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 Welcome to the latest edition of "Around the Arch," Blair's monthly admission publication aimed solely at giving you - the prospective student - a peek into the daily life of the Blair community. What an exciting few weeks we have experienced at Blair! Most recently, the New York Times featured an article entitled "Soccer as an Escape to Hope for Afghan Teenager" about Blair senior Shamila Kohestani. You can read more about Shamila and her amazing story in "Measures of Excellence". In addition, Guys and Dolls, the winter musical, debuted this weekend and garnered rave reviews from those who attended the show. Beginning today, Blair embarks upon one of the most anticipated and fun-filled weeks of the year: The Headmasters' Societies Competitions. The spirited tradition concluded last year with Team Howard emerging as the victor. Hopefully, the three other teams (Sharpe, Kelley, and Breed) will challenge for school-wide supremacy and ensure a lively, energetic week of excitement before exams. As you can see, it is yet another busy and exciting time of year at Blair, and we hope you enjoy learning about the latest happenings on campus.
-The Blair Admission Team
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Measures of Excellence
 Last month, during a Thursday morning Chapel service, student Shamila Kohestani shared her story with the Blair community. As an Afghani teenager, Shamila's journey to Blair Academy is quite special, one that involved a great deal of tenacity and courageousness. Shamila joined the student body in October, after catching the attention of faculty member Mrs. Carolyn Conforti-Browse during a summer soccer camp. In addition, a team of reporters from the New York Times attended the chapel service to document Shamila's speech. Prior to chapel, a writer, photographer, interpreter, and videographer shadowed Shamila for three days in order to capture the essence of her experience on campus: in class, at the dorm, around campus with her friends, on the basketball court. Last Monday, February 11, the New York Times published an article focusing on Shamila and her incredible story. The article outlines Shamila's courageous pursuit of soccer in Afghanistan, her development as a leader among an audacious group of girls, and her journey to Blair Academy. The following New York Times links will take you directly to the on-line version of the superb article and video as well as a slideshow of Shamila at Blair.
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What's Happening on Campus  The fifth annual Headmasters' Societies Competition begins today, and Team Howard, primed to become the first dynasty in Headmasters' history, looks to defend its championship run for the third year in a row. Blair students and faculty represent one of four teams named after four former Blair headmasters (Breed, Sharpe, Kelley, Howard). The week entails myriad afternoon intramural events which range from inner tube water polo to an egg toss, and they culminate with a talent show finale. New events include flag football, track meet, ceramics competition, Guitar Hero tournament, text twist, board game bonanza, and "Punt, Pass, and Kick." The team which, at the end of the week, receives the greatest total points will be awarded the Hardwick Trophy following the talent show. Last year's highlights included a last second goal in indoor soccer by Team Kelley's Travis '09; a monumental, first-time slam-dunk in the underclass basketball game by Brendan '09 of Team Breed; and a come-from-behind victory in chess by T.J. '10 from Team Kelley. The talent show featured an original video presentation and several musical performances, but Alex '09 won universal praise and first place honors with his Chinese yo-yo display.
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Blair on Stage  It has been a busy winter for the Blair Academy Players! The culminating event of the winter season took place on campus this weekend with three back-to-back evening performances of the production Guys and Dolls. Mr. Craig Evans, director, explains, "This beloved musical, written by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling and music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, is set in Damon Runyon's mythical New York City where some of Broadway's most legendary characters are assembled: Sarah Brown (played by senior Tina '08), the upright but uptight mission reformer who is trying to bring sinners to her local mission house; Sky Masterson (played by Dylan '08), the slick, high-rolling gambler who woos Sarah on a bet and ends up falling in love; Adelaide (played by Taylor '08), the chronically ill nightclub performer whose condition is brought on by her 14-year engagement; and Nathan Detroit (played by Andrew '08), her devoted fiancé, gambling his love to keep alive his floating crap game; gambler Nicely Johnson (played by Todd '08), whose heart is as big as his voice; Benny Southwest (played by Michael '09), trying to bring Detroit's crap game to fruition, and Arvide (played by Tyler '08), Sarah's uncle who tries to convince her to worry more about her heart than her soul." It was an exciting and captivating performance!
If you missed Guys and Dolls, next week will continue showcasing the Blair Academy Players' hard work over the winter season with yet another stellar production, Fortinbras. Ever wondered what happens after the curtain falls on Hamlet? Fortinbras, presented by the Blair Academy Players on February 21, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Wean Theatre of Armstrong-Hipkins Center for the Arts, is a clever comedy based on the characters in Shakespeare's timeless tragedy. Written by Lee Blessing, Fortinbras explores what happens to Hamlet's kingdom after he dies and his recommended successor, Fortinbras, takes over.
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Athlete in the Spotlight  Swim Coach Mr. Rick Clarke reports on Hayley's '10 success at the State swim meet on February 6th. In the 100 fly, she broke the school record with a time of 1:02.2, a time for which she earned fourth place at States. But the highlight of the meet was Hayley's 100 backstroke. Previously, she had broken the school record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:02.3 in the January 26th meet against Lenape Valley. At States, Hayley again broke her record and improved her time by a full 2 seconds to take 1st place at the meet with a time of 1:00.3! Also at the January 26th meet against Lenape Valley, Hayley and Jenna '10, along with Dymon '08 and Samantha '08, broke the standing school record for the 200 medley relay with a time of 2:30.6.
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A Closer Look at the Community  Blair believes that an integral part of learning a second language involves immersing oneself in a culture where the language is spoken. Although it does not require language immersion, the language department recognizes its importance and, in the past few years, has expanded the language curriculum outside of the classroom with a series of travel trips and international programs available to students during the March break and summer vacations.
The highlight of the language department excursions includes the Blair Summer School in Spain and Ecuador. This summer, department head Mr. Don Morley will spend five weeks with Spanish students of all levels in Segovia, Spain. Last summer he led a group to Cuenca, Ecuador, a location to which the program will return in the summer of 2009. Blair Summer School in Spain is an opportunity for students to continue their study of the Spanish language while living with a Spanish family. Students will spend approximately four weeks in Segovia where they will attend language classes while exploring the ancient city of Segovia and neighboring towns through daily excursions and field trips. Following the month long classroom and home stay portion of the trip, the Blair group will travel throughout Andalucia, the southern region of Spain. From El Alcazar and La Catedral of Sevilla to the Islamic Alhambra in Granada, students will experience the artistic, cultural, and religious history of Andalucia before making their way to the Metropolitan center of Spain, Madrid, for the final leg of the trip. Follow this link for a more detailed itinerary of the Blair Summer School in Segovia: Blair Summer School in Spain 2008.
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We hope this month's edition of "Around the Arch" provided you with an informative glimpse into the Blair community.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Haase, Mrs. Eckert, Mr. Posner, Ms. Machabanski, Mr. Clavel, Mr. Pearce, Mrs. Findlay, and Ms. Constantino |
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