NOVEMBER
Staff Showcase: Mr.Schwartz (interviewed and written by student Emily F.)
1. Q) How long have you been teaching for?
A) I started at DHS is 1999 and came to the Alternative School 6 years ago.
2. Q) What is your favorite thing about your job?
A) Seeing students change over the years.
3. Q) What interests do you have outside of teaching?
A) I like spending time with my family, writing, music, and being outside.
4. Q) What do you enjoy about teaching the most?
A) I like discussing literature; I'm very literate.
5. Q) Are you an eggnog or apple cider kind of guy?
A) Oh apple cider, all day!
6. Q) What was your favorite food that you cooked for the family brunch?
A) Monte cristos! It's the best breakfast sandwich ever.
7. Q) What do you have for hobbies?
A) I enjoy developing imaginary businesses with my friends.
8. Q) What is your biggest accomplishment?
A) Besides matching my shoes to my sweater vest this morning? I would have to say my family.
9. Q) What's your favorite Christmas movie?
A) Christmas Vacation, hands down.
10. Q) What's your favorite season?
A) I think spring is pretty awesome.
FAMILY BRUNCH
(Joan Breault, Director)
On Tuesday, November 25th, the students at the Dover Alternative Program hosted a family brunch to honor the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The students were involved in creating the announcement and menu as well as setting up the banquet area, preparing all the food, serving, and clean-up. In addition, students created a video loop of their school activities accompanied by music which played throughout the course of the meal. Many family members showed up and enjoyed a feast of monte cristos, sausages, fruit, quiche and other scrumptious treats with the students and staff!
COMPOSTING
(Jamie Walker, Science)
This November Mr. Walker's Science Classes completed a Composting Unit culminating with the construction of a new Composting Bin for the Alternative Program. Students learned about the process and cycle of decomposition in nature by studying decomposing forest leaf litter. Students constructed and used a Berlese Funnel to extract and study the variety of decomposing organisms in the forest litter layer including fungi, bacteria, and arthropods. Students also constructed food webs examining how these decomposing organisms interact with one another ecologically to create new soil for the forest. Students studied the Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles to better understand how these important nutrients are recycled in nature. They then tried to mimic the patterns they saw in nature to create new soil for use in the school's garden and greenhouse by creating a Composting bin and implementing a Composting program at school. The students have done a great job helping with this ongoing project!
COMMUNITY BUILDING: COOPERATION (Brian Beck; Social Studies)
During the month of November the Dover Alternative School continued its adventure based counseling activities every Wednesday with goal of enhancing cooperation. Students took part in a range of challenges and tasks that teach students how to work as a group, trust each other, and communicate effectively. Some of the activities students took part in were "telephone and whale watch".
The first activity consisted of a set of words or messages which are passed along a line of people. Each person is required to whisper the message to the next person in line exactly as he or she has heard it. The original message at the start of the game is usually not the same message that is communicated at the end of the game. Students must also cooperate with one another to accomplish this task. The next variation required the students to pass instructions on how to construct an object through a series of networks. The first student was only allowed to talk to the second student; the second was only allowed to pass the information to the third student and so on. The last student was required to construct the object that only the first student had viewed.
Later in the month students participated in a low ropes element called the Whale Watch. This activity is designed to help strengthen the community's ability to cooperate as a group. The entire group must find balance on the giant seesaw. To increase the challenge, the group added group members on the seesaw one at a time (some members being blindfolded). The group had to maintain balance of the seesaw as members got on.
MAKING A MOVIE (Ben Schwartz; English, Case Manager)
The Dover Alternative Program students have been in the process of creating a video capturing the spirit of our program. The video will be entered into a contest through the National Alternative Education Association. The students have the chance to win $400 towards their program! The students have worked in the areas of video production and editing, acting, script writing, as well as stage and set creation. The theme of the contest is "All Aboard". Look to see the final product soon!
STUDENT TIMELINES (Scott Evans; Math, Health, Physical Education)
The students were asked to create a timeline of their lives. They included 10 events from their past. Some of the students chose family vacations, new siblings, getting a new pet, or meeting someone famous. They were required to name 5 future events that they would like to see happen for them in the future. Many of the students identified graduation, finding their own place to live, getting a new job, or going to college as things they wanted in their future.
The students then created a bulletin board for the family brunch we celebrated before Thanksgiving. The goal of the project was to allow students to showcase themselves and also to reflect back on some happy moments in their lives as well as to think about where they want to be in the future. It was also beneficial in getting us to know the 4 newly enrolled students.
YOUNG WOMEN'S GROUP: VISION BOARDS
(Vickie Thomas, Guidance Counselor)
The young women's group meets every Tuesday during 3rd period. This month we finished up our vision boards. A vision board is a tool used to help clarify, concentrate and maintain focus on specific life goals. It is a creation that is individual and unique to each student/person making it. Magazines and newspapers of different varieties were used to create the boards. The young women were asked to think of things they wanted, liked, or wanted to learn at some point, goals they had for the future, things they liked to do, quotes that were inspirational, or just words that inspired them, places they wanted to visit, places they wanted to live…..anything that appealed to them. They went through the magazines and cut out pictures related to their goals. The students then glued the pictures onto a flat, white piece of cardboard. This board helps remind the students of things they want out of life or inspires them to achieve certain goals.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Volunteering Opportunities
Adopt-A-Family
Holiday Baking and Movie
