GC Randolph Reflects on their Fall Term 2011!

We learned about the Tunbridge Fair from Vicki at the Library. In Edie's Talking Books classes we switched to a new story about a chimpanzee living with a family, it is great! Rick taught us about bowling and we learned the inside of the ball is made of hard plastic. Missy showed us how to set a table with laminated placemat diagrams in her Basic Table Setting class.

The VT state butterfly is the monarch and the tree is a maple. That was from Edie and Vicki's State Symbols class. Dan gave a drumming demonstration and played along with ACDC.

Kathi, Cheryl and Joe taught us about fall leaves and how to make a collage with them. Everyone at MENIG liked Rena and Justin's class on Baseball Bingo. We learned baseball terms like infield, outfield, and innings. Jonathan taught us what VDOTU stands for in his TV show class and we learned more songs in Theme Song Trilogy.

We made a Full Value Contract that says how we should treat each other at our campus and we all signed it. Our theme is Building Community and we made a map of our community with all the connections we have, like where we live and work. We also invited guest speakers from the community to teach at our campus in the Spring Term. It's our campus!

- By Melissa Campbell, Rick Holbrook, Daniel Dunn, Edith Billings, Vicki Uphahm, Raymond, Justin Lumbra, Rena Haevers, Jonathan Fletcher, Lisa Dickinson, Marion Casarico, and Kathi Pratt

Global Campus Shiremont Makes A Meal for the Upper Valley Haven

Global Campus Shiremont, which includes participants from New Hampshire and Vermont, made a dinner of lasagna, salad, bread and desserts at the Adult Shelter on October 28, 2011. We chose the Haven for our Community Service project because they help people in need no matter what their situation is. After the meal was prepared, we shared the fruits of our labor and ate dinner with some of the residents. It felt good to help others who are less fortunate than we are.

Global Campus Shiremont participants

GC Bradford Helps Their Community!

In September, Shawn heard a radio advertisement saying that the Bradford Food Shelf was low and in need of food items. She shared the idea at her campus as part of a discussion about a fall Community Service Project. Our campus liked the idea and created a food drive to help out. We set up a collection box at Upper Valley Services. Robin set up another box at the Bradford Public Library, and Shawn arranged to have one above the Local Buzz. We collected nearly 100 non-perishable food items and delivered them to the food shelf. Valorie reported today that the food shelf is now doing well. Jeannie says our food drive was, "Pretty good!".

- By the Global Campus Bradford Core Group

Global Campus Springfield Raises $400.00 for Flood Relief

We love our neighbors and felt compelled to help those who suffered as a result of Tropical Storm Irene. We are blessed and wanted to share our blessings. We recently held a raffle and raised $400.00 which is being divided between the Springfield Family Center and Black River Good Neighbors. We also held a food drive. Thank you to everyone who donated prizes or bought raffle tickets. Water can never wash away love!

Global Campus Springfield participants

The Famous Pyramids of Egypt!

I was very excited to share my class on the Pyramids of Egypt. I had a great turnout for my class! I brought in a cardboard model of a pyramid, a poster, handouts, and little cards with images and facts on them. We attempted to mummify Andreas with paper towels, but they kept coming apart. He won't be preserved all that long. I asked the question to my students, "Can anyone guess how high the Khufu pyramid, the highest pyramid in Egypt is?" There is a new pyramid that was just discovered under the ocean off the coast of Asia.

- Robin, GC Bradford Faculty

Finbar Teaches About Airplanes and Gliders!

Global Campus Moretown was alive on friday afternoon! There were over forty people that attended Finbar's incredibly successful class on airplanes. At the farmhouse, Finbar began his class by playing a speech he had programmed into his talking device, sharing his passion for airplanes and airports. He showed a video clip of him flying a friend's Cessna out of Berlin Airport as well as two clips of weather research airplanes flying into hurricanes. He then invited us to carpool to Warren airport where we all marveled at the airplanes and gliders taking off and landing. Finbar invited Mark, from Sugarbush Soaring, to share his airplane and glider wisdom with us. It was a beautiful afternoon for a beautiful class. Fantastic!

GC Participants: Leaders in their Campus and their Communities

As Global Campus participants all over Vermont and New Hampshire grow through the process of engaging with their campus, they encourage each other to take on more responsibility and leadership. "It's our campus," we always say! Robin, a teaching faculty at GC Bradford decided that the local library would be a good place to spread the word in the community about her campus so she presented to the librarian about GC Bradford. Thanks to her efforts the campus has been invited by the library to have a display of our Fall Term Catalogs for community members to pick up, learn more about our campus, and attend our classes. Rena, a faculty participant at GC Randolph thought it would be great to offer her Baseball Bingo class at MENIG, an assisted living facility associated with Gifford Hospital in Randolph, so she went and talked to the MENIG coordinator and successfully secured both a venue and a very excited class audience there! These are just a few of the countless examples of campus participants taking charge and driving the growth and development of THEIR Global Campuses. Keep up the great work!

GC Moretown Celebrates a Year of Mud!

In the fall of 2010, Neil, a faculty member at Global Campus Moretown, decided he wanted to teach a class on how to build an outdoor oven. This idea sparked a year long adventure at our campus as Neil guided us through the process of constructing our very own outdoor oven made of cob, a mixture of clay, sand, and straw. It was a challenge for some participants who don't enjoy getting dirty, but just about everyone got their feet muddy mixing the cob and enjoyed the cool mud between their toes! We just finished our oven a few weeks ago and celebrated the process at our annual cider pressing event, baking pizzas to perfection in the beautiful oven for the community to enjoy! Neil is so proud of his oven, congratulations Neil!

GC Moretown Supports Flood Relief at their 4th Annual Cider Pressing Festival

This friday was a dynamic afternoon at the GC Moretown 4th Annual Cider Pressing Festival! There was a huge turnout for the exciting event. Everyone had their hands in something, whether it was pressing and canning cider or making artisan pizzas to slide into the piping hot cob oven. After the cider was pressed in a hand press we pasturized it and canned it into beautiful mason jars with custom labels. The quarts of cider were then offered for a donation to support flood relief efforts in our community after tropical storm Irene.

Memo from Jim and Sherry to Campus Participants

September 5, 2011

Dear Global Campus Participants,

Congratulations on the beginning of your Fall Academic Term 2011!!! You all are amazing, and we look forward to seeing in your catalog what you plan to teach and learn. We also plan to visit your campus soon.

This past week, the northeastern part of the United States, particularly Vermont and New Hampshire, was hit with a major tropical storm that created great floods and much damage to property, homes and farmland. Many of you live in the communities that were struck by this natural disaster. On behalf of Global Campuses Foundation, we wish to convey our heartfelt concern for all of you, your families, and friends during this challenging time.

As participants of Global Campuses, you have demonstrated your interest and participation in the communities you live. Many of you have taught classes about local areas including about your home town. As a campus, you have contributed to your community through your GCF Community Service Projects and Connections Conferences. This year you have a curriculum theme about “Building Community and Strengthening Connections”. You are a very strong part of your communities throughout Vermont and in New Hampshire.

We know you will support one another as we all process and experience what has taken place. This experience is part of all of our journeys, and we can look to each other to share about and listen to our stories and needs. Your creative educational ideas will most likely demonstrate ways to further contribute to your communities. Stay strong and positive in all you do. We are proud to be your colleagues.

Global Campuses Rocks!

With love from, Sherry and Jim Tewksbury, GCF