Gees Bend Inspired Quilts
Posted by Alice DesGranges
Enslaved women in the rural, isolated community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama began quilting in the 1800s. Their quilts were necessary and practical to provide warmth for their families rather than a quest to reinvent an art form. Unexpectedly, by piecing together scraps of fabric and clothing, they created abstract designs inspired by their culture, experiences, and artistry, that had never before been expressed on quilts. The Third and Fourth-grade classes study the history of Gees Bend and created out of felt their own collaborative quilt designs inspired by the women of Gees Bend.
March Madness Preview
Posted by Sarah Pollex
March Madness has arrived early at Unquowa as the Third and Fourth grade Basketball team brings its season to a close! Over the last two months, all of our players have persevered through the drills, the fundamentals of the game, learning the basics of team play, picking ourselves up when we fall and… feeling the thrill of personal improvement and most important: the camaraderie of group success. For seventy five grueling minutes at each team practice, our Unquowa athletes showed their heart and school spirit, carrying on a tradition of fair play and sportsmanship that are the hallmarks of the Unquowa character for the last one hundred and six years!
Among our many highlights: Every player showed huge skill growth shooting at the ten foot basket (the standard height of the pros!)
For our “team shooting challenge” the team beat its personal best, scoring 56 baskets in five minutes, a full 22 baskets over our previous best!
At our intersquad scrimmages, regardless of the tenseness of the game or the closeness of the score (or the calls by the officials!!) there was always an attitude of “Good Game Well Played!” that made the coaches proud.
Gators on Three! 1-2-3! Go Gators!
Honoring Black History Month
Posted by Wendy Kerr
Third Grade has been learning about important figures in American History. Through pictures and books depicting the lives and experiences of Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson, Elijah McCoy, Kamala Harris, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and many more, students have discussed the ways these individuals stood up for what they believed in using their skills and talents. The unit culminated in a project in which students chose the individual that most inspired them and drew their portrait and wrote a poem from their perspective.
Celebrating Chinese New Year
Posted by kellyyeh
Chinese New Year was on January 22nd and it is the biggest holiday in Asia. Many people celebrate Chinese New Year, not just Chinese people but also people in Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Laos. Lower School Mandarin students also celebrated the biggest Chinese holiday by learning songs and stories about Chinese New Year and about the Chinese Zodiac. We also created art projects to decorate our classroom and the Dining Room and had a fun time making dumplings with the older students!
3/4 Gator BBall
Posted by Sarah Pollex
Every Friday at 3:30pm the intrepid 3rd and 4th grade Gator BBall team takes the court at the Unquowa Gator Dome. After warm-ups, drills, and high score challenges, the team works on positional knowledge and game play. Ably assisted by 8th grade coach Teddy K, the team is prepping for their intra-squad scrimmage. The sky’s the limit! Go Gators!
Working Together!
Posted by Megan Kirk
Today was a very special class for the 1st and 3rd grade performing arts students!! The two classes came together to create, write, and perform their own fairytales! In small groups the students first chose their characters, the setting, a magical element, a problem to solve, and the solution to this problem. Then the writing began! Third graders were amazing leaders in their groups helping their younger group members to write all their fabulous ideas! Then onto the acting! Each group performed their own fairytales for the class and they were fabulous! The third graders once again were amazing leaders, reminding the first graders to project their voices, not turn their backs to the audience, and more importantly to have fun with their characters! Bravo to all!
