May 21

Last Saturday, students and apprentices performed a wide variety of acts, and made the second coffeehouse (well, it was actually a 'pommes frites' house) a huge success. All the acts were meticulously executed, from Kevin's crowd pleaser, poi, to Cabin 4's heartbreakingly emotional rendition of "Don't Stop Believin'." We enjoyed Daly's hilarious Emoetry once again, but were all blown away by the technical skills of Julia "the Fish's" violin masterpiece and Max and Charles's guitar improvisation. As a semester, our average intonation and musical timing have improved, despite sickness and AP exams. The hosts of coffeehouse, Sam L. and Charles (French version) kept the audience excited for the next act. Nothing could have tied coffeehouse better together than the delicious "Magic Bars" which were closely related to syrupy chocolate chip cookies.

We have had a variety of fun and exciting activities this week. On Sunday, many of us took the opportunity to go skiing at Arapahoe Basin, a ski mountain that is almost entirely above tree line. The majority of us had never been skiing in May, making it an unusual experience. After a drive that lasted a little over an hour, we got out of the vans to get our lift tickets and get in as much skiing as possible. Some of us chose to continue to hone telemarking skills while others chose to rent alpine skis or snowboards. We all had a wonderful time exploring the mountain in the warm May weather.

Other activities this week have consisted of fly-fishing, a six-mile run around the loop, tutoring, and the creation of a scavenger hunt. The idea behind the scavenger hunt is to design something that students in future semesters may possibly discover, and, after notifying the head of school that they plan to undertake the challenge, embark on a quest to solve a series of riddles. Though we usually run in the mornings, this six-mile run during Monday activity period allowed us to get some extra sleep and enjoy a run during the day as we build up to the ten-mile Fun Run tomorrow.

In classes, each subject is wrapping up its curriculum as the final days approach. Whether we were collecting the details for a science or language presentation or gathering the last decorations for an English portfolio, we have all been busy this week completing our projects for the end of the semester. After turning in the final assignments, classes are winding down and focusing on new applications of each subject such as analyzing the progression of technology in our society over the past century in English-language usage or pursuing a new perspective on mathematic equations by delving deeper into the reasoning behind arithmetic conclusions. We are also relieved that the many AP tests have finally come to an end and we are now preparing for our final activities together before heading home.

By: Anna Dipaola, Julia "The Fish" Fisher, & Julia "Ribs" Riback

To see more photos of RMS 26, please click here.