What: Savannah Country Day School is pleased to host the 2^nd Annual Faculty Explorations speaker series. The weekly evening sessions provide attendees the opportunity to revisit a classroom setting and explore a topic based on the faculty host’s area of expertise. All seminars are free and open to the public. For additional information, or to register, visit savcds.org/facultyexplorations

When: Tuesday evenings in January and February (additional info below)

Where: Savannah Country Day School, 824 Stillwood Drive, 31419

Seminar listings:

Tuesday, January 18: Does the Earth Really Orbit the Sun? Thinking Scientifically vs. Believing What We See

7:00 - 8:30pm in Minis 1A (Physics Room)

For thousands of years, humans looked at the sky and observed the motion of the sun, moon, and stars.  It was pretty clear from their perspective that the Earth was the center of the universe. So what changed?  When and why did humans begin to question what they saw? This seminar will explore how we began to think scientifically.  We will begin with a discussion of early astronomers’ work; how they began to look differently at our world and its place in the universe.  We will then move to the study of light and how this seemingly simple thing, which is all around us, drives us deeper and deeper into no longer being able to believe what we see.  How humans needed to change the way we think if we were going to be able to study the very large or the very small. 

Tuesday, January 25: Sailing Solo Across an Ocean 
7:00 - 8:30pm in Andrews Assembly Room (Pape Middle School)

Ever thought about sailing across an ocean by yourself? Well, you can do it! The hardest part is the preparation. Once you throw off the dock lines, point the bow to the horizon, and hoist some sail, you are off! The San Francisco Singlehanded Sailing Society has held the Single-Handed TransPac race every two years since 1978. Since then, more people have made it into outer space than have completed this solo race from San Francisco to Hawaii. In this talk, I will share my preparation for the race, the training required, the qualifying race, and the many aspects of offshore solo sailing. Electrical systems, sail selection, repairs, rigging, medical and safety, provisioning, and weather tactics...the solo sailor must be prepared and ready to do everything on his or her own. Please join me, and let's take a trip together across the Pacific from San Francisco to Hawaii!

Tuesday, February 1: SketchUp for Interior Design & Renovation
7:00 - 8:30pm in Upper School Art Room

From a simple bathroom renovation to a larger scale interior design project, SketchUp is a useful tool for design visualization. If you’ve ever watched Fixer Upper and marveled at Joanna Gaines’s presentations of her potential design plans, you’ve seen the power of SketchUp as a 3D digital rendering program. Come with measurements and pictures of a room you’d like to redesign, or merely with an open mind for learning how to turn your interior design ideas into beautiful 3D renderings.

Tuesday, February 8: The Power of Poetry in a Pandemic
7:00 - 8:30pm in Andrews Assembly Room(Pape Middle School)

How can poems enrich our everyday mindsets? Why does poetic verse matter now more than ever? Join us as we explore a brief introduction to poetry, from ancient to modern day, and how these texts help us cope with issues in our natural world. We’ll specifically explore the paradox of trouble and triumph as we study such poets as ancient writer, Basho, and contemporary artists including Claude McKay and Mary Oliver. We’ll uncover techniques and decode rhythm that poets use to both ease pain and heal conflicts. We’ll relax and renew our spirits as we dive into the powerful world of words. 

Tuesday, February 15: Remembrance or Amnesia? The Politics of Commemorating Historical Trauma

7:00 - 8:30pm in Livingston Hall (Room 7)

They say Germans have a word for everything, and they mean it! The mouthful of Vergangenheitsbewältigung, meaning “coming to terms with the past,” is a great illustration. But what does that phrase even mean? In this seminar, we will explore how European countries have commemorated dark moments in their history, especially surrounding dictatorship and war in the twentieth century. We will use the specific example of the Spanish treatment of the memory of the Spanish Civil War and the Franco dictatorship and compare it to the German treatment of the Holocaust to understand how the way we remember (or forget) historical transgressions shapes the politics and culture of different societies.