School news
What happens when a photographer can’t see?
This week, photography students traded their eyes for their other senses!
We began by learning about Pete Eckert, a professional photographer who is completely blind, and exploring the idea of the mind’s eye. His work challenged us to think differently about photography. Does a photographer actually need to see to create an interesting photograph? And is a great photograph always about making a “pretty picture”? Watch the video about his work with Volkswagen here.
Then it was time to find out for ourselves! Students worked in pairs and took turns being blindfolded while their partner served as a “seeing-eye human” to help them safely navigate the school campus. The photographer, however, was on their own when it came to making the art. Instead of looking for something interesting, students had to listen, feel, smell, and even taste their surroundings, using those sensory clues to decide where to point their cameras and when to press the shutter. The lesson challenged students to experiment, take creative risks, and experience familiar surroundings in an entirely different way.
Most importantly, students discovered that photography is for everyone. Pete Eckert's work reminds us that having a disability does not prevent someone from being an artist. There isn't just one way to experience the world, and there isn't just one way to make a photograph.
Afterward, students looked at what their cameras captured, selected their favorite images, and reflected on what it felt like to photograph without relying on sight. During our critique, we'll even identify which sensory experiences seem strongest in the resulting photographs.
Sometimes taking away the ability to look helps us learn how to really see.
Magistra Allen attends an NEH Summer Institute
This summer Magistra Sarah Allen attended an incredibly engaging summer institute sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities titled "The Ancient Olympics and Daily Life in Ancient Olympia: A Hands-On History" at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois.
During this jam-packed two-week professional development opportunity Magistra Allen was one of about two dozen K-12 educators who learned about and then tried out all of the ancient events in the Olympics, and also learned so much more about the technology of various aspects of daily life. These included weaving and writing technology, the complex science behind ancient pottery firing techniques, ancient and sustainable farming practices and beekeeping, cheese-making, and much more! She made ink out of oak galls, completed some simple weaving projects, made pottery, won the stade race among the female participants, threw a discus and javelin, served as a horse in a "chariot", and got to feel a little like an archaeologist. She also got interested in ancient security practices, and hopes to pursue further research on aspects of ancient locks and locking technology. All participants were instructed in engaging hands-on activities by experts, and Magistra is aiming to bring lots of what she did and learned into her classes this year, so her students can have as much fun as she did.
If you would like to learn more about this wonderful opportunity, you can also check out this news article from the River Cities' Reader by a local journalist, or check out an interview from the Monmouth public radio station that features Magistra, two other participants, and the directors of the program. This is a link to the news podcast episode on Spotify (Magistra Allen talks about her experience at about minute 9:20), and this has a very brief written summary of what was talked about in the interview and includes a fun picture from the radio booth. Big thanks to the National Endowment for the Humanities for making this all possible!
Class of 2027 meets up at sunrise
On September 1st, the senior class had their Senior Sunrise! They gathered at the school. played some games and then watched the sunrise together.
Prehistoric Caves: AP Art History
What better way to begin AP Art History than by stepping back in time? On the first day of class, our art room was transformed into a prehistoric cave as students explored art created before the written record.
As we studied these early cultures, we talked about an important idea: the absence of writing does not mean the absence of intelligence, organization, creativity, or complex thought. Long before written histories, humans were making images, creating objects, and communicating ideas through art. This ability to intentionally create and preserve meaning through images and objects is one of the extraordinary characteristics of being human. Art gives us a window into what people valued, believed, experienced, and wanted others to remember.
That is what makes AP Art History so exciting. Students learn to slow down and really look, notice details, question assumptions, make connections, and support their ideas with evidence. Those skills extend far beyond art and history and are valuable for future doctors, lawyers, scientists, and anyone whose work requires careful observation and critical thinking.
And art history doesn't happen only in our classroom! Students have opportunities to experience art firsthand at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Clark Art Institute; Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park; and the Hall Art Foundation. Seeing an artwork in person allows students to experience its scale, texture, space, and presence in a way a screen simply can't replicate.
Our prehistoric cave was just the beginning. In AP Art History, we don't just learn about the past. We learn to look closely at what people left behind and discover the human stories they still have to tell.
Yoh theater announces 2026-2027 season
Yoh Theatre Players are back with a five-show lineup for the 2026-27 season, spanning epic seafaring adventure, sprawling family comedy, real-life drama, and a beloved musical. All performances take place in the WUHSMS auditorium.
The Old Man and The Old Moon
October 16, 17 (7PM), 18 (2PM) — by Pigpen Theatre Co.
The Old Man has kept watch over the moon for as long as anyone can remember. When his wife is drawn away by a mysterious melody, he must choose between duty and love in this imaginative, sea-faring epic full of storms, ghosts, and change.
The Skin of Our Teeth
December 11, 12 (7PM), 13 (2PM) — by Thornton Wilder
This 4th wall-breaking comedy follows the Antrobus family through 20,000 years of history — the Ice Age, Noah's Flood, and the apocalypse of WWII — offering hope that humanity can find a way through any calamity.
The Farnsworth Invention
March 5, 6 (7PM), 7 (2PM) — by Aaron Sorkin
The story of the teenager who invented television and the broadcasting titan who stole the patent from him. Sorkin's crackling dialogue drives the action from Idaho's potato fields to the highest ranks of the RCA boardroom.
In Transit
April 30, May 1 (7PM), May 2 (2PM) — by Anderson-Lopez, Ford, Kaplan, Wordsworth
A musical celebrating the interrelated stories of New Yorkers moving through the city's streets and subways — a love letter to New York and the people who make it up.
Into the Woods Jr.
May 21, 22 (7PM) — youth adaptation by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine A 7th/8th/9th grade show
Be careful what you wish for! This lyrically rich retelling of classic Brothers Grimm fables brings together Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack, and the Witch.