Home Stretch and Slide . . .

The final movie/slideshow at the assembly today was made at Animoto. The song that was used in the slide show is called "Good Life", by OneRepublic. We are not able to use a copyrighted song for the public blog, so we chose to use one of the songs from Animoto. The song used for the slideshow below is called "Faith, Hope, Love" by Beckah Shae. RUaDN learned that teamwork is key. If you are focused while working with a partner, you will be able to accomplish anything. Enjoy this final look at Winterim 2011!

"Summa Summarum."

On the last day of Winterim, here is a summary of the many accomplishments of the individual groups:

All Creatures Great and Small - students communed with Mother Nature by studying the daily lives of our nearest neighbors: animals.
Andes and Amazon Adventure - students learned about a variety of unique ecosystems and conquered the heights of the Andes.
ARC Volunteers - students helped mentally and physically disabled people, bringing joy into their lives.
Baking Basics - students learned many techniques of baking and sold their baked goods to raise money for the rescue efforts in Japan.
Byways and Waterways of Costa Rica - students experienced the magic of the natural world in Costa Rica and learned about its ecology.
Chess - students learned the tricks of the renowned masters of this old game and challenged opponents from LA to Harvard Square in Cambridge.
Clay and Kiln - students covered a lot of different pottery-making techniques and are now capable of making a primitive pot for everyone in LA.
Digital Photography - students studied the importance of the transposing of light and now understand the idea of how to best capture reality digitally.
Dominican Service Project - students helped with the process of renovation of a school and worked with the local kids and community.
Fashion Statement - this group tried their hand in the hard field of design and created one-of-a-kind accessories such as handbags, vest etc.
Florida Camp and Kayak - students relaxed in the sunny waters of Florida and enjoyed the peacefulness of lagoons around them and they also fished and snorkeled. They can't take the beaches and warm water with them, but their memories are forever.
HeadStart - the group joined the important national organization - Head Start - they helped children in poverty and assisted a teaching team in the schools of local low-income areas.
Hit Single Machine - the students of this Winterim tried to succeed at one of the hardest trades - creating and selling music. Now students know the priceless knowledge about music making, recording and mixing. All money earned will be donated to LA.
Iron Forging - students experienced the daily life of a blacksmith and succeeded in understanding the techniques of the craftsman's work and learned the long history of iron forging.
Kayaking in the Caribbean - students learned kayak paddling strokes and enhanced their navigation skills. Student may now consider themselves native Garifunas.
Martial Arts - students will test today for a belt level and perform for the school. Moreover, these students are now the strongest and most mentally-stable students at LA - they are the followers of the secrets of Karate.
Mask Making - students created a full face character mask and learned the techniques of mask making and the art of character performance.
Mountain Biking in Arizona - students explored the trails of the Sonoran Desert and built biking skills as they increased their daily goals from moderate shake down rides to an excursion of 20 miles.
Objection Your Honor - students learned about the American legal system and worked on a mock trial which they acted out Friday mornday at the Ayer District Court House.
Quilting - students learned basic sewing and design skills and completed a final quilt which will be displayed.
RUaDgtalNativ - students wrote articles,took and collected photos, and videos about all other Winterims and maintained several social media sites to keep the LA community informed.
Sports Journalism - students traveled to many sporting events in and around New England and they wrote blog posts and game writeups.
Stained Glass - students learned the techniques of stained glass and then completed an individual project.
The Horror! The Horror! - students worked very hard to terrify us with their silent horror movie. This masterful piece of art will be presented to the LA community.
The System - students learned about the Judicial System, how it works, and problems facing lawyers, lawmakers, judges, and politicians in administering our system of law and justice.
Total Mountain Experience - these students learned all of the skills of managing a recreational ski mountain, including how to rescue those in trouble.
Turn Baby Turn - students were taught the art of woodworking and studied ancient techniques.
Underwater Discovery - students completed a three part training course in scuba diving and then explored the coral reefs of Belize.
Watermedia - students created art using watercolor and other mixtures of water-soluble media.
Yoga - students developed a full understanding of yoga culture, the physical benefits, and better discipline.

Timeless Tradition

We asked Maggie Joyce class of '05, and now working in admissions, what her experience of Winterim was like when she was a student at LA. She said some of the trips were different but not many, she attended Celtics games, Shear Madness and the majority of the evening activities we still do today. Her experience was unreal, and nothing you can describe unless you have experienced it. She misses it and it was a definite highlight for her during her time at LA.

(Written in partnership - Sean and Sarah)

*only picture of Maggie we could find...

1 Week Down...1 to Go...

Today to finish off the week we had a field day. Sean and Mike headed over to Martial Arts, interviewed students, and took videos and pictures. Cheng and Sarah went to Head-Start in Lowell, visited the classrooms, and talked to Lawrence Academy students about their experience. David observed the Baking Basics group and watched them make muffins. I (Paul) went over to Iron Forging and watched them work on making their designs. It was a long and tiring week but everyone worked hard and got through it.

Progress, Progress, Progress!

Now on Day 4 of Winterim, the RUaDgtalNativ group has had an active and busy day. Since everyone has become familiar with the program and routines, we immediately started off with taking photos of some on-campus groups and trying to writing two blog posts each. Within two hours, the blog had sixteen new posts on it, which is amazing progress. After we finished our blog posts, we went out to Panera Bread for lunch, which has internet access, so we would be able to work while eating (not to mention that we had a incredibly hilarious yet gross experience there... RUaDN members would understand). The internet access was limited to thirty minutes per person, but we were able to start creating a GMap for Winterim 2011. When we got back from our lunch break, we continued doing our social media jobs and finishing up whatever we needed to do for today.

Future Winterim

Although Winterim is fun, there are many things to be improved about it …

· The off campus trips are fun they are often pretty expensive and students would like more trips within the United States, because they feel they would have more opportunity to experience other things through travel.
· All of the students have said more sleep, like starting the day later as well as more time to relax rather than going activity to activity would be beneficial.
· Everyone should get to attend all the same evening events that way there is no controversy and students get to spend a lot of time with each other.

Winterim, Sharp Freedom.

Although Winterim seems a lot of fun, in fact it's actually deadly serious.
Of the many injuries so far we have a few to tell about. Josh was badly sliced on his left pinky by the stained glass this Winterim. Now he has to wear cast around his entire arm. The cuts so deep, therefore he will suffer acute discomfort for several months. When we asked Josh if we could use his injury as a part of our blog he gasped "...yes, I am bleeding everywhere...". Actually to Josh's mother: "...he is fine - we are just kidding...".
Another injury was Sean's shoulder, which did not actually take place on Winterim, but we are lacking information - that's why we decided to include that.
Also, we have unproved information about Jimmy's injury - best parkour performer in the school. Anonymous says that he has a mild scratch, which prevent him from doing tricks for some time.
We should take more precautions in Winterims to keep away from further injuries. We wish soonest restoration and good luck to all injured people. Next time we'll share details with you about serous quilting injuries.

"Can we just do this over?" Interview with Mrs. Poulin

We plan interview some LA administrators about the real Winterim.

Today, we met with Mrs. Poulin, Director of Academic Support.

What is your favorite thing about Winterim?

What do you mostly do over Winterim?

What is your favorite memory about Winterim?

Are there any problems that have ever happened that you can remember?

Stay tuned: We will "do this over" with another administrator later this week!

Watch out next episode!!!

On or Off Campus Winterims: Which is better?

Winterim is full of so many amazing and exhilarating opportunities that making a list of your top five becomes difficult. The main choice is deciding whether you would like to stay on-campus and participate in Martial Arts or Baking Basics, or if you'd rather hop on a plane and go to a new place, like Florida or the Andes. Both on and off campus have their positive and negative qualities.

Pros : Off Campus (This link goes to the Winterim 2010 blog)

• You get to experience new areas you usually would never get to see. How often are one of you going to travel to the Andes?
• You get to get away from the contraints of LA, and be with friends or new people you just met.
• You get a chance to do something new and exciting, like mountain biking in Arizona, or camping and kayaking in Florida. Experiences like these are hard to come by, and it's a shame to miss out.
• Enduring Massachusetts weather. Where would you rather be: in the Bahamas, or sitting on campus, surrounded with brown snow (yes, I said brown) and deadgrass? Wohoo.

How can you miss out on these views?

Pros: On Campus (This link goes to the Winterim 2010 blog)

• You're close to your dorm/home, which is what people might prefer. In many cases, people don't want to be shipped off to the Andes or anotherforeign place. There's always the comfort of sleeping in your own bed and eating food.
• You can attend the activities that are planned when the work day is finished. It's a way to relax and let go after the work day.
• There isn't as much potential for serious injury. While off campus Winterims are exciting and adventurous, they can be dangerous, and there is proof that off campus injuries are more serious. Plus, you have proper medical care here.
• There are fun experiences. maybe not as exciting as rafting in Costa-Rica, but they're still informative and fun. Bonding,
• Security. You never know when the unexpected might happen off-campus. Whether or not you will get stuck in Florida kayaking while it starts pouring rain, or if the van for Sports Journalism breaks down on the way to an event. On campus Winterims are less dangerous.

An activity at last year's Winterim. They look so happy... :D

So, overall, it's mainly based on opinion.

Be safe and have fun!

Stay focused in this last week and during finals.  Then be ready to have a great time!
Represent Lawrence Academy well!

RUaDN Winterim Preparation

It is amazing how fast our world is changing and how fast we can actually change the world or rather “interact” with it.

Social media allows anyone to send, receive, create and comment on everything   . . . anything.

Winterim at LA is an interactive experience at its purist form and now it can be viewed and interacted with beyond just one group’s experience.  We will use social media and digital technology to share and inform others around the world what  Winterim really means to us.

Enjoy yourselves and be safe!

'Twas the weeks before Winterim . . .

 

The snow covered town of Groton, MA does not stop the faculty and students from preparing for this year's Winterim projects.