What a busy week! Between 8th Grade Portfolio Night, the Tate's Regional Science Fair, home soccer games and the Medal of Honor Recipient "Joe" speaking to Middle School on Wednesday, the activity in the halls of ESK never seems to slow! Check it all out in this week's edition of Headlines!

Medal of Honor Recipient

ESK was honored to welcome Medal of Honor recipient Walter "Joe" Marm, Jr., to campus Wednesday morning. Marm made a presentation to fifth through eighth grade students about his experiences in the Vietnam War and also met specifically with ESK's eighth grade class as a part of their study of American history.  

Medal of Honor recipient Walter "Joe" Marm, Jr., speaks with ESK students Wednesday morning.

Marm received the Medal of Honor for his heroic action in the Vietnam War while serving in the Army's famed 7th Cavalry Regiment. On November 14, 1965, his company moved through thick underbrush to relieve isolated troops under heavy fire during the Battle of Ia Drang. Marm single-handedly attacked an enemy position, first silencing four North Vietnamese soldiers trying to outflank his unit's position. The Battle of Ia Drang was later memorialized in the book We Were Soldiers Once...and Young and the movie We Were Soldiers.

Marm was in Knoxville to be honored as part of the "In the Company of Heroes Luncheon" Wednesday afternoon at Cherokee Country Club.

3D Printer Arrives At ESK

Many thanks to our wonderful Parents' Association for the purchase of the school's new Replicator 2 3D printer from Makerbot. We have many great ideas and projects in store for our middle school students next year! After students identify a process, improvement, or need for a product, they will design, edit and refine a unique solution, then send it to the 3D printer to create an actual prototype. What a great way to start preparing our students to be tomorrow's innovators.

8th Grade Portfolio Night

The school community enjoyed 8th Grade Portfolio Night on Monday! For the year-long project, each student selected a topic of personal interest. He or she then wrote an MLA-style research paper that includes an interview with an expert, envisioned and carried out a service project, and produced an artifact related to their chosen topic. This year's projects run the gamut from hiking the Appalachian Trail to making cupcakes, and from Gone with the Wind to surfing.  

Headmaster Jay Secor speaks with Eighth Grader Michael Jones about his Portfolio Project.

Tate's Regional Science Fair

Several ESK Lower School students earned honors at the Tate's Regional Science Fair!

Tate's Regional Science Fair Winners: Back Row: Austin Rhea, Asher Brownlie, Henry Partridge, David Arnold, Leoni Kunz Front Row: Max Lancaster, Eleni Christopoulos, Leah Busby, Alexa McCarren

Henry Partridge: Wernher von Braun Award (best project about propulsion)

David Arnold: Bill Nye Award (best question)

Max Lancaster: Julius Wilbrand Award

Alexa McCarren: Thomas Alva Edison Award (sees new ways to address a question)

Eleni Christopoulos: Charles A. Spencer Award

Leah Busby: 3rd Place in Life Sciences, Third Grade

Leoni Kunz: 2nd Place in Life Science, Fifth Grade

Sydney Aikens, Asher Brownlie, Noor Musharbash, Caiden Bach-O'Donnell, Austin Rhea, and Ryan Steadman earned Fish Bowl Prizes.

Earth Day Chapel

ESK will celebrate Earth Day with a special, all-school outdoor chapel on Monday, April 22 at 10:30 a.m. Parents and families are invited to join students for this Holy Eucharist service. The service will feature recycled crosses made by the students, a skit from Eight Graders and a special song taught by Deb Sousa. Be sure to join us!

REMINDER: Early Dismissal on Friday, May 3

ESK is providing the venue for The Rotary Club of West Knoxville's First Annual Rocky Top Hummin' & Strummin' BBQ Cookoff on May 3 and 4. Because of the size of this event, school will dismiss at 11:30 a.m. on May 3. Please make this change on your calendars!

ESKamp

Looking for something to do this summer? ESK has just what you're looking for: ESKamp! During the month of June, ESK will be offering a number of enrichment summer camps ranging from technology and art to musical theater and dance. Open registration began this week! Reserve your spot NOW! The camps will run from June 3-28 with a morning and afternoon session. All camps, except for the all-day Music Theater camp, will be $150 per student. Online registration is now available at eskamp.org.

All-School News

Chess SuperNationals

ESK sent 7 players (Austin Rhea, José Vowell, Eliot Jolley, Phil Spates, Tono Vowell, Meg Quigley, and J.P. Quigley) to the 2013 SuperNationals V chess tournament held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, April 5-7. With 5,335 participants, the 2013 SuperNationals beat the previous record to become the world's largest over-the-board chess tournament. Held once every 4 years, this event brought competitors from every grade level to compete under one roof at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. Participants came from 47 states, plus Washington DC and Puerto Rico. The ESK Team won the trophy for their 30th place finish in the K-5 Under 900 Category.

ESK Fourth Grader Megan Quigley contemplates her next move during a match at the 2013 SuperNationals. Picture courtesy of The Tennessean.

Yearbook Orders

The 2012-13 ESK Yearbook will be delivered on Monday, May 13. There's still time to purchase one! Fill out an order form (available online and in the LS and MS offices) and return the form to Communications Director Melissa Anderson. You can order up until the day the books arrive! The cost for a yearbook is $40.

Speech Services at ESK

ESK is proud to offer the services of Speech Language Pathologist Stacy McLemore to our students and families. McLemore is on campus two days a week and can offer a wide range of services including Speech/Articulation Evaluation and Treatment, Language and Auditory Processing Evaluation and Treatment, Behavior Rating Scales and Phonological Awareness Treatment. For more information or to schedule a time to meet with Mrs. McLemore, either contact the LS office or email mclemore@esknoxville.org.

"I have 15 years experience working with school-age children and truly love the work I've done with students at The Episcopal School," McLemore said. "It is a great environment and I look forward to the opportunity to work with more ESK students."

Talent Show Coming!

Save the date for the ESK Lower School Talent Show scheduled for Tuesday, April 30, from 1:30-3:00 p.m. in the Kline Gymnasium. A required practice will be held on Monday, April 22, right after school from 3:00-5:00 p.m. Those interested in participating should pick up a form in the Lower School Office. For more information, please contact Ghadeer Musharbash: 803-2424 or Ghadeer3@aol.com.

9th Annual Saints' Gala

Save the Date: May 11! Invitations for The 9th Annual Saints' Gala, "An Evening on the Hilltop, Celebrating the Flavors of Tennessee," have been mailed! If you would like to be a Sponsor click on the link: Join Me at the Gala! The auction and dinner are the school's largest fundraiser to help provide students with the tools for Technology, Athletics, Library Resources, and Fine Arts for each classroom. The Episcopal School will host a fun-filled evening with fresh food stations to represent products within the state of Tennessee. If you would like to be a sponsor, donate an item, or just volunteer please contact Alice Smith, Director of Special Events, at 218-4494.

Upcoming Field Days

All families - please mark your calendars for upcoming Field Days! All field days are 12-3 p.m. More details will follow. Parent volunteers will be a must to make these annual events a success! Please contact Lower School Gym Teacher Pansie Evans via email at evans@esknoxville.org, with any questions. Mrs. Evans is in need of the following items: baby wipe containers, giant stuffed animals, clown costumes/props. Check your basements and attics to see if you can donate to the fun!

3-5th Grade: Friday, April 26 - MINUTE TO WIN IT!

K-2nd Grade: Monday, May 6 - UNDER THE BIG TOP CARNIVAL

Middle School: Friday, May 17

Annual Fund Celebration!

Win this happy bash! As an incentive to achieve 100% participation in the Annual Fund, the development office is offering a party to the grade with the highest parent participation level by May 9. Parents of the winning class will be invited to a reception in the Siler Great Hall at 6 p.m. on May 15, hosted by members of the Executive Committee of the Board. The evening will include light fare and drinks with childcare provided by our Aftercare staff. Everyone will have a good time!

Here are the current participation levels for each class:

K - 27%

1 - 31%

2 - 16 %

3 - 30 %

4 - 51%

5 - 30 %

6 - 20%

7 - 28%

8 - 27%

Please keep in mind that a Gala Sponsorship or donation goes toward Annual Fund participation, and that tables are still available for sponsorship at the Gala.

Lower School News

The Mystery of the Stolen Celery Man

The Third Grade "Mystery Unit" kicked off on Monday when Mrs. Jenkins' classroom became a "Crime Scene." Students were shocked to find that the "Celery Character Pocket Chart" was stolen from their room while they were in PE class. Students found a red handprint in its place when they returned to the classroom Monday. Students in Mrs. Jenkins' class have become detectives to discover the culprit. An exhaustive suspect list was made of people with motives, and students have begun checking out people's alibis around the school. Students are also finding clues to help them narrow down the list. Check back next week to see how "The Mystery of the Stolen Celery Man" (self-titled) unfolds.  

Mrs. Jenkins' Third Grade class at the scene of the crime.

Acrostic Poems

On Friday afternoon, Mrs. Ottaviano's First Grade class welcomed their Fourth Grade book buddies for a fun afternoon. The Fourth Grade students from Mrs. Bornemann's class helped their buddies write acrostic poems. An acrostic poem uses the letters in a topic word to begin each line. All lines of the poem should relate to or describe the poem. These poems are fun to write and don't have to rhyme. The students enjoyed picking one of their favorite things to write about and then collaborating to write a poem!  

First Grader Celeste Urdal works with her Fourth Grade book buddy on an acrostic poem.

Liles Acres Field Trip

Second Grade students in Mrs. Tyler's and Mrs. Thurman's classes took a field trip Friday to Liles Acres, located in Maryville, Tenn. Liles Acres is a year-round working farm and educational facility, producing eggs, fruit, vegetables & honey. The owners, Sheri and Russell Liles, also produce llama & Angora rabbit yarn, compost and generate solar energy. The students had the opportunity to feed several of the animals, including chickens, and to get an up-close look at how the solar panels generate electricity for the farm. The students also visited the organic garden and tasted kale!

Second Grade students had the chance to feed the llamas as Liles Acres Farm in Maryville, Tenn.

Magnetic Properties

In Mrs. Hoover's Fourth Grade class this week, students used metal filings and magnets to study the different properties and the strength of magnets. The class is in the middle of a unit on magnets.  

Fourth Grader Adam Wise experiments with a magnets effect on metal filings.

Middle School News

Eighth Graders Shine at Hunt for History

Students in the ESK Eighth Grade class spent this past Sunday afternoon bringing life to historic Tennesseans as part of the annual Hunt for History at Old Gray Cemetery. Dressed in period costumes, the students portrayed several of the notable persons buried there. Old Gray Cemetery is the final resting place of many historical figures including numerous statesmen, 27 past mayors, and veterans of the Union and Confederate armies. Families, friends and others strolled throughout the cemetery, stopping to ask the characters questions and to learn about their lives. The students were very effective with both their costumes and knowledge of the historic figures. Great job!

The ESK Eighth Grade class poses for a picture at Sunday's Hunt for History at Old Gray Cemetery.

Family Crests

All Eighth Grade students have recently completed a project on their ancestry by researching their own family tree and their family crest. This has helped them understand that the United States is a land of immigrants. Some of the students are second-generation immigrants while some can trace their roots back to ancestors coming over in the 1600s and have origins from all around the globe.

Eighth Graders show off their family tree and crests projects. Back Row: Jonathan Adams, Meggie Bertoli, Sarah Jane Kline, Riley Denton Front Row: Chandler Buhl, Mary Emily Lauver, Madison Howell, Michael Jones

Portfolio Project Concert

ESK is hosting a concert Friday night, April 19, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. featuring ESK eighth grade students, alumni, faculty and special guests to support radio station WDVX, 89.9 Clinton, 93.3 Seymour, and 102.9 Knoxville. Tickets are $5.

Eighth grader Eli Fox organized the concert as a service component of his Portfolio Project. Classmates Devin Badgett, Chandler Buhl, Alex Daley, will join Eli on stage as well as faculty member, Mr. Bower, alumnus Briston Maroney, and Eli's guitar instructor, Ed Wing. The evening is sure to be loads of fun for a good cause. We hope to see you there!

Middle School Trips

Students in Sixth through Eighth Grade will depart on their annual class trips next week. The Eighth Graders will leave Tuesday morning for Washington D.C. and return Friday, while the Seventh and Sixth Grade trips will be Wednesday through Friday. Seventh Grade students will do service work here in Knoxville while Sixth Grade students will head to Chattanooga. Be sure to stay tuned to Headlines, Facebook and Twitter for updates and pictures from each of the trips!