Notes from Cardigan (January, 1983)

NOTES FROM CARDIGAN Cardigan Mou·ntain School Canaan, New Hampshire 03741

January 1983

Volume 1 Issue No . 5 A few days ago fall seemed to have taken a last stand, what with warm days, no snow, fair skies and bare ski slopes and supply stores for would-be skiers nearly bankrupt . . : then came the storm! Now we have plenty, -as of this writing it has been snowing steadily for twenty-four hours! So, at last we 1 re on the way to a ful I winter sports season. The boys can put away their roller-skis, switch from cross-country fitness running exercise, buckle up their boots and put on the bright colors of slalom, downhill, alpine and all the rest of it, to challenge all comers . Of course, hockey has been on its way before this and shaping up for a good season. And the student body has been stirred from the doldrums of all the substitute diversions made until the snow came .

The prime excitement of this fall still lingers as we recall how the Stoddard Center was immediately put into service for one of the finest creative programs in Cardigan history.

A week-long series Nov . 15-19 of workshops, visiting lecturers, poets, writers, artists, presented music, drama, readings, dances, marionettes, to name a few of the twenty-five activities for students, with full faculty participation. A truly tremendous achievement, inspired and guided by CMS art teacher, Mrs. Marks! Far too many details were involved for reporting here, but in a forthcoming Cardigan Today/Tomorrow, some more of this stirring experience wi 11 be reported, with a fol low-up of faculty comment on the enrichment. You would have had to be on campus during that week to have savored the full dimension of this experience, truly worthy of the trust and generosity behind those who made Stoddard possible . · If you haven 1t seen Weekend, Feb . 4-6, express at once on dreamt of by those campus life.

this magnificent Center, you 1 II have a chance on Parents 1 when you 1 II find how appropriate it was for the Center to opening the very fine values in education and creativity with the daring and interest to add this facility to CMS

Making use of the magnificent new 250-seat auditorium Cardigan Mountain School will present the production of the musical, 11 Oliver 11 in March, with a preview of selected scenes for Parents 1 Weekend. Over 40 students, including 14 girls from the local school make up the large cast.

Quite a bold effort, a musical, for this age level, but success seems assured, to judge from the enthusiasm stirred up by the faculty guidance and Mrs. Carey, Mrs. Smal I and Mr. Finkbeiner, wh·o se son, Andrew did the sets.

The spacious entry gallery of the Stoddard Center is currently show ing photographs by CMS physician, Dr . I . A . Dinerman. Following the B . A . King art exhibit for the Stoddard opening in October, 85 works by Gary Hamel, area · artist, were mounted for November, and a smaller collection of photographs by Mary G. Lighthal I, al I snowflake crystals, was shown in Kirk Library at the

·JD0~ Center.

February will feature works by Mrs. Debbie Crowell of Cardigan and · woodcuts by Sabra Field, another Upper Valley artist.

And that beautiful Kirk Library each day at conference time is really used, with as many as fifty students at a time in its chairs reading, reaching for books and magazines, using the reference facilities for completion of papers.

The student body has been involved in the library since its opening as they helped to tote from the old library at Hopkins 7500 books in 500 cardboard cartons during 2½ hours on a recent Sunday . afternoon.

Now, with final furniture arrangements c0mplete, the library is fulfilling its fine destiny. Plans are now developing to enable each dorm to have a study night here once a week, with one of the two l.ibrarians on duty to offer professional guidance in bibliographic detail.

Various works are in progress among the students,. too, including silk-screening of original T-shirt designs, reproduction of life-size heraldic shields with cardboard.

"Reading for Fun" is another Center-inspired activity, proposed as a Thursday Reading Club, to take its place among others in the regular club program of that day.

The new lower level conference rooms of the Center have been serving as a fine new area for religion classes and library skills material has been especially successful.

Even the solar wells work.

Specific studies with circulation and heat control should give very encouraging results to those who might still consider erroneous the trombe wall an experimental frill.

As Mrs. Shel ton, CMS librarian sums up: "Spirits are high and productive ... looking ahead to more activity come spring."

With SSAT' s carried out for 8th and 9th graders, measurements of academic potential are being recorded to correlate with class achievement as the year progresses.

This measurement for the 7th grade comes up in March .

Senior letters are being prepared for submission with applications for secondary school admission.

Currently being organized for five days of Spring vacation, which begins on March 11 and ends on April 4th, is a trip to Spain for students of Spanish and some others.

It will be under the direction of CMS language instructor, Mr. Howland and math teacher, Mr. Coffin.

Besides observing Spanish culture, the boys will have ample opportunity to apply their language training in Spanish in daily encounters in various cities, including Madrid, Granada and Segovia ..

For two weeks during Spring vacation 10 members of the 8th and 9th grade French class will go to France.

First week will be a stay with French families, one boy to a family. The objective of this trip is not tourism but to improve their speaking and listening skills. The second week will be devoted to visits in two cities.

Staying together as ,a group.

They will thus be exposed to regional differences in the country.

An invitational wrestling tournament with 160 wrestlers on campus will be an all-day event Jan. 22, in which the CMS team will participate. CMS coach is Mr. Barron.

Further details on some of these activities will be reported in a forthcoming issue of Cardigan Today/Tomorrow.

Annual Giving now stands at $70,000.00 only $20,000.00 more to reach the goal.

We appreciate the generosity of those who have given and hope all will want to participate to make it 100%, regardless of the individual gift amount.

See you Parents' Weekend, February 4-6th it should be good skiing, to judge from the fine new white stuff shedded these past &ours to reveal a nice blue New Hampshire sky.