A Place to Grow: Groundbreaking!

S C D S

» FALL/WINTER 2006

Inquire. Create. Nurture.

Kinetics SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL MAGAZINE

INSIDE:

A Place to Grow:

Groundbreaking!

PLUS:

Campus News Class Notes and more!

Kinetics

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

EDITOR Marianne Picha

OUR UNIQUE MISSION

CONTRIBUTORS Alice Baggett Allison (Doyle) Bass ‘91 Ethan Delavan Matthew Felton Nick Firmani Leslie Magid Higgins Michael Murphy Linda Murray DESIGN/PRODUCTION Christa Fleming Design ON THE COVER In the background, students in colorful, yellow hardhats await the groundbreaking festivities for A Place to Grow last June.

Photo by Matthew Felton.

Kinetics is produced by Seattle Country Day School for its current and former families and friends.

Inquiries may be sent to Seattle Country Day School, 2916 4th Avenue N, Seattle, WA, 98109.

THE SCDS MISSION

Seattle Country Day School is an independent kindergarten through 8th grade school committed to developing the abilities of children of high intellectual and creative promise. Using inquiry-based teaching strategies, SCDS promotes academic excellence and enthusiasm for learning. Within a nurturing environment, the school cultivates responsible behavior and honors each child.

NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

Seattle Country Day School strives to maintain a diverse school community. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, creed, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability in administration of its educational policies, admission, financial aid, or any other school-administered programs.

Since its founding more than 42 years ago, the mission of Seattle Country Day School has been to attend to the needs of highly-capable students.

Parents have described SCDS in several ways: a godsend, a refuge, a good fit, and a place where children are known and supported, given their unique characteristics. How we collectively execute this mission in the daily K-8 program, with emphasis on an inquiry-based pedagogy, is our perennial charge as an independent school.

One might think our specific mission would make it easier for SCDS to market and distinguish itself from other schools. We are not all things to all people, and we are challenged to find the students who fit our mission.

Simultaneously, present and potential SCDS families must overcome two psychological obstacles — one, to enroll their children in a “private school,” thus separating them from the public system many parents experienced positively for themselves, and, two, to enroll in an independent school whose mission is, by literal definition, elitist. Initially, these obstacles are counter-cultural in an America where democracy and a sense of egalitarianism are paramount.

However, fair and equitable does not mean the same. Children are not all alike; some have different educational needs than others. Our charge at SCDS is not lesser or greater than at any other school; it is just different.

Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, from the University of Iowa’s Belin and Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, and chief author of the 2004 landmark study, “A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students,” became interested in the emotional and behavioral challenges and struggles of very bright kids trying to find their way in schools. He cites a recent survey of 7th and 8th graders identified as gifted and talented. Ninety-three percent said their “talent” was a negative in interpersonal relationships. Their tendency was to hide, deny, or hesitate to demonstrate their academic capability to get along socially with others. Highly capable students who are not challenged, who under perform, or who lose their motivation can become unhappy.

At SCDS we are pleased to offer a child-centered environment where highly-capable students have like-minded peers and an educational program that encourages discovery and provides an appropriate level of challenge. At SCDS, an emphasis is placed on depth over breadth.

Teachers foster a learning environment where creative application of skills and concepts is nurtured.

Our goal is for our highly capable students, often quite sensitive, with a tendency for perfectionism, to be comfortable in our somewhat informal, very purposeful and hopefully unpretentious SCDS environment.

Best,

Michael G. Murphy,

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Groundbreaking! construction begins on

A Place to Grow!

As with every school year at SCDS, things have been buzzing right from the very first day. The campus has been alive with new energy refreshed over the summer, we welcomed the return of great ideas from teachers who have inspired creativity and wonder in students for years, and we looked at future initiatives that will require thought and planning over the long-term. As we settle into SCDS faculty performed a “Construction Song� at the opening assembly. From left to right are teachers Susan Mise, Sarah Tama, Sally Bauer, Lisa Lewis, Annelliott Willis, Susan Pisano (on piano) and Vickie Madriaga.

FALL/WINTER 2006

Head of School Michael Murphy inspects the construction site.

fall, it is a vibrant place with 32 little 5-year olds who are just starting Kindergarten, many students who are new to the school, a new teacher in each of two divisions, a refreshed focus on multicultural education and writing across the curriculum, and 27 excited 8th graders who look forward to graduation from SCDS in June. (CONTINUED NEXT PAGE)

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breaking!

The 1st grade classes sang a special song about construction directed by Kathy Young.

SCDS’s new mascot, the Wildcat, stopped by to take in all the action.

Seattle Country Day School broke ground on the new Middle School building and renovation project in a school-wide ceremony last June. Past heads of school, board members and former teachers and students joined the 324 students and their teachers to celebrate this next phase in the life of SCDS. Everyone who attended received a yellow construction hat, cookies in the shapes of shovels and hammers, and the knowledge that we were on our way!

Former Board of Trustees Chair Phil Grad at the groundbreaking ceremony.

Members of the SCDS Board of Trustees join Michael Murphy at the groundbreaking. Left to right are Don Carlson of Carlson Architects, Leslie Magid Higgins, Frank Firmani, Head of School Michael Murphy, Board of Trustees Chair Rose Boyle and Craig McKibben.

1 FALL/WINTER 2006

All of the SCDS students were gathered around at the groundbreaking ceremony to witness this historic event.

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Former Head of School Jayasri Ghosh attended the groundbreaking ceremony with her daughter Priya Manion, on the right.

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TH GRADERS ESCORT THEIR +INDERGARTEN BUDDIES TO CLASS AFTER THE FIRST ASSEMBLY OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

3TUDENT ARTISTS ARE JOINED AT THE PODIUM BY THEIR ART TEACHER $ANIELLE 0HILLIPS AS (EAD OF 3CHOOL -ICHAEL -URPHY THANKS THEM FOR DONATING THEIR WATERCOLOR OF CHILDREN TO THE &RONT /FFICE

people & places We are pleased to welcome DENISE GARCIA TUCKER (Ms. GT) to SCDS this year! After 14 years of teaching second grade at the Old Mill School in Mill Valley, California, Denise is now lending her teaching talents to 2nd graders at SCDS. Denise fell in love with the Pacific Northwest on a road trip with her partner Amanda in 2005. The natural setting with “mountains that greet me in the morning,” inspired them to move here.

Denise Garcia Tucker

Denise has many fond memories of her own school experiences. “I loved teachers who were real with students, and those who would teach outside the box,” she said. For instance, she distinctly remembers when her 4th grade teacher, Mr. McSpadden, took the class on a spur-of-the-moment field trip to the cemetery to study graves. “It was unexpected and spontaneous and I loved it,” Denise remembered. In her own teaching, Denise strives to take students where they lead her, capturing their spontaneous interests with teachable moments. She also values “creating real relationships with kids. That’s the most important part of my job.”

Welcome!

In her spare time, Denise loves cooking. Her father the chef must have passed along his cooking instincts—Denise makes amazing paella with a special GT twist! She also enjoys training her puppy, 16-week-old Ben. Recently, Denise trained for her first marathon with the Leukemia/Lymphoma Team in Training in California. Finishing her first marathon was an amazing accomplishment, making her feel like she could conquer anything!

Denise is excited to have joined the SCDS team and she is grateful to everyone for the warm welcome to the school.

While we consider MIRIAM AYALA “a new teacher” this year, actually she returns to SCDS in a permanent position after serving as a long-term sub on two different occasions. And the school could not be happier to welcome her back! She is known throughout SCDS for her upbeat energy, her passion for the Spanish language and Spanish-speaking cultures, and for her warm spirit.

Miriam Ayala

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Ms. Ayala has taught at many schools in the Seattle area, including University Child Development School, Bertschi School, and Whittier Elementary, where she taught Spanish to more than 400 students in grades K-5. That’s nothing new to Ms. Ayala because as a child, she moved from Mexico to Alaska knowing little English and having to learn a new language.

She also took the opportunity to teach others about her language and culture, as she still does today. Ms Ayala is also a world traveler: Last summer, she spent four months in Europe with friends from all over the world.

She spent most of her time in Malaga, Spain, visiting her family, but also traveled around the country with friends, enjoying the beach and having fun.

We are very glad to have this upbeat and creative teacher join our staff.

Kinetics

Destination Imagination inspires its participants to experience the processes, arts and skills associated with problem solving!

Destination Imagination Debuts at SCDS Students work together to solve a problem at DI practice.

A group of items for your consideration: five strands of string, four mailing labels, three rubber bands, two Q-tips, and one piece of licorice.

The dregs at the bottom of your well-stocked purse? A satirical rendering of “A Partridge in a Pear Tree?” A Dali-esque grocery list? No, no, and no! This intriguing collection is a typical materials list for a Destination Imagination (DI) challenge.

DI is the world’s largest creativity and problem-solving organization, inspiring its participants to experience the processes, arts, and skills associated with problem solving. A typical instant challenge might require a team to build a bridge, create a tower, or invent a new product from a seemingly random list of items.

For instance, a recent practice found SCDS’s first-ever DI team inventing a product to be sold in a pet store with the following items: a frisbee, some tissues, two paperclips, some glittery pipe cleaners, two foam discs, a piece of felt, and some rubber bands. In six short minutes, the team invented the product and created a skit to persuade the storeowner to stock their amazing invention!

The open-ended nature of the problems coupled with the challenge of working with a team makes DI ideal for SCDS students. The SCDS team, along with teams from all over the world, will work on two kinds of challenges. The team challenge is a long-term challenge that teams focus on for several months prior to the tournament where they present their solution. The instant challenge is a problem teams solve in a very short period of time at the tournament without knowing in advance what the challenge is.

Seven 4th graders have begun meeting with coach Alice Baggett, SCDS K-3 Technology Specialist, once a week until the tournament in early March. Baggett has been involved with the program for ten years as a coach and appraiser at regional and state tournaments, and she is thrilled to go through the creative problem solving process with this enthusiastic bunch of creative students. “Creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork,” said Baggett, “What more could you wish for in a program?”

Should you happen by the team’s practice space, don’t be alarmed to hear a spirited discussion of the structural soundness of licorice versus that of Q-tips reinforced with mailing labels. No, the world hasn’t gone mad! It’s just good old-fashioned creativity in progress!

FALL/WINTER 2006

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3IXTH GRADER WINS $OUG 'LENN -EMORIAL !WARD FOR HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO COMMUNITY SPIRIT DURING 7INTERIM

7INNER OF THE 'ARY +OHLWES #OMMUNITY 3ERVICE !WARD IS CONGRATULATED BY -ICHAEL -URPHY

%IGTH GRADERS SHARE THE 3TUDENT OF THE 9EAR !WARD 4HEY ALSO SHARED THE ,ARRY 'ULDBERG !WARD FOR -ATHEMATICAL )NQUIRY

*EFF 3ANTANGELO !WARD FOR %XCELLENCE IN 3PORTSMANSHIP

3TUDENT 3ERVICES !WARD WINNERS ONE OF WHOM ALSO RECEIVED THE ,IBRARY 3ERVICES !WARD AND THE OTHER WHO RECEIVED THE 4ECHNOLOGY !WARD

3EVENTH GRADERS BID FAREWELL TO LONG TIME 3#$3 RECEPTIONIST *ENNIFER #AMPBELL AT THE FINAL ASSEMBLY

A GRADUATE

4WO GRADUATES SING A DUET AS MUSICAL INTERLUDE

classnotes WENDY (SUNDERLAND) MCDERMOTT ’85 and her husband Ian moved to Eugene, Oregon, this summer after she was accepted into the University of Oregon's Early Intervention Doctoral Program (part of the Area of Special Education). Wendy is a graduate teaching fellow, and fills her days by supervising master's candidates in practicum placements, teaching an undergraduate seminar course, and taking a full load of courses herself (statistics + research design = fun).

DAVID ORDAL ’93 attended the June groundbreaking ceremony at SCDS with his mom, Joy Ordal, and shared this update: “Last December, I brought a new CEO into my business, CyberSense, to run things. Since then I’ve been focusing on doing technical work as well as some outside projects. This past February, I proposed to my longtime girlfriend, Katherine, and we’re getting married next year!”

Joy Ordal, left, and David Ordal ’93, right, with David’s 1st-grade teacher Jackie Bradley, center

MARK TROUSDALE ’94 vacationed in

Panama in August 2006 but lives in Menlo Park, California, with his girlfriend. He works for Deloitte & Touche’s Capital Markets – Investment Management Services consulting group based in Los Angeles but travels frequently to a client based in Minneapolis. He writes, “The big upside is the airline miles which make vacations a lot cheaper!”

GRACE CORNELL ’99 spent her junior

Jacob Tyler Verd

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CHUN MENG NOLAN ’99 traveled in Ireland, Italy, China, Tibet, Singapore, and Borneo this summer with friends and family. She is a senior at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

SAM FISHER ’00 writes, “I just finished

KATIE (SUNDERLAND) VERD ’86 and

her husband John welcomed Jacob Tyler Verd to the family on August 24.

Jacob was born with a full head of hair and eyebrows that move on their own (“Darn those Scots!”). He enjoys long walks on the beach and the constant care of his two large companion dogs and disinterested cat. His parents, grandparents, and all other relatives have been surprised and delighted that Katie and John could produce the sweetest thing since pure sugar.

bilingual Peruvian poetry that incorporates elements of Quechua, the most widely spoken indigenous language in Peru. After graduating, she hopes to go on to study and work in the field of bilingual education and literacy.

year studying abroad in Brazil and Peru.

She headed back to Brown University this fall for her senior year. Her majors are comparative literature with emphasis in literary translation and Latin American studies. She is excited about her two main projects for senior year: translating a book written by a social movement/ community school in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, she has been working with for the past two years, and compiling and translating a collection of

my second year at Dartmouth, where I am studying economics. This past winter, I studied abroad at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. It was a great experience and I would recommend it to anyone. While on campus, I split most of my non-academic efforts between Ultimate Frisbee (with my fellow Class of 2000 Alumni Nora Johnson and Sam Haynor) and activities with my fraternity, Chi Gamma Epsilon.

This summer, Nora, Sam and I will all be at Dartmouth for the mandatory ‘sophomore summer’ quarter. We’re all looking forward to the experience with excitement, as it is rumored to be one of the best terms at Dartmouth!”

JULIA ENG ’02 graduated from Seattle

Prep and is now attending University of Washington. She was a U.S. Army Scholar Athlete.

KHALIL HASSAM ’02 graduated from University Prep and now attends George Washington University. He was one of nine students across the nation to be awarded a 2006 American Civil Liberties Union Youth Activist Scholarship, that includes a $4,000 grant for college. “The Scholarship was created in 2000 to recognize the efforts of graduating seniors who have demonstrated a strong commitment to civil liberties and civil rights through some form of student activism.” Khahil earned this award through his efforts to raise awareness about gay and lesbian students and fighting discrimination against them.

Kinetics

SHARE YOUR STORIES! SCDS wants to hear from our alums! If you have news or updates to share about yourself or a former SCDS student, please contact Allison Bass at allisonbass@seattlecountryday.org or call 206-691-2620. We are also collecting items for the SCDS archives. Often requested are videotapes of school drama productions (thought to have been sold at the SCDS auctions?). If you have copies to loan or donate, call Allison Bass.

BEN PHILLIPS ’02 graduated from

University Prep, played in the Ultimate Youth Club Championships, and worked as an assistant at a nuclear physics lab before entering Stanford this fall.

GINA WICKS ’02 is attending Reed

College.

ARIANNA VOKOS ’04 was inspired by

events in Sudan to sell “Stop the Genocide” t-shirts last spring. She got her two younger sisters involved and helped them start a campaign at SCDS. They made flyers, wrote scripts, and gave presentations to each Middle School class while Arianna mounted her own efforts at Lakeside where she is currently a junior. Between the three of them, they sold and delivered hundreds of shirts — raising nearly $1,000 for the cause and raising awareness among their peers and people who see them wearing the shirts. She found preparing the “marketing” materials, taking orders, sorting and delivering the shirts, and accounting for the funds to be a great learning experience.

SUMMER REUNION: CLASS OF 2002 Front row: Guy Noyes, Meggie Callahan, Natalie Holmes, Alexander Lusk, Jaeger Dill, Gina Wicks, Nick Baker, Damien Kan, Zach Montes, Nick Welch.

Middle Row: Ben Phillips, Brahm Rifino, Patrick Mcguffin, Noah Tanabe, Ian Bolliger, Gray Hoffman, Daniel Hull.

Back Row: Molly Gray, Rebecca Page, Laura Weinstein, Jenna Warne, Julia Eng, Matt Kaplan, Bri Boudreaux, Sophie Shulman, Garth L’Esperance, Eli Weinberger.

The Vokos sisters: Sophia ’08, Arianna ’04, and Caroline ’06.

CLASS OF 2003: It’s not too early to start thinking about your class reunion.

Details will be available in May 2007.

FALL/WINTER 2006

ANNUAL ALUMNI PICNIC: WOODLAND PARK Amy (Hintz) ’87 and Anna Ojendyk, Allison (Doyle) Bass ’91, Trea Schocken ’91, Trina Lindall ’86, Jen Zwiebel ’86, Spencer King ’96, Dave Foley ’89, Jason Vincion ’94, Steve Sandvik ’85, Jason Kroll ’92, Pro Roy ’83, Bryson Hadley ’96, Karim Lessard ’85, Evan Hanneman ’98, Jennifer (Hempelmann) Halos ’94, Head of School Michael Murphy, Eric Dawes ’71.

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CLASS NOTES

CONTINUED

ALUMNA PROFILE

Colleen Mitchell ’90 When her daughter Renee was born 2 years ago, Colleen received a box from her mother. Included were books, drawings, and items from Colleen’s time as a 1st grader at SCDS. Of particular note was a worksheet with questions and hand-written responses. What’s your favorite color, your favorite food, your favorite class?

To the latter, she answered simply, “Math.”

This isn’t so much a surprise, when you find out that Colleen earned a Bachelors degree with a double major in mathematics and biology, and a PhD in mathematics, all from Duke University, followed by two years of post-doctoral study in Mathematical and Computational Neuroscience at Boston University, and is now Assistant Professor of Mathematics at University of Iowa in Iowa City.

But after 11 years of post-secondary mathematics education, Colleen was still surprised to read the workbook with her scrawled 6-year old’s reply of “math” answering the question “What do you want to do when you grow up?” “I always wanted to be a vet,” she laughs, “I had no idea I could make math my career.”

As an undergraduate, she launched into pre-med to prepare for veterinarian school, and took math courses because she liked them. By her senior year, she adopted mathematics as her major, but soon discovered she could double major in biology. Around this time, she happened to meet a professor who was a mathematical biologist, and she realized “that I could make a bigger contribution to biology if I pursued further studies in math.” She explains, “So many scientists and doctors study math, but it’s only as a means to enable their science. If I went farther in math, I would have something valuable to bring to the table with the scientists.”

Her early interest in science was cultivated in the SCDS science lab. When her Lakeside classmates were learning about a counter-current heat exchanger, Colleen was envisioning the one she’d built in middle school with Doc “O.” She recalls when it also came up in a graduate school course on mathematical biology, “Counter current exchangers are important in several biological systems including the gills of fish and the kidneys. In the course we used Partial Differential Equations to model a counter current exchanger.”

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She admits, “Math research is a different intellectual exercise because we don’t really do experiments.”

As a professor, she spends about 40% of her time teaching, 40% researching, and 20% on other university business such as serving on committees. She really enjoys the flexibility and independence she has in choosing and conducting her research, and the exposure to students in the different levels of coursework.

This semester, she teaches Differential Equations to sophomores, and Analysis to second-year graduate students. “Undergrad engineers are very application oriented and want to know how to use math in circuits and physics, whereas at the graduate level, we just get really deep into the math; it’s lovely.” The joke with grad students is their textbook by Walter Rudin. The book is titled “Real & Complex Analysis” but the “&” is embossed, so from a slight distance, it simply reads ‘Real Complex Analysis.’ Easy to believe!

Her current research on cochlear implants ties back to her thesis and her fellowship. She likes that she can work pretty much anywhere — all she needs is a paper, pencil, and bit of quiet such as when her daughter is in dance class. “A lot of it is just staring at equations. It’s not very exciting to watch, but it’s much more creative than you might imagine; like any creative processes, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. You can spend weeks and weeks on one little thing, and not be able to get it to work out.” But when it does work, Colleen writes it into an article for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. This is what moves her toward the ultimate goal, “I’d like to make some novel contribution to math, biology, or both; share a different technique or way to look at a problem that provides some new insight.” No doubt she will. In the meantime, she has some valuable advice for current students: “Learn to add fractions, you’re going to need it!”

Kinetics

CLASS NOTES

CONTINUED

ALUMNA PROFILE

Jennifer Hempelmann Halos ’94

Our SCDS mission guides us to prepare children for high school, college, and life by helping them become lifelong learners and responsible citizens. Jennifer Hempelmann Halos, SCDS class of 1994, took some time recently to share some of her SCDS experiences and how they have shaped her as an adult.

After SCDS, Jennifer attended University Prep until her family moved to Bainbridge Island. She graduated from Bainbridge High School where she pursued her interest in drama, originally kindled by a middle school production of The Taming of the Shrew on the stage in the SCDS lunchroom. At the University of Washington, her ongoing curiosity for biology continued to grow, and she chose to major in zoology. “The awesome science education I received at an early age at SCDS was really empowering; to be doing lab experiments so young really gave me the confidence that I could handle the lab sciences I encountered later.” During her junior and senior years of college she had the opportunity to work at the University’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, where she added studies of fish to earlier studies of human genetics.

Studying genetic treatments for human illnesses occupied her first year after college, but when she discovered an opening for biological technician at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), she took it. NOAA is the umbrella organization for the Northwest Fisheries Science Center and National Marine Fisheries Services, and Jennifer was pleased to bring her skills in genetics back into the field of Marine Biology. One of her current projects is studying the southern resident killer whale population to determine what they are eating. From May through September, after the whales feed, samples of their food can be collected from residue or regurgitation in the surrounding water. Jennifer participates in some

FALL/WINTER 2006

“We got to eat push-up pops in class so we’d have the plastic sticks; they made excellent race car axels.” This was the first of many images Jennifer described when asked what she remembers most about being a student at SCDS. collecting trips in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands; other times the samples are delivered to her lab. Her genetic analysis can establish which rivers supply salmon for the whales, which in turn informs what food sources may need protection or restoration to help preserve the already endangered whale populations.

Extracting and testing DNA is work Jennifer typically does alone, but she spends a lot of time with people, too. Project plans and experiments are often developed with colleagues, and new research frequently influences the direction of her work. “But I really appreciate the independence I have in designing my experiments, and the responsibility I have for my data.

It’s really rewarding to know I’m making a difference in protecting our local resources.” Though National Marine Fisheries Services conducts research internationally, 90% of the work they perform is regarding local species and Puget Sound.

Writing about her research is another part of the job Jennifer really enjoys. She presents to other colleagues, but also to elementary school students through the outreach and educational programs at NOAA. In fact, she so enjoys the educational aspects that she is considering pursing teaching full-time at some point in the future. “I was inspired by people who love science at every step of the way, starting with Doc “O” and through my professors at UW and Friday Harbor. It’s so important to pursue what you love.

There are parts of my job that are hard for me, and parts that are easier. I wasn’t great at chemistry, but I loved biology. I tell kids that they don’t have to be the best student in the class to still work hard so they can do what they want to do.”

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An SCDS Faculty Interview in the Tradition of Marcel Proust

Interview French philosopher and writer Marcel Proust was known for his witty answers to a series of intriguing questions, now known as the Proust Questionnaire. To learn more about our teachers in a unique way, the SCDS 8thgrade class took on the challenge of creating its own set of interview questions to be put to one of the faculty members.

Technology Teacher Ethan Delavan choreographed and performed in the faculty dance at the opening assembly.

IF YOU HAD ONE WISH, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

In this issue, we interview Ethan Delavan, Middle School technology teacher.

Ethan has taught at Seattle Country Day School for 10 years. He has a masters degree in Theater Education, and joined SCDS as a drama teacher following experience at the Seattle Children’s Theatre before transitioning his significant technological skills and talents into the classroom full-time. In his time outside school, Ethan produces independent films and documentaries.

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My first impulse is to say that I’d wish for peace between countries. I’m not sure what that would look like in practice. I think we’re all capable of living peacefully, but I also know that we’re animals to the core, with animal needs and animal impulses.

IF YOU COULD NAME A NEW COUNTRY, WHAT WOULD YOU CALL IT?

Paxia. There’s a region west of Budapest called Pannonia, so why not Paxia? I love the root pax because it such a punchy-sounding word for peace.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MANMADE THING?

The triangle. Look around. They’re all over the place. They support umbrellas, chairs and buildings. They help us make maps. They figure strongly in art and literature, and I don’t even need to mention the mathematical importance!

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AMERICAN PRESIDENT?

Jimmy Carter. He wasn’t much of an economist, but I think he was very much ahead of his time as a mediator and as a social philosopher.

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE 13 YEARS OLD?

A photographer. I had been fascinated with taking pictures since I was very little. I even had a plastic tub in my room labeled “photography,” which I pronounced fo-to-GRAPH-y. Even now I can’t just take a snapshot. I have to set up the lights, work the subject, find new angles, on and on to my family’s chagrin.

Kinetics

There’s not much that can be taught, but there’s an immeasurably huge amount that can be learned.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE YOUR NAME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE IT TO?

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST TRANSPORTATION FOR LONG DISTANCE TRAVEL?

Balthazar. It’s a good thing I can’t change my name.

A recumbent tandem bicycle. My wife and I have ridden from Seattle to Portland, Luxembourg to Zurich, and Prague to Budapest. You really see the land when you bike. You come to know the hills (if not to love them). It’s a mode of travel that really feels like cruising, but it’s still very human in scale. On a tandem, you always have a companion. Mine gives me inflight refuelings when I get hungry. On a recumbent, your upper body is relaxed, and your field of vision is wide open.

WHO DO YOU ADMIRE?

Martin Luther King, Jr. He showed incredible intelligence, charisma, dedication and principle, even though he was as much an imperfect human being as the rest of us.

IF YOU COULD LIVE AS AN ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

A dolphin, I think — or maybe a bald eagle. One of the two. To be able to jump in water or to fly, that’s very alluring.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING A STUDENT EVER TAUGHT YOU?

To let them do it. There’s not much that can be taught, but there’s an immeasurably huge amount that can be learned.

IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ANOTHER JOB BESIDES TEACHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Filmmaking, but I can’t decide whether it’d prefer narrative or documentary.

WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE?

Understand myself. I think that understanding ourselves is the surest route to a peaceful society, but we have many deeply entrenched misperceptions about ourselves that allow us to justify all kinds of mistakes we make.

WHO DO YOU THINK IS THE GREATEST LIVING AMERICAN?

It’s a toss-up: Maya Lin or George Soros. Maya Lin revolutionized our view of war, memory, culture, and art. And her humility and professionalism make appreciating her work utterly straightforward. George Soros, an adopted American, is an ardent capitalist with an ardently populist vision. His subtle yet simple view of the world is refreshing, and his dedication to his foundation is exemplary.

FALL/WINTER 2006

WHO IS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON ON YOUR LIFE?

My daughter. She says such reassuring things, like “aah” and “heh.” The other day I was telling her how adorable she is, and she said: “Hmm.” IF YOU COULD MEET ANYONE, LIVING OR DEAD, WHO WOULD IT BE?

I would want to meet an early human, but only if it were in their time and place. I’ve spent hours and hours imagining what it must have been like so many tens of thousands of years ago when the Earth was visibly younger, and humans only had a long shot at survival. What was their culture like? What did they believe about the world? What skills did they know that we have lost?

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO LEARN ABOUT A FRIEND?

When they need space. I think very often friends need to know we’ll be there for them even if we can’t help them out directly. They need space to figure out what’s bothering them and how to deal with it.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER-POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

I’d be able to read minds. The only thing that really matters to me in life is connection to others. Naturally, I’d try to use my power for good. I wouldn’t just cheat on tests.

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Inquire. Create. Nurture.

Kinetics SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL MAGAZINE

» FALL/WINTER 2006 Kinetics Magazine Kinesis comes from the Greek word for motion, and “kinetics” is used in the vernacular to describe mechanics associated with the forces that cause motions of bodies. At SCDS, we’re all about energy and active learning. Every day, SCDS teachers engage students’ minds and bodies through inquiry-based teaching.

Kinetics is our school magazine, and the name reflects both our mission and the creativity within our classrooms. We hope you enjoy this issue and feel the palpable buzz of SCDS within these pages!

S C D S

SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 2619 4th Avenue N Seattle, WA 98109 206-284-6220 www.seattlecountryday.org RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Eighth-grade musicians express themselves through guitar playing for a Viewing Room audience.

Students learn about taking common objects and making them art in the Dada workshop.

Third grade students display their abstract interpretations of classic works of art such as the Mona Lisa.

A Journey Into The Arts At Seattle Country Day School, we are often on the move. But for one, rare day last May, our school stopped and turned its focus toward one thing: the arts. Through the generosity of donors to the Anniversary Arts Fund at the 2005 SCDS Auction, students spent an entire day experiencing the joys of painting, the wonder of music, the power of words, and the freedom of expression.

This day was called VOICES and SCDS teachers and staff organized a full day of activities.

The day began with DEAR time or “Drop Everything And Read” time. At an assembly that day, the school looked back and remembered all the writers and artists who had visited the school during the school year. And finally, every student, from Kindergarten through 8th grade, spent the remainder of the day exploring different avenues of the arts — and these pictures here tell the story best. It was special day for all.

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