Thank you for your interest in Horace Mann School. The Life at Horace Mann Student Ambassador Blog is designed to give our students the chance to share their Lion Pride. In this blog you'll find posts from our Student Ambassadors, other students as 'guest bloggers,' and even the occasional faculty or staff blogger. We hope you'll check back often for updates.
On Thursday, April 4th, no Horace Mann student will attend class. Instead, the entire high school will study a variety of different themes from the book, Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This special day, Book Day, will begin with an assembly featuring Michael Dirda, a Pulitzer Prize-winning essayist, whose work focuses on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's story telling ability. Then, each student will get to choose four different workshops to attend. While each workshop will relate to the book, the topics vary from Mormonism to the role of computer science in crime scenes so that every student can find a workshop to interest him or her. I'm currently developing a workshop on the evolution of a murder mystery novel along with my former English teacher, Dr. Levenstein. To me, book day symbolizes why Horace Mann is so special. It's a place where people value coming together and learning just for the sake of learning.
Yesterday the Upper Division was fortunate enough to spend our weekly assembly period looking at the life and works of one of the most distinguished HM parents. Photographer Rodney Smith shared his inspiration with us, and took us through the path that lead him from creative photography all over the globe to fashion shoots and magazine covers. It was a unique opportunity for us to gain insight into a field that most of us aren't too familiar with. It was also a great way for us to see some critically acclaimed art work that was both inspiring and thought provoking. I enjoyed hearing about his physical process and the thought process behind some of his most famous photographs.
At Horace Mann, I have a tremendous amount of course flexibility for a high school student. This year, I have tried to take advantage of that flexibility by enrolling in an Independent Study course, which allows me to design my own curriculum. I am really enjoying studying ancient Roman history with my mentor. However, one of the highlights of the course is hearing my fellow students present their research every other day in our seminar class. I feel as if I am not only enrolled in a history course, but also a computer science course, a psych course, and tons of other courses! In independent study even more so than in my other classes, I feel so lucky to be able to benefit from the brilliance of my peers. I am now fairly well versed in encryption coding, the psychology behind dog behavior- and so many other interesting topics!
Early last month, the Diversity Team held an assembly for the Upper Division. We talked about culture in a lot of ways: our school’s culture, time as a facet of culture, what culture at home is like, and much more. The Horace Mann Diversity Team holds a variety of activities every year where we discuss different topics relating to diversity, identity, culture, and how all three are parts of Horace Mann. The Team is a collection of individual students who live in different places, travel to school in different ways, and come from different backgrounds, but we come together with a desire to understand each other and our common surroundings. We think deeply and talk about these things, and have some fun along the way.
Over Winter Break the Horace Mann Varsity Basketball team and Varsity Swim team went to Florida for trips filled with training and competition. For the first time, the basketball team ventured to Orlando where they trained and also played in tournaments with Florida high school teams, while the Swim Team headed to Fort Lauderdale for its annual training trip. These trips are not only a great way for teams to practice and get in shape but also are a great bonding experience that brings teammates closer together. The Basketball and Swim team, and all of the other winter sport teams, are ready to continue the rest of their winter season! Go Lions!
Every year on the last day before winter break, the Horace Mann Glee Club and the Orchestra have a holiday concert. This year’s concert was especially fantastic! Among other things The Glee Club sang an arrangement of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas that included a little solo done by our very own Head of the Upper Division. The Orchestra even created a piece called the Toy Symphony where all the seniors played toys instead of their respective instruments! It's was great to see everyone doing something special to commemorate the holiday season and to welcome the New Year!
