POOT: The Place Out of Time banquet

We began our first week back after Spring Break with a couple of field trips. 



The first was to the University of Michigan School of Education for the annual Place Out of Time banquet. There were a couple hundred students in attendance from Michigan and Ohio, ranging from 5th graders through high school. Check out this video to get a glimpse of the event (apologies in advance for the wobbliness of the camera): 

Chatting with Joanna at our weekly morning assembly

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On Tuesday, we took a trip to Hill Auditorium to hear a performance of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra. 

(I confess that this would be much more effective if there was audio.)

Guest Speaker: Sam French, writer and director of Buzkashi Boys

On Wednesday, March 30, we welcomed Academy Award nominated director Sam French to our school. Sam was in Ann Arbor speaking at the University of Michigan, and we were lucky enough to have him address the Summers-Knoll middle schoolers for an engaging question and answer session about his work. 


In preparation, we watched Sam's short film, Buzkashi Boys. It's a notable film for many reasons. The most overt is probably the fact that it was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film in the 2012 Academy Awards. Perhaps more importantly, it was filmed entirely on location in Kabul, Afghanistan using local actors and a largely local film crew. The story also followed up on our study of the Time for School project. Shugufu, one of the subjects of that documentary, is also a young person trying to make her way in Afghanistan. 

Sam French was a thoughtful and gracious guest. He shared anecdotes and answered questions for well over an hour, discussing a myriad of topics. We learned about how difficult it is to find actors to cast in a country where the arts had been brutally suppressed for decades, the perils of trying to work with horses, how a simple change in weather can force changes in a filming schedule, and some background on some of the stunning locations featured in the story. He also shared some thoughts on storytelling and filmmaking in general. 

Here is a trailer for the film, and below that, the full film itself: 

(Don't call it) Spirit Week

The week before Spring Break was positively packed with activity, even though there were only four days of school. Here's a quick recap. 

The Summers-Knoll student government organized the second annual Super Happy Fun Week. The schedule was as follows: 

Monday: Character Day Dress as a favorite character (from a book, from a movie etc).Tuesday: Pajama Day Wear your PJs.Wednesday: Fun RunThursday: Culture Day. The 7-8s will prepare lunchtime snacks from Sweden, Uganda, Argentina, and Japan (same menu as last year). The Choir will serenade us with songs from Kenya, Australia, and Texas

This photo is from character day, which might not be immediately obvious, given that many students were clearly determined to hide from the camera. 

Wednesday ended with an all-school Fun Run. It was particularly fun to see so many members of our community participating beyond just the students. Look carefully, and you'll spot teachers, staff, and parents also taking part. 

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The kids in Jason's math group have learned a lot about 'Flatland' this year. Originally published in 1884, there have been several adaptations of it over the years, and we've explored a few of them. It's a topic that we revisit from time to time, most recently as a project: Kids are creating their own games based on aspects of Flatland. 

We've brainstormed a number of different possibilities in terms of game mechanics and objectives, and lately kids have been constructing game materials, writing instructions, and play-testing prototypes with their classmates. 

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One of the lovely things about our school is that students have the opportunity to take time from our regularly scheduled curriculum and activities to pursue individual projects. Bora and Eva have used this opportunity to develop clay-based projects, guided by Monica, our middle school art teacher. Check out their progress!

Bora and his cat

Eva and her dragon

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We also recently hosted another Middle School Game Night. These are quickly becoming a tradition at Summers-Knoll, and they're a fun, low-stakes way to socialize and have fun. 

Upon reflection, I'm realizing that "low stakes" was the incorrect term to use, as I have rarely seen a group of people so invested in a game of Jenga.