The Country School is an independent, coeducational, Pre-K through 8 school founded in 1934.
News
Mr. Mufson Is Teaching?
Our head of school returns to the classroom for the first time in years. Here, a fly-on-the-wall look at this week's Current Events class.
The 2017-2018 school year brought with it several changes at The Country School, including STAR time, changes to effort grades, and of course the launch of our exciting capital campaign, “It’s Our Time.” But one change some of you might not be aware of is that Mr. Mufson has found his way back into the classroom. On Wednesdays for last period, Mr. Mufson (and occasionally Mr. Everhart or other faculty) hold a Current Events class with 16 eighth grade boys and girls. The goals of the course are to make students conscientious consumers of news and well-informed citizens who can:
- assess the reliability and bias of sources;
- share their own opinions while listening respectfully to others; and
- increase their understanding of the lives and culture of others.
I got to be a fly on the wall during this week’s class, which introduced students to a news website geared toward middle and high school students. NewsCurrents.com is a weekly current events discussion that makes the news palatable to adolescents. NewsCurrents uses “an interactive, multi-sensory” format intended to grab—and keep—students’ attention and encourage them to think and talk about critical world issues.
“This site provides background, not just breaking news,” Mr. Mufson explained to the class. Understanding the history behind a story rather than simply taking in sound bites and headlines is the cornerstone of building an informed opinion.
This week’s discussion first centered around the war in Yemen, dubbed the biggest humanitarian crisis in history. The thorough but digestible article explained the basic issues and timeline that led to president Saleh being overthrown, the Arab Spring, the election of Hadi, and his eventual support of Houthi rebels. The story concluded with the ways in which daily life for Yemeni commoners are so difficult, including a food and water shortage, bombings, and other atrocities of war.
The content then shifted focus to Gitanjali Rao, an 11-year-old girl in Colorado who invented a simple way to test drinking water for lead. Inspired by the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, and watching her own parents begin testing their water for lead, Rao created “Tethys,” after the Greek Titan goddess of fresh water. The device uses carbon nanotubes, microscopic cylindrical structures that have a range of unusual properties and applications. After learning about a project from MIT on detecting hazardous gases in the air, Rao decided to apply the same concept to water.
”My solution uses carbon nanotubes to detect lead in water faster than any other current techniques," Rao says. "It has a carbon nanotube sensor, to which special atoms are added that react to lead." Rao was awarded $25,000 from the Young Scientist Challenge, which she says she will mostly reinvest in further research.
Class concluded with a story on Emmanuel Botalatala, the “Minister of Garbage.” Botalatala is an artist who lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where trash abounds and collection is sparse. At age 65 and disabled by polio, he creates 3-dimensional artwork from trash and plans to open a cultural center to exhibit his work, train future artists in this genre, and leave behind a legacy. Botalatala exemplifies the role an artist's vision can play in a country which is searching for its own identity.
Recent News
List of 5 news stories.
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Kindergarten Students Serving Others!
Kindergarteners have been participating in a 3 part HOHO (Helping Others; Helping Ourselves) project lead by Ferris and Laura Butler. Students packed boxes to be shipped to veterans and their families. The boxeswere filled with child friendly, donated items. Also in the boxes were handwritten letters from the students along with a handmade American flag craft. The Butlers carefully orchestrated this project, and we are very grateful for their time and efforts. -
Spring Athletic Award Winners
Congratulations to all our spring athletics award winners and to all our Cougar athletes who participated in sports and clubs! This spring, TCS offered Boys’ and Girls’ Lacrosse, Pickleball Club, Running Club, and Volleyball Club. Providing so many athletic opportunities took a village—thank you to our amazing coaches, volunteers, and parent drivers for making it all possible! And thank you to our students for setting an example of dedication and sportsmanship!Read More -
Summer Trips for Upper School Students in 2025
It is with great excitement that The Country School announces the addition of 2025 summer trips for our Upper School students!Read More -
The Country School Celebrates 90 Years and Installs Jay Parker
Read MoreThe Country School is proud to be celebrating its 90th school year. This milestone year also marks the beginning of a new chapter with the appointment of Jay Parker as the 7th Head of School. -
Conversation & Homecoming - Saturday, February 24, 2024
Read MoreThe Country School, Talbot County Free Library, and the Avalon Foundation, sponsors, join with fourteen other community organizations to present Conversation & Homecoming with Carole Boston Weatherford and her son, Jeffery Boston Weatherford, a program free and open to all.
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