Posts by Dawn Fornear
Program Update: Social Studies with Daniela and Tim
8th Grade: Eighth graders have been honing their writing skills incredibly well as we study Washington State history. Already, nearly ninety percent of eighth graders have chosen to write a mini-essay for Challenge over a paragraph, describing things, such as the differences between the structure of Washington State government and US government. Soon, they’ll…
Read MoreProgram Update: Art with Sarah
Melting crayons with a heat gun, attaching grommets to a book, creating an homage to your favorite musical artist with broken CDs, and using mixed media to express yourself … must be time for the eighth-grade Altered Book Project!! It’s the project students wait for! The art room becomes an open studio with possibilities for…
Read MoreProgram Update: Drama with Tara
Last Thursday, the 8th grade graciously welcomed a renowned Seattle Playwright into the drama room. Maggie Lee is well known in Seattle for her exciting genre mashups, many of her plays are sci-fi, horror, period, wild west, and fantasy, to name a few. She has worked with theatres all over Seattle, including Seattle Bathhouse, ACT,…
Read MoreNote from Barbara: Reflections on Ross Lake
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to spend three days in the Olympic National Forest (and National Park) last week with a group of Explorer West seventh graders. On a backpacking trip, we get to know each other in different ways. As always, I was so impressed with the students I hiked…
Read MoreFriday Clubs at Explorer West!
This past Friday, Explorer West students and faculty held their first Friday Clubs! In our community-building spirit, students from all three grades came together to participate in activities ranging from coding to Dungeons and Dragons to baking. I peeked in on the Cooking Club experimenting with variations on chocolate chip cookies. The Writing Club worked…
Read More