The Grade: Session 5 Recap
We're at the mid-year mark!
Gene Kranz Speaks to a Packed House at The Grade
Dear Grade Parents and Participants,
This is the last weekend to schedule a mentoring session before our next Grade Session on February 14th. Please contact your mentor to schedule a 1/2 hour mentoring appointment.
Enjoy the cooler weather!
Alex
Alex Hoff
Director, The Grade
Recap: Big Picture Seminar (Freshmen)
After readiing the study, The freshmen answered questions about Nero and presented them in a judged public speaking competition. They were given feedback on their performance in the areas of content, clarity, and delivery.
Recap: The Professional Seminar (Sophomores & Juniors)
As was mentioned above, we had the distinct honor of hosting former Flight Director of Mission Control, Gene Kranz, to give his talk: "Failure is Not and Option". Gene was flight director for the Gemini, Apollo and SkyLab programs. He directed the famous Mission Control team that saved the astronauts of Apollo 13 mission. Kranz's talk was chalk full of wisdom and his stories from working at NASA were both exciting and motivational. All fathers were invited to attend as well, and we had a very good turnout.
After Gene's talk, there was a reception for fathers at Chaucer Center with center director JL Marti. Fathers learned more about what happens at The Grade, why we do it, and what they can do to help out.
The sophomores competed in activity we call "The Tower Game". The challenge was to build a structure taller than 15 inches which can support the weight of a brick, and to do this with minimal materials. The materials provided for the challenge were 3" x 5" notecards and masking tape! Three out of four groups were successful, but one group (Miguel Caranti, David Heffernan, Gabriel Joseph and Karl Schmidt) and won by minimizing materials.
The juniors participated in an activity about the college application. They were given a sneak peak at the Common Application, which many will be filling out next year. They also filled out the Teacher Evaluation form, evaluating themselves from the perspective of a particular teacher they currently know.
RECAP: FILLING THE GAPS (SENIORS)
Continuing along similar lines as last month, the seniors addressed aspects of the sixth and ninth commandments from a philosophical perspective. This exploration was engaged in for the purpose of gaining further insight on why the pursuit of certain actions and emotions takes us way from the beauty and reality God's plan for sexuality.
A central question addressed was: what is the feature of the bodily union between man and woman that makes it the highly significant bodily union that most people take it to be? It was argued that it cannot merely be pleasure. In the course of a discussion on the meaning of pleasure, the class came to understand that pleasures are only worthwhile insofar as there is a real good underlying that pleasure; pleasure has no independent value. If there is no real good underlying the pleasure, seeking out that pleasure amounts to a kind of self-deception.
In this context, it was argued that the pleasure that comes from the marital act is meant to be a kind of 'perception' of the good of union between man and woman that arises out of the context of committed love. Such pleasure outside that context is a kind of self-deception, seeking to pursue a good that is merely apparent, illusory.
Tuesday Study Nights @ Swift
6pm - Doors open (students can come at any time but should text me if they are coming late so I can be sure to include them in the dinner count when I order, 713-836-8705
6 - 7:30pm - Quiet Study
7:30 - 8pm - Dinner (pizza, Chinese, Whataburger, etc. - $5)
8 - 8:30pm - Confessions available
8 - 9pm - Quiet Study
Seminar Coordinators
Alex Hoff
CELL: 713.836.8705 | alexmhoff@gmail.com
If you have questions about a specific seminar, these are the seminar coordinators:
Big Picture Seminar (Freshmen)
Joe Kolf
CELL: 314.402.3491 | joekolf@gmail.com
Professional Seminar (Sophomores and Juniors)
Dan Murphy
CELL: 917.224.7851 | danbmurphy@gmail.com
Filling the Gaps (Seniors)
Victor Saenz
CELL: 574.904.3258 | victorsaenz@gmail.com