Clark-Shawnee Schools

Shawnee MS/HS Peru Trip--Day 3: Amazing Cultural Experiences

Mrs. Caraway shared about today's events. "The views are stunning, the people are kind and inviting, and the experiences are life-changing."

Each day, we’re seeing things we’ve never seen before. Today we saw a pivotal place for the Incan empire in the middle of the Sacred Valley. The fortress of Ollantaytambo has its own major mark in the history of the Spanish vs the Incas and is also the setting of the first recorded Incan piece of drama about the King’s daughter and a warrior who fell in love.

We saw the Incan trail to their granite quarry and learned how they moved stones up to 100 tons to create this fortress over three generations!

We visited a famous artist who began researching ancient ceramic techniques over 40 years ago. He unearthed traditions over 1,000 years old and uses them today. He has exhibits in major museums in the USA, and he is a ceramist known worldwide.

We had the privilege of receiving a weaving demonstration where we learned again about ancient techniques being used today. This group of women have been sponsored by National Geographic, and the woman who started this weaving foundation to uphold cultural heritage speaks all over the world! The students learned the beginning steps of weaving and how llama, alpaca, vicuña, and sheep wool have been dyed naturally for centuries.

Lastly, we visited the Maras Salt Ponds, which is a cooperative of families who cultivate over 5,000 mineral salt ponds from the hot spring coming out of one of the mountains. This technique has been employed since even before the Incas. This is how they dried their meat and turned it into “charqui” which is where we get our modern-day concept of “jerky.” Now these mineral salts are used in top restaurants and sold all over the world.

The Shawnee Power of the Pen team placed 11th (out of 235 schools) overall at the state tournament at Ashland University held May 17-18. This is one of the best finishes ever for our school!

State writers: Harper Cooper, Ellen Hill, Lily McGee, Zoie Johnson, Lilah McCloskey, and Maddison Stein

Noteworthy individual placements:
Ellen Hill (7th grade) - 14th in the state (out of 236 writers at that grade level)
Zoie Johnson (8th grade) - 35th in the state (out of 245 writers at that grade level)

The team's final scores included carryover points from earlier tournaments, so each of our team members -- whether they qualified for State or not -- contributed to the success of our team. Other team members include Taliah Echols, Julianna Mayo, Ava Leis, Olympia Derr, Gracie Keller, Nick Chapman, Neva Tarkany, Abreia Whitt, and Ellie Dorton.

Coaches Darcy Leis and Nyah Pierce are very proud of these amazing writers!

Shawnee MS/HS Trip to Peru--Day 2: Cusco

Mrs. Caraway shared photos and info from what she described as another awesome day.

We flew across the Andes which was incredible. The Andes are the second-highest mountain range in the world. We toured the city of Cusco, which was created by the Incas. The Spanish built on top of the Incan buildings, and much restoration has been done to the original Incan structures.

We toured the temple of Koricancha, visited a llama farm, tried some Peruvian alpaca for lunch, and then made our way to the city of Urubamba. On the way, we stopped for a sunset picture looking over the Sacred Valley.

The Koricancha temple was the site where Spaniards built their church. We saw and touched the original foundation made up of stones placed by the Incas in the 1400's. While many of the Spanish-built structures fell as a result of earthquakes, the Incan foundation remains intact.

There were gray stone walls located all over the city of Cusco. These walls remain standing today and were constructed without mortar. The hand-carved bricks all fit together perfectly.

The city of Cusco is celebrating its birthday in June, and the city's flags are on display everywhere. The flags' colors represent the accomplishments of the Incas and feature an Incan sun in the middle.

Shawnee MS/HS Trip to Peru--Day 1: Lima

"What. A. Day." ~An update from Mrs. Stephanie Caraway

The students took a tour of Miraflores, the Pacific Coast area in the capital city of Lima! This was followed by a tour of local parks, our first Peruvian food, the President's Palace, the Cathedral of Lima, and the Catacomb of the Franciscan Monks.

The day concluded wit the Larco Herrera Museum which is home to 4,000 years worth of artifacts from the area.

Tomorrow, we will take their first domestic flight over the Andes to our next stop!

And they’re off!! The Shawnee MS/HS student trip to Peru left Ohio this morning. Led by Ms. Caraway, Mrs. Heims, and Mr. Campbell, these students will be exploring and learning as their adventure unfolds. We wish them all safe travels and amazing experiences!!

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩!

The Pride of Shawnee Marching Band is excited to invite Shawnee Elementary students in grades 2–6 to our very first Color Guard Camp and Performance experience!

This camp is the perfect introduction to color guard, where students will learn basic flag skills, movement, and choreography while building confidence and teamwork in a positive environment.

Camp Details
📅 Camp Date: Wednesday, June 3rd
⏰ Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
📍 Location: Shawnee High School Band Practice Field (behind the tennis courts)
💲 Cost: $35 per student

Read More ⬇️

Color Guard Camp and Performance The Pride of Shawnee Marching Band is hosting its first color guard camp on Wednesday, June 3rd.

Our 4th graders recently explored the amazing Ohio Caverns!
Students learned about stalactites, stalagmites, underground geology, and the natural wonders hidden beneath our Ohio earth.

🥎 DISTRICT CHAMPIONS 🥎

What a season for the Shawnee Braves softball team! 💛

The Braves battled their way to a dominant 22-0 District Championship victory over the Reading Blue Devils and continued their incredible postseason run all the way to the Regional Semifinals.

Congratulations on an amazing season, Braves! 💛🥎

𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩!

The Pride of Shawnee Marching Band is excited to invite Shawnee Elementary students in grades 2–6 to our very first Color Guard Camp and Performance experience!

This is the perfect introduction to color guard, where students will learn basic flag skills, movement, and choreography while building confidence and teamwork in a positive environment.

Camp Details
📅 Camp Date: Wednesday, June 3rd
⏰ Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
📍 Location: Shawnee High School Band Practice Field (behind the tennis courts)
💲 Cost: $35 per student

Read More ⬇️

https://www.clark-shawnee.k12.oh.us/post-detail/~board/clark-shawnee-local-school-district/post/color-guard-camp-and-performance