Sunday Fun at Grafton State Park!

We headed out for some sun and sand at the local state park. The girls enjoyed swimming in the lake, playing Frisbee and throwing around the football--and somehow Nora (one of our counsellors) ended up buried in the sand :)

Boston Trip

We had a wonderful time on our trip to Boston, Massachusetts, this Saturday. We started out with a Duck Boat Tour, sightseeing around the streets and harbor of Boston.  We next went to the Boston Aquarium and ended in Quincy Market.  Here are just a few pictures of all the excitment!

Posing with some traditionally dressed soldiers!

Misaki, Emily, Sherrie, Nane, Cindy and Sidi in front of a Duck Boat

Moe celebrated her fifteenth birthday by getting to drive the Duck Boat on the Boston Harbor! 

Emily also took a turn at the wheel of the Duck Boat

Add caption

Sidi and Ms. Hume with a Boston Lobster!

Outside the Aquarium

Spelling and Definition Bee, Week Two!

Here are two examples of how wonderfully the girls did in this week's spelling and definition bee! Misato and Emily were our final two contestants, and they were evenly matched.  Eventually we declared both winners, as we couldn't stump them with any of the words we have learned so far! Congratulations Misato and Emily (and to all members of the class as well)!

Reading together...friends forever!

Our last day of community service was rainy. Sadly, some girls' partners were not at camp that day, so they joined together to give the children lots of extra attention!  Our Emma girls read, colored and talked with their little partners. At the end, each group got a chance to stand at the front of the class and be recognized. We asked, "Who can read in English?" and they answered together, "We can!" Here are the videos of a few groups and partners:

B-I-N-G-O!

We were all quite entertained by an evening of Bingo with Zoe as the caller. 

History in Action

In keeping with this week's theme, Local History, the girls learned about the history that is all around us.  Troy and the Emma Willard School are great locations to explore and expereince some great historical primary sources.  This morning we visited the school Archives and had a lecture from Nancy Iannucci, the archivist here. She reviewed some key points the girls had learned during Week One (Women in American History) and showed them some great letters, books, dresses and diaries from the last two hundred years. The girls then got to put on gloves and explore the archives for themselves. 

Nancy Iannucci discusses some artifacts from the school's collection

A dress that Emma Willard wore!

Ranran and Cindy examine an issue of the
school newspaper from the 1960s

Mayu, Misaki, Tilly, Emily and Cindy pose with a portrait of Ms. Willard

Tilly

Emily

Mayu reads a letter from the 1860s

During our afternoon Photo Scavenger Hunt around the famous buildings and landmarks of Troy, we stopped at a local cemetery to search for the oldest grave.  The girls also did grave rubbings of different dates and decorations they found.

Group photo at Skidmore

Skidmore College
This week's college visit saw the girls in Saratoga, a famously beautiful town about 45 minutes from Troy, touring Skidmore College, a well-known liberal arts school. Despite the heat, the girls enjoyed the campus and knowledgeable tour guide--and they loved taking pictures of the squirrels around campus!

the girls were troupers in the heat!

After the college visit, the girls enjoyed a few highlights of Saratoga including browsing at the local bookstore, eating Ben and Jerry's ice cream and seeing a horse race at the Harness Track!

The girls cheered on one race at the Harness Track