1st Year Program 2025-2026

What’s up for next year?
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Bittersweet
by Ellie Turnbull

The gate swings open, revealing a huge garden.
I hear the creek trickling by:
gurgling,
babbling, making me smile.
Hot sun like an open oven beats down on me, 
turning my fair skin pink.
I reach for a raspberry. 
The sweet warm fruit tastes like half-baked pie. 
A thorn like a fang punctures my palm:
blood and berry stains,
happy creek, hot sun. 
The end
of summer.

Me
by Hazel Brown

Dirty blond hair glows with striking highlights
like gold wheat in summer heat,
from long days surfing on the boat.
Hair waves in soft wind: white caps on milky green water.
Playful and creative books with the smell
of fresh paper whisk me away
from the real world. I curl up:
sleepy cat purring on our sage green bed.
I smoothly move like a graceful crane through
punches and kicks of my
favorite sport.

Dirty Blonde Hair
by Addy Archibald

 …like cornfields after spring; blue
eyes full of wonder. My bright white teeth
shine at the world. My mind sees happiness 
and love of the world around me.
The final school bell rings.
I cannot find the patience to wait:
my sister makes a happy screech
while Lacey waits in her stable 
like a car at the starting line.
Saddled, she gallops away
happy as always and ready to go 
to a field of everlasting green 
with nothing but trees and mountains ahead.
A perfect team.

To print a list of all your VOCABULARY to date, go to the 1st Year Vocabulary page OR play to study your words on Quizlet!

1st History Zoom code: 825 7790 9700 passcode: 653438
1st English Zoom code: 823 9870 9913 passcode: 120601

Please have your students read books from the 4th-6th Grade Reading List during the year.

Remember that these lists are not an indication of reading level, but are created to give students a background for their upcoming years of study at the NFS. Please do NOT have children read books from lists that are in their reading level, but above their NFS class level.

See pieces written by WW students (2nd-6th graders) from 2000-2023 HERE.

See pieces written by 1st Year classes (6th & 7th graders) from 2001-2020 HERE.

Fibonacci Links to explore:

Numbers in Nature reveals the secrets of the Fibonacci sequence in an exhibit from the Annenberg/CPB video.

Dr. Ron Knott's website on Fibonacci Numbers and the Golden Section in Nature is a great place to explore the Fibonacci sequence. His site allows you to see many of the ideas we discuss in WW and continue to explore in the 1st Year Program.

“Teaching is mostly listening, and learning is mostly telling.”

                                                            -- Deborah Meier, 1995

Cinquain
by Mary Parker (2006)

North Fork:
World History —
Continuously writing poems.
We learn without realizing:
Achievements.

Pieces now in play:
(updated 5/8/26)

Hazel:
Pink poetry: The Right Words

2026-2027 in-class Project: FASHION — Timeline; 4 art pieces (typed captions); map

Addy:
Perfect Thing paragraph
Research Report: ART >> Intro paragraph, three supporting paragraphs + Interview + conclusion
Pink poetry: Poem of Feeling; The Right Words

2026-2027 in-class Project: ART — Timeline; 4 art pieces (typed captions); map

Ellie:
Pink poetry: General-Specific; The Right Words

Ancient Fashion

by Hazel Brown

Fashion developed across many cultures from 2000 BC to 1400 AD, as people used clothing to express their personality and class. Greek fashion was simple but expressive. Romans changed styles a lot over a very long time. People of the Middle Ages had many styles to indicate class hierarchy. Like fashion in ancient times, modern day fashion reveals status from the clothes people wear.

Clothing in Greece was simple. Togas and tunics were simply draped over the body, rather than sewn or cut. Ancient Grecian hairstyles were very important indicators of status: long hair was often worn, because it symbolized wealth, power, and bravery. Greeks thought that many unique hairstyles made them look beautiful. One fashion in war was to wear helmets with dyed horsehair to make soldiers seem stronger and taller. Other Greek war fashions were metal breast plates that were specially fitted to the soldier, greaves, which were shin guards made of bronze, and bronze helmets to protect the soldier’s face and head. When Alexander the Great won the war against the Persians, his troops took a large amount of gold and made a giant crown for him as Emperor. Women In Crete mostly wore bright dresses, tight at the core, with their breasts bare. Clothing in Greece was expressive and simple.

Romans had many similar fashions to those in Greece, but with their own unique styles. Ordinary men wore tunics in many colors, but outdoors, men wore short cloaks and trousers. Wealthy women would often wear gold jewelry and headbands. Boys and girls wore tunics like their parents, although boys sometimes wore the “Toga Praeteta” a garment with purple stripes. From the Archaic Period to the Hellenistic period, women wore their hair long and down, up, or super curly. In Rome it was good to look as pale as possible, so people took chalk powder and dabbed it on to look pale. Roman styes did change a lot, but over a very long time.

Clothing in the Middle Ages offered many styles, which indicated their owners were of varying status. In the fourteenth century, the court became the center of luxury and exaggerated fashion. Bell-shaped sleeves and high necks were worn by both men and women for court fashion. Peasants and laborers wore a medium length tunic, tied at the waist with a leather girdle. When a woman was walking, her skirt was tucked up into a belt. Mounted European knights fought in complete suits of chain mail and heavy iron helmets. Chain mail was made of tiny metal links so it was flexible, and nothing could penetrate through it. The fashion in the Middle Ages was more modern than that of Greece and Rome because it evolved many years later.

Courtney Gillan, a designer for Kate Spade in New York City, says that ancient fashion has influenced modern styles in big ways. She reflects, “Flow clothing from ancient Greece and Rome inspired modern dresses.” Long, loose, draped not tight dresses, belts, and sandals all reflect ancient styles. Many designers still use fabrics that people in ancient days would use, such as cotton, linen, and wool. “ Linen, especially, was very popular in ancient Greece because it was cool and breathable,” Gillan says. One-shoulder dresses that were inspired by Greek tunics, and gladiator sandals that were inspired by Roman times are popular today, as are flowing gowns that are inspired by togas. Many current designers such as Versace and Valentino use “goddess-like” styles in their clothing. Ancient techniques these designers still use today are draping, and pinning instead of sewing or cutting, and turning the pieces into soft flowing shapes. Gillan says,“ We sometimes design flowy dresses with soft pleats, sandals with simple straps, [and] gold jewelry that feels classic and timeless.” Many of the styles we wear today are inspired from our ancient ancestors.

Modern fashion is always changing, with many unique styles and bright colors. Exaggerated fashions from the Middle Ages influence soft, modern styles. A hot climate influenced loose, light Roman clothing. Greek colors expressed individual personalities. Ancient fashion influences modern fashion because adornments in cultures enabled people to have their own styles for the first time.