school students. Every middle school student put a brush to the piece! It was a wonderful collaborative success. Painting techniques and composition with Mrs. Patrick combined with Dr. Neubauer’s scientific expertise makes this piece a winning entry, we hope.  Keep your fins crossed!

The send-off to our 2014 Thanksgiving vacation was a delicious meal, in the great Kingfisher tradition of focusing on food.  Students arrived at school at 8:30 and attended periods 1 and 2, then began setting up a very long series of tables in our hall.  In the meantime, the Commons tables were covered in various dishes to share: turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, corn pudding, rolls, and all manner of desserts.  The food was prepared by teachers, and many desserts were brought by high school students, including Senora Yorky’s Spanish class.

Dr. Gates gave thanks and we filed through the Commons oldest to youngest. When everyone had had seconds, he sent the students to get dessert, youngest to oldest.  The meal was scrumptious and relaxing and it didn’t take long to clean up, because everyone pitched in.  We are indeed grateful for the second year of our school’s existence and for the students and teachers who make everything worthwhile.  Have a great vacation!

“In what book was the kitchen painted yellow with sail boats in the molding?”  This was just one of the many difficult questions that TGS sixth and seventh graders dealt with on November 20 when they traveled to Thomas Sumter Academy for the 2014 SCISA Battle of the Books.  To compete in this event, teams of students had to read 20 books and answer questions about them.

“This was our first time at the Battle of the Books and I am quite proud of the students for doing well,” said Mrs. Lane Crosby, “We did not know what to expect.”  Seventh grader Bronwen agreed, “It was much more challenging than we originally expected.” The Kingfishers rose to the challenge, though.  They played three rounds, winning one and almost winning a second!

Battle of the Books was a learning experience for the participants this year.  Next year, they can better prepare by reading all the books on the list and by being ready for the in-depth, detailed questions.  Dr. Neubauer reminded everyone that “Competition is good, whether in sports or academics” and the day was certainly a success from that point of view.  Thank you, Mrs. Crosby and Dr. Neubauer for organizing and chaperoning the trip!

Story by Grayha (7th grade)

All reports on Sunday, November 9 predicted sun from 2:00-5:00, so the Kingfishers took heart! The weather was absolutely beautiful by 3:00 and the parking lot at the South Carolina Maritime Museum was filled with more than 200 hungry oyster-eaters who showed up early and stayed late. The sweet smell of smoke from the fire pit filled the air and steam rose from the oyster pots and trays as Joe Exum, Jeep Ford and Brad Payne did their magic. All over, volunteer parents and students were getting all sorts of jobs done: making signs for the trash cans, setting up the silent auction, selling drinks, tickets and baked goods, serving hot dogs and BBQ, cleaning up shells and trash, and keeping the trays of steaming oysters coming out to the tables.

John Lammonds showed up to play his music and regaled the crowd with everything from “Ring of Fire” to “Blister in the Sun.” The mood was mellow and relaxed.

This Oyster Roast was a chance for us to work together, to be with friends new and old and to make some money for our scholarship fund.  It was successful on all three counts (including a  great new PTO initiative–the silent auction!). Thanks go to PTO president Lisa Haas, for getting us organized, to John for giving us music, and to all the volunteers for working so hard.

It was dark and drizzling at 6:30am when the sleepy TGS drama team piled into cars and headed down the road towards the Sumter Opera House. After winning the SCISA One Act Play competition, they were on their way to the SCISA State Drama Festival. The Kingfishers watched five other high schools perform before presenting “Wait Wait Bo Bait” just before lunch.

“I was nervous and I wasn’t even on the stage,” said Daniel, “But it went really well!”   The whole cast put in their best performance ever, seamlessly performing their lines and cues. “Wait Wait Bo Bait” was also the main crowd-pleaser, drawing laughter and applause from the audience. Dr. Gates said, “It was flawlessly executed.” The excited drama team prepared to wait for the judges’ decision later that day.

In the meantime, Dr. Gates decided to drive everyone up to U.S.C. for a quick campus visit before the awards ceremony. “It was good and we got to see Chris Elliott,” said Top. “We were at the Horseshoe for five minutes,” added Joe.

They returned to the Sumter Opera House in time for the Awards Ceremony and Sarah was chosen 2014 Best Actress, an amazing honor! Drama coach Mrs. Judith Gates is so proud of the whole ensemble for a job well done.  “They knew they nailed it,” she said, “They didn’t need me to tell them.” She is thrilled at Sarah’s Best Actress Award and the way the cast and crew supported each other when the pressure was on, bringing us to victory. Thank you, ensemble, parents and helpers for a great day!