Recently, middle and high school students at The Sagemont School, a private school located in Broward County Florida, recreated the seven wonders of the world. This was the theme of the annual Battle of the Grades float parade. Each grade created a rolling wonder. The Great Wall of China (6th grade), the Taj Mahal (7th) the Amazon Rain Forest (8th), the Eiffel Tower (9th), the Great Pyramids of Egypt (10th), Zeus statue in Greece (11th) and the Roman Coliseum (seniors) all traveled around the parade route of Glades Circle in the city of Weston. Each grade was required to research their wonder and then build a float for the parade. ''The purpose is really to unite the school and bring everyone together,'' said Gayle Iacono, principal of Sagemont's Upper School Campus.
Teacher, Fritz Leip, helped the eighth-graders transform their float into a mobile rain forest. ''We were trying not only to celebrate the rain forest but also to educate about it,'' he said. ``We wanted to highlight some of the products that are found in the rain forest, like coffee, rubber products and nuts, while also showing some of the threats the rain forest faces, such as gold mining and overlogging.'' The float was manned by 8th grade students and included a lively white parrot seated on its owner’s shoulder.
The student body was able to think creatively and work together as a group. The competition between each grade level promoted team unity and spirit. Not only was it fun, but it taught the kids valuable lessons. Jennifer Bell, a language arts teacher and the seventh grade sponsor, helped her students recreate the Taj Mahal. ''They really needed to pull together and work together. It's all about cooperation. It is also about supporting something bigger than themselves,'' she said. The Taj Majal float included a beautiful white structure equipped with a harem of belly dancers .
Even though each grade did an outstanding job, the winner for the middle school group was the 6th grade team representing The Great Wall of China. The winner for the High School was the 10th grade team representing The Great Pyramids of Egypt. With royal flair, Pharoah complete with white robes and dramatic face paint was seated in the center of the rolling pyramid.
Athletic Director Eric Simmonds said, “This year’s float parade had some incredible creativity put into it by our students. The overall competition was the best we have ever seen. We hope that this was a great time for students to really get to know each other and come together as a group.”
The Sagemont School operates two campuses in Weston. The Lower School Campus serves students in PreK3- Grade 5; the Upper School Campus serves Grade 6 through 12. The faculty and staff at The Sagemont School are dedicated to parent-teacher relationships in a high-tech learning environment. With multiple computers in each classroom, and small class size, children are learning the skills they will need to be successful both in school and later in life. Visit The Sagemont School Web site at http://www.sagemont.com
For more information on The Sagemont School contact Dr. Brent Goldman, President at (954) 389-2454 ext, 305, or email bgoldman@sagemont.com
