An average day at Crystal Springs by Cynthia B

Monday, July 12, marked the beginning of our 4th week of Peninsula Bridge here at Crystal Springs. The energy is great, and the students are excited for their upcoming field trips and their performances at Celebration.
The day began with our weekly Morning Meeting. Jose began the meeting with announcements concerning the week’s events and plans for celebration. Our Word of the Day was “Narcissist” which means “one who loves or admires themselves excessively” and was acted out in a humorous skit by Halsey, Arda, and Dani. In addition, we had a class competition where the 7th and 8th grade students faced off to see which class could come up with the most words using all the letters in the words “Peninsula” and “Bridge”. The 8th grade won with 25 points to the 7th grade’s 22 at the end of a heated competition, full of creative words.
In English, with Ms. Amar, both classes are preparing to finish their novels (7th grade- So B. It, 8th grade- Of Mice and Men). The 7th grade will be working on a “Response to Literature” in the form of a “Body Biography” where they create a life-size drawing of a chosen character and use quotes from the book to connect to various parts of the body (such as the heart, the arms, the mind, etc). The 8th grade continued their “Power Struggle” essays where they explore the various power relations between the characters in the book.
The electives are going great, and all of the T.A.s are beginning to wrap up their classes. In my elective, Mythology, the students are working on a paper in which they research a god or goddesses who is not widely known in the world of Mythology. These gods/goddesses can be considered “minor deities” and the point of the paper is to expose the students to the wide world of Mythology and familiarize them with deities other Zeus or Hades. Their papers are due on Wednesday, and beginning Thursday and into Friday, they will present their god/goddess to the class. This gives the students a chance to show what they have learned and provides a fun opportunity to teach the class.
Overall, Monday ended well, and we look forward to a great 4th week as we prepare for the end of the program.