Keeping Parents and Campuses Connected
December 2009
December at a Glance
The Right to Choose Our Own Destiny
Part III: Free People Can Lose Independence
December 4
School Spelling Bee Assembly
December 7
Pearl Harbor Day
Commemoration
December 7–11
Preschool Christmas Sings
(and some Kindergarten)
December 7–17
Elementary Christmas Sings
December 10–17
Christmas Concerts
December 17–18
Class Christmas Parties
December 21
Winter Break Begins
(Classes Resume January 4)
Merry Christmas
from
Challenger School
Priority Enrollment
for the 2010–11 school year
begins in January!
Challenger teaches students to reason. In
“I have sworn upon the altar of God
all parts of the curriculum they learn to
eternal hostility against every form
of tyranny over the mind of man.”
recognize and refute fallacious logic. In
—Thomas Jefferson
history and literature, they identify values
like justice, honesty, and self-reliance.
They take responsibility for themselves; teachers do not do for students what they
can do for themselves. Preschoolers earn their alphabet crowns by knowing all the
letters and sounds, thus proudly experiencing individual achievement. Elementary
students build knowledge and skills, earning joy and confidence. No one can give
self-worth—it is earned by individual achievement.
In Part I, we reviewed the Declaration of Independence’s statement regarding our
unalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. In Part II, we
reviewed the role of the U.S. Constitution, which is not to rule over the people
but to protect the rights of the people from injustice and oppression by each other
and by government. All men should be free to choose their own destiny. So, do
Americans still have individual independence?
Have you heard anyone say he does not wish to be an individual, does not want
personal rights, but wants bureaucrats (government workers) to manage his life?
Does anyone say “I want bureaucrats to
tell me what to believe, what TV to watch
or radio to listen to, what and how my
employer should pay me, and where to live,
travel, and work”? Who would say “I’m
incapable of choosing my food, clothes,
car, school, or doctor”? Would any of us
say “I’m incapable of thinking—I want a
bureaucrat to monitor me”?
And have you heard of a government that
would want its people to be irresponsible
and weak? Certainly not the one framed
by the Founders. But collective-type
governments are designed on the premise
that the society has rights and individuals do not. The bureaucracy in such states
makes rules “for the greater good” and expects individuals to serve the society.
So, a government that wants to control its people trains a majority of them to
be dependent—to glorify government intervention—thereby forcing the more
productive individuals to support government and the dependent people.
continued on page 2
© 2009, Barbara B. Baker
ChallengerSchool.com
1
Free People Can Lose Independence, continued
Free people do not want to be
subject to a master. So, how does
enslavement come about? Americans
began as a free people with values
that enabled them to trade and govern
themselves. As the country became
more prosperous, the government
began to “assist” some of its people.
What happened to them is not unlike
a puppy who learns to give devotion
to his master in exchange for his
home and food. These people became
dependent and welcomed bureaucrats
who would take care of them. They
gradually stopped thinking and
working for themselves.
Just as the puppy learns to expect
food, these people learned to feel
entitled to food, houses, and money.
To fulfill their demands, government
became bigger and more powerful and
made many laws which were contrary
to its role as defined in the Constitution.
Dependent people become serfs to
government, which, not unlike the
master who will not let his pup growl
or bite, cannot let its people criticize or
challenge it. The people lose one of the
most important rights—free speech.
“They who can give up essential
liberty to obtain a little safety,
deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
—Benjamin Franklin
Often overlooked in dependency upon
the government is that those who submit
to a master who does for them what
they could do for themselves may never
be able to recover the right to life—to
choose their own destiny—as spoken of
in the Declaration of Independence.
Free-willed individuals passionately
resist being controlled. Rational,
self-reliant, and
innovative people
love to produce,
but we also expect
to enjoy the resultss
of our hard work.
Unlike the puppy,
we Americans
must not trade
our freedom for
security. Like
ts who reap the
Challenger students
rewards of individual responsibility,
Americans must cherish and protect
our right to forge our own destiny
through individual achievement.
Correction
Some copies of the November Challenger
News contained two factual errors. The states
sent delegates to Philadelphia to address the
weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation in
the summer of 1787, not 1887. Also, at the time
James Madison was thirty-six, not thirty-two.
Honoring Heroes
“This nation will remain the
land of the free only so long
as it is the home of the brave.”
—Elmer Davis
On Veterans Day 2009,
students at Challenger
schools paused to learn
about the sacrifices of
the men and women who
serve in our country’s
armed forces. Many
campuses welcomed
guest speakers who gave
first-hand accounts of
their experiences.
Now Available from
ScholarWear!
Shop ScholarWear.com for gray longsleeved polo shirts for those chilly days!
Captain Bryan Reid poses with Everest student council
members Meghan Holsinger, Olivia Day, and Dallin Fullmer.
Priority Enrollment for 2010–2011
Current Challenger students have an opportunity to enroll for the 2010–2011
school year before enrollment opens to the public. An application packet will
be sent to you in January via your child.
Current students must reapply every year before open enrollment begins
to ensure priority placement.
2
ChallengerSchool.com
© 2009, Barbara B. Baker
Christmas Sings PS–8
Pearl Harbor Day
Students have been practicing and
are excited to present their Christmas
Sings. Parents are invited to come
listen. (Rumor has it the preschoolers
will have a special visitor!)
Can you imagine waking up one day to
the roar of low-flying planes dropping
bombs on the places where you live and
work? That’s exactly what happened
to soldiers and civilians at the U.S.
Naval Station at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii,
on December 7, 1941. While many
countries of the world were already
at war, the U.S. had been trying to
negotiate peace. Once Japan attacked,
it was clear that our nation could no
longer avoid involvement in the war.
The date and time of your child’s
performance is in this month’s
Classroom News. (Preschool classes
have sent home a flyer.) Schedules are
also posted on your campus’s web page
at ChallengerSchool.com.
Science fair is just around the corner.
Science Fair K–8
Very soon, students will begin
working on science fair projects.
Parents of kindergarten–grade 2
students can help by asking their
children questions about the scientific
method and their class project.
Parents of grade 3–8 students should
carefully review the science fair
packet with their children when they
receive it. Help your child find a
project that he can do on his own.
Achievement Reports K–8
Traverse Mountain students perform at their
2008 Christmas Sing.
Christmas Concerts
Watch the mail for Achievement
Reports this month. If you have any
questions about the report, please
contact your child’s teacher.
The U.S. Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor
was badly damaged. Five battleships
were sunk. Over a thousand people
lost their lives aboard the battleship
USS Arizona alone.
President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt
called December 7
“a date which will
live in infamy.”
Many Americans
signed up for
military service
as a result of the shocking attack.
Today, 68 years later, we remember
those who gave their lives in defense
of our country on that dark day and
throughout World War II.
A special Christmas Concert may be
coming to a school near you. Watch
for flyers with more information. We
would love to have you join us at a
celebration of this festive season.
Christmas Parties PS–8
Classes will have a party on the last
day of school before winter break.
Challenger will provide fun activities
and treats. (Parents do not attend.)
Please do not send food or gifts.
© 2009, Barbara B. Baker
ChallengerSchool.com
3
Heard It in the Halls
In the Spotlight—
Shawnee (California) Campus—Miss Uma was
teaching her class of four-year-olds about “greater
than” and “less than.” She asked Brandon, “If I have
ffour lollipops in one hand
aand one lollipop in the other,
w
which hand would you
cchoose?” Brandon answered
tthat he would choose the
hhand with one lollipop.
““Why?” queried Miss Uma.
““One is okay, as long as I
bbrush,” he reasoned. “But
ffour lollipops would be
rreally bad for my teeth!”
Almaden’s Edward Lin: Rubik’s Cube Master
Almaden, (California) Campus—Eighth grader Edward
Lin has a passion for the Rubik’s Cube. Edward has
won seven first- or second-place titles in Rubik’s Cube
competitions. Recently, he was the youngest competitor
from the United States at the 2009 World Rubik’s Cube
Championship in Düsseldorf, Germany, and he is ranked
#17 in the world for Pyraminx (pyramid) and #18 for
the 2x2x2 cube. Edward also has a special talent for
memorization. He can recite up to 700 digits of pi!
Sunnyvale (California) Campus—When her
kindergarten teacher asked Miriam what
at she liked best
about her first year at Challenger, Miriam
am didn’t miss a
beat and enthusiastically responded, “Learning!”
earning!”
Almaden 8th grader Edward Lin, Rubik’s Cube phenom, displays his
Almade
prowess at the 2009 World Championship.
Preschool
Chris
tm
Sing as
Chec s!
k fl
for da yer
t
and t es
imes
Activities to Stimulate Thinking
Activi
In order to ensure that your child retains the skills he is
learning in class, try these activities together over the
winter bbreak:
the Challenger DVDs with your child. Sing along
Watch th
with the songs. Stop and ask her questions about the letters,
sounds, blends, and reading rules.
tmas Sings
the Chris
pearance at
this month?
ake an ap
Will Santa m
Reports of Progress
Watch for Reports of Progress to come home this month.
They will let you know about your child’s participation
in class and academic progress in school.
4
Play counting games. Ask your child to count the cookies
oon a plate or presents under
the tree. While you’re in
th
the car, say, “Can you
th
find eight houses that
aare decorated for the
hholidays?” or look at a
ccalendar and ask, “How
many days are left in this
m
yyear?” Three-year-olds are
llearning to count to 10, and
ffour-year-olds can handle
eeven larger numbers.
ChallengerSchool.com
© 2009, Barbara B. Baker