Sprinting to the finish...but enjoying the race!

Two weeks from today, we celebrate Lower School closing exercises, and the day after, June 4, we will hold graduation ceremonies for the 8th graders on the front lawn of Castalia. In between now and then, there will be a host of events, activities, and parties. Today is an example of the busy pace on campus: new student and parent orientation for Pilot Class and 6th Age, Parents' Association volunteer recognition lunch, 10th Age Crow-Canary lacrosse game on the Krongard Field at the Middle School, and the Middle School Athletics Banquet in the evening! As we round the turn and sprint to the finish, we need to enjoy the race. We need to savor the special moments, the relationships, the learning, and the many memories from the 2008-09 school year. In short, as we have our gaze fixated on the finish line, let's wave to the crowd and soak in every ounce of the atmosphere.

Mothers' or Mother's??

In my post below about the Pilot Class Tea, I chose to use the plural possessive: Mothers'. (I know I should probably put quotation marks around Mothers', but it becomes hard to see the apostrophe!). I understand that the common spelling for "Mothers' Day" is "Mother's Day," but I cannot accept that spelling since, to my knowledge, there are tens of millions of mothers in the United States, making it one of the easiest singular vs. plural possessive decisions one will encounter! I will change it to the singular possessive only under the direction of one the following Calvert teachers: Jim Coady, current 10th Age boys' (note the plural possessive) homeroom teacher, 41 years at Calvert; Judy Rice, spelling, grammar, and composition guru from 1978-2008; or Betsy Cissel, who roamed the Lower School halls from 1955-1986 dispensing her "tough love" approach to grammar, writing, and all things Calvert. Until then, I shall use the following spelling: Mothers' Day!

Mothers' Day Tea Always a Crowd Pleaser

The annual Pilot Class Mothers' Day Tea is always a tear-jerking, wonderful event for both students and and parents alike. This year's Tea, held on May 8, was no different! The children performed several songs, including "Silhouette Child" and "I Am a Gift," and then shared gifts and stories with their mothers.

March Reading Madness Assembly

The Lower School Auditorium was buzzing with excitement this morning for the March Reading Madness assembly. Our librarian extraordinaire, Mrs. Tina Thomas, is the creator and organizer of this great program, and each year, it gets even better. Mrs. Thomas tallied the pages and books and recognized the top three readers in each homeroom as well as the top reading boys' and girls' homeroom at each grade level. The grand total was an amazing 6,867 books read during the month of March! The 6th Age alone read an incredible 2,398 books. Next year, we should shoot for 7,000 books! Thanks again to Mrs. Thomas for her dedication and excellence.

10th Age State Reports-A Comprehensive Project!

I had the great pleasure this afternoon of watching 10th Age state report presentations on Ohio and Utah. For the state report, the students have to research many facets of a state (population, size, industry, tourism, and history, to name a few), write a formal paper, prepare a PowerPoint, dress up in clothes fitting for their state, and then deliver an oral report of approximately five to seven minutes to their classmates while using the PowerPoint slides as a visual aid. In short, it is a comprehensive exercise in research, writing, organization, technology, and oral presentation. The girls this afternoon did beautifully. I was so impressed with the overall quality of their presentations, including their use of PowerPoint as an aid (and not simply reading from their slides). Moreover, one girl had to deal with my arrival about thirty seconds after she had begun and with some noisy boys in the hall (yes, even Calvert students are noisy sometimes!). She handled that adversity wonderfully, and I complimented her afterwards on her composure. Sometimes, as I explained to the girls, there will be a "curveball" during a presentation--a technical malfunction, a tough question from the audience, noise, disruption--and while those situations are difficult in the moment, they are great learning opportunities. I look forward to seeing more reports in the coming weeks!

Calvert's Version of "Mike and Mike"

Sports fans may be familiar with "Mike and Mike in the Morning," a popular ESPN radio and TV show from 6 to 10 AM weekday mornings featuring commentators Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic. At Calvert, we have our own sports version of "Mike and Mike"--softball coaches Mike Shawen and Mike Paul. Mr. Shawen and Mr. Paul have a combined 61 years of teaching experience at Calvert and are doing a terrific job coaching the talented girls' softball team this spring. Enjoy some pictures below.

P.S. As a former offensive lineman, I love the Ravens first round selection of Michael Oher!

Chorus and Hip-Hop Clubs Shine!

Last night, the Lower School Chorus and Hip-Hop Clubs presented their spring shows in the Auditorium. Congratulations and many thanks to the performers, Mrs. Elliott, Mrs. Spadone, Mrs. Radway, and Mrs. Lawrence!

The Power of Persuasion...from the Students

I regularly receive suggestions, comments, and feedback about Calvert from our many constituencies: current and former parents, faculty, staff, students, alumni, trustees, and community members. Last Friday, a stack of neatly written, very thoughtful letters found its way to my desk. The letters, by design, were an exercise in persuasion, and they were written by the 9th Age girls! In the letters, the girls explained a change they feel would be in the School's best interest, why the change should be made, and how it should be communicated and implemented. The letters were excellent and covered a wide range of topics: dress code, length of the school day, allowing students to bring in their own lunches, heterogeneous vs homogeneous groupings in math and reading, alternative activities for recess, and a longer lunch period. I must say they made some compelling arguments for their suggested modifications. One girl said to me emphatically, "Mr. Martire, we meant what we said. We were serious." As the saying goes, I think I will have some explaining to do if I do not adopt their changes!