Linda Silverman, Ph.D., presented If Our Child is So Smart, Why Aren't Our Lives Easier? to ACS parents and the public on February 11. Silverman, Director of the Gifted Development Center in Denver, CO, has been studying the assessment, psychology, and education of the gifted since 1961.
Dr. Silverman's presentation covered a wide range of topics, including coping with the characteristics of giftedness, siblings and birth order, understanding introversion, underachievement, and keys to successful parenting.
F.E.A.S.T.
Family Enrichment and Sharing Time (F.E.A.S.T) took place on Friday, February 19. Families enjoyed foods from around the world as well as cultural performances and games.
Many students participated in International Dress-Up Day during the school day and continued with a parade of international costumes across the PAC stage in the evening.
Thank you to Home and School Association for organizing this year's F.E.A.S.T. celebration.
Beach Day in Kindergarten
Kindergarten students and teachers did their best to help thaw out ACS on Friday, February 26th with "Beach Day." Although the weather outside was still chilly, inside the Kindergarten classrooms a summer attitude was in the air. Kindergartners hula danced, surfed, played on the "beach," and relaxed poolside to wrap up their study of Hawaii during February.
Let's hope their summer celebration is a forecast for weather to come!
Busy Month in Group Two
Group Two students had a busy February. The students had a video conference with author Bruce Hale, whose Chet Gecko Mysteries are a favorite of several Group Two students.
Hale spoke to the students about the power of storytelling, read from one of his books, and showed them how illustrations are often completed with only three shapes. Mr. Hale's books include Dial M for Mongoose, From Russia With Lunch, and The Possum Always Rings Twice.
At the end of the month, Group Two students took their annual simulated flight from Chicago to Paris. The flight crew had a little trouble with the oxygen masks during turbulence, but overall it was a smooth trip. A snack of croissants, cheese, and grapes, along with an in-flight movie, helped pass the time on the 4,000 mile flight!
Group Three Performs Snow White
Group Three performed entertaining versions of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs February 3rd through the 5th. All 32 Group Three students had roles in the play, and parents helped with props, scenery, and the cast party.
There were some memorable characters in the play including, Dim Witty, the Queen, King Absent-Minded, the Mirror, and the Prince. It was a wonderful production that highlighted the talents of all the students.
Group Five Mastaba
Group Five opened their Mastaba Exhibit to the public on February 18. This year's class chose to honor Roy Disney, nephew of Walt Disney, for his positive contributions to society. Students worked in groups to prepare the mastaba's art work, mummy, treasures, tours, guide book, and messages. In addition to the creation of the mastaba, students wrote stories set in Egypt that are on display outside the mastaba room.
The mastaba includes messages coded in art, hieroglyphs, a sarcophagus, canopic jars, and artifacts of Disney's professional life.
Art Awareness
Parent volunteers presented the life and work of M.C. Escher during Art Awareness in Group Five. Escher produced 448 lithographs, woodcuts and wood engravings and over 2000 drawings and sketches in his life.
Students followed the lecture on their tablets and were able to see some of Escher's works as they followed the arc of his career.
MathCounts Success
The Avery Coonley MathCounts Team finished first in their local chapter in the competition held on February 13th at DeVry Institute in Addison. Six of the top ten chapter finishers were ACS mathletes: Ravi Jagadeesan (1st); Meena Jagadeesan (3rd); Yianni Kinnas (4th); Lauren Burke (6th); Katie Portman (7th); Ben Yates (10th).
The four-person MathCounts team then competed in the State competition March 6 in Matteson, IL, finishing 3rd in the State! Ravi Jageesan (1st), Meena Jagadeesan (13th), and Katie Portman (23) all finished in the top 25 in the State.
Ravi's 1st place finish marks his third top five finish in the past three years. Ravi will have the opportunity to compete in the MathCounts National Competition held May 6 - 9 in Orlando, FL.
Group Six Student Builds Homes in Mexico
Over Presidents' Day weekend, Michael Gupta (Group Six) and his father, Mark Gupta, along with alum Rob Strumillo ('06), and his father, Don Strumillo, and a team of approximately 90 people built four homes in two days in a small town in Mexico located three hours south of San Diego, CA. The "Homes of Hope" mission trip is sponsored by the San Diego/Baja division of Youth With A Mission (YWAM). The trip is a special opportunity for family members to work side by side and help a family move from an existing "shanty" to a sturdy home built of durable materials. To date almost 2,000 homes have been built for the poorest of the poor in Tijuana and Ensenada, Mexico.
Michael and his father not only provided their time and talents, but they also helped pay for the building materials. In addition, they donated a suitcase of household goods and toiletries to the family. Michael said, "It was the most awesome experience. What we were able to do in two days was amazing! I can't wait to go again next year!"
World Games Continue in PE
Physical Education classes at ACS experienced new World Games units in February.
On Friday, February 19, ACS alum Michi Trota ('92) visited P.E. classes to teach the Maorian art of poi spinning. Michi, an experienced poi dancer, performed for each class and taught a few basic poi spinning movements. Poi is a performance art employing a ball suspended from a length of flexible material held in the hand and swung in circular patterns.
P.E. teachers also introduced Jai alai as a new world game unit this February. Students played doubles matches in the gymnasium. A few Group Eight students showed instant skill with the cesta and pelota.
Alums Shine for Downers Grove North
ACS alums recently participated on Downers Grove North academic teams. The DGN Math team finished third in Regionals with five ACS alums:
Oral Competition: 1st -- Thomas Mack-Crane ('08) Algebra II (tie): 1st -- Thomas Mack-Crane ('08) 1st -- Erin Portman ('08) 15th -- Stuart Melton ('08) Algebra: 1st -- Conner Fear ('09) 9th -- Reid Melton ('09)
DGN student Elizabeth McKay ('06) finished 2nd in State in Impromptu Speaking at the IHSA Speech Finals. Elizabeth was also named to the IHSA All-State team, one of 26 students chosen from nearly 500 nominees. Nominees had to have a minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale after their 7th semester of school and been involved in at least two IHSA-sponsored activities during the last two years.
Errors and Omissions
The Splash inadvertently omitted some impressive accomplishments of Aayan Patel (Group One) from last month's newsletter. Aayan won two 1st in Division prizes at the Darien Woman's Club Art Fair and won his division at the Downers Grove Library Book Mark for his "Hungry to Read" design (his work is on display at the Downers Grove Public Library). Aayan also won 3rd Prize at the Grandmaster Chess Challenge on Feb 1st. Congrats on your accomplishments, Aayan!
Also, the Splash missed a photo opportunity for the Group Five math team that finished first at the Latin School Math Competition on January 30:
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Linda Silverman, Ph.D., presented If Our Child is So Smart, Why Aren't Our Lives Easier? to ACS parents and the public on February 11. Silverman, Director of the Gifted Development Center in Denver, CO, has been studying the assessment, psychology, and education of the gifted since 1961.
Group Three performed entertaining versions of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs February 3rd through the 5th. All 32 Group Three students had roles in the play, and parents helped with props, scenery, and the cast party.
Parent volunteers presented the life and work of M.C. Escher during Art Awareness in Group Five. Escher produced 448 lithographs, woodcuts and wood engravings and over 2000 drawings and sketches in his life.
Over Presidents' Day weekend, Michael Gupta (Group Six) and his father, Mark Gupta, along with alum Rob Strumillo ('06), and his father, Don Strumillo, and a team of approximately 90 people built four homes in two days in a small town in Mexico located three hours south of San Diego, CA. The "Homes of Hope" mission trip is sponsored by the San Diego/Baja division of Youth With A Mission (YWAM). The trip is a special opportunity for family members to work side by side and help a family move from an existing "shanty" to a sturdy home built of durable materials. To date almost 2,000 homes have been built for the poorest of the poor in Tijuana and Ensenada, Mexico.
On Friday, February 19, ACS alum Michi Trota ('92) visited P.E. classes to teach the Maorian art of poi spinning. Michi, an experienced poi dancer, performed for each class and taught a few basic poi spinning movements. Poi is a performance art employing a ball suspended from a length of flexible material held in the hand and swung in circular patterns.
