8/20, Wednesday – exploration of the Old Village in search of simple machines (linking to our study of physics and the Industrial Revolution). We will also eat lunch at Alhambra Hall.
8/29, Friday – culminating exercise of our two-week interdisciplinary study of the Seasons of Change at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan’s Island
9/10, Wednesday – presentation by Chris Rogers of SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare) in the morning and then visiting with residents of the Franke Home.
9/17, Wednesday – tour of the UEC Electronics factory. We will learn about electrical engineering and production, and this includes learning about the use of these systems in mine resistant vehicles that are on-site.
9/24, Wednesday – community building activities in and around the USL neighborhood
10/1, Wednesday – exploration of the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum
10/7, Tuesday – SPEAKER – Lin Bennett, Chair of the Charleston County Republican Party – presentation about general Republican Party principles and candidates for national and state-level races.
10/8, Wednesday – Intermediate School – learning activities at the Old Exchange Building and then lunch at Waterfront Park; Middle School – PSAT/SAT preparation
10/10, Friday – SPEAKER – Jermaine Husser, Executive Director of the Lowcountry Foodbank – presentation about the Foodbank and its role in our community.
10/10, Friday – Intermediate School – guided tour of the Old Slave Mart Museumby the Curator, Nichole Green
10/13, Monday – SPEAKER – Greg Barton, three-time Olympian and winner of four golds and two bronze medals in kayaking (1984, 1988 and 1992 Games) – presentation about his Olympic experiences and the path to his success.
10/15, Wednesday – 4th-7th grades – community building exercises and then community service by running Hibben Church’s Pumpkin Patch and cleaning up in and around campus; 8th grade – PSAT and then community service at Hibben.
10/16, Thursday – SPEAKERS – Mary Horres and Joah Dehne, representatives of the League of Women Voters – presentation about the League and methods for becoming informed voters and citizens.
10/17, Friday – SPEAKER – Barbara Thompson, Bereavement Coordinator for Carolina Hospice Care – presentation about death and dying and the role of hospice care.
10/17, Friday – Intermediate School – walk to the Old Village Branch of the County Library for a tour and exploration of works about 17th and 18th century South Carolina.
10/23, Thursday – SPEAKER – Russell Horres, representative of the African American Historical Alliance – presentation about the contributions of African Americans in the Civil War and Reconstruction periods of American History.
10/27, Monday – SPEAKER – Kevin Kreutner, U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer (prior to this employed with U.S. Agency for International Development, will speak at USL from 9:30-10:15 about the State Department and his time in Iraq, Spain, Afghanistan, and other countries over the last ten years.
10/28, Tuesday – SPEAKER – Sherry Shealy Martschink, representative the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics, will speak about the past and present status of female representation in elected offices in South Carolina. Martschink served in the SC House of Representatives, SC State Senate, and was SC Workers’ Compensation Commissioner for 12 years. Her talk will take place from 9:30-10:15.
10/28, Tuesday – Intermediate School – walk to the Coleman Boulevard branch of Wachovia for a tour and explanation of branch banking from Tate Gibbons.
10/29, Wednesday – preparation for exit polling LOTC on Tuesday, November 4
10/30, Thursday – SPEAKER – Carole Benson, Chair of the East Cooper Democrats, and Ilene Kahn, 1st Congressional District Representative for Democratic Women, will speak at USL from 9:30-10:15 about general Democratic Party principles and candidates for national and state-level races.
11/4, Tuesday – ELECTION DAY EXTRA LOTC – Our main effort will be exit polling at various precincts around the county. Each student will visit at least two precincts to get a sense of what is motivating voters at the polls.
11/5, Wednesday – tour of the Charleston Mosque and presentation about Islam with Imam Mohamed Melhem and then lunch and a tour of the College of Charleston with Victor Wilson, Executive Vice President of Student Affairs.
11/7, Friday – SPEAKER – Bob Hoh, representative of the LEGO League, will speak at USL from 9:45-10:15 about the program and its competitions.
11/19, Wednesday – exploration of the Washington Park garden and other gardens as part of a looping walking tour of the area. Our expedition will be led by noted Charleston tour guide and horticulturalist Jan MacDougal
12/3, Wednesday – visit the Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim temple in downtown Charleston. The oldest Reform Judaism temple in America, KKB is also noted for its architecture. We will take a tour with a docent and then meet with Amy Horner, an educator at the temple, for a presentation about Judaism.
12/8, Monday – SPEAKER – Kathy Meis will speak about her experience in the Peace Corps. She will talk at USL from 9:45-10:15 about this federal organization designed to increase ties between America and countries across the globe and her specific adventure in Morocco.
12/10, Wednesday – visit the Lowcountry Food Bank and meet with Jermaine Husser for a tour, its director who spoke at USL earlier this year. We will also travel to Holy Trinity AME Church, nestled in the historically-African American Scanlonville section of Mt. Pleasant. Pastor Bernard Brown, Sr. will talk with us about the AME Church, its history, and beliefs.
12/12, Friday – SPEAKER – Major General James E. Livingston, USMC, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient for heroic actions in the Vietnam War. Livingston is one of the 100 living Medal of Honor recipients. He will speak at USL from 9:40-10:15 about his military service and the actions that earned him the MOH.
12/17, Wednesday – travel to Columbia to explore the South Carolina State Museum’s exhibit on Leonardo da Vinci (“Machines in Motion”).
1/6, Wednesday – community building activities in and around the USL neighborhood
1/13, Tuesday – we will attend “Blues Journey” at 10 AM the Gaillard Auditorium.
This performance of Kennedy Center’s Theater for Young Audiences production of “Blues Journey” is presented by the Charleston Concert Association. In the afternoon, we will host the MIZERO Children Rwandan orphan group for a joint Science class on hearing — followed by some dancing, singing, and talking.
1/14, Wednesday – students will take part in one of two activities. 1) visit with Dr. Gerard Silvestri at MUSC. An expert in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, he will teach us about the anatomy of the lungs, administer breathing tests, and guide us through a simulated bronchoscopy; 2) explore the broad field of therapy with MUSC staff, including respiration and physical therapy.
1/20, Tuesday – USL will host a troupe of Chinese acrobats for a show in the gym at 10 AM. We are sharing this event with Hibben UMC, Hibben Preschool, Miss Aimee’s SI Childcare, Windwood Farm, and our friends in the homeschool community. The rest of the day will be devoted to Inauguration activities. We will watch Inaugural speeches from the last 70 years and review our Election Day exit polling data and its connection to the actual results with Ellie Thomas. We will also watch the Inauguration activities live.
1/21, Wednesday – community building activities in and around the USL neighborhood. Participants in the SCISA Literary Meet will also work on their events.
1/28, Wednesday – community building activities in and around the USL neighborhood. Participants in the SCISA Literary Meet will also work on their events.
2/4, Wednesday – USL students will participate in the SCISA Literary Meet at Holly Hill Academy.
2/10, Tuesday – Intermediate School students will will learn about about the lives of former slaves during Reconstruction by exploring the Charleston Museum’s latest original exhibition “From Slave to Sharecropper: African Americans in the Lowcountry After the Civil War.”
2/11, Wednesday – (1) Middle School students will begin the day with physics lab experiments with a class at Wando High School. Intermediate School students will start the day with field learning in and around our campus. In the afternoon, students will engage in field experiments at the Sewee Visitor and Environmental Education Center in Awendaw.
2/18, Wednesday – (1) visit Holy Ascension Orthodox Church in Mt. Pleasant and learn about the Church, recycling in building, and Byzantine architecture; (2) explore the I’On subdivision to understand more about New Urbanism development principles.
2/25, Wednesday – (1) complete marsh trail exploration inthe I’On subdivision; (2) lunch and walking through downtown Charleston
3/4, Wednesday – begin the day with PE, take a section of the Stanford Achievement test, discover more about America’s armed conflicts by touring the American Military Museum, return to USL and take another section of the Stanford Achievement test
3/11, Wednesday – start the day with PE, take a section of the Stanford Achievement test, and head to North Charleston to see the revitalization efforts taking place around the Park Circle neighborhood, including watching the water fowl at Quarterman Park and checking out the I’On Group’s Mixson development. We will also visit the acclaimed sustainable Noisette development in the midst of the former naval yard in North Charleston and explore the new Riverfront park (including eating lunch by the water). Upon returning to USL, we will take another section of the Stanford test.
3/18, Wednesday – begin the day with PE, take a section of the Stanford Achievement test, and then visit Rob Fowler at WCBD in Mt. Pleasant. He will give us a tour of the weather forecasting components of the station and share a meteorology & weather lesson with us. We will then return to campus and have lunch as guests of Hibben UMC (to show our appreciation, we will be bringing desserts). To conclude the day, we will take another section of the Stanford test.
4/1, Wednesday – travel to Windwood Farm. Windwood Farm is a residential group home for boys, and we will learn about the on-site school, the programs, and services that are provided at Windwood Farm.
4/15, Wednesday – explore Hampton Plantation in McClellanville. We will be guided on our expedition by local historian Russell Horres, and we will learn about this plantation that was home to Archibald Rutledge, SC Poet Laureate. The site also allows visitors to better understand the lives of enslaved people and the system of slavery.
4/21, Monday – IS students will head to Charleston’s port downtown and tour the US Navy’s newest Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the USS Truxtun. It is in Charleston for its commissioning ceremony, and Charleston was selected for this honor for its long history as a naval base (until closing in 1994).
4/22, Wednesday – local filmmaker Justin Nathanson will screen “Bin Yah” (www.binyahfilm.org) at USL at 9:00 followed by a question/answer session with the students. This 2007 documentary explores the impact of development and growth on the African-American community in Mount Pleasant. Nathanson will also talk with the students about an idea to create short digital documentaries and possibly hold a mini-film festival. We will also work on our yearbook and art projects for the auction.
4/24, Friday – * SPECIAL EXTRA LOTC * At the invitation of Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Major General James Livingston, we will travel to Parris Island USMC Recruit Depot for a graduation ceremony and tour of the base.
4/29, Wednesday – (1) We will make a trip to Bishopville, and Pearl Fryar will lead us through his famous topiary garden. Since beginning his garden in 1984, Fryar has become a regional sensation. He has participated in site-specific demonstrations at SPOLETO and is the subject of the documentary “A Man Named Pearl.” (2) We will also visit Manning (and perhaps Dillon if time allows) to learn about the civil rights history in Clarendon County. Briggs v. Elliot, one of the five cases combined together into Brown v. Board of Education, came out of Clarendon County in 1952.
5/6, Wednesday – students and faculty will receive American Red Cross CPR/AEDtraining through the Carolina Lowcountry chapter.
5/13, Wednesday – students will work on the yearbook and review Stanford/Olsat standardized test results
5/20, Wednesday – students will take part in one of two experiences: (1) travel to Windwood Farm. Windwood Farm is a residential group home for boys, and we will learn about the on-site school, the programs, and services that are provided at Windwood Farm. * rescheduled because of rain on April 1 ; (2) 2009 graduates of University School will take part in a different LOTC. It will entail a high school to college counseling session at the College of Charleston. This meeting is for graduates and their parents, and this will be a candid discussion with Roger Smith, college counselor at several private schools and with his own independent practice, and Victor Wilson, Executive Vice President of Student Affairs at C of C and earlier Assistant Director of Admissions at University of Georgia, offering advice to USL graduates on getting ready for the high school and college years.
5/27, Wednesday – visit and learn about the Charleston Air Force Base. Our tour and exploration will include seeing the flight line, the base itself, and a C-17 transport plane. Students will also be able to practice on a flight simulator.
