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What's HOT the week of October 11, 2021

How to Triumph Like a Girl

Ada Limón

I like the lady horses best,

how they make it all look easy,

like running 40 miles per hour

is as fun as taking a nap, or grass.

I like their lady horse swagger,

after winning. Ears up, girls, ears up!

But mainly, let's be honest, I like

that they're ladies. As if this big

dangerous animal is also a part of me,

that somewhere inside the delicate

skin of my body, there pumps

an 8-pound female horse heart,

giant with power, heavy with blood.

Don't you want to believe it?

Don't you want to lift my shirt and see

the huge beating genius machine

that thinks, no, it knows,

it's going to come in first.

New in this Week's Dragon's Fire

• TCS Clubs
• Curriculum Night
• Earn Service Learning Credits
• Oct & Nov Scholarship Bulletin
• Oct CSCA Board Meeting Date Change
• Join CSCA for a Discussion with SPS & School Board Candidates
• Recognizing & Coping with Teen Eating Disorders

Above is the current list of clubs. More may be added later, so be sure to check back. There will be a club fair on Oct 13 at 1:30. Students will rotate through the clubs with their MASH group to get a sense of what each club has to offer. Read more about the club fair.

Curriculum Night

Curriculum Night is Thu, Oct 21, 6:30–8 pm via Zoom. Look for details from TCS soon.

Earn Service Learning Credits

All SPS high school students need 60 hours of service learning credit (unpaid) to graduate. Don't wait until your senior year to start accruing hours. Check out the service learning bulletin that Mr. Rho has put together and start earning your service credits now.

Scholarship Bulletin

Check out the SPS Oct & Nov Scholarship Bulletin.

Senior Credit Checks

Our counselor, Ms. Hayes, will be meeting with seniors during the month of Oct to review their graduation requirements. Once students meet with Ms. Hayes, she will send home an email to senior families with information about their student's graduation progress. Ms. Hayes will be scheduling meetings with senior families who are not on track to graduate.

Read more about graduation requirements on the the SPS webpage.

Graduation Dates Are on the Calendar

If you like to plan ahead, mark your calendar, SPS has announced 2022 graduation dates. TCS graduation celebration will be Tue, Jun 14 at 2 pm at Memorial Stadium. Here's hoping we can graduate this year's seniors in style! Check the full list of high graduation celebrations.

A Short Guide to TCS Terminology & Acronyms

• R&R: Recruitment and Retention Committee
• Dragon’s Fire: CSCA Weekly Newsletter
• BLT: Building Leadership Team
• PLC: Professional Learning Committee (Teachers come together for a community of practice on Race and Equity, Academic Interventions, and Social Emotional Learning)
• TPS: Theater of Puget Sound
• The Commons: open area where kitchen is located
• MASH: Mentorship Advisory Study Hall (last 45 min of the day, except Wed)
• ASB: Associated Student Body
• MUN: Model United Nations
• OEE: Outdoor Environmental Education (no field trips)
• RJA: Racial Justice Alliance
• SAGA: Sexuality and Gender Alliance Group
• Center Mentors: Students who mentor students
• Dragon Wear: TCS swag

Join ASB!

ASB is an amazing student-run club where you can plan events, learn about budgeting, and work with the staff and Center community to make changes you want to see in our school! You also earn service hours towards graduation and get to add a great extracurricular to your college applications! This year we will make posters and a video of speeches for your grade level classmates to watch before voting. Come to ASB in Ms. Neel's room (room 369) at MASH on Mondays to learn more about ASB and how to run. There are a variety of positions you can run for and we especially need freshman and sophomore officers. If you have any questions you can ask our chief officers Maddie T. and Nid L. Elections will be this Mon, Oct 11 during MASH!

Oct Board Meeting Date Change

Our October board meeting has been changed from Thu, Oct 21 to Tue, Oct 19 to accommodate curriculum night. All are welcome! Look for an email on Oct 17 with details and the Zoom link.

Join CSCA for a Discussion with SPS & School Board Candidates

On Wed, Oct 20, 6:30–8:30 pm CSCA will host SPS to discuss levy updates and school board candidates for District 4, which includes TCS. Both candidates will speak and answer questions. Please send your questions to IDEA chair, Shawna Murphy at southernstreetkids@yahoo.com by 6 pm, Oct 18.

• 6:30-7:45 Welcome
• 6:45-7:15 Levy presentation with SPS Budget Director Linda Sebring
• 7:20-7:35 D4 School board Candidate Laura Marie Rivera
• 7:40-7:55 D4 School board Candidate Vivian Song Maritz
• 7:55 Closing

All are welcome. Look for an email on Oct 18 with details and the Zoom link.

TCS students, show off your creativity and skill! Reflections is an annual competition put on by the national PTA. This year's theme is "I will change the world by ...". Students have the opportunity to win and move on to state and even national competition. Students can enter in one or more of the following categories (follow the links to read the rules for each category):

• Dance Choreography
• Film Production
• Literature
• Music Composition
• Photography
• Visual Arts (2D and 3D)

Entry deadline is Wed, Nov 3 by 5 pm. Entries should be submitted digitally using the electronic entry form, which will be available soon. If you need help photographing 2D or 3D art, please contact Reflections Chair, Monica Payson, at monica@paysley.net. Please also reach out for help with artist's statements, supplies, entry forms, and general support.

Recognizing & Coping with Teen Eating Disorders

According the NY Times and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, eating disorders among teens have risen dramatically during the pandemic. Contributing factors may include increased food insecurity in some households, a rise in the use and influence of social media, and the loss of familiar routines that helped teens regulate their day to day lives. Despite common tropes, eating disorders are common across genders and races as well as among LGBTQ teens. Parents should pay close attention to changes in teens' behavior around food including secrecy, skipping family meals, hoarding food, refusing to eat whole categories of foods, fixation with exercise or counting calories, guilt about eating, and discomfort with their bodies. Parents and teens can use this screening tool from NationalEatingDisorders.org if they are concerned about an eating disorder. Also look for information and help at the Emily Program.

The Bulletin Board section publishes information about art, photography, film, theater, writing, and other programs and competitions outside of TCS that might be of benefit and interest to our students. If you know of an opportunity that our students might want to hear about, contact the Dragon's Fire at dfsubmitarticle1@gmail.com.

Henry Teen Art Collective 2021/22 Call for Applications

How can you make an impact through art? Find out by joining the Henry Teen Art Collective! Apply here by October 14, 2021. The Henry Teen Art Collective is a group of young thinkers, makers, and leaders who propose new ideas and build community around contemporary art. Representing high schools from across greater Seattle, Collective members gather weekly to meet artists, explore exhibitions, and collaborate on projects aimed at supporting youth voices through art.

We highly encourage youth of color, LGBTQ+, and individuals of all abilities to apply. If individuals have any accommodation needs during the application process, or have any questions about the program, please email contact-teens@henryart.org. What you need to know:

• Community service credit or a flat $599 stipend is available at the end of the year
• Weekly sessions start on November 5 and run through June 10. We meet on Thursday afternoons from 4:30 - 6:30 PM. We will continually be responsive to the changing circumstances of the pandemic. Decisions about holding sessions in person versus online will be made together by Henry staff and members of the Teen Collective
• Any high school aged teen can apply
• Applications are due by midnight Oct 14
• Accepted members will be notified by Oct 22
• First session is Nov 4

Apply here.

Please get in touch if you have any questions: contact-teens@henryart.org.

TeenTix, in partnership with The Colorization Collective (a teen-run organization that promotes diversity in the arts) is excited to announce that applications for the 2022 Winter Cohort of our Mentorship for Teen Artists of Color (M-TAC) program are open! This program will specifically allow teen artists of color to hone their artwork under the guidance of professional mentors of color. This is a great way for teens to better their craft, build connections in the arts community, and present their art!

This mentorship is for teens interested in music and writing. Teens will be put into either a music or writing cohort, and each group will be paired with a professional artist/mentor of color to create or workshop a piece specifically for the program showcase.

Read more to see the schedule.

Applicants must be ages 13-19 and a current TeenTix member to participate. Not a TeenTix member yet? Don't worry! Sign up for free here! Applications are open now and close at midnight PST on Oct 24.

If you need assistance filling out the application, please contact Anya Shukla at colorizationcollective@gmail.com.

Apply here!

Lingering in the Lobby: A Study About Teens and Highbrow Culture

Hello! Thanks so much for your interest in being interviewed for my study! Below is a bit more information about my research—if you're still interested, please leave your contact information and I'll reach out to schedule an interview. I can't wait to speak with you soon!

Study Number: IRB21-1274

Study Title: Lingering in the Lobby: Teenagers and Highbrow Culture

Researcher(s): Anne Lim, under advisory by Dr. John Levi Martin

Purpose: We are conducting this study to learn more about how teenagers experience highbrow arts institutions like the opera, symphony, or ballet. More generally, we are interested learning about what shapes the cultural taste of teenagers and how teenagers learn to adapt to the specific environments of various arts spaces.

Procedures and Time Required: You will be asked to participate in one 45-minute interview over Zoom or in person. With your permission, the interviews will be audio-recorded.

Risks and Benefits: Your participation in this study does not involve any risk to you beyond that of everyday life. Taking part in this research study may not benefit you personally, but we may learn insights into how teenagers interact with the arts that may benefit arts accessibility work.

History Café: The Teen Dance Ordinance and Youth Political Action

Wed, Oct 20

6:30–7:30 pm

Cost: Free with Registration

In 1985, Seattle’s vibrant all-ages club scene was abruptly quieted by passage of the Teen Dance Ordinance. Young aspiring musicians could still play in venues like community centers, but it wasn’t the same as the club scene. Youth activism grew, culminating in a series of public meetings where youth and famous allies, like Krist Novoselic, formerly of Nirvana, spoke out in favor of all-ages clubs. The campaign led to the replacement of the Teen Dance Ordinance with the All-Ages Dance Ordinance in 2002. Join us for a online panel discussion about the history of Seattle’s all-ages venues, how youth activism swayed the city council, and the campaign’s lasting impact on Seattle’s music scene.

Space is limited so register soon! Detailed information on how to participate will be provided via email following your registration. Real-time, automated captioning is available during the program. For additional support, contact programs@mohai.org.

Register here.

Listings in the Bulletin Board section for any specific commercial or organizational product, process, or service, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by The Center School or the CSCA.

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