Weekender
A Newsletter from the
in Viroqua, Wisconsin, USA
Editor: Conrad Rehbach
Friday March 23, 2007
Basketball Tournament Scheduled for Saturday March 31, 2007. Info: click here.
Calendar
Every Tuesday
12:20 PM Administration Group Meeting
Monday Mar 26
3:15 PM Long Range Planning Meeting
Tuesday Mar 27
3:15 PM Personnel Meeting
Monday Apr 02
3:15 PM Faculty Meeting
7:00 PM Parent Meeting
Tuesday Apr 03
7:00 PM Board Meeting
Apr 06—13
Spring Break—NO SCHOOL
Apr 16—20
Theme Week—All day workshops centered around a theme
May 14—18
Service Week—All day service projects in the community and at YIHS
Thursday May 17
6:00 PM All School Annual Meeting
Monday May 28
Memorial Day — NO SCHOOL
YIHS Spring Play
Performances
Thursday May 31
Friday June 01
Saturday June 02
Sunday June 03
4:30 PM YIHS Graduation Ceremony at Kickapoo Reserve (La Farge, Wisconsin)
Needs List
1. Seats for 15 passenger shuttle bus
2. Flat panel LCD computer monitors
3. Laptop computers
4. Video projectors
5. Curtains or shades for all rooms
6. Beautification of an area of your choice at school
7. Cleaning services
8. Someone to make and install a door with a lock for the costume room
9. Someone to fix/caulk leaking sky lights
10. Couches and Easy Chairs in good and sturdy condition
11. Letter size heavy duty 4 drawer filing cabinet
12. Video Projector
13. Computers in working condition
19. Installation of a faucet in a bathroom
Always promoting Waldorf Education. Conrad Rehbach presenting a lecture about Rudolf Steiner (1861—1925) to the YIHS Religion/Spirituality Main Lesson Class (Grades 10 and 12/Teacher: Lars Bergan)
Guatemala News. Part Tres. The countdown began bright & early Saturday morning as we bid a fond & somewhat teary farewell to our host families & threw our baggage into the back of a pick up. The final week went by in a whirlwind of activity; the long & winding 8 hour drive to the village in a crowded chicken bus, the 3 square meals of beans, eggs, tortillas & coffee, even being shut in a small room with twenty five 14-18 year-olds for some friendly Q&A seemed to end to quickly. We spent 3 nights in a gray brick house, separated into 5 rooms- girls' room, boys' room, Duncan & Ben's room, bathroom, & a main entryway where small children were allowed to peek in & giggle as they begged for Troy to teach them how to use a diabolo. Our main duty to the school community was to paint 2 classrooms a color we lovingly dubbed "Regurgitated Salmon Mousse", but as the paint had to be retrieved from a city more than an hour away & then every new paint roller separated sheep from wood, we were able to test our hands at mowing the lawn with machetes ("Imagine what would happen if your middle school principal asking all students to not wear their uniforms to school the next day & remember to bring their machetes!" Ben thoughtfully reminded us). After a liberal (& literal) bath in gasoline to remove the paint from our arms at the end of the day, we were able to take one last jog around town to buy a bag of rice to give to our generous providers of food. To exit our humble abode, we would often have to chase children from the door with promises of more activities in the morning. On our last night in the village, the middle school presented a series of songs & dances that they had been practicing, including 3 traditional Guatemalan dances that Duncan, Zach, & myself were taught during our Q&A session. Our delegation students in return performed 3 songs (all from morning circle, thanks Jacob!) & Troy & myself offered a sampling of salsa dance, which is surprisingly uncommon to see in the villages. There was an attempt in a dance afterward, a final chance for our students to mingle with the middle school's, but as Guatemalans are traditionally very shy, this died out within minutes. Our trip concluded with a 12 hour bus ride from Chacula to Antigua, with a final day to spend all our money, dance to a fabulous Cuban band, & witness the eruption of a volcano from the roof of our hotel. Our arrival in Chicago was shockingly cold, but I imagine no one really remembers much of it thanks to the considerable lack of sleep. However, we assure everyone that the trip was worth every cent & we would like to thank Julee & Ben Agar, AnnaJo Doerr, & Connie Vanderhyden for making the journey possible. Through the years they have taught us Spanish, dance, photography, & cultural history that aided in the enjoyment of our trip considerably. We will always be grateful for you all, Muchas Muchas Gracias!!!! - Kyla Tully
THE 'TOO BUSY TO PLAY' PLAYERS present Larry Shue's THE FOREIGNER. March 22-24 at The Old Oak Inn, Soldier's Grove. $25 w/Southern style dinner. performance only: $10 adult / $7.50 students. dinner 7:00 performance 8:00. A hilarious comedy set in Tilghman County Georgia where an english bloke brings a foreign fella to Betty Meeks. fishing lodge for a three day stay. Nobody should talk to him cuz he can't speak no english....or can he? Directed by: K O'Brien. Starring: Adam Fogelson, Phil Mueller, Sara Tedeschi, Risha Murray, Carl Schlecht, Colin Crocket, Don Sterling. Sets by: John Tully, Lights & special effects by: Chris Cox
Thank You. Thank you Chris Cox for installing a lock at the YIHS printshop.
Dear friends! Thank you to
all of our relatives and friends who attended our
wedding
celebration.
We thank you for your support and help, without you our wedding would not
have been the wonderful, beautiful and unforgettable day that it was. We
also extend our thanks to all you who could not be there but who accompanied
us from afar with your thoughts and prayers, you are also in our hearts.
Also, thank you all for the wonderful cards and letters, unbelievably
creative gifts and financial donations. We wish that you all could have been
there. Love - Isaac and Cathrin Park
A Graduation Planning Meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 23, at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. All senior parents and students who want to be involved in planning are invited to attend. We will carpool from the school at 3:15. Please be thinking of ideas. We will give a reminder sooner to the date. Contact Kim Chotzen with questions. UPDATE: GRADUATION PLANNING MEETING: An initial meeting to plan graduation will be held before the parent meeting on April 2 at 6:00 p.m. at the YIHS. On April 23, for those who wish to go out to the site for more planning, we will carpool from school to Kickapoo Reserve, leaving at 3:15. -Kim Chotzen, Sally Colacino
SAT and ACT Prep Classes. Deborah Baer will teach a 4-hour SAT prep class on Saturday, April 14, 1:00 – 5:00 PM. This class is for any students taking the test on May 5 or June 2. An ACT prep class will be offered on Saturday, May 12, 1:00 – 5:00, for students taking the test on June 9. The fee per student for either class is $50. Limit of 8 students, minimum 4. IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THE CLASS, BUT CAN’T ATTEND ON THIS DATE, another date can be arranged for a group of 4 or more. If you are taking either test in the fall of ’06, a class will be offered in August or September. Individual, affordable, tutoring is also available for students (or groups) who would like extra work on specific areas of either test (math, English skills, essay composition, reading analysis, science). Please call Deborah for information or to register at 637-2918 or djbaer@mchsi.com.
College Acceptance Update: Congratulations to Emily Colacino on being accepted to the University of Minnesota-Morris and to Paul Smith's College. Congratulations to Adam Cox on being accepted to Lawrence University.
Board Members Wanted. At our annual all school meeting (May 17, 2007), we will elect new board members. Two 2-year term and two 3-year term board positions will be available. Candidates need to declare their candidacy and register by April 15 (deadline) using the form. Interested candidates for the open board positions please contact Conrad Rehbach or Charlene Elderkin for additional information.
Driftless Folk School March and April Classes Schedule. March 24: Inkle Weaving; March 31: Blacksmithing/ Forging a Traditional Candlestick/Middle-Eastern Flatbreads. April 14: Tile Making; April 21: Spring Wild Foods; April 28: Raku Workshop/Shiitake Mushroom Workshop/Apple Grafting Workshop. Please call 608-637-3550 for more information or to register, or visit us on the web at www.driftlessfolkschool.org.
Hi, PRWS and YIHS, We will be away on vacation April 5 to 13, when school is out. If you hear of someone who needs a place for family or friends at that time, we would welcome a house and pet sitter (one dog, one cat). Thanks, Trish Dougherty
Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong?
“Who’s right, who’s wrong?”
Could be the name of our current community song.
Friends and teammates all of us are,
But suddenly differences of opinion have us afar.
Certainly there are mistakes that others have made,
But isn’t it really the seeing of our own weaknesses
Of which we’re most afraid?
Instead of confronting ourselves about what we can change,
We’d rather focus on our neighbor’s limited range.
Hence, we find ourselves more and more polarizing,
Where before we’d be intimately socializing.
So what’s the remedy for such a predicament?
Simply, quantities of everyone’s forgivament.
Else all the good work we’ve done together,
Could blow apart like ships in bad weather.
Leaving us alone on the high seas of mediocrity,
Where once our joint efforts sent out waves of originality.
So before it’s too late to save our dear dream,
Let’s all honestly search for ways to keep being a team.
With loads of compassion for the difficulty of what we’re all undertaking,
Surely we’ll find what we need to solidify and move forward
All the progress we’ve been making.
Daniel Chotzen
3/18/07
for the Y.I.H.S.
community
GOOD ENERGY
WORKSHOP, 7 pm, March 27th at Pleasant
Ridge Waldorf
School........come and find out about the energy raffle at
PRWS and how a hybrid car, wind energy and solar power can literally change
your life!
Dear Friends of Powerful
Puppetry Work, Many of you have heard that the renowned giant puppets group,
The Bread and Puppet Theatre of northern Vermont, is coming to Viroqua this
month. Here is what is happening: (1)Friday, March 30, 6pm at YIHS ~
potluck dinner with the puppeteers - 8pm ~ Landmark
Auditorium ~ Performance: "How to Turn Distress into Success" ~ $5-15
sliding scale ~ For ages 14 and up -- (2)Saturday, March 31, 10 am - 3 pm at Pleasant Ridge Waldorf School Gym, Puppet making and learning how to
perform workshop, featuring crankies, cantestorias and kaspars..... DELICIOUS
SOUP AND
BREAD LUNCH WILL BE PREPARED AND SERVED BY THE 6TH GRADE. YOU CAN GET YOURS
BY RESERVING IT BY THURSDAY, MARCH 29 Lunch: $5 Workshop: $10-30 CALL
637-7828 (PRWS) TO RESERVE A SPACE IN THE WORKSHOP
AS WELL AS LUNCH CALL SOON AS SPACE IS LIMITED. -- (3)Sunday, April 1st
(Fool's Day), 4:15 at the Pleasant Ridge Gym ~ Performance: "Everything is
Fine Circus" $5-15 Sliding Scale ~ All ages welcome THESE EVENTS WILL BE
UNIQUELY GREAT AND ALONG THE LINES OF WHAT THE HEART OF THE BEAST PUPPET
THEATRE IN MINNEAPOLIS DOES ONLY THE BREAD AND PUPPET THEATRE HAVE BEEN
DOING IT EVEN
LONGER! WE HAVE THE SPECIAL TREAT OF HAVING THEM IN OUR TOWN, during their
midwest tour, BECAUSE OF THEIR FRIENDSHIP WITH SHAWN LAVOIE WHO TEACHES AT
THE YOUTH INITIATIVE HIGH SCHOOL AND IS A CIRCUS ARTIST...... CALL MARJORIE
AT 637-3913 WITH QUESTIONS, IF YOU CAN DISTRIBUTE FLYERS OR WANT TO HELP IN
ANY WAY. P.S. PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS IS ALSO THE WEEKEND OF THE PRWS 8TH
GRADE PLAY WHICH SHOULD BE VERY FINE. WE HAVE SCHEDULED THE PUPPET
PERFORMANCES IN SUCH A WAY THAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO
SEE
BOTH OF THESE GREAT EVENTS THIS WEEKEND, SO PLEASE PLAN TO SUPPORT THE 8TH
GRADE AS WELL. THANKS! -Marjorie Rehbach
Pleasant Ridge's Eighth Grade Class is proud to present William Shakespeare's romantic comedy, Much Ado About Nothing for four performances: March 29th through April 1. All Performances will be held at PRWS Old Main, 321 E. Decker Street, Viroqua. Thursday, Friday & Saturday performances begin at 7:00 pm and Sunday's matinee performance begins at 2:00 pm Admission is $7/adult and $5/child (family rates are available.) Perhaps the best of Shakespeare's great anti-Romantic comedies, in which conventional assumptions about love are viewed through worldly and satirical eyes. Young Claudio and Hero fall in love as tradition demands. Then Claudio brutally throws it all away. Meanwhile, former lovers, Beatrice and Benedick, snipe bitterly and comically at each other at every opportunity, through deceptions, misunderstandings and folly. Lord, what fools we mortals be! But the title of our play says it all: in spite of the fuss, perhaps sanity may be restored in the end. For more information or to make a reservation please call the school (608-637-7828). All proceeds go to help fund their class trip.
Summer Courses 2007 in Viroqua
Waldorf Education/Adult Education
A variety of Waldorf Education/adult education courses will again be offered in Viroqua, Wisconsin, which is developing into a hub for courses catering to various groups and individuals. Viroqua has the advantage of providing a quiet mid-western small town atmosphere with a cosmopolitan touch, offering retreat-like possibilities. The Waldorf schools, downtown business district with cafes, general store, farmers market, and a world-class organic food co-op and deli, are all within walking distance, while the rolling hills, trout-filled streams, and nearby Mississippi river offer excellent recreation opportunities for the whole family.
The Sophia Institute will offer/sponsor a number of courses including:
Puppetry Training with Suzanne Down Juniper Tree School of Story and Puppetry Arts. New 3 Part Summer Series. Certificate Training in Puppet Theater. Starting this summer June 25 – July 5 in Viroqua, Wisconsin – our first Midwest location. The Juniper Tree 3-part summer certificate training in puppet theater will begin a NEW Midwest training June 25-July 5. The part one focus is on Pedagogical Puppetry. The 3 part training consists of 10 days intensive course work for 3 summers. The three focus areas are: pedagogical (early childhood focus plus a look at grades and high school), artistic (fairy tale, archetype, and marionette focus), and therapeutic puppetry (specific therapeutic indications for all puppet types, plus rod puppet work and color and light ‘shadow’ puppetry. Project work and puppet practice during the year deepens the training. Each participant designs their own project to enhance their work/life situation. This training is open to beginners and experienced puppeteers who have a serious interest in the healing aspects of puppet theater and storytelling. For information package contact: Suzanne Down, Director of Juniper Tree. Phone 1 888 688-7333. email: suzanne@junipertreepuppets.com web: www.junipertreepuppets.com Taking applications now - numbers will be limited
Head, Heart and
Hands — Summer Intensive
This one week (June 18—22,
2007) summer intensive is for Waldorf grade teachers and parents/individuals
interested in deepening their educational skills. Through the course of the
week everyone will have varied opportunities to experience the Waldorf
curriculum through the arts and crafts. We will explore the incarnating
process of the child as reflected through various arts and crafts in the
class teacher years and try to develop a sense for the gesture of each
school year through different artistic media. We will be working with: clay
and beeswax (modeling), wool (felting, and animal making), wood (carving,
toy making), metal (copper), glass (mosaic making). In addition a variety of
artistic and study courses will provide soul renewal to the educator. These
courses include movement, painting, circle work, and studies concerning the
St. John mystery in our time. The workshop will cumulate with a Community
St. John’s festival on Friday June 22. Info/registration:
www.sophiainstitute.us
or
608-637-3913
For the Storytelling Evening, Friday April 27 (7 pm). Volunteers needed: Desserts and Hors d'śuvre(3-4): Mary Root 624-5738, Dessert, Wine and drinks (1-2); Set up (3-4): Joann; Clean up (3-4): Conrad; Publicity Poster (1); Press Releases (1): Conrad; Poster distribution (3-4): Sandra
Dear parents, Thanks for
letting me blab on at your meeting (and play some games!). I wanted to send
a check-in/reminder email to those in attendance and an update to those who
weren't in attendance. I have a list of people and their commitments, and
below I have a copy of the theme week outline I presented. Please email or
call with more ideas for
theme week:
To-dos: *Checking
in with public schools for performance space and outreach: Kim and Liz
*Checking PRWS availability: Sheila *Leading a hair and make-up class: Jan
*Talk to Frank about cooking (food art) class : Mary* Talk to produce
manager about food art: Jan. Un-assigned to-dos: *Talk to Vince about how
welding came together last year* Meal Wheel Coordinator for teachers
*Transportation Guru. More needs: *Any one know anyone who could lead a
class on lighting/sound? *Do parents want to head up a concessions at the
end of the week show? *Anyone want to lead a costume making/designing class?
Thanks for all your willingness, help, and vision! Shawn 608-634-2214
shawnyml@hotmail.com
YIHS THEME WEEK Outline. Co-organizers: Shawn Lavoie & AnnaJo Doerr (And perhaps you!) Outline: Theme week this year is centered on Performance Art. A large majority of students voiced an interest in learning new performance-related skills and in putting on a show at the end of the week. Students and I will be meeting in the weeks leading up to Theme Week to come up with a compelling theme for our show, to dream up ways to intertwine performance skills, and to publicize our end-of-week performance. So far, teachers for circus arts, dance, and music (still need more for music) have been identified (some coming from out of town). The structure of the week is a combination of all-group activities, small group instruction, and act/performance creation. Students will decide a specific performance track, but will come together in the morning and at the end of the day. There are several students who are not immediately interested in performing. For this group, I've proposed the creation of a Design Track, that would work throughout the week on non-performative art activities. For example, welding, set design, lighting, and food art could be activities that help in the creation of a performance and are edifying activities for the students … Call out to Parents! … This week will not be a success without parent involvement. Parents have played extraordinary roles in the past as teachers, organizers, drivers, material suppliers (you name it) in Theme Week. How we make this year's Theme Week a wonderful teacher, student and parent collaboration? *Who wants to teach a performance/non-performance skill? *Who wants to help organize the performance? Concessions at the performance? *Who wants to help provide for out of town teachers?