It has become a tradition that St. John’s students host a send-off for the ISB students who are competing in the Special Olympics and today was the day. Students came carrying banners and cards with good luck wishes and the athletes enjoyed the attention. Good luck to all of you at the Special Olympics!
St. John’s is participating in the Flame Challenge’s World Wide Assembly on May 9, hosted by Alan Alda.
The Flame Challenge is an international science cotest sparked by an editorial Alan Alda wrote in the journal Science. Scientists from all over the world have submitted answers to the question Alan asked as an 11-year-old, “What is a flame?” Hundreds of their answers have been judged by panels of 10- to 12-year olds from 131 schools, from California to Western Australia, including your local school.
The judging process will culminate on May 9 in a Worldwide Assembly, a video conference of 10 schools, including St. John’s. The assembly, hosted by Alan Alda, will available for viewing on the Flame Challenge website at 9:00. www.flamechallenge.org.
Students will talk with Mr. Alda about the entries, the process of judging, what they learned about flames and science in general. All other judging schools are invited to participate by sending their ideas and questions by instant message to the assembly, and by taking part in the final voting. The Worldwide Assembly is an opportunity for students from many diverse walks of life to gather virtually, to discuss, celebrate and help decide on the winner of the Flame Challenge.
Rachel Joy Scott was the first person killed in the Columbine High School tragedy in 1999. Immediately after the tragedy, her father Darrell began to speak around the U.S. and used writings and drawings from Rachel’s many diaries to illustrate the need for a kinder, more compassionate world.
On Thursday Rachel’s sister, Dana, visited Middle School as part of the Advisory Program, her aim in speaking to our children was to equip and empower every person to create a permanent positive culture change in our school, home and community by starting a chain reaction of kindness and compassion. Dana quoted Rachel in saying ‘I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion then it will start a chain reaction of the same.’ The students learnt during the assembly, and for some of them later in the day in a workshop, that building a caring atmosphere within school, just as in the wider world, is a responsibility of all members of the community. 
Dana left us with 5 challenges to help us on our way; these were:
We thank Rachel’s Challenge for the inspirational afternoon they spent with us.
IB Visual Art Show and Auction on Friday the 27th of April wowed the visitors and showed them the skills and uniqueness of each artist.
Three words, ‘outstanding,’ ‘interesting,’ ‘unique,’ those three words would be the best ones to describe the work of the IB Visual Art year two students. However, the first question would be, why was it called a message in a bottle? While I was interviewing the teacher, mentor, and person who organized this show, Mr. Alan Mitchell, he told me that “a message in a bottle is a way to communicate to people from different distances, especially those far away, and bottles with a message are usually placed in oceans and rivers.” Therefore, the different pieces of art are all-unique and have a different message that they want to express to the people looking at that masterpiece.
In my little adventure through the gallery, I saw all the different individual pieces of work from each artist, none of them seem to be even a bit similar. In addition, each artist was excited to see what people thought of their work since they all have different works of art that they have put up in the gallery. As one guest told me, ‘there is a contrast between each of the artists and that shows through their work.’ Plus, as I talked with some of the artists, they explained to me how they want to tell their own story even if it is abstract, a representation of a famous work of art, or photographs.
“You get to see all the thought process in each work of art,” Ms. Stranquist told me and even though she has just arrived to the show, she was able to see that the excellence in the work of art represents that thought process. Another person looking at one of the art workbooks told me that she was ‘struck to see them [the artists] have a passion to continue.’ In other words, it is not really the fact that they have to, it’s that they want to and it really showed. Many people came to the art show, including Mrs. Brooks, the high school principal, who was stunned with the artwork she saw and mentioned that ‘you see the cultural identity of each artist.’ So I just wanted to say: artists of Message in a Bottle, you did an excellent job and gave the message that you wanted to express go further than the gallery.
The art show was one entertaining event, but the auction was another different but intense one, with most pieces of work starting at twenty euros. Since the first lot, which was the painting called “The Flag” made by Philip Gjertsen; it showed an active start of the battle for the masterpieces when it was taken for sixty euros. Then, by the fourth lot by Ines Malonne called “I’m guilty” was an intense battle with the Elliot family who did not want to give up bidding and really wanted that work of art. At the end, the Elliot’s won the battle having Malonne’s abstract piece go for 150 euros. In addition, names do no not take out value according to the bidders, as the final price of Malonne’s second piece of work called “Shit” was taken for 170 euros, after another bidding battle. However, Savannah O’Hare’s oil on canvas called “The Gallery” went even higher than 170 euros, making it the highest bid with 230 euros. All money paid for artworks will be given to Rahula Trust, a charity in the UK that raises funds to sponsor the education of some of the world’s poorest children.
If I had the chance to put a message in a bottle, I would say that the art show was a great experience in which you could observe talent, thought, and a message that has been sent to you.
- Brittany Snozzi, grade 10 student
Come and see the IB Visual Art student’s final exhibition featuring a selection of their work as it has progressed over the two years of their course and take part in the exciting auction of selected works. The special opening for viewing will be Friday the 27th April from 6.00pm-8.00pm and the auction starts 7.00pm. Live music, food and refreshments provided by students. All the proceeds will go towards ‘The Rahula Trust’ to help some of the world’s poorest children receive an education. http://www.rahula-trust.org
The Rahula Trust -a fully-registered charity in the UK – raises funds to sponsor the education of some of the world’s poorest children. Donors to the Trust come from many religious and social backgrounds and children are selected for sponsorship regardless of their faith, race, sex or nationality, the only requirement being that they be poor and academically gifted. Currently, the Rahula Trust already sponsors children in Sri Lanka, Kenya and Nepal. Now having proved so successful, the Trust is to expand to other countries such as South Africa (including sub-Saharan Africa), Tibet, Burma (now Mynamar), Thailand, Bhutan, and the poorest regions of China and India. But to help others we need your help.
The High School just finished the traditional and always emotional “Rose ceremony” for seniors, whereby younger siblings offer the graduating students a rose to wish them well.
We would like to congratulate our senior economics team for making it to the third and final round of the monetary policy competition organized by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt in which more than 50 international and European schools in the 17 countries that make up the Eurozone participated. The team will now go to Frankfurt (as guests of the ECB) for the final round in which they will compete against 5 other schools. Well done!
