The new ASP coordinator Ms. Sarai Halliday started in August. Although, she is new to ASL she is not new to the job. She moved from the Copenhagen International School in Denmark where she also ran the extracurricular program.
There are lots of ASP’s on offer but some are more popular than others.The most popular is Robotics, also known as FIRST Lego League. “We didn’t do a cut off, because we know how important the program is and we were able to get enough staff and high school helpers to let everyone in,” Ms. Halliday said.
There were two ASPs this semester that were under-subscribed. Latin Dance and Mindfulness were cancelled this term due to lack of interest. Ms. Halliday hasn’t yet decided if these ASPs will be offered again next semester. Ms. Halliday said that she would need to speak to the teachers to see if they are willing to try again or come up with something different that the students will enjoy more.
A new ASP this year is Writers Community with Ms. Woulfe on Tuesdays. Previously, students who loved writing joined Writers Community with Mr. Fine. Now these students have a new club to join.
Since Ms. Halliday did the extra curricular program at her old school, one activity that she would like to bring to ASL if she had the chance would be parkour. According to the World Free Running Parkour Federation, this activity developed from obstacle course training known as “Path of the Warrior” in the French military. Parkour can include a mixture of running, jumping, climbing, swinging, and vaulting. Parkour is also described as a philosophy of knowing in your heart that “there is no obstacle in life that can not be overcome.”
The fall program ends on November 8. Registration for the winter ASPs is November 30 to December 4. Winter ASPs start on January 7.
