Newsletter of May 12, 2005

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Sixth and Final Middle School Session of 2005 Successful

We want to thank students and teacher from Bunche Middle School (St. Louis), Jennings Middle School, and Maplewood-Richmond-Heights Middle School who did an excellent job in our sixth Middle School Model U.N. session of the year. The students passed resolutions on Medical Care in Mozambique and Child Labor. Delegates came close to passing resolution son safe drinking water and animal endangerment. They also heard presentations on medical care and more on child labor. We have a link to the revised resolutions at the bottom of this article.

The spring General Assemblies began on Wednesday, April 6, and continued every Wednesday morning until May 11th.

Middle School Resolutions!

Final Middle School Teacher Meeting last Monday at Chevy's

The final Middle School teacher meeting of the school year was held last Monday, May 9, at Chevy's Restaurant at 9119 Olive Street Road (link to map below). We had a terrific turnout of teachers from the Parkway, Webster Groves, and St. Louis Public Schools. Everyone else missed hi-cal desserts.

Thanks to all who came and our first middle school teacher meeting of the year for 2005-2006 will be in September. More details to follow.

Map and Directions to Chevy's Restaurant
Photos of April 20, 2005 Middle School MUN

Civitas Picnic last Saturday followed by "The Interpreter"
The annual Civitas spring high school picnic was a rousing success. For the second time in eight years, we had good weather and that resulted in once of the most exciting softball games ever. Yes, Team 'A' defeated Team 'B', 9-6. No errors were made the whole game and scouts were everywhere looking for future men and women players.

In addition, we had outstanding food featuring a wide variety of nutritious and "pig out" food. Our thanks to everyone who contributed to the cuisine.

Following the picnic, most of us went to the Esquire Theater [6706 Clayton Road (map)], to see the recently released movie, "The Interpreter." It is a mystery involving an interpreter at the United Nations. Reviews from within out group were largely positive, although there was some sentiment that the last 30 minutes might have been compressed down to 5 minutes. But for Hollywood, not bad!

Directions to Deer Creek Park

Do you think that Bush should have lectured Putin on Democracy?

Last week, President George W. Bush was in Russia. In his conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bush reportedly told Putin that Russia needed to make more progress in implementing democracy. Putin reportedly told Bush that he (Putin) was elected by the people; not an electoral college or the courts as was the case with Bush. Our question is, "Do you think that Bush should have started lecturing Putin on democracy?"

Survey on Bush and Putin

Previous Survey Results!

Last week's question was:

Eighty years after a famed courtroom battle in Tennessee pitted religious beliefs about the origins of life against the theories of British scientist Charles Darwin, Kansas is holding its own hearings on what school children should be taught about how life on Earth began. The Kansas Board of Education has scheduled six days of courtroom-style hearings to begin Thursday in Topeka. More than two dozen witnesses will give testimony and be subject to cross-examination, with the majority expected to argue against teaching evolution. Do you think that evolution should be taught as the primary theory as to how human beings developed, or should other theories be given equal time?

Responses:

1. Evolution should be the only or primary theory. 5 (46%)

2. Other theories should be given equal time. 4 (36%)

3. Not Sure 2 (18%)

COMMENTS ON THE ISSUE

Abigail Henderson; Ridgewood Middle School, 2010

Why teach one theory when people's beliefs are different and there is no proof of your theory?

Lisa Henderson; Fox High School, 2008

I think that if it's the theory most widely accepted and believed by experts then it should be taught. Just don't say, "This is the one truth, and all other theories are wrong." The kids should be influenced by it as much as the adult/expert world. I am not really any religion. Not an atheist, just not really anything.....More Christian than anything else I suppose.....

Andrew Lechner; Parkway South High School, 2006

When we learned about evolution, there were several theories; these mostly sprouted from our discussion on how the world was created and how life first started. There was obviously the Big Bang Theory, An Extraterrestrial Theory, a Primordial Soup Theory, and of course the "Divine Intervention Theory." We read an article on each and we were left to make our own conclusions. However, there was so much more evidence with science proving the first three theories that make Divine Intervention look like a last resort. Furthermore, anyone who has looked at Darwin's life and read his book will surely "believe" in evolution and survival of the fittest. It is almost too perfect, his theory, it's almost divine in itself. Although I do believe in a higher power, I would hesitate to credit Him or Her with the diversity present on Earth today. Maybe He or She laid the first egg, but humans definitely developed from apes, and if you don't agree, ask a paleontologist or geologist what "day" dinosaurs were made on. To completely disregard evolution as a scientific philosophy is absurd. I feel like we're going back in time folks, pretty soon the world will be flat again. I am willing to accept some teachings about creationism, but what's written in the science books should remain definitive answer.

Additional Links

Photo Gallery
Streaming Video [Real Media]
Civitas Calendar
Civitas Intranets Site
Civitas Home Page
Maps & Directions
Previous Newsletters
Resolutions (High School U.N.) for 2004-2005
Checklist for Writing a Model U.N. Resolution