CHS Fight Song

Football is in the air around Cyril H.S. and this morning a student shared with me that they didn't know that Cyril had a fight song. I wanted to share this video of the Elgin HS Marching Band playing the CHS Fight Song for the younger Cyril Pirates who don't know it.  Thanks to Canden Webb for sharing this YouTube video with me & thanks to Kim Coop-Martin for arranging for Elgin to play it for us when they participated in Cyril's Homecoming parade a few years ago!

While many of the younger generation does not know the fight song (& some don't even know we have one), our older alumni still remember the song very well! A couple of years ago I told her that I didn't know the fight song and she immediately began singing it. Also, my cousin Teri (Carlson) Williams called to leave her brilliant rendition of the song on my cell phone voicemail. (It's the only message I saved & kept, so next time you see me, I'll play it for you!) Teri's mom, Cheryl Carlson, was a cheerleader at Cyril many decades ago and Teri followed in her footsteps as a cheerleader during her time at CHS. Cheryl made sure that Teri & cousin Tia also knew the fight song. Cheryl's granddaughter, Rachyl Carlson, continued the family tradition as a cheerleader, until this year so she could focus on dance. I'm sure that Teri has made sure Rachyl knows the fight song as well! I'll have to check with her when I see her in the halls! 

Here are the lyrics so we don't forget this longstanding tradition:

CHS
Fight Song

Oh CHS!
You're the one that we love best,

Our Royal Blue, Is always good and true

So fling the banners high, Victory depends on you.

In the Hall of Fame, We'll write the name

Of Royal, Royal Blue. Rah! Rah!

Color Wheel Eyes

Okay, so these first couple of weeks at school have been super busy and I'm a little behind on my blogging! At both high school and elementary we have started the year going over the basic elements of art. With this project at the Elementary with my 5th & 6th graders, we spent quite a bit of time talking about the element of color. 

My students learned about the colors of the rainbow...(remember learning ROY G BIV as a kid?) We learned that the colors of the rainbow always go in order of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet and about how they can be arranged in the color wheel in that order as well. I taught the kids the primary colors, secondary colors, complementary colors, warm & cool colors and they made these color wheel eyes!

Working at the grade school has been a bit of a learning curve for me and I've got a little way to go in learning what works! The best thing about my grade school though is how excited they are to learn...they are like little sponges just ready to learn new things. And although I feel like I have a lot to learn, these guys are so forgiving and don't even seem to notice. My 2nd or 3rd day, one student came around the corner and said, "Mrs. Gray I missed you ALL day!" They're pretty good at making you feel like a rock star lol! I think it will be pretty easy with them, to feel like I'm really making a difference.

C.H.S. Handprint Wall Mural

 

I am SO excited with how the Handprint Wall Mural that my student at the high school turned out! Each handprint belongs to an art student at Cyril High School and the students were encouraged to pick one of the colors from the color wheel and decorate them with a decorative pattern or some type of design that included a hobby they enjoy or something that represents them personally. 

We started the handprints on Tuesday, our first day of school and finished them up today! Really proud of my students. They really put some thought into their designs and took their time to make them nice and detailed. 

The quote at the top of the mural says, "We are each unique & special, but together we make a masterpiece!" Just take a look at the picture from day one with only a few handprints finished. They still look great, but the more you add, the more amazing the mural becomes. So true with each of our students. Each of their handprints looked great, but when you take the talents of each individual and put them together, they really do make a masterpiece. 

Life Lesson Bonus for you...One of the topics that my husband Adam & I enjoy teaching and church and in the community, is on Personalities. The lesson that I learn from the workshop is that we all have unique personalities, but it really does take all kinds to make the world go around. I'm a pretty detail oriented person and like order, plus I have kind of a "take charge" personality. My husband on the other hand is very kind and compassionate and a very loyal friend. My dad is the kind of personality who is super social, really loves being around other people and is a GREAT storyteller. He can make a trip to the grocery store sound like a grand adventure. I've always envied those types of personalities...they're usually the really popular kids or the people you want to hang out with, but as I've gotten older, I've learned to really appreciate the differences that I find in people and appreciate myself as well. I hope that in my time with my students this year, that's one of the things I can share with them...to really be content with who they are and what they have to offer the world. AND to appreciate the differences in the people they are are in school with and then go on to use this skill in their journeys through life. 

With that said...I'm really looking forward to the upcoming school year because I'm seeing some real talent from some of my students!

 

I survived Day One!

Day one as a new teacher is in the books and I think it went pretty well. I started out my day at the High School with an assembly at the auditorium and class meetings. This year I get to be the Sophomore Class sponsor so we talked about the upcoming Cyril Fair and the booths our class will run.  They are going to be a fun class to have!

During my art classes, I told the class a little about me, handed out a survey for the students to fill out so I could find out a little bit about what kind of experience they've had with art and hopefully learn about some of the things they are interested in doing in art class this year. 

In both my HS and Elementary classes, we worked on a mural, where the students traced out their hands on cardstock and were then challenged to decorate them with hobbies they enjoy or things that represent them. The elementary students finished their "leaves" and glued them on our dandelion and the H.S. students are still working on their mural. 

   

Enrollment Tonight: You are invited...

Enrollment for Cyril Elementary & CHS is Thursday, Aug. 3rd from 5-8 pm. I'd like to invite you to stop by the Art Room at the high school, say hello & check out my room! I am a sponsor for the Sophomore Class this year and will be in Mrs. Slawson's room, but stop by and I'll take you down to the Art Room to show it off! I've got a long way to go, but I'd be happy to show you what I've got so far. HS Students, if you would like to talk to me about the Art Classes while you're here for enrollment, I'd be happy to answer any questions! I am super excited about the 2017-2018 school year and am looking forward our first day of school on Tuesday 8th!

 - Mrs. Gray