Chugiak World Discovery Seminar Program

The second-ever Family night was held in October. We loved sharing a meal with our WDS families and getting to know them all better. After dinner, students went to a movie night in the student union with their siblings, or dropped them off in child care, and parents joined the WDS teaching staff for an adults-only seminar. This event got snowed out in October 2022, but was held in February 2023. The eventual goal is for parents to get to seminar with their students and other teenagers, and we are hoping to achieve this in February 2024! In the mean time, here are some awesome photos by our students of the event this past October.

Families enjoyed a bunch a different soups, salads, and bread and then got to seminar from the introduction to John Green’s “The Anthropocene Reviewed,” a book that celebrates the current geological era, in which humans have profoundly impacted the earth. He reviews elements of earth’s history that simply wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for humans (both the good and the bad) and rates them on a five-start scale, like yelp.

“This is the book I would give to the aliens if they ever show up to destroy the planet,” says Ms. Handeland. “I’d say ‘OK, that’s fine, can you just read this real quick and let me know if you still want to destroy us?’”

The book celebrates so much of what makes our planet good and how humans have also made it good, and it aligns with the greater WDS Theme for the year “What does it mean to live a good life?” It also stresses the importance of asking the question “what are you paying attention to?” and asks the readers to pay attention to what they pay attention to.

Parents read the shortened chapter and answers questions such as:

-What are you paying attention to?
-What makes you fall in love with the world?
-What does it mean to pay attention to what you pay attention to?
-What would you review first if you were asked to provide reviews on humanity and its creations?
-What would you give a five star review to?
-What would you give a one star review to?
-What would you give a one-star review to that most people give a five?

For more info on this seminar, please reach out!

If you’re a WDS parent and want to join us next time, keep an eye on your email for the invite in early February 2024.