J-Term 2011

Students who have taken at least two years of Spanish have the opportunity to participate in the trip to Paraguay and Brazil. The purpose is to cultivate a deeper appreciation of languages and cultures and build relationships with the wider Christian community in Paraguay and Brazil. This class will meet during the second week of J-term (Jan. 10-14) and then will travel for three weeks: June 1-20. During the first week and a half students will visit Paraguay’s capital, Asunción, cities that surround the capital, and north into the Paraguayan Chaco to visit three of the major Mennonite colonies. In Asunción students live with Christian families and attend afternoon classes at the Alberto Schweitzer School. During the second week students will travel to Brazil to see Iguaçu Falls, Brazil’s ecological capital, the city of Curitiba, and stay one night at a beach resort on Ilha do Mel

Winter Sports

Students learned the history of winter sports (curling, downhill skiing, snow shoeing, cross country skiing, ice-skating, hockey, dog sledding and ice fishing), rules and concepts of these sports, and then played and practiced them, locally and then in Michigan's UP for one week. Watch youtube videos of curling/hockey and student acting as tour guide at Tahquemenon Falls.

 

Summer 2011 group

 

Literary Chicago

This class read and discussed several works set in Chicago or written by authors from the city, including works by Sinclair Lewis, Saul Bellow, Gwendolyn Brooks, Studs Terkel, and Richard Wright. The class took an overnight field trip to Chicago to see a play and tour some famous literary sites.

 

                          

 

Civil Rights in Mississippi

This course introduced students to the relationship between Mennonites, African-Americans, and Choctaw Indians in Noxubee County, Mississippi, and included a one-week trip to Mashulaville, Miss., that included visiting people and sites relevant to civil rights. Read article regarding their time in Mississippi.

 

Meeting with the Mayor of Philadelphia, Miss.	Site of the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers near Philadelphia. Miss.

 

 

Comparative Mythology

Mythology functions as a window into the human experience of the supernatural across cultures. Students read accounts of Greek and Roman mythology and compared common stories of creation, a flood, evil, good, and heroes from other world cultures. They also explored mythological origins and current symbolism of plants, animals, and other elements of the natural world. The course included literature, film, storytelling, mime performance, working with desktop clay, and a day trip to the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis.

 

                         

 

Private Pilot Ground School and the Intrigue of Flight

Students learned about aerodynamics, flight controls, navigation, air traffic control, aeromedical aspects of flight, and Federal Aviation Regulations from an FAA-certified Ground Instructor and could earn a recommendation to take the written exam for their private pilot certificate. The group visited the AirZoo aircraft museum in Kalamazoo, toured local airports, and visited the Terminal Radar Approach Control facility in South Bend. The class concluded with each student flying with a flight instructor from the New Horizons Flight Academy at the Goshen Airport and logging their first pilot time in their logbooks. Read article in Elkhart Truth.

 

 

 

Technical Theater

Studentslearned behind-the-scenes workings of the stage, constructed the set for the high school play, I Never Saw Another Butterfly, learning to work with a variety of tools, paint, and machinery, to create stage settings, lighting effects, and sound effects. In the process students learned the language of the theater, shop procedures and safety, and basic construction/electrical/audio techniques for theater.

 

creating a model of the stage	painting
hanging the backdrop	crew with completed set

 

 

Hopi History

Students studied the life and history of the Hopi people on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. The group stayed at the Hopi Mission School guesthouse and interacted with the Hopi children (K-6) at the school and talked with Hopi elders. In addition to observing life in a contemporary pueblo culture, they visited Canyon de Chelly National Monument (near Chinle, Ariz.) to think about the life of cliff-dwelling peoples in the past and to reflect on the differences with Pueblo cultures. Dr. Jan Bender Shetler, Goshen College History Professor, who has led several tours of Hopi with college students in the past.accompanied the group to provide academic content for the course. See article on their experience.

 

helping in the classroom	presenting chapel

 

New Testament

 Students examined the life and teachings of Jesus as recorded in the four gospels, focusing on Jesus’ non-resistance, identifying with the poor and oppressed, and extending grace to all people. Students explored the teachings and life of Jesus through portrayals in movies over the last century. Students also used the writing of Paul and the history of the early church to learn about dynamics of congregational life. Read article on projects from this class that include a song, youtube videos, and artwork.

 

participating in a simulation of the early church: meeting in a secret location to escape authorities	art project	student project

Students learned the fundamentals of shopping, preparing, and serving nutritional dishes, discussed the importance of nutrients and the role they play in eating habits, and learned  the importance of label reading, kitchen safety, and kitchen equipment. Students prepared foods in a kitchen lab, developing kitchen management and food preparation skills.

Three-Dimensional Art

Students explored various three-dimensional art forms including mosaics, sculpture and fabric art and made several projects that concluded with an art show. They also visited local art galleries that showcased these art forms.

 

 

Mystery Behind the Game

Students investigated the history and strategies of many games, including board games, mancala, card games, word and number puzzles, jacks, marbles, 4-square, and hopscotch. Students researched and then presented background information on a game.
Each student designed and created an original game. And of course all played games--both traditional and the student-created games. Other activities included online research, learning and playing a variety of games, and a bowling field trip.

 

                      

 

 

Axis and Allies

Students studied World War II history from the unique perspective of being in charge of the vast armies that covered the globe through the board game Axis and Allies. As they played, they learning the causes of this conflict, how it might have been avoided, and made moves to change the course if history.

 

                       

 

Mystery Mayhem

With a combination of fun and careful experimentation, students studied two fabricated crime scenes, conducted forensic tests on the evidence, analyzed the results, and tried to solve the mystery using logical thinking and real-life connections to forensic science. Students learned the important distinction between evidence and inference as they conducted thread tests, powder tests, DNA comparison, chromatography, and fingerprinting. They also explored mystery literature: reading mysteries, watching a classic Agatha Christie movie, and writing their own mystery stories.

 

 

The Cowboy: American Mythology and Legends

Students explored the myths and legends of the American cowboy and analyzed and evaluated how cowboys are portrayed in popular media. Activities included viewing and analyzing classic Western movies and television shows, reading, and creating cowboy literature and art.

 

              

 

Sports Journalism

Students learned different forms of sports journalism, ranging from newspaper to internet media to TV. They wrote and practiced journalistic skills as they attended live athletic events and produced articles and opinion pieces about them--including attending a basketball game at Butler University, the NCAA men's basketball runner-ups.

 

 

 

Called to Be...

This traveling worship team used their creative gifts to create a program of drama, sign language, games, art, music, pantomine, etc. as they shared love, prayer, service, and worship. In addition to performing at school and in retirement communites, the students served at several local organizations. Read article.

 

 

 

Performance Arts

Students worked on blocking, character development, stage presence, voice, and memorization as well as sets, costumes, and sound to stage a one-act play--all in two weeks of half-day work!