New Enside Ensworth

It's official! Come visit the new and improved Enside Ensworth Blog at http://blogs.ensworth.com

We will no longer be posting on this website, but have continued to a new more user friendly blog. Hope you enjoy!

Homecoming 2010

This may not be your typical Ensworth Friday, but one thing is typical...Ensworth's commitment to giving back! In honor of October's Breast Cancer Awareness month, the Ensworth Tiger's have declared today a Pink Out! What better way to wrap up an already successful homecoming week? Check out some pictures below of some "not so typical" happenings on the quad today!

Tiger Topic of the Week (Service Learning!)

Ensworth's commitment to giving back continued today as a campus wide Service Learning day took place at EHS. Service Learning is an important part of the curriculum for Ensworth HS students. Through the program students study and research issues and problems in the community before actively participating in efforts to improve those situations.

The 10th grade students hosted the Ensworth Sports Festival for Special Olympics. With it's largest attendance yet, 380 participants, Ensworth students worked to help train the athletes in the events they will be participating in during the Special Olympics. Events included football, volleyball, boccie ball, basketball, soccer, and many more!
Taking place off campus, the 9th grade explored the history and development of the Ensworth High School campus in Discovery of the Ensworth Campus. The 11th grade students divided up into small groups and chose different service learning projects from an approved list based on what they were interested in doing. As a senior, each student is required to develop an individual service learning project based on their own passions and desires. Through out the course of the year, each student will fulfill certain requirements in order to graduate including on-site service hours, an essay, and a project portfolio.

For more information on the Service Learning Program at Ensworth High School click here: http://www.ensworth.com/podium/default.aspx?t=126724

Tiger Topic of the Week (Nutrition)

After a week of gardening, the Pre-1st students started Thanksgiving early this year with a food tasting done by Good Food for Good People. The students tasted home grown veggies and fruits like carrots, squash, apples, mangoes and even red peppers from our very own EHS garden. They were all encouraged to try all the food and then decide if they liked them or not. The students learned about how fresh fruits and veggies are important to their nutrition and provides them with the energy they need for the day.

After feasting on the food the Pre-1sters took the remainder and their paper plates to the composting bin behind the Pre-1st classrooms. The Devon Farms Campus also has a composting pile that they are starting with Science teacher Anna Tuttle. The gardening and composting efforts are in-line with the school's introduction of new organic foods in the cafeteria to help promote healthy eating on both campuses.

Tiger Topic of the Week (Gardening!)

The Pre-1st through 3rd grade classes enjoyed a real treat on Monday with a visit from Good Food for Good People. Ensworth has partnered with this Nashville-based Food Advocacy Organization to help teach our students about gardening and the need to support our local economy. This spring, Ensworth installed three permanent learning gardens throughout the campus green spaces: Pre-First classroom hallway, one near the Middle School Athletic Fields (shaped appropriately like a big "E") and a 12-bed garden near the Science Wing of EHS.

The pre-1st garden is already flourishing with marigolds and basil. The pre-1st students planted things like spinach and okra.

The 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade students had their own garden where they planted Kale, lettuce and cabbage seeds.

The goal is to center learning about food in these outdoor classrooms and also incorporate the food into the Ensworth lunch menus.

To learn more about Good Food for Good People visit them at: www.goodfoodforgoodpeople.org

Tiger Topic of the Week (Service Learning!)

Stephanie VanDyke, Head of Volunteer Services for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, was on the Red Gables campus on Tuesday to meet with the 2nd grade students. For the last 6 years, the second grade has chosen to collect travel size toiletries and small activities like word puzzles for patients and families staying in the hospital. In the second semester, some students will also be knitting hats for the babies in the NICU as part of their service learning experience. Miss VanDyke was here to thank the students for all their help in making the families at the hospital have the most comfortable stay possible.

Miss VanDyke also talked about the importance of giving back and helping those who are less fortunate or in a hard place. The students were very interested in all the hospital had to offer the families and recounted some of their own experiences in the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

Having Miss VanDyke visit gave the students a real view of why they participate in this project as a 2nd grader, and definitely built their excitement in collecting these much needed items.

The 2nd grade will be collecting these items through out the whole school year, so help in their efforts and save all the unopened toiletries you collect on your hotel stays or have floating around from your travels.

Each grade at Ensworth participates in a Service Learning project for the year. For more information about the Service Learning Program at Ensworth, please visit:
http://www.ensworth.com/podium/default.aspx?t=126723

Tiger Topic of the Week (Patchwork!)

The 4th & 5th graders had a special treat with Patchwork guest and author Liz Kessler. Kessler is the author of the Emily Windsnap and the Philippa Fisher children book series. She started off by going through all the things you need to write a good story and then took questions from the students ranging from "what's your favorite character you ever created," to "how did you start writing."

Kessler and many other special guests are part of the Red Gables Patchwork series which brings nationally and internationally known children's authors and illustrators to share their love of literature and reading to our students.

Support Patchwork authors by ordering gift wrap, ribbon and other items at www.Sallyfoster.com