Emma@Troy Habitat for Humanity

Three of our four volunteers

Our fledgling Habitat club spent some time on Burden Ave. in Troy’s south end this weekend working with Capital District Habitat for Humanity.  Wow, did we have a great time. The morning started off crisp and clear with a nice fresh coating of snow.  In no time that snow turned to mud.  We got to work with the new homeowners installing sills on a brand new foundation.  We also moved siding, doors, and windows from the construction trailer to the homes via a long trail of deep mud and slush.  Frankly, it was a blast.  We plan another service day in April – things should be dried up by then.  Be listening for an announcement in morning reports after spring break.

After a day of hard work

David Allan Miller gives Masterclass to Advanced String Ensemble

String Ensemble performs in Kiggins, as they are conducted through Nocturne by Mr. Miller

On Wednesday, David Alan Miller, conductor of the Albany Symphony, came to Emma to give a masterclass to the Advanced String Ensemble in front of the entire school during assembly block. The String Ensemble has been putting together “Nocturne” by William Hofeldt. They are in the process of perfecting it for their spring concert on April 26th. A masterclass allows a guest to offer suggestions and make improvements to a song, and Mr. Miller emphasized the importance of sound and tone to the String Ensemble members, while educating the general audience about how and what role a conductor plays in an orchestra. The String Ensemble greatly enjoyed the experience of working with him and having lunch afterwards. His expansive background in music and conducting made it an enlightening experience, especially for those who have a great appreciation for music. Thanks Mr. Miller!

FASO Lunar Year Dinner

Lanterns hung up in Kellas Foyer for the Lunar New Year

Last Sunday, February 24th, FASO had its Lunar Year dinner featuring a delicious assortment of dishes from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, and Vietnam! A special thanks to our wonderful head cooks Joy Han ’15, Sonya Wang ’15, Susan Liu ’15, Phoebe Chan ‘13, Aleka Cheung ‘13, Crystal Chan ‘14, Lucia Lu ’16, Sherry He ‘13, Yang Zhou ‘13, Patricia Ho ’15, and all our other amazing members of FASO who helped cook and decorate our dining hall for our Lunar Year dinner!

By Katie Huang

FASO Coffeehouse

Congratulations FASO for having another successful and entertaining FASO Coffeehouse on Friday, January 25th! FASO Coffeehouse is an annual performance event where international and American students can sing, dance, and model traditional clothes from their country!! In other words, the “international Emma Idol according to FASO co-head Jamie Park ’14. Thank you for the great performances and kudos to Chelsie Inlong ‘13, Yang Zhou ‘13, Aleka Cheung ’13, Vivian Qiao ‘13, Best Saengchawalit ‘13, Joy Han ‘15, Patricia Ho ‘15, and Nancy Zhang ’15, Mr. Berry, and Ms. Lauther for singing—Claire Feng ’14 for dancing her traditional Chinese fan dance—Candice Chiu ‘13 & Annette Ho ‘14 for playing a Taiwanese folk song with their cello— and Nicole Salani ’13 for reciting a self written poem! Most notably, there was also the fashion show that had Best Saengchawalit ’13 and Parima Budsaratragoon ’15 representing Thailand, Crystal Chan ’14 representing Japan, Catherine Ainikkal ’15 representing India, Claire Feng ’14, Sherry He ’13, Emma Muschett ’15, Sherrie Wang ’16, Lucia Lu ’16, and Peggy Ho ’14 all representing China, and last but not least Jamie Park ’14 and So Young ’16 representing Korea!!

Written by Katie Huang

MLK Day of Service a Sucess!

Yesterday, Jan 23, the entire Emma community headed out for a day of service. Students volunteered at 28 organizations all morning, making a difference throughout the community. After a quick lunch, students formed their respective reflection groups led by a faculty member to reflect on their day of service. The day was concluded with the Dream and Serve assembly in which students showcased the organizations and the work they do as well as the impact Martin Luther King Jr. had on society. Special thanks is given to Kristina Blundon for organizing this event.

Martin Luther King Jr. Service Day

T-Shirt Designed by Brianne Oricchio ’13

This upcoming Wednesday, January 23rd, Emma students will spend the day volunteering in the local Troy community in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day! This is a new tradition, started by Stacey Serrette last year, which will be continued through future MLK days. This year the service day is being planned by houseparent Kristina Blundon. Students look forward to this day as a means to give back to the community and to make a difference.

Presidental Debate Live in the Student Center

Students watching the debate

Tonight, in the student center, students are gathering around the TV to watch the final presidential debate. The viewing is hosted by students taking AP Government who will discuss the debate in class tomorrow. In addition to the debate being screened, there is also a live twitter feed #emmaprez live on a projector constantly displaying the opinionated updates of students watching.

What did you think of the debate?

Dance Company Retreat

Friday, September 14 was the Dance Company Retreat. Starting last year, dance company decided that a retreat in the beginning of the year would solidify and strengthen our group and bond us together. We left Friday  after school to go to Bryant Lake. There was beautiful weather and the lake was absolutely spectacular. We couldn’t ask for a better day. We had a campfire, sang songs, told ghost stories, and at a lot of marshmallows. Saturday, we canoed for a while, and then got ready to leave. All in all it was a great time, and it did indeed make us a more cohesive group.

Proctor Retreat

Proctors roasting smores indoors!

Last Friday and Saturday, September 28-29, senior proctors went on retreat to learn leadership skills and bond as a group. Though retreat usually takes place off campus, the proctors decided it would be easier to stay on campus in their usually meeting spot in the basement of Wellington-Lay. Friday night was spent learning new skills and roasting smores indoors because it was too rainy outside. Saturday started off with a trip to Cracker Barrel for breakfast while small groups of Proctors worked together to create a Halloween song to be shared later that afternoon. More skills were learned, and there was even some hang out time. Finally, the day concluded with planning for Emma Halloween next month. Overall it was great fun, and the proctors all gained a new sense of closeness!

Carding Committee

In the second week of school, the Carding Committee had its first meeting. For those of you who are unaware of what carding is, let me explain. Quite a few years ago, the senior class fundraised all year, and then used that money to purchase the triangular piece of grass in the center of campus and donated it to the future senior classes and the alums of Emma Willard. Since that year, the “Senior Triangle” has been used and walked on only by Emma seniors and alums and it is the Carding Committees job to “punish” any underclassman who has stepped on the Triangle. Some past “punishments” have included:
Making the carded teachers do an “I’m a star jump” whenever a senior addresses them and dressing up the students that have stepped on the triangle.
Natasha Podd and Melodi Dincer are the co-heads this year, and they would like to share the message “Underclassmen beware!”