Senior Seminar Parent Letter 1.07

January 3, 2007 Dear Brewer High School Honors Student: On behalf of the Brewer Honors Advisory Council, I would like to invite you to attend our Winter Honors Celebration on January 25, 2007 (see enclosed agenda). The purpose of this gathering is to celebrate your hard work and commitment and to provide you with an opportunity to learn more about each other and the world around you. The theme for our 2007 Winter Honors Celebration is creating global awareness. This theme was also emphasized in our first Honors book, Mountains beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (2003). Creating global awareness will remain an important focus for Brewer Honors students throughout the year, as we participate in some exciting activities designed to enhance our individual and collective understanding of its importance. For more information about what it means to be a student who is globally aware, visit: http://www.ncrel.org/engauge/skills/global.htm We look forward to seeing you on January 19th at 1:00 p.m. and again on January 25th at 2:30 p.m. (see enclosed agenda and "Important Information" sheet for details). Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you soon! Sincerely, Julie Hackett, Ed.D. Director of Instruction Brewer School Department Important Information: Please come prepared to discuss the book Mountains beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. If you've already read the book, it may even be helpful to re-read it prior to January 25th. If you did not receive a copy, please contact Janice Davis at Brewer High School (989-8638). We look forward to meeting many special guests at the Winter Celebration, including Lucner Charlestra, a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Maine. Lucner is a native to Haiti, and he will be joining us for the book talk. In addition, we have invited several Honors College students and Brewer graduates who now attend the University of Maine to the festivities. Dr. Peter Millard, our guest speaker, is a practicing physician at Eastern Maine Medical Center. He was employed by the State of Maine as an Infectious Disease Specialist, and he spent three years in Zimbabwe at the beginning of the AIDS crisis. Dr. Millard will share his experiences with us and has requested that all Brewer Honors students watch the video, "A Closer Walk" prior to his lecture. A Closer Walk is a movement aimed at tracking "our global effort to dramatically increase AIDS awareness." For more information, visit www.acloserwalk.org. Prior to the Winter Celebration, please read Letter #5 from the "A Closer Walk" website. This letter discusses Haiti and Dr. Paul Farmer's work. All Honors students should plan to attend an informational session on Friday, January 19th @ 1:00 p.m. We will meet in Mr. Rand's room (Room 66), and following some important announcements about the Honors Diploma, we will watch "A Closer Walk," as recommended by Dr. Millard. Save these dates! March 18th (Tracy Kidder lecture at the Camden Opera House) and April 23rd (Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Dr. Bernard Lown, presents at University of Maine Honors College). Details to follow at the January 19th informational session.