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Yes, it is a big 'ouch', especially considering I just wrote a check for $375 to Sr. Gamache at La Clase Divertida for Spanish III next year ($50 off for getting it in before Feb. 15)

This was the best $$ I spent (other than our out-of-area library fee) every year DD#1 took classes with Sr Gamache. DD wishes he taught Spanish 4 & up, too. He has his quirks & issues, but she loved that class - all three years. What a bargain for an entire year of foreign language. Even buying that $$$ text/code the first year becomes a bargain in years 2 & 3 when you don't have to spring for a new text!

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I will gladly pay the higher price so they can continue to attract and employ fabulous teachers.

 

The tuition increase doesn't bother me much. It's probably necessary to attract and retain quality instructors. I'd be happy to pay a couple hundred dollars more a year for a truly good writing class because I know teaching writing and reading, grading, and providing feedback on all those essays is so time intensive.

 

I don't think I will use any of the extra services they want to add, though, so all the fees for those services are money I'd rather spend elsewhere. They'll be offering "access to Naviance Family Connection." Does anyone know what that includes? Maybe that would make it worth it for families with juniors and seniors?

 

I like WHA. I like the instructors, and the classes we've taken have been well worth it. But, I wish it were possible to opt out of services we won't use. I can see where all the extra fees would be especially burdensome if a family only wanted to take one course.

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I just registered my dd for a math class for next year. The new fee is not due at registration, apparently. 

 

I considered other, less expensive, options but decided to stay with WHA for math. Dd is doing well, the work is challenging, and she likes the live classes. 

 

If you pay the 30% they add the $150 to your FACTS bill. I had already added it to my cart by the time I saw that note, so I paid it early. :) 

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If you pay the 30% they add the $150 to your FACTS bill. I had already added it to my cart by the time I saw that note, so I paid it early. :)

 

 

eta: Figured it out and got it paid. Thanks for the heads up!

 

Their registration system is clunky and not at all intuitive. 

Edited by ScoutTN
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So, I found the registration link (finally, by logging into the WHA parent account - once I figured out what the instructions were talking about!) and checked on how many people had already signed up for AP Calc. (Two sections available. 8 seats left in the early-early one & 16 left in the later morning one.) If DD takes it at WHA next year, she would be taking the later morning one. No way would Calc when it is still dark outside and when only the two early risers in the house are out of bed work at our house for this DD!

 

On a whim, I also checked Span 4, which my kid is taking this year. There are two sections next year - which I think is smart. I had to laugh at the course description "no more than 6 students" right next to the "8 seats open" message.  :lol:  For the record, there are eight students in the class this year, I think. Just had to  :laugh:

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Anyone have a child in Rhetoric with Mr. Baker? Thoughts? My daughter will have gone through Fallacy Detective, Introductory Logic and Intermediate Logic. ThatĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s the equivilent of Logic 1 at WHA. They are supposed to have Logic 2 or permission from the instructor. We got permission since sheĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be a Junior and wonĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t be able to take Rhetoric 2 (senior thesis) without it, but will this class be crazy difficult without Logic 2?

Edited by amy in ks
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Anyone have a child in Rhetoric with Mr. Baker? Thoughts? My daughter will have gone through Fallacy Detective, introductory Logic and Intermediate Logic. ThatĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s the equivilent of Logic 1 at WHA. They are supposed to have Logic 2 or permission from the instructor. We got permission since sheĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be a Junior and wonĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t be able to take Rhetoric 2 (senior thesis) without it, but will this class be crazy difficult without Logic 2?

 

My daughter is in Logic 2 right now and LOVES it!  This is a child that despised Logic 1.  My guess is that your daughter will have the foundation for Rhetoric 1 and will just have to fill in a few holes from skipping Logic 2 which is more application with lots of discussions and debates.

Edited by lbell
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Anyone have a child in Rhetoric with Mr. Baker? Thoughts? My daughter will have gone through Fallacy Detective, Introductory Logic and Intermediate Logic. ThatĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s the equivilent of Logic 1 at WHA. They are supposed to have Logic 2 or permission from the instructor. We got permission since sheĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be a Junior and wonĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t be able to take Rhetoric 2 (senior thesis) without it, but will this class be crazy difficult without Logic 2?

 

Well, if WHA gave you permission, they must think it'll be okay!  I can tell you that Logic 2 has been my dd's toughest class this year.  She had completed the same material your dd completed, but it had been two years prior.  I would have your dd read Kreeft's 'Socratic Logic' and maybe even another Kreeft book first that WHA uses for Logic 1 (which my dd had never read, since she had completed Logic 1 at Classical Conversations).

 

I honestly do not have much of a clue as to what they will really cover in Rhetoric 1, but my sense is that if you do it with Mr. Baker, you will be all set for Rhetoric 2 with him for the senior year. 

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I have no direct experience with Mr. Baker, but I had heard such great reviews about him from people I trusted that I tried to find a way for my oldest to take a Logic course with him. We just couldn't find a way to fit it in. That's one course & instructor I regret missing!

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One thing I'm confused by is that the Great Conversation classes are the most expensive at $880... theoretically because they are 2.5 credits, I guess? But then why are they not more class hours per week? They are the same exact number of hours per week as the single credit courses, aren't they? It just doesn't make sense to me.

 

Also, Great Conversation I for 7th graders costs the same as 12th grade Great Conversation VI, yet I'm sure the TGC VI has far more writing and thus is more time-consuming for the teacher to grade (whereas TGC 1, by my understanding, only has paragraph-level writing).

 

I would think it would make the most sense for TGC to be cheaper for younger years, and more hours than any of the single credit courses. What am I missing?

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One thing I'm confused by is that the Great Conversation classes are the most expensive at $880... theoretically because they are 2.5 credits, I guess? But then why are they not more class hours per week? They are the same exact number of hours per week as the single credit courses, aren't they? It just doesn't make sense to me.

 

Also, Great Conversation I for 7th graders costs the same as 12th grade Great Conversation VI, yet I'm sure the TGC VI has far more writing and thus is more time-consuming for the teacher to grade (whereas TGC 1, by my understanding, only has paragraph-level writing).

 

I would think it would make the most sense for TGC to be cheaper for younger years, and more hours than any of the single credit courses. What am I missing?

 

GC courses meet the same number of hours per week as other classes, but they require a ton more reading than any other course, - hours and hours more. Class time is spent on lecture and discussion. There could always be more time spent on lecture and discussion for these books, but imo three hours/week is reasonable.

 

Regarding cost, $880/GC with the instructors at WHA seems reasonable, if not a bargain. I wouldnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t expect GC 1or 2 to cost less than GC 5 or 6, because it is probably just as time intensive to work with 7th and 8th graders to get them started in reading and discussing these difficult texts as it is to work with 11th and 12th graders at a higher level. The level of work is different, but I would bet that the amount of time and effort the 7th grade teacher has to put in to growing those 7th graders is at least as much as the 12th grade teacher puts into growing her 12th graders.

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I don't know what the writing level expected in any of the GC courses is, but I think it would be tougher to get a teacher at a lower pay level for the lower courses and more difficult to get enough students at the upper level with a higher class price.

 

Actually, more students at a lower level = higher pay compared to less students at a higher pay rate per student . . . Maybe they would equate out. (Probably not, though, because there are caps on number of kids per class and I think many of them fill to capacity.)

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Have you seen the booklists for the GC classes?  They are extensive and difficult!  To read and prep to teach these in a way that is meaningful and appropriate is not an easy task.  Plus, there are weekly forum writing posts they need to grade and at least quarterly long essays to grade.   Plus, the Omnibus Teachers we've had are HIGHLY qualified and this is their income.  I'm good with the price.  

Edited by amy in ks
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Anyone have a child in Rhetoric with Mr. Baker? Thoughts? My daughter will have gone through Fallacy Detective, Introductory Logic and Intermediate Logic. ThatĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s the equivilent of Logic 1 at WHA. They are supposed to have Logic 2 or permission from the instructor. We got permission since sheĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be a Junior and wonĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t be able to take Rhetoric 2 (senior thesis) without it, but will this class be crazy difficult without Logic 2?

 

My DS was in this class last year for tenth grade. Here is a quick review I wrote from my blog:

 

This was a miss. It was mainly a speech class, with outlining as the only writing component. While Dusty enjoyed the teacher, he did not enjoy reading Aristotle, classifying types of rhetoric, and memorizing the different steps for each type. There was extensive quizzing on these parts of the class, and this brought DustyĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s grade down, even though he enjoyed and did well on the speeches. If I did this class again, it would be with an older student who had a keen interest in speech.

 

Not DS's real name. :)

 

He also had not taken a formal logic course beforehand (he had done Fallacy Detective). When we checked with WHA, they recommended he go through Introductory Logic before the class. We ordered this for him, and although he did not finish it, he did fine on the logic-related parts of the class.

 

Just want to reiterate that he enjoyed Mr. Baker as a teacher.

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My DS was in this class last year for tenth grade. Here is a quick review I wrote from my blog:

 

This was a miss. It was mainly a speech class, with outlining as the only writing component. While Dusty enjoyed the teacher, he did not enjoy reading Aristotle, classifying types of rhetoric, and memorizing the different steps for each type. There was extensive quizzing on these parts of the class, and this brought DustyĂ¢â‚¬â„¢s grade down, even though he enjoyed and did well on the speeches. If I did this class again, it would be with an older student who had a keen interest in speech.

 

Not DS's real name. :)

 

He also had not taken a formal logic course beforehand (he had done Fallacy Detective). When we checked with WHA, they recommended he go through Introductory Logic before the class. We ordered this for him, and although he did not finish it, he did fine on the logic-related parts of the class.

 

Just want to reiterate that he enjoyed Mr. Baker as a teacher.

 

I am trying to decide between WHA Rhetoric 1 and Classical Academic Press' Schole Academy Rhetoric 1.  Schole Academy uses the text Rhetoric Alive 1.  https://classicalacademicpress.com/product/rhetoric-alive-book-1-principles-of-persuasion-teachers-edition/   I have no idea what to expect in WHA Rhetoric 1.  Do they study speeches similar to the ones in the Rhetoric Alive 1 book.  Any advice?

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WHA Accreditation

 

Wilson Hill Academy is pleased to announce that we have earned accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI), an accreditation division of AdvancED.  

 

SACS CASI accreditation is recognized across state lines, which not only eases the transfer process as students move from accredited school to accredited school but also assures parents that the school is meeting nationally accepted standards for quality and successful professional practice.

 

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Can anyone compare WHA Physics to Honors Physics? IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢m trying to get a feel for the relative workload and challenge level for each class. They only offer that students who have completed Algebra 1 with a B or better should take Honors and students taking Algebra 1 concurrently should take the regular level. Can anyone offer a more nuanced take on the difference between the two classes?

 

FWIW, I have a student who has completed Algebra 1 (twice!) with an A, but she says she doesnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t like Science, particularly Physics/Physical Science. So, even though she has the math ability piece, I donĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t know that she has the interest/motivation for a particularly challenging science class. WWYD?

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Can anyone compare WHA Physics to Honors Physics? IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢m trying to get a feel for the relative workload and challenge level for each class. They only offer that students who have completed Algebra 1 with a B or better should take Honors and students taking Algebra 1 concurrently should take the regular level. Can anyone offer a more nuanced take on the difference between the two classes?

 

FWIW, I have a student who has completed Algebra 1 (twice!) with an A, but she says she doesnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t like Science, particularly Physics/Physical Science. So, even though she has the math ability piece, I donĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t know that she has the interest/motivation for a particularly challenging science class. WWYD?

 

I can't compare them, but my daughter took regular Physics with Mrs. Paul last year because she was only half way through Algebra 1 when the school year started.   My daughter wants to major in Animal Science so she is motivated to do well in science.  I thought Physics would be a class she didn't really like and was glad to get it out of the way her freshman year.  She is now in Honors Chemistry and will be taking AP Biology next year because Biology is "her thing."  However, she is thinking about doing Advanced Physics 2 her senior year because she liked physics so much and advises students that have the math ability to take the honors science track because the classes are not slowed down as much from questions by students that are struggling or don't put the time into studying.

Edited by lbell
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I can't compare them, but my daughter took regular Physics with Mrs. Paul last year because she was only half way through Algebra 1 when the school year started.   My daughter wants to major in Animal Science so she is motivated to do well in science.  I thought Physics would be a class she didn't really like and was glad to get it out of the way her freshman year.  She is now in Honors Chemistry and will be taking AP Biology next year because Biology is "her thing."  However, she is thinking about doing Advanced Physics 2 her senior year because she liked physics so much and advises students that have the math ability to take the honors science track because the classes are not slowed down as much from questions by students that are struggling or don't put the time into studying.

 

Contact the teacher that teaches the classes for a comparison.  The teachers at WHA have always been very responsive and helpful when it comes to making decisions like this.  I recall that regular phyiscs covers most of the same material as honors physics but at a slower pace.  Honors physics, therefore, is able to cover a few more concepts.  This is a math heavy class and I see the benefits of taking it before Chemistry.

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I donĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t have Rhetoric experience at WHA, but I did notice that Vierra and Baker have different book lists for Rhetoric if that makes your decision any easier.

I can't add anything on the Rhetoric front but I caution everyone against buying the texts listed in the current descriptions. Wait until the official list comes out in April - because things change! The course descriptions on the registration pages are often out of date. If the teacher is "TBD," this goes double since they might change the booklist quite a bit.

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Another option is to compare sample pages and descriptions of each textbook at the Novare website here:

https://www.novarescienceandmath.com/catalog/physics/

 

Honors Physics uses 'Accelerated Studies in Physics and Chemistry', while Physics uses 'Introductory Physics'.

 

If you email Novare, you can request full chapter samples to compare the texts. I requested the chapters on circuits from each text to compare the difficulty.

 

I was planning to enroll my oldest in Honors Physics, but I am not paying nearly $1000 for one class on top of full-time MPOA tuition. Based on the samples, I think we can handle ASPC at home.

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Can anyone compare WHA Physics to Honors Physics? IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢m trying to get a feel for the relative workload and challenge level for each class. They only offer that students who have completed Algebra 1 with a B or better should take Honors and students taking Algebra 1 concurrently should take the regular level. Can anyone offer a more nuanced take on the difference between the two classes?

 

FWIW, I have a student who has completed Algebra 1 (twice!) with an A, but she says she doesnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t like Science, particularly Physics/Physical Science. So, even though she has the math ability piece, I donĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t know that she has the interest/motivation for a particularly challenging science class. WWYD?

I am interested in this, too.

 

WouldnĂ¢â‚¬â„¢t a course that does not require algebra 1 as a prerequisite really be more of a physical science class?

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Any feedback for Mr. Vierra?  I didn't think he was an option for Rhetoric because his section conflicted with Russian 2, but now we're considering doing Russian at the community college.  

 

My daughter has Mr. Vierra for Logic 2 and he is fabulous.  He's very inergetic and engaging.  I contacted both Mr. Vierra and Mr. Baker about their classes, and they "pursue precisely the exact pedagogical goals in a coherent curricular track that takes students from Logic through Rhetoric and into Senior Thesis."  

 

I really like the book The Office of Assertion that Mr. Vierra uses in Rhetoric 1, but found out Mr. Baker uses the book in Rhetoric 2. Mr. Baker says he emphasises rhetical thinking rooted in invention & arrangement in Rhetoric 1 while Mr. Vierra explained, "because we work with different texts we introduce the content in a somewhat different order.  This is not a major issue, however, since rhetorical concepts are interrelated but have less of the "building blocks" approach than what you find in math, for instance."

 

In the end, my daughter chose to do Mr. Baker's class simply because she liked the time better.  I will have her take his Rhetoric 2 class next year so she doesn't miss using The Office of Assertion.

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I would personally not recommend The Potter's School high school English classes. At least the one we did, Ancient Journeys. The difficulty with online classes is that it is a hit-or-miss, and I'm sure there are other TPS classes that are much more academically rigorous than this one. The only thing that saved my son's writing that year was that he was also taking AP US History that required a ton of essay writing. Someone other than the TPS teacher, whose identity we were never given, graded the papers. Not much feedback was given. The literature component was interesting, but many of the students talked on the chat board about frivilous things that had nothing to do with the subject matter.

Edited by jones
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I don't know if this applies to anyone, but I just registered my son for LA2 at Wilson Hill after doing some research.  I have a former student presently in LA2 and have been emailing one of the instructors.  

 

WHA has totally revamped their grammar and logic level language arts curriculum this year (2017-18).  I am very excited to learn that they are using a Charlotte Mason approach at the early levels. "We want to produce a sense of wonderment over story and language while building skills." 

 

Here is an explanation of LA2:

 

Each week the students have copywork and vocabulary from the piece of literature they are reading.  There is a short dictation at the beginning of each live session.  The copywork and dictation is recorded in a commonplace journal. Passages and sentences are chosen from the literature being read that either have a good punctuation lesson, vocabulary words, or a deeper thought that can be discussed.  They parse and diagram with a Q&A flow like most grammar curriculums. They cover all 4 sentence purposes, all 4 sentence structures, and all 7 sentence patterns, plus much more.  It is not a beginner course.

 

The writing has a much slower pace with a focus on great sentence structure and paragraph formation.  They do creative writing through setting and character descriptions and a dialogue amplification. Second semester, they learn to write a thesis-driven paragraph using textual evidence from their reading and commentating on it.  They build towards writing a strong 5-paragraph persuasive essay.  A great deal of teacher feedback is given to help each writer develop and progress at his/her own pace.

 

My son has been doing Writing & Rhetoric with Schole Academy and will continue with it next year adding LA2.  He and I both LOVE the W&R curriculum but I wanted to add a literature class to motivate my son to read more.  I thought a live class would be best.  It's a bonus that LA2 also has grammar, copywork & dictation built in. 

 
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  • 11 months later...

I need to ask a possibly stupid question.  I have been assuming all this time that the GC1 class my son is taking is not for high school credit because 1) he is in 7th and 2) you can't take it if you are in high school.  Am I wrong in these assumptions? The books are certainly high school level in many ways, but I assumed the pacing and other work made it "not high school." 

 

ETA: Oh, and the new schedule is up for existing families at least.

Edited by cintinative
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36 minutes ago, cintinative said:

I need to ask a possibly stupid question.  I have been assuming all this time that the GC1 class my son is taking is not for high school credit because 1) he is in 7th and 2) you can't take it if you are in high school.  Am I wrong in these assumptions? The books are certainly high school level in many ways, but I assumed the pacing and other work made it "not high school." 

 

WHA does not consider TGC1 a high school level class because they have tailored it to make it more appropriate for MS students.  My daughter started with TGC 1+4 in 9th grade.  How is TGC1 going?  My son will be in 7th grade next year and I'm trying to decided if he should do the live GC1 or the self-paced Omnibus 1.  I plan for him to take LA3 at  WHA and Latin 1, Writing & Rhetoric 4, and Pre-Algebra at Schole Academy.  I fear another online class will be too much.  If you think it's a lot better than the self-paced Omnibus 1, however, we can drop Writing & Rhetoric 4.

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Planning for 9th grade:

Is TGC 1+4 a time consuming class? How many hours per week?

Are all assignments from students posted on a forum like Bravewriter? And what type of assignments? Lots of 5-paragraph essays? We're also going to be enrolled in Lange's Lit 3 which is a part of her AP Lit class, so DD doesn't really need that much writing.

How is TGC labeled or categorized in a transcript? English? History? Both? 

One more subject, Rhetoric. How many hours per week? 

How is Rhetoric labeled in a transcript? Elective?

So many interesting classes, so little time during the day.

 

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@crazyforlatin

I don't have a kid at this age, but I had asked the registar a series of questions about these classes because I was curious. I can answer this for you

: TGC 1+4 (as well as the rest of the series) is considered 2.5 credits. 1 English, 1 History and 1/2 Theology credit.

Rhetoric is listed as an English credit. They consider it a writing class. 

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10 minutes ago, calbear said:

@crazyforlatin

I don't have a kid at this age, but I had asked the registar a series of questions about these classes because I was curious. I can answer this for you

: TGC 1+4 (as well as the rest of the series) is considered 2.5 credits. 1 English, 1 History and 1/2 Theology credit.

Rhetoric is listed as an English credit. They consider it a writing class. 

That's very helpful! Ok, I'm getting a better idea now. I'll need to do logic before rhetoric.

 

 

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@lbell

Another option you could consider is the Fundamentals of Western Civilization class which is a lead-in to GC series. This is what Julie Etter wrote to me. 

The class is meant to help the students transition from the grammar stage
of giving facts, to the logic stage of lateral thinking and expressing
their thoughts through writing and speaking.

I will attach the syllabus so you can see the books we read. In addition to
reading, they have a test every 2 weeks. They have weekly questions
transition from facts (at the beginning of the year) to explaining what
they know about the topic through paragraphs (at the end of the year). They
also have projects each quarter. This is a general overview.

The reading list: The Eagle of the Ninth, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Streams to the River, River to the Sea, The Red Badge of Courage, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Sergeant York and The Hiding Place.

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