THE EASTSIDE PREPARATORY SCHOOL MAGAZINE: FALL 2014 | VOLUME 6 | ISSUE 1
...Students to Create a Better World
REFLECT AND REFINE CULTURE ENDURES TECHNOLOGY REIMAGINED RESPONSIBLE ACTION MEASURES
INSPIRE STAFF Vickie Baldwin
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Tina Hadden
MANAGING EDITOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER & LAYOUT EDITOR
Joshua Huisenga
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Amis Balcomb, Vickie Baldwin, Elena S. Blair Photography, Jennifer Boyle Photography, Roberta Christensen, Kristina Dammrose, Paul David, Becca Fine, Allison Gliner, Paul Hagen, Amy Hallman, Barbie Hull Photography, Photogenica, Shae Sakamoto, Brandon Wu COPY EDITORS
Dr. Laurie Benaloh, Sam French, Lauren Formo, Allison Luhrs, Karen Mills, Dr. Elena Olsen, Brittany Williams WEB EDITORS
Jonathan Briggs, Jennifer Cross
SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM HEAD OF SCHOOL DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY
Terry Macaluso, PhD Vickie Baldwin Doug Blair, JD Andrew Boyd, CPA Jonathan Briggs
ACADEMIC DEAN
Matt Delaney
DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS
Lauren Formo
UPPER SCHOOL HEAD DIRECTOR OF STUDENT LIFE
Bart Gummere Paul Hagen
DIRECTOR OF FINE & PERFORMING ARTS Brian Hutcheson DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
Kelly Moore, PhD
MIDDLE SCHOOL HEAD
Sam Uzwack
2014-2015 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS PRESIDENT
Rob Short
SECRETARY
Stacy Graven
TREASURER
Sasha Press
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Byron Bishop
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I
N THE PROCESS OF CRAFTING articles for Inspire, we are asked to reflect on experiences that have already taken place—or to think aloud about ideas and plans that are currently on our desktops. Every time I reflect on something we’ve done, I have more ideas about how to make it better—or how to try it a different way. I can promise you that Sarah Rainwater spent untold hours reflecting upon—and revising—the Capstone Project she describes on page eight. That undertaking was massive—but if it were otherwise…why bother? I can virtually guarantee that this year the Sophomore Capstone Project will be better than it was last year—but not as good as it will be in 2015-2016. Schools are—by definition—places where people reflect and refine—all the time. Just glancing at the Table of Contents you get a sense of what I mean. New students. New parents. New faculty. Even if you’re not new to EPS, the chronicle of spring 2014 events, coupled with the fact that right now nothing is where it used to be, will make clear the degree to which reflection and revision are most essential skills. Continuation and Commencement provide countless opportunities for reflection. Parents watch their children walk across the stage and remember when they couldn’t walk—at all. We’re sometimes stunned at how quickly “maturation sets in.” (And parents…it does set in.) College Counseling is most valuable because of the level of reflection students are invited to experience. It's the first moment when students are truly aware of the relationship between their own accomplishments and the opportunities available to them as a result. What does it mean to be “accepted?” How might one “re-invent” him- or herself between Upper School and College—given the chance to begin again in a new universe? This is the kind of reflection one is able to do at just the moment when it becomes so necessary. Matt Delaney’s piece on Responsible Action Measures describes the conversations we continue to have about how we can reflect back to students the actions they exhibit. Those actions indicate that they either have or have not reflected adequately and taken responsibility for their choices. We learn to be ethical citizens by being ethical citizens. We just need someone to let us know when we’re on the right—or the wrong—track; we refine as we go. Reflection is the cause; refinement is the effect. We reflect in order to learn; we refine in order to improve. I hope this issue of Inspire motivates you to do some reflecting yourself. Enjoy.
INSPIRE is published two times a year by Eastside Preparatory School. It is mailed to all current families, employees, and donors. To remove or change your mailing address, to submit a letter to the editor, to suggest a topic for an article, or to submit text or photographs for AlumNotes, contact magazine@eastsideprep.org. © Copyright 2014, Eastside Preparatory School
On the cover: Ms. Ferguson works with Amos (Class of 2018)
Terry Macaluso, PhD Head of School
Jill (Class of 2015) discusses To Kill a Mockingbird as Konstantin (’15), Sydney (’15) and Dr. Olsen look on.
Contents Culture Endures 3
Alumni Abroad
28
New Middle School Science Facilities
6
A Conversation With Nick
29
Sophomore Capstone Project
8
Reimagining Technology
30
New Board Members
32
Upon Reflection: The EPS Science & Sports Complex 12
Five Year Service Awardees
33
Teaching and Learning in the Block
What’s on Your Bookshelf?
35
The Class of 2018 16
EBC Week
36
The Class of 2014 18
New Faces 38
Five Components of the College Process
22
Winners of the Alice Strong Award
41
Springtime at Eastside Prep
24
Eagle Recognition
42
2013-2014 Annual Report
43
Upcoming Events
48
First Day of School
11 14
Things That Walk Together: Correlating Academic Achievement and Habits of Mind 26
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Bob Baldwin
Jonathan Briggs
Matt Delaney
Bart Gummere
Paul Hagen
Wendy Lawrence
Dr. Terry Macaluso
Nick Merino
Karen Mills
Dr. Elena Olsen
Sarah Rainwater
Sam Uzwack
Contributors Bob Baldwin has over twenty years of experience in the construction industry. He helped to value engineer the remodel of the Bishop Building and Friel Learning Center and managed contractors when the Levinger-Poole Commons was built. Bob serves as Project Manager for the Middle School remodel and construction of the new Eastside Prep science and sports complex. Jonathan Briggs joined Eastside Prep in 2005 as the school's first Director of Technology. In addition to his teaching duties, Jonathan has implemented the Middle School laptop program, brought databases online, and overseen the technological needs of a growing school community. Matt Delaney taught history, political science, English, and media studies for seven years prior to joining the faculty of Eastside Prep in August of 2007. Matt presently teaches history and social science in the Upper School in addition to being the Academic Dean for Eastside Prep, and a member of our college counseling team. Bart Gummere joined Eastside Prep in the summer of 2006. His twenty-seven-year experience in the education field has allowed him to assume a variety of roles: math teacher, baseball coach, college admissions officer, College Counseling Director, and Upper School Assistant Head. Bart is Eastside Prep’s Upper School Head and a college counselor.
Paul Hagen, Eastside Prep's new Director of Student Life, taught in many places (Hawaii and Spain, just to name two) and has done a great deal of traveling outside his native Pacific Northwest. Paul has taught social science at Eastside Prep since 2009. Wendy Lawrence was one of the four founding faculty members at Eastside Prep. She started as a science teacher and three years later, she became the head of the Middle School. Wendy lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan but is still very much connected to Eastside Prep. Wendy blogs at TheFamilyThatReadsTogether.com. Dr. Terry Macaluso has been a division head and a head of school in four independent day schools over a thirtyfive year career. In 2002, she guided the Founding Board of Trustees from the earliest discussions about the school that eventually became Eastside Preparatory School, and she became the first Head of School in spring 2004. Nick Merino started at EPS for his eighth-grade year and is now a senior. Nick writes for us in this issue of Inspire on the benefits of student self-reflection.
Karen Mills is a founding employee of Eastside Prep. Karen started developing the EPS library at the school’s inception and, after serving in many additional roles over the years, is now focused on her positions of Librarian, grade-level coordinator for sixth graders, and coach for the Middle School cross country team. Dr. Elena Olsen joined Eastside Prep after nine years of teaching at the University of Washington. At EPS, Elena teaches Upper School English, is part of our college counseling team, and sponsors Eastside Prep’s literary magazine, Unreal. Sarah Rainwater brought an exciting breadth of experience with her to EPS in 2012. She has taught abroad and taken students on a number of international trips. Sarah teaches English and social science at Eastside Prep and serves as coach to the Debate Team. Sam Uzwack joined Eastside Prep in July 2009. For the prior seven years, he taught seventh-grade humanities, co-coordinated the Outdoor Program, served as chair of the Professional Development Committee, and coached soccer and Ultimate Frisbee. Sam is Eastside Prep’s Middle School Head and an Outdoor Club advisor.
CULTURE
By Terry Macaluso, PhD, Head of School
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E SPEND A LOT OF TIME thinking and talking about the culture of Eastside Prep. With very few exceptions (why would you attend an independent school you didn’t like?), there’s general agreement that we want the culture we’ve created to remain strong even as we continue to expand our programs and refine our pedagogy. Because we’ve added numbers each year (and we’re very nearly finished doing that) and because organizations change a little bit every year when new members of the community join us, concern is sometimes expressed that, “It’s not the same EPS I knew when I was there.” It’s a very interesting bit of social anthropology to study the evolution of social groups – from families to countries – there are several components of cultures that remain true regardless of the size of the population. Edgar Schein, Professor Emeritus at MIT in the Sloan School of Management, is (at least from my
group as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration… a product of joint learning.” Further,
culture is composed of two critical elements: 1) structural stability and 2) patterning and integration. Culture is a collective identity. When we’re able to define something as “a culture,” it has reached the stage at which it is recognized as an entity. Members of the organization come and go – but the culture endures, in part, because it has created some degree of stability which is very appealing to people. So, structural stability is both an “end” and a “means” to the preservation of the culture. Schein goes on to explain that, as human beings, we strive for stability. That striving is a search for the patterns that produce the stability and for methods that will help the group
ENDURES perspective) the best thinker alive on matters of culture and organizational evolution. I want to share some of his thinking here. These remarks can be traced back to many of Schein’s books and articles, but I’ve used his concepts here to help convey my thoughts about EPS culture. Schein’s authority on these topics comes from his magnum opus, Organizational Culture and Leadership. Concern that a culture will change comes from those who appreciate the culture as it is. They want to protect it from the clutches of would-be carpet-baggers who would ransack the organization and turn it into something entirely different. Curiously, the real problem is that cultures do NOT change. That, in itself, is the single greatest threat to any organization. According to Schein, culture is defined as “A pattern of shared basic assumptions learned by a
Szymon and Savi (both Class of 2015) in class with Loren (also Class of 2015) in background.
integrate through adaptation as that becomes necessary for reasons outside the group’s control. Finally, to complete this very brief introduction to Schein’s concept of culture, it’s important to understand what he means when he speaks about the sources of culture creation. Those three sources are: 1) beliefs, values and assumptions of the founders, 2) the learning the group experiences as it evolves, and 3) new beliefs, values, and assumptions brought in by new members. Indeed, the stronger the leadership, the less likely it is that the culture CAN change. The actual formation of culture takes place around the efforts the group makes to deal with the anxieties that are characteristic of each assumption. So what does that look like at EPS? Many – if not most of us – can still remember the days when EPS was being conceptualized. It was a sincere INSPIRE Fall 2014
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effort on the part of a handful of families who wanted their children to have an exceptional secondary school experience. They also wanted to leave a community asset – their legacy – as a gift to the community. The hope was that others would follow and continue to support the effort so that it would become a new kind of school – a school that values traditional academic curriculum but that also believes and demonstrates that we need a whole new delivery system. The founding assumptions, as I reflect on the first days of our thinking about the kind of school desired, included these ideas: • Try something new – but familiar • Make it exceptional – and accessible • Offer it to a wide variety of people – deliberately • Give us a sense about what 21st century education could look like • Make school a place everyone wants to come – teachers, students, and parents • Invite teachers to be creative – to push the boundaries • Inspire students…to create a better world Those assumptions are now storied. So much at EPS reflects a desire to keep it challenging, to make the experience enjoyable and meaningful. We want people to be who they are – there is no profile of an EPS student. We’re trying new strategies with assessment, with the uses of teaching spaces, with the methods we use to communicate to students and families the quality of work being done. We continue to adapt those fundamental assumptions. Beginning in 2014-2015, we’ll make a major shift to a new schedule. We’ll challenge ourselves to enhance student experience by using larger – and fewer – chunks of time for students to think, understand, work with peers, research, present, practice, and imagine. 4
Everyone who joins the community influences it in some way, and because the culture is strong and the mission is clear, people self-select. EPS isn’t for everybody – that’s true for teachers, students, and families. But our commitment to supporting and strengthening the culture that launched us is what enables us to identify the people for whom EPS is likely to be a good fit – those who value what the school expresses in its mission, vision, and values. The schedule will be different; the underlying motivations and
beliefs responsible for creating it are grounded in EPS culture. Schein’s notion of integration is this: the community, as a group of learners, learns to accept or not accept various practices, beliefs, and attitudes that present themselves whether or not the organization grows. Culture doesn’t have anything to do with the number of people who share it. Culture is the result of the cumulative identity – of those who created the entity as well as all those who follow, whose choice to join the community is a consequence of appeal to already held beliefs. It is the collection of
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attitudes and values that form the group as they work together – always in flux and in search of stability – to express the identity they share. If we are committed to specific values, and if we have a shared focus about what we’re trying to do, the challenge becomes not so much how to perpetuate the culture, but how to let it change in a way that reaffirms the fundamental values. Borrowing from Schein again, there are such things as reinforcement mechanisms through which the culture perpetuates itself – even as it changes over time. Cited as examples of reinforcement mechanisms are processes and procedures, rites and rituals, physical space, stories about important people and events that have shaped the organization’s character, as well as formal statements of philosophy. When we were a school of seven employees and seventeen students, processes and procedures were very simple. We all sat around a table and decided things. The value in that process is not being at the table; the value is having an opportunity for people to express their ideas about things they care about. Now we do exactly the same thing – but we use different methods. We use surveys, small group meetings, Listening Groups, and various committees to collect ideas. Not everyone is interested in being a part of every conversation, so we configure the communication and gathering opportunities in a way that allows people to choose what they want to be a part of. The guiding principle is this: everyone’s thinking is valued. Rites and rituals have a substantial role in the creation of culture. At the first Continuation Ceremony in 2005, the entire faculty (all seven of us) wore academic regalia. In most school communities – that would be “over the top!” It’s only Upper School graduations that warrant Ms. Violette works with students.
such spectacle. We started it, though, because we wanted to make the experience special. We wanted to reinforce the fact that even though we were only two years old – we were doing serious academic work. The practice of wearing academic regalia for Middle School Continuation has “stuck.” It’s just what we do. It’s what allows us to continue to convey the message about our commitment to the importance of scholarship – no matter how old the student might be. Physical space has played a major role in the development of our culture. First, it’s made us appropriately humble. We expect facilities to
come to EPS are serious about having a particular kind of learning experience. The driveway doesn’t matter. At our Commencement Ceremony this past June, I was reminded about the power of stories in the development and strengthening of culture when we bid our final “goodbye” to Jeff Adair, as he and his wife launched their international teaching careers. He was honored for his ten years of service to EPS. His story is a central one, and there were half a dozen opportunities last spring to tell those stories. Jeff arrived ten years ago looking for a history teaching job. We didn’t have one. He asked if he could
be serviceable and to support our program, but we eschew the traditional independent school model, replete with ponds and fields and swimming pools, etc. It’s also made us better at what we do to have facilities that have been more challenging to “make work.” From the beginning of the school’s life, we’ve dealt with the superficial reactions of people who make a decision about the quality of a school based on what the driveway looks like. Those folks don’t come to Eastside Prep. We’ve continued to use what others may find to be a bit too modest, to our advantage. People who
volunteer. We said, “Sure, but what do you like to do?” He started hanging pictures and coat hooks, then became a full-time history teacher, athletic director and he concluded his career as Dean of Students. That is a seminal story in the life of EPS – that won’t
Mr. Uzwack and Cole (Class of 2018) share a laugh.
change. But the population hearing the story will. Does the story change if 200 people hear it? 300? Formal statements of philosophy take many forms, but chief among them are the EPS statements of mission and vision. Those two documents – combined – are composed of fourteen words. We never finish talking about them. We never stop challenging ourselves to think beyond wherever we are. The reinforcement of the school’s culture comes through both formal and informal statements of philosophy – each equally important. Informal support for the culture comes from our every day-ness. It’s how we treat each other. It’s conveyed in our expressions of gratitude and in our support of students striving to achieve. The culture is made manifest in myriad ways. Resource allocation, response to problems and opportunities, allocation of rewards and status, in all the ways that we communicate – and, ultimately, in what we pay attention to – those transactions and interactions reflect as well as shape our culture. And this leads me back to the beginning…. Concern is expressed about the loss of the culture – when people leave, if we admit too many students, if programs change in any substantive way. Why? Why do we believe that changes in the organization will challenge the culture? Perhaps we just don’t fully understand how complex it is. Robinson Jeffers says, beautifully, what I’ve tried to convey about culture in just a few lines from a poem titled, “The Beaks of Eagles.”
It is good for man To try all changes, progress and corruption, powers, peace and Anguish, not to go down the dinosaur’s way Until all his capacities have been explored; and it is good for him To know that his needs and nature are no more changed in fact In ten thousand years than the beaks of eagles. ¢
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By Wendy Lawrence, Former Faculty
E
LIN KUFFNER WAS SO EXCITED ABOUT THE new Middle School science facilities that she spent most of her winter break last year brainstorming with her father, a Chicago-based architect. “The final room will be very much a collaboration.” Katie Dodd agrees. “Teachers have been VERY involved in the planning, which has been great.” She met with architects, walked the campus on scouting missions, and was always encouraged to share her thoughts. Teachers were even asked for wish lists of furniture, equipment, and storage.
NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE FACILITIES
“My kingdom for a sink!” The Middle School science curriculum has evolved over time, but it remains true to the essential questions upon which the program was constructed. “What is the world made of?” “How did we get here?” “What does it mean to be human?” Those three questions are the same questions Plato and Aristotle asked—but they didn’t have anything CLOSE to the tools our students now have! Mr. Tillemans is looking forward to constructing the new weather station that will occupy a portion of the space. It’s more sophisticated than the equipment professional meteorologists had only a few years ago. 6
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In the new fifth- and sixth-grade science classroom, Kuffner says, “there will be lab stations with sinks and electrical outlets around the perimeter with space for a traditional classroom in the middle. There will also be a breakout space for English and history, science group work, or quiet time.” She is excited that the space will be “modern and flexible” and able to “accommodate many different activities and types of teaching and learning.” Another new room opens up downstairs for seventh- and eighth-grade science courses. The new seventh- and eighth-grade science lab fills the Lillia and Ronnie (both Class of 2020) collaborate on a project in science class.
entire end of the Middle School on the lower floor. It looks and feels very different to enter the Middle School now. Walls have been removed to allow the library to spill over into the large, open space in the center of the main floor, with the new lab clearly a most inviting and exciting space. The creation of these two new learning spaces is an indication of the commitment made by EPS to stress the value of project-based, experiential education. It’s fine to watch an experiment on a video— or even to watch the teacher demonstrate what “stored energy” is—but it’s a very different thing to DIY – Do It Yourself. The expression “everything but the kitchen sink” didn’t apply to this renovation. In fact, sinks might be what the faculty members are most excited about. The community “inside joke” for the past few years has been, “My kingdom for a sink!” Suffice it to say that access to running water will have noticeable impact. “Having more sinks is a game-changer,” says Dodd, who explains that sinks are needed during set-up, while doing various experiments, and at the end for clean-up. Reducing that waiting time “ultimately allows us to do more science during class and to push labs even further than we could before.”
The new fifth- and sixth-grade science lab on the first day of school.
“We also have more space to store and display works in progress which means that longer-running projects and experiments are possible.” Dodd is also excited for a place where a couple of microscopes can be permanently set up. That kind of access to equipment inspires students to do more on their own. When natural curiosity meets shiny, new lab equipment, the possibilities are endless. Kuffner plans to use some of her new space for Mr. Loachie, the loach that lives with the white cloud minnows in the classroom aquarium. Having more electrical outlets, Kuffner says, will also make a big difference when the class uses microscopes, heat lamps, hot plates, digital scales, and laptop computers. Our campus buildings are forty years old— and like most forty-year-olds, require The new seventh- and eighth-grade science lab on the first day of school. some attention in order to thrive at a time when technologies that didn’t exist in the mid-1970's are now a standard feature in 21st-century classrooms. The new space will shape student experience in an extremely positive way, since the space is flexible and well suited for new and different laboratory experiments and science classroom activities. Dodd goes on to say that her students are also really quite excited about the new space. And who wouldn’t be? In a school that focuses so much on hands-on activities, doing science is a priority—a priority that is now a permanent part of the EPS campus. ¢
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By Karen Mills, Librarian, and Sarah Rainwater, Social Science Faculty
T
HE CAPSTONE PROJECT EMERGED AS A WAY TO better connect themes between social science courses in the ninth- and tenth-grade program (e.g. Medieval History, Latin American History, Modern African Studies, Renaissance, etc.). Members of the faculty had observed that students made outstanding connections between these classes without effort or prompting, and wanted to capture students’ original ideas in a more formal and guided way. Thus, the idea for the Sophomore Capstone Project was born.
Students were first asked to pick a topic of personal interest, design a research question, and engage in the research process. After synthesizing what they’d learned about their topics and writing a formal research paper (on important themes, often with controversial stances), students were asked to take action based on their research and bring it to life for the EPS community through a thirdtrimester presentation. Below are excerpts from the research papers written by several sophomore students.
Sophomore
CAPSTONE Project Our Hearts Aflame: Musical Expression in Opera as a Paradigm-Shifting Device, by Lara “The day will come, when our hearts aflame will burn your paper chains,” cries Magda Sorel, the heroine of Gian Carlo Menotti’s opera The Consul (1949). Her climactic aria, “To this we’ve come,” spills over on this beautiful, soaring line, overwhelming the senses with a thick, romantic orchestral texture. Magda’s anguish and torment against the unfeeling bureaucracy ignites this desperate cry for humanity, invoking the most human of emotions. Opera’s encompassment of multiple art forms—through music, dramatic writing, and visual elements—lends itself to being used as an effective medium to communicate ideals through many sensory levels. An opera composer’s job as a dramatist is to grasp and twist the audience’s heart, and his job as an initiator of new moral, social, or philosophical ideals is to transcend and relate the ideals on a personal level to an audience’s subconscious. Each transitional composer opened up a new era of greater depth to ways of thinking by switching 8
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the previous musical form so their operas would be entwined with the intended theme: Monteverdi’s operas highlighted passion through a lens of humanistic origin towards the upper classes, Gluck married the libretto to the music in order to express common human emotions, Mozart used irony and musical metaphors to reveal injustices, Beethoven expressed the drama of the revolutionary spirit, Berlioz planted seeds for Wagner, Wagner translated elements of Schopenhauer’s philosophy with timelessness, and Verdi put memorable melodies and drama to political use. Opera was used by revolutionary composers to convey new paradigms of moral, social, and philosophical ideals by developing the palate of expressive tools to aesthetically trigger associated emotions through music, whether it was passion geared toward the upper class, individualism during the Enlightenment, fervor of the French Revolution, or the Romantic exploration of the creative mind.
The Key to Successful Immigration, by Inaayat “We have room for but one flag, the American flag… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.” Theodore Roosevelt, 1919 Are immigrants stealing our jobs and destroying the national culture, or are they benefitting the United States as a whole, providing new ideas and further adding to the “Melting Pot” that so many Americans today identify with? The “American Dream,” the promise of freedom and success, and the land of opportunity, has led millions of people to immigrate to the United States. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people leave their homelands to become Americans, and millions more are waiting for the chance to do so. Immigration is an issue that nearly all great nations have struggled with throughout history. So the question we as Americans have to ask: is immigration a positive thing for the United States? Conflict: A Positive Course of Action for the Evolution of Societies, by Allison The word conflict often has a negative connotation. People back away from conflict; it is an unwanted action. There are other ways to see the word conflict as well. Although the actual conflict may not be a positive thing, the results can be. Conflict is an inevitable element of any society born out of individual minds thinking and believing different things to be true. In order for their beliefs to spread and grow, they must convince others that their way is the correct way. This leads to a clash of wills, with one ultimately winning over another. Conflict within societies leads to evolution within that society, as seen through the medieval feudal class system, the Renaissance Black Plague, Karl Marx and the Modernist Industrial Revolution, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and the ever changing pre-history of man itself; all of which include big battles and societal conflicts, such as the pre-historic people building up a completely new society that has made the world into what it is today, the peasants of the medieval times informing themselves for more equal rights, the people of the Renaissance time going against the church, or the people of modern Europe and China fighting for a new way of government.
Far left: Grace (’16) used the metaphor of a Jenga game to explain her thesis that supports farming as a foundational block of society. Middle: Emma (’16) explains how leaders use art as a means for gaining and maintaining political, religious, and commercial power. Right: Thomas (‘16) used Eastside Prep’s 3D printer to create a metaphor for his thesis in which he identifies the role of industrial revolution and consumerism in modern international conflict.
Art in Society Emma: Art’s Connection to the Masses in Relation to Powerful Entities Noah: Photography Used as Propaganda Lindsay: The Power of Art in the Protest of Oppression Kara: Music in Revolution
Comparative Religion Jonny: Why Do We Believe in God? Madison: Religion’s Flaw
Education Zach: The Influence of Education Wanyi: Education – The Mirror of Government’s Values
Environment, Globalism, and Immigration Julia: Going Global With Fashion: Globalization’s Effect on the Fashion Industry Claire: Why Civilizations Fall
Gender Roles and Race Sofia: The Social Barriers Created Through Race Phoebe: Desensitizing Rape with Masculine Identity Marnie: Women in Medicine
Government and Economics Anna: How Dictators Gain Ultimate Power Grace: Farming for Societal Success Lilian: The Rise to Power Ellie: A Study of International Power Dynamics Mason: The Rise of the British Empire
The Evolution of Transportation Around the World, by Chase As mankind has developed a better understanding of the technology and connections the world is capable of, a door of innovation has quickly opened and has brought new forms of transportation to the forefront. Each region of the world has evolved in its own unique way and therefore no two nations have produced identical transit layouts. Societies across the planet have gravitated towards different modes of transportation because of their historic background, unique geography, political infrastructure INSPIRE Fall 2014
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Societal Development and public need; this is exemplified by Europe’s demand for alternative public transportation, Latin America’s new interest in the global automotive industry, the Middle East’s struggle to provide stable mass transit services and Asia’s economic reliance on transportation for exporting internationally. All around the world, countries have provided different forms of transportation that are deemed successful in the public eye, that are supported by the government, that adhere to the geography of the nation and symbolize the nations’ technological progression throughout history. This suggests that a nation’s strength influences its ability to provide successful modes of transportation that properly accommodate both its citizens and its labor force. The Economic Development of Different Societies Throughout Time, by Alex Societies throughout time have grown in complexity, and the economies that support them have changed alongside. From the Paleolithic Era, to Medieval Times in England, to the Industrial Revolution, or in modern China, money has played different roles for these different societies. The world started out with a barter-based economy during the Paleolithic Era, and then shifted to more of a currency-based economy during the early Neolithic Era. The Medieval Times showed the failures in the currency-based economy and the results were a return to a barter-based economy, reverting back to the Paleolithic Era. The Industrial Revolution saw the role of money increase in importance in the development of the new industrial economy. One certainty remains: economies change through the cyclical pattern of adaption to successes and avoidance of failures, and like biological evolution, economies that grow in complexity do thrive, but with that complexity comes potential disaster. The Evolution of Society Through Architecture, by Matthew At two-thousand-seven-hundred-twenty-two-feet tall, the Burj Khalifa towers over Dubai represents the astounding capabilities of modern architecture, which allow architects to build stunning structures. With nearly unlimited access to materials from all over the globe, and the adroit building technologies developed over the 10
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Gonzalo: Why Do Fans Become Fanatical About Sports? Heather: Dogs for Survival Sean: Access to Food and Water and How it Has Led to Societal Development Teis: The Relationship Between Institutionalized Religion and Societal Advancement Sophia: Who Becomes Famous and Why Leila: Is Government Responsible for Its People’s Happiness? Nels: The Effect of Sports in Developing Countries and Violent Communities Maya: Societal Factors and Their Correspondence to Mental Health
Socio Economics Mimy: Colonization’s Role in the Modern Day Economics Adi: Knowledge is Power Sky: Power Struggle Equals a Social Struggle Fina: Inequality in History Max C.: How Sauces Show Injustices Between Social Classes from the Early Days of Humanity to 18th Century France and Asia
Technology Thomas: On The Role of Industrial Revolution and Consumerism in Modern International Conflict Qais: The Economic Impetus in the Development of Weapons Shirahn: Aviation in Historical Embodiments Shae: Horses in History Max S.: The Ancestry of Modern Technology
centuries, the possibilities of modern architecture seem limitless. However, architecture was not always this grand. Architecture advanced as civilizations moved up Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Initially, in the Neolithic Era, people built structures for shelter, to protect resources, or perhaps, in the case of Stonehenge for a religious purpose. In the Medieval Era, the defensive and fortified designs of castles expressed the architecture of the age, while in the Renaissance, the majestically artistic churches displayed the influence of the new Enlightenment philosophy. In each era, architecture had a new purpose as civilization progressed up Maslow’s Hierarchy…. ¢
Left: Ellie (’16) used the EPS laser cutter to create a game that depicts systems cultivated through economics and government. Right: Julia (’16) focused her project on globalization’s effect on the fashion industry, representing her findings by sewing her first ever garment. She used her dress as a canvas to display images of the behind-the-scene workers.
First Day of School
THE FIRST DAY OF THE 2014-2015 school year at Eastside Prep contained a mixture of both traditional and new events. The student day began with the customary Convocation ceremony and ended with the always anticipated Ice Cream Social. Middle School students also participated in ribbon cutting ceremonies for two new science labs.
Top: Faculty and staff greet students on the first morning of school. Middle row: Students enjoy Convocation. The ribbon cutting for the new fifth- and sixth-grade science lab. Faculty members at Convocation. Bottom row: Students enjoy a treat at the traditional PA Ice Cream Social. Ms. Dodd works with students in the new seventh- and eighth-grade science lab. Ribbon cutting for the new seventh-and eighth-grade science lab.
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UPON
REFLECTION THE EPS SCIENCE & SPORTS COMPLEX
By Bob Baldwin, Project Manager
U
PON REFLECTION, THE EASTSIDE PREP science and sports complex has been a serendipitous adventure. Back in 2011 the City of Kirkland, through a comprehensive plan amendment, approved a rezone of what is now known as the Yarrow Bay Zoning District. The new zoning allowed for the transit center across the street, together with two new residential housing projects, all currently under construction. The zoning has opened up a new array of possibilities for EPS as well. The school buildings, each of which was once limited to thirty feet in height, are now free to build up to sixty-five feet. And so, with the stroke of a City Councilman’s pen, EPS would have three times the available space out of thin air. The initial plan, of course, was far less adventurous. Back in February the school embarked upon a campaign to purchase more of the neighboring buildings. The funds were gathered to make an acquisition that proved difficult and never materialized, as sometimes happens. So upon reflection, the adventure moved instead to an attempt to capture this new-found air space. Conceptual designs began on the Art Studio (AS) and O’Hara Hall (OH) buildings. Over the ensuing weeks the architect and design team explored the opportunities and costs 12
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to construct a science facility that would be state-of-theart. As we continued to refine the design and program, another opportunity revealed itself. The available new air space far exceeded the program needs of the science facilities alone and so either we would face building a structure underutilizing the new zoning or we would need to expand the scope and explore additional needs. So what did we do with all the newfound space? We began to consider the possibility of adding a gym. It turned out, the gym needed a little more breathing room and so the design was refined and we moved the budding science and sports center to the site of the Upper School building. At the time of publication, this building is getting ready to break ground and the real excitement will begin. It will be disruptive and chaotic educating students with a significant construction project all around them, but the rewards far outweigh the temporary inconvenience. The program will include a ninety-seat amphitheater
Images: PUBLIC47 Architects
SO WHAT DID WE DO WITH ALL THE NEWFOUND SPACE? WE BEGAN TO CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF ADDING A GYM.
that greets students as they enter the main doors. The first two levels are exclusively science: common spaces that line each floor, physics and maker space, technology, chemistry and biology labs, and conference spaces. The third level is a collection of multi-purpose classroom spaces that flex and vary in size and provide display and presentation space in numerous configurations. A sports center atop these spaces has been a very interesting design refinement. Level four adds a full-size varsity basketball and volleyball court with lockers, changing rooms and showers. Cheering bleachers line the floor and a mezzanine level offers viewing opportunities and a fitness center. Why put a gym on the top floor? The simple answer is actually cost savings. The structural engineer led the design in this direction to lighten the load of the entire building and a lightened load is less expensive. EPS has selected PUBLIC47 Architects and Schuchart Construction (the general contractor on the LPC building) to build the project. At this writing the schedule is intended to be ten months from start to finish:
an October start date delivers in time for the 2015-2016 school year. In all, the building brings 30,000 square feet of first class space, designed for Eastside Prep as a school, refined to meet the dream, carefully crafted to meet the needs, and flexibly conceived to adapt to an ever-changing learning environment. Now that’s some serious reflection. ¢
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4-Period Day / 2-Day Cycle
PURPOSEFUL PLANNING:
(3 Passing Periods)
A
D
Teaching and Learning in the Block
B
FOUR periods meet
C
LUNCH
8-Period Day / 1-Day Cycle (7 Passing Periods) A H
By Matt Delaney, Academic Dean
I
DON’T WATCH A LOT OF TELEVISION. LIFE IS BUSY AND typical shows often seem like they are over before they start. Recently, I found the time to watch an episode of the BBC series “Sherlock.” More so than usual, I found myself enveloped in the characters and the plot. At the conclusion of the episode, I asked my wife, “What was different? What was it about the episode that made it a richer experience?” The thinking was clever, the narrative more complex, the character development fuller, and the links to previous and future episodes seemed more nuanced. I quickly realized that one essential difference was that the episode was longer, which afforded the writer, director and actors more space to create a higher quality product. While a class period with a longer duration may seem like a minor thing, it is exactly this element that enables Eastside Prep faculty to design richer learning experiences for students. Over time, we have found that the block periods conducted on Wednesdays and Thursdays in our previous year’s schedule offer a broader landscape on which deeper classroom learning can happen. Similar to the episode I described above, time for increased interaction between characters (here the students and teacher) plays a significant role in the quality and effectiveness of the experience. As we walk into the 2014-2015 school year with an adapted schedule (an instructional week which includes one all-periods-meet day followed by four block-period days), here are some of the advantages of extended class periods that we are looking forward to as a school.
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B
ALL periods meet
G
F
C
D E
LUNCH
Transitions & Preparation • The number of classes students must prepare for in a single evening and attend the following day is reduced. If you have visited EPS on an all-period-meeting day there is a high energy as students move through eight class periods and seven passing periods. This includes ramping up and concluding experiences in eight separate subject areas (as compared to only four on a block Matt Delaney works with students.
day). In contrast, on our block days, the energy in the buildings shifts. Things feel more settled and manageable. Perhaps it is because students have had fewer classes to prepare for during the previous evening, or because they are required to make fewer adjustments to new environments and new information during the day.
Designing Experience for Learning Styles, Feedback, Challenge & Support • Instructional time is less fragmented, allowing for more extensive, real-time feedback. • Faculty have more opportunity to make accommodations for individual student learning styles. • Within class activities, students can be provided variable amounts of time to learn in different configurations and more opportunities for accelerated learning. Longer time periods also give EPS faculty the space to design a series of activities varying in length, which increases the likelihood of engaging each student. For example, in a course like Urban Planning, a block period class can move through a film clip on walkable neighborhoods accompanied by a debrief, and still have time to segue into a discussion of different neighborhood elements in preparation for a role play of a city council meeting. With a greater variety of activities, students can contribute in multiple ways which in turn provides teachers more check-in opportunities to see what students understand, and to give feedback based on those observations. At these points students can be offered more time to work on areas that need improvement or to pursue more challenging material. The result in both cases is deeper learning.
Relationship & Responsible Action • Teachers and students can spend more concentrated time together developing deeper connection and relationship. • Responsible Action Measures like preparedness, engagement, and perseverance can be both modeled and practiced. (see page 26) One of the unique things about the EPS experience is that each student is known well by teachers. A large part of this can be attributed to the amount of time teachers and students spend together and the number of interactions they have. During block periods there are more opportunities to get to know each other; in the context of these deeper relationships, learning is more meaningful and robust.
Discipline-Specific Teaching & Learning • Discipline concepts can be introduced and more effectively reinforced in a single, extended class period. • More opportunities to conduct formal inquiries into subject matter help students achieve greater understanding. • More hands-on and experiential activities result in students owning their knowledge and skills. One of the most powerful things about teaching and learning at EPS is the focus on authentic experiences for students in each academic discipline. Whether students are engaged in laboratory experiments or practicing dialogue in Socratic seminars, they are engaged in enacting and building their knowledge rather than passively receiving information. In extended sessions, engagement in inquiry
activities where students ask deep questions and work through data sets, together and individually, to arrive at an answer is more effective. Social Science
Simulations and Socratic Seminars. Classes like Philosophy: Entrepreneurship and Ethics can make onsite visits to interact with industry leaders and entrepreneurs.
Science
Lab-based Activities and Guest Speakers. Science classes are able to do more hands-on work.
Spanish
Spoken Spanish Activities. In a more immersive environment, there are more chances to practice Spanish and deepen fluency.
Math
Deeper Problem-Solving and Differentiation. There is time to introduce a concept, discuss its characteristics, multiple solutions, and differentiate instruction for each student.
Technology Programming Projects. Team-based work to
construct and program robots, write code, design websites, or print 3-D models is increased.
English
Harkness Discussions and Writer’s Workshops. There is more concentrated time to reflect on and practice writing.
Physical Education
Game Play and Strength Training. There is more opportunity to engage in team sports and debrief them.
The visual arts can give more focus to individual Fine & Performing technique and products. Musical pieces can be explored in large group, Arts
small group and individual configurations. In theatre, larger parts of each production can be refined (acting, directing, stagecraft).
Purposeful Planning At Eastside Prep, we work to do things that make sense and meet students’ needs. Each year we look to evolve our academic program to improve the experience for our students. Our first step this year is to adapt how we use time. This is in anticipation of next year, when we will have the chance to think hard about how we use new space. ¢
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The Class of
2018 35
2010
25 2011
36
35
2012
2013
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HIS YEAR MARKED THE continuation of Eastside Prep’s largest eighth-grade class to date. Forty-six students celebrated the end of their Middle School years with faculty, staff, and extended family members. Attendees enjoyed the traditional breakfast in the Levinger-Poole Commons followed by the ceremony under the tent on the Sport Court. In another EPS tradition, each eighth grader was called to the stage by a faculty member to hear stories (sometimes touching, almost always funny) of their personal navigation through the Middle School years and to be presented with a book that the faculty member chose specifically for that student. What follows is an excerpt from my address during the ceremony and Dr. Macaluso's welcoming remarks.
2014 Eastside Prep’s largest eighth-grade class to date
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By Sam Uzwack, Middle School Head
Above: Members of the eighth grade class at Continuation. Opposite: Jeff Adair addresses families; Nessa and Laura (both Class of 2018) celebrate their Continuation; Seona and Ethan (Class of 2018) line up for cake; students and families at Continuation.
Welcome By Terry Macaluso, PhD, Head of School Good morning, and welcome to the tenth Continuation Ceremony for Eastside Preparatory School. Today it is our pleasure to be able to acknowledge the achievements of forty-six young men and women who have successfully met our expectations, satisfying all the requirements for completion of the eighth-grade curriculum. In addition to acknowledging their accomplishments, we’re proud of the people they are becoming. Our aim today is to share with you some of what we’ve learned about the continuing Class of 2014. Faculty have prepared speeches and selected books for each student. This EPS tradition has endured for a decade—and every year they’re better than the last. This is the best way we can imagine celebrating our eighth-grade graduates.
Pondering the Big Question By Sam Uzwack, Middle School Head For the past year, you’ve been ruminating over the question: What Does it Mean to be Human? It occurred to me that in the time I’ve been here, I’ve never fully considered this seemingly simple, yet ultimately complex, “big question.” So without further ado, and with the same strict word limit imposed on all today’s speeches, here’s what I think: • To be human is to think beyond yourself and do the right thing— otherwise known as integrity. • It’s to wonder what lies around the next bend in the river, over the next hill, and beyond the farthest star…and to go find out—commonly known as curiosity. • To be human is to care for those who need caring, to watch out for one another—in other words, compassion. As a history teacher, I’m compelled to cite my sources. Well, there they are, sitting in front of us today, the Class of 2018. Throughout your time in the Middle School, your integrity, curiosity, and compassion have distinguished you. So now, with only thirty-two words left, let me simply say, thank you for all you’ve contributed to our community, and I wish you the very best of luck as you continue on your very…human…journey. ¢ INSPIRE Fall 2014
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The Class of
2014
Jordan Decker addresses the audience at the Graduation Ceremony.
By Bart Gummere, Upper School Head
F
RIDAY THE THIRTEENTH WAS A LUCKY DAY for the Class of 2014 as they celebrated their graduation from Eastside Preparatory School at the Kirkland Performance Center on Friday, June 13. Parents, extended family members, faculty, staff, fellow students and alumni all gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of these twenty-nine graduates. Included here are photos and excerpts from some of the speeches that marked the celebration of Eastside Prep’s sixth graduating class.
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Bart Gummere, Upper School Head Five years ago, I taught first-year algebra to a small, but significant contingent of the Class of 2014. They were eighth graders, they were rambunctious, they were creative, they were energetic, they were filled with personality…. I like to believe that I saw more in them than they saw in themselves. One member of the class, though, succinctly expressed his view. “TYRANT,” he would bark as I stated my expectations on an assignment. Helping send students to college has enveloped my whole professional career. And over that time span I’ve watched our focus in the college admissions world get way off target. Unsurprisingly, we are overly fixated on outcomes and not sufficiently aware of process. College is not simply admission and then graduation. It is definitively more than career training. It serves as your first chance to pedal around in adulthood, but with some very big training wheels attached. You are cheating yourself if you don’t occasionally try to balance the bike on two wheels. And you are also foolish if you never lean on the support of those extra tires. Adult life is a constant maze of knowing when to forge on independently and when to ask for help. Class of 2014—it has been a pleasure. I hope you’ll return often to update all of us here on your progress. We’re rooting for you. Audience members at KPC for Class of 2014 Graduation.
Taylor Wilke, Student Speaker Four years ago, a much shyer and quieter version of me tiptoed into my first class at Eastside Prep, feeling the strangest mix of terrified, confused and excited. Terrified and confused because I was an anxious kid surrounded by a group of strangers, but excited because the community around me was buzzing with positive energy. In a matter of days, I felt at home. Despite that, though, I could never even begin to imagine getting onstage to speak, especially in front of hundreds of people. And yet, twelve trimesters of hard work later, here I am. I first realized what was so special about our class during sophomore year, when we ventured off to Seaside for spring trips. I will remember our nighttime shenanigans in the girls’ loft and our rainy day beach adventures for the rest of my life. As the trip came to a close, I looked around at my friends and realized something—we weren’t just classmates anymore. We were becoming a family: a big, wonderful full of colorful, and sometimes clashing, personalities. Each one of us brings something unique to the table—a different set of ideas, and a different way of thinking about the world. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to try new things and explore my interests in a space as safe as this one. If it wasn’t for the support I received from this community, I never would have gotten into theatre, and I likely wouldn’t be giving this speech today. Before I joined this school I was afraid of failure because I knew I would be judged for it. Here I don’t have to worry about that, and I can’t begin to put into words how much that means to me. Jordan Decker, Student Speaker I walked into the EPS Middle School building for an overnight when I was eleven years old. I looked around at a crowd which was, for the most part, as scattered as I was. But the most curious thing was that there wasn’t a mold. Flash forward seven years. One of our classmates is a nationally ranked athlete in Frisbee. We have a classmate who undertakes not one but three plays at a time while trying to get into sixteen universities. We have a classmate with near-perfect grades and attendance who also found the spare time to construct a highly advanced radio-controlled airplane from scratch. Here’s my story in a few words. All that irreverent, red-headed kid needed was a certain musical theatre and admissions director giving him the chance to be on stage before he caught the bug, learned an honest instrument, and started loving the arts more than most other things— and now he’s the happiest he’s ever been. It is because of the simple act of one EPS teacher that I caught a glimpse Jing Xu and her mother celebrate her graduation.
who I could be, and it’s because of hundreds of friends, so many teachers, and this true EPS family supporting me that I have kept at it. I can play sports, write songs, and study films and not feel “scattered” as I did seven years ago. I am not the product of high school cliques stamping me out, or any system trying to bend or shape me—I am just Jordan Decker, a future donor to Eastside Prep because EPS doesn’t just make just make scholars—Eastside Prep makes people. Terry Macaluso, PhD, Head of School According to one enlightened webpage, some of the top ten graduation speech themes include: “Setting and Achieving Goals,” “Taking Responsibility for Your Actions,” “Never Giving Up” and “Always Aiming High.” But you’ve already heard those. I want to speak much more directly to and about YOU. Who ARE you? How is it that you find yourself HERE—on this stage—feeling accomplished and all “college ready?” What are YOU going to do about anything? How will the world be different because you’re in it? Who will save a life? Who will discover a cure? Who will become a psychologist? Or better, a philosopher? We don’t know.… We don’t know anything…. Christopher Lasch, author of The True and Only Heaven: Progress and Its Critics, published in 1994, just a few years before his death, observes “…nothing is certain except the immanent obsolescence of all our certainties— our scientific theories, our technology, our artistic styles, our schools, our philosophies, our political ideals, our fashions …. Whatever else we can say about the future, it appears that we can safely take for granted its sophisticated contempt for the rudimentary quality of our present ways.” It’s agreed, then. We haven’t a clue what lies ahead, yet we cannot resist the temptation to prepare for it. This tendency is not merely a manifestation of our hard-wiring. It is also a reminder that, even though we cannot know the future, we can know the past. So—today, instead of telling you what to prepare for I’m going to send you off with a short list of the things that have endured—concepts that have lasted through generations and wars and loss and INSPIRE Fall 2014
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Generosity Someone will always have less than you. Pay attention. Openness I promise you that there are many more people who are NOT like you than who are. You will learn a great deal more from people who are different from you than you will learn from those who share your assumptions and your ideas. Patience There IS enough time to get it right. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
existential angst. Ideas that speak to the very essence of our humanity. Integrity Nobody can give it to you—and nobody can take it away. Don’t squander it.
Resilience The ability to COPE is a capacity devoutly to be sought. Learn to love the rocking of the boat, the air pockets in flight. Look forward to NOT knowing what will happen. It’s the NOT knowing—more than the knowing—that makes us vital, dynamic, and fully alive. So, I have no idea what will happen in your life. But, I hope it’s wonderful—and just exactly what you were not expecting. ¢
Distinguished Service Award Winners AT THIS YEAR’S GRADUATION CEREMONY, DR. TERRY MACALUSO presented Distinguished Service Awards to two members of Eastside Prep who have made major contributions to the school’s culture and community. Following are excerpts from Dr. Macaluso’s presentations. Byron Bishop, Trustee An engineer can be defined as “a person who carries through an enterprise by skillful or artful contrivance.” Having worked with several engineers over my career, I can say that they share a few notable qualities, including the ability to be painfully precise. One great advantage of working with an engineer is that you know—absolutely—that he will do exactly what he says he’ll do—and in exactly the way and at the time and place he says he’ll do it. One of the engineers in this theatre served as EPS Board Chair while, simultaneously, giving and raising 20
enough money to build what came to be known as the Levinger-Poole Commons. One of the engineers in this theatre has given an extraordinary amount of his time, treasure, and talent to help a fledging school finally have a place to be social. Please join me in acknowledging the immeasurable contributions of Byron Bishop—recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for 2014. Jeff Adair, Faculty During the winter of the 2003-2004 academic year—the first year of life for EPS—a young, twenty-something kid wandered in and told me that he
EASTSIDE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
knew someone who knew me. He told me he wanted to be a teacher…interesting…but I didn’t have any positions open. “I’ll just volunteer,” he said, and we gave him some pictures to hang and a few hooks to install. And then he was a full time teacher—and then he was the Athletic Director, and then he was the Dean of Students—and there was jousting on tricycles using foam rubber lances. And there were interscholastic sports, and pie eating contests, and dunk tanks, and sumo wrestlers, and field day, and busses— and more busses. Please join me in thanking Jeff Adair for a decade of service and to wish him well as he moves someplace really hot. Jeff Adair—Distinguished Service Award Recipient, 2014.
Graduates Max Sheffield, Kathleen Reina, Ian Ramsey, Marta Picoto and Andrea Piacentini
SENIOR AWARD WINNERS THINK CRITICALLY, ACT RESPONSIBLY, LEAD COMPASSIONATELY, INNOVATE WISELY. THE FAMILIAR four points of our school mission serve as the inspiration for our four annual awards to seniors. These four awards highlight the values of the whole school and celebrate, in particular, the strengths and contributions of four students. The Critical Thinking Award is presented to the member of the graduating class whose keen appreciation for ideas and willingness to promote intellectual discussion enlivens our classrooms and hallways on a daily basis.
The Responsible Action Award is presented to the member of the graduating class who in both quiet, unseen actions and courageous public moments demonstrates a consistent, sincere regard for the community.
The Compassionate Leadership Award is presented to the member of the graduating class whose actions consistently reflect the importance of personal responsibility and compassion for others, setting an example for all to follow.
The Wise Innovation Award is presented to the member of the graduating class whose creativity, curiosity and contributions illuminate new possibilities and inspire others to similar exploration.
Sage Walund, our Critical Thinking Award winner, has many traits we admire greatly. Teachers rave about her engagement in the classroom, regardless of topic and subject area. The source of consistently thoughtful questions, Sage helps bring every classroom alive. Sage’s presence of mind, willingness to question, and desire to dig far past the surface on every topic always serve to make the classroom a better place. As one faculty member writes, “She has evolved into a thinker who does not distinguish between teaching and learning, inside or outside the classroom.” An important value at EPS is the appreciation for a diversity of thought and personality. Our Responsible Action winner, Trevor Hedges, values the views of others and is always willing to see both sides of an argument. His respect for our entire community is full and sincere, and his daily work impacts the tenor of our classrooms in a deep and positive manner. One faculty member writes of Trevor, “He inspires and motivates his teachers to his same deep level of critical thought.” Trevor makes the most out of every opportunity available to him. Students like Jordan Decker come along rarely. Jordan is not just talented— he is never-failingly thirsty for academic pursuits, knowledge, conversation, arts. Yet he is also modest, kind, principled, and never presumes success. In the classroom, he leads by example, committing himself to the ideals of the institution and the daily rigors of school life. In nominating Jordan for this award, multiple faculty members cited his encouraging nature and willingness to support others. Involved in a full array of activities, Jordan displays an enthusiasm for everything the school offers and he leads others to do the same. EPS is designed for thinkers such as Steven Benaloh. The expectation here is to apply knowledge, not just to capture it and write it down. Few students are more inventive and creative in the manner in which they take facts from one source and apply them to another problem, application or field. In Steven’s case, creativity is complemented by resilience. When initial ideas do not work out, he is willing to try again and again. As one faculty member wrote, Steven is “always thinking of ways to create things that are within the ‘rules’ but are outside of what’s expected.”
Sage Walund accepts her award from Bart Gummere, Upper School Head
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The Apex of Student Self-Reflection at Eastside Prep:
Five Components of the College Process By Elena Olsen, PhD, English Faculty and College Counselor
A
REALITY OF THE COLLEGE SEARCH AND application process for students and families is stress. Often, primary sources of that stress are the questions students naturally ask early on in their thinking about college: “What schools will want me? Will any school want me? Will I get accepted into my favorite school?” A significant portion of my counseling time is spent directing the student toward articulating his or her strengths, interests, and unique perspective on the world—in other words, all of the reasons that many schools will want that student. In this sense, the core of the Eastside Prep College Counseling program is self-reflection. Any of the four College Counselors (Matt Delaney, Lauren Formo, Bart Gummere, and myself) would say that it is not the final decisions and choices about schools but rather students’ self-assessment and ownership of the process that makes it truly affirming and successful for them and their families. The self-reflection required of students in this process is complex, profound, and is expressed through various mediums, and thus most often goes far beyond what they have engaged in previously. As we all know, this kind of sustained and deep self-reflection is not easy; indeed, it is one of the most difficult endeavors any of us can undertake at any point in our lives. While most conversations students have with their EPS College Counselor will involve some sort of self-reflection, there are also components of the college search and application process which are driven by specific forms of that self-reflection. Focusing on these aspects of the college process is a useful and revealing way to begin thinking about the process as a whole, whether your student is a ninth-grader or an eleventh-grader. 22
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I. THE JUNIOR QUESTIONNAIRE The first self-reflective document of the counseling process is the Junior Questionnaire. This lengthy questionnaire is designed to spark students’ thought-process about what is valuable to them in school and in life, as well as what their desires and concerns are in searching for colleges that are a good fit. The questionnaire asks students to write in as much detail as they can about such topics as what aspects of their Upper School career at EPS have been most rewarding; their perception of how well their five strengths (as identified via the Strengths Test) fit them; and how they have most grown during recent years, including how they stretched to achieve that growth. We host a “work party” in January of junior year so that students can dedicate focused time and thought to this critical piece.
II. COUNSELOR MEETINGS While not an isolated “event” or document, much of students’ thinking about their academic career—past, present, and future—and about their strengths, interests, and the infinite variety of factors that play into college searching, takes place in conversations with their counselors. Some of these conversations also involve
EPS students on a college tour trip
parents and guardians, and while many of them are scheduled appointments, plenty of them also happen spontaneously, before or after school or developing from a quick conferral about something seemingly small or unrelated. I love the first meetings I have with students because they quickly learn—often to their dismay—that I ask lots and lots of questions. I love the perturbation I see in their faces when I respond to one of their questions with a question. This is not to say that I don’t also provide answers when appropriate—and guide their own questions and answers. But, early in the process students tend to ask questions that serve as doorways into their own extended thought, and their growing awareness that they are the driver of their college search. For example, students might ask something along the lines of, “Should I concentrate on schools that offer majors in dance, or also look at schools that only have dance minors but are strong in other fields I’m interested in?” or, “My aunt says I should only look at small colleges and only look at schools in New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. What do you think?” It is not the opinion of the counselor (or the aunt) that matters here, but rather how the student is beginning to develop his or her thinking about possible fields of study, college size, and location.
III. THE ESSAY In a previous article on the College Counseling process at EPS (spring, 2013), I described the dreaded, wholly absorbing beast known as the College Essay. This essay is perhaps one of the most challenging, and ultimately most rewarding, writing projects that any student will undertake. It is the one place in the application in which the student has a chance to tell schools something essential about him or herself which is not captured in the transcript or the list of activities and experiences. Students beginning their essays sometimes want to think about the vehicle more than the content—that is, “what’s the amazing story/catchy phrase/unique angle/amazing experience that will wow the admissions staff?” Instead, we guide students to focus on what they most want to communicate to admission staff about themselves—not what they think the admissions office wants to hear. The admissions office wants essays in which they hear an applicant’s real voice, see part of that real self, and gain a glimpse of something revealing about that individual student’s mind, personality, and/or perspective.
IV. THE INTERVIEW While articulating strengths, interests, challenges, and talents in writing may be difficult—in a way that is confident but not arrogant, and honest but not self-deprecating—it can be equally difficult in verbal conversation with a stranger. Many colleges require or encourage interviews with admissions staff or alumni. These interviews usually take place during fall and winter of senior year. EPS College Counselors coach students and hold mock interviews, in which we play the role of an admissions officer. Again, the single best way to be prepared for these interviews—and the goal of our mock interview sessions—is to understand that admissions staff want to get to know students and are not looking for rehearsed or “perfect” answers, but instead for what makes that student tick, and for what would make that student a good fit on their campus.
V. THE FINAL CHOICE After the laughter and tears of the previous months (yes, there is laughter, we promise!), students often find that one of the most difficult decisions they have to make is that final choice about which school they will attend in the fall. With acceptances from schools that are equally attractive to them, students find themselves self-reflecting until they are dizzy: “Is College A preferable because it’s sixteen miles closer to a major city, or is College B better for me because it has a gym I loved? Is College A going to feel too big? Will I be okay with the dorm situation at College B?” Note that these questions have much more to do with quality of life than with academic programs or rankings. Colleges are above all else academic institutions—and as students undergo their search and application processes, they gain a greater understanding of the academic opportunities available and required of them at different schools. Students certainly evaluate their final choice(s) on academic and other factors, but they also learn (through the self-reflection process) the importance of thinking about these academic institutions as potential homes for four years. Unlike their previous twelve years of school experience (in most cases), this school will also be the place they live. It is knowing what makes somewhere feel like “home” that is hugely important in student happiness and success at college. ¢
College Counselor Lauren Formo works with Sophie Miller and Jordan Decker (Class of 2014) as Social Science teacher Eric Claesson looks on.
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Spring sports included crew, tennis, track and field, soccer, and Ultimate.
Upper School students celebrated prom at The Meydenbauer Center.
Twelfth Night was the all-school spring production. 24
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The All-School BBQ brought over 700 people on to campus.
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pring is a very busy time at Eastside Prep. Sports, dances, and community events are just a few of the items filling the calendar. Here’s a look back at the EPS activities from last spring:
Upper School and Middle School students left campus for Field Day.
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Things That Walk Together
Correlating Academic Achievement and Habits of Mind
By Matt Delaney, Academic Dean
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HE BREVITY AND SUCCINCTNESS OF THE Eastside Prep mission statement captures so much of what the school values about learning and living. Mission statements, intended to be broad and provide a general frame and direction, attempt to capture a wide range of values. They often result in run-on sentences that include a laundry list of characteristics that sound good in the abstract, but ultimately are hard to identify and even more difficult to reinforce. EPS opts for a more direct approach, embracing things that we can both see and do daily: Think, Act, Lead, Innovate. In 2011-2012 the EPS faculty started a dialogue focusing on the first two mission points: think critically and act responsibly. Specifically, we considered the correlation between academic success (generally indicated by grades), and the habits of mind that EPS teachers were modeling and students were developing in pursuit of that success. The discussion was inspired by a book called Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck which looks at the difference between approaching life with a growth versus fixed mindset, and an article by Paul Tough in the New York Times entitled “What if the Secret to Success is Failure?” The latter piece detailed the partnership of the KIPP Charter Schools and Riverdale Country School in New York City focused on character education. Their work on the traits they thought their students needed to succeed was based on research 26
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done by Martin Seligman and Angela Duckworth at the University of Pennsylvania. In EPS classrooms, faculty members are practiced in assessing how students think critically. We say things like “thinking drives content,” knowing that the cognitive skills that our students possess help them engage complex subject matter. The second mission point, acting responsibly, was something we had to do more work to flesh out. We talked about what habits of mind our students needed to be aware of to support their academic efforts. Once we defined what these habits were, we set about working to embed them in our culture—not mechanistically, but subtly and intentionally. Our faculty exchange reminded me of a great observation a swim coach once shared with my teammates and me. He said that while we had access to similar facilities, trained for similar time periods, and concentrated on similar techniques, what would define our success would be 1) how we thought about what we were doing, and 2) how able we were in visualizing our desired results. Success was about each yard we swam in the pool, and more specifically about the mindset we used when swimming each yard. Whether the endeavor is athletic or academic, the series of questions that you ask yourself over and over is essential to honing your performance. Ms. Sweet and Luca (Class of 2020) confer on an assignment.
The faculty’s next task was to start generating examples, guiding questions, and statements that captured each of the habits we thought composed responsible action. The goal was for both faculty and students to know responsible action when they saw it and when they were engaged in it. What follows is an overview of that work. 6 PREPAREDNESS: For any endeavor, it is important to have the right tools at hand.
Guiding Questions: What do I need to do for my next class? What do I need to have with me to be ready to engage? 6 ENGAGEMENT: As mentioned earlier, having the right mindset in place is also important. Guiding Questions: Is my mind active? Am I ready to ask good questions—of the material, of my teacher, of myself? 6 PERSEVERANCE: Few things worth doing or thinking are easy. Once you are engaged you need to figure out how you will remain so throughout your task or project. Guiding Questions: How will I learn the things I don’t understand right away? How am I going to push past things that seem boring, dull, or monotonous? How am I going to become interested in things, that, on the surface, are not interesting to me? 6 SELF-ADVOCACY: Knowing what resources and assistance you need, and when you need them, is a higher-level skill. Guiding Questions: What do I need in the moment to understand better? What does my teacher’s feedback mean? When I need help how do I ask for it—from my teacher, my classmates, my parents, and now, the online world? 6 COLLABORATION: For many, academics are a solitary pursuit focused on knowing more and being better. At EPS we take for granted that to learn well you need to learn with others. Understanding is solidified by exchange and interchange. This is a skill often talked about but not easily identified or quantified. At EPS collaboration means to partner, whether in a pair or a larger group. It is habit that elevates the previous four points. Guiding Questions: In what configuration do I learn best? In what group role do I thrive? In what group settings do I gain the most understanding?
Chris (Class of 2015) in class
As our dialogue evolved, a taxonomy (think Bloom’s Taxonomy or Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) or a hierarchy of skills emerged. At the bottom was the most basic skill needed to succeed academically, at the top was the most complex. The progression: Preparedness, Engagement, Perseverance, Self-Advocacy, Collaboration. Defining Responsible Action During the second half of each acaCOLLABORATION demic term, EPS students rate their I consistently enter group work ready performance in each class conto contribute and open to exchange. nected to preparedness, engagement, perseverSELF-ADVOCACY ance, and self-advocacy. I consistently act on my teacher’s feedback and suggestions They also reflect more for improvement, pursuing help when needed. globally on their progress with PERSERVERANCE each of these I consistently focus and put forth my best effort to learn habits. regardless of the difficulty of the material. ENGAGEMENT I consistently ask questions, show interest in the material and actively pursue understanding. PREPAREDNESS I consistently complete assignments on time and arrive ready to learn.
Summing Up: The Growth Mindset Consistency marks the realization of these Responsible Action Measures. Each needs to be modeled, practiced, and supported with feedback and reflection. As important as academic achievement are the ways of thinking and doing behind what you learn and what you know. As a faculty we know that these are fostered not by a fixed mindset, but one focused on growth. ¢ INSPIRE Fall 2014
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ALUMNI ABROAD E
PS ALUMNI HAVE travelled the globe in recent months for many reasons, including education, job opportunities, and to fulfill the EPS vision of “creating a better world.” Here are posts from abroad: Rachael Decker, Class of 2011 “I studied for four months at the London branch of AHA International, a program run through the University of Oregon. I went to see a session of Parliament while learning about British politics, visited Edinburgh while discussing the possibility of Scottish independence, walked around the Charles Dickens museum while reading Great Expectations, and toured Stratford-upon-Avon and saw a production of Henry IV, Part 1 after reading the play. To any EPS student who is considering studying abroad in college: do it, do it, do it! Coming from such a globally-focused high school, you are bound to do well.”
science, and medical classes. I greatly enjoyed being able to study the work of Hans Christian Andersen while living on the streets that he walked every day and study the works of the Impressionists and then travel to the city that inspired them all, Paris. Throughout my four months abroad I traveled to Stockholm, Italy, Vienna, Budapest, Paris, London, Norway, and Iceland.” Diane Halcoussis, Class of 2013 “I completed the Creative Writing course at the Scottish Universities International Summer School in Edinburgh, Scotland. I participated in lectures, workshops, and Master classes with published authors. I created a portfolio that contained poetry, children’s writing and a script! I also travelled to Gothenburg, Sweden (to visit former EPS exchange student, Agnes Gjertsson), Paris, Rouen, Nice, Monaco, and Barcelona. My favorite moments were strolling through Pierrefonds Castle (Camelot on the TV show “Merlin”), visiting the site where Joan of Arc was burned, climbing the bell tower at Notre Dame, and watching a spirited Flamenco performance.”
Catherine, Class of 2011 “This past semester I had the opportunity to travel abroad to Copenhagen, Demark and attend the Danish Institute for Study Abroad. In Copenhagen I took European history, art history, literature, neuro28
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Eric Wu, Class of 2011 “I was able to spend time in Edinburgh, Scotland this last summer through a study abroad program. I worked as a theatre intern, stayed in a hostel, attended lectures, and did a lot of reading. Although it felt like I was back at school, it was also a time for exploration. There were castles to see, museums to explore, and streets to walk down. I also took a trip to the Scottish parliament and a drive through the Scottish Highlands. These were a big help in understanding why the independence vote was such an important topic in Scotland.” Jeff Adair, Faculty from 2003-2013 “Monica and I arrived in Oman in mid-August, just a week before school started here. We’ve already enjoyed many adventures in our free time. We’ve walked through our neighborhood stores, toured the city of Muscat, went to the Souk (a famous market known for gold, silver and spices), and walked around the Sultan’s palace. Even after so little time here, we already have a list of amazing things that we want to see and do. We miss everyone but are settling in nicely and look forward to our time in Muscat.” ¢
STUDENT SELF-REFLECTION
A CONVERSATION WITH NICK
Nick (Class of 2015)
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What role do you think these habits might play in college and after college?
Do you think being self-reflective has an impact on your school experience?
As I am getting ready to apply for college, I find myself thinking a lot about life in college, and life after college. I realize EPS has already taught me some of the most important skills I will need to do well outside of their walls. The Responsible Action Measures will give me an advantage in college because they are real world skills.
T EASTSIDE PREP, REFLECTION IS A SCHOOL-WIDE ENDEAVOR. As you’ve read in other articles in this issue of Inspire, faculty and staff members are constantly reflecting and refining their craft in an effort to improve our students' experience. EPS students are also given the opportunity for self-reflection at various points in their school career. We asked EPS student Nick (’15) to respond to a few questions about his own journey through self-reflection and how he has utilized the Responsible Action Measures. The following are his responses.
Being self-reflective has had a positive impact on my school experience here at Eastside Prep. It has allowed me to see where I have improved, or where I may need to work harder.
How do you define each of the Responsible Action Measures (preparedness, engagement, perseverance and self-advocacy)? Preparedness to me is simply the ability to come to class having everything you need to be able to rock. I am fully aware of what I need and what I will be doing that day. The scheduling tools on Canvas have given me the ability to know what I need to do and what I will
need to bring in order to have the best class day possible. Engagement is being fully present in class. Perseverance means putting in the extra mile to do well. This could be studying an extra hour for that test in the class you’re not doing too well in or continuing that worksheet you did in class but didn’t finish. Self-advocacy is the most important skill I have learned at EPS and is 100% the most important skill in the outside world.
Collaboration is the fifth Responsible Action Measure. How do you see this important for daily learning at EPS? Collaboration is extremely important in daily life at EPS, and is a major reason I was drawn to this school in the first place. There is collaboration everywhere, whether it be students and teachers working together to find the most effective teaching method, students working together to form a greater understanding of a concept or subject, or even two classes collaborating together to show the connections between the different subjects.
Any advice for incoming ninth graders? The best advice I can give to incoming ninth graders is not to be afraid to ask questions. Never be afraid to ask “why” and dig deeper into the concept. Also, work hard but have fun. Teachers want you to take the class seriously but not so seriously it stops being interesting or even fun. I wish you all luck and hope you enjoy EPS just as much as I have. It really is an amazing place. ¢
Left: Dr. Benaloh and Sophia (Class of 2020) review work in math class. Right: Lindsay and Fina (both Class of 2016) read together.
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Reimagining ReimaginingTechnology Technology By Jonathan Briggs, Director of Technology
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E HAVE SEEN A REMARKABLE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF STUDENTS interested in programming over the last year. We have been growing our tech program organically for the last decade. We’ve met the need, experimented with some alternative delivery models, and learned a great deal about what works well. This year, we embarked on a mission to reimagine our tech offerings and increase the exposure to, and opportunities to interact with, some of the most powerful tools that humans have invented. The overarching mission of the technology discipline at Eastside Prep is guided by this question: What are the things we can do today in order to have our students thrive in the world ten to twenty years from now? Those items run the gamut from presentation skills, ability to work with and motivate people and, counter-intuitively, some grounding in old ideas (which tend to reappear throughout history as the pendulum swings). In particular, the courses specific to tech education are geared towards problem solving, abstraction, thoroughness, empowerment and an understanding of what can be accomplished by computers (and networks). Through that process there is also an acknowledgement that we are as much teaching today’s tools as we are building strategies for students to discover and use the tools of tomorrow. With those goals in mind, we solicited some opinions and ideas from some of our parents who work in tech-related jobs (of which there are many). Some of these sessions were invited round tables and others were informal conversations after a grade-level breakfast or during a community event. Other parents proactively sought us out in person or over email to weigh in. We know we didn’t talk to everyone but we definitely got a significant sampling of opinions on the topic. We learned three things in that process. First, everyone agreed that there are more topics of value in the world of tech than can be squeezed into fifth through twelfth grade. Second, Eastside Prep’s abstract notions about how technology courses should be taught resonates. Finally, we could spend forever and a day debating which languages to use and which topics were essential to cover. Two important lessons
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came out of these discussions. First, that all of our courses should be taught in a way to ensure that they build on a series of small successes. And second, that we serve two distinct audiences. One audience is interested in building programs and considering tech-related careers. The other audience is not interested in tech careers but will spend considerable time interacting with software, and may work on teams with technical people. With all of these considerations in mind, we have developed the following sequence of experiences and we are excited to implement them this year. Fifth and Sixth Grade: Students will do the Hour of Code and other micro units in programming as enhancements to our existing courses. Seventh and Eighth Grade: Students will be introduced into the two bands of tech courses that we have. In seventh grade, they will be introduced to programming via the Botz course. This new course will use Lego EV3 controllers to make Lego creations complete various tasks. Botz is a pass/no pass course designed primarily to expose students to topics and challenges in technology. The
Tallie (Class of 2019) works on her laptop.
eighth graders then get an introduction to our other band of courses in information and media through Communication in the Digital Age, which includes some basics of HTML and CSS. Additionally, some of our Middle School arts classes include tech components. Drawing and Painting has a unit on image editing, and Documentary Film gives students an introduction to video editing. In the Upper School, the tech courses are part of our elective program. Most of our students engage in at least one technology course during their time in the Upper School. There are many ways to approach building a tech curriculum and there are far more topics that are worthy of coverage than could ever fit into a student’s schedule (we have to leave them some things to learn in college). In our case, we chose building a web application as the eventual target for students in our courses. We could have decided to emphasize something like building a game, or building a compiler instead but landed on the web app for a few reasons. The primary reason was that all of our students will be interacting with web apps for the foreseeable future. They might be users of them, creators of them, managing teams that write them or trying to sell products through one. In any case, a deeper understanding of what is and isn’t possible will be of benefit even if the last "for loop" they ever write is in high school.
Within each of the courses below, lab activities will have a variety of paths for students to challenge themselves with, and experienced students can place directly into the second level programming course. The progression of courses is the following: Programming 1: Expects no prior exWeb Design 1: Introduces students to perience with programming (experiHTML, CSS and the Bootstrap libraries. enced students can place directly into Web Design 2: Explores advanced Programming 2). Students start with topics in HTML, CSS and introduces Scratch and are introduced to JavaSJavaScript. cript. Independent Studies: Every year Programming 2: Armed with some a handful of students pursue programming tools, students work independent studies in tech. Courses towards being able to write a program have included building mobile apps, that solves a problem. Students work web apps, electrical engineering and with JavaScript. understanding cloud infrastructure. Programming 3: Algorithms and Data The intent of the Independent Study Structures—with the experience of program is to allow students to branch writing a program, we look at some into whatever area of technology they fundamental computer science. Stufind the most interesting with some dents are free to use other languages mentorship. by permission of the instructor. It should also be noted that we have a few Upper School courses that integrate tech and arts. In particular, Physical Meets Digital offers up a trimester-long experience in our maker space, introducing students to laser and vinyl cutting, 3D printing as well as Arduino microcontrollers. This necessitates some familiarity with Computer-Aided Design programs as well as vector graphics. Additionally, some arts classes offer introductions to image editing (Graphic Design) and video editing (Digital Reality 1 and Digital Reality 2). With another ten pages, we might be able to convey all the thinking that goes into these decisions but we’ll have to table those for future discussions. We are very excited about the shifts coming for 2014-2015 and even have an additional course in the works that we plan to launch in 2015-2016 (stay tuned). Once again, thank you for all the opinions and ideas shared with us over the past year. ¢
Left to right: Christy (Class of 2017) in class. Ms. Brandt works with Lauren and Sonia (both Class of 2021). Daniel and Maxwell (both Class of 2021) collaborate. Mr. Briggs works with Bohn (Class of 2019) to refine his Make@EPS project.
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NEW Board Members By Wendy Lawrence, Former Faculty
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ASTSIDE PREP IS PROUD TO WELCOME FOUR new members to the Board of Trustees beginning this fall. Each of these individuals brings a unique perspective and life experience to the Board.
Jennifer Hallman Experiencing the benefits of an independent school in high school gave Jennifer Hallman a lifelong appreciation for the palpable impact of gifted teaching. Jennifer continues to value these benefits through a new perspective: her daughter’s experience at Eastside Prep. After graduating from Pacific Lutheran University, Jennifer has worked for several non-profits and schools. She has also served as a northwest liaison for her alma mater since 1988. Her job experience ranges from non-profit fundraising to implementing new technologies in schools and major corporations. Hallman is an avid school volunteer and supporter of philanthropy, and is excited to play a larger role at EPS. “One of the most impressive accomplishments at EPS was the bold goal to create a college preparatory school where students of all kinds can excel academically within a community where they feel known and supported.” Jennifer and her husband, Derek, live in Woodinville with their daughters, one in the EPS class of 2020 and one about to apply. Jennifer is an avid equestrian, quilter, and seamstress. Ellen McDermott Charney Ellen is a computer security scientist with more than twenty-five years of experience designing, developing and operating security components and integrated solutions for distributed computing systems and devices. She has worked in public and private sectors, including at NSA, BBN, and Microsoft. She was a senior security architect for two successful startups, OpenVision and Open Market, and led a 32
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security team through the JPMorgan and Chase merger as well as the rebuild after 9/11. Currently the Chief Information Security Officer at Atiego, a data analytics startup, Ellen earned her MS in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts as well as joint BS degrees in Computer Science and Business Management/Marketing from Boston College. She holds patents, has published papers, and for ten years now has been involved in updating math and science curriculum in public and private education. Ellen’s son Kevin chose EPS. “When I discovered the innovative learning environment and how much has been accomplished in ten short years, I knew I wanted to be part of the next evolutionary phase.” Ellen lives with her husband, three children, and their dog. Kimberly Merino Before she was a mother, Kimberly was a nurse manager for the second largest ER in New York City. Which, let’s be honest, was good practice for being a mother. It was also good practice for being a school volunteer, which she has done for the past ten years as a grade level representative and a volunteer coordinator. At Eastside Prep, she hopes to “build on the sense of belonging and develop a broad base for parent involvement, especially needed as EPS goes through its physical changes.” She’s excited to be here during the construction, which she sees as a way for EPS to better showcase its vision. Like many EPS parents, she followed her son to the school. “Think. Act. Lead. Innovate,” she quotes. “How could you not want to support that?” As the new PA President, Kim will be serving as an ex-officio member of the board. Kimberly has four children, a huge Mastiff, numerous cats, and a husband who travels. “When I’m not attending to a kid, I am in the boxing gym. Free time? What’s that?”
Scott Schaefer Scott Schaefer began his twenty-fiveyear investment career immediately after completing his MBA at Wharton. After working in New York with Prudential and the Loews Corporation, he heeded the call of entrepreneurship and headed to the Pacific Northwest to join Steelhead Partners. “Starting with just $6 million in partnership and employee capital in 2005, the fund is now approaching $700 million in investor capital and $1.25 billion in investment assets.” Schaefer sees a parallel between the path of Steelhead and EPS. “We went through every stage—concept, planning, documentation, marketing, launch, growth, and finally, maturity—over the same time frame. I grapple in my business with the tradeoffs between growth and the benefits of remaining small. Similarly, I believe that EPS’s challenge will be to find the right size for fulfilling its mission optimally.” Purposeful growth isn’t just an idea Scott is bringing to EPS—it’s the way he has lived his life. Scott and his wife Melissa came to EPS looking to fully engage their oldest son in school. “As Thomas (Class of 2018) completes his fourth year, and Colin (’21) his first, our highest hopes have been fulfilled.” Scott and Melissa love the Northwest lifestyle. If they aren’t watching their kids play soccer, you can find them skiing, hiking, biking, or walking their dog, Squirrel. ¢
FIVE YEAR Service Awardees
By Wendy Lawrence, Former Faculty
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N 2009, EASTSIDE PREP HAD A SMALL FACULTY OF ONLY thirty-two members. Five years later, many of the faculty who were new to EPS that year are still with us and they have some great perspectives on our school, students, and culture. Doug Blair, Director of Athletics Doug describes his job as “promoting EPS Eagle pride around campus and in the community,” which is probably why he’s so good at it. “I enjoy getting to know athletes, coaches, and administrators from other schools.” Doug loves how supportive EPS is of anyone’s passion. “Whether someone is a beginner or an expert singer, soccer player, chess enthusiast, etc., they know that if they show commitment and passion, they will be celebrated by the community.” In his free time, Doug likes to be out and about with his wife and three children, building furniture, playing music, and battling dandelions. Theron Cross, Science, Math, and Technology Teacher In addition to teaching a wide variety of courses (including Conceptual and Advanced Physics, Programming 1 and 2, and Precalculus), Theron runs the EPS maker space and coaches cross country and track and field. Cross loves that “EPS trusts its teachers to do what’s best for their students. The emphasis on caring relationships between students and teachers is what I’ve come to appreciate the most.” Asked about his free time, Theron says, “I recently bought three Buff Orpington chickens. There’s something remarkably meditative about gardening surrounded by chickens.” continued }} INSPIRE Fall 2014
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Katie Dodd, MS Science Teacher, Grade-Level Coordinator (Seventh Grade), Assistant Volleyball Coach EPS students are “always up for a challenge and are such enthusiastic, good sports in the classroom.” Teaching them, Katie’s become more comfortable taking time to listen and answer their questions. “I even let the seventh graders choose a topic of study (they chose viruses).” Katie takes advantage of Eastside Prep’s close-knit and supportive community. “I’ve worked hard with our GSH teachers to scaffold larger assignments in ways that help all of our students.” Her work pays off, “Nothing makes me happier than hearing that students who previously thought they weren't 'good at science' have had a change of heart.” At home, she mostly chases her son Henry. Paul Hagen, Middle School History Teacher, Tennis Coach, Director of Student Life “The Middle School is a dynamic place with lots of energy, which I’ve always appreciated.” In the past five years, Hagen has helped develop the Social Science curriculum, advocated for meaningful student service, run clubs, and promoted student travel. “I always try to push the school to be the best possible version of itself.” In response, “Eastside Prep has helped me think more broadly about the future of education and my place in it.” As the father of three boys under six, Hagen can usually be found wrestling or building Legos. His favorite hobby is pottery. “I like to joke that I want to be a potter when I grow up.” Dr. Kelly Moore, Director of Student Services It’s hard to find an area of the school Kelly Moore doesn’t touch. She oversees Learning Support and Guided Study Hall, social emotional curriculum, and the peer mentor program. She counsels students and runs parent education events, and teaches an occasional psychology course. “EPS has allowed me to work with kids in a much more holistic way. More specifically, when working with a 34
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student, I am also working with his or her teaching team, parents, outside provider, and sometimes classmates.” Kelly spends free time with husband Gary and her kids, Elizabeth and Conor. She loves cooking, skiing, running, and yoga. Sam Uzwack, Middle School Head “In five years, there has not been a day alike,” Sam says. “I might meet with a parent, observe a class, remind a student of expectations, then discuss math instruction. I’m passionate about education, so to be on the frontlines is perfect.” Sam’s first love at EPS is the people. “Our faculty, staff, students, and parents are a wonderfully diverse group of fascinating folks who are (mostly) all pointed in the same direction.” And this benefits our students. “Kids will reach any bar so long as they have support and a solid relationship with their teacher.” Sam loves to camp with his family. He also serves on the Board of Trustees at The Little School. Kelly Fox Violette, Spanish Teacher, Volleyball Coach Kelly (who added Violette to her name last year after her marriage) starts her day trying to energize a group of teenagers at 8:00 in the morning “by cracking jokes and singing songs in Spanish.” At lunch she usually sits near an advisor of a student she wants to discuss. Then she updates her lesson plans, meets with students, and teaches again, all before driving a bus full of kids to a climbing gym. She loves it all. “There are a million reasons to smile and laugh. I genuinely like everyone at EPS, from my bosses to the students and parents.” Kelly also likes long distance trail running, swimming, climbing, and eating lots of dark chocolate. ¢
In this issue of Inspire, we digress from our tradition of asking an Eastside Prep faculty or staff member to tell us what’s on their bookshelf. Instead, Librarian Karen Mills asked Middle Schoolers to recommend books for other Middle School students to read over the summer. Below are the books those Middle Schoolers would take off their shelf to recommend to a friend.
Charleigh, Class of 2020, says that Yellowfang’s Secret by Erin Hunter has “great detail, great plot, great everything!” She recommends the book, which is part of the Warriors saga, and tells the story of Yellowfang, “a little kit with a dream as a warrior.” The Unwanted Series by Lisa McMann is recommended to all Middle Schoolers by Grady, Class of 2018. Grady enjoyed many aspects of the entire series which follows Alex, a thirteen-yearold labeled as “Unwanted” and is therefore set for elimination. Natalie, Class of 2019, recommended both Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson and The Hobbit – An Unexpected Journey by J.R.R. Tolkein. Wintergirls is the tale of a teen fighting anorexia and in Natalie’s words, “fights her stomach and mind for her body.” Natalie promises Tolkein’s classic will take you to a “world that you won’t want to leave…it’s just so magical.” “This adventure novel fills me with passion and excitement,” states Maxwell (Class of 2021) about Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. Maxwell suggests the book to fifth and sixth graders “if you like adventure and tall tales. Also, if you aspire to be a hunter!”
What’s on Your Bookshelf? Rick Riordan’s The Red Pyramid is recommended by Evan, Class of 2021, who says the book is an exciting adventure that is “kinda long but worth it.” Evan’s favorite character is Carter, a boy who is “super funny and awesome.” Emma (Class of 2018) recommends Gary D. Schmidt’s Okay for Now as it follows the main character who moves to a new town and makes a new (and unlikely) friendship. Emma cites this quote as her favorite: “You know, when someone has been crying, something gets left in the air. It’s not something you can see or smell, or feel. Or draw. But it’s there.” Hatchet by Gary Paulson is recommended by Conor, Class of 2020. The story follows Brian who must survive in the Canadian forest after an airplane crash. Conor describes his favorite scene, when Brian “finds the emergency pack from the plane and describes it like being Christmas to him.” Nicholas Taylor’s Legon Awakening is suggested by Nessa (Class of 2018) for all Middle Schoolers. Nessa won’t share her favorite scene since “it is pretty much the biggest spoiler for the entire series” but says this is one of her favorite books. The story follows Legon as he flees a war, leaving everything he knows to keep his loved ones safe.
Divergent by Veronica Roth is recommended by Lidya, Class of 2021. Lidya describes the main character’s best friend, Christina, as her favorite character for her courage. She suggests the book because “it is full of action, suspense, is written beautifully, has romance and is a thriller.”
Sarah, Class of 2020, recommends Pegasus and the Flame of Olympus by Kate O’Hearn because “it has animals, mythology and a girl my age” as well as some history. Sara adds a postscript to “read the series.”
Panchali, Class of 2021, recommends Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan. The book tells the story of Charlotte, a stagecoach driver in the Wild West who becomes the first woman to vote…while disguised as a man. Panchali refers to Charlotte as “strong, amazing and pretty brave” and says the book is “out of this world outstanding.”
Sam Uzwack, Middle School Head, recommended the book Call of the Wild by Jack London for seventh and eighth graders. Sam cites the scene when “Buck defeats Spitz and takes over the dogsled team” as his favorite section and recommends the book because it is a “challenging read written in a beautiful manner.”
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This page, from left to right: Students on the ropes course at Camp Long; Tallie (Class of 2019) during Make@EPS; students toured Havana, Cuba
EBC WEEK
By Paul Hagen, Director of Student Life
D
URING ONE WEEK IN MAY something peculiar happens at Eastside Preparatory School. Classrooms are abandoned, homework is ignored, textbooks are closed, computers are shut down, lesson plans are set aside, and “typical school” grinds to a halt. This peculiar week is not, however, a time of inaction or academic abandonment. In fact, some of the best educational opportunities and some of the deepest learning that occurs at EPS takes place not in the classroom, or on campus, but instead when students intentionally break from their regular school work to explore the wider world around them. Travel, whether local, domestic, or international, is transformative. When students venture beyond their typical schedule and immerse themselves in new experiences they simply cannot avoid being positively impacted and significantly changed. And so, each May the EPS community sets aside one week as our Education Beyond the Classroom (EBC) Week, which is designed to give students the space and time to explore, discover, create, and reflect. “The amazing thing about the EBC program,” observed one gleeful student, “is that it provides an 36
experience or amazing opportunity for every student. That is unique to Eastside Prep, and is one of the largest highlights of each year for both me and my friends.” Beyond sheer joy and excitement, it is obvious that this one deliberate week of inspiration and exploration fosters remarkable growth. Schools, of course, are places where incremental growth is expected and encouraged, but this one week is different—the growth is magnified, multiplied, and accelerated. Students return from their diverse EBC adventures with more vigor, insight, and academic maturity; they bring back to EPS new energy, weightier questions, and fresh perspectives. This last year students participated in thirteen extraordinary EBC Week experiences from hiking the Grand Canyon, which one student described as being “in a national lampoon movie, in a good way,” to kayaking in Baja, Mexico. From exploring the Olympic Peninsula, to using state-of-the-art laser cutters and 3D printers to bring depth and dimension to their wildest imaginings. One group of students produced their own movie from start to finish, from script writing to final editing, while another group of soon-to-be-college-bound juniors and sophomores toured the very colleges to which they may soon
EASTSIDE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
apply. Students were simultaneously visiting the San Juan Islands, touring Seattle’s rich art scene, and enjoying theatrical productions, including the world premiere of A Wrinkle in Time, at Ashland’s globally renowned Shakespeare festival. Although these experiences were disparate in many ways, and each student returned with their own unique story to tell, they all shared a common thread. Each EBC Week experience exposed students to new ideas, peoples, and ways of thinking about the world, and each experience was truly transformative. Purposeful travel, whether far afield or close at hand, sharpens perspective, challenges convention, piques curiosity, and promotes serious learning. Seneca, the great first century Roman thinker, put it this way, “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” He was right in the sense that the act of travelling from here to anywhere is the act of stretching one’s own horizons, looking beyond what you have seen before, and developing new ways of thinking about the world and your place in it. You simply cannot hold onto your old ideas, or indeed your old self, if you travel with open eyes and an open mind. This alert, clear-headed travel characterizes our EBC Week
experiences, and it was certainly true of the students who ventured to an isolated Mayan village in Guatemala where they partnered with civic leaders and worked to serve the community there. During the trip they stayed in the homes of locals which allowed them to practice the Spanish they had learned in class. They experienced firsthand a different and beautiful culture, and they returned with a fresh appreciation for the current challenges facing Latin America, as well as a deeper understanding of the history and language they had been exposed to. The EBC trip to Washington, D.C. was also culturally enlightening. “My trip to D.C. was not only educational,” beamed one student upon returning, “but an amazing cultural experience. I felt like I was able to be immersed
into a new culture while still being inside the United States, which has changed my perspective of the way our country works and how different two different places can be.” In addition to the cultural differences found in our nation’s capital, students also saw how our federal government functions. They learned the historical contexts of the political debates that are sure to influence us for generations, and they considered what role individual citizens can have as policy is shaped. Another group also spent time considering governmental structures and political movements. “Travelling to Havana and Viñales in Cuba was a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” wrote one student. While in Cuba the group met with locals to discuss culture, politics, and international relations. This firsthand look at the historical and political realities that have kept Cuba isolated from the United States for so long gave our students a perspective that the vast majority of Americans simply do not have. As one student commented, “Exposure to this sort of situation provided me the context to think critically about certain political values, particularly in the context of the different problems that we face in the United States.” Students not only spent time learning history and politics, but also exploring the culture of Cuba. They visited artists’ workshops, and joined a group of their Cuban contemporaries as they
worked to restore a historical building in Old Havana. “Though cultural exposure in general is vital for an effective education,” reflected a student upon returning, “travel to such a place as Cuba adds a whole different layer of critical thinking to this experience.” Another was equally introspective, “I can definitely say that I view politics now with a more objective viewpoint, and I have a better understanding of how culture comes together with government to influence the politics of the country. Very few people can say that they have similar opportunities at their schools.” As we launch a new and exciting school year, we look forward to what promises to be another significant EBC Week. Changes will inevitably come to the program as we constantly refine and improve it. Some EBC experiences will be modified to better serve our students, others will be added to the roster. New opportunities will be mined, new trips will be designed, and new important learning experiences will be adopted. But some things will never change. These trips and experiences will continue to be an important and memorable aspect of and EPS education, and they will continue to be transformative in the lives of our students. Back at EPS one student describing his EBC experience captured this sentiment for the entire student body when he said simply, “It was life-changing, you know?” ¢
Above, top left to right: Christy and other students paint buildings at a school in Guatemala; students at Lincoln Memorial on the Washington DC trip; Josie (’17) tries her hand at glassblowing during the Seattle Arts and Culture experience as Josh (’15) looks on. Bottom: Sonia and Ellie (both Class of 2021) at Camp Orkila.
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NEW FACES Ian Duncan
US English, Social Science
Vandana Chalana PE: Yoga
Virginia “Ginger” Ellingson
Steve Fassino
Sam French
US Math
US Social Science
F&PA: Music
Kathleen Goodman
Sarah Hollingshead
David Holmes
Brian Hutcheson
Chris Legrand
Roger Mack
Gunnar Mein
Todd Nystrom
Josefa Ruiz
Roz Sobel
Learning Support Coordinator
Technology Systems Administrator
MS Mathematical Thinking, Scientific Thinking
Technology
F&PA: Drama
F&PA: Instrumental Music
Visual Art, F&PA Director
Spanish
US Social Science
MS Spanish
By Wendy Lawrence, Founding Faculty
Shital Stack US Math
Jeff Sternitzky
Facilities and Operations Manager
Ryan Winkelmann
MS Historical Thinking
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EASTSIDE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
A
World of Experience
Eastside Prep welcomes a number of new employees this year, and they bring a world of experience. New Fine and Performing Arts Director Brian “Hutch” Hutcheson has taught art in Bangkok. Parttime programming teacher Gunnar Mein was born and raised in Germany. New Spanish teacher Josefa Ruiz is from Spain, has a PhD from the University of Mercia, Spain, and taught business administration there for fifteen years before moving to the United States. Roz Sobel has spent considerable time in Mexico, Argentina, and France, and in addition to the Spanish language she teaches, she speaks French and Italian as well as a little bit of German, Portuguese, and Japanese. And Steve Fassino is a Tennessee boy who loves southern cooking (but not so much the music).
Not only do these faculty members bring a diversity of culture with them, they truly embrace it. English teacher Ian Duncan is one example of someone who knows that culture is something to actively nurture. Proud of his Scottish heritage, Duncan once hiked 250 miles from Aberdeen, Scotland to Inverness, and studied at the University of London for a year, where a lifelong passion for Shakespeare took root.
New Faces, New Ideas With new faculty members come new ideas and new opportunities for our students, some of which are already shaping up. Shital Stack, a new full-time math teacher and math team coach, is designing “extreme math” electives to challenge the strongest math students. “There’s nothing like seeing a student understand how things work and why,” she says. Stack is from Chicago, where she met her husband at the University of Illinois. They flew back in May of this year to get married. Gunnar Mein is shaping the programming curriculum. He teaches a seventh-grade coding through robotics course (called “Botz”) and an Upper School elective, Programming 3: Algorithms and Data Structures. His son, a Middle School student, preceded him at EPS. Mein was pulled in when he started the Robotics Club and found the staff “focused, open, accessible, and with a sense of humor—not something taken for granted in a school! There is a definite ‘can do’ attitude here, and things move intentionally, and fast.” Mein isn’t the only Eastside Prep parent to take on an official position at EPS this year. Jeff Sternitzky, who is the parent of three current EPS students, brings his experience managing facilities departments to EPS as the new Facilities and Operations Manager. And Vandana Chalana will be joining the EPS teaching team this year to teach yoga classes. Chalana is a Trustee and has two children at Eastside Prep. Brian Hutcheson is excited to teach fine arts and shape the curriculum as the new Director of Fine and Performing Arts. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design with a Master of Arts in Teaching Art and Design Education, he’s taught pre-K through twelfth grade and looks forward to a collaborative community. He lives with his wife, five-year-old daughter, and a greyhound (whom he has to fight for the best chair in the house). It can be daunting to take on a new job, but everyone was so excited to join the welcoming, collaborative
community of Eastside Prep. Ryan Winklemann says he will have “HUGE shoes to fill” when teaching the sixthand seventh-grade history classes previously taught by Paul Hagen. Winkelmann is excited to return to Eastside Prep after taking a temporary position two years ago. “I want my curriculum to intellectually and emotionally engage my students, so much so that their parents want to be a part of their learning.” Of course, no one is simply filling a set of shoes. Every new teacher brings a diverse set of skills from which EPS students will benefit. And they all like a good challenge, not just for their students, but for themselves as well. Steve Fassino has coached cross country and soccer. Winkelmann, who will also coach Ultimate, recently started teaching himself to do everything with his weak (left) side, and thinks it’s helping him think more creatively. Kathleen Goodman recently started teaching Power Yoga and Pure Barre classes, and Ginger Ellingson toured with the UW Chamber Singers last summer and sang in the Latvian Song Festival with 10,000 other singers! Todd Nystrom brings his extensive background in music to Eastside Prep. Nystrom, who will teach Instrumental Music along with Ellingson, is a song writer and private music instructor with experience in music production. Josefa Ruiz has founded her own school, a Spanish cooperative preschool where parents are the teachers. Chris Legrand adopted a cat that initially terrified him—but has now stolen his heart.
Support for Faculty and Students One of the great things about Eastside Prep is the tremendous amount of support it gives to its teachers and students, support that makes all these big ideas and interdisciplinary dreams possible. Kathleen Goodman joins our team as the Learning Support Coordinator to help faculty and Guided Study Hall teachers identify strategies that fit with individual learning styles. In addition to this work, Goodman likes to encourage her students to find a cause in the community that resonates with them. “Volunteering helps us understand our community and also helps us look at life from a different perspective.” Roger Mack supports faculty on the technological side, running day-to-day network and server administration, and helping with technical support and programming and database management. continued on following page } INSPIRE Fall 2014
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Winners of the
Purposeful Growth Like Eastside Prep, our new faculty have taken time to purposefully grow and change. After leaving college early, Ian Duncan took a job at the UW so he could take free classes and finish his degree. He says the experience “shaped my fundamental belief in the power and the necessity of higher education.” As he passes that along to his students, Duncan is “passionate about getting students to not only think for themselves, but to express those ideas in creative and meaningful ways.” Roz Sobel was happy in international marketing and sales for Fortune 500 companies for thirty years before wanting something more. Teaching Spanish lets her share her cross-cultural experiences with Eastside Prep students, one of whom is her son. Some current members of the EPS team will be changing their roles this year. David Holmes will be teaching both stagecraft and drama classes this year. After being a long term substitute at Eastside Prep as well as spending time with students in the afterschool program, Sarah Hollingshead returns to teach both math and science in the Middle School. And Sam French will be taking on the role of teacher (with one history class) as well as continuing his role working with the Admissions and Institutional Advancement teams. Steve Fassino, incoming math teacher, started on a career to teach college students, but moved to the high school level “to have a greater opportunity to connect and impact the lives of my students.” Roger Mack was in the middle of a chemistry degree because he wanted to teach when he found positions that would let him stay in his beloved IT world while also connecting with students. Before EPS, he was the Broadcast IT Coordinator for Central Washington University’s campus radio station where he managed volunteers and students. He’s now really excited to “work with students in a technology-empowered environment.” Chris Legrand, Upper School history, has lived on the East Coast his whole life and taught at the same school his whole career. But he left that behind because he believes in EPS. “I believe sometimes we must act boldly and take personal risks to grow personally and professionally. I am leaving behind a large network of family and friends because EPS represents a chance for me to be a finer version of myself.” And with an impressive array of new faculty, with people like Legrand seeking out EPS because the challenges and hard work it brings will lead to finer versions of themselves, it seems the only thing we can expect is a finer version of our students, and a finer version of our school. ¢
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EASTSIDE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
By Wendy Lawrence, Founding Faculty
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HE ALICE STRONG Award (named for one of Eastside Prep’s foremost volunteers) is presented each year to one or more members of our community in appreciation for their support of the people and programs of Eastside Prep. This last spring four EPS parents were recognized for their efforts over the past school year. Gunnar Mein Gunnar Mein says it was a combination of free time, aspirations in education, and his very positive first impression of the EPS community that led him to volunteer. “The majority of my volunteer time is spent running Epsilon, our USFIRST FTC robotics team, although I am increasingly involved in imagining the EPS computer programming curriculum. I like to see students deeply involve themselves in a subject that is important to them. Often, there are only small things that stand between their current selves and new levels of understanding, and it is very rewarding to be there when they make those transitions.” Mein has coached robotics at
Alice Strong Award EPS since October 2013 and started this year as a part-time teacher. In his other life, he coded for thirty-five years, mostly at Microsoft, and still does occasional consulting. When asked what he does in his spare time, he finds that he spends most of it at EPS. He’s also working on software projects for himself, writing science fiction, and playing golf and tennis. Oh, and he drives his kids around. “A LOT. I am chief valet to the dog.” Deb Nussbaum Deb Nussbaum loves volunteering at EPS. “I value the opportunity to observe and interact with the warm and intelligent staff, faculty, and students while I’m on campus, and enjoy feeling useful if they are shorthanded and I can help in some way. And besides,” she jokes, “it’s a great way to spy on my kids.” Nussbaum was drawn to EPS for her twin sons and has volunteered here since they began as students. You might have heard her answering the phones, seen her at the Parent Association meetings, or enjoyed the results of her planning efforts at our Fall Harvest events. Nussbaum originally served as the Vice President of Hospitality and became the PA president last year. “She’s been a steady, guiding
force on the PA Executive Committee and an active participant at Board meetings,” says Vickie Baldwin. “I don’t know what we’ll do without her.” Nussbaum’s sons graduated last spring. Nussbaum has a BA in Nursing and a Masters in Marital and Family Therapy. She loves biking, skiing, hiking, gardening, and even reading in the sun, and will remember her time at EPS fondly. “One of the greatest moments was watching Dr. Macaluso play her accordion at this year’s Winter Celebration. It was a riot and a true community crowd pleaser!” Gary Schimek and Margaret Bay Gary Schimek and his wife, Margaret Bay (not pictured), started volunteering in their children’s schools when they attended a co-op preschool, and they haven’t stopped. As part of the new EPS Sports Booster program, Gary and Margaret provide support to athletic teams and organize other parent volunteers to do the same. “And of course,” Gary says, “we attend as many athletic events as possible—while cheering loudly!” The Booster program is a schoolwide effort to lead EPS athletics through purposeful change. “What seems to have changed—through
the hard work of coaches, faculty, and players—is a push towards more competitive teams without (and this is the key piece) losing the underlying foundation of being welcoming and supportive to all interested students no matter their skill level and experience.” Fellow award winner Deb Nussbaum called the Booster program one of the most significant recent changes at EPS. “The whole school benefits, and athletes and their families feel well supported,” she says. Volunteering for sports is not a new activity for Margaret and Gary. They’ve been actively involved in youth sports for over eight years. Their positions have included head coach, team manager, parent liaison, and board member, and the sports they’ve supported include Ultimate, softball, track & field, soccer, football, cross country, and golf. “We value this particular volunteer time because we have witnessed amazing (and sometimes completely unexpected) personal and team growth with every team, every year.” Plus, they get to be on the sidelines, in the action, with their children, their friends, and fellow parents. When they aren’t cheering for the Eagles, Gary and Margaret both work with Seattle Public Utilities, Gary as a Senior Manager and Margaret as a Water Quality Scientist. ¢
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Eastside Prep students receive recognition for their achievements outside the classroom. A
a. Xandria (’15) competed in the state track meet in pole vault.
B
C
D
E
F
G
b. Steven Benaloh (’14) competed in the World Junior Ultimate Championships. His team made it to the finals of that competition. c. Bertwocane (‘17) won second place for her submission to the Center for Spanish Studies´ statewide photography contest. Her submission to this contest, run by the Education Office of the Consulate General of Spain, had a theme of “Esta es mi familia” (This Is My Family). d. Gavin (’20) took the AMC 10 math contest intended for tenth grade students as a sixth grader. He came in fourth in our school and scored only one point below the third place winner.
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e. Connor (’15) was part of a five-person team from the Lake Washington Watershed Internship Program which won the NW Region Envirothon. The Envirothon is an all-day competition in which participants research, are tested on and present on an environmental topic. f. Jamin (‘17) applied and was accepted into the competitive six-week Architecture Summer Camp program at the University of Pennsylvania.
EASTSIDE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
g. Gabi (’20) competes in multiple events on two different gymnastics teams. In the past year she has qualified for state, regional and national competitions. h. Nick (’15) spent four weeks last summer studying medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman Medical School. Nick attended lectures, watched surgeries, and toured local emergency rooms with eighty students from around the world.
H
Has your child accomplished something exciting outside of school? If so, we’d like to highlight his or her efforts in an upcoming issue of Inspire. Please contact Vickie Baldwin at vbaldwin@eastsideprep.org.
Letter from the Head of School and Board President
T
HROUGHOUT THE VARIOUS SPEECHES AT GRADUATION AND Continuation ceremonies last spring, a common theme emerged—that a group of distinct and unique individuals has come together to form a tightly bonded community. In his graduation speech, Jordan Decker credits “hundreds of friends, so many teachers and this true EPS family” with helping him catch a glimpse of who he could be. Taylor Wilke’s graduation speech thanked the community around her for “the opportunity to try new things and explore my interests.” And two longtime members of our community, Byron Bishop and Jeff Adair, were acknowledged and honored at Graduation for their particular impact on our EPS community and culture. They became the third and fourth recipients of the Head’s Distinguished Service Award. Only two other people in EPS history have received this award— Wendy Lawrence, Founding Faculty and former Middle School Head, and Janet Levinger, Founding Trustee and Trustee Emerita. It’s hard to say exactly how a community is built or a culture is created, but it’s easy to see when the pieces come together to create just the right atmosphere. This feeling of community was evident multiple times during the 2013-2014 school year: watching students bond with new and returning classmates on the first day of school and then seeing them really do the work of getting to know each other on Fall Overnight trips. Parent events such as Fall Harvest and our brand new Winter Celebration event were both well-attended, creating a concern about how to follow up on the highly anticipated and well-received accordion concert. And then there’s the All School BBQ, an event that started a few years ago with 100 or so community members in attendance. This year, the event truly earned its moniker of “Super Q”— over 700 people attended that event making it the largest gathering ever held on the EPS campus. And although financial support may not always be a great indicator of community, it must be said that the Eastside Prep community responded to two very important fundraising events in 2013-2014 in a way that could not have been anticipated. The Annual Fund, which has traditionally taken the entire school year to conduct, was completed before December 31, 2013. And the Capital Campaign for the new science and sports complex—a campaign that was not even on the school’s radar in December—was completed in record time. The success of that campaign is completely due to the support we received from you, our EPS family members—thank you! Six months. Five million dollars. And it will be matched! The upcoming year will be one of our most interesting—a building under construction and tighter quarters will certainly test everyone’s patience. But our sense of community (and our sense of humor!) will get us through.
From top: Ellie (Class of 2021) works in the library; Lunch time in the Commons; Shae and Noah (Class of 2016) in science class; Ayush (’18) on a ropes course during EBC Week.
Terry Macaluso, PhD Head of School
Rob Short President, Board of Trustees INSPIRE Fall 2014
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Highlights The 2013-2014 was chock full of exciting events, highlights and firsttime experiences. Here are just a few:
• Well over 700 people attended the All School BBQ in May, making it the largest event held at the EPS campus.
• 295 students were enrolled in Eastside Prep, and the school had 91% retention of returning students.
• The Sophomore Capstone Project was added to the Upper School Social Science curriculum.
• EPS sports teams had the largest rosters to date in Middle School volleyball, cross country and track.
• The Annual Fund goal was reached in the shortest time to date—all funds were raised prior to December 31st—thank you EPS community!
• The Bishop Building (formerly the Admissions Building) was dedicated to Byron and Sheila Bishop in appreciation for their support of Eastside Prep. • Eastside Prep had its first ever Upper School boys soccer, Middle School girls soccer and Upper School girls Ultimate teams. • 2013-2014 saw the reintroduction of the Middle School Debate Team. The team successfully competed with other independent schools in the region at three invitational tournaments. Two of our students (Rhea, ’19, and Ryan, ’18) scored in the top five speakers of one tournament. • Eastside Prep had its first Robotics Team.
• Over eighty kids enrolled in the many EPSummer offerings. • EPS successfully completed what may be the shortest capital campaign on record—just over $5 million was raised between January 1, 2014 and June 30, 2014. • Students travelled near and far for EBC Week offerings, including international trips to Cuba, Guatemala and Mexico. • The Upper School boys Ultimate team finished third in State and Coach Adam Waltzer was named as Coach of the Year. • EPS introduced its first seminar style class—an exploration of the topic of happiness taught by Dr. Macaluso and Dr. Moore.
From top: Christy (Class of 2017) on the Ultimate field; Sarah (’20) confers with Dr. Benaloh; Daniel (Class of 2021) during PE; James, Alden, Szymon, J.P, (all Class of 2015) and Caden (’17) on the Sport Court.
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EASTSIDE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Fiscal Year Finances
Operating Expenses
Operating Income
Program & Instruction $7,501,092 Management & General $1,741,834 Admissions $322,841 Fundraising $110,198 * $9,675,965
Tuition $8,198,489 Annual Fund Contributions $910,230 Auxiliary Services $679,236 Interest $5,007 $9,792,965
*Expenses exclude non cash charges such as depreciation, etc.
Student Enrollment
275
Total Enrollment at the End of the Academic Year
295
243 207 172
177
2008-09
2009-10
142 107
81 17
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2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
$5
MILLIONS
Eastside Prep Capital Campaign
$4 $3
2007-08
2010-11
2011-12
2012-13
2013-14
WE EXCEEDED OUR $5,000,000 GOAL IN JUST 180 DAYS!
January $2,000,000 February $147,500 March $86,113 April $80,000 May $466,666 June $2,400,000 Total $5,180,279
Gifts & Pledges Received
$2 $1
JANUARY FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
INSPIRE Fall 2014
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Lauren Formo
Cascade Lineback
Ana Safavi
Kelly Fox
Allison Luhrs
Andy Slater
Patricia Friel
Terry Macaluso, PhD
Jeff Sternitzky
Sam French
Karen Mills
Sammi Stimson
Director of Admissions, College Counseling Spanish
Mathematics Admissions and Institutional Advancement Assistant
Faculty and Staff
Victor Guevara Custodian
Bart Gummere Jeff Adair
Daria Brandt
Dean of Students, MS Historical Thinking
Fifth-grade Humanities
Jennifer Cross
Jonathan Briggs
Web Mistress, Computer Science
Food Services Support
Director of Technology, Social Science
Shelly Allen
Mason Butler
Science, Math, Computer Science
Roberta Christensen
F&PA: Theatre
Robin Christy
Ana Aleman
Upper School Administrative Assistant, Registrar
Mike Anderson
Learning Support Instructor
Amis Balcomb
F&PA: Visual Arts
Vickie Baldwin
Director of Institutional Advancement
Adrienne Behrmann Mathematics
MS Mathematical Thinking
Doug Blair
Andrew Boyd, CPA
Tina Hadden
Elena Olsen, PhD
Director of Administrative Services
Tech Support Specialist English, College Counseling
Janelle Panday
Associate Director of Admissions
Jessica Heaton
Randi-Louise Peterson
Learning Support Instructor
Chris Dartt
Sarah Hollingshead
Lena Chu
Matt Delaney
LPC Theatre Manager, F&PA: Stagecraft
Accountant
Eric Claesson
MS Literary Thinking, Social Science
Michael Cruz
Kristina Dammrose
Mathematics
Physical Education Social Science
Middle School Administrative Assistant
Academic Dean, Social Science, College Counseling
David Holmes
William Poole
Katie Dodd
Custodian
MS Scientific Thinking
Michael Connelly
Emma Ferguson
Facilities Support Spanish, PE Dance & Conditioning: Flamenco
Javier Fernandez
Food Services Support
Patricia Ferreyra Spanish
F&PA: Stagecraft
Board of Trustees Secretary
EASTSIDE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Immediate Past President
Project Manager Facilities Manager
Lurline Sweet
MS Mathematical Thinking
Adam Szlendak
Food Services Support
Tobias Tillemans
MS Scientific Thinking and Environmental Practices
Sam Uzwack
Middle School Head, Social Science
Adam Waltzer Science
Kip Wassink
Mathematics
Brittany Williams
Administrative Assistant to the Deans’ Offices
David Winspear
Facilities Construction Contractor
Stephen Keedy
Food Services Manager
Tyler Kiser
Social Science
Matthew Kruse
Food Services Support
Elin Kuffner
Student Support Services Assistant
Emily Anthony
Patricia Friel
Maureen O’Hara
Leslie Brewer
John Glover
Randy Reina
Brett Burris
Sarah Hager
Dev Stahlkopf
Wade Carter
Linda Hedges
Phillip Swan
Vandana Chalana
Janet Levinger
Eric Voskuil
Bohn Crain
Steve Miller
Kathy Weber
Leslie Decker
Debbie Nussbaum
English
Facilities Support F&PA: Music
Fifth-grade Science and MS Physical Education
Trustee
Byron Bishop
Science
Charles Jennings
Trustee
Stacy Graven
English
Associate Director of Institutional Advancement
Resident Teacher, Mathematics
Trustee
Treasurer
Accountant
Kirsten Pike
Steve Edwards
Sasha Press
Facilities Support
Student Safety Coordinator
Learning Support Instructor
Transportation Coordinator
MS Historical Thinking
Trustee
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Director of Student Support Services, Psychology
Jack Nolan
Trustee
President
Kelly Moore, PhD
Upper School Head, College Counseling
Trustee
Rob Short
Librarian, Information Literacy
Melissa Hayes
Food Services Support
Tom Cordova
Chief of Finance and Operations, Social Science
Head of School, Philosophy
Jim Owen
Spanish
Director of Athletics, Physical Education
MS Literary Thinking
Paul Hagen
Jess Claesson
Laurie Benaloh, PhD
Theron Cross
Spanish, PE Dance & Conditioning: Yoga
Trustee
Gilbert Ragudos
Marcela Winspear
Campus Commons Coordinator
Sarah Rainwater Rakesh Reddy Tracy Ritter
Trustee Emerita Trustee Trustee Trustee
Trustee Emerita Trustee
Ex-Officio Trustee, Parent Association President
Trustee Emerita Trustee Trustee Trustee Trustee Truste
Thank You to our Donors These individuals and organizations have made cash or in-kind donations to Eastside Preparatory School. * Indicates 5+ years of consecutive giving to the Annual Fund (a) Indicates alumni/alumni family (gp) Indicates grandparents of students
Tolga and Barcin Acar Robert and Pilar Ackerman* Jeff Adair* Anairis Aleman Shelly and Jason Allen Don and Margaret Alvarez American Express America’s Charities Michael Anderson Anonymous Maaike Bakker(a) Amis Balcomb* Vickie and Bob Baldwin Jim and Teresa Banowsky* Erin Barry and Oliver Sharp Margaret Bay and Gary Schimek Conrad and Claudia Bayer Edward and Rebecca Beals Robert Beals Kurt Bechtel and Teri McFall Bechtel* David and Sarah Beckerman(a) Donna and Bill Beckley Adrienne Behrmann* Andrew and Brenda Bell Deborah Benaloh(a) Laurie and Josh Benaloh* Aziz and Wafa Benmalek Ritu Bhatia and Aaron Chatterjee Byron and Sheila Bishop*(a) Elena S Blair Photography Doug and Elena Blair* Boeing Inbal Boger-Megiddo and Eran Megiddo Liesl and David Bohan Andrew Boyd Daria Brandt* Lisa and Marv Brashem* Leslie Brewer and Arnold Blinn Jonathan Briggs* Walter and Trish Bright Linda and Thomas Brisk Bristol-Myers Rick and Stephanie Brooks David and Heather Burkey Arianne and Peter Burnham Mason Butler Elena Camerini and Oskar Gjertsson Susan Cameron Rebecca and Wade Carter Vikram and Vandana Chalana* Sridhar Chandrashekar and Arathi Srikantaiah
Carl and Rebecca Chatfield Kim Christensen Roberta Christensen Robin Christy Lena Chu Jessica and Eric Claesson Collaborative Impact SPC Laura and Ross Comer Michael Connelly Bill and Lisa Conquergood Bruce and Lisa Copeland* Anne and Mark Corley* John Corman and Linnea Peterson* Lee and Bohn Crain Theron and Jennifer Cross* Michael Cruz* Agustin Da Fieno Delucchi and Cristina Nardini Kristina and Eric Dammrose Chuck and Kim Daniel(a)* Stormi and Rick Danis Chris and Cheryl Dartt Paul David and Kris Solem* Leslie Decker and Steve Rimmer Matt Delaney* Ian Dell Steve and Debbie Dimmer Manoj Dipankar and Ranu Choudhary Kathryn Dodd* Emer Dooley and Rob Short* Harriette and Fred Dorkin(gp) Heather and Kevin Dosch Scott and Shelly Douglas Janelle and Peter Durham* Escrip Expedia Gregg Eskenazi and Margaret Galanti David and Jennifer Feldman Emma Ferguson Patricia Ferreyra* Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Lauren Formo* Patricia Friel*(a) Hilary and Kevin Gammill* Christina and Ronald Gehrke* SAP Matching Gift Program Colleen and Michael Gilbert Navjeet and Jasmine Gill Agnes Gjertsson(a) Debbie and Brad Gliner John and Serena Glover* Mary Glover(gp) Laurie and Gordon Goetsch
Stacy Graven and Ken Johnsen Melissa Green Greg and Bridget Greenberg*(a) Bart Gummere* Suzanne Guon-Corner and Bradley Corner Anupam and Sangeeta Gupta Lily and Michael Guse Tina and Dave Hadden* Paul Hagen* Harold and Sarah Hager*(a) Michael Halcoussis*(a) Kathleen and Gary Hall(a) Ella Hallman-Luhn Sarah Hallman-Luhn Amy and K.D. Hallman Cameron Hallman Michael and Mary Kay Hallman(gp) Beck Hallman Laura and Alistair Hamilton Doris Hart(gp) Glenn Hart Nina and Rage Hawley Melissa Hayes* George Hays and Pamela Schultz Jessica Heaton Dan and Linda Hedges* Patty and Brian Henry Suzie and Marty Herman Jennifer and Gary Hinds Stephanie and Mack Hinson Sarah Hollingshead Valerie Horvath and Scott Ludwig Judi Hoskins and Joe Suty Jenn and Doug Hotes* Liz Hunt and Benn Schreiber IBM Steve Jensen Studios Bengt and Sayuri Johnson Carol Jones Dean Kain and Trina Kain Elizabeth Kalkwarf Vicci and Mark Kane Gregory and Angela Kavounas Katherine and Ryan Kearny Stephen Keedy Liam Keese and Tracy Porter* Yohko and Joe Kelley Joe and Emma Kim Vladimir Kim and Ekaterina Dubrovskaya Laura Kirkpatrick and Eric Heimke Reed Koch and Suzanne Dilanzo Rodney and Elizabeth Korn* Cyndee Kraiger and Brett Burris* Matthew Kruse Elin Kuffner* Christy and John Kunin Ruth Kunin(gp) Tom and Leslie Laird McConnell Tony and Janet Landers Chris and Michael Lang
Alice Lawrence Foundation Dean and Sangita Lester Gabriel Lewison and Quyen Ta Cascade Lineback* Nicolas and Gina Loebel Ruthann Lorentzen Elizabeth and Steve Lucco Mike and Karen Lucero* Janet and John Ludeman Derek Luhn and Jennifer Hallman Allison Luhrs Terry Macaluso* Randy and Patti Mann Lester and Mary Ellen Marshall Rhonda and Brian Marshall Holli and Edgar Martinez David Maymudes and Emily Anthony* Kara McCulloch Ellen McDermott Charney and Scott Charney Julie and David McElroy Kerri and Jonathan McNally Leah and Richard Medway Gunnar and Angelika Mein Arul Menezes and Lucy Vanderwende George and Lois Meng Elizabeth and Joe Michaels Microsoft Edward Miller* Mike and Elana Miller Steve and Libby Miller Sue Miner and Don Miller Karen and Zane Mills* Shamim Mirza and Javed Rasool* Rajeev and Shalini Misra Varsha and Vijay Mital Christopher Mithel Navin and Cathy Mithel Shannon and Christian Moller Kelly and Gary Moore* Leigh Ann and Russell More* Laura and Jim Morgan Morgan Stanley Salman and Meeral Mughal Mahesh Mulumudi and Srilatha Shoroff Sona and Nishad Mulye Eugene Nalimova and Natalia Glagoleva Merav and Amir Netz Dan and Kristen Newell Erich and Kathy Nielsen John Nikolai and Carol Eubanks Nintendo of America Jack Nolan* Lara and Sean Nolan Debbie and Charles Nussbaum Bob and Maureen O’Hara*(a) David Olix and Leila Belhadjali Elena Olsen* PACCAR Inc Janelle Panday* Elisa Panelli and Marco Chierotti Clare and Kaj Pedersen Wendy and Bob Perkins
Randi-Louise Peterson Diego Piacentini and Monica Nicoli* Tom and Linda Pichard Carlos and Isabella Picoto* K.P. Pike and Tobias Tillemans* Anne Pillsbury and Jeff Sternitzky* Will Poole and Janet Levinger*(a) Lowell and Sasha Press* Kimberlee and Stanley Prince QUALCOMM Incorporated Matthew and Amy Ragen*(a) Gilbert Ragudos Sarah Rainwater Jaya Ramaprasad Haneen Rasool(a) Emily and Steven Rayson Rakesh Reddy Jeanne Reina* Randy Reina* Sarah Richards and Larry Lee Renee and James Rinker Tracy Ritter Lisa Robin and Joseph Robin, MD John Stark and Lynne Robins Ilona Rossman Ho and Eugene Ho Karen Russell and Jahan Saghafi Alice and Pete Ryan Sean and Ana Lisa Ryan Ana and Shawn Safavi* Jon Sakamoto and Elaine Hsieh-Sakamoto Luis Salazar and Yolanda Leon* Marco and Molly Salazar Kurt and Doris Samuelson Victoria and Henry Sanders Nish and Geeti Sanghavi Aleksandra and Maciek Sarnowicz Kalyani Sattiraju and Jayaram Nanduri David and Patricia Sauntry Melissa and Scott Schaefer Ted Scott and Bree Norlander Scott Selby and Krista White Julia Sensenbrenner*(a) Benjamin Serdy Val and Steve Serdy Ashvini and Roomi Sharma Alison and Barry Shaw Harley and Pamela Sheffield* Sanjay and Angela Shenoy Kim Simmons-Merino and Donald Merino Douglas and Betsy Smith(a)* Richard and Jeanne Smith Roz Sobel* Stephen and Joanne Sparrow Elaine and John Sprague Elizabeth St. Mary
Stephanie St. Mary Dev Stahlkopf and Bill Bue* Joyce Standing Jessica Stern Linda and Peter Sternitzky(gp) Charlene Stickel(a) Timothy Stickel(a) Tom and Alice Strong(a) Srini Subramanian and Sangeetha Suryanarayanan Airi and Vesa Suomalainen Evan Suty Lauren Suty Phillip and Tracy Swan Jami and Chris Swasand M3 and Lisa Sweatt Adam Szlendak Mark and Liza Taylor Texas Instruments Eric and Erica Thorson(a) Karen and Karl Triebes* Susan and Larry Tseng Heather and Justin Uberti Sam Uzwack and Nicole Curry* Cerise Vablais and Robert McKenna Lil and Dolf van den Heuvel Karla and Anton van der Hoeven Varian Co Birgitte Veje* Selvam Velmurugan and Lakshmi Nidamarthi Kelly Violette* Jacki and Edmund von Allmen Mica and Eric Voskuil Deborah and Chris Voss Adam and Shigeko Waltzer* Washington Women’s Foundation Jim and Jennifer Washburn Valerie Wasserman and Scott Moore Kip and Danielle Wassink Kathy Weber and Bill Shain* Leanne and Bill Weinstein Nathaniel Welch Kelly and Tom White Kenneth and Danette Wickman Liesl and Jeff Wilke* Brittany Williams Marcela and David Winspear Kevan Wiser Jeff and Kelly Wright Jinghai Xu and Haili Song Tokuro and Myrissa Yamashiro Ling Yang and Christopher Fawcett Wendy Yee and Partha Seshaiah Hong Zhang and Xianng Chen Jack and Hellen Zheng Laura and Chris Zimmerman Andrea Zinsmeyer-Wiser
INSPIRE Fall 2014
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UPCOMING F
OLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE UPCOMING EVENTS AT EASTSIDE Prep. For a complete listing of EPS activities and events, visit our website (www.eastsideprep.org) and go to the Community/Calendar page.
SEPTEMBER
NOVEMBER
30 COMMUNITY EVENT: SCREENING OF THE EMPOWERMENT PROJECT
5-7 MS PLAY PRODUCTION
7:00 p.m. Levinger-Poole Commons Theatre
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Levinger-Poole Commons
A film that highlights the successes of women in diverse careers, followed by a discussion with the filmmakers. Event for those in and outside of the EPS community.
OCTOBER 18 OPEN HOUSE OPEN HOUSES Saturday
7:00 p.m. Levinger-Poole Commons Theatre
8
DECEMBER
OPEN HOUSE
6
OCT 18
NOV 8
13 MUSIC CONCERT
At the end of each trimester, the music program showcases the work of students who have been actively studying, rehearsing and creating music.
Saturday
Saturday
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Bishop Building Conference Room Grandparents and special friends of EPS Middle and Upper School students are invited to visit for lunch with Head of School Terry Macaluso and hear about our many campus improvements.
Presented by EPS Middle School students, directed by David Holmes. Limited seating capacity; contact the director of the production for seat reservation.
OPEN HOUSES
OCT 18
2pm
12 GRAND FRIENDS LUNCH
OPEN HOUSE
2pm
10am
Saturday
Saturday
OPEN HOUSES
NOV 8
DEC 6
10am
1pm
Saturday
How is your child being prepared for tomorrow?
Registration starts at 1:30 p.m. in the Levinger-Poole Commons and the program runs from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Prospective students (grades 5-12) and their parents are welcome to attend. The program includes a brief opening presentation and overview, followed by interactive miniclasses, parent/student Q&A panels, and campus tours.
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DEC 6
Saturday
1pm
OCT 18
2pm
What environment does your child need to thrive?
Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. in the Levinger-Poole Commons and the program runs from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Prospective students (grades 5-12) and their parents are welcome to attend. The program includes a brief opening presentation and overview, followed by interactive miniclasses, parent/student Q&A panels, and campus tours.
EASTSIDE PREPARATORY SCHOOL
Saturday
NOV 8
10am
Saturday
DEC 6
1pm
Registration starts at 12:30 p.m. in the Levinger-Poole Commons and the program runs from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Prospective students (grades 5-12) and their parents are welcome to attend. The program includes a brief opening presentation and overview, followed by interactive miniclasses, parent/student Q&A panels, and campus tours.
EVENTS JANUARY 23 WINTER CELEBRATION 6:30 p.m.
EPS parents are invited to enjoy an evening reception in the Levinger-Poole Commons.
FEBRUARY 4-6 US PRODUCTION
7:00 p.m. Levinger-Poole Commons Theatre
24 MUSIC CONCERT
7:00 p.m. Levinger-Poole Commons Theatre
4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Levinger-Poole Commons Theatre
At the end of each trimester, the music program showcases the work of students who have been actively studying, rehearsing and creating music.
Annual event at which members of the EPS community showcase their various talents, ranging from singing to “stand-up� and everything in between. (Limited seating capacity.)
MARCH
MAY
20 TEDXEASTSIDEPREP
7-8 ALL SCHOOL PRODUCTION
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Presented by EPS Upper School students, directed by David Holmes. Limited seating capacity; contact the director of the production for seat reservation.
27 ALL SCHOOL TALENT SHOW
This is an independently organized TED event hosted by Eastside Prep. Our audience and speakers will consist of a diverse group of leaders, stakeholders, and entrepreneurs in the world of education, technology, and cognitive science. To learn more about this event, visit www.tedxeastsideprep.com. (Tickets will be available approximately one month prior to the event.)
7:00 p.m. Kirkland Performance Center
Presented by EPS fifth- through twelfthgraders, directed by Meghan Arnette. Limited seating capacity; contact the director of the production for seat reservation.
OUR MISSION is to guide students to think critically, act responsibly, lead compassionately and innovate wisely. INSPIRE Fall 2014
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10613 NE 38th Place Kirkland, WA 98033
Call us today at 425 822-5668 or visit www.eastsideprep.org
Photograph by EPS student Wanyi (Class of 2017)