"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Margaret Mead

This has been an extraordinary week in the life of the high school. Students are back in the full swing of things, the renovations and new desks still impress us, and the great work of our faculty begins to reveal itself once again.

As we enjoyed our renovated building, our new community members, and the hint of fall in the weather, this week we were reminded of the need for humanity, humility, compassion, and awareness. On Monday, September 11, students and faculty attended "The September Concert Series" in Washington Square Park, to remember lives lost on that incredible day. Organized by music teacher and LREI Jazz Band Director, Vin Scialla, the goal of the series is to "fill the skies with music every September 11th to bring communities together, to reaffirm our hope for peace, and to celebrate our universal humanity." It was a wonderful tribute, and thank you to Vin for inviting our participation.

In another reminder of the importance of humanity, Twelfth Grader Adriane Alicea organized a "Save Darfur" assembly to bring awareness and encourage students to participate in the "Save Darfur Now: Voices to Stop Genocide" rally on September 17 in Central Park. Presented today, she and several other students spoke eloquently about the challenges facing the people of Darfur. What can you do? Please take a look at the attachment below for more information.

It is truly a luxury to enjoy such programming, to be able to think about the tragedies of the world together in our safe space and put them in context. We must remember our ability to make a difference. At LREI, progressive education manifests itself in so many ways. Our hope is to continue to provide our students with what they need, not only for college, but for the world we live in.

All the best,

Ruth

Calendar reminders:


September 15, 2006: Picture Day! Class pictures may be ordered at any time.
September 19, 2006 at 6:00 PM: Parent Association Welcome Fair in the PAC
September 19, 2006 at 6:30 PM: Curriculum Night, right after the Welcome Fair, PAC
September 21, 2006 at 6:30 PM: Ninth Grade Potluck Dinner
September 26, 2006 at 6:30 PM: Twelfth Grade Potluck Dinner
September 27-29, 2006: Ramapo for Ninth and Tenth Grades
October 17, 2006: High School Parent Rep Meeting with "Freedom Institute," 6:30 PM
October 18, 2006: PSAT day for Tenth and Eleventh Grades
October 26, 2006: Tenth Grade Potluck Dinner
October 24-26, 2006: New dates for Minimester

This Week's Attachments:
www.SaveDarfur.org
The High School Musical Announcement
Letter to Parents and Actor's Contract
For all families: NYSAIS Parent Survey
Parent Association Welcome Fair!

As always, please browse the web site at www.lrei.org. Also, note the links to the Middle and Lower School weekly emails on the right. Please take a look at what the students in the other two divisions are up to!

All attachments are in .pdf format. To view these files, please download Adobe Reader, if you do not already have it. Click on this link or paste it into your browser: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.html.
If you are having trouble opening the attachments, go to http://www.lrei.org/weekly/ms/ to access the files.