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April 13, 2014
Greetings -
Let's take a glimpse at the week just past - it was an extra-special one, with the opportunity to welcome noted educator John Hunter and our Visiting Poet-in-Residence, Judyth Hill.
Learning about the World Peace Game
We were excited that John Hunter was coming to our school, but when he got here - wow! He is a soft-spoken man who greets everyone as if they are the most important person in the world, looks you in the eye, and remembers your name and the conversation you had. It is easy to see how his students have responded so positively to his leadership in creating the World Peace Game.
Prior to his visit on Thursday,  our fourth-eighth graders screened his acclaimed docu-mentary, "World Peace and Other Fourth-Grade Achievements". So they were ready with plenty of questions when he presented his story to them at an afternoon assembly. (Click the image for more photos.)
Among other queries, they asked how he was inspired to create the game, how long it takes to play, how it has affected the kids who've played it, and, has anyone ever lost the game? (no)
We were also happy to welcome middle school students from The Perkiomen School - their school made it possible for us to host
Mr. Hunter, in addition to the generous support of the Borgenicht Foundation.
And then he posed for a photo with Swain's own fourth graders!
On Thursday evening, Mr. Hunter made a second presentation for an open-to-the-public program. The audience viewed the documentary, and our guest graciously  shared more stories and fielded questions. Many thanks to everyone who came out for this interesting and influential program. (Click the image for more photos.)
Chris Burns, middle school history teacher, said his take-away from Mr. Hunter's visit was to remember to 'leave space in the classroom - to give time to ponder and reflect'. We're sure everyone took away their own inspirations from this creative educator!
You can see Mr. Hunter's TED Talk about the World Peace Game here.
This is what poetry looks like... at Swain!
Your personal recollection of studying poetry may be that of dull verse, about dreary topics. Visiting Poet-in-Residence Judyth Hill wants to help change that perception!
To Ms. Hill, poetry is a living, breathing way to share feelings and stories. With her infectious enthusiasm, she encourages Swain writers to dive deep and discover colorful phrases and engaging images.
For the past two weeks she has  worked with many classes to bring out the writing abilities each student has. A favorite part of her visit is when she comes to the Lower School Town Meeting, to share her students' writing with the rest of the community.
After a group rendition of the favorite, Isabelle - Isabelle, several classes performed their works for their friends. Even Mr. Armstrong got in the act with a 'poetic' thank you to Ms. Hill for her ninth annual visit to our school.
Thank you for reading our weekly e-newsletter!
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