Monday’s Middle School Morning Meeting had that end-of-the-year feel: more like a rowdy Friday rendition! First off, we honored our 5th grade students who competed in the Kentucky National History Day Competition at the University of Kentucky over the weekend, a first in the School’s history. 5th grade teacher Billy Spalding led his charges into “battle” and they emerged with impressive results. Here is a summary from Billy:

“Congratulations to the 5th graders who represented St. Francis, for the first time ever, at the Kentucky National History Day Competition on Saturday, April 27th at the University of Kentucky. Kennedy Julian, Eleanor Kayrouz, Charlie Rutherford, and Sydney Shoemaker competed against the best historians from all over the state. Sydney and Eleanor won second place for the group exhibit category, and Kennedy and Charlie won first and third place, respectively, for the individual exhibit category. All four participants medaled in their NHD debut!

Their performance was the culmination of their efforts of the year. The students researched a historical topic utilizing primary and secondary sources, developed a thesis and defended it with facts, and presented their findings in a way that supported their argument and fit with the annual theme of the contest. They then had to revise, edit, and make necessary changes based on the feedback they received at the regional contest. Finally they had to present their exhibit to a panel of judges made up of history professors and teachers. The skills they learned from National History Day are valuable tools that will serve them throughout their entire academic career. Go Wyverns!”

And a BIG thank you to Billy Spalding for providing our kids with this new academic experience. I have a feeling a new tradition has begun!

We were also treated to a “Taco Challenge” by the We Act Club, who sponsored this messy affair in order to raise money to support the Offin Children’s Center, an orphanage with a commitment to education in Ghana. We witnessed the students trying to down a taco as fast as they could (and only a sprinkling of cheddar cheese hit the carpet), and on Wednesday the teachers did the same! A wonderful and fun way to raise money for charity – and so typically St. Francis.

At Tuesday’s Lower School Morning Meeting, we saw the first of our Kindergarten Talent Shares!. These are beyond cute and have to be seen! from dancing to a comical puppet show to a group of boys doing push-ups and racing around the Amp and “flexing” afterwards, it brought the house down! We have two more weeks of those coming up, as well as the Lower School Talent Show next Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room.

And finally, our Middle School Talent Show took place this past Tuesday night and was its usual cavalcade of music, comedy, musicianship, and even karate and magic! Some highlights included 5th graders Kennedy Julian and Sydney Shoemaker starting us off with a bang singing the song “BFF” from SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical, the smooth saxophone chops of 7th grader Arden Bleifer, 8th graders Catherine Dewberry and Kameron Julian’s tear-jerking song “For Good from Wicked, and 8th grader Kennan King’s piano magic on a Bach composition. And speaking of magic, 8th grader Jamie Campbell continued his tradition of wowing us with yet another head-scratching feat of prestidigitation that left us all stunned! Our emcees – 8th graders RJ Ballenger, Mohamed Muse, and Peter Ronay – also did a great job (where did they get those bad puns?), and the 8th grade class came out in strong support of the night in which the funds go towards their class gift. We raised $500, which is truly a win-win for everyone! It was a wonderful night of entertainment, service, and helping to create a legacy gift from the 8th grade class gift.