On Friday November 20, 2009 Hargrave Military Academy will begin our Thanksgiving break. The faculty and staff wish that all of our families have safe travel and an enjoyable time with their friends and relatives.

This week is International Week at HMA. International students will make presentations featuring their traditions and culture to their fellow students during assemblies. Today is international dinning day as we serve traditional meals from the countries represented at Hargrave.

I am reading a very interesting book entitled "Connected" by Nicholas A. Christakis, MD. PhD. and James H. Fowler, PhD. The book is aimed at discussing how “ real-life social networks virtually shape every aspect of our lives.” Social networking involves more than your immediate friends. For example, the authors state that your friend’s friend’s friend has a significant impact on your life.

The topic is interesting and timely because many of our parents report that their son is subject to peer pressure. Interestingly, the studies in this book suggest that peer pressure is real. William Pollack, PhD., recognizes the reality of peer pressure and devotes an entire section on that topic in his book "Real Boys." Our students report that they began to feel the influence of peer pressure as early as elementary school. They believe that you can’t act the same way at home as you do in school. Friends they had in the fifth and sixth grade began to act “cool” as they approached the seventh grade creating stress in their relationship.

Peer pressure is real and very difficult for parents to overcome. The more parents encourage individuality the harder it becomes for their son to work within his peer network. I will post more on this topic as I continue to read "Connected."

Remember our Veterans

In spite of the clouds and rain in Chatham it is still a super day to remember our veterans. Many service men and women are deployed across several time zones defending our freedoms and way of life. Please keep them in your prayers.

Because of inclement weather Hargrave will cancel our traditional Veterans Day Parade and conduct a Remembrance Service to honor our veterans in the Chapel beginning at 2:00.



The H1N1 vaccine arrived and we were able to inoculate most of the cadets on Tuesday.

Last week I mentioned that Pat Bassett, president of the National Association of Independent Schools, was one of the key note speakers at the annual Virginia Association of Independent Schools Conference. His main thrust was “What curriculum will prepare students for the 21st century?” Some of the critical learning skills for today’s students he presented are listed below:

Critical thinking and problem solving
Determination
Ability to function well as a member of a team
Ethics and responsibility


The determination topic gained my attention. Our teachers frequently report that students just “freeze” when confronted with difficult problems or research papers. Determination includes the ability to exercise self-discipline and the organization skills to manage one’s own work and drive it through to a success conclusion. It is not uncommon for students to ask to drop a class when they get behind rather than realizing they are facing a challenge and attempt to resolve the situation.

The 21st century will offer many challenges for students. Our country is becoming more diversified and technology is doubling every two to three years. I believe that independent schools are in a better position to modify their curriculum in order to prepare our students to be successful in the 21st century.

Temperatures reached 75 degrees in Chatham this weekend. I am sure the summer weather was well received by the students taking part in the Meritorious Performer Weekend. Students that remained on campus engaged in paint ball and movie trips. Hargrave hosted the SAT examination on Saturday and several students participated before they left for the weekend.

Hargrave’s football team lost their final game to Randolph-Macon Academy. Hargrave’s swim team performed exceptionally well at a meet on the campus of George Mason University. HMA swimmers earned eight individual first place victories and five second place medals. The swim team also won the 200 yard relay. HMA’s PG basketball team won their first tournament at Rockingham College NC, beginning the season with a 3-0 record.

Cadets will receive their awards and letters for fall sports during Tuesday’s assembly. On Wednesday the Corps of cadets will hold a parade to honor America’s veterans. Lt. Col Harper in his role as Director of Residential Life has scheduled several “Town Hall”, meetings with cadets. On Friday afternoon the ninth grade will meet in the auditorium. Friday evening the eleventh grade will gather around a bond fire for meetings and discussions about their year as juniors.

Next Saturday HMA’s Troop 68 will travel to Abingdon Virginia to participate in “Creepy Trails.” Hargrave’s Scouts will cover 34 miles of hilly riding trails designed for mountain biking. Also next weekend Mrs. Schasse is taking ten of her students to work with Habitat for Humanity in Danville Va. This week is National French Week and Captain Myer Von Bremen has several fun activities scheduled. A French meal will be served in the dining hall and he is serving French snacks and treats in his classroom.

Rember that on Wednesday the answers to last weeks question will be posted.

Several of our CIS students are experiencing difficulty connecting into the wireless network from their dorm. Our investigations showed that the wireless access points were moved during the renovation of the dining hall and are not able to make the necessary connection to student computers. Hargrave’s IT department is ordering new and more powerful access points and they will be installed as soon as they arrive.

Several of Hargrave’s faculty and staff attended the Virginia Association of Independent School’s annual conference. Patrick Bassett, President of the National Association of Independent Schools, provided an inspiring key note speech on Creativity in the 21st Century. During the presentation he asked the audience to list three of the most important subjects students need to be taught.

So please list your top three subjects and next Wednesday I will present the subjects that Pat Bassett discussed. Some of you might be surprised.

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather!