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Winterm

Winterm - Mindfulness and Meditation

Upon return from winter break, Upper School students spend a week in Winterm.

Winterm is an experiential learning program that engages students outside of the traditional classroom and provides exposure to the world beyond Cannon. Winterm challenges students to think critically and practically, to serve others, to embrace experiential learning and to consider their place in the world in which they live.

Our Winterm program is broken into four experiences where students engage with the local community, explore career opportunities and participate in service learning. 

  1. The First & Second Year Experience: For their first two years, students participate in hands-on learning experiences which involve our local community. These courses are designed around a love of learning and a passion for knowledge.
  2. The Junior Experience: During the Junior year, students learn professional skills and explore career options. Students may engage in on-or off-campus job shadowing and participate in leadership opportunities.
  3. Trips and Certifications: Students will have the opportunity to engage in domestic and international trips in which they connect with a wider community. These trips may provide service learning opportunities, certifications, or cultural immersion. This experience is open to students from 9th through 11th grade.

 

Winterm 2023

Winterm 2023 will occur January 3 - 6.

The online registration period will begin on Tuesday, November 29, 2022.

For details and offerings, please refer to the Winterm Course Catalog.

Winterm Course Catalog


 

Previous Winterm Offerings

Enjoy this gallery of previous years' offerings, and stay tuned for plans for the upcoming year.

Indoor Rock Climbing 101
Indoor Rock Climbing 101

Do you have a desire to learn how to indoor rock climb? If so, then this class if for you. This is a beginners-level class that will introduce participants to the basic gear, terminology, and practice of indoor rock climbing. During our time together, we will visit two local indoor rock climbing facilities.

Spanish Immersion/Cultural Exploration in Costa Rica
Spanish Immersion/Cultural Exploration in Costa Rica

Students will have an incredible travel and language/cultural immersion experience. Students will take Spanish language/culture classes in order to prepare to engage in the cultural and experiential activities that are planned.

Activities include: authentic cooking lessons, Latin dance sessions, local arts/craft lessons, kayaking and snorkeling, surfing lessons, and volunteering at CREAR, which provides supplementary educational, recreational and career opportunities to members of the rural beach communities surrounding Playa Sámara in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Mindfulness and Meditation
Mindfulness and Meditation

This class is an introduction to Mindfulness Meditation. Mindfulness simply means paying attention to the present moment and, in the process, learning something about ourselves. Mindfulness helps lower our stress levels, increases our concentration, deepens our ability to listen, and silences our inner critic. If those things appeal to you, this course is for you. The course is open to everyone, regardless of prior experience, and may include field trips to local yoga studios and meditation centers.

Tumbling
Tumbling

Never done a cartwheel? A back-hand-spring? A flip? You  can learn! Tried gymnastics as a child, but haven't been able to practice in years? Now's your chance!

This is an off campus course. Students will be able to learn and practice tumbling skills. There will be coaches teaching a variety of tumbling skills at whatever level need. Students at any skill level are welcome  to sign up for this course. On Friday, we will all head to Defy Gravity, trampoline park to celebrate the end of the week!

CrossFit and Other Fitness
CrossFit and Other Fitness

Students will travel off campus to a Crossfit gym. They will spend time learning proper form and technique in weightlifting, get in some CrossFit-style workouts, and also work on mobility. Students will also be led in sessions about proper nutrition.

Farm-to-Table  Experience
Farm-to-Table  Experience

“Farm-to-Table  Experience” will take students on a journey from dirt to dinner table. We will visit local farmers to learn about agricultural practices and trace the path of food products to neighborhood restaurants that pledge to keep food local, fresh, and delicious! We will get a behind the scenes tour of farms in the Concord/ Charlotte area  and learn about the business of agriculture and livestock farming. We will explore the partnerships between farmers and local restaurateurs to help us understand “where does our food come from?”. Most importantly, we will enjoy dining experiences at some of the finest, farm- to- table restaurants in Charlotte!

Super Basic Coding: Other Kinds of Coding
Super Basic Coding: Other Kinds of Coding

Ever want to learn more about coding as an Upper Schooler, but have never had the opportunity to do so? This Winterm might be just the thing for you. We'll talk about the basic problem solving and puzzle strategies behind coding, some of the languages and commands used, and what opportunities are available in and out of Cannon to learn more, then we'll code some basic apps and programmable devices, and talk about ways that coding be applied to areas besides just writing programs.

Sea Island Habitat for Humanity Service Trip – Johns Island, South Carolina
Sea Island Habitat for Humanity Service Trip – Johns Island, South Carolina

Do you love that really good feeling you get from performing service for others? Do you like the sense of accomplishment you get from working with your hands and building something? Then, this trip is for you!

We will be traveling to John’s Island, SC (near Charleston) to work for the week with Sea Island Habitat for Humanity to aid in projects in the greater Charleston area. Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful service organization and the need for safe, affordable housing is of such high demand and so important to those who will benefit from the outcome of our hard work. There will also be time to explore all the fun things to do in the Charleston area.

Food and Photos
Food and Photos

Students will learn foundational cooking skills and how to take amazing food photographs with your iPhone! We will attend an Apple Store, have a cooking lesson at Sur La Table, and visit a local restaurant to take photographs and then stay for lunch. We will also spend time serving at a local food bank and discuss social issues such as food insecurity and food waste.

The idea of Winterm is to give faculty and students an opportunity to explore their passions and interests in a setting that promotes engagement and risk-taking. Some important byproducts that result are community building and the infusion of energy to begin the second semester.

It was a really great bonding experience, not just because the daily construction work was a completely unified effort, but also because of the time together in the evenings to play games or just talk and reflect on what we accomplished.

Continue Exploring Cannon's Upper School Program

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