Contact: Jenni Brockman
Telephone: 804-443-3357 (w); 804-443-2703 (h)
Fax: 804-443-6781
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
St. Margaret's Gears Up for Minimester
Every February, to abate the wintertime doldrums and provide as many opportunities as possible for a well-rounded education, St. Margaret's School initiates a two-week minimester program for its faculty and students.
Aptly titled, Explorations, this year's minimester allows students and faculty an opportunity to explore areas of learning outside of the core curriculum. A variety of two, four, and six hour courses are taught by faculty in areas in which they possess unique skills or have particular interests.
Cynthia Walker hones her woodworking skills during minimester 1998 at St. Margaret's School.
Faculty members Mollie H. Conklin, of Warsaw, and Susan Stephenson, of Tappahannock, are the 1999 SMS minimester coordinators. "We have purposefully tried to offer a wide variety of courses this year…courses we hope will be a valuable part of a well-rounded education for our students," says Conklin and Stephenson.
Current eighth through eleventh grade students register for six hours of classes during the winter schedule, February 22 to March 5. Seniors will be able to use this time period to participate in an independent, off-campus study project (called ISP).
"The ISP program is an opportunity for seniors to gain real-world experience in a professional setting, working as interns," says Conklin. "But, the underwritten lesson in this is that each senior must assume full responsibility for organizing, proposing, and carrying out her ISP-this takes a fair amount of independence and energy, but it's important that our seniors know how to take those steps."
Jennifer Fauteux, currently a freshman at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, spent her ISP last year working as an intern for Rolling Stone magazine in New York City.
"The possibilities are endless. Whether a student arranges to work in a sports medicine clinic, an environmental or criminal law office, federal government office, or with the Nature Conservancy, an ISP is going to put that student ahead of the game and help answer the what-do-I-want-to-be-when-I-grow-up question," says Conklin.
A two week trip to Spain, given priority to juniors and seniors, is one minimester course being offered this year. SMS biology teacher John Wemple and his wife, Marcy, who teaches geography and study skills, will chaperone the trip. The Wemples received assistance from Casterbridge Tours, a professional travel planning group, in organizing the trip. Day-by-day itinerary includes, a tour of the Royal Palace in Madrid; a visit to the Church of Santo Tome in Toledo; a walking tour of the Moorish baths in Ronda; last, a day trip to Malaga, where Jennifer Gura, a Spanish teacher at SMS, will lead the group. Gura studied in Malaga while an undergraduate at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania.
"So you want to be a lawyer?," a course offered by math teacher Keith Krusz, who earned his J.D. degree from William & Mary prior to coming to St. Margaret's, will introduce students to issues faced by law students and lawyers. Students will be engaged in a mock trial for their "graduation" from the class.
Other classes include: Dance - ballet, jazz, and modern dance; "Missed Manners and Robert Rules," a course that will instruct students in the basic social arts-public speaking, proper etiquette, aspects of letter writing, how to respond to invitations, and how to run public meetings; Jewelry Making and Hand Built Pottery; Public Speaking; La Piece de Resistance, a course exploring the cultures and customs of France, Spain, and Japan through hands-on research, interpretation, and acting; Darkroom Photography, which will require students to present a mini-portfolio at the conclusion of the course.
"I am really excited about minimester. I am taking Public Speaking, Think Before You Speak, and Missed Manners," says ninth grader Kandyce Angel, who lives in Callao. Eighth grader Cecilia Junco, of Monterrey, Mexico, says she looks forward to courses in Poetry, First Aid, and "that three culture thing," referring to La Piece de Resistance.
In addition, SMS will host a speaker's bureau which will feature talks on a variety of topics ranging from women's health issues to a study of the holocaust. An international dinner, on February 25, will showcase food, customs, and cultures of current SMS students from Albania, China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Romania, Taiwan, and Thailand.
While these courses do not earn formal credit, students are richly rewarded with practical knowledge gained. Faculty, too, are energized as they explore new ideas and topics of particular interest. Students are assessed by a notation of individual performance either-Honors, High Pass, Pass, or Fail-which will appear on final transcripts.
