SPECIAL ACTIVITIES, PAGE 1

Headwaters Academy features several special events and
activities during the school year, including the following:

HWA's "Creative Spirit" Activities

There was a time that HWA devoted a day
every year to "out-of-the-normal" classroom
experiences. We no longer schedule a special
day; creative activies regularly occur across the
curriculum.

6th graders enjoy a Mexican fiesta in world cul-
tures. They also create Powerpoints™,
brochures, posters and African story books.
In English, original poetry is compiled in a book
and then read to an audience at Barnes and Noble. Garage Band™ software is used to help music students compose an original piece of music set to certain tempos and dynamics. Amazing experiments are conducted in science, including some that explode!

7th graders actually operate a scanning electron microscope at Montana State University (MSU). They also collect live viruses from the MSU duck pond and then view them in an MSU lab. In Spanish, students write and perform short dramas that are "curriculum-appropriate" and create beautiful presentation boards of different countries for the Spanish Fair. 7th grade English students tell scary stories "around the campfire," and they perform a Shakespearean play in costume.

7th & 8th grade music students create a unique instrument from household items, compose a musical piece for it, and then give a performance: solo and in groups. They also collaboratively create a composition for five gallon bucket drums with PVC sticks. In math classes, there is a "Weekly Whim" that stretches problem solving skills.

8th grade English students interview a relative to develop a creative non-fiction narrative and then produce a book that includes the narrative, a poem, images, and historical information. Spanish students plan and create a Mexican Mercado (market) that serves as a fundraiser for our sister Tarahumara schools in Mexico. Interesting physics demonstrations visually display mathematical principles to general math students. Life financial skills are learned while computing interest rates, and the math students participate in a class lottery to learn probability tecniques.

All students participate in an extensive, creative art curriculum--no matter their natural ability. They also enjoy our lunchtime "Dessert Series" speaker several times a year. A president's press secretary, a virologist, and a dog kennel owner have already presented to the students during the 2009-2010 school year.

See More Special Activities Below:
Spanish Market/Fair and Extracurricular Activities