June 1, 2014 Greetings: Welcome to our fifth edition of Focus on the World, a special issue of our weekly Swain Stories e-newsletter that bring you news of our global studies initiatives - enjoy! Sixth graders wrap up Jr. Model UN program  As part of their year-long participation in the Jr. Model UN program, 17 sixth graders traveled to Temple University for the third - and final - conference at Temple University. There they had the opportunity to present, debate, amend and vote on final policy resolutions for such real- world challenges as "Gender Equality and Economic Development" and "Infectious Diseases". Five of our students claimed awards for their presentations, among the over 300 who attended. Well done - the future is in good hands!
Stephanie Smith introduces us to "Mandalas"
We were introduced to the art of  "Mandala" (man-DAL-uh) on Wednesday, by local artist and educator Stephanie Smith, our most recent Visiting Artist. In two division- level presentations (plus one for adults and students after school), she shared the history, symbolism, and methods of creating a Mandala. They are often seen as a form of meditation and peace-building. See more of her work here. Ms. Smith visited many classrooms during her visit, and the students were given an opportunity to create a small contribution to a larger, community-wide Mandala. We will share it with you when it is completed! We are grateful to the Borgenicht Foundation for making her visit possible. Annual Field Day 'goes global'For the past couple of years, physical education teacher Carole Henning has taken inspiration from our year-long theme, "Creating Global Citizens", when planning annual Field Day activities.
 Some of the countries and areas that provided ideas included Greece, England, Switzerland, and the Middle East. Middle school students first shared information about the country or region, including geography, language, and culture. Then they introduced the younger students to the game and helped manage it.
As an example, the Middle East - home to the camel - inspired a water-relay game. At Michael L's  suggestion, each team had the opportunity to earn bonus cups of water by identifying three languages from the region (Turkish, Arabic, Persian) and how the camel stores water (in her bloodstream). Then it was on to the business of which team could fill its tub first - wet, wild and lots of fun for all involved!
The day also included morning field games for the middle school, All-School picnic (thanks to the Swain Association!), Jump Rope for Heart fund raiser, distribution of our new yearbooks, and the "Moving Up Dance" for all 5th-8th graders, held Friday evening in the courtyard. Many more photos here! A very long - and very fun - day at Swain!
This Week on Facebook...
If you're not a regular viewer of our Facebook posts, here is our top post of the week*:
 The Bethlehem Municipal Band - under the direction of our technology director, Don Kemmerer - spent the weekend in Washington, DC performing as part of the National Memorial Day Concert Series. Mr. Kemmerer (in the white jacket at right) and Swain Band Director Caitlin Worrich (who plays trombone in the Muni Band) enjoyed this opportunity to play at the Air Force Memorial.
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