Ross Upper School
On April 29, the High School was blown away by the soulful and commanding spoken word performances of Abraham Velazquez, Carvens Lissaint and Kiara Townes from Urban Word NYC. They shared their poetry through song, performance and even human beatboxing, and later taught a poetry workshop. The visit inspired many students to pursue writing, either professionally or simply as a form of expression.

Play Performances
On April 25, members of the eighth grade class performed their own plays in the Avram Theater at Stony Brook Southampton for parents and the community, as part of the university's new Young American Writers Project. Several local schools participated in the program. A panel of experts at YAWP selected nine plays in total, four of them were written by Ross students Lesley Fridie, Jon Lesser, Roosevelt Odidi and Mamoun Grosvenor-Friedrich.

Special Friends Day
On April 24 Grandparents/Special Friends Day was held at Ross School. During this annual celebration, these distinguished guests toured both schools, met the faculty and staff and sat in on classes. This year they were also treated to presentations about M-Term, a song from the upcoming spring musical "South Pacific" and a performance by the Middle School chorus.

Swedish Visitors
From April 20 through April 23, students and teachers from Tensta Gymnasium in Sweden, an accredited Ross School, came to visit last week. They stayed with host families, visited classes and even presented their own Senior Projects. Each year ambassadors from Ross School and Tensta Gymnasium take turns visiting to learn more about the schools, the growing curriculums and one another.

Ross Lower School
On April 23, the third graders finished their studies on early humans with a wax museum featuring these early ancestors and the scientists who greatly influenced the understanding of evolution. In elaborate cave-like settings, complete with fire (made out of paper), stones and in some cases thatched roofs, the students stayed motionless until visitors pushed a "button," which brought them to life to explain who they were and what evolutionary role they played.
For Earth Day, on April 22, the fourth grade held a plant sale, which sold out in less than an hour and ultimately raised $217 to purchase mulch for the Lower School garden. In addition, all the students planted vegetables in the garden for the first time this season, as part of the School's Growing Healthy Food program. When ready, the students will pick their vegetables and eat them.

Caption: Ross Lower School students planted vegetables in their garden for the first time this season, as part of the School's Growing Healthy Food program on April 22, Earth Day. When ready, the students will get to pick their vegetables and eat them.