From Marilynn Cunningham, Bluegrass Principal

Dear SCAPA Families:

Every year, at lunch around Valentine’s Day, the Young at Heart Band fills the halls of SCAPA with music. It was wonderful to have so many parents at our Valentine Luncheon to hear the band. The students danced to their hearts’ delight. I appreciate Carolyn Waterbury Tieman’s efforts to organize social dance lessons for our families. The snow cancelled one evening, but the other evening brought people together to learn dance steps.

Today I have heard many comments on the outstanding performance of this year’s students in “Dance SCAPA.” Each dance lifted our spirits to soar. The finale moved the audience to a place beyond. A place that ties each and every one of us to a level of knowing we are different, but feel united. Thanks for your leadership, Patti Bingham, Rebecca Stephenson, Laurie Fields and Karen Combs.

During the arts performances, the middle school and intermediate academic teachers serve as the thread that runs so true. As they adapt and flex their plans to fit the student’s individual, academic needs, a theme of excellence shines over and over. They know how to motivate students to do what they need to do amidst their busy schedules.

Our speech team earned another regional championship—our 15th. Thanks for your leadership, Ms. Randolph and Ms. Dean’s leadership. Our band students earned many honors at the solo and ensemble KMEA Assessment. Fifty-five students performed 103 events, the most from any high school or middle school in the region. The ratings awarded to our SCAPA students were as follows: 95 Distinguished; 7 Proficient; 1 Apprentice. Several of our distinguished ratings were given + or ++.

This year, at the regional Science Fair, SCAPA had a fourth grade student win 1st place overall for 4th grade division. We also had a student win 2nd in 4th grade Animal Science, 1st in 4th grade Behavioral Science; 1st in 4th grade Earth and Planetary Sciences category; 1st in 7th grade Chemistry category; 3rd in 7th grade Engineering category; and 4th in 7th grade Microbiology category.

Ms. Beals is spotlighted as an outstanding FCPS teacher. She had a group of six 8th grade SCAPA students chosen as one of the national winning teams for the Air/Climate competition of the Lexus Eco Challenge. The team earned a prize of $10,000 dollars for their winning entry ($7,000 to be split between the six students and $3,000 for SCAPA).

To top it all, Nancy Campbell was named Kentucky’s Music Teacher of the Year at KMEA. Bob Love and his art is featured in the Lexington Herald Leader. WOW! SCAPA is a wonderful place to live and learn! I invite you to get involved with the wonder of it all.

Keep the Arts in our Hearts!

Marilynn Cunningham

From Vickie Ritchie, LHS Principal

Dear Friends of the Arts
We certainly are ready for spring!! With the snow days, we have our school calendar extended into June. Please watch the FCPS and our Lafayette website for updated information in case of additional days of due to weather.

Please have your junior students ready on March 9 to ace the ACT! We have had many students participate in the Saturday sessions for ACT practice. We are happy to have been able to offer those sessions for students and that so many took us up on the support and help. It’s not too late for students to access the program at home before the test on the 9th.

On a positive note, many of our students have had amazing results recently. Two of our students won awards in the Sister Cities Art Competition. Twenty of our art students won awards at the Bluegrass High School Art Show. The Lafayette Madrigal Singers took first place in the Louisville Chamber Choir competition and will perform at the American Choral Directors Association Southern Division Convention in Memphis, Tennessee. In addition, two students won gold key awards in the region for scholastic writing and art. Both of their poems have been submitted to the national contest. Over twenty of our students made it to the state speech festival.

Not only are our students talented, but they are also good people. Many student organizations recently participated in a variety of fundraisers for the Haitian relief effort. They raised over $1800 for the effort to this point and are continuing with some t-shirt sales and other activities to raise even more.

It takes many dedicated teachers and parents to help our students reach these levels of achievement. Thanks to everyone for their hard work and willingness to put Lafayette students on the map! Vicki Ritchie

With warm thoughts,
Vicki Ritchie

Table of Contents

The Essential Science

Several months ago I suggested that children are born artists and the arts are essential to our existence. Well, lately I have come to realize that our children are also born scientists. Remember when they first started interacting with their environment and the people around them. You could see them trying to figure out what things were and how they worked even before they could speak. And when they started talking, their first words were expressed as questions. Their earliest attempts at conversation were filled with what, how and why. Clearly, they were scientists from the beginning. So then what happened? Why is it that by the time they get to school, science has become something that is too hard to understand, inaccessible, somehow separate, and unrelated to their existence?

This quote sheds light on the issue: "I am convinced all of humanity is born with more gifts than we know. Most are born geniuses and just get de-geniused rapidly," ~Buckminster Fuller. It could be reworded to say "most are born scientists and just get de-scienced rapidly." We take our young budding scientists and say things like "I'm busy," "Be quiet," "Sit still," "Don't touch that," "Don't make a mess," "Stop asking so many questions." We put them in front of the television or a video game to keep them occupied while we do our important work. By the time they reach school, they are convinced science is beyond them - a hard subject that you are supposed to dread. Then we entice them with medals and trophies to get them enthusiastic about something for which they already had a natural affinity.

When you think about it, it is rather ironic. I mean, here we are living experiments walking around in a veritable natural laboratory with science constantly going on inside us and all around us and yet convinced that science is something out there that is only accessible to people called scientists or experts. How could we do a better job of nurturing the scientists in our children? Perhaps we could be less threatened by what we don't understand ourselves, more eager to take the time to discover the world again, more willing to say, "I don't know, but let's find out" in response to their questions. Remember that while that may be the millionth fossil, leaf, chemical reaction, etc., that you have seen, it's their first. "There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million." ~Walt Streightiff.

Our own Ashlie Beals said it well in her statement for the FCPS Teacher Spotlight for the month of March:

"As a science teacher, I try to instill in my students the same kind of curiosity and enthusiasm about the natural world that I possess. This is rarely a challenge since these qualities come naturally to children; however, it is also my responsibility to help guide my students to scientific understanding. Therein lies the challenge - and much of the joy - of teaching. There is nothing quite like experiencing moments of discovery and understanding through the eyes of a child."

Furthermore, science and art are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they are inextricably interwoven. For example, there is the anatomy and physiology of dance, the chemistry, anatomy and physics of visual art, the physics of musical sound, the anatomy of singing, the psychology of writing and drama. There is no inherent value of one over the other. But each is enhanced by an appreciation for and understanding of the other.

Finally, there is a science that is essential and prerequisite to the practice of any other science or art, and that is conscience. Just as biology is the knowledge of living things, chemistry is the knowledge of chemical relationships, and physics is the knowledge of physical properties - conscience is the knowledge of the difference between right and wrong. Like all sciences, conscience is learned. It is learned by our children at our elbows and knees, in the backseats of our vehicles, and in the rooms of our homes. It is learned by observing as well as listening and "while they may not listen to everything we say, they are watching everything we do." Conscience reminds us that just because we can, doesn't mean we should.

As parents, it is our job to make sure our children develop a healthy conscience. The best teacher is a good example. When our children witness the use of our perceptive skills and the demonstration of empathy toward others in our decision-making and actions, they learn how to exercise conscience. When we express appreciation for their conscientious choices and institute related, reasonable consequences for their failures to do so, we help to strengthen their conscience. Jiminy Cricket told Pinocchio, "Conscience is that still small voice that people won't listen to." We are responsible for making sure that our children not only hear and recognize that still small voice, but that they listen to it. The presence of conscience in art and science significantly increases the likelihood of making valuable contributions to the world.

---

Prior to her role as SCAPA Arts Facilitator, Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman was a Parent/Family Life Educator and licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She was the author of The Parents’ Toolbox for The Lexington Family Magazine as well as Pastoral Parenting for the Church of the Resurrection newsletter.

Calendar of Upcoming Events

(Please check the SCAPA Calendar regularly for updates)

Table of Contents

Announcements and Reminders

LET'S BUILD SCAPA A PERFORMANCE FACILITY!!!

Just in case you have not heard, Marilynn Cunningham, BG Principal, Rita Polzin, FOAS Representative, and Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman, SCAPA Arts Facilitator, attended the FCPS Board Meeting on Monday, February 22nd and watched with bated breath as our motion to raise funds for a performance facility was presented. There was no discussion, no questions and a unanimous vote for approval! So we are one step closer to realizing this shared vision for SCAPA. The Performance Facility Committee (Marta Ferguson, Jeff Stivers, Sandy Shafer, Rita Polzin, Cindy Bennett, Terri McGraw, Kathy Warneke-Ryan, Marilynn Cunningham, Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman) will be meeting next week to discuss how to best continue moving forward. It will take the entire 1987-present SCAPA family working together to ultimately make this vision a reality. Congratulations to all on this significant step in that direction!

Bluegrass SCAPA MS Drama Majors Present “And A Child Shall Lead”

The casualties of war are not limited to those wounded or killed. The devastation to the lives of those who get in the way is equally tragic. None moreso than the innocent youngsters whose childhoods are ravaged by the horrific violence created by adults. Visit Terezin, a Nazi holding camp, where in spite of unspeakable conditions, a small group of children cling to hope for a return to the lives they once knew by playing, studying and creating art. Based on their actual writings, these young victims give us a glimpse inside the insanity of war.

• The Downtown Arts Center
  
• Thursday, March 11 at 7:00pm
  
• Friday, March 12 at 8:00pm
  
• Saturday, March 13 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm
  
• Tickets available through the DAC Box Office, 225-0370

Lafayette SCAPA and Company Present “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”

Joseph was the youngest of twelve sons. Jacob, his father, showered him with attention and adorned him with an amazing coat of many colors. But, being the favored child isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Sometimes you end up tossed in a dry well and sold into slavery by your murderously jealous brothers. Travel to Egypt on Joseph’s musical journey. Witness his rise from prisoner to Pharoah’s trusted adviser. Faced with his estranged family in adulthood, will his dreams lead him to choose revenge or redemption? Lexington Opera House Thursday, March 18 at 7:00pm Friday, March 19 at 8:00pm Saturday, March 20 at 2:00pm and 8:00pm Tickets available through the Lexington Center Box Office, 233-3535

Free Concert for Trombone Lovers

• Guest Recital: Trombones de Costa Rica
  
• Tuesday, March 9, 7:30 PM
  
• Memorial Hall
  
• Free and open to the public

The world renown trombone quartet featured numerous times at the International trombone Festival and other prestigious national workshops around the world. The group plays all styles from Latin, to classical, to jazz. They are known for providing a very entertaining concert as well as virtuosic performing.

Lafayette Madrigal Concert

Convention Preview Concert

• Thursday, March 4th, 2010
• 7:30 pm
  
• Christ Church Cathedral
  
• 166 Market Street, Lexington

Lafayette Madrigal Singers present a preview concert for their upcoming convention performance for the Southern Division American Choral Director's Association.

This is a very selective invitation and was made possible by audition tape based upon previous year's performance. For high school, college and even professional choirs, an ACDA performance is one of the highest honors a choir can receive. There are only five high school choirs performing at this event. To be recognized and awarded a performance slot is greater than winning a state-level contest. Lafayette is only the third Kentucky high school to ever perform at either a divisional or national ACDA convention. The last Kentucky high school performance was in 1994.

Come support the Lafayette Madrigals as they prepare to represent LHS, Fayette County and the State of Kentucky at ACDA.

Thanks to the following for helping to make this trip possible!:

• Mr. Stu Silberman and Fayette County Schools
  
• Mrs. Vicki Ritchie and Lafayette High School
  
• Jim Clark and LexArts
  
• Dr. Jeff Johnson and Lexington Singers
  
• Friends of the Arts School
  
• Lafayette Chorus Boosters

Spring CATS Testing

CATS Testing Window: Reminder, please plan to have your children attend the full day of school each day of the testing window. Please do not schedule any appointments or reasons for your child to miss the KCCT and the ITBS (new - norm reference testing for math and reading). Students who leave school during a test are not allowed to finish the test when they return. CATS tests include:

1. Kentucky Core Content Tests April 19 - 30, 2010
2. Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS): May 3 - 7

Request for College Catalogues

If any SCAPA families have catalogues from Visual and Performing Arts Colleges that they would like to donate to a resource room for future SCAPA high school students, I would greatly appreciate them being left at my office. Also any information that you believe would be helpful to families who will be experiencing the application/audition process in the future, please share that as well. This is a time-consuming, costly, emotional process and I want our students and their families to be prepared. We want to send our SCAPA graduates out there ready to compete for placement and scholarships in these highly sought-after programs. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance - Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman.

Attention High School Parents

A recent article in Lexington Family Magazine identified a new trend in the college application process known as Early Action Application. "Early action application allows students to apply by early November and be accepted before Christmas. But unlike early decision application, students are free to apply to other colleges and change their minds." In other words, they are not required to make a commitment at the time of acceptance. Colleges accepting Early Action Applications include Centre College, Transylvania University, The University of Georgia, Boston College, Southern Methodist and The University of Notre Dame. Be sure to ask if the colleges your student is interested in allows Early Action Application.

Friends of the Arts School (FOAS) Meetings

Mark you calendars for the meeting dates in 2009-10

• Tuesday March 16th @ 4pm
  
• Tuesday April 20th @ 6pm
  
• Tuesday May 18th @ 4pm

Meeting Minutes

• February 2010
• January 2010
• December 2009
• November 2009
• October 2009
• September 2009
• August 2009
• June 2009
• May 2009
• April 2009

SBDM Meeting Minutes

• September 2009

Table of Contents

Recent Events

Shall We Dance

The SCAPA Social Dance Club held its first meeting on Tuesday, February 2nd and a great time was had by all! Mike and Mary Richardson, of the HepCats, taught us some fundamental steps for Swing Dance. We started with slow music and picked up the tempo as we became more comfortable with the steps. The Richardsons were entertaining as well as instructional. Unfortunately, our second meeting was cancelled due to snow, BUT Mike and Mary want to come back. We hope to reschedule for late March or early April. If you are interested in joining us, please let me know at carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us. Thank you to everyone who came and made this such an enjoyable evening!

Keeping Us Young At Heart

During lunch on Friday, February 12th, we were treated to the big band sound of the Young at Hearts. For the fourth consecutive year this stage band of retired musicians played the music of our students’ grandparents’ and great grandparents’ era and got us “in the mood” for Valentine’s Day. The sound and rhythm of their tunes never get old as evidenced by the enthusiasm demonstrated by our kids. Where else can you spend lunch dancing to live music with your classmates? There’s no place like SCAPA!

SCAPA Strings Help Celebrate Grand Reopening

Mrs. Nancy Campbell took her Bluegrass SCAPA string majors to play during the Saturday, February 20th celebration of the Grand Re-opening of Good Foods CoOp. The students played for an hour from 5-6pm and according to those present provided the highlight of the day. Thank you to Nancy and the students.

Concert of Hope

On Sunday, February 21st, we were treated to a benefit concert for Haiti at Centenary United Methodist Church. The idea for the concert originated with SCAPA junior strings major, Jacob Yates who contacted Dr. Everett McCorvey, director of the UK Opera Theatre program. The result was a perfect example of what can be accomplished when a motivated, enthusiastic young person shares their vision with an encouraging, supportive adult. The concert raised $5,000 for the Northwest Haiti Christian Mission which has been working in Haiti for many years.

The evening included the following performances:

• Song For The Children of Haiti composed and performed by Harry Pickens, pianist
• River In Judea performed by Lafayette Choir directed by Ryan Marsh accompanied by Harry Pickens
• Un Bel Di from Madame Butterfly performed by Cynthia Lawrence accompanied by Dr. Tedrin Blair Lindsay
• The Lord's Prayer performed by Dr. Everett McCorvey accompanied by Dr. Tedrin Blair Lindsay
• St. Paul's Suite: IV. Finale performed by the CKYO String Section conducted by Kayoko Dan
• Bridge Over Troubled Waters performed by Whit Whitaker accompanied by Dr. Diana Hallman
• Walk Together Children performed by Lafayette Choir directed by Ryan Marsh
• A Change Is Gonna Come performed by Ben Sollee, celist and SCAPA alum
• Give Me Jesus performed by Calesta Day accompanied by Dr. Tedrin Blair Lindsay
• Adagio For Strings performed by CKYO String Section conducted by Kayoko Dan
• You Raise Me Up performed by Lafayette Choir, Dr. Everett McCorvey and Cynthia Lawrence accompanied by CKYO String Section conducted by Kayoko Dan

The event was emceed by Elizabeth Dorsett and featured personal accounts of experiences in Haiti by Erika Olsen, Diane Cornelius and Rolgard Casimir, a Haiti resident currently studying in the United States. During his final remarks, Jacob shared the following observations and thoughts"

"Thank you to my friends and family for supporting me throughout this process and for making me who I am. It really does take a village to raise a child and it will take the whole world to help Haiti recover from their recent disaster."

"The disaster in Haiti is a tragedy that will not go away even though it might slip from the forefronts of people's minds. The Haitian people needed help before the earthquake and will need it for a very long time after. Yet at the same time there are so many other problems and disasters in the world. Just because I chose to focus on Haiti doesn't mean you have to. If you are passionate about a specific issue, do something about it! You don't have to have or give money to make a difference. I gave my time and look what happened. If a seventeen year old can pull together a benefit concert with such great people, imagine what you can do for your cause."

It is my wish that everyone who walks out of here tonight will realize that it only takes one person to make a difference. If you are determined and surround yourself with great people there is no telling what you can accomplish."

Congratulations to everyone who helped bring this idea to fruition and made it such a successful event!

French Mardi Gras Celebration

French students in grades 7 and 8 celebrated Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) with a study unit of culture and customs associated with this holiday. Students wore beads of green, gold, and purple and made their own masks. New Orleans style King Cakes and Gumbo made the day. "Laissez les bon temps rouler!" Let the good times roll! Thanks to all who donated to make this a fun project.

Can you guess who's behind the masks?

Table of Contents

SCAPA in the Community

Artists in Action for Haiti

Being part of the community means being responsive to the needs of others, whether they live next door or in another part of the world. SCAPA raised a total of $ 1,692.01 to donate to the Red Cross in Haiti. The first effort called for students to bring in pennies and loose change and the results were as follows:

• 4th = $265.74
  
• 5th = $199.29
  
• 6th = $642.86
  
• 7th = $380.62
  
• 8th = $103.50
• TOTAL = $1592.01

The 6th graders were awarded an ice cream party for their efforts.

Hats for Haiti Day generated an additional $100. Way to go SCAPA!!

SCAPA Spotlights

This section is reserved for recognizing accomplishments by SCAPA students, parents, faculty and staff. Please send arts accomplishments to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman (carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us). Space limitations will determine how many we can include in any given month.

Congratulations Ms. Beals! Our own Ms. Ashlie Beals is in this month's FCPS Teacher Spotlight. What a powerful message she shares in her brief statement. Thank you Ms. Beals. Ballet Major Dances His Way to New York City Tanner Bleck, a Middle School Ballet Major at SCAPA Bluegrass, participated February 5-7, 2010 in the semi-finals of the Youth America Grand Prix of Ballet in Chicago, Illinois. Coached by Artistic Director Adalhi Aranda Corn, Bluegrass Youth Ballet, he performed the Russian Dance from The Nutcracker Ballet in the classical ballet category of the competition. Tanner was awarded Third Place in his division, competing against over 75 other young male and female dancers. He represents Lexington, KY as he goes on to compete in the Grand Prix finals next month in New York City, and the opportunity of being awarded scholarships to some of the most prestigious ballet schools in the world. Bravo Tanner!   Featuring Artwork by Bob Love In his own words, Bob Love has been "doing recycling before it was hip" and producing some remarkable artwork in the process. Mr. Love's work was recently featured in the Central Kentucky's Winter 2010 edition of Lifestyle magazine on page 16 and on the front page of the Life and Home section of the Lexington Herald-Leader on Saturday, February 27th. The pieces featured in Lifestyle included a guitar playing musician created from scrap wood, metal, bottles and gourds as well as The Beatles Yellow Submarine created from aluminum can pieces mounted on wood highlighted with "recycled brushstrokes". The newspaper article featured his work titled Horse and another piece called Quilt. Way to go Mr. Love! Gold Key Award Recipients Congratulations to Samara Pohl and Jordyn Rhorer, Lafayette SCAPA senior Creative Writing majors, who have both won regional Gold Key Awards in the Scholastic Art and Writing contest. Their work has been sent to New York for national judging. Best of luck in this next round of the competition! Kentucky Samara Pohl This place gets under your skin like you were cut with a blade of bluegrass and stitched together with warm memories and orange leaves this place is a Clair de Lune moment every time you drive up and down the contours of a life built on land and cattle and horse this place gets under your skin this is the kingdom of heaven each tree and hill and pasture contains a story of a life survived this place gets under your skin like a lover who kisses your bruises and tells you they love you as they wrap their lips around the cut you got when you fell from grace and tells you this place gets under their skin too She Was Day Once Jordyn Rhorer I met night on a subway train moving east from 42nd, searching for a lost coin underneath the plastic seats. She was wrapped in sheets and fur coats, discarded scraps of blue jeans. Her eyes were white like star blood and she whispered galaxy lullabies saying Orion had left her in the half hour folds around midnight. She is a single mother of the moon. The Milky Way was strung on the shrunken skin of her left wrist, clanging against the rings of Saturn, reflecting Pluto’s blue against her bones. “There’s no wealth for the night,” she said, gritty fingernails scraping against graffiti floor, “There’s no money for the stars.” Student Achieves Recognition in National Art Stamps Project Congratulations to Stephanie Stumbur, 6th grade visual arts major, for being selected the Kentucky student artist to receive $500 in the 2009 National Artistic Achievement Awards sponsored by Art Stamps. You can see more of Stephanie's art in the hallways of Bluegrass SCAPA. Regional Science Fair Results Congratulations to the following students earned honors at this past weekend's regional science fair: Tory Stephenson: 2nd place in 4th grade Animal Science category Annamarie Bryan: 1st place in 4th grade Behavioral Science category Krista Manche: 1st place in 4th grade Earth and Planetary Sciences category and 1st place overall for 4th grade division Michael Takahashi: 1st place in 7th grade Chemistry category Sarah Takahashi: 3rd place in 7th grade Engineering category Madeleine Farrer: 4th place in 7th grade Microbiology category Sarah Takahashi and Michael Takahashi are now eligible to compete at the state science fair at Eastern Kentucky University on April 3rd. Music for All 2010 Honor Orchestra of America SCAPA Students Nick Blackburn, Darcy Cassidy, Ben Healy and Jacob Yates have been selected by Music for All to perform in one of the nation’s finest honor ensembles, the 2010 Honor Orchestra of America. The four from Lafayette High School were selected from numerous applicants from across the nation for membership in this prestigious honors ensemble. The Honor Orchestra of America will perform in concert Friday and Saturday nights, March 5-6, 7 p.m., at Hilbert Circle Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana. The orchestra is performing shared concerts with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, as a part of its Subscription Series. Tickets are available through the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. This is a unique experience – the opportunity for a national honor orchestra of high school students to share the stage with a 52-week professional orchestra. Anthony Maiello of George Mason University Orchestras will conduct, and Larry J. Livingston of the University of Southern California Thornton Orchestras will provide musical direction to the Honor Orchestra of America. Mr. Livingston was the conductor of the Honor Orchestra the past three years. The 2010 program will include Festive Overture by Dmitri Shostakovich and Tableaux d'une Exposition (Pictures at an Exhibition) by Modest Mussorgsky, orchestration by Maurice Ravel. Honor Orchestra members, representing 16 states, were selected by recorded audition, evaluated by leading music educators. “To be selected for membership in this national ensemble is a great achievement and honor,” says Scott McCormick, Music for All President and CEO. “The 2010 Honor Orchestra of America members are ambassadors of America’s music programs, as well as their states, schools and communities.” Outstanding Character Congratulations to the following students for demonstrating outstanding character! 4th = Olivia Douglas 5th = Elizabeth Yates 6th = Jordan Luciano 7th = Esther Putman 8th = Brandyn Duncan District Science Fair Award Winners On February 6th, 15 SCAPA students competed at the Kentucky American Water district science fair at Bryan Station High School. The following students won awards for their projects and will be eligible to participate in the upcoming regional science fair. Tory Stephenson - 1st place in 4th grade Animal Sciences category for Flight Time Annamarie Bryan - 1st place in 4th grade Behavioral and Social Sciences category for Pass on a Smile Krista Manche - 2nd place in 4th grade Earth and Space Sciences category for Here Comes the Sun Mandy Daniel - 1st place in 7th grade Engineering category for A Gust of Wind Sarah Takahashi - 2nd place in 7th grade Engineering category for What is the effect of bridge height/# of structural members on the deflection of a truss bridge? Madeleine Farrer - 2nd place in 7th grade Microbiology category for What is the effect of different types of disinfectants on the cleanliness of people's hands? Chess Team Makes All the Right Moves On Saturday, February 20th, the SCAPA Chess Team won the Middle School Regional Chess Championship. The team consisted of Taylor Bagley, Thomas Bollinger, Carson Crovo, Nathan Rayens, David Seder, and Congrui and Jody Zhang. Jody Zhang competed in the Elementary Section. Note that although Thomas Bollinger and Carson Crovo are in Elementary School, they played on the Middle School Team. Trophies for individual effort were won by Thomas Bollinger (4th place, Under 500 rating), David Seder (7th place overall), Nathan Rayens (6th place overall), Carson Crovo (4th place overall), and Taylor Bagley (1st place overall with a perfect score). The team's win qualifies them for the State Team Chess Championships in Louisville in three weeks. 8th Grade Team Upholds Winning Tradition A group of five 8th grade SCAPA students were chosen as one of 8 national winning teams for the Air/Climate competition of the Lexus Eco Challenge. To meet the requirements of a project for science class, the team designed and implemented a school-wide campaign to encourage people to switch from using disposable plastic bags to more environmentally-friendly reusable bags. The team then used the results from their class project to enter the Lexus Eco Challenge. The team earned a prize of $10,000 dollars for their winning entry ($7,000 to be split between the five students and $3,000 for SCAPA- use of funds yet to be determined). Furthermore, the team is now eligible to continue their project and enter a second phase of the Lexus Eco Challenge in March, where they will compete with other national winning teams for additional prizes. The winning team members are left to right: Bay Phillips, Hallie Hensley, Kiara Powell, Brandyn Duncan, Kyler Johnson. This is the third consecutive year that a SCAPA team won a national award in this same competition!

Table of Contents

Academic News

Ms. Randolph

Check out our classroom website that lists the weekly spelling words. This might come in handy if the book or pretest is accidentally left at home the night before the test.

Table of Contents

Arts News

BG Band

• Band News
• KMEA Band Ratings

BG Dance

LHS Band

• Lafayette Band News

LHS Vocal

• More information

LHS Creative Writing

Normandi Ellis – Writing Workshop For SCAPA Writers and Artists

By Samara Pohl

Throwing paper boxes on the ground may not be exactly what one thinks of when Egypt is the topic of conversation. For famous Kentucky writer Normandi Ellis, however, this is just another technique to get ideas out. Thanks to the 2020Vision Visiting Artist Grant, the SCAPA Creative Writers, accompanied by some Art Majors as well, invited Ms. Ellis to visit and share her knowledge of Egyptian Myths. Somewhat confused when she handed them paper shaped as a cross with six squares marked out, the group got into their first activity. Writing different stages of a Creation Myth of their own making on each square and taping the sides together formed dice. Once finished, the group lined up and dropped the dice to the ground and read the faces showing. Sometimes cohesive, sometimes not, the different people and different stories formed fun and funny myths. Sadly, the bell interrupted, and while some stayed and some moved on to their next class, Ms. Ellis prepared her next activity. Having recently visited Egypt, Ms. Ellis had obtained many wonderful pictures of the places associated with all the great myths of Ancient Egyptians. She shared a slideshow with the group and then proceeded to her next activity. This time after she gave out instructions for the construction of a poem, the group wrote “Becoming…” pieces. These described the feelings and thoughts of someone becoming an animal, plant, thing, or god. Simplistic and beautiful, many of these poems were proud works of their creator. Even after she left, the myths and gods floated around on the third floor, prompting more poems of that nature. The SCAPA Creative Writers have created an anthology of different poems and art which was inspired by the Normandi Ellis visit.

Table of Contents

Club and Team News

Bluegrass

Table of Contents

Arts Roundtable

The Arts Roundtable is a place where we can share valuable information about the essential role of the arts in our lives and the lives of our children. (Please submit items to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman, carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us, by the 20th of each month.)

• Why Art is Essential in Our Public Schools - By Susi Lawson

Submit information to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman (carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us)

Table of Contents

Arts Bookbag

The Arts Bookbag is a place where we can recommend books about the arts that we have found to be informative and inspiring. (Please submit titles to Carolyn Waterbury-Tieman, carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us, by the 20th of each month.)

• Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Daniel Pink, 2009
• Keepers of the Children. Laura M. Ramirez, 2004
• The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life. Twyla Tharp. Simon & Schuster, 2005.
• The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron
• Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius by Michael Michalko
• A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. Daniel H. Pink. (2005, 2006). Riverhead Books, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.
• The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. Ken Robinson. (2009). Viking, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.
• Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative, Ken Robinson, Capstone, 2001
  
• 5 Minds for the Future, Howard Gardner, Harvard Business School Press, 2009
  
• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, Malcolm Gladwell, Back Bay Books, 2007
  
• Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell, Little, Brown & Company, 2008

Alumni News

Alumni! We Want To Know What You Are Doing!

We would like to make plaques to hang outside each of the arts rooms with the names of graduates and what they are doing professionally. Mr. Love has one on the wall just outside his door. Every year he takes his new 4th graders out in the hall, reads the names of past students and what they are doing, and tells the current students that if they dedicate themselves to their work, someday their name will be on the plaque. This is a great motivator! We want every arts teacher to have the opportunity to do the same thing. Please send me your name, year you graduated, major and what you are doing professionally so that we can expand and maintain this tradition. My address is carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us. We are looking forward to hearing from you and celebrating your success.

Arts Facilitator Seeking Alumni Liaison

The first fourth grade SCAPA class was established at Harrison Elementary School in 1987 which means (if my math is correct) that the first SCAPA class graduated in 1996. Therefore, we have fourteen years worth of SCAPA alumni families. This is an essential group that needs representation. I would like to invite any SCAPA alumni student or parent to serve as our alumni liaison. If you are interested in volunteering in this capacity, please contact me, carolyn.tieman@fayette.kyschools.us, so we can begin exploring how we can better stay connected to and serve this population. This could be one person or a committee, so do not fail to volunteer because you figure someone else already has. I look forward to hearing from you.

Table of Contents

SCAPA FUNdraising Opportunities

Box Tops For Education

General Mills Corporation, sponsor of the Box Tops For Education program, has been involved in giving to educational programs since 1996. Over the past 13 years, participating schools have earned over $300 million dollars in funding. The Box Tops program is a simple way for our school to receive money without having to write grants, sell products, work hours, or buy things we don’t want or need. As a parent, relative, or friend of SCAPA, all you have to do is clip the “Official Box Top Coupon” off of the products you already buy and use. A complete list of these products can be found at boxtops4education.com. After clipping, send the box tops to school with your student. Each homeroom teacher has a container in their classroom for collection. Each month, the box tops are collected and counted, with the top collecting homeroom earning a prize. Come on SCAPA Penguins, keep clipping and collecting those box tops. Let’s make this an awesome box tops year.

Volunteer Opportunities

Please download a copy for each of the FCPS approved volunteers in your family. Completed forms may be turned in to Ms. Barbara Talbert at the front office of Bluegrass SCAPA. Thank you so much for your commitment to making SCAPA great!

• Bluegrass Volunteer Form
• LHS Volunteer Form

Please be aware that a records check is required in order to participate in volunteer activities in the Fayette County School system.

Table of Contents

FOAS Board Officers and Representatives

• Officers and Representatives

Table of Contents