Wonder Magazine, Seattle Country Day School, Spring 2022 by Seattle Country Day School

SPRING 2022

Seattle Country Day School’s Magazine

Small Fry

Knowing Where to Start Work in Progress

FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Good Stewardship This week, I saw a letter that a fifth-grade student wrote to President Biden — the result of a class conversation about who, historically, is pictured on American currency. After the conversation, students elected to write the president to ask him to place activist and abolitionist Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill. While I don’t know if students’ notes will have the desired effect, I do know that this kind of classroom conversation and the desire to act is central to creating the analytical, empathetic, and ethical leaders of tomorrow. You’ll see evidence of all three qualities in the pages that follow. In the article “Work in Progress,” we review some of the strides we’ve made over the past year in exploring identity, a cornerstone of work in DEI. In “Knowing Where to Start,” we gain insight into the complex work of alumnus and mathematician Erick Matsen. With the problem-solving skills he started to develop at SCDS, Erick is now tackling major challenges in science and public health. And in “Small Fry,” our cover story, we follow along as kindergarteners learn about salmon and environmental stewardship while deepening their caring for the natural world. Stewardship is a responsibility created anew by every generation. It’s comforting to think that, just as we steward our students’ education, Seattle Country Day School’s compassionate, perceptive graduates will help steward our collective future.

Kimberly A. Zaidberg Head of School

WONDER

Seattle Country Day School’s Magazine Spring 2022

Head of School Kimberly A. Zaidberg

Editor Delia Ward

President, Board of Trustees Ryan Schofield

(deliaward@seattlecountryday.org)

President, Alumni Council Devon Emily Thorsell ’05 President, Parent Council Nicole Jarjour

Design/Production Christa Fleming Design Photography Libby Lewis Photography SCDS Photographers

Thank You To Elaine Duncan and the many people in the SCDS community who contributed to this issue This magazine was produced with recycled, FSC-certified paper.

Printing AAA Printing

DEDICATED TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION SCDS actively seeks to increase the breadth of diversity and inclusion in our entire community: the gifted children at the center of a dynamic learning process, their families, and our faculty, staff, and Board of Trustees. We aspire to include a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives; to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of differences; and to cultivate diverse thinking essential for creative problem-solving.

We affirm our belief that increasing and sustaining diversity and inclusiveness helps us to fulfill our mission of inspiring gifted children to reach their potential through inquiry, curiosity, and wonder. In support of our mission, we believe in continually examining all aspects of our school, including our curriculum, hiring practices, admissions procedures, communications, outreach, and professional development.

We recognize that diversity encompasses all socioeconomic, ethnic, racial and cultural backgrounds, family structures, gender and sexual identifications, and religious communities. In the spirit of true inquiry, we embrace this journey as an essential learning opportunity.

We pledge to attract, embrace, and support a diverse community; to foster an environment of authenticity and inclusion; to empower compassionate problem-solvers and risk-takers; and to inspire one another to better the world for all.

Almost Normal

WE’RE WONDERING ABOUT… 2

Small Fry

Knowing Where to Start

A New Lens on the World

Curious People, Smart Machines

Wildcat Territory

Work in Progress

Class Notes

The Gallery

Salmon, science, and stewardship — in kindergarten

Alumnus Erick Matsen and new tools for medical research

The benefits of teaching culture and language

Parent Saurabh Baji on artificial intelligence

A brief look at the past few months

Understanding, appreciating, and celebrating identity

Our alumni share their adventures

The other week, I spoke with a parent about the sixth-grade trip to San Francisco. I was thrilled to hear how happy both she and her child were with the trip, and I bet other parents would say the same. The return of beloved class trips is a sign that SCDS is getting back to normal. Inperson learning, Winterim (my personal favorite), Heritage Night: all great signs. In the meantime, the other trustees and I spent the year reviewing our work, doing board education, and looking to the future post-COVID. It’s my hope that the pandemic will be behind us (or minimized to an even greater extent) by the fall. The board is excited about the coming year, and we’d like to thank parents and guardians for the support they’ve shown faculty and staff. Your continued vigilance, and your students’ participation in testing and masking, has allowed SCDS to get back to almost-normal operations. Finally, I personally would like to thank Kim, the faculty, and staff for working tirelessly to keep our students learning, healthy, and happy. Enjoy your summer!

Student creations on display Ryan Schofield President, SCDS Board of Trustees

On the cover Eva and Dario, participants in the Salmon in the Schools program

PAGE 2

Our commitment to non-discrimination. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, creed, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, or other legally protected status in the administration of its hiring policies, employment practices, educational policies, admissions policies, financial aid and loan programs, or athletic, extracurricular, or other school-administered programs. SPRING 2022 | WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE

SMALL FRY

Learning about salmon, science, and stewardship in kindergarten

“Hello, ichthyologists!” That is Charles Janovick’s cheerful Tuesday-morning greeting to the students in Cheryl Cluley’s and Olivia Pierce-Bluhm’s kindergarten classroom. Most of the children hear him, though a few are still settling down from the get-out-the-wiggles dance held moments before. The next thing Charles says, however, gets everyone’s attention. In fact, it spawns a chorus of voices and upraised hands. “What did you observe about the salmon this week?” Charles asks.

Salmon in the Schools The Salmon in the Schools program is designed, quite literally, to bring salmon into local classrooms. In this program, children come to understand a salmon’s life cycle and its larger role in Pacific Northwest ecosystems, culture, and commerce. Although Salmon in the Schools has gone through several life cycles of its own, it is now administered by Seattle Public Utilities, Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project, and the Fauntleroy

WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

Watershed Council. SCDS is a longterm and enthusiastic participant in the program. The salmon project takes months to implement. Charles, the science specialist for grades K–3, sets up the tanks in SCDS’s two kindergarten classrooms in late November, cycling the water for a month to create the right conditions for the fish. Then, in mid-January, approximately 200 coho eggs arrive from the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. “They were orange-ish pink,” recalls a student named Jefferson. His classmate Millie agrees. “They were a pinky color, mixed with an orangey red,” she says. “And there were eye dots.” Cheryl reflects on the benefit of having living animals in the classroom. “It not only fosters curiosity and the desire to observe the salmon,” she says, “but it also fosters a desire to take care of them.”

Class, January 25: hatching time Student observations: The fish hatched in the rocks. They’re grouping together. Some of them like to ride the bubbles to the top of the tank. Part of the fun of having salmon in your classroom means that you can watch them, all the time. And they change. “We don’t get the opportunity to see something develop, really right before our eyes, very often,” says Charles. “We see these salmon day after day, and there are pretty dramatic changes.” There are multiple phases in the salmon life cycle: from egg, to alevin, to fry, to parr, to smolt, to adult. As directed by the Salmon in the Schools program, Charles and the kindergarteners release the parr into Lake Washington in May. From there, the fish will attempt to make their way to the ocean. Although students observe only the first four stages of salmon life, they understand the others. Charles

teaches the class through storytelling, asking the children to imagine being a salmon at various points in the life cycle. Today, the children are asked to imagine that they’re salmon eggs, then Charles starts the story. “Your first memory is of the cold and dark, and you can’t move,” says Charles. “One morning, though, you stretch, and you pop out of your egg case. But you wonder: Why can’t I move? You can’t move because you still have a big ball attached to you. It’s your yolk sac, with all the food you need to live in this fast-moving water.” While this salmon-based unit presents facts and promotes discussion, the stories add a valuable dimension. “Storytelling allows the students to engage their imagination while they build an understanding of the life cycle of the salmon,” says Charles. And that, in turn, builds a sense of caring.

Kindergarten learning If you were to attend a kindergarten class at SCDS, you’d see a fair amount of movement, and the salmon sessions are no exception. While imagining being salmon, the children have curled up into balls (the egg stage) and wiggled around the room

“We don’t get the opportunity to see something develop, really right before our eyes, very often,” says Charles. “We see these salmon day after day, and there are pretty dramatic changes.”

SPRING 2022 | WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE

SMALL FRY on their stomachs, pretending to search for herring and other food. It’s part of the learning process. “Kindergartners need to move,” says Cheryl. “Spending a lot of time at their desk is challenging. Additionally, movement helps our kinesthetic learners solidify what they’ve learned.” There are other tactics that help synthesize what children are learning. Charles’s story is frequently followed by a few minutes of drawing, where the children depict what they’ve heard. “Some children sit with their eyes closed, listening and picturing the story in their minds,” says Cheryl. “Then we give them the opportunity to represent that on paper; it helps synthesize the information.” The children also observe the fish when Charles isn’t there, and they write or draw what they see in a journal. It’s another way of promoting the observational skills so necessary to science and research. It also helps their teacher. “The students are my eyes on the tanks,” says Charles.

Class, March 1: the fry emerge Student observations: All the fish are in their fry stage (no egg sacs remain). They are leaving the bottom of the tank. Today’s observations, as they often do, lead to other conversations. Belen asks when the fish will be released to the ocean. Charles answers that they still need fresh water, so they’re not quite ready. Violet says that fish can get sick, and Charles takes a moment to mention the mucosal covering that protects salmon from disease, noting that the presence of soap in the water is bad for their health.

Then it’s on to the story. Today, the children are adult salmon, swimming in the ocean, feeding, and getting stronger. One day — and scientists still don’t know why, notes Charles — the salmon realize they must return to where they grew up. They feel their bodies changing one last time, and they’re ready to spawn. Swimming back home, the salmon start to see brothers and sisters they haven’t seen in years. “Do you know how the salmon find their way home?” asks Charles. The children remember the answer from a previous lesson. “Smell!” they call. “Each river has its own smell,” confirms Charles.

The Salmon Life Cycle

A salmon egg. (Drawn by Simon.)

WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

Alevin, lugging their orange “lunchboxes,” aka yolk sacs. (Calvin)

The larger story Although the life cycle of the salmon is fascinating to grown-ups and kindergarteners alike, the class brings in other elements, too. The children become aware of the fact that salmon exist in a much larger ecosystem, and that death, too, is a part of the life cycle. In every story, Charles notes the salmon’s surroundings — the rushing water of the creek bed, the tree branches they can hide behind, the grasses of the estuary, the swell of the sea — and the predators in each habitat. The students rattle off a list of these predators, including bears, racoons, seals, and eagles, that could eat the fish somewhere along the journey. Cheryl, Olivia, and Charles were also interested in telling another part of the salmon story: its importance to local Indigenous cultures.

Class, March 22: creation myths and stewardship

“Olivia and I explored the oral storytelling traditions of local Indigenous peoples with kindergarteners this fall, and we know how important salmon are to these cultures,” says Cheryl. “That was a connection we wanted to add in.”

Student observations: The fish are chasing each other. They’re swimming faster. Their parr marks are getting darker. And parr marks are good for camouflage.

The fry is the next stage, and the stage after that? Parr, gaining their camouflaging stripes. (Chloe)

The smolt, not pictured here, follows. Then comes the adult salmon, out at sea. (Jefferson)

When Charles turns on the screen this Tuesday morning, it’s covered in text. “I’m going to read this exactly as written,” he tells the children, “because it’s not my story.”

What is the text? It’s an Indigenous creation myth, one related by Clarence Pickernell (Quinalt, Chehalis, Cowlitz) to the University of California Press at Berkeley in 1953. It explains the formation of Puget Sound and the Cascades, and it contains both salmon and a lesson about human greed. When it concludes, Charles asks the class if the story is true. Many students call out an enthusiastic “yes.” “First Peoples had many origin stories,” explains Charles. “This story highlights the importance of nature, and how we can help and give back.”

Spawning salmon, back in the creek. (Stella) SPRING 2022 | WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE

SMALL FRY Inculcating a sense of stewardship is the impetus behind the Salmon in the Schools program. Administrators and teachers want children to learn about salmon and to understand the importance of protecting the place where they live. “On the stewardship side of things, I’m building toward having students think about everyday choices, like: ‘How many paper towels do we need to dry our hands?’” Charles says. “Because we know paper towels come from trees, and those trees provide shade for our salmon.”

Bigger waters In May, the kindergarteners release their salmon into Lake Washington, bidding farewell to the fish they’ve been watching and wondering about for four months. The parr then embark on the next part of their journey: making their way to Puget Sound and the Pacific. It is unlikely that SCDS’s salmon will survive to spawn. Charles says that, statistically, only 1 in 1,000 salmon will complete a full life cycle. “Most of our fish are probably going to be supporting the wider food chain,” he says.

Pictured left to right, while making fish faces: Kavi, Jefferson, Millie, and Zoe

IN THE FISHBOWL We sat down with kindergarteners Jefferson, Kavi, Millie, and Zoe in March to talk about salmon.

How have the salmon been changing?

Millie: They started to come off the bottom more. And they started to get their parr marks and they started to button up. [lose their yolk sac]

What’s a parr mark?

Kavi: It’s stripes. The stripes aren’t black yet. But they are getting darker.

What else is happening?

Jefferson: Their heads are popping out of the water. Zoe: They’re getting ready to hunt bugs and stuff.

What our small fry learned, however, has made a lasting impression. When asked why people should take care of salmon, Zoe had a practical yet profound answer — one that contains echoes of the local ecosystem and humans’ place within it.

(A discussion ensued on whether there were bugs in the classroom and the prevalence of ants in people’s houses. Agreement: Ants are everywhere.)

“So they don’t die,” Zoe says, “before they should.”

If you were a salmon, what stage of salmon would you be?

Do salmon like to read?

Everyone: No! (In a you-should-know-better tone.)

Zoe: Alevin. I don’t need to catch my own food; I have my own food right there. Millie: That’s my favorite, too. Kavi: I think I would be an adult because it’s easier to get away from predators. Jefferson: I think I would actually be a spawner. Then I can name my cute eggs. Zoe, reconsidering: I want to be an egg. I have more stages, and I don’t die as soon.

WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

KNOWING WHERE TO START Alumnus and mathematician Erick Matsen is creating new tools for medical (including viral) research

There is a certain tradition in Erick Matsen’s family. “My dad’s a surgeon, both my sisters are surgeons, both of my brothers-in-law are surgeons, and both my uncles were in medicine,” he says. Erick, on the other hand, was pulled toward the study of mathematics. He had no intention of following a medical path. There’s a little bit of irony, then, in the fact that Erick is now a professor in the public health sciences division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. In fall 2021, he became a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator, a prestigious position accompanied by $9 million in grant funding.

“It’s a real honor,” says Erick, who’s using the funding to recruit research personnel. “It also feels like a big responsibility — like I really want to do a good job.”

Exploration and freedom Erick, a student at Seattle Country Day School from kindergarten through sixth grade, loved computer programming. He recalls the school’s computers (Commodore 64s), an influential programming language (Logo), his tech teacher (Lisa Lewis), and the freedom he had to explore. “I remember being handed the user manuals for Logo, and just being given free rein, so I wrote a little car-

SPRING 2022 | WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE

KNOWING WHERE TO START

In Erick’s math classroom at SCDS, a poster asked: Can you solve a simpler problem? “That guideline is so fundamental for making advances on difficult problems,” he says.

The forest and the trees

racing game,” Erick says. “Nobody was telling me that I should. I just had the time to explore doing something a little bit different.” He also remembers a series of guidelines, posted on the classroom wall by Dr. Goldberg, his math teacher. Among them was one that asked: Can you solve a simpler problem? “That guideline is so fundamental for making advances on difficult problems,” says Erick. “Sometimes, you just don’t know where to start.” Then he flips the guideline on its head. “To be honest, my lab is solving simpler problems right now than the one that we would like to solve,” he says.

What is the problem that Erick and his colleagues at Fred Hutch are trying to solve? Well, there are several. They’re interested in the functions of proteins, life’s complicated, folded building blocks. They’re intrigued by the role of B and T cells in the process of adaptive immunity — the long-term process of teaching the body to recognize an invader. Erick’s lab also hopes to advance the understanding of short-term evolution: the kind of short-term evolution undertaken by strains of novel viruses like COVID-19. To trace viruses, scientists use phylogenetic trees: diagrams that, according to nature.com, “depict the lines of evolutionary descent of different species, organisms, or genes from a common ancestor.” These trees show lines of familial connection. Until recently, researchers used the trees to analyze data in one of two ways. “One analysis is optimization-based, where you just try to find the very best tree that explains your data,” Erick says. The second type of analysis uses Bayesian inference methods, in which researchers consider all the explanations offered by the data and try to calculate their probability of being correct. This method involves random sampling. “You’re basically trying to wander around the forest and report back on the trees that you found,” says Erick.

WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

Erick and his colleagues are attempting to merge these two analytical methods to create a new tool — optimization-based Bayesian inference — for medical research. In the case of viruses, for example, this new mathematical tool could, eventually, help researchers better track the source of a virus and make more reliable predictions about its virulence. It’s exciting work, but Erick cautions that he and his group are still in the early stages. “We’re still working on simpler problems,” he says. “Then we’ll try to scale our inferences up to the type of data that researchers have for COVID.”

Something true In developing optimization-based Bayesian inference — and in exploring other research efforts — Erick is grateful to have the backing of the HHMI. “The institute believes in long-term support, so people can develop hard projects,” says Erick. In addition to the institute’s vote of confidence in his work, Erick is also buoyed by the elegance and utility of math — as he has been since his grade-school years at Seattle Country Day School. “I still think it’s amazing that you can start with an equation, and if you follow certain rules in manipulating that equation, you always know that you keep something true,” he says.

A NEW LENS ON THE WORLD

SCDS teachers discuss the benefits of teaching culture along with language

OUR ROUNDTABLE Miriam Ayala Spanish (Grades 4–5) Yingying Gao Mandarin (Grades K and 1) Xiaoling Mo Mandarin (Grades 2–8) William Rodriguez Spanish (Grades 6–7) Marcella Scott Spanish (Grades K, 1, 2, 3, and 8)

Tell us about teaching culture while teaching language skills… YINGYING. Chinese culture is embedded with the languageteaching. For me, they’re inseparable. WILLIAM. I’ve always thought that learning a language is not only about grammar. It’s also about immersing yourself in another environment. That’s why I try to incorporate music, art, and customs into my lessons, so that students can connect to another culture. MIRIAM. Yes — we have fun talking about different countries’ customs in my class, too! If you’ve visited Spain, for instance, you’ll know that finding a place to eat dinner at 5 or 6 p.m. can be hard; most restaurants don’t serve until 9 or 10 p.m. XIAOLING. Some customs are just embedded in the language. Many people know that “nĭ hăo” means “hello” in Mandarin, but “nĭ hăo” literally means “you (are) good.” Chinese people only use this phrase when they don’t know a person’s name and title. If my students said “nĭ hăo” to me, I would wonder if they forgot that I’m their teacher!

What kind of resources do you draw on for your classes? XIAOLING. Some of my best resources are other people. I like to pull in my parents, relatives, and friends from China, and some students from Taipei and Shanghai, and local Chinese-Americans; we

have conversations in the classroom over Zoom. I also collect pictures and videos of Mandarin speakers — so that students can see that many kinds of people speak the language. MARCELLA. This year, my eighthgraders and I studied a Colombian pop song called “Soy Yo” by Bomba Estéreo. We started with the vocabulary, then talked about the message: It’s about a girl who is seen as different because of her braids and skin color. But she doesn’t care about other people’s opinions. She says, “soy yo,” or “I can be myself.” YINGYING. Songs are so useful! With our younger grades, we sing authentic Chinese songs in class, and we use other fun, foundational tools, like Chinese folktales and classic children’s stories. WILLIAM. And don’t forget about books. This year, my sixth-graders read a book called “Berto y Sus Buenas Ideas,” which takes place in Spain, and they learned about historic sites and soccer, the international Hispanic pastime.

How does language affect the way students see the world? XIAOLING. Mandarin is different from Latin-based languages like English, and I think learning it changes the way students process information and think about language. It’s tonal, so how you pitch your voice makes all the difference in choosing the right word — saying “mā” (mom), for instance, and not accidentally saying “mă” (horse).

SPRING 2022 | WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE

A NEW LENS ON THE WORLD WILLIAM. What I’ve seen in my classroom is that language acquisition changes students’ thinking and behavior. They think more critically about cultural stereotypes and gain an appreciation that the world is larger than their bubble. MIRIAM. Language is key to broadening cultural awareness during travel and in making connections with people who speak other languages. And it builds empathy, which is a beautiful thing. MARCELLA. Miriam is so right about empathy. Language is a part of everything — it’s easier for language learners to put themselves into someone else’s shoes.

What’s the most rewarding part of being a language teacher? YINGYING. I know I help students with Chinese heritage become more assertive and proud of their identity, which makes this teaching experience really special. WILLIAM. For me, it’s when a concept finally clicks for a student, or when they’ve understood a book. That’s inspiring. MARCELLA. I like hearing about students’ adventures — when they go to a restaurant or a grocery store or talk to their Spanish-speaking neighbors. Knowing they have the ability to bridge the language gap is really rewarding. MIRIAM. I’ve shared my love of language and cultures with SCDS students for almost two decades. Sometimes, my students will return to tell me that they’re pursuing Spanish, or that they’re in a Spanish honors program. I’m so proud of them!

Language, Philosophy, and Cats We asked a few SCDS students about their take on culture and language. Aditi, Grade 2 Favorite Word in Mandarin: Bā ( eight). Aditi recently turned 8, and she likes even numbers better than odd ones. I like learning new words, and Ms. Mo was just teaching us about the Lunar New Year. It starts on February 1st, and people usually give out red envelopes, and today is the second day of the Year of the Tiger. The last year was the ox. And the year before that was the rat. The next year is going be the rabbit, then dragon, then snake, and then horse. After that, the goat, then the monkey, then the rooster, then dog, and then the pig. Learning about Lunar New Year made me think that Mandarin has way more in it than just numbers or simple words like “you, me, I, go, walk, and run.” Lewis, Grade 7 Favorite Phrase in Spanish: Me llamo (my name is). Lewis enjoys how basic and foundational it is. I know languages are a big part of culture. One way to destroy a culture is to destroy the culture’s language, and if you destroy its language, then people in that culture, they have to start using other languages. And before you know it, they start doing other stuff and they start dropping things related to their culture. And then they’re not even that culture anymore; they’re a different one.

WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

Nico, Grade 5 Favorite Word in Spanish: Estrella (star). Nico used to have a cat named Stella, which also means “star.” Well, I’m enjoying learning how to conjugate verbs, because it really does open up a lot more that I didn’t understand before. We’re also reading this book called “Federico Rico,” and we learn about things like Tuesday the 13th, which is really unlucky in Spanish cultures. Dexter, Grade 6 Favorite Word in Mandarin: It’s hard to choose one, but if he ox). had to: Niú ( Dexter was born in the Year of the Ox, and it took time to learn how to pronounce “ox.” I’m really proud that I can finally say “ox” in Mandarin. I also enjoyed learning more about traditional red envelopes (hongbao) during Lunar New Year. Learning more about Chinese culture makes me appreciate it more. I feel like I’m in the culture experiencing it in the first-person rather than in the third-person; this helps me understand it better. I want to learn more about the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius. I think he had an interesting way of perceiving life. We take life for granted and we shouldn’t do that because we only have one life. So, let’s live a good one.

Saurabh and Aarna (a kindergartener), and her little brother, Shree.

What excites you about your job? I love working on truly intelligent programs, ones that can autonomously deal with tasks that are hard, boring, or downright dangerous. Like mining, for example, or decontamination, or large-scale farming. Any job where a computer could extend human reach is open to AI. And, of course, I am not above using AI to put really bushy eyebrows on photos! What’s the next big thing in your field? Some complex jobs — like factory or field work — involve specialized tasks, so teaching machines to cooperate with each other is huge. They need to be aware of each other, so if one has a misstep, others can help! Working together allows them to develop team strategies and even experiment with curiosity (being rewarded for trying things they wouldn’t normally do).

CURIOUS PEOPLE, SMART MACHINES SCDS parent Saurabh Baji is the vice president of AI and data at Unity Technologies, a software company that provides a leading platform for interactive, real-time 3D content — as in multi-player and virtual reality games. He spoke with us about the promise of AI.

recognize a person, for example, by taking age, race, sex, and other characteristics into account. This flexibility is critical; while game developers were our first users, AI is moving into areas like autonomous vehicles and robotics, where accuracy really matters.

How do you define AI — and how do you work with it? So, AI is technology that enables machines to be intelligent, allowing computers — like humans — to learn from experience. Part of my job involves giving computers as much data as possible, including synthetic or artificially generated data with Unity, to help them learn. Training with the right data allows machines to

We heard your sister inspired your interest in programming? That’s right! In seventh grade, I wanted to use my older sister’s computer to play games, but without her knowing. So, I figured out how to add new games and change permissions to hide them. Eventually, as part of my master’s degree, I programmed a computer to read science textbooks and answer questions at the same level as a highperforming student.

How does AI relate to the metaverse? The metaverse — essentially a kind of virtual reality world — is evolving. While we have yet to see what it becomes, one thing is for sure: To make anything act naturally in the metaverse, you need AI. We need learned behavior for any interactions that will take place there, and that can’t be programmed ahead of time. Today, kids play video games; tomorrow, they will be doing more things in the metaverse. What does all this mean for your daughter’s future? Technology is literally everywhere for our kids. Aarna can already interact with a smart phone like she was born with it, and that will extend to AI. We need to make that interaction as safe and attractive as possible, so that children can feed their curiosity and realize they don’t have to stick inside boundaries. We want them to see AI and think, “Wow, I can make that?” The more they understand how AI works, the more creatively they will use it.

SPRING 2022 | WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE

WILDCAT TERRITORY A quick glimpse of the past few months, featuring various SCDS Wildcats

HERITAGE NIGHT. Held in April by the Parent Council, Heritage Night was a welcome return to all-community events — plus a glimpse into various cultures and countries, including Barbados, India, Romania, and many others. Delicious food, fun facts, a Colombian Cumbia dance performance: It was a wonderful time.

TEAMWORK, ROBOTS, COOKIES. Cryptic Cookies Bits ’n Bots (a team that competes in the STEM-focused FIRST LEGO League) were declared the state-level champs. Then, at the world championships in April, they placed 24 out of 108 (robot segment) and won the Core Values Finalists Award! Pictured: SCDS students Clara, Amari, and Ben, and Evergreen student Ana. ON FIRE. Setting cheese puffs and other food alight was part of a session in Doc O’s lab, one where students calculated the calories of burning junk food.

HOORAY FOR BOOKS. This spring, SCDS parents collected more than 1,300 books for the Parent Council’s annual book swap. Free books! The students LOVED it.

WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

WINTERIM. Winterim returned this year! Students were very happy to be on their skates and skis for this skills- and confidence-building program.

GAME ON + GAME WON. Parents, alums, friends, and businesses came together in spring to raise more than $175,000 for students and school programs. Good job, everyone!

THE BUDDIES AT PLAY. Eighth-grade and kindergarten buddies bond in a yearlong series of fun outings and activities, including this visit to a Queen Anne park.

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS. The Day of the Dead is a joyful November holiday celebrated in many Spanish-speaking countries. This ofrenda (offering), installed at SCDS by first-grade associate teacher Mari Fierro, featured artwork, family photos, decorations, and food.

READY FOR SCHOOL. When Lower School students and parents partnered with the International Rescue Committee on a school supplies drive for young refugees, SCDS thirdgraders counted 35 coats, 74 pairs of scissors, 129 glue sticks, and 1,025 crayons (and more).

SPRING 2022 | WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE

WORK

IN PROGRESS Understanding, appreciating, and celebrating identity If you get a roomful of teachers together, it’s usually a lively affair; they enjoy each other’s company, and they have plenty of stories to share. At this meeting in November, however, Seattle Country Day School’s Lower School teachers are quietly concentrating. Instead of the buzz of conversation, the multipurpose room is filled with small sounds: the occasional sip from a water bottle, the movement of a chair, a muffled cough.

About the visuals. In the images above, second-graders constructed self-portraits; the left sides show the students’ conceptions of how they think the world sees them, while the right side depicts how they see themselves. On the pages that follow, Intermediate School students used Jenga blocks to express a portion of their identity, part of a game they created to disarm stereotypes and misconceptions.

WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

Why is the room so low-key? Teachers are writing down their answers to this question: What is holding you back in talking about race and inequity? Lily Medina, the school’s new director of DEI, notes that many teachers are worried about saying or doing the right thing. They don’t want to make mistakes. “I think that fear often paralyzes teachers into not having important discussions that need to be held,” says Lily. “We want to normalize talking about race, not avoid it.”

Starting with identity One of SCDS’s priorities, adopted in 2020, is to increase the diversity and inclusivity of the school community. Although this is a multilayered and complex goal, Lily can sum it up in a single sentence. “The end goal is to make sure that every single child feels a sense of belonging in class,” she says. In pursuit of this goal, much of Lily’s work this year has been focused on exploring and celebrating identity. This work has extended from the classroom to the library, and from older students’ advisory sessions to a new parent workshop called Cafecito & Conversation. “We’re starting with identity because people have a personal, emotional connection to their own identity,” explains Lily. “We can then come to understand what it’s like when somebody treats us unfairly based on one of the aspects of our identity — like race, nationality, or ethnicity.” Children are given age-appropriate activities and readings to help them talk about their identity, recognize differences and similarities, and feel empathy for their classmates. Parents are shown how they can continue discussions at home. Importantly, teachers are given resources to help guide conversations.

Learning and re-learning how to approach identity — in choosing books and resources, in talking to students, in teaching subjects that range from art to math — is very important work for adults to pursue; it sets the stage for how children will see themselves, their classmates, and their world. Exploring identity also helps society approach systemic challenges inventively and openly, and it broadens norms, making society more inclusive of all types of people. “As educators and parents, we have to be creators,” says Lily. “We have to be the ones who are trying things, making mistakes, and then making it better.”

Standing up in advisory The logical place to begin identity work with SCDS students is through the school’s Synapse program. Synapse sessions combine elements of social-emotional learning (SEL), which help children understand themselves, their classmates, and the larger world, and concepts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Depending on the grade level, Synapse takes different formats. In Middle School, sixth-, seventh-, and

eighth-graders take part in Synapse through their advisory groups, where they talk about topics that affect them and their society. This year, Lily provided some identity-focused activities for advisory group leaders to use. Chase Ferree, the school’s eighthgrade language arts teacher, recalls one session where his advisory students explored some important, open-ended questions about identity. “Students would stand up if they’d felt singled out, negatively, for some part of their identity,” says Chase, “or if there were a part of their identity that they were really proud of. Or if they’d spoken up for someone else.” It was clear that students wanted to continue talking after the “stand up” exercise, so Chase opened the floor to extend the conversation. Later, the students shared feedback. “Some students said it was a really great activity and that it made them pause a little bit while thinking about their peers. That’s where you really see the interweaving of SEL and DEI,” says Chase. “But some students had really legitimate critiques of the activity,

Doing this kind of work requires adults, especially, to evaluate what (and how) they have learned. As Lily points out, we are all influenced by living in a hierarchical, racialized society. Further, what adults were taught in elementary school may feel inappropriate or anachronistic in 2022. A case in point: Third-grade teacher Deb Pannell reflects on the effect of the “Dick and Jane” books from her youth, early readers that feature a white, middle-class nuclear family and stereotypical gender roles. “Books taught me what the norm was,” says Deb. “They also taught me what the ‘other’ was.”

I identify as Asian, and people assume I’m Chinese. I want people to know that I’m Korean. —SCDS Student

SPRING 2022 | WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE

WORK IN PROGRESS that represented a stereotype as well as how they viewed themselves. “The students assembled these blocks into this pile,” says Lannon. “The idea was that, as students pulled out the Jenga blocks, they could read these powerful statements that the other students had created.” Students also had the pleasure of watching the stereotypes (as Jenga blocks inevitably do) fall to the ground. This game gives students — whose experiences with stereotyping vary — a significant moment for reflection and empathy. I identify as a Middle Eastern Muslim, and some people assume that Middle Eastern Muslims are associated with the 9/11 attacks. I am in no way associated with terrorism and 9/11. —SCDS Student

too,” he says. “You know, the sort of ‘performance’ of standing up — where you want to stand up because everyone else in the class is. I appreciate our students really acknowledging the nuance and complexity of things.”

The stereotype game

stereotyping, then broke the students into discussion and activity groups. “Stella and Moreo invented a game with giant Jenga blocks, where each block represented a stereotype they wanted to eliminate,” says Lily. The children wrote personal statements on the blocks, often couched in language

In contrast, fourth- and fifth-grade students have, quite literally, turned their identity-related discussions in Synapse into a game. “This year, we’ve been working to raise the level of consciousness around race, and we’ve really done a lot of work with stereotypes,” says Lannon Gustafson, a school counselor. “We’ve also been working a lot on expanding identity — allowing students to see that identity is a lifelong process by continuing the conversation over multiple months.” In one session with a group of fourthand fifth-grade students, Lannon and Lily began by showing a video on

WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

“What we’re trying to do with this activity, and with similar activities, is to resist dehumanizing and reducing people,” says Lily. “Instead, we’re really trying to build empathy, so students can connect to other people and to our shared humanity.”

Developing self-awareness Dave Barth has been a regular attendee at Cafecito & Conversation, a new monthly workshop for parents interested in DEI-related subjects. The first workshops, hosted by Lily and

Head of School Kimberly A. Zaidberg, focused on the ABCs of inclusive learning spaces: affirming identities, building community, and cultivating leadership. “The workshops give the context for why the school teaches DEI the way it does,” says Dave. “I find that very valuable in understanding what my daughter is experiencing in school.” The Cafecitos also do something else, says Lily: They help foster important conversations at home. “Parents can normalize talking about pride in their identity,” says Lily. “They can also help children understand that it’s normal to talk about observations and celebrate differences.” In delving into identity, the workshops also ask parents to challenge their assumptions. Dave recalls one Cafecito where attendees were asked to describe a person they didn’t know well. “If I don’t know someone very well, for example, I might describe them with stereotypes or surface features,” says Dave. “And what does that say about the unconscious bias or stereotypes I have in my head?” He notes that this heightened awareness is crucial to parenting. “You’re always setting an example for your child,” he says. Sometimes, however, children set examples for their parents. Dave remembers a recent conversation. “I was asking my daughter why one of her classmates had changed their

I identify as she/they, and people assume I am just a girl, but I want people to know that just because I dress more feminine, I am still who I want to be. —SCDS Student

name and their pronouns,” says Dave. “I was trying to dig into the reason for it and get into details.” Then his daughter threw him a curveball. “She said, ‘Why does it matter, Dad? You don’t have to categorize them as A, B, or C. They can just be whoever they want to be, you know?’” Dave pauses. “That was great to hear,” he says. “It’s a testament to the diversity work that the school has done with my daughter.”

The home-school connection Although race is an important part of identity, it can be a challenging issue to discuss, even for adults. So, how do we teach young children about race?

Associate teacher Sandra Bashore appears on the Zoom screen brandishing one of the answers to that question: a cheerful-looking resource called “Different Differenter: An Activity Book About Skin Color.” Cassie Koscianski, a second-grade teacher, flips through the book and, having found the right page, holds it up to the screen. What appears is an expansive palette of skin tones. Students received a copy of this page to take home. Then, they were asked to note which color on the page most closely matched the color of their skin and the skin color of their family members. Afterwards, they brought the page back to class to share their findings.

“ As educators and parents, we have to be creators. We have to be the ones who are trying things, making mistakes, and then making it better.” —Lily Medina, SCDS Director of DEI (seen at left visiting an Intermediate School classroom)

SPRING 2022 | WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE

WORK IN PROGRESS “The target with this activity is the realization that we’re all different,” says Cassie. “Even within families, there are a lot of differences.” Although this book was an important part of Cassie’s and Sandra’s Synapse work this year, it was not their only resource; Lily provided more. The three women talked through their own understandings of race, ethnicity, and nationality to determine how best to help second-graders process the concept of identity, and they added several more segments to the unit. In one example, children did selfportraits, dividing their portrait in half. One side shows the child the outside world sees. On the other side, the children illustrate who they really are. Students also interviewed their parents about race and ethnicity. “You could tell that they had really in-depth conversations,” notes Sandra. “The home-school connection is so important,” Cassie adds. “It helps children make sense of these different facets of their identity.”

Lifelong learners Understanding identity has enormously positive consequences. Self-regard and confidence. Empathy. The development of understanding and kindness toward classmates and community. And a sense that learning about ourselves and others is always a work in progress. “One of my goals this year was to help everyone realize that identity work is the work of a lifetime,” says Lily. “Even as adults, we’re continually changing and learning new things, even about ourselves.”

WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

OUR GRADUATES Seattle Country Day School would like to congratulate this year’s graduates: the Class of 2022, proceeding to high school, and the Class of 2018, attending college and pursuing other adventures. Below, we list the fine institutions they will be attending (as of our publication date). Class of 2022 Bishop Blanchet High School The Bush School Choate Rosemary Hall The Downtown School Eastside Preparatory School Holy Names Academy Lake Washington High School Lakeside School Mercer Island High School The Northwest School The Overlake School Phillips Academy Andover Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences (SAAS) Seattle Preparatory School Seattle Public Schools Seattle Waldorf School University Prep

Class of 2018 Amherst College Bard College Boston College California Polytechnic State University Carleton College Case Western Reserve University Colorado College Columbia University Davidson College Georgetown University Harvey Mudd College Loyola Marymount University Loyola University Chicago Macalaster College Middlebury College Northeastern University Northwestern University Pomona College Princeton University Reed College Rhode Island School of Design Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Seattle University Swarthmore College Trinity College Dublin Tulane University University of California, Berkeley University of California, San Diego University of California, Santa Cruz The University of Chicago University of Colorado Boulder University of Michigan University of Oregon University of Vermont Wesleyan University Whitworth University

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES Send your updates to alumni@seattlecountryday.org. Entries may be edited for length or content.

SCDS CLASS AGENTS Interested in joining SCDS’s Alumni Council? Curious to learn more about the class agent program? Contact your class agent via the “Life After SCDS” tab on the school’s website or email alumni@seattlecountryday.org.

Eric Dawes ’71 writes, “I was digitizing photos and came across this entire-school photo from the 1965–1966 school year. This photo was taken when school was still in the Episcopal church basement in Burien. I just MIGHT be on the bottom row, third from the left.” “Not only do you have to be physically strong enough to complete a climb, but you only have four minutes to figure out how you’re going to do the climb,” says Melina. “It’s a mental challenge because you can’t watch anyone else do it beforehand — it’s like a big puzzle.” (Photo: Bree Robles) Cameron Myhrvold, Ph.D. (Intermediate School alum), and his lab have created a test for COVID-19. He says, “We’ve been modifying a form of CRISPR geneediting tech called Cas, and, with Cas-13, we’ve developed a diagnostic panel capable of detecting different strains of COVID-19 at the same time. The real beauty of this approach is that, if a new strain of COVID-19 emerges, you’ll likely be able to detect it without having to change the design of the diagnostic panel.” (Photo: Princeton University, Denise Applewhite) Melina Costanza ’14 won first place in women’s bouldering at the 2021 USA Climbing National Championships in November.

Members of the Class of 2016 gathered for their reunion on a lovely Queen Anne day last August.

Class of 2018 graduates Quinn Elliott, Holt Witter, and Aidan Wylie (pictured left to right) earned their Eagle Scout rank earlier this year. All three are soon-to-be graduated seniors at Seattle Prep. You can read more about Melina and Cameron at bit.ly/scds_alums.

Maddie Schofield ’21 Brady Tessin ’21 Delphine Mock ’20 Cole Pepin ’20 Kyle Cassidy ’19 Kat Lord-Krause ’19 Avi Berman ’18 Lauren White ’18 Andrew Levinger ’17 Blake Weld ’17 Nathan Burke ’16 Suzanna Graham ’16 Jane Lord-Krause ’16 Emme McMullen ’15 Hayden Ratliff ’15 Cole Graham ’14 Emmy Hunt ’14 Emma Engle ’13 Emily Jordan ’13 Katie Rodihan ’06 Devon Emily Thorsell ’05 Laurel Stewart ’01 Sam Fisher ’00 Emily Hamilton ’00 Chris Loeffler ’96 Josh Donion ’93 Amanda Carr ’92 Catherine (Burns) Humbert ’91 Sarah Leung ’90 Lisa (Narodick) Colton ’89 Carolyn Holtzen ’88 Karim Lessard ’85 Wendy McDermott ’85 Jason Froggatt ’83 Anastacia (Sims) Dillon ’81 Rachel Tillman ’79

SPRING 2022 | WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE

THE GALLERY

Student art and other projects

Dima (eagle), Megan (horse), Naomi (fox), and Sammy (penguin). Fifth-graders drew animals chibi-style (small, cute, orginating from anime and manga) then brought them to life in hollow clay figures. 2

Anonymous. Green Top chalk art. 3

Noah, Grade 1. When painting cakes and other desserts à la Wayne Thiebaud, the sky’s the limit.

Ruby, Grade 6. Students explored the portraiture of Kehinde Wiley and the underrepresentation of people of color throughout art history. They then chose a photograph of someone who did not share their racial or ethnic identity and created a Wileyesque portrait with oil pastels. 5

Marina, Grade 8. In the Middle School sculpture elective, students explored the concepts of deconstruction and reconstruction with used books. 6

Nysa, kindergarten. Students were exploring the use of color. 7

Enzo, Grade 3. Drawing oranges from life.

WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022

SPRING 2022 | WONDER SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL’S MAGAZINE

Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 6244 Seattle, WA

2619 4th Avenue N Seattle, WA 98109 206-284-6220 seattlecountryday.org

Emmy, Grade 7. The assignment: Put together a timeline that mingles your personal history with news of the day. In response, Emmy created a clothesline-timeline, where garments represent the news. That black t-shirt, for instance? It represents the first picture taken of a black hole (in 2019). Not pictured: the text that accompanied the clothesline.

SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL Inspiring gifted children to reach their potential through inquiry, curiosity, and wonder

For more information admissions@seattlecountryday.org development@seattlecountryday.org alumni@seattlecountryday.org