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This Thursday, alumnus Zack Austin joined us for a special Conversation With. Zack, a soldier in the U.S. Army, is home in Baltimore right now for a 2 week leave. Zack graduated TCS in 2013. When he turned 18, he enlisted in the Army and spent time in Alaska at Fort Wainwright. After his first contract ended Zack reenlisted and is now stationed in Hawaii. We are happy that Zack has chosen to spend some of his leave visiting his TCS community, first attending the Thanksgiving Potluck and the AIAC banquet, and now coming in for the Conversation With.  Zack described for the students all of the different opportunities in the army and the steps in the enlistment process. He also described the three stages of boot camp and the benefits you receive as a member of the military along with some of his personal stories from his enlistment. We have several current students who are interested in the possibility of joining the military, so the conversation today was very informative. Destiny enjoyed hearing about Zack’s experience with scuba diving. For Jacob, the conversation reinforced that the only person who can hold you back from achieving your goals is yourself. Faith and Salma also appreciated Zack’s advice on how to confront and overcome fears. Thank you for giving time out of your short leave to talk to the current students, Zack! The TCS community is grateful for your service.  ...

Through the consistent kindness of Tom and Jacque Iacoboni and Mike and Jean Gallo, The Community School was honored with a generous donation Tuesday night at the Associated Italian American Charities fundraiser banquet. TCS staff and students attend this event each year with the generosity of our friends in the AIAC. The dinner, devoted to charity and education, featured members of the AIAC awarding donations to many organizations and scholarships for local high school and college students.  All of the students and teachers accompanied Tom to the stage when TCS was called. Mr. Tom’s cousin Tom Iacoboni presented the donation to the school, and then turned the mic over to the students. Sara gave a speech about all the activities in the school that the AIAC donations help fund, and Tyleiah gave a speech thanking all of the AIAC members who have supported the school over the years. Thank you to the AIAC for their investment in our amazing students, and a special thank you to Felix Dialioso and Tom Iacoboni for having the students and staff of TCS attend the banquet as their guests. We all had a wonderful night sharing in good food and the AIAC’s giving tradition. ...

2017 TCS graduate Janiah Tillery visited the school today, having come home from college for Thanksgiving break. Janiah is in her 3rd year at Roanoke College, where she studies history and East Asian studies on a full-ride scholarship. Mr. Tom used Janiah’s visit as an opportunity to ask her questions about her college experience in front of the class. The students learned that Janiah originally entered college as a biology major with the goal of becoming a doctor, but she decided she would enjoy history more.  Janiah has been learning Traditional Mandarin as part of her East Asian studies courses, and will be expanding her language skills this spring during an immersive study abroad semester in Taiwan. Janiah applied for the opportunity a year in advance with the study abroad program ISEP, International Student Exchange Programs. In addition to the scholarship she receives from Roanoke, Janiah applied for and won a scholarship with the Gilman International Scholarship program. She hopes that her language skills will improve a lot over the semester, because after college she plans to teach English in East Asian countries before going on to graduate school.  Janiah said that her biggest advice to current TCS students is to pay attention and don’t take your education lightly. In high school she knew that in her financial situation, the only way she could afford college without going into a lot of debt was to work hard, get good grades, and win scholarships. She did however also say that if she could tell herself from five years...

At The Community School, we make sure to express our appreciation for the things people do to help make our school a special place throughout the year. Any time we can get everyone together as a community and be grateful for all of the amazing people that chose to learn with us and support each other is a gift, and the annual Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner is no exception.  This Saturday, students, staff, families, sponsors, and alumni gathered for TCS Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner to share delicious food and fellowship. Turkey, stuffing, mac and cheese, tacos, bread, and pies were just some of the many items that people brought to share.  Mr. Tom kicked the night off by thanking everyone for coming, and asking each attendee to sign a card for 2018 graduate Vernon “Will” Laumann who has recently entered boot camp for the U.S. Army. People each wrote cards wishing Will well and thanking him for his sacrifice. We’re sure the large pile of cards from Will’s TCS community will warm his heart this holiday season.  In the back classroom people gathered for a fun round of Thanksgiving themed Pictionary - a game in which one person draws a word and their partner guesses the word. This activity was a perfect way to include everyone from younger siblings to students and parents. In the front classroom the latest TCS Student News broadcast produced by freshmen Le’onnie and Ethan  was enjoyed by all. Towards the end of the evening, Stacy Laumann and Dave Bayer held a drawing for the Potluck’s...

“If you do something you don’t love just for the money you will be miserable… you can always make money, you’re not going to get a minute back”. Rafael Alvarez, Baltimore-based writer and mentor of student Manuel, shared these words in today’s Conversation With. Rafael was a writer for the Baltimore Sun for 24 years before becoming a writer and producer for television. He sold his first article when he was nineteen. His introduction into television writing was working as a staff writer for the classic Baltimore drama The Wire. He has also written 11 books, non fiction as well as short story collections. Rafael has history with TCS as well because he wrote an article about the young school in the 1980’s for the Sun. Rafael told the students his background and how he got into writing as a child. The Beatles inspired him to be an artist because of how their music made him feel. He was a first generation college student in a family of factory workers. Rafael explained that his parents knew he was smart, and wanted him to choose a practical profession like being a lawyer. When he decided he wanted to be a writer, though, his parents were supportive and told him to make sure to work very hard at it.  Rafael asked each of the students to ask him one question and promised he would answer honestly. He suggested the students pretend they are a reporter and think of something they would want to know. He asked the students to...

Most people only get the opportunity to view comets from afar as they blaze past the earth’s orbit. Today, the students had the opportunity to view these celestial bundles of ice and dirt up close with a simulated comet activity in Space Lab. Using soil and dry ice, the students formed small objects that simulate the materials and appearance of comets. When heat is applied, the mini-comets grow tails like those that appear when real comets get close to stars.  The students continue their study of the moon this semester in Space Lab. While discussing the different space objects that affect the moon’s surface, one of the students questioned the difference between asteroids, meteors, and comets. Ms. Elaine Lewis, a former NASA-Goddard educator who has been leading Space Lab at TCS since last year, decided to show the students first-hand with this comet lab. With this hands-on knowledge, the students are more informed and equipped for this semester’s space lab project. The students are designing a habitat for living on the moon. In building this habitat, they must take into account the various factors that make the moon inhospitable. They are learning how radiation from the sun and objects like meteors constantly bombard the surface of the moon. The students must design a habitat that protects from these elements, because there is nothing on the moon or in the moon’s atmosphere that protects from these elements naturally. Thank you Ms. Elaine for providing the informative and fun comet activity! ...

This Tuesday The Community School welcomed five students for a shadow day. TCS shadow days, which run from 7:30 AM to 2:30 PM, are set up so prospective students can get a first-hand look at what it is like to attend TCS. This week we had Sean, Kyle, and Trent from Roland Park Elementary/Middle School, Julian from Hampden Elementary/Middle School, and Cameron from Garrett Heights Elementary/Middle School. Students find our school in many ways. These students found us through family who attended TCS in the past, word of mouth from a current TCS student’s family, and guidance counselors.  The shadow students participated in Current Events, sat in on Health and English class, and were treated to Ms. Peg’s Thanksgiving inspired turkey lunch. Salma and Joshua also took the shadows for a tour of the school.  We enjoyed having the students here and look forward to receiving their applications! Our next shadow days are Monday, December 9th and Tuesday, January 14th.  ...

The assignment of the day: create a cover the The New Yorker magazine. If this seems like a tall order, don’t worry; professional illustrator Alex Fine led the students in this seminar about the conceptual process of creating an editorial cartoon. Alex Fine’s work can be seen in Newsweek, the Washington Post, and many more publications. Alex also teaches at the Baltimore Academy of Illustration.  Alex explained that editorial cartoons are “basically socio-political commentary”. Unlike political cartoons, editorial cartoons don’t use words and rely on the content of the illustration to convey a message. Simple ideas are better, Alex said, to communicate an idea that can be understood quickly simply by looking at the image. Although the cartoons can be about any subject, Alex advised the students that in his own work, he makes sure to keep the subjects based on facts and truth. Additionally he says cartoonists should always “punch up”, that is, never go after someone who doesn’t have a position of power- and don’t be afraid to criticise those in power no matter what part of the political spectrum they occupy.  With Alex’s one-on-one coaching, the students worked on cartoons with subjects ranging from climate change to body image to tobacco addiction. This workshop was an excellent lesson in turning concepts into visual communication. Special thanks to Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts for arranging this seminar and thanks to Scholastic, who sponsored today’s seminar to promote the new Political Editorial category of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Alex offered to continue...