Team Activities and Spirit Week Make for a Lively and Busy Month

By Ann DeCerbo

Botelle students build geodesic domes with the power of teamwork and triangles. Photo courtesy of Ann DeCerbo.

The last month has been busy at Botelle School. Among the highlights was a visit from Mallory Bagwell, Ph.D., who led Botelle students in a geodesic dome workshop. The event, which relied heavily on cooperation and clear communication, allowed students to experience large-scale, hands-on learning in physics, math, and architecture. Working in teams, students built two-story geodesic domes that barely fit beneath the Hall of Flags ceiling. The structures were built using only half-inch PVC pipe, rubber tubing, the strength of triangles–and teamwork.

Botelle also held Spirit Week, a five-day event organized by the Botelle PTO to inspire creativity and build enthusiasm. Each day, participants dressed and decorated themselves to match the theme of the day. Nearly the entire school, including the teachers, paraprofessionals, staff, and administration, took part in the event. Everyone, from the youngest pre-K students to the principal, could be found walking the halls in wacky attire, from crazy hairdos and hats to pajamas and ball gowns. A highlight was when the entire school population gathered in the gym to form a human rainbow. The week culminated in the PTO’s third annual “Pizza and a Movie” night, featuring fresh-popped popcorn and homemade pizza prepared by Sarah and Pete Fiester.

The Botelle fourth, fifth and sixth grades worked after school every day for three weeks in preparation of “Treasure Island,” this year’s school play. For the tenth year in a row, actor/director Bruce Connolly came from New York City to Norfolk to guide the students in all aspects of stage production. With the assistance of students from Northwest Regional High School, Botelle students created scenery, choreographed scenes (including intricate sword fights) and memorized a great deal of dialogue. On March 21, the students gave two performances of “Treasure Island,” one at an all-school assembly and the other in the evening, for parents and the community.

Botelle School is a public elementary school within the town of Norfolk. Check this column regularly for news and events from the school. Please feel free to contact the principal, Peter Michelson, at (860) 542-5286 with any questions or thoughts to share.