This morning we woke up bright and early to breakfast and a Spanish lesson. Our tour guide Brayan taught us the important words we would need to know throughout the day. Then we prepared for our “market challenge.” The challenge consisted of walking around the Jarabacoa produce market and speaking with people in Spanish...
Continue readingCarcassonne: Visiting the Town and La Grotte de Limousis
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 We started the day with breakfast, each of us in our homesteads. We met in the lobby of the chaperone hotel around 8:30, and from there we walked to a small indoor market because it was so early only a meat and vegetables stand was open. We then went to...
Continue readingSeventh Grade: First Day in Washington, D.C.
By Nolan 3/26/24 Today, the seventh graders traveled on a coach bus to Washington, D.C. First, we went to the National Museum of African American History & Culture. We started on the first floor, which was focused on slavery and segregation. We slowly ascended floor by floor, and the museum was more focused on...
Continue readingBelize Zoo and Water Taxi to San Pedro
We started the day off by packing everything up in our hotel and getting some pancakes and eggs for breakfast. After breakfast we made our way to a farmers market and explored what they had to offer. After a quick visit to the farmers market we took an hour-long bus ride to the Belize...
Continue readingPine Barrens, Day Three: Jersey Devil @ Apple Pie Hill!
On the third day of our Pine Barrens IL, we visited Apple Pie Hill, hiked around four-and-a-half miles, and climbed the Pinelands’ central fire tower. While exploring the Apple Pie Hill, the notorious Jersey Devil showed itself to us to answer questions and make appearances in our videos. When we were at the fire...
Continue readingArts and Entertainment: Tour of Cunningham Piano Company
Today our IL group toured the Cunningham Piano Company restoration facility. We arrived at school at 8:30 and boarded our bus at 9:30 a.m. It took us about 30 minutes to get to the factory, and once we got there, we were welcomed by Rich Galassini, one of the co-owners of Cunningham Piano and...
Continue readingStrength Training and Service with Habitat for Humanity Restore
Today, South Jersey Service traveled to Habitat for Humanity Restore in Maple Shade. Habitat for Humanity, as an organization, serves to build low-cost homes to aid families that are struggling economically. The “Restore” aspect of this organization provides furniture and more to both the construction of these homes as well as to customers who...
Continue readingSolar Energy: Creating a Parabolic Mirror
Today we spent the first 30 minutes doing math to calculate the equation of a parabola so that its focus would be 18 inches above its vertex. We then spent four hours building a physical parabola one foot wide and almost six feet long out of plywood, 2 x 4s and mirror tiles. The...
Continue readingLow and Slow: Lamb Tacos on Homemade Corn Tortillas for Lunch
To start the day we went to the pit and uncovered the meat that was cooking overnight. We unwrapped the lamb to find three perfectly cooked cuts. After bringing the lamb inside, we then filled the hole with dirt and started to prepare the lamb for lunch. To prepare the lamb, we pulled apart...
Continue readingTuesday Opening Statements
Today, after a full morning of writing and rehearsing opening statements, along with critiquing direct and cross examinations from the 2023 California Championship Mock Trial, we were ready to have a little treat. We went to The French Press in Moorestown to enjoy croissants and coffees. TikTok moves were again attempted, and again the...
Continue readingGardening (& Ghost Hunting!) at Fort Mifflin
On our third day of Growing For Good, we visited the Novick Urban Farm, located at historic Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia. We met with our guide, Erin, and learned about the history of the Novick Farms. We learned about how Philadelphia is becoming more and more urban and how Novick Farms strives to make...
Continue readingCarcassonne Castle and First Day of Service
Today was the fourth day of the MFS IL France trip. We spent our first night with our host families and woke up bright and early to have breakfast with the families. The big group then met together in downtown Carcassonne. We began our day with a walk to the famous Cité de Carcassonne....
Continue readingHands-on Science: Wheelchair Ramp Building and Ice Cream
Today we worked on our third topic, physics. We had a build day to construct wheelchair ramps in accordance with the ADA guidelines. We were given different materials like cardboard and foam core in order to build our ramp models, and we got really creative in decorating them. Our ramps were scaled down, but...
Continue readingFrom Paris to Carcassonne to Meet Our Host Families
By Dinah and Elina We covered a lot of mileage on our third day. 633 to be exact. First, we woke up, packed up, and said a quick goodbye to our Paris hostel. We entered the common area to find two bags of fresh croissants and pains au chocolats from a local boulangerie, courtesy...
Continue readingMFS at One of the New Seven Wonders of the World!
We woke up and had our final breakfast at the “House Hotel” in Calca where we have been staying for the past four days. After breakfast we packed our backpacks with clothes and more for the next two days as we will not have access to our suitcases. The excitement of our new adventure...
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