A Girls Guide to Springside

SPRINGSIDE SPIRIT REcIPE Becca: “it’s 9 pM...

Mr. d.: “it’s 9 pM...

Had lacrosse practice. Quick dinner with the family. Rushed out to see little brother’s spring recital. Just getting to my homework. Realize I don’t know the science assignment. No worries. Log onto Mr. D.’s blog and there it is! Also see videos of the class in action, missing handouts, and links to cool science stuff. It’s awesome to have access to teachers and my class 24/7.”

Toddler is asleep. Dishes are clean.

Time for some online work. Respond to seven student emails. Hear about an amazing video through one of my favorite teacher online networks. Embed a video on our class website. Update my class Moodle site with two new online documents and four terrific links. See that three students have already posted comments on the video and commented back to each other. Smile: tomorrow’s class discussion has started today.”

Springside’s 1:1 Laptop program rocks!

IngredIents

dIreCtIOns

650 Excited Girls 14 Grades, Pre-K–12 2 Teams* (one Blue; one Gold) 1 Pep Rally 1 Day of Games 1 Senior Class Tug of War Fall Athletic Teams 1 All-School BBQ 1 Cheer Competition 1 Homecoming Dance

Preheat day to 70°F. Decorate entire school and your face and your hair in blue or gold. Combine first 6 ingredients.

Gather fall sports teams to play in the late afternoon. Go home to change. Come back to campus for an all-school BBQ followed by the Cheer Competition. Perform your

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BLUE & GOLD DAY

Access & info 24/7

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World

ALL UNDER ONE ROOf The cafeteria at Springside is where everyone in the school gathers for lunch...without going outside to change buildings. The entire school, from the wee ones to the seniors, is all under one roof. Sure, there are separate sections for Lower, Middle, and Upper School.

But when it’s time for lunch, the Springside community becomes closer as we all eat at the family table.

This school really believes in getting out of the classroom. So, leadership and teamwork are learned not only on campus, but by doing things like navigating open water with your sailing crew, discovering physics at Hershey Park, performing outside Lincoln Center, and exploring the Philadelphia you never knew.

Mix in one Homecoming dance.

Celebrate your victory. Console your friends.

*New girls are assigned a team when they first enroll. If you have ever had a relative at Springside, you’ll automatically be on the same team.

Be sure entire Springside community goes home satisfied. Remove and let cool.

SiSterhood of the traveliNg plateS the

Every new Springside girl designs her own plate that will be put into the cafeteria plate collection for the entire school to use every day.

It’s so fun when you’re in line and grab the next plate. You might get to “meet” a girl you didn’t know, or get your BFF’s plate, or even get your own. And tradition has it that on the first day of school, when you see your plate in the lunch line, you’re no longer a new girl! The other cool things about Springside plates? They’re environmentally friendly and they show off Springside creativity. Can’t wait to see your plate design!

Up for a little fierce fierce competition within the context of friendly cooperation? Do Do you you like to build new new things? Are Are you you intrigued by by how how things work? work?

Do you dream of becoming a scientist? If so, the Springside/Chestnut Hill Hill Academy Academy (CHASS) Robotics Team could launch those dreams. dreams. Girls Girls and guys in grades 9-12 from from both schools work work together with teachers to build robots robots and compete in world championships each year year.. (And come back winners time and time again.)

sporTs sporTs AT AT sprinGside sprinGside COURAGE HEALTH LEADERSHIP DISCIPLINE FITNESS TEAMWORK SPORTSMANSHIP Care and Feeding oF Your Laptop

1. Decorate your laptop with ribbon and funny funny bumper stickers. w 2. Set your desktop to your favorite favorite photo. :-) 3. Stop by the tech office to get all the cool software updates. 9 4. Organize by class, class, eexample: xample: English, Spanish, Histor Historyy. d 5. Name your laptop. laptop. Mine is “Sebastien.

“Sebastien.””

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fALL

SPRING

Cross Country Field Hockey Soccer Tennis

Crew Golf Lacrosse Softball Track

WINTER Basketball Indoor Track Squash Swimming Volleyball

in Good CoMpAnY If you, like Shakespeare, think “the play’s the thing,” then Players could be your thing. Players is our Springside-CHA coed theater company. Act, sing, or work on set construction, light, sound, makeup, props, costumes, or business and publicity. Players is open to all. We have two productions a year, each with a three-night run. Whether you’re interested in being onstage or backstage, you’ll be in good company here.

REcENT PLAYS AND MUSIcALS: • Much Ado About Nothing • The Sound of Music • The Laramie Project • High School Musical • Our Town

BEING HEARD Springside is a girls’ school. This means everything here is for girls. Every teacher, every building, every leadership role, every piece of furniture, every course, every sport, every assembly, every food, every EvERYTHING is here for GIRLS. When a girl speaks, everyone listens. At Springside, a girl has the answer in class, an idea for a new club, a suggestion for welcoming a new girl, a different way to do something, a way to change a rule...a way to change the world.

GIRLS ARE HEARD AT SPRINGSIDE.

You ou’’ll take away skills like wiring, measuring, drilling, machining, and welding welding as well well as concepts like pneumatics, gears, optical sensing, friction, and torque. tor que. You and your teammates design, build, test, repair epair,, and ship your your robots to the first competition all in six week week’’s time.

INvENTORS,, INvENTORS ExPLORERS PLORERS,, BUILDERS,, AND BUILDERS ADv AD vENTURERS PLEASE APPL APPLY Y.

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roBo oBoticS ticS team

“We’ree a team “We’r team of of 25 students, two two tea eachers, chers, and fiv five inter interest esteed parents. parents. We We designed and built every bit of our robot ourselves. In contrast, some of the robots we competed against were designed and built by professionals from Fortune 500 companies for teams made up of students from multiple high schools. This makes our accomplishment all the more more satisfying.” satisfying.”

—CHAS CHASSS Robo Roboti tics cs Ad Advisor

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original cheer for alumnae judges. Blend with families watching, supporting, and enjoying.

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Long before American Idol existed, the annual tradition of “Song Night” had a huge fan club at Springside. Each class in Upper School performs original songs for their peers and faculty and are judged by an alumnae panel for their whole group effort and originality.

For prospective students

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Next

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You can read about Springside, or better yet experience Springside. “As soon as I came to campus, I knew I wanted to go here.” — Erica, Grade 10

To schedule a visit: call the Admissions Office

215.247.7007 (We can’t wait to hear from you!)

8000 Cherokee Street Philadelphia, PA 19118 admissions@springside.org www.springside.org

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BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE

OUR PAR PARTNERSHIP TNERSHIP with Chestnut Chestnut Hill Academ Academy y — right across across the street street — makes mak es us 2 ScHOOLS IN 1:

Here’s your very own Girl’s Guide to springside, LIk kE YOU OU. What’s written with the help of GIRLS LI it like to go to school here? Why do springside

•

All girls girls in Low Lower School School “when boys boys get in the wa way” — Dakota, Gr Grade ade 2

•

All girls girls in the classroom classroom in Middle Middle School School “so you you can be yourself yourself and say say what you you think. But I also lov love coed play play practice!” practice!” — Natalie, Gr Grade ade 8

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Coed classes in Upper School.

School. “Ne “New w perspectiv perspectives enter the classroom classroom and challenge challenge your your assumptions — a great great transition transition to college. college.”

— Eliza, Stanfor Stanford d University University 2010

girls feel like sisters sisters? Why does this girls’ school have coed classes in high school? the answers

being excited about going to school every day; stepping up to be a leader, leader or a starter, or a team

THE CHA-SPRINGSIDE PARTNERSHIP combines all-girls and coeducation in a Lower-Middle-Upper School sequence that includes: LOWER ScHOOL

MIDDLE ScHOOL

9TH & 10TH GRADES

11TH & 12TH GRADES

member, or a guide, or a friend. You’ll learn a lot about springside in these pages, but even better, cOME f fOR OR A vISIT ISIT!!

We look forward to meeting you.

Welcome to SpriNgSide.

ALL GIRLS Academics Arts Service fitness Enrichment Activities cOED Special Assemblies visiting Authors After School center Enrichment classes

kEY ■ ALL GIRLS ■ cOED

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ALL GIRLS Academics Arts Interscholastic Sports Trip Program Leadership Development Service Student Government clubs Advising Program Life Issues curriculum

ALL GIRLS Academics (English, history, math, science) Interscholastic Sports Trip Program Leadership Development Service Student Government clubs Advising Program

cOED Drama Service Dances & Activities Joint speakers

cOED Academics (art, foreign languages, music) Social Activities Service Robotics clubs Mock Trial

ALL GIRLS Interscholastic Sports college counseling Senior Projects Leadership Development Service Student Government clubs Advising Program cOED Academics Leadership Development Drama Multicultural Programs Social Activities Service Robotics clubs Mock Trial

frieNdShipS

that laSt a lifetime When it comes to social justice, our vision is not limited by what is, but is fueled by the possibilities of what could be. We do this through service.

While there are many Community Service opportunities, a favorite for Springside girls is reading to younger students at Pastorius School in Germantown, a public school for grades K-5.

are here. plus we’ll tell you about making lifelong friends friends; trying different things (and loving it);

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“Reading at Pastorius is truly one of the highlights of my week. Recently, I started reading with a boy who asks for books about black history every week. When we exhausted Pastorius’ supply, I brought him books from Springside’s Lower School and together we read about school integration, the first black polar ice explorer, and Martin Luther King Jr. Seeing the kids’ excitement and curiosity about reading and the world issues that reading raises is very rewarding.”

—Zoe

“I believe one of the strongest loves you can feel is the bond that is found between friends. The connection that needs no explanation. A silent promise of dedication to the other. The simplicity in a mutual comfort between people who love nothing more than spending time together. A comfort that comes when one hits the lowest of the low and the way the others can lift them back up and just understand.”

—Victoria at Commencement

“Because the studio unleashes a girl’s girl’s creati crea tiv ve muse, muse, there is a tremendous buzz that that starts here and then explodes through through the halls as kids wa watc tch h student work work on the plasma screens.” screens.”

BOOTS, THE WISSAHIckON, AND THE WORLD

— Dr. Dr. Ellen Fishman-J Fishman-Johnson, ohnson, Apple Distinguished Educator Educator

How to be an environmental steward? first stop: your y cAMPUS AMPUS, a RIvER, and the WOODS. Next stop: the WORLD.

“The greatest gift I received from Springside can be found in a stanza from the school song: ‘the friendships formed within these walls, the love that holds us true….’ Don’t get me wrong, Springside gave me an excellent education, wonderful adventures, and life-changing experiences, but the greatest gift I got from my alma mater were lifelong friendships. These are human connections that have sustained me over the past 50 years. No intellectual brilliance or career accomplishments could match the power, nurturing, or satisfaction that I have derived from my Springside friends. For them and Springside, I am profoundly grateful.”

—50th reunion alumna

Why do all Lower School students keep a pair of boots at school?

Wh Does it rrain that much at Springside? Nope. You’ll need them for exploring your environment. Learning Lear about environmental issues is a school-wide commitment, both in and out of science classes.

In Lower School, you become a steward of the Springside campus and Wissahickon woods by planting native flowers and seedlings, ffencing the trails, composting cafeteria salad bar scraps, and studying forest and wetlands soils, animals, and plants. studyin In Middle School, you plant native species to attract birds and insects through a partnership with the Audubon Society. You can adopt an environmental cause, like working at a local organic farm, volunteering at the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Mill Creek Pennsylv Farm, or tackling invasive plant species along the trails of Fairmount Park. You connect your study of energy, heat, and electricity to home energy audits and to the design and construction of solar model ener homes and solar-powered race cars. You study energy alternatives and design action plans to make a positive impact on the environment.

In Upper School, you can study the Wissahickon Creek’s biotic and abiotic factors in biology and then use aerial and satellite images and GIS data to evaluate how land use in the watershed impacts stream health. And in environmental science, you track air pollution through long-term lichen studies around campus.

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From Lower School boots to Upper School biology, the environment is an important teaching tool for every Springside girl who learns how to be a steward for a lifetime.

Get viDc iDcAST AST Creative Studio in the

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“Through my my Video Video Produ Production ction and Broadcasting course, I found a voi voice, ce, a creati creativve outlet, and an opportunity to try something with with a fa faculty mentor mentor who believved in me. The belie ViDC iDCAST AST Studio allows allo ws students to to experiment with with innovvati inno ativve media media and share share their succes successs with with the rest rest of of the school and cyber community.”

Peer into the oversized window of the ViDCAST Studio and you’re likely to see 4 or 5 girls huddled around a monitor, collaborating on a video they are producing. The studio is a 700square-foot innovative professional-level digital video classroom that will get you excited about technology in a hands-on way.

Creativity and self-expression accelerate as you contribute ideas from story line to cast, music to location. Everyone contributes according to their interests: videography, editing, sound, onscreen talent, music, writing, and promotion.

Come See

UNiform, not UNiformity Wearing a uniform doesn’t mean you can’t customize your look. Springside girls wear their own footwear, ribbons, hair clips, belts, and jewelry to make it their own.

THE SPRINGSIDE BASIcS:

Navy or khaki pants or shorts Navy, khaki, or Springside plaid skort Navy, white, or yellow shirt

V2!

The Newest Video Studio in the Lower School

But what if you were the historian?

At Springside, through an amazing yearlong project called “The History of a City Block,” you are. Pairs of 10th grade girls research one block along Market, Chestnut, Spruce, Walnut, and Locust Streets in Center City. They interview shopkeepers and residents, delving into what their block was like from 1880 to 1920. Students pore over information gathered from taxes, deeds, maps, the buildings themselves, census results, oral histories, and photographs to uncover the history of that one block.

Most couldn’t help but wonder if, 100 years from now, future Springside girls might be studying how we live. Hmmm.

BoArds, CluBs, And ACTiviTies

miSSioN StatemeNt springside affirms its choice to be a school for girls and young women.

Here students develop the power to think, the confidence to act, and a sense of responsibility for one another. in our diverse community, students learn to honor their differences and to seek common ground so that they will live productively and justly in the worlds they inhabit.

All college preparatory schools expect their students to excel in a rigorous academic program. springside asks more: that girls discover how they learn, that they take intellectual delight in their education, and that they gain the courage and integrity to negotiate the breadth of their complex futures. in every way, springside school educates girls and young women to develop their capacities for leadership in the 21st century.

Most adults would say history is fascinating. Many students would not. That’s because it can be boring just reading about history.

Using their source materials, girls discover how and why their block changed by answering questions such as: What was the socio-economic class of your block? Its ethnic, racial, gender makeup? What kind of transportation did the people use? How did they dress? What kind of jobs did they have? Working conditions? What changed and why?

— Jillian

SpriNgSide

hiStor hiSt ory y of a city cit y Bloc Block k

“Trust me! It’s great. There are lots of .” options! The combinations are

∞

Arts Board Assembly Board Athletic Association Cultural Awareness for Everyone (CAFE) Community Service Board Cooking Club Debate Club Doujinshi Club Eco Club Fashion Design Gay-Straight Alliance Girls for Change

Hip-Hop Club Investment Club Language Clubs: French, Latin, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, Japanese

Laurelei/a cappella group Literary Magazine Mock Trial Model United Nations Music Club Newspaper Performing Arts Board Players Robotics Science Outreach Student Activities Student Government Student Guides Tech Leaders/iSITE Yearbook

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