Toy Drive

I hope that my readers had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Last Wednesday morning, we enjoyed a terrific Grandparents' Day (highlighted by the 10th Age Plays and the Pilot/6th Age Pilgrims and Native Americans "show") before recessing for Thanksgiving break. This week, Calvert will participate in a Community Outreach Toy Drive. We will collect new and gently used toys to donate to our outreach partners--The Hampden Family Center and Paul's Place--as well as other local organizations that serve the less fortunate. If Calvert parents would like to participate in this all-school drive, please have your son or daughter bring in a donation any day this week. Gifts should be wrapped and marked with a tag denoting the age, gender, and if the gift is new or gently used. We will provide gift tags for the students. Thank you in advance for your support!

Hopper-Cricket Football

The 10th Age held its annual Hopper-Cricket flag football game on Friday afternoon on the Middle School's Krongard Field. It was exciting for these Lower School boys to play on the "big" football field. PE teacher Brett Porter and our Grounds crew did a great job dividing the full field into three width-wise smaller fields. Thus, we had three action-packed games going on simultaneously, allowing all the boys to play the entire time. Several members of the Middle School football team gave up their club period to help referee the games, which was very thoughtful. As some of my readers know, we divide the Lower Schoolers into Hopper and Crickets (boys) and Crow and Canaries (girls). Throughout the year and on Track and Field Day, there are athletic competitions with the winning teams for the year being announced during the last week of school at our Lower School Awards Assembly.

Amazing Sunrise

Being a campus resident, I have the unique opportunity to see Calvert's beautiful fifteen acres at all times of day. This morning at approximately 6:45 A.M., while walking my faithful watchdog, Percy, I caught sight of a stunning reddish-orange sunrise over the Middle School. The picture below, taken with my BlackBerry, does not do the scene justice, but hopefully you can "get the picture" (pun intended).

Football Team Wins Final Game

The Middle School football team won its final game of the season this afternoon, beating a tough Friends School opponent by a score of 34-16. Both teams played hard until the final whistle as the sunlight faded behind the trees at Friends. Four different players scored for Calvert, including a 6th grade running back who scampered around the left end to reach the end zone on the game's final play. I heartily commend the team members and wish them good luck in their winter sports. Congrats and thanks are also extended to coaches Bennett, Mascuch, Murphy, and Hagel. The future looks bright for the football team, as just four players are currently in the 8th grade. Below, please enjoy three pictures: the whole team after the game, the four 8th graders with Head Coach Bennett, and a bonus picture of Assistant Head Master David Clapp in festive attire during a football and soccer "tailgate" last week at Calvert!

Important Date Reminders

I want to remind my readers about two important upcoming dates. First, on Thursday, we have the second "Considering Calvert Day" for prospective parents. I urge any families interested in Calvert to attend this informative, interactive session from 9:00 to 11:00 A.M. If you cannot attend on Thursday, please come to our final Considering Calvert Day of the year, on Friday, December 2. Second, I wish to remind current parents that school will be closed this Friday, November 11, that we can devote a full, uninterrupted day to Parent-Teacher Conferences. We believe strongly in the partnership with our parents, and we recommend that all parents sign up to visit with their child's teacher(s). This year, sign-ups are being handled online via the PCR Parent Portal, which has greatly streamlined the scheduling process. I look forward to seeing our current parents on Friday!

Hoop It Up!

I have coached 5th grade intramural basketball for the last five years. This afternoon, we had an unusually small group who wanted to play, and I was forced to come out of basketball retirement to "hoop it ip" with the students. For a solid 45 minutes, we played full court 3 on 3. Mind you, we were not playing "walk it up the court and look for the backdoor" Princeton (my college alma mater) style basketball. Rather, we passed and dribbled the ball at a breakneck pace similar to the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers! I must admit it felt very good to run up and down the court with the kids. I loved basketball growing up and played competitively through high school. As you know, however, there is a difference in the impact on your body between jogging (which I do fairly regularly) and sprinting (which I rarely do), so now, at 10:00 PM, the soreness is setting in. If you see me walking gingerly around campus on Wednesday, you will know why!