Look it up. These three words were a consistent part of my educational journey. I am a product of private school, homeschooling, and public school and, while those three scholastic environments were v-e-r-y different, one common thread was that all of my teachers (especially my mom) were quick to give me the chance to learn on my own. "Look it up," they would say. At the time, of course, I rolled my eyes and thought, "Why don't you just tell me?!" but now I see the importance of the process. Not only did I learn to inquire independently, but I learned how to inquire. This was well before the internet, people. I looked stuff up in books, in libraries, and I lived to tell about it!

The IB knows it is important for students at any age to nurture their curiosity, to develop skills for inquiry, and to learn the right way to research. (Much to the dismay of the traditional student, Wikipedia is NOT the preferred method of garnering information.) And the IB encourages students to learn with enthusiasm and to sustain a love of learning throughout life. This learner profile trait - being an inquirer - really is a skill that you can use for the rest of your life in any career path. Yes, it takes a little bit of work. An extra step or two. Being an inquirer isn't easy. But it's worth it.

Think about those around you who have a seemingly insatiable thirst for finding out more. Watch them. Learn from them. Ask them how or when or why they do what they do in a search for the answers. Be an inquirer. You'll learn something, I guarantee it. Lloyd Alexander said "We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself." Be curious. Be authentic in your pursuit. You never know what you mind find.

"Wisdom begins with wonder." ~ Socrates

"All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind." ~ Martin H. Fischer

"Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton asked why." ~ Bernard Baruch

"Look it up." ~ Mrs. DeVilling :)

College Connection: University faculties regularly note IB students' passion for discovery.

www.ibo.org

We will be selling crazy, funky, fun socks in order to donate to We Help Two and provide artificial limbs for amputees in under-developed countries. For each pack of socks (three pair!) sold during our campaign for only $12, a pair of warm socks will be donated to a local school or charity, as well.

Socks will be sold in the Student Union during lunches on select days, and you can also purchase them from this link: https://bit.ly/2MRrTqk

Feel free to share this link with as many people as possible!

Look for information on the Vanguard IB page of our VHS website!

The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a standardized test administered by the College Board and is cosponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation in the United States. The PSAT/NMSQT will be run first period through fourth period of our school day.

IB Juniors need to see Mrs. Foster ASAP to pay $16 for the PSAT, payable to Vanguard High School. IB Juniors will have an IB Core TOK Session directly following PSAT.

In case you didn't know, Mr. Hunter is an inquirer! This calendar year alone, he has received $27,000 in grant dollars to improve our Chemistry program, all because he looked into some awesome opportunities! As a life-long learner himself, Mr. Hunter knows the ins and outs of inquiry, and his students benefit greatly from his skill and his passion both in and out of the lab. Our students love him because he "never wants a student to ask 'Do I know this?' but instead wants them to ask, 'Why do I know this and how did I learn it?' and he "questions our methods to the point we realize we don't know why we did something, then he shows us the purpose and creates a pathway to understanding why." Mr. Hunter "encourages his students to be inquirers" and "never settles for textbook facts."

• Ahad J
• Andres T-L
• Annika P
• Chloe K
• Kristen R
• Mason E
• Maven D
• Mavrik S
• Priscilla C
• Priya P
• Naman W
• Zya C