GC St. Johnsbury Celebrates Fall Term!

This has been an exciting semester for Global Campus St. Johnsbury! Fall Term 2010 began with lots of new faces at Global Campus St. Johnsbury. The meeting room at Springfield College was packed with people and busy with excitement. This fall, the group delved into a unit on Our Stories, where campus participants practiced telling stories and personal histories about their lives. Using digital recorders, storyboards and artwork, they told stories about their favorite childhood memories or about where they live or about inspirational people in their lives. This unit was emotional for many people. We discussed that the campus is a safe place for participants to share about their histories and that people need-not feel obligated to share stories that are difficult to tell. There were a few tears as people shared about parents or loved ones who had passed away. There were also many laughs.

The Our Stories unit sparked a discussion about creating a Global Campus St. Johnsbury film. Josh had made a film about his experiences at St. Johnsbury Academy and suggested that Global Campus St. Johnsbury might like to do something similar. The campus decided to create a film that told the story of Global Campus St. Johnsbury and what it is like to participate at the campus. The group began working with filmmaker Scott Miller on a documentary film project. Using five cameras, participants learned to shoot video footage and create video stories about their campus. The Campus Staff used a storyboard to discuss what type of shots to add to the film and what they want to show to their audience. Campus participants also worked on their own with the cameras, filming things that are important to them outside of the campus. The film was invited to present at the Green Mountain Film Festival in St. Johnsbury on April 1, 2, 3. The group is very excited for the opportunity to present their work and share about their Global Campus.

Global Campus St. Johnsbury participants took their campus to a new level this term preparing classes and working on new projects. Josh’s class, The Fantasy of Knights and Dragons, demonstrated many innovative teaching methods. Josh shared that he had been working on his class for over two months, making posters, practicing and designing packets for the class. David and Samantha’s Music and Art to Express your Feelings class opened up a new thought process for many participants. David shared that art can be relaxing and can open your mind to think and create. We saw many interesting artistic creations while listening to music. Michelle invited the group to try meditation. She demonstrated the process of meditating and shared different techniques to clear the mind and relax with meditation.

A highpoint of the term was Phil and Neal’s Talent – No – Talent Show. Many participants prepared acts of talent (or no talent) to present in front of the group. Phil and Neal arranged the room into a theater, invited guests from Springfield College, NKHS and GCF, and designed a program listing the acts. Jessica was invited to be Master of Ceremonies and she created a script that welcomed the group and introduced each act with a witty, innovative line. The group had lots of fun watching each other dance, play instruments, sing songs, recite readings, and play games. The hosts, Phil and Neal, marched in the Harmonica Marching Band as one of the acts. The show was lots of fun, and may become an annual event.

Looking ahead to Winter Interim, the group will study a Where in the World theme that incorporates stories from around the world. The campus will look at stories, myths and fables, as well as pictures and cultural facts from different countries. There will be an air of mystery to this term as the groups try to guess Where in the World these stories are from.