Clarksville Academy

Category: Engage, Embrace, Empower

  • Giving the Perfect Gift

    By: Sally Allen, Director of Marketing & Development

    December is a time of giving.  During this season of giving, we all rush around trying to find the perfect item for that special person.  We scour online sites and stores hoping to find just the right thing.  But this season is about more than material gifts.  Gifts can come in all forms.  The gift of time, talent, service, or financial support can make a major impact.

    Gifts of time and service can be given in a variety of places. You could volunteer with a local food pantry, shelter, church, civic organization or school.  Volunteering not only provides a service for the recipient, but also provides a sense of satisfaction, connection and love for the volunteer.  When you find the right fit for you or your family, you will find a world of opportunities await you!

    The gift of talent is a special one.  Can you sing? Dance? Play a musical instrument?  Offer the gift of art?  Can you share your knowledge or expertise on a topic in a class or to a group?  Can you read to young students or read with students who need an extra boost?  Gifts of talent are truly special and something that will make a major impact on those you share it with.

    The gift of financial support is a personal one.  For our family, we discuss what areas or organizations are important to us.  Financial gifts don’t have to be large to make an impact.  Non-profit organizations need gifts large and small and make a lasting impression.  When choosing where and what to give, find an organization you believe in and one who has a mission you want to support.  Many organizations will allow you to make general gifts or gifts toward particular projects within their campaign.

    We all enjoy giving and receiving gifts, but this holiday  season, I encourage to you look at the variety of ways you can give.  Merry Christmas to you and yours!

     

  • Thanksgiving

    By: Kristen Kretz, Intermediate School Social Studies

    A sumptuous feast …. a rousing family gathering …. a raucous football game …. wild midnight shopping and the traditional launch of the Holiday Season. These images have become synonymous with current Thanksgiving Day Celebrations.  But, if one digs a bit deeper, even amongst the most secular and material observances, you can find something much more important.  Most gatherings have at their core an appreciation of what is valued as good in this country we share and of arriving at this point in history.  Underpinning all the celebrating is the individual family story regardless of date, path, or origin.

    Those journeys are stories of migration and immigration and on some level, assimilation and synergy, from the earliest inhabitants, having traversed the Bering Strait to settle in this natural wonder we call home, to their descendants who shared in establishing this holiday.  Interestingly, not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving on the 4th Thursday of November which is more appropriate than one might think, as there is question as to who holds the honor of the first Thanksgiving. 

    Among the claims are the Spanish settlers who recorded having held a religious service and sharing a meal with a local Native American tribe on September 8, 1565 in St. Augustine, Florida. They celebrated the generosity of the native people who shared their harvest with newly arrived Spanish explorers. The feast consisted of salted pork and garbanzo beans.  And of course, there is the familiar story of the English Plymouth Pilgrims celebrating with their Wampanoag neighbors in 1621.

    The only original documentation from Plymouth is a personal letter by Edward Winslow detailing the relationship with the Wampanoag and their King Massasoit. It is clear from his letter that this group taught the settlers much about survival and they assisted one another in gathering stores to survive the winter. Once prepared, they jointly celebrated for about three days with much hunting that included deer and turkey, corn and a variety of berries. Historians have speculated that due to weather this probably occurred in October.

    The actual observance of the Thanksgiving Day holiday was evolutionary as there is little official evidence to show it occurred annually until the nearly 40 years of lobbying by Sarah Josepha Hale, which finally succeeded when Abraham Lincoln sanctioned the observance in 1863 and Franklin D. Roosevelt fixed the date as the 4th Thursday of November in 1939.  This traditional keeping of Thanksgiving is of particular importance to my family as nearly all of our ancestors arrived in the colonies in the mid 1600’s. One portion, the William Knapp party, came on the Winthrop Fleet in 1630 as part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony migration, within 10 years of the original Plymouth gathering. So, as big a family gathering as we can muster, storytelling, turkey, corn, and pumpkins are a must for us.  

    But whatever your individual journey may be, I hope it is shared and shared repeatedly.  Doing so reteaches us the lessons we have learned along the way with the passing of each generation and if we forget them or fail to pass them along, the learning will be for naught.  Recounting our blessings and the freedom we have to do so is always paramount, but especially at this holiday.  So, no matter your origin, menu, or activities…Happy Feasting and Remembering!

  • Veterans Day

    DUTY, Honor, Country on Veterans Day
    By: Retired Col Sal Herrera
    It is great to be part of a Clarksville community that is so supportive of our Military and Veterans.  After my 25-year Army career (now retired for 3 years), it is humbling to reflect on not only the continued courageous service of our Active Duty Military but also on all Veterans, as well as my career.  Long story short: I spent approximately 18 years of my service here at Fort Campbell, KY as part of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. I sure did learn A LOT along the way…but looking back it was my beginnings that really shaped my life and my military career. In 1987 I entered the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point.  USMA has a structure of three words that embraces their ideals…Duty, Honor, Country.  These ideals create the foundation for all future Army Officers to lean on.  I wanted to spend a little time elaborating on DUTY.  What is it?
    When I was a Plebe (Freshman Cadet) we had menial tasks which included delivering the NY Times to every upper classman’s door in the barracks …every single day. When it was your turn you had to “ping” against the walls and march briskly like a robot to each door with your pile of newspapers.  As you can imagine on Sunday mornings the newspapers were thick and heavy, and most upperclassmen slept in!  So while delivering early morning newspapers, it was sooooo tempting to just stroll in the middle of the hallway at my leisure to deliver those newspapers and forgo the craziness of marching against the walls. But as one Firstie (Senior Cadet) described, “Duty is doing the right thing even when no one is looking…like delivering Sunday newspapers!”  Those wise words continue to resonate with me today as I work and live my life.

    Another way I look at DUTY is as an acrostic:

    Do!  – Do the right thing!  Take action and do…but just do right!!
    Unite! – Be one with your team by uniting!  Your team could be your school, your family, your job or all of the above, but work to unite (not divide)!
    Trust! – Be trustworthy and dependable, but more importantly trust others!  Start by giving people the benefit of the doubt!
    You! – Be yourself!  Don’t be afraid to be you! Each of us bring so many different perspectives and these disparate viewpoints can be powerful….even invincible!
    Duty is definitely delivering the newspapers correctly, but it also can be life changing…it was for me!
    Lastly, I want to thank all our Veterans for their service; and I want to give a special thanks to our military supportive community of Clarksville and specifically Clarksville Academy.
    I encourage you to view the inspirational address General Douglas MacArthur presented to the cadets of the USMA on 12 May 1962 – Titled “Duty Honor Country” click here:

  • STEM

    Joann Askew, Lower School Science Lab/STEM Instructor

    Science, Technology, Engineering, Math – disciplines collectively known as STEM, the buzz word of the science community, has evolved. It became STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, ART, and Math. Then, before we could memorize it, it morphed into STREAM (Science, Technology, READING , Engineering, Art, Math). It is comparable to our ever-changing complex world and we continue to adapt our educational approach. As we educate the next generation, it is more important than ever that we prepare our youth to be critical thinkers and problem solvers. It addition to content knowledge it is crucial that we train students in the field of technology to meet the needs of the world’s workforce. We can no longer educate in a traditional format that presents itself as “a teacher in front of the room – teaching content” and measure progress with traditional “fill in the bubble” tests. We need to instill a desire for building, creating, tinkering and making. These provide helpful projects that promote further exploration and learning in our naturally curious youth. We need to question like a scientist, design like a technologist, build like an engineer, create like an artist, deduce like a mathematician and most importantly…play like a child. In order to maintain global influence, we continue to advance our efforts in educating under the current acronyms. November 8, is National STEM/STEAM day. A day recognized and set aside to inspire youth to identify passions related to these disciplines. We are fortunate to live in a time where information is so accessible; we have no excuses. We find trends are changing, we continue to make headway encouraging girls and women to impact the STEM/STEAM/STREAM workforce.

    Realizing the trends of the present parents, mentors, and educators will need to utilize STEM, STEAM, STREAM – in fact, all subjects to build leaders of the future. As we prepare our students to excel, not only in school, but in LIFE, we recognize the need to educate differently. So on November 8, National STEM day, gather up the students in your life, get a full head of STEAM and create something that engages, stimulates curiosity, and just might make an impact in the world.

  • Why Learn Computer Science?

    Stan Rozar, Computer Science

    The world as we know it is driven by technology, and the technological impact on society is only going to increase as we move further into the future. The desire for individuals with the necessary skill set to operate these technologies, whether it is lower lever abstraction with computer programming, or higher level abstraction with basic user interface, will always be in abundance.
    Computer science is the study of technology and how to create, fix, and enhance it, as well its effects on society, both positive and negative. Although computer programming is not the only aspect of computer science, it is the most influential. Computer programing is the process of creating and designing an application or software, which results in a “program” that serves as instructions (in code) for a specific computing task. Half of the products that we use on a day to day bases are software products. Browsing through social media, playing a game, or many other tasks would not be possible without application or software design. 
    Living in the 21st century means we are living in the digital age. As I stated earlier, we are a technology driven world, which means that computer science is changing everything around us. Having a keen understanding over various computing concepts is a skill set that is becoming more and more imperative for an educated person in today’s day and age, no matter what field you decide to go into. Whether it’s medicine, science, engineering, music, or even agriculture and fashion, all of these industries utilize computing innovations to meet the needs of their clients, customers, and objectives at a more efficient rate. 
    Being able to say you’re an efficient programmer will not only provide a more competitive resume, learning computer programming helps you become a better problem solver by improving your cognitive thinking and logical reasoning skills, which is essentially the goal in life through any type of production, to create and find solutions to problems of the world. You can decide to create a safety app for your iOS device, assist in the design of a computing instrument to detect different diseases, or help design software that detects changes in weather. Either way, having a stronghold on the concept of computer science and programing efficiency, it allows for you to have a vital impact on the production of society in more ways than you can imagine. 

  • Educational Savings

    By: Frazier Allen, Raymond James Financial Services

    Saving for your child’s educational future is something we all do.  529 savings plans are tax-advantaged education savings vehicles and one of the most popular ways to save for college today. Did you know they can also be used to save for K-12 tuition?  Much like the way 401(k) plans changed the world of retirement savings a few decades ago, 529 savings plans have changed the world of education savings.
     
    529 savings plans offer a unique combination of features that no other education savings vehicle can match:
     
    • Federal tax advantages: Contributions to a 529 account accumulate tax deferred and earnings are tax free if the money is used to pay the beneficiary’s qualified education expenses.
    • State tax advantages: States are free to offer their own tax benefits to state residents, such as a tax deduction for contributions.
    • High contribution limits: Most plans have lifetime contribution limits of $350,000 and up.
    • Unlimited participation: Anyone can open a 529 savings plan account, regardless of income level.
    • Wide use of funds: Money in a 529 savings plan can be used to pay the full cost (tuition, fees, room and board, books) at any college or graduate school in the United States or abroad that is accredited by the Department of Education, and for K-12 tuition expenses up to $10,000 per year.
    • Professional money management: 529 savings plans are offered by states, but they are managed by designated financial companies who are responsible for managing the plan’s underlying investment portfolios.
    • Flexibility: Under federal rules, you are entitled to change the beneficiary of your account to a qualified family member at any time as well as rollover the money in your account to a different 529 plan once per calendar year without income tax or penalty implications.
    • Accelerated gifting: 529 savings plans offer an estate planning advantage in the form of accelerated gifting. This can be a favorable way for grandparents to contribute to their grandchildren’s education while paring down their own estate, or a way for parents to contribute a large lump sum.
     
    Although 529 savings plans are a creature of federal law, their implementation is left to the states. Currently, there are over 50 different savings plans available because many states offer more than one plan. You can join any state’s 529 savings plan, but this variety may create confusion when it comes time to select a plan. Each plan has its own rules and restrictions, which can change at any time. With so many plans available, it may be helpful to consult an experienced financial professional who can help you select a plan and pick your plan investments. 

  • Columbus Day

    Mike Trent, History Department Chair

    Columbus Day is a National holiday that officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492. Columbus was an Italian explorer who set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in search of a faster route to the Far East. His fleet consisted of the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria and the voyage lasted approximately three months. Columbus’s expedition initiated the Columbian Exchange, which introduced the transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, and technology between the new world and old.

    In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison called upon the people the United States to celebrate Columbus’s landing in the New World on the 400th anniversary of the event. Congress and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed October 12, 1937 to be a Federal holiday. Since 1971, Columbus Day has been observed on the second Monday in October. The Columbus Day holiday is generally observed by banks, U.S. Postal Service, federal agencies and most state governments.

    The Columbus Day celebration in the U.S. has declined since the end of the 20th Century. States such as Florida, Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont, South Dakota, New Mexico, and Maine do not recognize the day. These states have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day, recognizing the Native Americans and commemorating their history and culture.

    One of the most common arguments against celebrating Columbus Day is that Columbus did not discover America! Norse explorer Leif Erikson was the first known European to have set foot on continental North America. Many others credit Amerigo Vespucci for discovering the new continent. Christopher Columbus may not have actually discovered America, but the impact of his explorations remains quite significant. His journeys kicked off centuries of exploration and exploitation on the American continent.

    Check out Netflix and the History Channel to find more information and entertaining stories about Christopher Columbus and his explorations.

  • Staying Safe on the Web

    By: Cara Miller, Director of Technology

    Tips for Helping Younger Students Research on the world wide web

     

    Do you want to know: What to cook for dinner?What are the newest movies at the theater?, or Who won the big game?

     

    These days it seems that Googling itprovides the answer to every question imaginable! Simply type in a few words or a simple question and hundreds of topics are at your fingertips. While this might provide a great recipe for dinner, this not always the best resource for our students when researching topics for learning.

     

    Researching a topic in a dictionary or book in the school library was once the only method for research. While today’s students still have access to similar resources, the immediate feedback and up-to-date answers to questions makes the world wide web an ideal source of information. The introduction to cataloged search engines such as Google, Bing and MSN, etc. has broadened the ability to gather massive information very quickly. There are, however, some tips that we can use when guiding our students in their online research.

     

    The sheer volume of results from a simple search can be challenging for a student. Often, the student will select the first response regardless of its validity or applicability. Helping students to understand how to choose a reliable source such as .org, .edu can assist them in choosing proper references. In addition, using search terms that are very descriptive help in narrowing the search results. Finally, there are helpful tips for searching such as prefacing a word with (-) that you want excluded from your search results or using conjunctions to make results more relevant results.

     

    Examples might be:

     

    Search: fruit salad -strawberries (results will not include the keyword ‘strawberries’)

    Search: football AND tailgating (will only include results that have both keywords)

     

    Searching the web can also present other challenges for students. The issue of age-appropriate searching for students can be a concern for parents and educators. There are, however, several search engine options for kids on the web. One helpful tip would be setting a student’s home page on their laptop or personal device to one of the search engine pages to replace the normal home page. This will encourage the student to these sites for safe and responsible searching. Depending on the age of the student researching, here are some helpful search engines geared toward appropriate results of a search inquiry.

     

    Ages 4+

    • com– a safe, visual search engine for kids powered by Google. The first three results to each query are kid-safe sites and pages written specifically for children and hand-picked by the editors at Kiddle. Results 4-7 are also hand-picked by the editors, and include safe, trusted sites that are not specifically written for kids, but have simple, easy-to-understand content. Finally, all the following results are written for adults, but filtered by Google safe search. Parental controls on Kiddle in include keyword and site blocking for further search safety.
    • com -Kidtopia is a student safe search engine for preschool and elementary students, indexing only educator approved web sites.’

     

    Ages 8+

    • com– provide safe, adult-content-free search results for kids. Profanity, curse words, and explicit search terms are blocked and a search is discontinued if an inappropriate term is entered in the search box. KidzSearch also maintains an updated list of banned keywords and adult sitesFor example, the number “1” can be used for the letter “i,” and “5” can be used for “s.” Kids also can access an online encyclopedia with over 20,000 articles.

    Ages 12+

    • com– a search engine limited to scholarly works, and can help your child find credible information and citable material. The “Metrics” tab at the top of the page shows the most popular publication for a variety of topics based on the number of citations, and the “Scholar Library” allows your child to save a search to reference or cite at a later date. Google Scholar contains no inappropriate content, but most of the materials available might be too complex for younger kids to understand.

    One of our priorities as teachers, educators and parents is to ensure that our students use the internet in appropriate, safe and secure ways. Hopefully these tips and ideas will allow us to guide student research on the web.

     

  • Organization 101

    Kayla Morgan, FUSE Coordinator

    When I was asked to write a blog post on organization, I giggled. Me? Organized? Yet as crazy as life on the hamster wheel can seem, the reality is that I am a very organized person. Without organization being present in my life, that hamster wheel would turn into the exercise ball, rolling down a set of stairs, with a loose lid… and no one wants a hamster loose in their house!

    So where to begin? There is no perfect recipe for living an organized life. We all have our own routines, and things that we have found to work for our families. Some prefer mapped out methods, whereas others are more about day-to-day survival. One thing we all more than likely have in common is the desire to come out of each day with our head above water and the majority of our checklist complete.

    Let’s Go Home

    Who doesn’t love being in the comfort of a freshly cleaned house where everything is in its place? We begin and end our days at home; therefore, it makes sense that starting our journey to organization begins there.

    De-cluttering is a must. Although I am not a follower of The KonMari Method, I do love the idea of asking yourself, “Does it spark joy?”. Periodically cleaning out different areas of your home, while asking yourself this question along the way, can really help begin the process. Before you can truly organize your belongings you need to know what you have. The ability to locate everything at home, even if that means inside of stacked and labeled Tupperware boxes, will eliminate stress and frustration in those moments when you just need things to come together easily.

    Once you have cleaned out, have a yard sale with a goal in mind to get something that your family is really wanting or needing. If you are not up for the “fun” of having a sale, head to the donation spot of your choice. The weight of all of your “non-joy bringing junk” will instantly be lifted off of your shoulders!

    It’s easy for organization to fly out the window in the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. Here are some of my personal tips for everyday organization at home.

    • Eliminate “drop-zones” by creating a family command center. Give each family member an assigned area to place their belongings as soon as they arrive home each day. This is also a great place for chore charts or a family to-do list.
    • Keep a family calendar visible so that everyone can stay up to speed on what is coming up.
    • Map out the week each Sunday so that you have time to seek out help or rearrange plans if necessary.
    • Plan out your meals for the week, but be realistic. Everybody needs a pick-up dinner or fend for yourself night at least once a week.
    • Keep a running grocery list. Quick stops at the store add up fast, and take up time that most of us don’t have to spare.
    • Keep extras on hand. Buy quickly consumed school supplies when it goes on clearance, and keep it for replenishing as the year goes by. I also keep essentials like paper towels, toilet paper, detergent, extra toothbrushes, hairspray, eyeliner, and obviously… coffee… in stock.
    • Have a designated homework area that is free from distraction.
    • School stacks are perfect for students. I tell my students to pick a

      spot near a plug, where they can stack their school items before bed, plugging their technology in right on top. This makes mornings much easier.

    • Pack lunches and lay out clothes the night before. If you are like me, you’re spinning out of the driveway on two wheels each morning to make it to where you’re going on time.
    • Establish morning and evening routines. Realistically, we all function better when we know what to expect. Set your family up for success by putting these plans in place and sticking to them.
    • Straighten up before bed each night. Something is to be said about waking up to a neat house. Although it may be hard to muster up that five extra minutes of energy once everyone is in bed, you’ll be glad you did it the next morning.
    • It never fails that our brains catch their second wind once our heads hit the pillow. To avoid the anxiety of forgetting something the next day, try sending yourself emails, setting reminders in your phone, keeping a list in your notes app, or simply keeping a notepad by your bed.

      In the Midst of the Grind

      Outside of home, in the middle of your daily grind, what are things that you can do to try and stay on top of it all? This is a question with unlimited answers. It’s really all about trying different things and picking what works best for you. Realistically, what works in one phase of life, may not in the

    next. What works for one family, may miserably fail for another. It’s okay to mix it up and to do it your way. Here are a few ideas you can try.

    • good old-fashioned daily to-do lists
    • use post-it notes to leave reminders where they can’t be missed
    • prioritize tasks and have a daily/weekly routine to meet goals
    • use a paper planner or a planner app
    • set reminders for important deadlines or appointments
    • use Google Docs (good for running grocery/to-do lists)
    • use family organization apps that can be shared on devices
    • follow organization blogs for new and fresh ideas
    • Pinterest boards for storing ideas/planning events
    • keep a neat and organized work space
    • keep a trash can/bag in your car and necessities in your console

      I hope that through reading this post you have gained at least one idea you feel could help you in your quest for organization. I’ll leave you with words from the insightful Benjamin Franklin, “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.”

      Now, I’ve got to go get my life together!

  • How to effectively communicate with your child about their day

    By: Emily Lindsey, Third Grade Teacher

    Each and every day, your child is learning something new and something they want to share with you. It can be difficult to get your child to answer specifically about what they learned and a lot of times their answer is “I don’t know”. We both know your child learned something, so how do we get them to share that with you?

    Carol Tuttle is a best-selling author and she put together this list of questions to ask your child, instead of the plain old, “How was your day?”.
    -What did you do in school today that you really enjoyed?
    -Who did you play with at recess?
    -What is one fun thing that happened to you today?
    -Did you have any embarrassing moments?
    -Did your teacher give you any compliments?
    -What happened during lunch today?

    I encourage you to ask your child these questions on the ride home or when you sit down for dinner. Look at your child’s newsletter, so you can ask more subject specific questions if your child doesn’t have a lot to say. I have personally seen the excitement on children’s faces and the passion they have for learning, but if you don’t ask, then you will never know what triggered their love for science or why they want to write and illustrate a comic book.

    During your conversation, your child may discuss with you how they didn’t have the best day. It is important to recognize that your child understands that negative behavior or not following the rules has consequences. However, the best part is tomorrow is a new day. Each and every day your child makes choices. At times, they have the choice to continue that specific behavior or they can turn their day around. It is so important for students not to dwell on mistakes. Students need to learn from the mistakes and move forward in the right direction. I love the saying “Today is a good day to have a great day!” Your child needs to be reminded of this each and every day!