OPENING THEIR FACES TO THE SUN

Oh My!

I came back to school from over this last weekend 

and the Amaryllis bulbs had opened up.

They are crazy big this year and have multiplied.

Our photography students have been shooting them for subject matter.

Makes me ridiculously happy!

A SURPRISE VISITOR

I like to try and have fresh flowers in my classroom,

from my or our school gardens,

 flowers the kids bring me (cuz they know I love them)

or maybe ones I buy for myself, 

just because   :)

I dry them out to be recycled in our eco-dye units,

or as added embellishments for class assignments.

Well two days before school started 

I went to our school's rose garden to see what I could find.

I cut several roses and put them into a bucket of water to take them back to my classroom.

Unbeknownst to me,

I had a passenger along for the ride.

This ginormous Praying Mathis.

I couldn't believe I hadn't seen him,

and that he could easily have crawled right onto me.

But there he was,

ready for class to begin.

I know how wonderful they are for your garden,

so I was determined to get him to one ASAP.

No class today young man.

I took that bucket that the roses were in and a piece of paper

 and sort of scooped him in.

Then placed the paper over top until I could rush him out.

It took me three tries because he jumped out twice.

And I didn't want to hurt him.

But he wasn't scared,

more curious.

I took him to the Succulent Garden next to my classroom 

and he hopped right onto a Jade Plant.

Home Sweet Home.

Phew Shuuuu.

Talk about a close call!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2015-2016

I like surprises.

So I had a special one planned for my new Intermediate 3-D kids.

Over the summer I wanted to try eco-dyeing a Queen sized sheet for the mountain cabin bed.

So this big eco-dyed bundle brewed all summer long in the hot sun,

and my kiddos and I opened it on the first day back.

It was a treat for me watching them get down 

and inspect all the subtle nuances the sheet

took on from the windfall.

You can see seniors Hazel Cruz and Antoniette Jabat taking a very close look-see.

I will show off the entire process in a couple of days and give you a close-up of the results.

I was super happy with how it turned out.

If you are wondering why the kids are wearing crowns and caution tape,

it's a longstanding tradition at Whitney that on that first day of their senior year,

the kids are crowned as they walk thru the gates.

It's really festive with balloons,

 streamers and music.

Our seniors are so proud to show off that they've made it thru 6 grueling years

at the #1 High School in California,

and the #6th in the nation.

The numbers were just published recently.

Congrats Whitney High!!!

EVERY SO OFTEN...

I seem to grow something a bit prongraphic in nature.

and my students are so respectful,

they never say a word.

Meanwhile,

I'm dying for them to notice so we can burst out laughing.

Well this year,

it was my big bulb that every year has grown great