14 Years of Friday Night Lights: More Than Just a Ski Club
Posted by Lloyd Mitchell
We just wrapped up our 14th season of Friday night lights at Ski Sundown, and it was one for the books! Beyond the carving and the trail runs, this club has always been about the community we build off the lift. One of our favorite traditions came full circle on our final outing: while our 8th graders take pride in leading the bus loading for every trip of the season, they officially pass that responsibility to the 7th graders on the very last night. It’s a symbolic “passing of the torch” that prepares the next group to lead. This season, it was inspiring to watch students move beyond their typical social circles, forging genuine friendships across grade levels. Whether on the chairlift or in the lodge, these connections are what make our club more than just a trip—it’s a family.
Year of the Fire Horse!
Posted by Carina Blackwell
Xīn Nián Kuài Lè, Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái – Happy New Year and Wishing You Good Fortune!
Our Grade 4 through 6 Mandarin students kicked off the Chinese New Year celebrations by preparing over 600 vegetable dumplings, which, along with other delicious Chinese dishes created by our Chefs, were enjoyed by the entire school during a special festive lunch. Meanwhile, our younger students had fun practicing their Mandarin skills by crafting Play-Doh dumplings, listening to stories about why red and firecrackers are essential for Chinese New Year Celebration and making colorful Chinese New Year crafts. As part of the celebration, all Mandarin students received traditional Red Envelopes to mark the New Year of the Fire Horse.
A special thank you to Unquowa parent Mrs. Toolan, who visited the 5th and 6th grade Mandarin class to share insights into Chinese New Year traditions. The students had a great time taking turns wearing the festive dragon costume and dancing around the classroom!
Throughout our two-week celebration, Mandarin students across all grade levels showcased their language skills with performance on the school assembly. Their songs were filled with wishes of good luck and health for the New Year. Adding to the joyous spirit of the occasion, everyone came to school dressed in red!
Enhancing our foreign language program, this cultural experience is always a festive and delicious highlight of the year that our Unquowa community looks forward to celebrating.
Tasty Tectonic Plates!
Posted by Colleen Noyes
Students in 6th grade science class brought plate tectonics to life with a delicious hands-on model. They mixed frosting with food coloring and spread it on a work surface to represent Earth’s mantle, then placed graham crackers on top as tectonic plates and demonstrated the three types of plate movement: divergent (pulling apart), convergent (colliding), and transform (sliding past). As they pushed, pulled, and slid their “plates”, students saw how Earth’s internal heat drives mantle convection and powers the forces that shape our planet. Afterwards, students completed a lab report and diagrammed each boundary movement. Their curiosity and excitement was evident throughout this fun and informative lesson.
Fun and Thoughtful Character Awards!
Posted by Kristin DuCharme
Grade six humanities students created fun and thoughtful Character Awards based on the characters from The Epic of Gilgamesh. They chose a character and designed a unique award that reflected that character’s traits, actions, and overall role in the story. Using evidence from the text, they explained why their character deserves the award and how their behavior, strengths, or challenges shaped the epic. This project encouraged creativity while helping students analyze character development and connect the characters’ qualities to larger themes in the text. It’s a great way to celebrate learning while showing deep understanding of the epic’s timeless figures.
Student Artwork to be Displayed at the First State National Historical Park
Posted by Krissy Ponden
Our sixth graders have been busy creating artwork for a student exhibition at the First State National Historical Park in Delaware. This year’s theme, “To Be An American,” invites young artists to reflect on how they see themselves within the American story. Students chose subjects that felt meaningful to them such as landmarks and iconic symbols, family histories, community traditions, and moments that speak to both struggle and hope for the future. Their artwork will be sent to the museum and displayed this spring, and we’re so excited for visitors to experience our students’ thoughtful and heartfelt creations.
Fun Friday: Our Vote, Our Game!
Posted by Sarah Pollex
Fun Friday is the BEST part of the week in PE class. Why? Because we get to pick the game by voting. That’s right—we all have a say!
From freeze tag to sink the ship, pinball to bean bag toe touch, students shared their favorite game and the winning choice took over the gym. Once it started, the energy was off the charts! Laughter, cheering, and teamwork were everywhere as we all jumped in and played our hearts out.
Fun Friday isn’t just about games—it’s about making choices, working together, and having a blast while being physically active. We can’t wait to see what game we’ll vote for next week!
