May 24-30, 2025

What a busy four-day week it was at Tandem! Tuesday brought the last day of Upper School final exams. In the Middle School, 7th and 8th graders played some competitive academic games, then watched film versions of books they have been reading, with 7th graders watching Of Mice and Men and 8th graders watching To Kill a Mockingbird. 6th graders participated in an 'earthquake shake,' using a shake table to test the strength of earthquake-resistant buildings they designed using various materials and strategies.

Wednesday brought the start of three wonderful Emphasis Days, full of so much activity and hands-on learning. It’s hard to tell who had more fun or who is the most tired - the students or the group leaders. Here’s what our Emphasis groups enjoyed in just a few days:

    • The 7 Dishes group learned how to prepare six different meals (planning, shopping, setting the table, cooking, eating, and cleaning up), mastered proper knife skills and food safety with a sous chef, and learned proper manners, table settings, and interview techniques. 
    • The Board Games group started by playing ancient two-person games from around the world, worked through lots of classic 20th Century games, then took on more complicated role-playing games.
    • The Farm to Market group examined different business models of farming. They visited Bellair Farm, Whisper Hill Farm and Pen Park Market, heard a lecture from City Market organizers, picked peaches and had ice cream at Carter Mountain Orchard, hiked and had a farm to fork lunch at Grelen Market Cafe, made bouquets at Aisling Flower Farm, then cooked lunch and worked at September Sun Farm.  
    • The Ganongathon hikers braved heavy rain more than once and managed to backpack over 30 miles, going from the Priest to Cold Mountain and working together on basic survival skills. 
    • The Great Outdoors group hiked Humpback Rocks, kayaked and did standup paddle boarding on the Ragged Mountain Reservoir, and hiked and swam at Sugar Hollow. 
    • The Goat Farming group learned how to make products from goats (including goat cheese), spin and dye mohair, care for the goat's diet and health needs, and care for baby goats. They participated in a community service project taking baby goats to an elementary school! There was some goat yoga and a culminating baby goat Olympics.
    • The Waterfalls group hiked some great treks to breathtaking views and cool water at White Rock Falls, Jones Run and White Oak Canyon.
    • The Filmmaking group divided into three teams (one US, two MS), then each wrote, cast, filmed and edited a film to completion at LightHouse. They held a final film screening at Vinegar Hill.
    • The Biking group explored Charlottesville and environs via the Rivanna Trail, taking on paved city streets, gravel, and single-track dirt trails, creeks and more and logging around 25 miles. Along the way they found fun, refreshment, and increased biking skills.
    • The Pens, Mics and Stage group dove into writing and performance projects, creating new work, poetry, song-writing, script writing, and screenwriting. They worked with some alumni artists, enjoyed time at Live Arts and shared their work with each other. 
    • The Rock Climbing group trekked to the New River Gorge to camp and spend two days climbing outdoors under the guidance of certified rock climbing instructors.
    • The Self-Care group cultivated well-being and savored yoga, smoothies, painting, Authentic Relating games, dance, facial masks, movies, reflective journaling, and more to support a healthy, joyful life. They spent today at the White Lotus Eco Spa Retreat located in Greene County.
    • The Skate Fast group trained at Carter Rec Center to learn roller derby techniques, took on some strength and cardio fit training, designed derby names, cards, and jerseys, and met with a local adult rugby team. 
    • The Sports Mania group tried out venues that included kung fu, bowling, wall climbing, escape rooms, and Top Golf, and played some wicked outdoor games on campus. 
    • The TFS Racing group studied various real-life auto racing series, then collaborated to plan and run their own mousetrap car racing series. Students designed, built and decorated their mousetrap cars, then raced them on campus. Congrats to the winning team - 6th graders Ryan and Elias!
    • The Warrior Cats group designed masks, created 3D maps, hiked, had scavenger hunts, created Warrior characters and teams, created linocut prints, and enjoyed watching shadow puppetry that provided prophesies for each group.
    • The HOBY Leadership group performed two days of community service work at Stepping Stone and IRC New Roots Farm, then headed to Washington, DC for a weekend-long HOBY Leadership Seminar.
Next week brings us our last two days together for the 2024-2025 academic year, with some great community events to enjoy. That will be followed by some wonderful milestone events for grades 8 and 12. We can’t believe we’re one week away from finishing another great year at Tandem Friends and celebrating our Class of 2025 as they graduate on June 7.
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Tandem Friends School is a co-ed Quaker day school for grades 5-12 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
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