Jeff Hanna’s 7th grade art students worked “al fresco” emphasizing the details of a tree through contour line drawings. A contour line drawing is a continuous line that defines the outer edge and inner details of an object. It requires the artist to pay close attention to the objects he or she is observing. In order to have an interesting surface on which to generate their designs, the students began by preparing their paper with India ink and salt. Hanna says, “The salt interacts with the ink and makes a great background for the contour line drawings.” The students then took this prepared surface outside where they executed their contour line drawings. The lines inevitably overlap, adding to the complexity of the drawing.”

We can’t see it, smell it, or touch it, but we know it’s there. Air! And the Pre-K and Kindergartners started the year in their first science class learning about it and how it surrounds us. They observed their teacher, Coralie Moorhead, conduct an experiment where a tissue was put in a glass, inverted, and slowly lowered into a bowl of blue tinted water. As the glass was lowered straight down in the bowl, without allowing any water to saturate the tissue, a large bubble of air protected the tissue from the water. When the glass was slightly tipped to one side, the air bubble escaped, and water saturated the tissue. The students also spent a rousing few minutes batting balloons back and forth with partners.

Members of the community, parents, students, teachers, and staff, participated in a book chat, slide presentation, and dinner. The slide presentation was given by Steve Baris, Upper School art teacher, on his experiences growing up on five different Indian reservations when his father worked as a forester and administrator for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. His recollections were fascinating and helped to paint a visual picture of life growing up on a reservation in the late ’60s and ’70s. The book chat followed, with a discussion of Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn, by Larry Colton. Written in 2000, it tells the story of one Native American high school student’s efforts to take her team to the state basketball finals. The story is not a positive one and painted a very bleak picture of life on a reservation and the Crow Indians’ inability to change their lives to ones of hope.

This past summer, Lara Stevenson, a junior, participated in a fashion design course as part of Moore College of Art’s Young Artists Workshop. The course emphasized garment construction techniques and required each student to create an original design and learn how to craft a basic bodice, shirt sleeve, and trouser. Lara’s design collection entitled "Breakfast at Tiffany's", was chosen to be displayed with concept boards at PhashionPhest at the Penn's Landing Hyatt Regency. PhasionPhest is the premier fall fashion event in Philadelphia where leading designers premier their newest collections.

Shipley’s Upper and Middle Schools collected used textbooks for donation to the Philadelphia Book Bank at 5th and Luzerne Streets. The donated books, over 500 in count, were loaded into vans with the help of student volunteers, (l to r) Jack Hilzinger, Ethan Magill, Mike Keiser, and Jack Hannaway, with the assistance of Book Bank volunteer and van driver Tom Phillips. The books will be distributed to schools as needed.

September/October 2005