May 19,  2020 

Senior May Program (SMP) has been an integral component of the curriculum at CSG since 1967. In this new era of digital learning, we were faced with the changing the format in which we addressed SMP, but we continued to see value in helping students transition from the high school classroom to college and, ultimately, the professional work world. 

Effective SMP projects allow students opportunities to immerse themselves in areas of professional and/or personal interest, building on the academic foundations and personal qualities developed while studying at CSG. This year, it also provided a unique opportunity for reflection on how COVID-19 has affected student lives. Over the years, SMP has proven to be a valuable learning experience in both expected and unexpected ways. This year we are thrilled and inspired by the final projects, which the Class of 2020 are completing this week.  

Take a peek below at CSG Senior, Ellen Monahan’s original song, “Strange New Life” which addresses the changes she has experienced as a result of Covid-19.

May 12, 2020

In Mandarin I and II's synchronous Zoom classes, students meet every other day to keep improving their Mandarin proficiency.  Interaction remains the soul of the Zoom classes, with the consideration of specific advantages which home environment could provide.  Thus, all of the activities are designed to maintain a high level of interaction between the teacher and the students, and among the students, to utilize students' home environment, to provide creative and effective ways for language input, to create authentic channels for students' language output, to maximize students' attention in the online classes, and to keep students moving during the class time.  

In the past month, activities in Mandarin classes include: sharing the fridges, learning how to cook a Chinese dish, virtual hide-and-seek, scavenger-hunt, strange drawing with eyes closed or on the head, guessing the store names game, showing three special life milestone items, telling a story behind a family photo, forming crazy sentences, playing the psychologist game, memory game for Chinese characters, walking on the screen with a paper figure, discussing the weather personality, spot the difference with student-created photos, virtual charade, conducting a popular Tik Tok sibling questionnaire, doing a special person interview with a family member, reviewing/ranking with sticky notes, Yes/No signs reading, Simon Says, and museum picture cosplay. 

 

May 5, 2020

The staff of our CSG’s newspaper, Silhouette, was ready to print their spring edition right when the pandemic hit our country and statewide stay-at-home orders changed the school experience for everyone. Suddenly, all of the planned articles about spring break travel and end-of-school-year events were no longer timely and relevant. However, rather than let Silhouette go silent, class members and their advisors worked hard to pivot and come up with a new plan for the final issue of the school year. 

The staff edited existing articles to maintain their relevance in our new normal (for instance, changing a piece about spring break plans to one that encouraged fun in keeping with stay-at-home guidelines) and took on the task of writing entirely new pieces about the quarantine experience, from humor pieces imagining what teachers did while away from the halls of CSG, to global reporting about environmental concerns during pandemics, to feature articles about what our students have to say about learning online. A special page was designed to give seniors a forum through which to submit “goodbyes” to their classmates. Additionally, while working on the layouts for this issue, Silhouette editors also tried out new design features and programs and discussed the benefits of going digital next year.

The class members were motivated by the idea that school newspapers are perhaps most relevant in times like these, when we need a sense of community and a place to share students' experiences, opinions, and ideas. While we may not be back in the same building together as we would have liked, we took the opportunity to offer everyone at CSG (and especially our Upper School) a sense of togetherness through a final special digital issue. Read the full issue here.

-- Dr. Meghan Hattaway, Silhouette Faculty Advisor 

 

April 28,  2020 

Social distancing has proven to be a great inspiration for students in Susan O’Connor’s upper school Photography 1 class.  For the project, “Moments in Social Distancing,” students were asked to emulate the style of three different photographers by using the world around them as inspiration. Students used their smartphones to document your daily life in black and white. Students took into consideration compositions, use of light and dark, and shapes that include shadows.  Their projects are stunning!

 

Moments in Social Distancing: 1

Elizabeth Schrim 

• Alexander Rodchenko: where I got inspiration- http://www.artnet.com/artists/alexander-rodchenko/    

 

 

•  My Images:

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Moments in Social Distancing 2

photographer used as inspiration: Alexander Rodchenko 

Light shining through a glass chandelier, April 6, 2020

Stacked stones, April 2, 2020
 

Eugene Atget

 

Eva Krupovlyanskiy

Through the blinds, A look into the peephole in touch with nature through a window screen

April 2, 2020
 

Leaves shadow against a wooden pergola, April 6, 2020

April 21, 2020 

Dr. Nelson- AP Biology
In AP Biology our second semester is guided, in part, by a semester-long research project where groups of students investigate antibiotic properties of common household items. This lab is lovingly nicknamed the “Spice Lab” because it is based off of a lab I taught to OSU biology majors years ago that focused only on the antimicrobial effects of spices; I have expanded it to allow our students to be a little more creative.

In a typical year, I would print out these posters on the big plotters at OSU and then we would have an in-class symposium just like one might at a professional conference, complete with snacks. Since we couldn’t do that this year, we held our symposium virtually. I screen-shared each poster up to the Zoom class and the student groups presented their results. Included here is an example of this year’s posters.

 

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Ms. Davis- Upper School Theater Director
Flipgrid saved the acting and public speaking classes during this time. Easy to use. I am able to watch a rehearsal, performance or speech and give them personal video feedback right away. For distance learning in theater and speech, there is nothing more important. There is space for written feedback as well, rubrics, etc. Also, their work can be hidden or viewable by the other students. Enables me to teach best practices for simple video work for Youtube such as lighting etc. and Tedtalk style presentations.

Here is a link to an example from Natalie Tangeman '21
https://flipgrid.com/s/e5cb038d62a8

April 14, 2020 

Upper school announcements have always been part of the CSG experience. Our new circumstances haven’t changed that. Even though we are separated by distance, we still find ways to connect. Faculty have been delivering “announcements” and introducing us to the day, sharing special glimpses into their own lives. Student announcements are also happening by video. Please enjoy this video highlighting our faculty connecting with students to start each day of learning.