School Events

Quarterly Events: 

Murray Academy has four quarters in the year and (now) several big events in the year, one or two for each quarter.

1st Quarter (July 9-September 14): Annual Tea
A day to dress up in sun dresses and polos, mingle, and show off their social skills. If we have it right at the beginning of the year, we could invite new students and their families and assign them an older student (who has several charges) to talk up the family and student. The same could apply to donors and other important contributors to the school. So on the 2012-2013 Academic Schedule, the first day of classes (July 9, 2012), students could go to all of their classes for a short introduction. Then on July 10, 2012, students could have and assembly in the afternoon and the tea in the morning.

2nd Quarter (October 1-December 14): Convention
A day of presentations and activities. Primarily for students, but perhaps we could invite certain contributors and possibly parents, if we can get it big enough. There should be several categories, and students should be required to go to at least one of each (though they should be expected to fill the entire time watching/participating in presentations). Some categories: student presentations (great ideas/papers/topics throughout the year, these students should only have to present for part of the day so they can see other presentations), usefulness seminars (like how to balance a checkbook, rent a house, or grocery shop "smart"), hands-on activities (calligraphy, cursive?, basic computer science, memory tricks?, social dance, etc.), and speakers (important/interesting speakers/topics like the head of security speaking about exciting security measures). On the 2012-2013 Academic Schedule, this would probably happen somewhere near November 14-16 because students are off that Monday and Tuesday for Veterans' Day and again the next week for Thanksgiving. Friday the 16th would probably be the best day so that students are not wasting class time, but then students would have to talk about giving thanks in their Change class another week.

3rd Quarter (January 7-March 15): Knowledge Race/Game
Teams of students including at least one student from each year race around completing challenges in each of their subjects for their teachers. The point is to get the students to really use what they're learning and get rewarded, so I want it to be a big deal, and I want to challenges to be as relevent to life ("But Teacher, when are we ever going to have to USE this?") as possible. I would like each of the students on the team to be relevent. Older students should know the same material as younger students, but in some cases, the younger students have seen them more recently than the older ones. In the 2012-2013 Academic Schedule, this probably should happen on one of the Fridays in February, just to break up the month.

4th Quarter (April 8-June 14): Final Performance and Prom
First the final performance: I'm not quite sure how to articulate this yet, but I want a huge event/fundraiser at the end of each school year. It's more of a demonstration of excellence and knowledge than a performance, though there will be groups performing. I want each class (not each year, each and every class) to have part of a wall (or something like that) to present the most important thing(s) the students thought they learned that year. This could be (with a distinct sign saying which class it is) reflections and pictures and graphs taped to the wall or a tv with a slide show or video, anything really. In different parts of the school, I want parts of the choir singing, parts of the band or orchestra playing, dancers dancing, actors acting, art and projects displayed. Dinner will be served, planned and presented by the students, and a fee will be charged to family members and other important guests. I want it to be a magical night, in which students shine and impress the whole community. This should happen toward the end of the quarter on a Friday so students can spend time prepping during the day.

Then prom prep: After a busy Friday like that, I think the next day (Saturday) should be a prom prep day. The girls (activities for guys, too?) should be provided with a fun and relaxing day together, possibly with mothers volunteering to do nails and facials and hair prep. Maybe there can even be some sort of jewelry sharing program set up so girls can get the perfect accessories for prom.

The next weekend: prom! I think the whole school should be invited to prom. It's a fun and fancy event, and no one should be left out. Of course there will be maximum security to make sure that no one goes crazy, in or out of the dance. Maybe there should be some social dance lessons in culture class so students keep things classy.

In the 2012-2013 Academic Schedule, the performance should probably take place May 17 or 18, the prom prep day May 18 or 19, and prom the 24th, because then students would have the long Memorial Day weekend holiday right after prom.


Other events: 

International races/competitions with schools/districts overseas