April Reminders
- April 14: FIELD PASS at PG: Come out and support FIVE VARSITY teams in action - boys tennis, girls lax, baseball and boys and girls soccer starting at 4:00 p.m. The Fathers Association will have the grill firing for delicious food and cold drinks.
- April 16: 5th annual Alumni Soccer Game. The Varsity boys soccer team vs. Alumni soccer players at 11 a.m. on Singleton Field. The rivalry is tied 2 - 2 so this year serves as a tie breaker. Come out and enjoy the showdown!
- April 24: Porter-Gaud Arts Festival is from 1:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
- April 26: Senior/Alumni Luncheon and Senior T-Shirt Day
- Graduation Invitations ARE IN - seniors and/or parents may pick them up in the front office!
Spring Break Rewind: Viva Italia!
Twenty-one students packed their bags for Italy for a Spring Break full of culture, Roman architecture, and history. Faculty members Aaron Lipka, Jessica Schenkel, and Chris Tate were chaperones. The itinerary included:
Day 1: March 26. Arrival in Rome/ drive to Campania/ Cumae archaeological site/ Sorrento.
Day 2: March 27. Pompeii excavations/ drive to Rome.
day 3: March 28. Capitoline Museums/ Campus Martius walk/ Pantheon/ Campo di Fiori/ Piazza Navona/ Ara Pacis and Masoleum of Augustus.
Day 4: March 29. Roman Forum/ Colosseum/ Church of the Capuchin Monks.
Day 5: March 30. Circus Maximus/ San Clemente/ Baths of Caracalla/ Via Appia and catacombs of San Sebastiano. Evening Tour of Trastevere/ Santa Maria in Trastevere.
Day 6: March 31. Day trip to Tivoli/ Hadrian's Villa archaeological site/ Villa d'Este gardens.
Day 7: April 1. Tour of the Vatican museums/ Sistine Chapel/ Saint Peter's Basilica/ Trevi Fountain.
Day 8: April 2. departure from Rome and return to Charleston.
"This trip was such a great experience. I loved getting to know these kids. Their knowledge of the history of Rome combined with their Latin skills were truly impressive. I even got to share some of my passion and teach the students about ellipses at the Coliseum! Thank you Aaron for planning such a great trip and allowing me to be a part of it." Jessica Schenkel, math faculty member
Visiting Playwright Brennen Reeves
Over the last few weeks, students in Ashley Stock's public speaking class have been working with playwright Brennen Reeves. Brennen was a theatre major at the College of Charleston and has cystic fibrosis. Several years ago, he had a double lung transplant. His one-man show, Breathe, is about his journey, and will be a part of Spoleto this year. It is heartbreaking, hilarious, startling, honest and amazing. For more information, visit http://brennenreeves.com.
"I had the privilege of teaching Brennan at the College of Charleston. I have also had the joy of seeing his one man show. While I have already covered the basics of playwriting in Intro to Theatre this semester, I thought that it would be valuable for the students to learn about writing an autobiographical show. Brennan has wonderful performance experience and has helped cultivate a safe writing environment for the students as they develop their own short autobiographical pieces." Ashley Stock
Porter-Gaud Arts Festival is April 24th
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The Porter-Gaud Performing and Fine Arts Department invites you to the Spring Arts Festival. The afternoon of performances and art includes:
· 1:00 - AP ART SHOW begins and continues throughout the day
· 1:30 – 2:30 PM LS CHOIRS / CLASS ENSEMBLES
· 2:45 – 3:30 PM HANDBELL CONCERT
· 3:30 – 4:00 PM MS CHOIR and LEADING TONES US AND MS WILL COMBINE
· 4:00 – 4:30 PM US CHOIR/CHAMBER SINGERS/SIX LEAF CLOVERS/QUARTER POUNDERS
· 4:30 – 5:00 PM STRING ENSEMBLE/JAZZ ENSEMBLE
· 5:00 – 5:30 PM ***ART and MUSIC AWARDS CEREMONY (US & MS)
Immediately following Awards Ceremony-all award recipients will stay for a short photo session.
Light refreshments served outside Gwynette throughout the day’s events.
***All MS & US Students are required to stay for the Awards Ceremony!
AP Art submissions above from Claire Lawrence and Gettys Moore (left to right)
Spring Spanish Proficiency Testing
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As part of our ongoing commitment to a proficiency based language program, all Spanish students in grades 6-12 will be assessed this Spring using the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL). AAPPL is a performance-based assessment of standards-based language learning across the three modes of communication (Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational) as defined by the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages.
AAPPL assesses the ability to engage in linguistic tasks on topics of personal, social, and academic relevance across the three modes of communication. Each task, such as writing an e-mail message, video-chatting in the target language, or making selections based on the understanding of something heard, read, or viewed, takes place in the context of the language classroom. AAPPL tasks explore a variety of topics that are familiar to learners through classroom instruction or other language learning experiences, such as school, family, and community.
Señora Hyde's Spanish IV Honors students were the first to take this assessment on March 23rd and 24th.
PG Team Places Second at Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition, Max Harley named MVP
Last weekend, PG's Dangling Pointers (Alex Swanson, Tillson Galloway, Max Harley, Cameron Hay, Mark Anastos, and Randolph Dew) finished second at the Palmetto Cyber Defense Competition (PCDC)! The team lost by .223 points to defending champs, Palmetto Scholars Academy. Max Harley was named competition MVP!
PCDC is a three-day Cyber Defense Competition that is held by the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic in collaboration with the South Carolina Lowcountry Chapter of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA). PCDC promotes cyber security education and awareness. This competition is intended to energize local high schools and colleges to invigorate focused curriculum development for the type of technical skills that are needed in today’s fast paced and challenging cyber environment.
Students were comprised of "Blue Teams" responsible for operating a small network while protecting the infrastructure from "Red Team" (hacker) attacks. Blue Teams were scored for accomplishing administrative and business tasks while maintaining network/service availability (such as mail, database and web servers) as well as their ability to detect and respond to threats.
Athletics: Cyclone Player of the Week: Eddie Nesmith '16
Cyclone senior Eddie Nesmith is a blur--and not just on the track. He can be seen jetting all over campus, involved in a multitude of activities. Everyone on campus knows him for his infectious smile and sense of humor, as well as for being an outstanding student.
What many don’t know is that Eddie is an all-state performer in track & field, competing in high jump, sprints, and hurdles. This past week, Eddie ran lifetime personal bests in both of his hurdle events, including the top mark this year in SCISA in the 110 meter high hurdles, leading the Cyclones to a big victory on the road over Heathwood, Hammond, Wilson Hall, and Orangeburg Prep. He is currently the high-point scorer on the boys’ track team, and is one of the keys to the team’s quest to win a sixth consecutive state championship.