IN BRIEF PROGRAM
HOME TURF The Bears’ home field advantage will soon be boosted by state-of-the-art turf at Gordy Aamoth Jr. Stadium. Here are a few numbers behind the massive project. 130 games canceled or rescheduled in past school years due to grass field wear and tear or inclement weather ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHT
WATERSHED MOMENT Want to learn about water pollutants? Just ask a Blake fourth grader. The students so impressed a representative of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District with their knowledge that he invited them to present at the organization’s board meeting. Their expertise came from an assignment in which the students worked in small groups, each one assigned to a different area of the watershed district. Using Google Maps, they created a model of their assigned area then considered which pollutants impact that area. The students found ways to mimic the pollutants within their models, which were connected by a clear rubber tube representing Minnehaha Creek. Once attached to a faucet, water ran through the models and a watering can simulated rain to create runoff. The pollutants washed off in the rain and formed runoff to the creek, where students could see their impact on water quality. FACES ON CAMPUS
CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFINGS ON CUBA In advance of Blake’s global immersion experience in Cuba this summer, two U. S. congressmen visited Blake to share their insights about the country. Representative Tom Emmer (pictured at right) talked with
4 Cyrus
30+: Number of sports and programs that will use the new field PK-12: Grades that will have access to the turf 80: Percentage of Upper School students who participate in athletics 29,000 cubic yards of soil removed 87,400 square feet of turf installed To learn more and see a time-lapse video of the field’s construction, visit blake.mn/turfproject.
Upper School students about his historic trip to Cuba with President Obama and shared his rationale behind sponsoring legislation in the U.S. House to lift the decades-long trade embargo against Cuba.
Later in the spring, Representative Keith Ellison stopped by to brief the travellers about his take on political relations with the country.
PROGRAM
SPRING BREAK IN INDIA This spring break, 10 Upper School students and two teachers experienced life at the Lawrence School in Sanawar, India, and surrounding areas, including a visit to the famed Taj Mahal. In 2013, the two schools participated in an exchange when Blake students visited over spring break and welcomed 19 Lawrence School students to Minneapolis.