Winterim–Backcountry Camping

Our Backcountry hiking course is designed for the high purpose of experiencing and observing self and nature for the improvement and appreciation of both. Some excellent benefits of this course are personal health, maturity, and independence. We’ll also learn some practical survival skills and have an adventure. During our two weeks together we’ll spend time learning about gear, practices, principles and philosophies of hiking. We’ll also take several hiking trips, each one longer than the last, culminating with a 3 night backcountry hike in the Apalachicola National Forest in Florida. This year we have 7 young men participating and having a great time. Hammock camping is the way to go!!

Aside from on campus training, we had three main off campus events. First, we attended a training session at Dunbar Cave with ranger John Ball. We hiked at LBL, making a 5 mile loop to test our gear. Then we headed down to Florida and hiked 12 miles to a backcountry campsite in the Apalachicola National Forest.
We camped and hiked and learned about backpacking and prepping for survival in the wilderness. We got to know each other better and had a great time and got some great memories. This was a wonderful experience for our students. When asked about their trip a couple of the students commented,
“It was like a reset for my brain, so I can come back and I don’t take for granted the things I have.”
-Landon Bailey
“Keep your head up and look at the world around you”
-Tyler Lucas

Winterim–Intermediate School Cougar Connections

Intermediate School Cougar Connections Winterim (CCW) is off to a great start.  Students are participating in ten different small group rotations each day.  These rotations are designed to meet all different learners and interests.  CCW is a great opportunity to take students to the next level in their learning.  They are problem solving, engineering, actively moving, thinking outside the box, learning about themselves, and exploring future career options and more.  Each of the rotations below are 30 minutes each day.  Then, students end the day with their advisor, a teacher assigned to them for support, discussing the day’s events and discoveries.  Advisors will continue to meet with students throughout the second semester to check in on their academic progress and to offer support navigating the middle school years.

Music– Ms. Thomas is working with students to explore all the different aspects of music in cinematography.  They are exploring different jobs and how movies use music in careers.
Lower School Mentoring– Coach Daniels is using team building concepts and games to have our students mentor and encourage our 3rd-5th grade children to work together.
Lower School Mentoring (2)– Ms. Procter is using literature and the library resources to mentor our PreK-2nd grades children.  These groups are focusing on ideas of empathy, kindness, and leadership.
Escape Games- Mrs. Trent’s rotation is using problem solving and critical thinking to solve math puzzles and compete in Escape Games.
STEM (2 groups)– Coach Welch and Mrs. King are utilizing the Maynard Makerspace to have students plan and engineer the design and building of parachutes and rockets from various materials provided.
Career Exploration– Coach Hughes is facilitating the exploration of top careers in different fields.  This group will not only explore the careers, but also hear from multiple guest speakers that are working in some of the fields they are researching.
Clarksville History– Ms. Kretz is walking her students through the history Clarksville and landmarks right here in their city.  This rotation will also feature historians as guest speakers.
Team Building– Coach Miles has each group creating and developing a PE game as a team.  Each team must design their game and then the different groups will play the games.  Some of the games may even be put into our PE rotations!
Reading and Research– Mrs. Wall’s rotations are reading various texts and articles to support the focus concepts for each of the grade levels.  Each grade level is focusing on a concept.  Sixth grade is focusing on empathy, seventh grade is focusing on kindness, and eighth grade is focusing on leadership skills that will take them to high school.
Each day we will add photos and brief descriptions from a variety of these activities.

 


Students had to try to flip the blanket without leaving the blanket.
Looking at short stories in new and exciting ways.
 
In STEM student created rocket ships, roller coasters, and parachutes!
In PE each group is designing their own game.
Our Cougar Connection groups participated in a “Collaborative Art Project”. They each started with a blank piece of paper and were prompted on a subject. They had about 2 minutes to draw then every 2 minutes they passed their sheet and the next classmate added to the sheet until all the sheets made their way around room.

IS students worked with LS students on a Marshmallow challenge.  Students were given 50 marshmallows and 50 toothpicks and asked to make the tallest free standing structure possible.

During STEM Challenges this week, 6th grade created and tested parachute designs and catapults, 7th grade created and tested rockets and 8th designed roller coasters and created and tested containers for the egg drop challenge.

 


After reading an excerpt from “Out Of My Mind”, students road in a wheelchair to have the experience of not talking and not being able to move.

The Cougar Connection groups participated in “Get to know you balloons”. They each wrote a question on a strip of paper then inserted it into the balloon, blew it up & tied it. They had a few minutes to pass the balloons around before popping them. They then took turns reading the question they ended up with and sharing their response.

Interactive reading to Lower School students provided a fun activity for both age groups.


Winterim–Entrepreneurship

Over the next two weeks students will learn what means to be an entrepreneur.  They will meet with local leaders, small business owners and financial advisors to learn what it takes to begin a small business. The culmination of their work will be to produce and sell a self crafted soda.

 

Day 1: Students began by getting to know one another, dream casting their ideas and learning about leadership theory.  We began by playing Jenga–with a twist; the task was to encourage one another so that all 15 students would get a turn, and on each block there was an icebreaker question.  Students were separated into three business groups by random draw and this will be their small business team for the week. Groups later toured campus to decide on the best use of the funds raised through their business venture–where and how can they give back to CA?  The afternoon was spent in a master-class in leadership theory led by CA Alumna Erica Christmas.


Day 2: Students traveled to the Escape Game in Clarksville to try their luck at problem solving, team bonding and identifying leadership skills of their group members.  After successfully escaping all four rooms, students travelled to the Ft. Campbell Outdoor Recreation center  to participate in the Odyssey Challenge Course, a ropes course activity.  This course was just another way to learn team work, community building and leadership in their groups.

 


Day 3: The group traveled to Thrive Creative Group to speak with owner Lorilee Rager and her team.  Mrs. Rager provided the group with a wealth of information on marketing and branding.  After lunch, students returned to campus to brainstorm product names, marketing strategies and branding opportunities.


Day 4: The group travelled to Project 2231 to tour Miss Lucille’s, Belle Hollow, ACME Athletics, and The City Forum. We heard from Clifford who told us the story behind each business venture, and the students came out with a new appreciation for all of the hard work that goes into the entertainment business. We bowled, ate delicious pizza, and played in the arcade before returning to CA to finish our work for the day.


Day 5: The group heard from three key figures in the entrepreneur community in Clarksville: Janie Manning, owner of NBalance Yoga Studio; Austin Cherry, CA alumnus and owner of Cherry’s Custom Concrete; and Lorneth Peters, Director of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at APSU. The students listened to a panel discussion and an open Q&A session afterward. Later that morning the group walked over to F&M Bank to hear from Nelson Boehms about small business financing options for emerging entrepreneurs. After a meal at Blackhorse, they headed back to CA to work within roles to develop graphics, marketing strategies, sales plans, and more.

DAY 6:

We had a big time brewing our sodas at Kings Bluff Brewery! Dustin Brewer gave us lots of details about how his business operates and what they stand for in our community. The groups will brew Root Beer, Orange and Grape Sodas!  Stay tuned!

Winterim–History & Government

Over the next two weeks, students will explore local history and learn more about government right here in Montgomery County.  Each day will be filled with interesting presentations and local trips to visit historical sites.

 

Day 1: The group welcomed CA Alum Mr. William Parker from Fort Defiance. Mr. Parker discussed importance of the Fort during the Civil War. Our afternoon was spent discussing guest speakers and trips scheduled during our two week adventure.


Day 2: The group hosted Mr. Don Horton, Civil War scholar who arrived in full frontiersman attire carrying a 12 pound musket! He discussed Land Grants, local historic figures and important sites in the Montgomery County area. Susan Hawkins, Park Ranger from Fort Donelson briefed the class on the importance of Fort Donelson and the impact of the Union’s capture of the Fort and taking control of the Cumberland River. Ranger Hawkins brought a traveling trunk of Civil War memorabilia, including a Confederate Uniform and various accessories carried by soldiers in the day. Student Thomas Wilson was kind enough to model one of the uniforms.  The group begins preparations to visit Fort Donelson on Day 3.


Day 3: Our Local History Group had a beautiful day to be outside as we visited Fort Donelson National Battlefield! Our guide was awesome, and we had an amazing time. Tours of the National Battlefield, the Upper and Lower Battery sites where the Confederacy launched artillery attacks on Union ironclad ships was a real highlight. Also, a refurbished Dover Hotel on the banks of the Cumberland river was an interesting stop. The Dover Hotel was the site where the Confederates surrendered Fort Donelson to Ulysses S. Grant. What a great day!

 


Days 4 & 5:

The group toured Fort Defiance and learned of the Fort’s importance to Clarksville and the war effort. Earthen mounds, cannons and a breathtaking view of Downtown Clarksville were the highlights of the trip. Local Relics and Treasures presented by Mr. Collins gave students the opportunity to see “vintage” collectibles from days gone by. CA Alum, Mr. William Parker visited our classroom and presented “A Soldiers Burden”, which depicted a day in the life of a Civil War soldier. What a great first week! Looking forward to learning more about local and state government next week!

 

Day 6:

Dr. Dewey Browder, Professor Emeritus from Austin Peay State University, and WWII scholar visited our group to discuss WWII and the Holocaust. Thanks to Dr. Browder for his awesome presentation! After the lecture, the group returned to Fort Defiance to help clear brush and tree limbs from the Park entrance. We are having a great time learning about history and participating in community service!


Day 7:

The Local History and Government Group participated in a City/County Government presentation led by EDC Director Jeff Truitt, Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts, and County Mayor Jim Durrett.

Mayor Pitts and Mayor Durrett focused on City/County Government, and Mr. Truitt discussed the Economic Development of Clarksville and Montgomery County. Students learned how our local governments interact with one another to provide the people of Clarksville/Montgomery County the many services that we use and experience on a regular basis. Special thanks to Mr. Truitt for organizing this educational opportunity for our students!

Day 8:

What a Day! The group traveled to Nashville to tour the Tennessee State Capitol. The State House, Senate and Supreme Court Chambers were awesome. We were hosted by District 67 State Representative Jason Hodges, who extended the tour to include the Cordell Hull Offices and Committee Hearing rooms. As a special treat, each student received a copy of this year’sTennessee Blue Book, which honored the 100th anniversary of Women’s Suffrage in Tennessee! Many thanks to Representative Hodges for taking time out of his busy schedule to show our students around the State Capitol.

Day 9: Our group visited the Montgomery County Election Commission. Elizabeth Black presented information about the Election Process and how Elections are administered. Voter Registration and the upcoming elections were also discussed. After our visit to the Election Commission, we walked over to the Montgomery County Archives to learn about the many historical documents and manuscript collections that are housed within the archives. Students learned about the document preservation process as well. Finally, we toured the Public Library where students were shown the many services offered by our Library, as well as the many technological upgrades that have been installed. Many thanks to all of these agencies for the time taken to educate our group on the services offered by our County Government!
Day 10: The last day of Winterim. The group toured the Pratt Museum at Fort Campbell. We enjoyed seeing the many exhibits that focused primarily on WWII and the Vietnam War. We have had a great two weeks together. I hope that our students learned something about our local history, and understand the importance of all the many treasures that we have right here in our surrounding areas! Thank You to our presenters, students and parents for allowing me the opportunity to spend the past two weeks with these fine students.

Winterim–Journalism & Media

The Journalism Winterim is exploring what Journalism and Media are, and what a Journalist does. Over the two weeks of Winterim, we will meet with journalists, photojournalists, and editors to ask questions and learn about their jobs. By the end of our class, the students will write, take photos, and edit a small CA newspaper.

 

Day 1 was spent brainstorming ideas for our publication and getting to know one another. Day 2 the group travelled to The Leaf Chronicle to speak with Editor, Chris Smith about the importance of the newspaper and the different aspects of journalism.


Journalism students met Jennifer Babich, an investigative journalist with The Leaf Chronicle, who also has experience in radio and TV. She spoke to us about her experiences and answered questions on various journalism topics.

Winterim–Web Game Development

A group of CA students and one teacher are spending the next two weeks immersed in a web game development and coding experience at Austin Peay State University.  This group of students will build their own computer game from start to finish.  Follow along as they explore the world of gaming, programming and coding!

 

Day 1: Mrs. Hardison introduced the group to the facilities at APSU and to their instructor for the course.  The students were eager to learn and found themselves designing the beginning elements for their game.

Senior Jacopo Manini– “I thought that the first day of the camp was really fun and interesting. I have never done anything with coding and am learning that I might be interested in a career with creating video games. We are learning a lot about the Unity engine and the C# language. These are key to know for anyone who might be interested in computer science and engineering. Thank you so much for offering this possibility and class!”

Junior Jackson Trotter–“This is Clarksville Academy’s first winterim, so I didn’t exactly know what to expect. I have had prior experience and interest in computer science but was unfamiliar with game development which motivated me to join this particular winterim. The first day was extremely interesting and was an excellent way to start off this experience. I am excited to see what the rest of these two weeks entail!”



In the first two days of coding camp the students have learned how to create a car in a virtual world using the Unity game engine. They were able to access the store to add features such as rocks, and trees to their game. The students have learned that it takes a lot of time to program a simple task such as moving a car forward. They also learned how to move their car in different directions to avoid objects in the road and apply different camera views to their games. They finished their first lesson and  Wednesday will start on their second project. The students are paired up in teams and will begin thinking about a game that they would like to develop.
“The camp is extremely insightful and makes me appreciate the amount of time and effort it takes to create video games. Even the simplest tasks are not so easy. “- Senior, Brennen Morrow

Day 3: Today the group began their second project where they learned how to install characters, animals, and food into a game. They also learned how to move these objects and eventually were able to have the player throw food at the animals. In the afternoon they were given time to work on their group game development.

 
“We learned multiple aspects of coding today, such as the use of prefabricated items by throwing them. It was quite informative and I’ve learned so much about coding in just this short amount of time.” -Silas Elder, CA Junior
 
“We learned how projectiles are created and how to allow other objects in the scene to move besides the player. I never knew anything about coding but I’ve learned and retained a lot in these 3 days.” -Dalton Daniels, CA Junior 

Day 4: Today they finished their second challenge in the Unity Gaming Engine called Fetch. In this challenge they had to attempt to get balls to randomly fall from the sky and then send their dog out to catch them before they hit the ground. We will start our next challenge tomorrow. The students are powering through and learning how it can take hours to complete a simple coding activity.

 


Winterim—Hawaiian Islands

A group of seven CA students and one teacher are visiting the Hawaiian Islands as part of the Winterim experience. Each day they will have immerse themselves in Hawaiian culture and lifestyle.  You can follow their experience on Instagram: @CAHawaii2020

Day 1 was a travel day and the group safely arrived in Hawaii!
Day 2, Written By: CA Senior, Akanee Angel,
Aloha CA family! After a long day of travel, we are writing to you from the beautiful beaches of Oahu, Hawaii.  Our first day on the island was filled to the brim with ocean water, pineapples, and cheeseburgers. We started off Winterim with a walk along Waikiki Beach, and right before we got on our tour bus, we met the most adorable dog named Breadfruit. (Seriously, go look at him. @alohabreadfruit) Our bus driver took us through the island of Oahu towards the district of Ko Olina. Here, we boarded the sailboat and started our journey of snorkeling. The constant breeze of the ocean paired with the enveloping warmth of the sun made the perfect relaxing environment.
The first part of the boat ride was focused on animal watching. We saw a mother and baby humpback whale and a pod of six dolphins! Once we reached our snorkeling destination, we dressed in our gear and jumped into the ocean. With most of our group being first-time snorkelers, there was a learning curve; we love to talk about how we “slurped up” the salt water multiple times. The one experienced diver on our trip––Dorothy––was even able to touch the sea floor. We saw almost every fish from Finding Nemo, and we were greeted by an adorable sea turtle. Following our snorkeling adventure, we ate Hawaiian barbecue on our way back. Akanee and Lily, overestimating their ability to control lettuce, lost much of it to the sea.
Driving back to our hotel, we decided we needed an outlet for all of our peers to see our adventures, so we made an Instagram, @cahawaii2020. Here you will see our rainbows and dinners of the day, along with the highlights of our trip.
At the end of the long day, we just wanted some comfort food, so we walked to a local restaurant called Rainbow’s Drive-in. This was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. We talked for hours about snorkeling, airplanes, and crazy pet stories while enjoying our cheeseburgers and fries.
Our first day in paradise blew away our expectations, and we can’t wait to see what the rest of our Winterim holds.
 
Day 3: Written by CA Junior, Nicole Currie
Aloha, To start off our day, we went to Waikiki beach to watch the sun rise. Then, we drove through Ko’olau Mountain range, experiencing a beautiful view of the mountains.  We arrived at Kualoa Ranch for a horseback riding tour. This is the ranch where many movies and tv shows like Jurassic Park, 50 First Dates, George of the Jungle, Jumanji, Hawaii Five-0, Lost, and many others were filmed.  The land was owned by King Kamehameha III and it is considered to be one of the most sacred places on the island of Oahu. Over the hour, we saw lots of plants and trees, and the view over the ocean blew us away. Our horses had names like Napoleon, Monet, Blue, Cappuccino, and Waimea. After, we grabbed lunch at North Shore Tacos. Even though this was a little shack off the road, these fresh tacos were the best we’ve ever eaten. We went on after on a hike to Waimea Valley Botanical Gardens and Waterfall.   The park holds educational presentations and workshops on Hawaiian Culture and history highlighting the surrounding lands, animals, and different species of tropical plant life.  After our mile hike, we swam in a thirty foot deep waterfall. The waterfall was so beautiful and refreshing. We finished off the day by relaxing under the sun and watching the sunset at Haleiwa Beach on the North Shore.

Day 4 Written by Senior Lily Butler:
Greetings from Hawaii!
This morning we woke up to what locals call liquid sunshine. The sun was shining bright with heavy rain showers, bringing a new rainbow to the sky. We started the day off with a trip down the street to Leonardo’s Bakery where we bought fresh malasadas, which are Portuguese donut, for our car ride to Pearl Harbor. We all enjoyed the warm, sugary, fried dough and ordered different types, including cinnamon and custard-filled. I think we came to a consensus that they were not even comparable to our local Shipley’s! When we arrived at Pearl Harbor, the wind was strong as we waited for our tour to begin. Leah tried to trick the birds into thinking she had food when she threw leaves to them, and they actually fell for it for a little while! Our tour began with a moving film on the historical context and details of the tragic Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. We took a ferry ride to go by the remains and monument of the USS Arizona, but we did not actually enter the monument, as the wind was too strong for the sailors to pull up close to the building. Instead, one of the Navy sailors narrated our boat ride and we learned about the architecture of the memorial. It’s shape (a rectangle with a dip in the middle) represents our country’s pride and ultimate victory, as the way it dips in the middle symbolizes the Great Depression and the upward slope signifies our return to prosperity. After this inspirational look at our nation’s history, we headed to the Dole Plantation. We boarded the Pineapple Express and learned about Hawaiian agriculture and Dole’s history. Specifically, we were fascinated by the origin of pineapples. They are believed to come from Paraguay before spreading into Mexico. Historians hold a likely theory that pineapples reached Hawaii due to a Spanish shipwreck off the Hawaiian coast that brought the tools and items necessary for pineapples to be grown in Hawaii. Today, pineapple is popular worldwide and is commonly known as a symbol of hospitality. We tried Dole Whip after our train ride, and it was basically summer in a cone! About 88% of us were immediate fans of the pineapple treat, but we still decided to stop for lunch at Uncle Bo’s as we approached the North Shore. After lunch, we browsed the surrounding shops and saw lots of cool stuff! So far we’ve noticed that Hawaiians are quite fond of SPAM, as there are SPAM recipe books in nearly every store. We rode back to the hotel and let down the windows to feel the soft breeze. Everyone planned to go to the pool, but the wind made it a bit chilly so we watched television together for a while. Later on, we made a light night trip downstairs for the hotel’s Taco Tuesday before turning in for the night. This day only made us more excited about the adventures to come on our Winterim!

Day 5:  Written by Senior, Skylar Baggett
Aloha! Today was our 5th day on the beautiful island of Oahu. We started our day by going to our favorite donut (malasada) shop, Leonard’s Bakery.  Check out Leonards story on their website,  https://www.leonardshawaii.com/about/ .  After that, we went to Hawaii’s largest open air flea market at the University of Hawaii football Aloha Stadium where there were rows of at least 300 local merchants with art, hand made items, Hawaiian local snacks and lots of souvenirs. There was sporadic rainfall throughout our time here, but fortunately we could stand under the vendors’ tents. While we were shopping, most of us decided to get Henna tattoos. Before our next stop, we decided to go eat at Popeyes. After we sparked a debate about the chicken sandwiches at Popeyes VS Chick Fil A, we went to the #1 rated beach in the US, Kailua Beach. We learned that ocean water is salty because acid in rainfall breaks down rocks on land, causing the particles to be carried away into the ocean. We spent the rest of our day body surfing, diving into waves and basking in the sun.
Day 6 Written by Junior, Leah Hayes

Aloha everyone ! Today we visited the Polynesian Culture Center in Lā’ie, Hawaii. When we arrived, our tour guide walked us through the different islands that make up the Polynesian triangle. The Polynesian Triangle includes: Tahiti, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Marquesas, Easter Island, and Hawaii. It is located in the Pacific Ocean and is approximately 16 million square miles.

New Zealand- This is a Western culture that is influenced by unique environments. We learned that one of their native hand shakes involve shaking hands and putting their foreheads together.
Samoa- There are three main parts in the Samoan culture, that is faith, family, and music. Our guide told us that the people of Samoa are very strict on what roles men and women have in life. Men are the ones who were in the kitchen. They produced fire and the food while it was considered disrespectful for women to be in the kitchen.
Tonga- Tongans are closely related to the Samoans and are located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. We learned that agriculture is the mainstay of the Tongan economy. Coconuts and bananas are the main cash crops.
Fiji- The Fijian culture is a rich and colorful culture. We learned that the kings temple had four entrances. Two of the entrances were for regular Fijian people, one was for the kings servants and guards, and the last one was only for the king. If anyone was caught coming in or leaving through the kings door, they would most likely be put to death.
Marquesas- The Marquesas Islands are home to a modest population of people. They are said to be the finest craftsmen throughout French Polynesia. We learned that they create large and excellent carvings along with tattoos and jewelry.
After we toured the different cultures, we went to a luau.  A luau is a traditional Hawaiian feast accompanied by entertainment. We tried Kalua pig which was cooked in the ground for many hours, lomi salmon, poi, ahi poke, and delicious desserts.  While we ate, we learned about Queen Liliuokalani the last monarchy of Hawaii.  The Polynesian dancers performed the hula to many of the songs that were written by the queen while she was imprisoned. After we ate we headed to the Pacific Theater where they performed “Hā: Breath of Life” which tells a story of soul, the spirit of aloha, and ohana which means family.

Day 7: Written by CA Senior, Dorothy Deeds
We started off our day with a beautiful hike at Diamond Head. Diamond Head was a volcano than went dormant and turned into a crator. The view from the top of the mountain was breathtaking. It is estimated the cone is anywhere from 400,000 to 500,000 years old.  We were able to see the entirety of the crator as well as the mountains and ocean surrounding O’ahu.  After the hike we enjoyed some delicious food.  Most of the group had pizza made in a hawaiian fashion and the others enjoyed fresh sushi. The next thing on our to do list was to snorkel at Hanauma Bay.  Hanauma Bay was also a volcano at one point but over hundreds and thousands of years was worn down by the ocean to create a bay that inhabits many different species.  It is a pristine marine ecosystem that is protected by the city of Honolulu. Every visitor must watch a nine minute video so they can learn about the marine life, preservation and safety rules for the park. After we laid out on the beach for a while, we headed back to our hotel in Waikiki. We decided to shower up and walk down the street from our hotel and and find some dinner. We ended up eating at OMG, Oahu Mexican Grill and had some delicious nachos, tacos, burritos, salads, and quesadillas. Now it is time to hit the hay and get some rest for our busy day tomorrow!

Day 8 Written by Senior Nadiya Stowe:
Before we start our journey to the museum , we go to Starbucks, the ABC Store, and the laundry mat. The laundry mat was either self service or drop off service. It was something new and fun for most of us. We went to the Iolani Palace. The Palace had many different rooms such as: the blue room, gold room, imprisonment room – which was the emotional room, a library, guest rooms, informal dining room, and more. This was the last of Hawaii’s kingdom because Americans annexed them to a U.S. territory in 1893 with Queen Liliokalani being the queen. In 1959 Hawai’i became the 50th state.   After the museum, we went out to eat and headed to Makaha beach. The beach had huge blue waves that swept us off our feet. There were surfers and people on boogie boards. It was quite a fun and funny experience. We stayed at the beach until sunset and went to our hotel to shower. We got dinner and we were in for the night!

Day 9 Written by Senior Akanee Angel:
Aloha! Today, we boarded a forty minute flight, and Kona and the Big Island welcomed us with some sprinkling rain and the outdoor airport. The Big Island of Hawai’i is about 4,050 square miles about the size of Connecticut but continues to grow every day from the very active volcano, Kīlauea. We boarded our second rental car, which we named the Yacht. On our way to the hotel, we drove down a road lined with black lava fields, goats, and mongoose.   The lava fields were made when the lava cools quickly it forms a extrusive igneous rock. Our resort, the Hilton Waikoloa, is incredible—there are three different wings with a lagoon and connected with a tram service. Once we checked in, we explored the shopping center near the resort. Then we got in the Yacht and drove around the island. The craziest view was on the main highway: it was once again lined with lava fields, but on the left was the ocean and beach, and the right housed a mountain, Mauna Kea with snow on top. Yes, snow in Hawaii! Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain on Hawaii at 13,803 feet above sea level.   After the tiring day, we retired early and enjoyed a good night sleep before an early morning. The Big Island is very different from Oahu. It is much less touristy, and there is so much open land. It makes it easier to admire the nature, and the calmness is a lot more apparent here. I love both islands for their own reasons, but I do feel a lot more at peace in Kona. Something that I can’t help but notice throughout our entire trip is the aloha spirit. In places like the Polynesian Cultural Center and even at the rental car center, people call us “ohana,” which means family. Everyone we have crossed paths with has simply been kind. And that has transferred to us as well. I have never been with a more loving and giving group of girls, and I hope to take this aloha spirit back home with me.

Day 10:  Written by Seniors, Skylar Baggett & Lily Butler

Aloha again! Today we woke up early to go on a snorkeling and sailing adventure. We rode out into the ocean for a while so the captain could take us to the best spot for snorkeling. We spent most of our time in Kealakekua Bay, which is an open cove backed by a magnificent cliff face of stone. The name of the cove directly translates to “passage of the gods.” In tribal days, chiefs and nobility lived in the west side of the bay while the commoners resides on the eastern section. During those times, the cliff was used as a mausoleum for chiefs. Early Hawaiian people believed that one could steal the talents of the dead through remains, so the bones of chiefs were hidden in the holes of the cliff. Young boys from eleven to sixteen would compete for the chance to be the person lowered along the cliff side to hide the bones, but once the bones were stowed away the rope holding them up would be cut, dropping them onto the sharp rocks below. However, this bay is not simply well known because of its significance to tribal Hawaii. It’s actually a popular spot because of its relevance to the story of Captain Cook, an English explorer. In 1796, the captain set off to find a northwest passage, but when he only saw icy waters he knew that no such path existed. Not wanting to return home in defeat, he decided to map out the Pacific and this led him to Hawaii. He discovered Hawaii and its indigenous people during their celebration of peace, and they welcomed him as a messenger from their god of the sea. Cook took advantage of their adoration of him and only gave the people some fishing hooks in exchange for all their hospitality. When one of his men contracted malaria and died, he was put in the pools that were used as a water source. As more people contracted malaria the Hawaiian people began to resent Cook, and sensing the tension he left. However, not long into his voyage his mast broke and he returned to the island for help. Unfortunately, the Hawaiians were in the midst of celebrating their god of war, and realizing he was no messenger of the gods, they refused to help him and asked him to leave. Angry, Cook made the error of stepping towards the chief, which was a crime punishable by death in tribal society. He was immediately killed, and his bones were put in the cliff so nobody could take his skills of cartography. Today, a small piece of land at the cove contains a memorial for him and the tiny area actually belongs to Britain. We remembered the rich history of the bay as we snorkeled and swam alongside beautiful fish and coral. When we were back on land, we went to a black sand beach. We enjoyed climbing on the rocks bordering the ocean and relaxing under the shade of the palm trees. As the sun started to go down we left to eat a nice dinner at the Hilo Bay Cafe. It was a nice dining experience and we returned to the hotel ready to rest up for another day in paradise!


Day 11, Written by CA Senior Lily Butler:
Our time in Hawaii has flown by and it’s so hard to believe it’s our final day! We started off the morning with a breakfast buffet at our resort and hurried to reach the bus for our volcano tour. There we met Warren, our own tour guide. We then headed towards the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and on the way we listened to Warren while taking in the natural beauty around us. We learned that Hawaii is on a tectonic plate that moves four inches a year, so in a couple thousand years the islands will most likely be right next to Japan. Warren also explained that there are 5 major volcanoes on the big island and one of them, Mauna Kea, is actually taller than Mount Everest when measured from its summit to its base below the sea. These volcanoes often cause damaging earthquakes. Our tour guide remembers his Grandma telling the story of how their family moved from the big island to O’ahu to avoid the many tremors caused by the nearby volcanoes. As we continued on our drive, we saw the surface of a lava tube cave system, the big island’s first church, and even some peaceful protesters. There is currently an endeavor to build a 30 meter telescope, which is 14 stories high, on one of the slopes, but many locals oppose this. They don’t mind the telescope itself, but think it should be in a more secluded location. They are reverent to the beautiful mountains, and hope to preserve the scenery of Hawaii. Even now, Hawaii looks far different than it must have before America’s annexation of the land and the arrival of early tribes. Before Hawaii was occupied, the people of other Polynesian civilizations noticed that birds migrated to their islands each year. Knowing the must derive from some other land formation, they would sail and follow the birds as far as they could. The Polynesians maintained this practice for many generations until they discovered all of the Hawaiian Islands and created new civilizations. After learning all of this fascinating information and more, we stopped to sample a wide variety of locally produced coffees and teas at the Royal Kona museum and coffee mill. While there, Skylar claimed she consumed the most coffee she’d ever had in her life. When we got back in the bus, Leah wanted to tell a story from our visit to the flea market on Oahu, and Warren let her speak into his microphone headset! Later on, we went to and ate Hawaiian style plate meals and sweet malasadas at the Punalu’u Bake Shop. Full and energized we drove along the Hawaiian countryside where there were once sugar cane farms. We reached the volcano park and when we were up to 4,000 feet in elevation we looked out over the Kīlauea Iki Crater. Being this high up, it was a bit chilly so we moved on after a few minutes. We went and saw craters from different viewpoints and walked on cooled lava rocks with hues of black, red, and orange. Just by the rocks we could see how the lava had once flowed through the land and some areas even had ash remaining on them. We went to the park’s visitor center and learned about how the Kilauea Volcano has changed from the events in 2018 where it drained lava into the island’s lava tubes. After leaving the volcano park, we went to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation and got to try samples of all the fun flavors they have— everything was so good! The shop is surrounded by orchards that contain 250,00 macadamia trees, which makes for a pretty drive. When we returned to the hotel a little while later, some of us went swimming in the resort’s gigantic pool before getting ready for dinner. For our final dinner together, we went to Macaroni Grill and reminisced on our favorite activities from our time in Hawaii— this trip has been such a fun, informative experience. Mahalo for keeping up with our Winterim!


Winterim–Cooking, Fitness, Nutrition

The cooking, fitness, & nutrition Winterim is led by Mr. Shaine Walker.

Day 1:

Our group will spend the week learning at the UT/TSU Extension Center on Cumberland Heights Road. Today we learned about different safety measures for cooking and were able to to test this knowledge in their commercial kitchen. CA Alumna Amanda Pitt, led our program today.  Tomorrow we dive right into our cooking curriculum with a lesson on making pasta!
Day 2:
Tuesday our students work on different pastas that they decided to make. These recipes were chosen by students and made within their groups today. We made Ricotta/Pepperoni filled Jumbo Shells, Chicken Alfredo, Home-made Ramen, Vegetable Farafelle, and a Vegan Alfredo with Zuccihni/Squash noodles. These is pictures of most items above and will be more coming tomorrow. Along with these lovely dishes our 4H Agent Amanda Pitt helped students learn about the sugars in drinks and their effects. We also went over all the different types of pots, pans, knives, and what their purposes are.

Day 3: Today was Soup day. We had students try several recipes out while also getting a little adventurous with making bite size snacks for others. Today we had stuffed mushrooms, homemade garlic bread, chicken noodle soup with homemade dumplings, tomato based spicy potato soup, chicken tortilla soup, and a classic tomato soup with grilled cheese. All of the students did a fantastic job working together and learning more about what type of equipment to use. Some students learned more about cutting and prepping. While we had others browning beef for the first time. Overall another great day with some great food!


Day 4: Day 4 was more about smaller bites, so we made things like energy balls, sausage croissants, sliders with beef and sausage/egg, granola, and we even had a chance to make a meatloaf. The students have been taking initiative with making their dishes and making edits where needed. Tomorrow is our last day of cooking and we do not have a theme. I cannot wait to see what recipes they submit and make.

Day 5: Today all the groups made something they wanted to try their hand at. One group made the sausage croissants for everyone they were taught  yesterday. While another group did fajita steak, potatoes, and asparagus,  and another group made pork tenderloin. Other dishes included  Berry Smoothies, Chicken Enchiladas, Snicker Doodle, Sanwhiches, Brownies, Milkshakes, and French Onion Soup with Baguettes. I would like to put out a huge thank you to the 4H program at the UT/TSU Extension Center for letting us use that space for the week and Amanda Pitt our 4H Agent for teaching the students about nutrition and healthier decisions.
This week the group has explored Fitness around Montgomery County. We have visited local parks and Clarksville Climbing.

Winterim–Mt. Everest

On Saturday, Jan 4, nine students and one teacher embarked on the adventure of a lifetime.  Their goal?  To hike to basecamp on Mount Everest in Nepal at 17,598 ft and in the very shadow of summit.  Led by CA Parent, Tony Sonnabend this group of students will experience Buddhist Culture, Nepalese activities and hike more than six hours a day to make their destination.  They will visit Tibetan and Buddhist Monasteries that have been on the slopes of the mountain for generations, and meet and interact with the indigenous people that call the Himalayas home.  A complete blog of their trip will be available upon their return, but for now, check back often for photos and short updates!

 

After 24 hours of travel students have arrived in Luka, Nepal and are ready to take on Everest!


Students have spent another day hiking, hiking, hiking!  While we slept the students made it to just under 12,000 ft of elevation ( gaining 3850 ft in 10 miles of hiking). It snowed on them, but the kids, adults and guides kept going! Tonight they will spend the night in the Namche Bazar.


These are  morning views from our teahouse in Namche Bazar, before we hiked the kids up to the Norgay Tensing Museum.  Sherpa Tensing was the man who summited Everest first on May 29th, 1953 with British climber Sir Edmund Hillary. Another fantastic day in the Himalayas!


The students left Namche Bazar for a 9 hour hike ending in Dingboche. They visited an ancient and storied Buddhist Monastery. The students are getting closer and closer to Base Camp!


Nine Clarksville Academy Students reached Everest Base Camp on Tuesday, after a 8 day trek through the Himalayas. EBC is situated 17,600 feet up on the tallest mountain in the world. The students dealt with extreme cold, altitude sickness and challenging terrain. The trip was organized and chaperoned by CA parent Tony Sonnabend and his company UK International Tours. He was assisted by CA faculty member Mrs. LaurenDrake, along with a professional photographer, an English climbing guide and a team of local Nepalese Sherpa guides and porters.

Asked to describe his experience on the trip, CA Senior Garrett Burger said, “This past 8 days has been equal parts breathtaking and extremely challenging. I have needed constant self discipline to conquer each days challenges. I have come to truly understand the beauty in the struggle…”

The group is currently trekking back to Lukla, before spending a day in Kathmandu and then one more in Istanbul en route home to the United States.

Weekly News: January 6 – January 10, 2020

Hour of Code

Clarksville Academy honored the Hour of Code in early December. The week of December 9-12 was dedicated as Computer Science Education Week.  It is scheduled in early December every year to honor Grace Hopper, a female pioneer in the field of Computer Science, whose birthday is this month.

A growing movement in the computer Science field is called THE HOUR OF CODE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=KsOIlDT145A&feature=emb_logo

It is an international/worldwide emphasis during computer science education week encouraging all teachers and students to engage in an hour of code. There were 128,394 events registered in 2019.  835,274,092 students, and 180+ countries, participated in the events.

https://hourofcode.com/us/events/all

Clarksville Academy was registered in the event as part of the TN Hour of Code

https://hourofcode.com/us/events/all/us/tn

During our Science Labs that week K-3rd graders participated in our CA registered event.  FUSE students participated with Coach Stan Rozar along with his IS/US classes.  CA is proud to be a part of this global emphasis and participate in the HOUR OF CODE!

Winterim

This unique experience kicked off in the final days of Christmas break. We had several of our Upper School students leave for once in lifetime opportunities. You can follow along on their journeys by visiting: https://clarksvilleacademy.com/category/off-campus-with-ca/

Upper School Winterim: Clarksville Academy upper school students are experiencing Winterim for the first time.  Winterim is a separate academic period between semester 1 and semester 2, and students receive credit on their academic transcript. It is the centerpiece of Clarksville Academy’s commitment to experiential education.  It brings something different to our campus. Winterim is designed to challenge students to expand their knowledge beyond present experiences and to foster a life-long love of learning.  It encourages deeper, more intense faculty-student relationships as we redefine our roles as student and teacher in side-by-side endeavors.
We have faculty and students all across the globe.  They are exploring the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador, climbing Mount Everest and the Himalayas, immersing themselves in the culture of the Hawaiian Islands, backpacking and backcountry camping, and discovering the science and leadership behind Walt Disney World.  We have other groups that are immersing themselves into our local government, media and journalism, leadership and entrepreneurship, nutrition, game-development and fitness.  As we enter into this minimester, we would like to thank our students, staff, and parents for their support.

Intermediate School Winterim: Our Intermediate School team has been working and planning for the last 2 months to prepare an awesome Cougar Connections program for our students.  Students in grades 6-8 will not follow their normal class schedule for these 2 weeks.  Rather, students will be fully immersed in Advisory groups that will rotate them through many different hands on and outside the box learning activities that include visits to the Maynard Makerspace, participating in career exploration classes, team building, math exploration, self-discovery, and more.  Groups are predetermined by grade level and will be given to students on Monday, January 6th. At the end of each day, each advisory group of 10-13 students will reflect with their advisor about all that they have done.  Additionally, advisors will mentor students about topics that will help prepare them for their academics and their continued journey in middle school.  Over the course of the second semester, students will have monthly opportunities to meet with their advisor and group to continue to grow academically, socially, and emotionally.

FCA

Thank you to everyone who participated in our FCA Christmas Dress Down Day. The money raised along with several donations allowed High School FCA to fulfill all of our 2019 Christmas projects! FCA would also like to thank the lower school students and teachers for decorating Christmas cards! The following is a list of our Christmas projects: St. Jude Children Hospital-$100 donation, The Smile Train-$250.00 to cover a cleft surgery for a child, two Angel Tree families, Manna Café-$100 donation, Ronald McDonald House-$100 donation,
Nursing Home-over 300 beautifully decorated cards, fruit and candy to three of our local nursing homes, Second Spoon-$25.00 donation.

Due to Winterim, High School FCA will meet on January 22.
Intermediate FCA will start the new year off on January 8.

We welcome and encourage everyone to join us in 2020!

CA Experience

We are excited to announce our new CA Experience program. CA Experience is an after school enrichment program that will focus on activities, classes, artistic lessons, sports training and so much more. Each session will run six weeks and provide a variety of opportunities for our students. These will be titled, CA Winter Experience, CA Spring Experience, CA Summer Experience and CA Fall Experience. CA Winter Experience will begin in January. Please visit our site for more information! https://clarksvilleacademy.com/ca-events/ca-experience/

Media Club

CA’s media club has posted new content to their site! We invite you to browse this wonderful student run site for exciting content from upper school students.  castudentlife.com

Athletics

Games this week:

6th Grade Basketball play Mt. Juliet Christian on Saturday at 1PM in the main gym.

IS Basketball travels to Providence Christian tonight girls at 6, boys to follow, tomorrow they travel to Montgomery Central with the same game times, and will play Goodpasture at home on Thursday with the same game times.

US Basketball--The Girls play tonight at Northeast at 6:00. Friday both teams will take on Goodpasture at home with the girls at 6 and boys to follow.

Wrestling will travel to Greenbrier on Tuesday, Jan 7 and to Pope John Paul on Thursday, Jan 9 for a meet at 5:00. Saturday they will head to Hendersonville Invitational.

Let’s wish all these teams good luck!!!

Giving

Annual Giving has kicked off! We hope your family will support this important campaign. Annual Giving is used to offset the overall budget for those things not covered by tuition alone and is also used for focus areas. We’ve set aside 4 areas of focus this year and hope you will consider supporting them: New Playground, Updated Security, Library Refresh, Emerging Priorities such as a new PA system. For more information on this and to donate visit: https://marketplace.clarksvilleacademy.com/product/annual-giving/

Amazon

Clarksville Academy is now part of the Amazon Smile program! Simply log on using smile.amazon.com and choose Clarksville Academy as your organization of choice! Every time you make purchase using smile.amazon.com we will receive a portion of your purchase! It’s that easy!

Box Tops

CA has always used the box tops label program to earn extra money for our school. We have been so lucky in the past for all your support for the program. Over the years we have earned thousands of dollars for our school. This year it is even easier! Simply download the Box Tops for Education app from the app store, pick Clarksville Academy as your school and start scanning your receipts! It’s as easy as that! So start scanning!

Publix

Did you know that CA is a Publix Partner? It’s easy to help us raise money for our school by logging your shopping. Visit publix.com/partners and choose Clarksville Academy. Then enter your phone number each time you check out. It’s that easy!

Kroger

Did you know you can register your Kroger Plus for CA? Every time you use your Kroger Plus card a portion of your bill will be credited to CA! It’s that easy! Go online to Kroger.com and register today!

FCA

Fellowship of Christian Athletes is every Wednesday for ALL Intermediate & Upper School students. You do not have to be involved in athletics to attend. Intermediate School will be in Coach Trent’s room. Upper School in Mr. Boyd’s room 117 under the gym.

Marketing

Follow us on Instagram at CACougarsTN, Facebook at Clarksville Academy, SnapChat at CACougarsTN and Twitter at CACougarsTN.

Have you seen our new video? We’d love you to share it on social media or with friends or neighbors you think would be interested in CA.
https://vimeo.com/352311123

Important Dates

Jan 6-17 Winterim for IS & US Students

Jan 17–Half Day ALL Students
Jan 20 NO SCHOOL—MLK Day
Feb 7—NO SCHOOL LS
Feb 14-17 NO SCHOOL Winter Break

Begin Your Journey.