The End...

Over the two weeks of Winterim 2014, 398 students and 54 faculty...

• climbed mountains and volcanoes around the world
• performed at least 10 times for groups of children
• interacted with adults with disabilities
• facilitated a basketball skills clinic for adults and children with disabilities
• painted, painted, painted
• transformed blocks of wood into useful pieces of art
• handmade 10 usable kayaks from scratch
• excavated an ancient dig site
• assisted with the ongoing construction of a community center
• taught children English
• practiced techniques for living healthier
• utilized watercolors to paint masterpieces
• worked in 18 different professional areas
• sailed through the Caribbean sea
• learned to be leaders
• attended and critiqued art events
• dove into the depths of the ocean
• designed  24 quilts, half of which were donated to children
• danced, danced, danced
• invented intricate board games
• kayaked several miles of Costa Rican waters
• led each other to overcome challenges
• taught over 400 children in over 35 classrooms around the world
• built 11 mud stoves
• documented two sporting events and a multi-day tournament
• observed the three branches of government in two major cities
• moved thousands of chess pieces to overcome their opponents
• crafted nearly 200 pieces of pottery, about 80 bowls will be donated
• produced and directed four original horror movies
• cut and ground hundreds of pieces of glass to create beautiful pieces of art
• constructed an outdoor food stand
• wrote 82 different articles about all the Winterim groups

Social Media Showcase

For the past two weeks, the Winterim Social Media Team (WSMT) has continued to blog, post, and tweet about Winterim 2014 news in order to create a lasting showcase of this year's amazing projects.  Trips to Boston (Cambridge Innovation Center), downtown Groton (Main St. Cafe), and Westford (Five Guys and Panera) have not slowed us down.  All we have needed for our work is wifi and one device (and maybe a plug if you still have an iPhone 3).

While covering the news about Winterim, we have attempted to write two articles for each of the groups so that every group would be well documented. We also made sure to write articles for groups whenever they contacted us, to keep the news as "live" as possible.  Aside from the Winterim Blog, we have also been posting daily on the LA Winterim Facebook, tweeting out information from LA Winterim Twitter, and posting photos from LA Winterim Instagram.

Each article posted to the blog needed to have text, media, and at least one link.  The other most important part of the article is the title. The titles of our articles are what viewers see first, and often may be the only thing they read before judging whether or not to read the article. We spent a good portion of our time thinking of, deleting, editing and laughing over titles. 

On the blog, we are able to track how many times pages have been viewed and where they have been viewed from.  As of today (Friday) at 12:30, we have 7878 total page views.  The page with the most views is:  The early bird gets the... plane? The page with the least view is: Going Under (go ahead and view it now!) With more followers on Instagram and Twitter, and likes on the Facebook page, we have increased the followers and readership of the Winterim material the most in any year.

Mr. Bishop, director of LA communications office, has provided us with feedback throughout the two weeks.  His most recent visit was full of compliments and thanks. He is wholeheartedly impressed with the content being produced and the management of the social sites associated with Lawrence Academy's Winterim program.

Leaving Paradise

Adventures in Sailing are on campus yet the blog just updated recently (we recieved two emails today about the updates).

They have had an amazing experience. Check out their last two entries:     Heading Home and Last day in paradise

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Painting the Sky

The Watermedia Painting Winterim group has been finishing up their projects on this last day of Winterim. They have been painting landscapes, nature, and still life. Also, they have learned about the culture behind water color painting and the technique and skill required to paint using water colors. Students have said that water color painting is much harder than they thought it would be when they first started two weeks ago. One of the more difficult features to paint on a water color painting is the sky, according to the students. The paintings are looking good and it is evident that all the students have learned a lot during their time in Watermedia Painting.

Canvassing Landscapes

The Visual Journaling on the Edge of the World Winterim group has been diligently sketching and painting in Portugal during these past two weeks of Winterim. They have traveled around Portugal to Lisbon, Evora, Olhao, and Sintra, all while painting the landscapes and life that they see.

They have tried to keep up with their daily updates on their blog. They tell of their adventures in the city, the countryside, and the houses they have stayed in during their time in Portugal. They plan on returning to Boston tonight (Thursday) at around 8:00pm. We wish them safe travels on their return back and we hope that they come back with entertaining stories and beautiful paintings.

The Later Bird Gets the... Plane Back Home?

With the last few days of Winterim having come, travel groups who spent two weeks in places all around the world are now starting to arrive back at Lawrence Academy.

The trips returning today (Thursday, March 13) are:

- Adventures in Sailing will be returning to Boston at around 9:30 AM

- From the Ground Up will be returning to Boston at 3:31 PM

- Visual Journaling on the Edge of the World (Portugal) will be returning to Boston at around 7:30 PM

- Dominican Service Project will be returning to Boston at 9:26 PM

The trips returning tomorrow (Friday, March 14) are:

- Sports Journalism will be returning in the morning

- The System will be returning in the early afternoon

- Project Peru will be returning to Boston at around 3:30 PM

- Hawaii will be returning to Boston at 5:05 PM

- Kayaking in Costa Rica will be returning to Boston at 11:45 PM

- Underwater Discovery will be returning to Boston at around 12:00 AM

The Can You Dig It? group will be returning to Boston at 7:35 PM on Saturday.

On behalf on Lawrence Academy, we wish all of the Winterim groups a safe return.

Note: Times are based on the limited information that the Winterim Social Media Team has access to. Times are also subject to possible changes due to delays.

The Guinea Pig Eating, Stove-Builders Return to LA

Last night we received word from the Project Peru Winterim group as they arrived in Cusco after having spent the past five days in a rural Peruvian town:

We are back in Cuzco after an incredible 5 days in the tiny rural community of Patabamba. We spent most of our days building mud stoves for the members of the community - 11 total - and totally immersed ourselves into the Peruvian culture, including eating a feast of guinea pig, which garnered a new appreciation for making something "from scratch." We will have plenty of stories to tell and experiences to recount but for the time being I've attached a few photos that should hold you over until our return home on Friday. We start our long journey from Cuzco tomorrow -- it's bittersweet to be leaving as we are sad to depart Peru but excited to see you all back home!

The Peru group will be traveling from Cusco to Lima this afternoon and will depart from Lima later tonight. The group will be arriving back in Boston on Friday morning.