Winterim–Freshman Seminar

The Freshman Seminar Winterim is designed to allow them to explore a wider range of subjects and skills. This will be a chance for them to learn in a variety of settings and from a variety of professionals. They will work in both large and small groups and have a chance to expand their leadership skills. Throughout the two weeks students will visit the Makerspace, Fine Arts, leadership, fitness, learn etiquette, ACT prep work and more. Winterim encourages deeper faculty-student relationships and reminds us that learning is not restricted to a classroom. Each day we will post short updates and photos on what our Freshman are experiencing.

In ACT Prep students have been playing Proof, a mental math game. Using 9 numbers written on their card, students must create equations. If a successful equation is made, they get a point.

During fitness, students have travelled to Skyline Bowling and Rotary Park. Both off campus experiences were a nice change of pace for the students.

What is your soundtrack of 2020? From the lyrics of a classic Kenny Chesney song I Go Back, “Everytime I hear that song, I go back. We all have a song that somehow stamped our lives, takes us to another place and time”

This week Freshman have been thinking about their goals/resolutions for 2020. Students were asked to think of 3 short term goals to finish up freshman year and 3 long term goals to begin Sophomore year. Each student then created a 2020 Playlist of songs that will inspire, remind, and motivate them as they challenge themselves to meet and exceed their goals for the year!

Freshman learned about the brain, how to enhance their memory, and then challenged themselves in some games of the Match Game.

STEM Challenges in the Maynard Makerspace are always fun!

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.

Fitness & Weight Training

By: John Crosby, Fitness Instructor

At the high school level, the importance of fitness training through use of the weight room should be strongly emphasized. Fitness classes offered to students in grades 8-12 is a strong trend in education today. Many classes are in session 5 days a week, with an emphasis on weight training 4 of those days, separated by an active recovery day in the middle. Several scientific studies in recent years support the idea that fitness groups during the school day can greatly enhance the learning abilities of a student in the classroom. Alongside this, athletes see great improvement on a weekly basis for their respective sports.

The first thing that is emphasized in weight training classes is safety. Students are taught the importance of correct exercise form, as well as weight room etiquette. Once these practices are effectively managed, students will demonstrate the ability to warm-up the body through pre-workout exercises. These exercises are done for both short term and long term injury prevention. For example, rotator cuff strengthening is a point of emphasis for upper body days that involve pressing from the chest and shoulders. Active dynamic warmup exercises are done at the beginning of each workout as a way to prepare the body to be at its best for the workout to come.

Once the workout is in session, a goal should be to improve several aspects of the student’s performance. These include, muscular strength, muscular endurance, explosion, mobility and flexibility. Some workouts are more focused on a strength building/ low repetition approach, while others are primarily focused on a high repetition/ endurance approach. There is an equal amount of targeting the anterior chain, as well as the posterior chain of the body. Each student should be pushed to reach their full physical potential regardless of the focal point on a given day.

The end goal of a fitness department at any academic institution is to teach and promote how to live a healthy/active lifestyle after high school. If a student can take any of the ideas that are taught during their time in a fitness class and apply them to their life outside of school, then the instructor’s goal has been accomplished.