Hello from Switzerland!!

ESD currently has three students participating in an abroad study program called Swiss Semester. Here is a recent letter we received:
Dear ESD,

Ski season has begun here in Zermatte and Swiss Semester is tearing up the slopes! Blake, Lauren and holding well against all the northern super skiers. After a month and a half of hiking and climbing it's a relief to finally get to ski. Our program director is an incredible skier and has shown us the ropes of Swiss skiing and we've even gone off-trail on our 2nd day of skiing.

Time is really flying by here - it feels like yesterday that we arrived in Zermatte. Although it is getting oddly normal to live in a hotel. Just last weekend our parents were here for a visit and in two weeks we'll be off to Venice for a week. Our last major trip was about three weeks ago and we went to Annecy, France for a weekend which was so much fun. We walked through the old renaissance part of the town and enjoyed the annual Tour des Alpages (parade for all the sheep and cows to come back to the valley). We drank apple cider squeezed in front of us, visited Gothic cathedrals and paddle-boated on Lake Annecy (which is a mini Lake-Geneva, so beautiful).

Academics are great, in English we're reading Shakespeare's A Merchant of Venice as a little precursor for our trip. The work is pretty hard and we need to get it done fast because it's such a good life-skill to learn how to time manage.

It's truly amazing how time flies when you're having fun. I'll be back in Dallas so soon! Blake, Lauren and I are having a blast and can't wait to be back. See you all soon!

Sincerely, Austin

Harrison Family Tennis Center

This spring the ESD middle school tennis team had a great year thanks to the new Harrison Family Tennis Center. As a result of having this new tennis center Middle School as well as Varsity Tennis was able to have longer practices without having to deal with a 30 minute commute off campus to practice at other facilities. The Harrison Family Tennis Center has six tennis courts as well as a tennis shack that is used for concessions and contains restrooms. The Varsity and Middle School head coach is Scott Goestch and the assistant coach is Coach Stew. The 8th grade tennis team was made up of ten girls and four boys, many of which were new to the sport. During our season, everyone grew as a player and became more competitive. Our team challenged various private schools and competed hard. Overall we had a successful season.

People to People Summer Experience

Last June I went on trip to Europe with a program called People to People. I went to France, Italy and Greece for twenty-two days. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. There were eleven people from Dallas and we went with about twenty other kids from different states such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Ohio. We all met together in Atlanta and then we flew to France! When we got to France we saw the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre where I saw the Mona Lisa which was really cool. After France we took an overnight train ride to Italy. We went to Florence, Rome, Pompeii, Venice, and Assisi. Italy was my favorite place because it had such good food like pasta and gelato ice cream! We saw the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Colosseum. Then we went on an overnight boat trip to Greece. Greece was gorgeous. We went to the ruins at Pompeii and we went to some of the beaches there and it was so pretty. I made a lot of new friends on the trip and I learned a lot about the different cultures of each countries. It is definitely something that I will never forget.

This past spring, the eighth grade traveled to Galveston and Houston for a class trip. It was filled with boat rides in the bay, hunting alligators, looking at beautiful gems, and going to Kemah amusement park. We all had a good time and we finally met up on the last night at a pizza parlor with an arcade. One of the days we spent at Moody Gardens on Galveston island touring the Aquarium. We were learning about pollution in the ocean and trying to stop it. Ms. Neill, one of our Middle School science teachers, decided to get up and started chanting “Save the ocean! Save the ocean! What are we going to do? Save the ocean!”and made all of us recite it! Galveston/Houston was an amazing trip and is full of hilarious memories.
-Rising Freshman, Class of 2014

Wolf Run Ninth Grade Advisory Trip

Last February, our advisory went to Wolf Run with the Third grade. An annual tradition for all 9th Grade advisories, this trip was definitely one of the highlights of my freshman year. Each trip, two advisories go the ranch with a different grade from ESD. Our group consisted of Father Butler and Ms. Hepp’s advisories. We went out on a Thursday night after school, and came back Friday evening. While I wasn’t sure what to expect at first, the trip ended up being a fun and rewarding experience. The first night, our group unpacked, had a meeting to prepare for the upcoming day with the third graders, and played around outside. We grilled dinner, threw the football around, and ate out by the fire. We enjoyed talking with our advisories, playing different games, and improving our cooking skills. Throughout the next day as we helped the third graders explore the life of a pioneer, our advisory had a great time. The different games included washer toss, stick hockey, and string figures. The freshman Wolf Run trip was a ton of fun, and was definitely worth a little make-up work. I can’t wait to go again soon!

String Ensemble

I have been a student at ESD since I came in kindergarten. I started violin lessons in fourth grade and when I came to the Middle and Upper School campus in fifth grade a new group was started for students who played orchestra instruments. I was one of about four who started the first year. We learned challenging new songs, one of my favorites being “Entrance of the Queen of Sheba”.
The ensemble had a lot of trouble getting students to join because no one knew about it yet, but we always had wonderful members from year to year even including our Spanish exchange student Marta.
The string ensemble has now been around for 6 years and it has grown immensely. It went from only 4 violins the first year, to 3 violins, 4 cellos, 1 bass, 1 viola, and 1 flute currently. The group includes both middle school and high school players. The high school players have the honor of playing at the annual ISAS festival and everyone gets to perform in chapel as a group a least once a year and then we always end the year with a recital. I have had the pleasure of being the president of the ensemble and getting to play and watch these students get better. We practice afterschool on Wednesday’s every week and we want to welcome any student that wants to be a part of ESD’s string ensemble.

Summer Cross Country in Utah

Every August the ESD cross-country goes to Utah for a training camp. The team flies together to Utah and then drive to Mount Pleasant where we stay at Wasatch Academy. We usually get up in the morning and go run. The runs are beautiful; the trails go on forever. On the left there are mountains and then on the right there is an amazing plain. After the morning run, we go back to the Academy and chill with the team. We watch movies and read books. The team really bonds during the time between the runs. In the afternoon we go for another run, which is just as beautiful as the first. Running in Utah is great because the air is clean and we did not need to worry about cars. During one of the nights in Utah we go to a Mormon party. All of us have a great time. Overall, the Utah trip is a good time to bond with the team, while getting ready for the cross-country season.