NFA World
By Geoff Serra
Math
whizzes zeroed in upon their tests on Feb. 5 for the fourth of six annual Math
Team Competitions of the Greater New London County Math League. Joining Math
teacher and NFA’s Math Team advisor Zato Kadambaya’s 18 member team, groups from
Bacon Academy, Fitch, Hale Ray, EO Smith, Pomfret Academy, Lyman, Montville,
Ledyard, Waterford, and Stonington, totaling about 45 strong, rivaled in the
numerical bout. High scorer for NFA was
senior Callan
Gruber. NFA hosts school of the 6 competitions
annually.
Laura Binder’s 9th
grade Civics classes have closely followed the presidential primaries. They first held a “Debate Viewing Party” to
watch debates and news clips. On Feb.
5, upper class politics students and NFA’s Young Voters Society joined Civics
classes in a Super Tuesday Party in the Ensemble Room of the Frank Center. Participants made t-shirts supporting
candidates or parties, took political IQ tests about issues and party
affiliation, watched returns in real time and tracked winners, percentages, and
total match up for states, and, of course, enjoyed food and conversation. Of the experience, 9th grader, Ginelle Price
says: “Activities like the one last
night, I think, bring students like myself more into
politics and make us aware of what's going on around us." Classmate, Moses Shuff, agrees: "It was fantastic. I never knew politics would be this
fun. I found out where I stood…. I can't wait until I'm able to vote.”
On
Tuesday, Katy
Carlebach, like many
of her 18-year-old senior peers, proudly displayed a polling sticker attesting
to her new status as a voting member of our democracy. The decision makers of the future, many NFA
seniors participated in Super Tuesday’s elections.
Tenth
grader Tina
Provatas has been chosen second quarter Top Cat. An honor role student, Tina has earned a
3.89 GPA, is Vice President of the Young Voters Society, is a council member
for Junior Classical League (Latin and Greek Club), has started a Greek dancing
club, has traveled to Washington DC, for the National Young Leaders Conference,
and has been invited to return as a guest speaker. Fabulous work, Tina.
"It
was really odd - almost like they were not real - but at the same time
fascinating. I had to keep reminding
myself that these were living people,” says senior Traci Hutchinson. Sixty-three students from Advanced Biology,
Anatomy for Artists, and Forensics classes and their teachers Matt Jacobs, Susan Saracini, and Marge Anadore traveled
to the Hartford Civics Center on Feb. 6, to view the spectacular national
exhibition “Bodies Revealed.” The
exhibition’s Web site (http://www.bodiesrevealed.com/index-home.html), says the
display uses “specially preserved and respectfully displayed” real human bodies
and 200 organs to reveal “the miraculous systems at work within each of us
every second of our existence.” Of the
exhibit, Courtni
McFarlane ‘08 said, "I was really surprised that I liked it so
much. It really started to make a
connection to … class."
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sat Feb. 9th,
Environmental Science classes and their teacher Heather Botelle sponsored a booth at the
second indoor farmers’ market in New London.
The group sold chico bags, reusable shopping bags. Proceeds assist Heifer International to
provide livestock to families and children to encourage self-reliance. The group will perform a service learning
project in May at Heifer International’s regional offices in Rutland, MA.
The group
has been pursuing a “locavore” project, one that encourages all to adopt the
ecologically responsible practice of eating locally (for more information
consult the Web site: www.locavores.com.) Students have read Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal,
Vegetable, Miracle, have heard Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma)
speak in Madison, have visited local Terra Firma and Footsteps Dairy Farms,
have made cheese with fresh milk, and have held a sustainable dinner. Ashley Deveny, Jessica Nason, and Merlynda Sol are the driving forces behind
this group, aided by Heather MCDonald, Devin Quinn, Pete Fabian, and Anthony Annunziata. Plans are
underway to have monthly ‘slow food’ (as opposed to ‘fast food’) community
meals.
Last summer’s
scaffolding surrounding the Slater
building was removed to reveal exterior brickwork that’s brighter, cleaner, and
one step nearer to restoring the 1888 building’s original grandeur. Kronenberger & Sons, Inc., masonry experts, restored the
mortar to its original dark color setting off the rich toned brick. Rohlf’s of New York has worked on all the exterior
colored glass windows, repairing, re-leading, and re framing. Sunlight once again floods through these
windows in a panoply of Victorian color. There’s so much more to come for the Grand Dame of the
campus.
This
summer, brick and mortar restoration on the 145-foot tower will be completed
and all exterior carved brownstone will be restored. In the future, look for restored original cast iron lighting
fixtures and gating, and hold your breath for the arrival of a copper facsimile
of the original copula at the building’s height. These are only a prelude to the planned elevator and
air-conditioning projects to follow.
The entire community, with NFA’s large alumni community, far and wide,
shares the pride of our much beloved Slater Memorial Museum
Wildcat
Billboard:
For all regularly scheduled Varsity Athletic events,
consult the NFA Web site, Athletics
Tab, schedule link.
Driver Education Sign-Ups, 11:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m., Feb. 11, Back Cafeteria (fee).
Norwich
Youth Services Bureau, 8:30 a.m., Feb. 12, Room 6109 Latham.
Unified
Sports Basketball vs. East Hartford, 3 p.m., Feb. 11, Norton Gym.
Combined Concert (NFA and feeder school visiting musicians),
7 p.m., Feb. 13, Alumni
Gym.
Winter Team Pictures, 2:30-4-p.m., Feb. 14, Norton and
Alumni Gyms.
Knights of Columbus Foul Shooting Contest, 1-3 p.m., Feb.
17, Norton and Alumni
Gyms.
As
you face political decisions, recall Theodore Roosevelt’s words: “The most practical kind of politics is the
politics of decency.”
See you next week in NFA
World….until then direct your comments or questions to
serrag@norwichfreeacademy.com
