Senior Orientation: Welcome Back!!

Schedule for our 1st day back together
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SENIOR SUNRISE
6:45 Seniors will meet Janae at the base the ABC trail (coffee and donuts at the top!)
7:45 At the top of the hill we will eat a light breakfast.  This will consist of what we all bring potluck style. We will have 30 minutes to eat, reconnect, and share stories from the summer.
8:15  Walk to Noble Hall by way of the Concert Hall
8:20: Soak it in kids, this is where you’ll be at the end of this year! Envision how you want to feel on this day! #jungleboss

Noble Hall
8:30-9:15am Overview of the day and Mindfulness 

• Overview of Orientation- Roxy 
  • Agenda and Mission Statement
• Story time with Jess Adams
• Mindfulness with Maureen Fallon-Cyr (20 minutes)

9:15-9:45 am: Journal time  SEE STUDENT JOURNAL PROMPT HANDOUT FOR THE QUESTIONS!
9:55-10:05 am Get into 6 groups (Nisty)
10:05-10:35 am Debrief journal activity in small groups 
10:40-11:10am Return as whole class in Noble Hall classroom

• This is Water 
• Story time with Ashley 
• Whole group discussion on This is Water (Ashley)
  • General emotional reactions to this speech? Popcorn out how you’re FEELING, emotionally, right now?
  • David Foster Wallace disagrees with the fact that the value of education is to teach you what to think. Instead,  he says that the true value is in making the choice of what to think about. Specifically, he says, “real Freedom is being educated and understanding HOW to think” and later “this is about the real value of a real education which has almost nothing to do with knowledge and everything to do with simple awareness.'' What does this mean and do you agree or disagree with this?

11:10-11:35 Individual/Small Group Reflection and Brainstorm Time Framing (25 minutes) 

• Choose to join small discussion group led by teachers or go journal independently either in written form or record yourself.

11:35-11:45 am: What’s the purpose of lunch with the freshmen + Overview of the afternoon
11:45 Head back down to Animas for Lunch & Mash Up
12:00 - 12:30  “Find yourself a Freshman” Lunch Mash Up
12:30 - 1:00 Lunch time to mingle with all AHS students  
1:00-1:30 Check-In with your advisory + student contracts in your Advisor’s room
1:30-2:30 College Prep check-ins- In each Advisor’s Room 

• College Preparation Instructions- Shared with seniors to start the work they need to do
• Seniors Spreadsheet- Advisors use this to find out where you advisees are

2:30 Student Led Nest Meeting @ AHS in Commons

Student Journal Questions (Round 1)
Journal time (you can choose how to capture these ideas, either in written form, or via voice recording on your phone)

1. Where am I at?  Check in with yourself about how you are feeling about Senior year, work, school, friends, etc.
   
2. What do you want out of the year, next few years, etc. 
   
3. How or by what are you inspired?
   
4. What do you have control of in your life?  What don’t you have control of?
   
5. What can your senior year be?  What can you do? What are you going to do?
   
6. What hurdles can you see in front of you?  What can you do about those hurdles?
   
7. What is your senior year vision for yourself and community?
   
   
   

This is Water reflection and Mission Statement Brainstorm (Round 2)
(Again, you can choose how to capture these ideas, either in written form, or via voice recording on your phone)


WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? The goal of this time is for you to reflect more deeply on This is Water, the relevance of David Foster Wallace’s message to your own life and way of thinking AND to begin brainstorming your Senior Year Mission Statement. Please capture these ideas and bring them to Humanities class tomorrow as Sara/Ashley will guide you in creating a refined Mission Statement that answers the question: “What is my authentic vision for my senior year experience and my contribution to community”. Here are a few questions to help you further reflect on This is Water.  Feel free to answer as many of them as you’d like, but make sure you jot down some ideas for your mission statement.


Reflection questions

• ESSENTIAL QUESTION: “What is my authentic vision for my senior year experience and my contribution to community”?
  
• What does Wallace mean by our "natural default setting" manner of thinking? In Wallace’s conclusion, what does he suggest that we try to do to avoid this “natural default” way of thinking and living?
  
• What do you think is your “natural default setting” in how you think or perceive the world? 
  
• Describe an experience you have had similar to the example Wallace shares at the supermarket. Looking back now, how could have shifted your thinking during that experience?   How could you find the meaning or purpose in that moment?
  
• Wallace says, “The only thing that's capital-T True is that you get to decide how you're going to try to see it. You get to consciously decide what has meaning and what doesn't.” What have you chosen, consciously or not, to assign meaning to? What is sacred? What is important? Thinking about it consciously now, is it worthy of your time and attention? 
  
• Have you ever thought to yourself that "I am the center of the universe?"
  
• Describe how self-centered thinking occurs in your own life, or someone you know, or someone you have observed. Then explain the negative or positive effects of thinking in this manner.
  
• The second half of our mission statement for today was to inspire you all to articulate not just a vision for your own experience this year, but also for your CONTRIBUTION to community.  This will be a major expectation for the senior project, that you contribute somehow meaningfully to the world beyond yourself. How can the 12th grade curriculum enable you to think beyond yourself? To what extent are you inspired to do so?