2018-2019 Chapel Theme- "Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth or action."
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Can Drive Update
This year's Can Drive exceeded expectations. The Lower School goal was 1,785 cans. A last minute surge of donations before the Thanksgiving holiday pushed the number of collected cans to 1,998! The Middle School had 100% participation by all homerooms- with a total of 7,278 cans. In the Upper School, students generously donated items assigned to each grade- earning 6,118 points. (Donated items are assigned points. For example- detergent earns 15-points, peanut butter 10-points, pasta 3-points.) And a new school record was set with 67 donated turkeys. They were shared with the Great Valley Food Cupboard.
Tuesday, November 20 - Thanksgiving Chapel
Before heading off for Thanksgiving break, Middle and Upper School students gathered for a Litany of Thanksgiving. Watch here.
Upper School Chapel
Monday, November 26 - Quaker Style Meeting
Students started the week with silent reflection and prayer during a Quaker Style Meeting.
Wednesday, November 28 - Sharing of Singing Survey
In October, the Vestry sent out a survey to the Upper School in an effort to find out more about student singing preferences in Chapel. With 260 student respondents, the findings indicate 14% do not sing at all, 32% sing regularly, and more than half, 54%, say they sing depending on the song. Not surprising, 89% say they are more willing to sing when it is a song that they know. An overwhelming number (78%) are more likely to sing when others around them are singing. The top three favorite Hymns are Go Down Moses, This Little Light of Mine, Peace Like a River.
Friday, November 30 - The Joybells of Melmark
On Friday, The Joybells of Melmark returned to Chapel for their annual performance. The talented musicians delighted students, faculty, and staff with their beautiful songs, and helped kick off the holiday season at EA. The 12 members of the Joybells do not read music. The musical group is led by two instructors, including director Sue Graves, who use hand cues and head nods to direct. "The emphasis is on their ability. It's all about what they can do," explained Ms. Graves. "Everyone has been given something we can share with others." Watch here.
Middle School Chapel
Tuesday, November 27 - Drama Meets Religion Performance - Betrayal
Thursday's DMR play was called Pizza Pizza- based on Mark 10: 46-50: the Healing of Blind Bartimeus. It is about a teenage boy named John (played by XinXin Fang) who has a disability and needs a job to earn money for his eye surgery. Bartimeus faced significant obstacles as he tried to see Jesus, but he never gave up. In the same way, John remains persistent as he strives to keep his job despite his disability. John is tempted to quit when his friend Luke (played by Lauren Stasse) gets mad at him after he drops a pizza on the job. But with the encouragement of his boss (played by Kassidy Kryukov), John finds a way to endure and keep the job he needs. The theme of the passage and the play is persistence: pursuing one's dream and never giving up.
Lower School ChapelWednesday, November 28 - Generosity Chapel
The Stripe of the month for November is Generosity, so the theme of Generosity again took center stage at Lower School Chapel. The service began with a reading from Corinthians that reminded students, "A few seeds make a small harvest, but a lot of seeds make a big harvest." Students in Mrs. Van Thuyne and Mrs. Squillario classes shared their thoughts and observations about the book Four Feet and Two Sandals. The book is about two Afghani girls who are living in a refugee camp and share one pair of sandals they received from relief workers."The girls didn't have a lot but found ways to be generous," shared one student. Chapel concluded with the presentation of this year's UNICEF check to Community Outreach Coordinator Becky Brinks. Lower School students raised $2,217.69. The money was sorted and counted by the 3rd grade.
