BLUEprint - Riverfield Country Day School

UPPER SCHOOL
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
FOLLOWING UPPER SCHOOL
STUDENTS WHO WERE HONORED AT
COMMENCEMENT:
The Lifetime Student Award:
Taylor Stevak (Sr.)
B. Thomas Clark Athletic Award:
Aaron Thomas (Sr.) and Jessie Deck (Jr.)
Excellence in Fine Arts Award:
Robby May (Sr.), Steve McCommas (Sr.),
and Ellen Fizer (Sr.)
Philip Richter Exemplary Student Award:
Taylor Stevak (Sr.)
Tim O’Halloran Citizenship Award:
Hannah Skoog (So.)
Head of School Award:
Taylor Stevak (Sr.)
STUDY OF THE
ELECTION PROCESS
Mr. Morton used the current
presidential campaign as an
impetus for class dialogue and
research with his US History students.
He noted, “Politics have dominated both
discussion and written projects this
quarter.” Students were assigned to
research the Electoral College and how
it was formed, as well as outlining the
pros and cons of such a system. One
issue in the election is relationships with
Middle Eastern countries, which was the
focus of the last weeks of school.
Students selected a Middle Eastern
country and, after researching, presented
oral reports on governmental forms found
in these areas.
A BUS THAT RUNS ON VEGETABLE OIL?!?
Upper School Technology and Chemistry students joined forces this spring as
gas prices and alternative fuel sources were hot topics in class. Mr. Breig and
Mr. Jones encouraged the students to follow their own curiosity about alternative
fuel and offered guidance when the students expressed interest in making
biodiesel. Students researched how to create this alternative fuel and discovered
that waste vegetable oil (WVO) is a biodiesel that runs in engines that are
already in most diesel vehicles, so there’s no conversion cost. Mr. Breig said,
“This project really captured the students’ interest so we adjusted the rest of our
planned curriculum around this study. The intent was to fill a Riverfield bus with
the biodiesel and take it for a test run, but we simply ran out of time.” Both
teachers thoroughly enjoyed this study and look forward to pursuing other “green”
topics in the future.
3
TRIBAL ART MASKS & FIGURINES
Art students in Mr. DeVerges’ Art elective
continued their study of tribal arts, designs,
and motifs with research and construction
of masks and figurative sculptures. These
multi-media pieces incorporated found
objects, wood, and metal and were displayed
in the Upper School upon completion.
IDEPENDENT READING LIST
Book Club ensures that 6th - 8th graders read broadly and eclectically. This love of
reading continues in Upper School, as this year’s Freshmen and Sophomores showed.
Twenty freshmen completed and reported on a total of 98 independent books during the
year; 16 sophomores completed 100. That’s an average of 5.5 books per student, in
addition to the literature assigned to the whole class. The list of titles below demonstrate
that individual reading is alive and well at Riverfield Upper School.
The Book Thief, Durable Goods, Joy School, 1984, Animal Farm, I Am the Messenger,
Night, The Kite Runner, The Great Gatsby, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Ender’s
Game, The Secret Life of Bees, Jane Eyre, Gulliver’s Travels, The Pigman, The Lord of
the Flies, Marley and Me, What Girls Learn, David Copperfield, Ella Minnow Pea, The
Scarlet Letter, The Red Badge of Courage, Dandelion Wine, A Thief in Time, Mama’s
Girl, Iron and Silk, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, This Boy’s Life, The House on
Mango Street, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, A Tree Grows in
Brooklyn, A Clockwork Orange, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Once Upon a Time
When We Were Colored, and many other diverse titles.