J-Term 2022

J-Term   By Sally Heit

Last Friday Seattle Lutheran students showcased what their J-Term classes have been working on these last four weeks in the gym for everyone to view, including the middle school students from Hope Lutheran School. A big shout-out to Meredith Zandi for organizing a fun, engaging J-Term! It takes a lot of organization and attention to detail to create this type of unique experience that only Seattle Lutheran offers to students.

Many of these courses are taught by Seattle Lutheran teachers, but we were fortunate enough to add to the teaching team two volunteers this year; Roger Davenport, Hope Technology Director, who taught Coding and Richard Figgins, photographer, and Seattle Lutheran parent of two alumni, who taught Photography. Without inventive and passionate staff from our own teaching community and outside volunteers, J-Term would not have the breadth in course offerings it is known for. It is an experience like no other and allows students to engage and immerse themselves in the material. Of course, not everyone gets their first choice of classes, but that is also part of the experience; as students learn to be flexible and take what they can from each course which also mirrors college life.

I really enjoyed walking through the various courses to see what everyone was up to. The furniture restoration class was always busy sanding or staining and restored some beautiful pieces of furniture, some of which will go back to the antique store in the junction. I would often have to force myself to leave the Lord of the Rings class or the History vs. Hollywood class as I would become too immersed in the films and want to stay for the entire class. Being a tennis lover, pickleball is an activity I just might need to learn and although I wasn’t able to try out bouldering or golf, the students always came back energized and tired. The kitchen was abuzz with the clang of pots and pans, and they were always glad to share a bite of the dish they were working on. The guacamole was amazing! The stained-glass course taught by Mrs. Merlino was fascinating, and I found students intently focused on their projects which shone beautifully at the fair. The Escape Room is near completion and ready for the testing stage. Once it has passed testing, it will be open to the public. Let’s hope you manage to find your way out! And the ASL class studied ASL around the world and made a short video showing how to sign basic ASL signs. I highly recommend checking this video out.

I couldn’t get to every class, but what I did see inspired me to think about my own interests and hobbies. What did I have to offer this community of learners? What do YOU have to offer? Think about it, and perhaps you might want to share your passion with our students next year. The possibilities are endless.

Click here to view the Basic ASL Video
Click here to view the Escape Room Teaser
Click here to view the Golf Video
Click here to view Bouldering
Click here to view Coding
Website created by Coding Class
Click here to view the Facebook Live video at J-Term Fair