Academic Thoughts

PRECALCULUS

We have been busy wrapping up our final chapter in Precalculus. Students learned about trigonometric functions, our final type of function for the semester. As part of this chapter, students worked to master the unit circle as well as graph all six types of trigonometric functions. Our lesson on sin functions corresponded perfectly with our stay at a campsite right on the Indian Ocean and we were able to create a function to model the tides as we watched them come in. Students are now busy reviewing the many different functions we explored this semester in preparation for their final exam next week!

ALGEBRA 2
After spending the morning visiting the township of Knysna, where we played with preschool children and learned how to keep 20 tiny tots enraptured with a story about Snow White, Algebra 2 students smoothly switched gears to complete a chapter test on quadratic functions that afternoon. We are finishing the semester strong with a focus on exploring polynomials. Polynomials were introduced by learning the terminology and classifications since this will enable students to accurately discuss mathematical ideas and problems. The students have also learned to use Pascal's Triangle to expand binomial expressions that are raised to positive integer powers. This foundation has allowed us to use long division and synthetic division to divide polynomials quickly and to factor the sum and difference of two cubes accurately and efficiently. Currently we are reviewing polynomials for one more test before our final exams begin within the week. 


LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION
A few vignettes by students

Luderitz Wash 
By: Caroline, Junior, Washington

Crusty half-stuck buttons pressed and faded dials turned. A low hum ensues. The dull murmur of a long neglected friend. Ancient gears and levers begin to move rhythmically as the machine gains motion from within. 
Water floods the main chamber as children sit cross-legged on splintered wood floor in anticipation. Shirts and socks coated in filthy, stained memories are disrupt from a sedentary heap as the machine picks up. The clothing circulates on top of one another in a slow roll. 
A momentary pause in the mechanic churn follows. Through the grimy windows a child’s eyes meet the gaze of her most beloved cotton counterpart. A mere affectionate glimpse between a concerned audience and a once-white fabric. Encapsulated in this glance is the long-lasting embrace of a dirty traveler and her favorite t-shirt. Once more the machine picks up, and the child’s object of affection is lost in the prodigious mountain of laundry.

Swakopmund, Namibia 
Reflections on the beach 
By:Jane, Junior, New Hampshire 


Gusts of wind rip the water, the sand around me is cold and dry, and the sun drops rhythmically in the faded sky. On the beach, it feels as though I could be home in New Hampshire. The waves sparkle and dance, my thoughts are leaping through them like fish that thrash and flip away as soon as you catch them. I’m trying to remember, to write about everything that’s happened since I stepped on the plane to Seattle. Why am I here, why am I doing this? Because Caroline makes eye contact with you when she’s laughing the hardest, because Toni cried, seeing a wild leopard in a cage. What are we? We are four minute grocery stops, four hour walks in the bush. We are the hair clogging the shower and the truck lost in the sand. I hope that everyday someone is telling Malia that her eyes can sparkle and crash like the ocean, that they light up in impossible shades of green. Gone are the days when the falls broke the cliff and spilled over rainbows for us, when a black rhino danced under the milky white moon. I remember, the first time I saw a cheetah run I bit my tongue until coppery blood pooled in my mouth, to stop from crying out, but on the inside I was crying-crying for the arched spine, legs churning like pistons, and those honey, golden, amber-orange eyes. It looked at me, glassy pupils encircled with inky fur like the eyeliner of an Egyptian God. We are the click of a shutter, the smiles that escape the proof. Thoughts left unsaid, like how I wanted to tell Mimi that she was more than a birthday match, no, she was the embers that glitter and pop on Christmas Eve, the bonfire that roars to the stars on the first night of summer, and that she came to me when my heart was carved from ice. Are we but a blip in the other’s life, say, is the moment a bird flies before the sun and a wave tumbles over itself even comparable to an early morning-imagine- 5am, icy tent poles, Liz’s blue water bottle, Beth, blonde hair in a braid, just granola and milk today. I am in love with the world, with Lydia’s laughter, slumbering under starry skies, the glint of an elephant’s tusk in the sun. I lean back, letting the salty smell of the Atlantic wash over me, a watery bridge to home.

Vignette (moment)
Global Midterm
By: Simrill, Junior, Georgia

There’s two minutes before our Global Midterm, and I’m missing the only thing I need for class—my textbook. I sprint back to my bungalow to search for it. 

Upon opening the door, a strong stench of expensive perfume hits my nose. Looking around, the bungalow looks exactly like mine. Except, there’s no dirt on the floor. There are no Chacos littering the stairs. There’s no peanut butter on top of the fridge, and there is a CELLPHONE on the table. 

A good smelling, clean bungalow? Devoid of peanut butter, but containing a cell phone? This can’t be a TTS girl’s house, especially not mine. I scamper out, my feet moving quicker than I can think. The door slams shut behind me, making an unappealing THUD. I’m breathing hard, but I keep running until I see green grass and Crazy Creeks laden with TTS students. Once there, I look back at that bungalow, hoping our German neighbors didn’t mind a friendly intruder.



Science Academic Blog
After wrapping up our experiential geology unit, we dove into exploring infectious diseases. This is the last and final unit in Honors Science that we will be covering this semester. This unit focuses on understanding pathogens and how they affect the human body on a cellular level. The students taught one another about the five major pathogens that cause disease, their mode of transmission and the disease reservoir. This lead us to a discussion about preventing the spread of disease on a cellular and global level. What would be the most effective level to eradicate malaria? Would it be best top find a vaccine? Exterminate the mosquito? Give mosquito nets and insecticide to every house in Southern Africa? These are questions the students are scrutinizing as we travel through areas strongly affected by HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. We were fortunate to visit a clinic in Plettenberg Bay that gives palliative care to township residence who suffer from a variety of life threatening illnesses. Most of their care is focused on HIV/AIDS awareness, treatment and support. Our students asked questions about how the disease affects the community, what treatment options are like and clarification was given about how HIV influences the immune system. Furthermore, the students participated in a simulation about the ‘Glitteritis Epidemic’ where they analyzed how a disease spreads through a population and how herd immunity works. This gave way to a pointed debate about requiring immunizations for US citizens. Students examined how immunizations played a role in the history of re­emerging diseases in the US and discussed which citizens would be given an exemption from immunizations. For the students final, they are creating their own non­profit organization devoted to eradicating an infectious disease (Malaria or Ebola). They are required to write a grant proposal to Bill and Melinda Gates (Elsie and Quinn) about how their organization will be the most effective in solving the issues surrounding their respective disease. The students will turn in their mission statement, a proposal, a budget, and create a piece of educational literature that their organization will use to educate the public about how the disease works and spreads (this could be in the form of a cartoon, infograph or pamphlet). We are looking forward to seeing what the students come up with based on their experiences in southern Africa. 
~ Quinn and Elsie

Homestay families

Rachel, Sylvia, Emma, Stewart

Toni, Nova, Jane

Jenny, Malia, Caroline, Darren

Angelo, Pia, Lavina, Chloe, Charles

Malva Pudding!

Kira, Dennis, Lydia, Valda

Simrill, Aubrey, Liz

Mimi, Julia, Katie

A few recent activities

Tsitsikamma Hike 

By Pia, Sophomore, North Caroline

The three day, two night hike started off with the whole group eating our whole snack in the first 10 minutes. We made a short venture to our first stop that had red water “swimming pools.” The tinted water was part of a stream that descended down a waterfall overlooking the lovely open landscape, a perfect refreshing afternoon treat. At 2am my alarm beeped and I popped up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and poked everyone to get bundled to head outside to gaze at the stars. Liz and I played with the long exposure on my camera to capture the magical southern sky filled with many bright stars. I have never seen so many shooting stars in such a short time. The next day we all purified some water and headed out onto the trail through the lovely mountains lined with pines. We all anticipated rain and placed bets on the time the heavy dark clouds above us would let loose. Soon enough it was raining with a strong wind creating the lines of rain pouring from the sky being pulled by the gusts of wind on to us. We stopped unprotected form the elements and ate some delicious, soggy tortillas.  Chloe’s Tupperware collected the water leaving small bits of tortilla swimming! “Type one fun” we all shouted as we made our way up and down the mountains while singing Christmas music. We climbed a small hill to discover Toni and Quinn (who had stayed back at camp to heal),  all dry and smiley. We ran up gathered around her giving her wet hugs, hung our raincoats on a clothes line above the toasty fire and chatted, watching rain cast down upon the mountains. After a yummy dinner we roasted pink marshmallows an topped them off with a heaping spoonful of Nutella, A great ending to an unforgettable day of chatter, views, and rain!

Kliptown Youth Program 

By Chloe, Junior, Montana

“From poverty to opportunity” is the mission statement of the Kliptown Youth Program (KYP). Based in Kliptown, a neighborhood of the Soweto Township, KYP’s goal is to empower young people through education. We took a short walk through the dirt-patched, narrow Kliptown streets with the Director and Founder of KYP, Tulmi. Before the afternoon even began he told us not to pity anyone in the township and appreciate what we have instead of feeling guilty (a great message to think about with Thanksgiving around the corner!). In Kliptown 45,000 people live packed together in small metal houses. A single water tap is shared by 80-100 families. There isn’t a school in Kliptown so students must walk half an hour to school. This is the community that the KYP works in. Upon entering KYP we were given a tour of their computer lab where they offer computer literacy classes and internet access. We observed their food program where they were preparing pb&j’s to make sure every child had a lunch to take to school the next day. Finally we sat down to talk with people our age at KYP. We asked them about their schools, daily lives, and the importance of KYP. They asked us about what we’ve learned this semester. It felt empowering to chat with such a joyful and curious group of people our own age. The afternoon ended with a gum boot dance performance from the KYP boys. There is power and goodness in voices and hands moving together. It was an inspiring afternoon spent with people who believe in the power of youth!

PHOTOS!

Aunge captured some great shots! Here is a glimpse into what they have been up to. Click here to view the photos.  

A Few Photos from Parent Visit in Cape Town

Hi all. 

Here are five photos from my time with TTS-26. The first shows Tom Moses answering the girls' questions after the over-the-top-rude-man incident. The next two are from our travels to the Cape of Good Hope. The fourth photo depicts Toni sharing observations and answering questions following our tour of several townships. The last photo captures most of the girls in Halloween costume before we went out for dinner. 

I echo Kristin's sentiments and feel so grateful that I had an opportunity to meet everyone and share time with all of TTS-26. A phenomenal group of girls and teachers!

:) Lise (Rachel's mom)

Activities meet academics

Nelson Mandela's Cell

Robben Island

Emma, Senior, Seattle

Our stomachs plummeted as swells containing massive waves threw our ferry violently up and down as we navigated the furious Atlantic towards Robben Island, just offshore the Cape Town coast. We stood on the top deck looking broodingly over the rolling waves, some searching for a distant horizon to relieve the pangs of sea sickness in their bellies. The gray sky threatened rain while frigid wind sliced through bundled coats. A humpback whale's dorsal fin cut suddenly in front of us. Disappearing almost as quickly as it came, the tail of a great white shark vanished into the surf.

The immensity of our visit to Robben Island, particularly as a result of the opportunity to listen to the first hand account of the experiences of Tom Moses, a political prisoner, is indescribable. Tom's retelling contained intimacy, vulnerability and honesty. He spoke in a deep, commanding voice, but as his story wore on his eyes glazed over with emotion. At the heart of his speech were values of reconciliation and of strength. He spoke freely and passionately of the political prisoners resilience. Then he moved us all with stories of their refusal to break under intense physical and psychological torture and after each story reiterated the fact that regardless of what the prison guards did, “it only made [the prisoners] stronger”.

Tom's impassioned speech was cut short by stout old American man standing at the back of the cell where we sat during the tour.

“Excuse me, when are we going to see Nelson Mandela's cell? Could you please hurry up. I don't want to miss my boat.”

Silence smothered the shocked inhabitants of the room, people craned their necks backwards searching for the owner of the crude nasally voice. We sat, stunned, appalled at the rudeness of the mans words. Tom came out of the far away place his story had resided and back into the present suddenly. He blinked a few times, seemingly to gather his thoughts and looked about at the startled people before him who moments ago had been frozen, rapt with attention. Unfazed, he smiled and agreed to carry on with the tour. Looking around at each other, we could hardly believe what had just happened. We muttered back and forth, enraged, trying to comprehend what thoughts must have been going through the minds of both Tom and the American man. Our tour ended leaving us with a distinct sense of incompletion and emotional whiplash. The last few minutes constituted of a quick walk past several identical cells, one of which was indicated to be Mandela's. It was nothing special, had a small gray mat in the corner and concrete walls. We hardly paused and exited blindly into the sun filled afternoon. Most of the tour trickled down the road towards the ferry but we, and a few like-minded tour attendees stayed behind to talk to Tom. He patiently and thoroughly answered all our questions until we were forced to leave before we truly did miss our boat. We thanked him profusely and shook his hand moved beyond words, then reluctantly began the walk back to our ferry.

The emotional exhaustion I experienced after visiting Robben Island is difficult to comprehend. I walked away from the tour and abruptly broke into tears, overwhelmed by my admiration for Tom. A brave man who, like countless others, served years of imprisonment on trumped up charges of terrorism or conspiracy for his work for the African National Congress to end the apartheid.

In the end, Tom left us with a snippet of his vast unknowable capability and willingness to forgive those who had grievously wronged him. I was struck by his positivity and uncompromising belief in a future where complete equality is a given and the dream of a South African Rainbow nation is a reality.

View from Table Mountain

Table Mountain

by Katie, Senior, Seattle

Along the western Cape

where the ocean kisses the southern shore
Tall, It rises
under cloudy skies
above the city: Cape Town
The great Table Mountain.
Between thick bush
our trail was carved
- on flat packed dirt
- over trickling streams
- in the shade of small damp caverns
we shake our way around the base
the base of Table Mountain.
16 sets of feet
one after another
our path turns up
on a stairway of stone
climbing the gorge
up Table Mountain.
Apple cores and runaway peanuts
farmers tan and sweaty brows
mist and sun breaks
A dassie comes to say hello.
On our hike up Table Mountain.
We reach the top
in a thin cloud of fog.
But it soon clears
revealing the land below.
On top of Table Mountain
We see crashing waves
Robben Island
Scattered houses, like jumbled pieces of a lego built city,
We marveled at the distance we had come.
before descending in our footsteps
from wence we came.
Down from Table Mountain
Down on 16 sets of feet
One after another
Down on that stairway of stone
Back on flat packed dirt
back over trickling streams
under shade of those small damp caverns
back through the bush
to the base of Table Mountain
Above the city of Cape Town
Under shady skies
Tall it rises
on the southern shore
of the western Cape
The great Table Mountain

Township Tour

                                          Jane, New Hampshire, Junior

 

We’ve just left the town of Knysna, South Africa. We’re driving the Garden Route, stopping at grassy campsites (some with trampolines!) along the way until we reach our final destination, Port Elizabeth, and depart by plane to Jo’burg.

We’ve been whale watching, stargazing, holding creative and hilarious talent shows, rushing to pack up in short, frequent rain showers, learning about infectious diseases to prepare for our science final, and delving further into My Traitor’s Heart, and The Poisonwood Bible.
 

Our last day in Knysna we toured a Township just outside the city. A township, or informal settlement, is a place where, historically, black or colored people were forced to live during apartheid. Today, most townships are still predominantly black.
 

Our tour guide, Ella, showed us the problems and success stories of the slum. Many adults depend heavily on alcohol, yet want a brighter future for their children, and are sending them to school. We drove in, up rolling dirt hills and past one-room houses crafted from wood, tin, and plastic tarp. Laundry hung from lines, pink and green, yellow and purple shirts flying in the wind. Fat, brown cattle walked slowly through the road, stopping only to swing their horns and bray at dogs, who tucked their scruffy tails and disappeared into the closest doorway. Green grass sprouted everywhere, and the river spiraled out through Knysna, beneath the hills. Neighbors called to each other, and children danced barefoot in the street. We visited a small grocery store, stocked with every soda, candy, and baking material you could imagine. We visited a preschool, with two separate classes, and children aged one to six. They greeted us in song, tiny voices chanted in perfectly accented English. We colored, read, and put together puzzles with them.
 

Driving to our last stop, we saw the new houses being built, two room, painted peach or sunset orange, with sturdy, white roofs. Our last stop was our tour guide’s house. She served us tea, drummed and sang with us, and taught us sayings in the African language of Xhosa. We left, feeling inspired by Ella’s compassion, and her ability to find hope in unlikely places.

 

Roadside Memorial in Cape Town

TTS26's Story

Rachel's mom, Lise, shot this video during the campus visit. Enjoy!  https://youtu.be/jgzQpg2aSxA