We started our first day very early, arriving at school at 4:30 a.m. We ventured by bus to JFK, where we had ample time to explore and get some bagel sandwiches! After a three-hour flight and some napping, we arrived in Santiago and immediately felt the hot, humid weather as we stepped off the...
Continue readingArts and Entertainment, Day One — Exploring the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Our first day of Arts and Entertainment took us to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. After an overview of the trips ahead for next week, we left school at 10:15 am and arrived at the museum shortly after. We checked in and quickly split into groups to explore all the different exhibits! The museum...
Continue readingArts & Entertainment, Day Four — Cunningham Piano Factory
We started our day with a 40-minute bus ride to the Cunningham Piano Factory in Germantown where we were greeted by Rich Galassani, one of the co-owners of the Cunningham Piano Company. He gave us a private tour of the whole restoration and manufacturing facility. As we made our way through the first floor...
Continue readingGlass Art: Learning to Solder
The last day of Glass Art Intensive Learning was spent finishing the projects we started at the beginning of the week. Today we learned how to solder, which is an art all in itself. Soldering is the metal that goes in between the pieces of glass to hold them together to be one piece....
Continue readingGlass Art Intensive Learning Day #1
Today was the first day of the Glass Art Intensive Learning. We got to school at 8:00 AM and then left to Wheaton Arts at 8:45. During that 45 minute time everyone made friendship bracelets and I personally learned how too. The bus drive was about an hour. When we got there we were...
Continue readingOur Wonderful Literary Journey
Our last day in England was one to remember: we returned to the village of Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters. We took a 5-mile hike out into the moors that the sisters would have done daily (in long dresses, no less!). Our guide, Martin, read us Emily Bronte’s poetry about the moors as...
Continue readingLiterary England: York and Haworth, Home of the Bronte Sisters
Today we ended our brief sojourn across the Scottish border and got back into the English countryside. We traveled from the extreme northwest of England to the northeast and then down to Yorkshire. We spent part of the day in York, home to the breathtaking Yorkminster Abbey. We toured windy and narrow medieval streets,...
Continue readingFinal Day: Hassan II Mosque Interior
Our final day in Morocco is at an end; we began the day by checking out of our hotel in Marrakech and busing to Casablanca. After our 3 hour trek northwest, we arrived at the largest mall in Morocco, aptly named Morocco Mall. Everyone was content with a change in food for lunch, as...
Continue readingWrapping It Up: The Final Knot
On this last day of Quilting, we spent the day cleaning up and finishing up some projects. We saw a 7th grade Intensive Learning play. Afterwards, we went home with our mini individual projects, such as: pin cushions, pillows, etc. Our long week of hard work has finally come to a close....
Continue readingSouth Jersey Service Day 4: Perkins Center for the Arts
Today, we spent time at the Perkins Center for the Arts, at 30 Irwin Ave. in Collingswood. (There is a second location right in Moorestown, located at 395 Kings Highway). Led by Samantha Salazar, manager of Special Events and Education Assistant, we helped clean the massively impressive warehouse space, and we helped create artistic...
Continue readingDeciphering Religious Symbols in Art
Today we convened in Ms. Henneberry’s classroom and began to curate a collection of photos for a interfaith slideshow. We then boarded the bus to make our way to Philadelphia. Today’s place of interest was the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Our tour started with a visit to a Japanese Buddhist temple. We learned ways to identify Buddha, some...
Continue readingWrapping Up a Busy Week With Studies of East Asia
We are going out again on the fifth day! The first place to go will be the University of Pennsylvania East Asian Civilization Dept. We listened to three speakers talk about Chinese poems, Study of Japan, and Asian Buddhism. After that, we went to a Japanese Tea House, which has authentic Japanese style architecture,...
Continue readingExploring Art: Final Day — Bringing It All Together
After lunch, we finally got to set up our ceramic totem poles on the MFS grounds. The poles consist of cylinders, pinch pots and other shapes stacked on top of one another. Each person made at least 3 pieces for the totem poles. Each piece was decorated individually to represent the individual and the...
Continue readingExploring Art: Putting the final touches on our projects
Today we stayed on campus to complete all of our projects both individual and group — photography, sculpture, mandalas and totems abound! It was a great way to end our week of exploration and creation. The photos say it all …...
Continue readingQuilting: The Final Day
Today was the final day for the quilters. Over the course of this week, we have learned many valuable skills. Students have learned how to use a sewing machine, hand-stitch, and even use a professional long-arm machine. It has been a wonderful and laughter-filled week for our little group of 6!...
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