Welcome Amelia!

Sugar Bowl Academy's newest addition to the faculty-child fold was born on February 10. Amelia Knox, daughter of Joanne and Andy Knox, weighs in at seven healthy pounds and has "a million funny little faces," reports Joanne.

The Fighting Marmot wishes to extend its warmest welcome to Amelia, and to let the Knox family know that plans to award Amelia at least a trimester's worth of Brit Lit credit are already in the works. Word has it she was taking notes the whole time!

Scene on Campus Pic of the Day

The Older Girls' Advisory group throws a baby shower for Joanne and Andy Knox

SBA Alumni Offer Some Sage Advice

Have they already achieved "sage" status? Now enjoying their first year in college, several SBA alumni stopped by campus late last week to offer their advice to the senior class on a variety of topics, from what life is like as a college athlete to how to navigate SBA's challenging Senior Projects (click HERE to learn more). Thank you to Joanne Knox for the following report. 

SBA Class of 2012 Members (left to right) Kelly Habibi,
Joelle Romo, Joe Piercy, and Dylan Murtha

"Some of the illustrious alumni from the class of 2012 recently stopped by SBA’s Senior Project class to impart some sage advice and wisdom to this year’s senior class. Kelly Habibi, Dylan Murtha, Joe Piercy, and Joelle Romo provided our current seniors with an understanding of how the skills they learned in Senior Project have helped them succeed in their freshman year coursework. Additionally, current students probed our alumni on topics ranging from what it is like to be a college athlete to how the food on campus tastes to what it is like to be in a college classroom. Special thanks to our alumni for their support of our current seniors!"

Spring Bake Sales Net $400 To Fight Fistula

For the last few weeks, the older girls' advisory has been tempting us with sweet treats for sale at the back of the lunch room. Quietly, and quite deliciously, they have managed to make quite an impact. Thank you to Joanne Knox for the following write-up on the older-girls' advisory's efforts to combat fistula. 

Older girls show the funds that 

they helped raise within our small

school community to help support 

the efforts of Ethiopia's Hamlin 

Fistula Hospital. 

"One theme of the older girls’ advisory has been to learn about the lives of young women, especially who live vastly different lifestyles than our own. Most recently we focused on health crises of women around the world. We learned that more than two million women in the world suffer from the very curable, but very debilitating life-altering condition of a fistula. These women are affected by both the physical trauma of the condition and the psychological trauma they endure when cast out from their families and society. Our goal was to help make a difference in at least one woman’s life by raising money for the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Through a series of spring bake sales, we were able to raise over four hundred dollars. This money will be donated to the hospital to support our sisters in need. This experience not only helped open our eyes to a real problem for women, but also allowed for us to change a life positively. For more information on the Hamlin Hospital, please go to: http://www.hamlinfistula.org/."

Spirit Week's Safari Day on Film

Hamlet Cast Takes Fencing Lessons from Coach Schloss

Head Nordic Coach Jeff Schloss took some time off from the skinny skis recently to show SBA student-athlete-actors some of his fencing moves. 

Enjoy the short film (with music by Truckee violinist Liz Glattly) and Joanne Knox's preview of the spring play, and get your tickets now for the big event! 

"In preparation for the spring drama performance of an adapted version of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, students have been busy analyzing characters’ motives, memorizing lines, learning Shakespearean language, and even received some fencing instruction from Nordic coach extraordinaire, Jeff Schloss. The enthusiasm and excitement around this production is palpable! Our Hamlet (junior Chuck Klein) is supported by: Riley Plant (Claudius), Camille Hartley (Gertrude), Cassidy Cichowicz (Ophelia), Augie DeRyk (Polonius), Joe Piercy (Laertes), Lauren Dunn (Horatio), Chris Fitzpatrick (Ghost of Hamlet's father), Colter Fellows (Marcellus), and Devin Gill and Matt Hourigan (Players and Gravediggers). The play is held together by the explanation of our enthusiastic storytellers Dylan Murtha, Grace Hutton, and Katrin Larusson. Please join us Friday, June 15th (the night before graduation) at Judah lodge for our performance. You can reserve tickets by contacting Joanne Knox (jknox@sbacademy.org); the cost is $5 per a ticket and this production will sell out, so get your requests in soon! Thanks in advance for supporting SBA drama!" - Joanne Knox

Yes, Needlepoint

What exactly was the older girls' advisory up to during advisory yesterday? Stay tuned for the older BOYS' advisory needlepoint video...

Slavery and States' Rights On Trial at SBA

Joanne Knox relayed the following comical story regarding the moments leading up to the SBA Summit on Slavery. 

Charged with playing the role of President Abraham Lincoln in a mock court session in which slavery  and states' rights were on trial, Chris Fitzpatrick was astounded when Owen Wattenmaker - assigned the role of Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, and scrambling for costume attire - asked the President at lunch if he had an extra tie. 

Shaking his head incredulously, Chris responded: "John Wilkes Booth is asking President Lincoln to borrow his tie?!"

The North

Thank you to Joanne for the following details regarding the slavery summit.

SUMMIT ON SLAVERY, 1860

Setting:

It is early December in the year 1860. Abraham Lincoln is the President elect. Tensions between free and slave states have reached a boiling point. Violent protests and even armed skirmishes between local militias in border areas are becoming more frequent. A war between the states threatens to tear apart families and a nation. In an effort to avoid a bloody solution, a group of some of the most influential voices of the time have been assembled to present demands between the divided political factions of this country. The stakes could not be higher nor the issues more contentious. The entire nation is watching and listening to upcoming reports in the newspapers of what this assembled group decides.

Issues to consider:

• States rights vs. Federal law
• Slavery (economics, morality, etc.)
•  Balance of legislative power in a growing nation (ex. Kansas entering the union next year)
•  Legality of Secession

CRUX OF THE SUMMIT:

States’ rights, as outlined by our Founding Fathers, are being trampled by unfair Northern politics. Abolitionist fanatics in the North are forcing this country into war by illegally tampering with the institution of slavery in this country. The South has little choice but to secede and form a new nation grounded in liberty.

WHAT’S AT STAKE:

If the South can articulate and prove their demands are justified, the judges will then find in favor of “The Compromise of 1861” which will force concessions by the North but the bloodiest war on American soil will never take place.  On the other hand, if the North is convincing in their presentation of their demands and the judges side with their line of reasoning, the country will enter into Civil War. 

Verdict: Southern arguments were persuasive to the judges and thus they won - this means the Civil War has been avoided and a compromise favoring the South that prevents succession has been established.

CHARACTERS

Northerners and/or Abolitionists:

Frederick Douglass = Isaac                 

Harriet Beecher Stowe = Maya

Henry David Thoreau = Drew

Abraham Lincoln = Chris

Harriet Tubman = Laurel

Harriet Jacobs = Sinclaire

Charles Sumner = Chuck                                                             

John Brown = Jack

Southerners and/or Pro-Slavery Individuals:

John C. Calhoun = Conner

Robert E. Lee = Augie

Varina Davis = Taylor                                                                

Preston Brooks = Riley

Meredith Calhoun = Brian                 

Belle Boyd = Katrin

Martha Bulloch Roosevelt = Lizzie                                              

John Wilkes Booth = Owen

Judges: Cass, Grace, Dylan, Kristen, Tracy with help from special advisor Ambrose.

The Judges

"We couldn't be happier with the students' ability to synthesize and argue using content discussed in class over the last six weeks. Student engagement was at an all-time high, with both the North and South delegations rising to the challenge." - Joanne Knox

Drew Hartley, aka Henry David Thoreau

American Humanities Students Wax Poetic

Thank you to Joanne Knox for the following report from American Humanities class...

"Students in the American Humanities class were offered several options for an Honors final project wrapping up Unit 2: 'Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness.' Throughout the unit, each student in class was asked to adopt a historical persona affected by decisions made by the Continental Congress and the writers of the Constitution.

"Several students presented poems or spoken word pieces before the class that encapsulated their character's thoughts during this time. Below Laurel Fiddler presents the ideas of Phillis Wheatley and Rollin Atkinson's poem reflects the feelings of Thomas Paine."

* * *

By Laurel Fiddler 

How Is This True When I Am Not Free?

I remember the days when I crossed the ocean

I was not but a young girl

We aimed for a country glorious and independent

I stood by my new master and asked myself

How is this true when I am not free? 

They treated me like family

Taught me their language and how to write it too

I still grew up wondering where my real mother was

They may have been kind, but each day I pondered

How is this true when I am not free? 

I found my own freedom, I wrote it in poems

When with a pen I was an independent soul

But when a white man saw my creations,

He only saw the color of my skin and I ran out of the office crying

How is this true when I am not free? 

I’ve lived my life behind a fence

So they send me to Europe to have an experience

It’s wonderful and all, but I can’t help but cringe

As people remark on my so called home of the free

How is this true when I am not free? 

I sat by her bedside, holding her hand

She died in our arms, my cherished friend

She brushed my hair and taught me to sew

I’ve lived a privileged life with her, but I still do the work

How is this true when I am not free? 

Her husband tells me that I am now to be free

Can stop picking cotton and go live my dream

I got my works published, but even so

My freedom was never quite real enough for me

I still got looks from people who thought they were better 

America will be free when we can stare into another’s eyes and know

We are all just humans and until equality is here

I will keep asking

How is this true when I am not free? 

* * *

By Rollin Atkinson

January 29th, 1737
A baby born, a prodigy sent from heaven
An inspirational writer, though often misunderstood and considered irreverent
Would grow up to challenge both religion and the reverend
Thomas Paine born as a gift unto his father
Dad had grand visions, since Tom was a toddler
But at twelve Tom dropped out of school, to go no farther
Didn’t need a diploma to prove he was smarter
He spent years in England, shut down from his true potential
About his family Thomas was never sentimental
He became an apprentice, a seaman, an officer gone mental
Because, to Thomas these roles were nothing but elemental
1772 published The Case of The Officers of Excise
Thomas argued for better pay, and his arguments were precise
In London Tom met Franklin non-believer in Christ
Thomas followed Franklin to Philly, thought a change would be nice
Fame hit Thomas with a career that he loved
It was journalism that did it; fit the man like a glove
Tom gave “Common Sense” to classes below and above
“The Crisis” proved inspirational, like Noah’s dove
“These are the times that try men’s souls”
Although a poor fighter, Thomas had independence-aimed goals
At Valley Forge, the soldiers miserable, their shoes had no soles
But when read “The Crisis” these men became bold
With American ideas tucked away in his past
Tom returned to Europe, home in England at last
Writing and inventing still the most of his crafts
Tomas worked on a candle, a bridge, that couldn’t collapse
Tom still worried about despots and tyrants
“The Rights of Man” another marvelous literary rant
Criticized monarchy, the revolution of France
Became an England outlaw, fled like Guildenstern and Rosencrantz
Once in France, Thomas joined the National Convention
But quickly imprisoned because of Louis XVI Tom didn’t mention
In prison, The Age of Reason was written with contention
For Tom and the Church shared plentiful tension
Freed in 1794 barely escaping execution
James Monroe allowed Tom to bolt without a contusion
Jefferson invited Tom to live under the new constitution
But he saw that they’d eradicated his contributions
Now Tom was too old to make any amends
Tom’s popularity had gone; now unable to contend
Derided by the public and abandoned by his friends
And at the age of 72 poor old Thomas had met his end

Brit Lit Goes Gothic

British Literature Class at the Sacramento Theatre Company

Thank you to Joanne Knox for the following report on a recent class excursion...

Tenth grade students in Joanne Knox’s British Literature course recently traveled to the Sacramento Theatre Company’s presentation of Mary Shelley’s timeless work Frankenstein.

Students spent several weeks reading and investigating this seminal novel and its importance to the Gothic Tradition in British Literature prior to viewing the show.

Danielle Nivinski explains, “The play was a great experience and a fun way to celebrate our reading of Frankenstein.” While Pieter Weemaes noted, “We were the best-dressed people in the building,” Daisy Schadlich also commented “we had a great time as a class.”

The students were invited to stay for a question and answer session with the actors, and even managed a photo with William Elsman, who played the role of Victor Frankenstein.

All in all, it was a great way for students to connect their literary learning with a contemporary presentation of the famous story. Special thanks goes out to Corbin Prychun for helping to chaperone this wonderful event.

Scene on Campus Photo of the Day

Senior Dylan Murtha works with Senior Project Advisor Joanne Knox.

-Marmot Man, powered by Blogpress and iPhone

UNR Sign Language Faculty Desfor Steps In to SBA Sign Class

Emily Desfor

SBA's Sign Language students recently had a distinguished guest visitor, University of Nevada-Reno faculty member Emily Desfor. 

"It was great fun signing with Joanne (Knox) and her class," said Desfor, a certified interpreter for the deaf who was contracted to interpret for both Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. 

"They were enthusiastic to participate in all of the non-verbal activities that we did. Facial expression is extremely important in ASL for both grammatical and emotive purposes. Therefore, we focused on conveying information through facial expression and mime and then added signs. 

"They have been working on signs for emotions. We had just a short time to talk about manual and non-manual aspects of signing and some of the cultural aspects that they have learned about. 

"I appreciate Joanne's invitation and the warm welcome I received!"

Sign Up These Marmots!

Have you ever wondered: 


"Could you teach sign language to a Marmot?"


As you can see below, these Marmots can! 

"Poise, Dedication and Professionalism"

A simple ski-racing analogy - that's what the SBA Senior Project boils down to for student/athlete and Alpine racer Scott Cooper. 


"Senior Project is what I imagine a Nordic race to be like: endless and painful while you are doing it, but rewarding in the end."

Last week, each SBA senior had the opportunity to share with students, staff and parents what knowledge and broader life lessons they had gleaned from the SBA Senior Project experience. 

A video is embedded below with clips from each of this year's Senior Project presentations.

Concluding Senior Project Presentations week on Friday, Advisor Joanne Knox addressed the audience with the following remarks: 

Thank you to audience members who asked thoughtful questions that asked seniors to synthesize their ideas on the spot and provide answers with authority. Thank you to teachers, coaches, staff, and parents for attending these presentations. The encouraging tone demonstrated by all of you for our seniors during the Senior Project experience was one that showed our community's support and validation for this endeavor and the accomplishments of our seniors. Seniors, your poise, dedication and professionalism in presenting your ideas truly created an atmosphere of celebration for your accomplishments rather than making this a threshold through which I was concerned some of you might not pass. You have been a joy to work with this year; I will miss you and I am proud of each and every one of you for rising to the challenge of Senior Project and coming through a wiser, more thoughtful individual. Congratulations!

Mark Your Calendars!

Spring is the time when things start to ramp up on campuses everywhere. 

SBA is no exception, and now is the time to mark your calendars so you don't miss out on some annual spring campus happenings. 

Joanne Knox provided the following updates on two of the spring's more important events: presentation of senior projects (June 1st through 3rd) and the SBA drama class's play (June 10th and 11th)....

***

Seniors at SBA are deeply entrenched in the final stages of their Senior Projects, the culminating academic experience at Sugar Bowl Academy. Through the Senior Project endeavor, seniors are asked to individually develop a research topic focus and an original essential question through which to view their research. All students demonstrate their learning through a substantial research paper, a portfolio, and a half-hour long presentation to the school community in June. Additionally, some students will present a product they have created.  

At this point, students are working on the final touches of their research papers and will shortly begin the presentation and portfolio endeavors. Below is a list of topics in which students are currently engaged:

• Carrie Adams: The Effect of Violent Environments on Women
• Jace Bensch: Politics and the Theatre
• Dylan Brooks: Nutrition and Alpine Athletes
• Scott Cooper: Drug Trafficking and Policy in Columbia
• Evan Dion: Sustainable Energy and the Small Business
• Austin Meng: Effects of Proper Nutrition on Nordic Skiers
• Ben Stone: Globalization and Aid in the Masai Mara

If you are able, please plan on attending some or all of these presentations on June1st – 3^rd!

VOICES FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL

This spring, SBA’s drama class is excited to bring you a production of "Voices From the High School," written by Peter Dee. This collection of dialogues offers a unique perspective into the lives and minds of high school students that may not always be visible. The cast includes both veteran and debut performances by: Augie DeRyk, Carrie Adams, Jace Bensch, Cassidy Cichowicz, Evan Dion, Kelly Habibi, Grace Hutton, Katrin Larusson, Dylan Murtha, Bria Riggs, Perry Schaffner, Steven Tetrault, and Pieter Weemaes. Our production will be the weekend of June 10^th and 11^th (the weekend before graduation), and we hope you can attend!

Thank you, Joanne!