SPECTRUM American School of Madrid Magazine Fall 2019

ISSUE N o. 01

FALL 2019

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A Letter From The Editor

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The Nuns Love to Hear Us Sing

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A Magical Mix

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Going Back to the Beginning

Network: Your Alumni Connection

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It’s In Our DNA

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Refletions Of A Thinking Man

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Something You Just Do

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Cindía Escalante Works to Alleviate Proverty

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Why Knit?

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Celebrating the Past and Looking Forward to the Future

Confessions Of An Up-andComing Author And Why You Should Never Stop Trying

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CAS Is All About Passion

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Making Friends in Friendship Village

ASM Community Honors Alumnus’ Recovery with Benefit Concert

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Still Going Strong

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Business As The Road to SelfDiscovery

A Cinematic Life: Alejandro Restrepo

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Keeping Tabs on Our Alums

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Plastic Kills!

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When There Is Only the Present!

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Engaged and Stay Engaged

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You can travel anywhere with a smile and a piece of string

A Rollicking Get Together for the Class of 1999

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ASM Fosters Longtime Friendships

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Come Have A Drink With Us!

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We Won’t Be The Same Without Them

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A Woman Known for Her Grace and Generosity of Spirit

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Alumni Visits

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It Takes a Village: The Café Da Vinci

What Is The Universe Made Of? Spanish Art with our Fourth Graders Global Citizens Bring Learning and Community Together Hot Hot Are 80 Degrees?

Threads of Life

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A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

SPECTRUM is ASM’s new school publication, written for our entire community — parents, alumni, students, teachers, and administration.

A spectrum is a broad and ordered array of related components, qualities, and activities. I hope to do justice to this definition, and bring to you, the reader, articles about a dynamic institution. You will learn more about the school’s history, meet notable personalities, and read about the wide scope of activities that give ASM its life.

Our alumni will be represented through accounts of their visits, and a spotlight on meaningful events in their lives.

A spectrum of light is a continuum, created when pure white light passes through a prism; this passage through crystal causes the ray of light to divide into the colors of the spectrum. The first color is of this banded light is RED. This first edition of SPECTRUM is the red edition. Red is an emotionally intense color. It is associated with vigor, strength, determination, and courage. ASM works to cultivate an environment where these qualities flourish and the articles in this inaugural edition capture the essence of this “red energy.”

I do hope that you enjoy the SPECTRUM! Don’t be shy about offering stories and photographs to be included in the next edition. We need to hear from many voices.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DANIEL GRZYWACZ ALUMNI COORDINATOR

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A Magical Mix A LETTER FROM THE HEADMASTER

Several times a year, a passing shower breaks just in time to be caught by the lowering sun and the Madrid skyline is framed by a brilliant rainbow. A simple miracle of light and water. A profound reminder of the beauty of diversity.

Schools are complex organizations. Within a common schedule and the regularity of dayto-day classes and learning, an amazing array of perspectives, experiences, personalities, and skills is contained. This diversity is not always illuminated and it can become easy to take its magic for granted. It takes an effort or a special set of circumstances for it to be revealed and for us to appreciate the power and potential within the collection that is us.

ASM has made it policy and practice to create the “magical mix” of nationalities, languages, and cultures. This deliberate diversity gives us our strength, our resilience, and our depth of character and community.

From a Socratic Seminar in TOK to a Grade 3 campfire conversation, from recess games to collaborating on a project, our daily lives are enriched and our thinking stretched by our diversity. At ASM, it is when our community comes together that the rainbow show.

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Going Back to the Beginning THE STORY OF STANTON GRIFFIS’ LIFE IS INTERTWINED WITH THE STORY OF THE AMERICAN SCHOOL OF MADRID

Stanton Griffis, diplomat and financier, probably played his greatest role as Ambassador to Spain in the 1951-52 period, the beginning of a new era of collaboration between the United States and Spain. President Truman, despite his stated dislike of Franco’s fascist regime, recognized the “wisdom and necessity” of carrying on negotiations for the establishment of air and naval

facilities in Spain. Ambassador Griffis prepared the ground for a new understanding between Washington and Madrid, recognizing his mission to be a reversal of the previous policy of “isolating” the Franco government.

On his retirement, he received one of Spain’s highest decorations, the Knight of the Grand Cross of the Distinguished Order of Charles III.

Stanton Griffis was chairperson of the national committee for the American School of Madrid.

The committee gave two Galas de España (October 1964 and September 1965) at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. Mrs. Lyndon Baines Johnson was the honorary chairperson and the guest list included Spanish notables and American dignitaries, such as John Davis Lodge, His Excellency and

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(Clockwise, left to right) Stanton Griffis with artist and sculpted bust of himself. Griffis Resource Center today. The original library in the 1960s.

Mrs. Angier Biddle Duke, Princess Inmaculada de Borbon Dos Sicilias, Herbert de Varco, and Countess Marie Louise Fournier de la Barre.

The plan was to create a fund of one million dollars to build new classroom and laboratory facilities for a non-

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profit, American chartered school in Madrid, which today we call the American School of Madrid. One thousand guests attended each of the galas.

His efforts on behalf of the school earned him the honor of having the first library at ASM called the Stanton Griffis Library. After the library redesign in 2016, the spirit of the building dedication was passed

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Ambassador Griffis prepared the ground for a new understanding between Washington and Madrid. down, and today the school enjoys using the Stanton Griffis Resource Center.

â–Ş

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It’s in our DNA A LONG ROAD AHEAD

ASM will begin a ten-year, threephase development project designed

by Flansburgh Architects of Boston, Massachusetts. The Master Plan will launch in May 2019 and will feature a new Middle School and administrative offices, designed to meet the 2020 Spanish requirements for Zero Energy use.

building will create a defining, school-wide axis and clear sense of three divisions but one school.

The plan will give the community a sense of belonging and purpose.

Shared spaces will feature a continuation of the Learning Commons and an expansion of the flexible meeting, working, and performing area available. The

CSS has state-of-the-art wealth screening and prospect mapping capabilities through in-house staff and strategic partnerships with some of the most innovative firms in the sector.

CSS of New York City will help make this dream a reality. They are experts in managed fund-raising with in-house expertise in branding, analytics, and social media.

Phase II will commence this May (2019) and finish in September of 2020. An entirely new Middle School and Central Administration building will be the fruit of this first part of the Master Plan.

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Why new buildings?

Why focus on facilities?

There were many answers.

Our Middle School is more than 50 years old and built at a time when there was less than half the number of students. • Modern learning environments require space. We need room for students to move, to collaborate, to design, and to inquire. • We felt strongly that we needed increased green spaces and that we wanted our campus to be a model for environmental sustainability and stewardship.

• We saw an opportunity for the campus itself to be a key component in a learning environment for sustainability and environmental stewardship.

• We believe the continuous balanced development of People, Program and Plant is what makes ASM strong. • And finally, because learning and the world we learn in do not stand still.

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Community

Connection

The master plan creates a sense of shared space and community

The master plan gives students and staff a sense of belonging to one school.

Core Program

Construction

The master plan contributes to the core academic program (supporting collaboration and sharing...)

Any new site allows construction to take place without significant disruption to the ongoing program.

Conservation The master plan allows maximum preservation of meaningful green-space.

Cohesion The master plan contributes or creates a sense of continuity and deliberate connection among the different elements of the campus.

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Something You Just Do A WRITE OF PASSAGE

Writing an Extended Essay for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program is a significant rite of passage for a majority of seniors at ASM. Is it as physically grueling as Hamar Cow Jumping in Ethiopia or as morally challenging as the Rumspringa of the Amish?

“It makes me forget everything when I pick up my knitting needles!”

Well, not exactly, but it requires much thought, focus, and proof of sustained analysis – a 4,000 word essay is not easy for anyone!

On Thursday, November 8, 2018, 65 seniors publicly presented their essays before a curious audience of underclass persons. The candidates successfully presented and defended their essays before a sizeable crowd in the ASM auditorium. Their smiles are genuine and hard earne!

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RUBEN GÓMEZ “ The viability of cryptocurrencies in a fiat currency world” LUCAS CAMPA “An evaluation of the effects of Mao Ze Dong’s revolutionary communism” JORDAN GARRISON “ The use of symbolism by authors Kate Chopin and Henrik Ibsen” MELINA HERZKOVICH “Social media influencer marketing in the cosmetics industry”

Why Knit?

BY ALBA HIDALGO, CLASS OF ‘20 The Knitting Club meets every Wednesday in Ms. Fairweather’s room. We come together during advisory and learn how to knit from each other. I enjoy the club because it is a place where we get to have fun, learn new things, and contribute to a positive environment. Our goal is to make scarves, hats, and other items that people need during the winter. You don’t need any experience to join as everybody learns together. It is lots of fun and I encourage you to come check it out. If you are interested, Ms.Fairweather provides us with all the supplies we need. We hope to see you there!

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(Left, clockwise from top) Martin Aleñar, Sholeh Farpour, and Steve Schaver (Below) Steve Winegar

His vision for what our campus could be has left a lasting legacy at ASM. Even as he leaves the Board, Martin is still leading the construction of our new, gamechanging Middle School.”

Celebrating the Past and Looking Forward to the Future!

(THE ASM WE KNOW...) AND LOVE TODAY IS “THE HOUSE THAT MARTIN AND STEVE BUILT”

Mr. Steve Winegar and Mr. Martin Aleñar have formally retired from the ASM Board of Directors after 35 and 22 years of service, respectively. Ms. Sholeh Farapour, Director of Admissions, hosted an elegant cocktail reception at her home in Pozuelo to mark the occasion. Fellow Board members, current and retired, joined family, friends, and ASM administration to bid a fond farewell to Steve Winegar and Martin Aleñar.

Steve Schaver, the current Chairman of the Board of Trustees, acted as the Master of Ceremonies for the evening. With wit and insightful comments, he led the assembled guests through the high points of the two men’s tenure on the ASM Board.

Martin Aleñar is the fourth longest serving Trustee in the history of ASM. He has been on the Board for 20 years; for seventeen years, he served as the Vice Chairman.

“Martin is the kind of colleague you always want to have on your team. You know you can count on him for his strategic thinking, for quiet, steady leadership, for humor when it is most needed, for loyalty to the team, and for his friendship.

Mr. Aleñar chaired the Facilities Committee for most of his tenure.

“Simply amazing men with equally amazing careers.

Their contributions are unlikely to be replicated.”

“Steve Winegar has given thirtyfour years of service to a school that is only fifty-eight years old. In 1985, when young Steve joined the Board, ASM was a much smaller school and not particularly strong in terms of academics, facilities or finances.

Steve once gave a personal guarantee to ensure ASM could make payroll. Over the years, Steve has worn different hats on the Board: Treasurer for five years and the other half of the Facilities Committee — serving with Martin — for nearly 20 years. Steve is a strategic thinker, a team player, a man of absolute integrity with a talent for delivering frank observations on just about any topic. Bill O’Hale coined the nickname ‘Bottom Line Steve’ because of his ability to get to the heart of issues.”

Both men have demonstrated an unparalleled dedication and passion to education and to ASM in particular.

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CAS is CAS is self-directed learning outside of the classroom. It is an acronym for “Creativity, Activity, Service” and is a crucial part of the IB Diploma Program, which so many ASM students undertake and accomplish. Students learn to explore their interests and find their passions in a purposeful way.

To succeed, they must demonstrate initiative, perseverance, and the ability to collaborate with others — fostering a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment from their own work.

Students welcome the opportunity to explore their interests and find their passions in a purposeful way.

All About Passion

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(Left) A classroom setting at Friendship Village.

What was it like to work there as a teacher of these children?

Making friends in Friendship Village

IT’S ABOUT SERVIC E

BY JACKIE BETEL, CLASS OF ‘19

I worked at Friendship Village in Hanoi, Vietnam. I spent two weeks there teaching English and math to the children and grandchildren who are the offspring of Vietnamese soldiers who were sprayed with Agent Orange.

In the America of the 1960s and 1970s, heated anti-war demonstrations and vocal protests against the use of napalm and Agent Orange occurred frequently. What could this Village have to do with events that occurred fifty years ago?

Agent Orange gave Vietnamese soldiers cancer, it caused deformities of their internal organs to occur, and it rearranged their DNA. There are 1000 types of mental and physical disabilities recorded. It also affected U.S. soldiers serving during the Vietnam War in the same way, but they were recognized by the U.S. government and got compensation after a long fight. The Vietnamese didn’t because their poverty doesn´t allow them to get justice.

The deformities and mutations are passed onto future generations.

I was impressed by how joyful everyone was. The kids are basically left to fend for themselves by their families because the majority believe in karma. If you are born disabled, it’s because of bad karma.

They are isolated and stigmatized.

So the older residents take care of the kids. Some look like children but they are really adults. Agent Orange stunted their physical development.

It wasn’t hard to be there and work with the kids. They are very loving and happy to see visitors who help them.

What do the kids do in the course of a day?

They learn as much as they can from teachers of math, language, all the subjects. They do needlepoint, make cards and faux flowers. They earn a percentage of the profits when the items are sold and the money is deposited in their bank accounts directly for them and so that they can help their families. The village has help from the Vietnamese, American, Canadian, and French governments.

CAS gave me the opportunity to learn more about the larger world and about myself. Service is an important duty for everyone. Providing an educational and caring service to these wonderful children made my life richer in so many ways.

A living symbol of peace The mission of Vietnam Friendship Village Project USA is to cultivate reconciliation and heal the wounds of the Vietnam War by uniting veterans and caring citizens through international cooperation in the building and support of the Village of Friendship.

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here Click heir t it is to V e to websit t u o find more

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S IT’ UT O TY AB TIVI EA CR

Business As The Road to SelfDiscovery ONE STUDENT’S JOURNEY TO START HER OWN BUSINESS

As the winner of the 2018 Business Plan Contest for VICH Cosmetics, Melina Herzkovich, (‘19) is now sure that she wants to be an entrepreneur and start her own business.

“I’ve always been interested in the cosmetics industry,” she said. “People need reasonably priced makeup, and online retailing is a convenient way to get the product to the customer.”

I T ’S ABOUT AC T I V I TY

It Takes a Village: The Café Da Vinci

BY MARCO UGHI, CLASS OF ‘18

Thanks to the ASM community, we managed to raise 400 euros to support a village in Gambia. The Café Da Vinci, composed of Sofia Catalayud, Nacho Rodriguez, Lucia Moreau, and Marco Ughi, was able to collect enough funds to feed 10 families in Gambia for 6 months. We sold coffee and snacks to teachers and students.

The ASM community reached out to help and support a community in Gambia, who really needed our help.

We are extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to work on the real and pressing issue of poverty in less developed countries for our CAS project.

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(Above) “Team Lucia” receives a food shipment in Gambia

What made her product unique?

“VICH is inclusive. I feature cosmetics for women and for men. I want to go beyond gender. People need to be bold and beautiful.”

What did she discover?

“I liked pitching my product idea to coaches and judges who were adult business people, working in the “real world” of business. I’m going to study business at university.

I want to have my own company someday.”

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R E D N R U U L O L FA AGIC AT M N S ’ E E M AS HALLOW L A V I N CAR

YOU WILL LO MINUTE OVFE EVERY IT!

MES A G Y L T S A GH S E L F F A R G REVOLTIN COSTUMES LE B I T P M E T CON OOD F S U O I C O FER PLE O E P S U O R PREPOSTE

Get your tickets at the door.

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Plastic Kills!

HELPING TO IMPLEMENT OUR TRANSITION TO A JUST, WISE, THRIVING, LIFE-SUSTAINING AND PASSIONATE CULTURE

April 8th was Earth Day at ASM! Manuel Maqueda held a live video conference with our students in the MakerSpace of the Learning Commons. He “met” our students and several faculty members faceto-face and spoke to us about the epidemic of disposable plastic. He was a collaborator on a beautifully crafted film (Albatross), which was shown in the auditorium in

the course of Earth Week (April 7th) to bring home again the imminent dangers of plastic contamination. The Lower School installed a chicken wire frame to create an artwork composed on disposable plastic bags donated by the community to show awareness of the “plastic problem” and create something beautiful from “toxic” bags.

The interview captures his thinking on the pressing nature of this 21st century plague and many of the points he made to our ASM audience.

Eva Terol, ECOAVANT.COM, Tuesday, May 14, 2014 (extract) DISCOVER MORE elplasticomata.com

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ASM: You have collaborated on the documentary Albatross, by Chris Jordan, a visual trip to Midway, a remote Pacific archipelago, where millions of albatrosses are feeding their young with razors, lighters, bottle caps and all kinds of disposable plastics. How were you affected by that experience?

MANUEL MAQUEDA: Midway is a paradise, a place of tangible beauty.

The albatross are charismatic birds, which do not attack people but prefer to interact with them.

Going to such a beautiful place, so symbolic, in the middle of the ocean, and contemplating the results of the disposable plastic tragedy first-hand is an experience that has transformed me. It has “charged my batteries” to be an activist for the rest of my life.

ASM: Have we turned the sea into a dumping ground?

MM: The sea is downwind of everything and downhill of everything, so everything that floats and flies, all our garbage ends there, right where life comes from. It is also an archetypal symbol of the unconscious, of what we do not want to see. It makes a lot of sense that it’s where we hide our trash, but it’s only a matter of time before it re-emerges. Right now, the plankton, which is the basis of the marine food chain, eat microplastics. Fish are eating plastic so we are eating it too. Everything we throw into the sea returns to us, no doubt about it.

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ASM: Maqueda has founded El plástic mata, an organization dedicated to warn us of the toxic effects of this material. The title carries a very strong message...

MM: There are substances in our lives that we do not take seriously until they kill. One is tobacco. The government tells us that smoking kills, but it should also tell us that plastic kills: it kills a million seabirds and a hundred thousand mammals and turtles every year; It kills ecosystems and is related to diseases that kill people. Tobacco labels warn of their effects on health Why not label the plastic around us and warn about the damage it causes? That’s the idea. What we need to know is the truth.

ASM: Is there a lack of information on the subject?

MM: There are many studies, but they are not easily accessible. We don’t see the magnitude of the problem of plastic waste. I’m talking about recycling too. We think that we are good waste managers and it feels good to place plastic disposables in the recycling bin. But that’s not what the planet needs.

We need to know where everything we deposit goes and nobody wants to give us this data. Why? Because plastic, for economic and technical reasons, is not reused in a closed system. Most is burned, exported to China or goes to a landfill dump. The best thing that can happen is that it becomes urban furniture or T-shirts, which only delays their arrival at the garbage dump. The system is opaque.

Is it useful to separate plastic containers at home and deposit them in the yellow recycling container?

MM: That question would have to be addressed to each municipality, to the politicians who tell us to recycle.

You would have to ask them: “Hey, where is this plastic going?” Because we do not know. What we do know is that the plastic that we throw away, thinking that it is going to be

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recycled, does not serve to limit the manufacture of new plastic.

ASM: What is normally done with these wastes?

MM: It is a mystery, but if you dedicate yourself to research you discover, for example, that in the countries of northern Europe, 50% of the plastic waste is incinerated. In some countries, the figures reaches 75%. In the whole of the European Union, 25% of the plastic is exported to China. There, some researchers have encountered realities such as Lianjiao, a city in the south of the country where children, working in deplorable conditions, work with plastic refuse. A good part is incinerated and another part is melted down to make low quality plastics that are not recyclable for toys, trinkets, etc. It seems criminal that these facts are not reported.

Nor that another important percentage of the plastic that we throw the recycling bins will end up in the dumpster, mixed with the rest of the waste.

ASM: What measures should be adopted?

MM: The first task is to talk about it. Ask for information and spread it. See plastic for what it is: a toxic product that lasts hundreds of years, which is going to remain with us. This makes it a waste product with very serious social and environmental impacts. On the other hand, we have to examine our own habits and see what things we can eliminate. For example, go shopping with cloth bags; avoid stupid uses, such as drinking straws; say no to the shops that try to make us eat from plastic.

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is how they view themselves as critical thinkers who can do hard things. What’s important to me is that they feel creative confidence and a sense of belonging within their community. What’s important to me is that the students I teach become the types of leaders our future needs: change makers.

Get Engaged and Stay Engaged

BY DAVID HOTLER, TECH INTEGRATION TEACHER

“When am I ever going to use this outside of school?” is a phrase I think I muttered under my breath at least once a day in high school.

Now, this wasn’t because I didn’t see the value in my education or that I went to a sub par school; I muttered this phrase to myself because, like most people, I need context in my life. It’s really hard to muster up the motivation to do something that no one admits is fun (like math homework) when you can’t get a straight answer for why you are doing it.

Later, during my time as a high school teacher, I found myself on the receiving end of the challenging question, “When is this going to matter?” Lucky for me I taught only CTE (Career and Technical Education) classes so the usefulness

of my course content was very closely aligned with getting a job.

My response was always, “Well, professionals use these skills to blah blah blah.” The issue I ran into was when kids replied, “Well, I don’t want to be a professional blah blah blah. Can I just get an A?”. We have trained kids to be good at school, not at growing and learning about who they are and what they can do.

All these questions from students about why they should care about my class helped me to find my “why?” for being a teacher: to help kids figure themselves out and the world around them by solving problems. I used to teach photography and honestly I don’t think it’s important if my past students still know what F-Stop means. What’s important to me

That’s the big idea behind Engage Week at ASM; empower our students to make a change. This year during Engage Week, some kids wanted to change the WiFi coverage and some wanted to shorten the lunch lines. Other groups wanted to change how our school community addresses bullying and harassment. As a planning team, we chose Design Thinking as a lens to help participants navigate the complexities of making change happen. Our students identified the problems they wanted to solve, talked to the stakeholders of their problem/solution, developed working prototypes, and pitched their solutions and prototypes to an authentic audience. No one asked us, “When am I ever going to use this outside of school?”, they asked us, “How can we take this to the next level, can we keep working on this?”

Many students did just that and took their projects beyond Engage Week. Several groups of students met with administration and had their design solutions

The big idea behind Engage Week at ASM: empower our students to make a change.

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implemented schoolwide. We have a new reporting procedure for bullying and harassment and better WiFi coverage around the school. The school admin have a better insight into the social and emotional needs of students and more data surrounding student workload and summative assessment week schedules.

One group of students even had the lunch schedule of the Upper School temporarily changed. Their solution was to stagger upper school lunch times in order to shorten the wait time for lunch. On paper, the solution worked perfectly, however in the lunchroom the solution was less than effective. It lacked a few critical elements that are easy to overlook from the drawing board. The failure of the solution prototype in its first iteration was a huge success for the students and Engage Week. Failing gave them authentic insight and empowered them to see change as possible.

They learned about how change really happens and how much effort and dedication it takes to get it right. We still have pretty long lunch lines, but that’s okay. The success of Engage Week isn’t tied to the success of the projects the kids work on that week. It’s measured with the longevity of our students’ confidence as empowered problem solvers.

Engage Week is a new tradition at ASM that will grow more important and integrated every year. It is a week-long process of controlled havoc that looks similar to a workshop at a start-up incubator.

The time the students spend working out ways to solve problems will be some of the most important hours in their high school career.

They will one day, like us, work as bankers, lawyers, artists, and educators. At the heart of what they will each do daily is, like us, solve problems and make changes.

The ASM students who give time to Engage Week will get back so much more than shorter lunch lines and better WiFi. Here’s to taking a risk and playing the long game with learning. We can’t wait to hear their stories in the years to come.

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You can travel anywhere with a smile and a piece of string A CLOSER LOOK AT THE WORK OF SPANISH ARTIST, CRISTINA IGLESIAS “Cat’s Cradle” by Cristina Iglesias hovers over your head as you enter the lobby of the Ambassador and Mrs. Argyros Center for the Arts. It is made of copper-patinated braided soft iron. It was a gift to the school by the artist in memory of her husband, Juan Muñoz.

She is a former ASM mother, who gave a stirring commencement address to the Graduating Class of 2008.

“In my work,” she said recently to a reporter at El Pais, “in addition to an abstract, very cerebral component, there is a very physical part that builds a place…Everything in my work has to do with thinking spaces, which are usually ambiguous, and where nothing is what it seems.” Look at Ms. Iglesias’ work well and long and the letters of words begin to appear.

A word about the artist and the game is in order…

These sentiments apply well to Cat’s Cradle, one of the oldest child’s games in recorded human history, in which there is no cat or cradle. A loop of string is placed around and between the fingers until a figure is formed. The loop of string is passed back and forth between two or more players. One player holds up a formed figure to the other. Will they recognize the “Ace of Diamonds” in the taut and twisted string or a “Fish in a Dish” or a “Grandfather’s Clock”? The opening and closing position is always the “Cradle.”

Cristina Iglesias (San Sebastián, November 1956) is a prolific Spanish sculptor and engraver, awarded and recognized work exhibited by museums and in public spaces around the world.

She uses all kinds of materials such as concrete, steel, water, glass, bronze, and bamboo to create her artworks.

She likes to take the viewer to limits of what they consider art to be and to question how they look at things. View Ms. Iglesias’ work well and long and the letters of words begin to appear. Is it her version of the venerable game or a portal into another world, the world of the child? Is it really a screen of forms and images that play with the viewer’s sense of the finite world?

Disbelief is suspended and as in art, magic happens when the player is given something to see, something to make them brave or curious or happy. And, as with art, the game is a “dance with a partner.”

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Everything in my work has to do with thinking spaces, which are usually ambiguous, and where nothing is what it seems.

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What is the Universe Made Of? A GROUP OF ASM STUDENTS BEGINS TO FIND OUT… BY DANIEL GRZYWACZ

On January 13-14, 2019, Dr. Martina Bree and Mr. Andy George joined seven seniors studying IB Physics for a visit to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) facility in Geneva, Switzerland. CERN is home to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) with which the existence of the Higgs Boson was confirmed in 2012, an achievement which merited a Nobel Prize in 2013. Two CERN physicists talked with the ASM group, who then given a guided tour of several of the facilities.

I interviewed two students, Ruben Gomez and Jaoa Pedro Barbosa, who went on the trip. When he spoke about his experiences on the class trip, Ruben Gomez’ enthusiasm for physics and the CERN organization filled the room!

We went on to chat about the components of particles, dark energy and dark mass, how the CERN particle accelerator functioned, and the cooling process for the accelerator necessitated by its current two-year upgrade.

“It was a one time experience,” he said with finality. “There was a 90-something-year-old scientist who talked to us about physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM).

It was awesome!”

Jaoa Pedro was impressed to see where “the frontier of our knowledge is today, where the boundaries of the known and unknown are, and to see people working there on solving, reconciling things with new knowledge.”

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(Left) ASM seniors in front of the CERN complex.

The constant activity at CERN made an impression, “seeing physicists working on computers and whiteboards everywhere, many trying to connect quantum physics with general relativity.”

Of the same 90-something-yearold scientist: “He was talking about a new theory of negative mass, which focused on WIMPs, the weakly interacting massive but hypothetical particles that are thought to make up dark matter.

But there are problems with every theory.,” he stated emphatically.

I am a layperson to Physics. I could never try to explain the complexities of particle physics, the Higgs Boson particle (the so-called “God particle”) and HB field and the implications of its discovery on theories about the Big Bang and the

“There was a 90-somethingyear-old scientist who talked to us about physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). It was awesome!” origins of the universe. I will leave this to Peter Knight, president of Britain’s Institute of Physics: “This is the physics version of the discovery of DNA.” And Stefan Soldner-Rembold, professor of particle physics at the University of Manchester: “Today we have witnessed a discovery (HB particle confirmed) which give a unique insight into our understanding of the universe and the origin of fundamental particles.”

Physicists and engineers at CERN use the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments to study the basic constituents of matter – fundamental particles.

Subatomic particles are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives us clues about how the particles interact and provide insights into the fundamental laws of nature. They want to advance the boundaries of human knowledge by delving into the smallest building blocks of our universe.

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TO READ MORE VISIT home.cern/about

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Spanish Art with Our Fourth Graders HOW DO LOWER SCHOOL STUDENTS “SEE” THE WORK OF SPANISH ARTISTS?

BY DANIEL GRZYWACZ

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Cristina Wang felt that Maria Blanchard’s, “The Pianist,” could be updated by substituting a CD player for the piano shown in Blanchard’s work.

For this year’s LS Arts Festival, art students engaged in independent projects on the theme of “Change”.

Fourth Grade artists made personal interpretations of artworks by notable Spanish artists from the Baroque to the present day, aligning

their work with their course work in Spanish history. All artists used the “Design Thinking Method” to develop their ideas. This consists of identifying the problem to be solved, brainstorming, receiving feedback from their classmates, and

finally developing one strong idea.

This method builds conceptual and technical skills simultaneously.

Read on to see the rest of our Fourth Graders art!

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ANDREW MENA

KYAN MENENDEZ

MARBELL A WANG

ALVARO VIL AR

SOO YUN

wanted to transfer the eerie eyes in Carmen Calvo’s work (“Tus Ojos”) to a contemporary setting.

thought that the picture by Ángeles Santos (“Un Mundo”) definitely needed a sun to brighten up the landscape.

re-interpreted “Anónimos” by Alicia Martín. She saw the globe of the earth in blue and green, reflected in the compact work by the Spanish artist.

liked the structure and shapes of Gaudi’s Casa Batlló and came up with a modern day version of the much-admired Barcelona edifice.

felt that Joan Brossa needed to add crops and people to fill the plate in “Personaje.”

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ANTONIO ANDON

SAM BLOCK

felt he captured the hotel seen in Antonio Lopez’ painting “Gran Via.” He concentrated on the age and decrepitude of the structure.

really liked Antonio Navaro’s “Madroño” sculpture and created an impressive composition in which green is the dominant color and finding a friend is key.

“Naturaleza muerte creciente” by Remedios Varo spoke to GARCIA ANDREWS .

She liked the canvas but wanted to “close all the windows in the painting” and focus on the light coming to one room in her Joseph Cornell-like box.

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It was all about the JAUME PLENSA’S blue for SHOSHANNA “El Alma del Ebro” ADESOKAN . “El was “cool” according Peine del Viento” to Jaden Matus and

by Eduardo Chillido it inspired him to spoke to her of the create a door that sea, the sun, and the opens -- open like waves of the ocean.

Plensa’s artwork.

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origin, and which countries have the greatest concentrations of refugees today. Ordinary citizens can help refugees and make a huge difference in their lives!

The Global Citizens decided to speak out for refugees. They realized we are all different but that we all have the same rights. Our differences make for a richer and more diverse world.

Global Citizens Bring Learning and Community Together ON CAMPUS AND BEYOND: OUR ACTIONS TRULY MATTER

BY MS. REBECA BAÑÓN, LOWER SCHOOL GLOBAL CITIZENS SPONSOR

This year, the Lower School Global Citizens have nurtured the qualities of compassion, courage, empathy, forgiveness, generosity, joy, respect, and patience inherent within them.

In order to make a positive difference in the ASM community and a meaningful contribution to our world, we first have to care for our minds. Our brains create our thoughts and can transform our words and our actions. ASM students learned different Mindfulness techniques (of breathing and of sound) to help calm their minds. They learned the importance of paying attention to their thoughts, words, and actions.

Our Global Citizens embarked on a service learning experience: to understand and help refugees around the world. They began by VERONICA PORTAENCASA Grade 3

considering the things which were important to them personally, what talents they had, and how they could indeed help others. They identified things everyone needs: food, shelter, water, and clothing, along with happiness, respect, love, and education for everyone. Our students became very conscious of human rights and, more specifically, children’s rights.

They learned about refugees around the world, who have lost their rights. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNCHR – ACNUR) provides protection, food, shelter, healthcare, and education to refugees. A UNHCR spokesperson conducted a workshop at ASM to deepen their understanding.

Our students became cognizant of the general situation of refugees worldwide, their countries of

Their project was designed to raise awareness in our school community regarding the plight of refugees worldwide. A presentation about the lives of refugees was shared with the entire Lower School (students and teachers). The Global Citizens performed during the Lower School May Assembly.

The Lower School Global Citizens collaborated with their Upper School counterparts to create books about refugees and the refugee experience. They made “peace doves” to create a sense of solidarity and spread kindness throughout the school. Both items were offered for sale as part of a Global Citizens after-school activity. Students and teachers supported our cause.

Profits were donated to educational projects sponsored by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR): “Educate a Child” (for refugee children in Africa, Asia & the Middle East) and “Mind the Gap” (to reduce the educational gap of 88,600 young refugees in Kenya, Uganda and Pakistan). The UNCHR later confirmed that the money we collected was donated to refugee children in Cameroon.

These amazing Global Citizens have brought learning and community together! They have promoted solidarity and peace, raised awareness about human rights, and have made a real difference in the lives of refugee children.

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I have learned at Global Citizens what refugees are, and that refugees need help. I have also learned that refugees lose their homes and everything that they had. The world could help refugees by welcoming them to their countries, and giving them a home and food.

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How Hot Are 80 Degrees?

A LOOK AT THE OCHENTA GRADOS RESTAURANTS BY DANIEL GRZYWACZ

Annie Byer (above right), ASM parent and administrative employee at the school, has a secret! She and her husband, Oscar García, are a working chef couple, who have three successful restaurants and are about to open two more! Annie works in the Headmaster’s office at the ASM, taking a break from the intense time demands of the restaurant business. She wants to work in a less demanding field and concentrate on being a mother.

Annie studied Spanish literature at Reed College and did a year abroad in Santiago de Compostela, where she fell in love with Spain and Spanish culture. She later went to cooking school in San Sebastian; there she met her husband and fellow chef, Oscar, who was the “superstar chef” at the school. She

believes that food should be fresh, natural, and organic, but above all delicious!

DG: Why did you choose Ochenta Grados as the name for your two eateries?

AB: 80 Degrees is representative of food cooked at lower temperatures, using modern techniques, to maintain the properties and original flavor of the food and the name is catchy,” she maintains. “We make fine dining affordable with “mini-platos” of gourmet dishes.

The music and the ambiance are hip and dynamic, which make the whole experience fun.

“Dynamic, hopping, chic…”

Annie and her husband are the former proprietors of S’Atic in Mallorca. Their skill and perseverance earned them a review by the Financial Times of London and a nomination for a Michelin star.

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the fawn cautiously stepped towards me. Barely inches apart, I could hear her steady breathing. I put my hand on her neck and I closed my eyes. I felt the fawn’s damp nose touch my own. We stood like that for a few minutes, but it felt like forever! In that instant, we became one.

Threads of Life LIFE ON THIS PLANET IS A CONTINUUM BY JIMENA MUGUIRO (‘19)

Throughout my childhood, I spent many holidays in my family’s small but charming house in the Spanish countryside. The region is called Extremadura, a combination of the Spanish words for extreme and tough, and this area truly has a harsh and beautiful landscape of rolling hills, jagged rocks, and centuries-old oak trees. All types of animals – from wild deer to Spanish bulls – roam the regions extensive plains. As someone who has spent most of her life abroad, my return to Extremadura always felt like coming home.

with her own milk. On hearing this story from my father, I bolted from my seat beside our snug fireplace and eagerly ran outside to meet the small fawn. When I first saw her, I suddenly felt my hands trembling and my legs beginning to freeze. I had forgotten to put a coat on! The fawn stood before me elegant and alert. As I approached her gingerly, I could see her muscles tense and her ears perk up as if expecting danger.

The fawn and I gradually drifted away from the herd of goats; the world around us began to fade. The tension between us dissipated and

On Christmas, a wild fawn wandered away from its mother and herd.

Alone in a cold winter, the fawn began to live in a group of goats in the barn behind our house. A nannie goat, who had no offspring of her own, took the fawn under her wing.

Embracing her maternal instincts, the nannie even nurtured the fawn

Through my work, I blur the boundaries between human beings, other organisms, technological forces, and even abiotic factors in the environment.

As I look back, that intimate moment with the fawn in Extremadura marked the beginning of my habit of ongoing reflection.

I began to see myself as part of a bigger picture – connected deeply to other people, creatures, and nature. This connection exists because all beings go through the same fundamental cycle of life and death. The orphaned fawn was able to find protection and nurturance in the motherly nannie goat because we all need to be part of the act of nurturing. As living beings, we all share the same vital spark. When the fawn and I touched noses, our heartbeats slowed from a nervous flutter to a steady beat.

Our breathing rose and fell in the same rhythmic pattern. We became acutely aware of each other.

To develop this awareness further, I turn to art. I honor the equality of species and the right to coexist peacefully. Over the past year, I have created a work of art that explores the universal process of growth.

The work consists of a panel of photographs that depict a woman in various fetal positions. She is completely naked, but a shroud of steam blurs her body. I assembled an oval bed of interwoven leaves, strings, and bits of metal. The woman’s natal positions represent the stages of a human baby’s development while in the womb.

Her surroundings call to mind the silky threads that intertwine to form a butterfly’s cocoon. Despite the biological differences between a human baby and a butterfly larvae, both beings follow the same essential process of gestation – a point of commonality between two very different forms of life. My work strives to illuminate this shared experience.

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The Nuns Love to Hear Us Sing

BY JIMENA ROCES MARTÍN-BORREGÓN, GRADE 8

What is service learning?

In the words of the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse, it is “a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.”

Our Middle School students are very much a part of this. They teach us by example how to craft a richer future.

We sing traditional Spanish songs from their time so that they can sing along. We also sing some songs in English. Our audience is fifteen nuns from the Order of the Sacred Heart. We look forward to our visit to their house in Aravaca and they look forward to seeing us.

The photograph above speaks a thousand words! The second

nun on the left is a young nun from Rwanda, who helps with the senior nuns. Her name is Godan, and she worked with children in her country. She speaks Spanish and sings traditional African songs while she beats out the melody on their handmade drums. Many of the nuns worked in Africa.

There is a nun called Felicita seated on the right, who is a pianist and is very proud of this fact. She loves to play the piano and sometimes plays with us.

She has been in many concerts during her lifetime. She still plays

Our Middle School students are very much a part of this. They teach us by example how to craft a richer future.

although she is 92 years old. The nuns love to dance and sing, and when we sing for them, it makes them very joyful. The songs remind them of their childhoods and other moments in their lifetimes.

We do different kinds of arts and crafts with the fifteen sisters who live in the Senior Center. We’ve made hearts and bees with them.

Our most recent craft project was decorating jars for personal items and sugar-free candy for the holiday. They also like to play board games like Parcheesi and Bingo too.

Margarita is from the Philippines.

She worked in children’s’ education and she speaks English.

She loves to talk to us and tell us that she is from Houston, Texas.

She has Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. She only talks when spoken to in English.

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NETWORK: Your Alumni Connection

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“IT’S THE OLDEST STORY IN THE WORLD. ONE DAY YOU’RE SEVENTEEN AND PLANNING FOR SOMEDAY, AND THEN QUIETLY AND WITHOUT YOU EVER REALLY NOTICING, SOMEDAY IS TODAY, AND THAT SOMEDAY IS YESTERDAY. AND THIS IS YOUR LIFE.” NATHAN SCOTT

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Reflections of a Thinking Man

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Volleyball Game with friends from eight different countries at North Avenue Beach, Chicago, IL.

UPWARDS AND ONWARD WITH MARC PRATS (‘14)

After spending four wonderful years of high school at the American School of Madrid, it was time to embark on a journey… a scary one, full of uncertainties; nevertheless, the suspense excited me of not knowing whether I would like the university I had chosen, the people I would meet, and the major I would choose.

I like to live every moment to the maximum and take all the shots I can get. Ice Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky said: “You Miss 100% Of The Shots You Don’t Take.” This is my advice to you.

I went to Indiana University at Bloomington, where I majored in Business with a specialty in Business Analytics and Marketing at the Kelley School of Business and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA). I was able to blend my passion for Business Consultancy in the private sector with my interest in sustainability and renewable energies from the public sector.

Four years of university allowed me to know what I like and what I don’t like. Some advice I was given a long time ago by one of my mentors is the following: “make a list of the

I surrounded myself with people with the same ambition and enthusiasm as me, who like to work hard and improve themselves.

things that you don’t like; now start exploring everything else that you have an interest in.” It seems very simple advice but following it makes things in life a whole lot clearer.

I have an opportunistic, energetic, and versatile mindset. Exposure to international business awoke an entrepreneurial being within me.

I surrounded myself with people with the same ambition and enthusiasm as me, who like to work hard and improve themselves. These individuals had two goals; a shortterm goal and a long-term goal that they wanted to accomplish.

There were no instructions on how to achieve these goals.

Nothing happened in a linear way; yet, I shared the excitement of “becoming” with my peers.

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Weekend trip by the forests of the Upper Michigan Peninsula, MI

Experienced one of the coldest days in Chicago History!

Temperatures went below -47 Celsius!

Fun environment with some of my ASU coworkers!

After university, I knew I didn’t want to work for a large corporation. I wanted to understand the business principles of a smaller company, plan and experience its growth, and be able to make a difference in its day-to-day functioning. So I chose a small, but established start-up company.

Air Spares Unlimited LLC (ASU) provided me with the best offer and plan for me to develop and grow as a young business professional.

What better place to work than with a four-year-old startup with a 150% annual revenue growth rate and with a visionary international

mindset? The company has offices in downtown Chicago, Illinois with a wonderful view of Lake Michigan. It was an easy decision for me to work for ASU. We specialize in Landing Gear, Wheels, and Brakes across Boeing and Airbus platforms.

ASU gave me the opportunity to explore Chicago. A few of the “must do activities” in Chicago that I would recommend include visits to the Field Museum, the Chicago Aquarium, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Check out the Skydeck at Willis Tower and Architecture River Tour too!

I have often been able to take a Monday or a Friday off from work and organize a four-day trip to the neighboring states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Iowa, and Indiana. For Thanksgiving, my

Striking a balance between work-travel-fun is what motivates me to continue growing to become a better individual, professionally and personally. friends and I organized a trip around Lake Michigan, a medley of beautiful northern mountains, forests, picturesque small towns, skiing, and incredible food. Striking a balance between work-travel-fun is what motivates me to continue growing to become a better individual, professionally and personally.

Let me share with you some photos of this past year post my university graduation in May 2018.

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Cindía Escalante Works to Alleviate Proverty ONE ALUMNA’S EXPERIENCE WITH AN INNOVATIVE CAMPAIGN THAT IS WORKING TO MAKE POVERTY A FOCUS OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

the project. She’s working to spread the word about extreme poverty and how this non-profit organization works to alleviate the effects of poverty throughout the world.

Cindía Escalante (‘17) has been working as a volunteer for the Borgen Project for a few months now. There was stiff competition for the position of an international volunteer. She thinks her work is very important and enjoys being part of

“Although it’s based in the U.S., they have operators all over the world. The project publishes poverty reports and chronicles the amazing projects and incentives accomplished through government advocacy. For an American, one phone call to a Congressman may affect the passage of anti-poverty legislation. For people of other countries, donations massively

impact the future of diminishing world poverty.”

Cindía will be around the school, working with the Global Awareness Club, the Student Council, and various teachers and administrators to spread the word about the importance of getting involved in the fight for poverty.

The Borgen Project has taken the battle to the highest level possible. It is an innovative, national campaign that works with U.S. leaders to improve their response to the global poverty crisis.

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What has the project recently accomplished through advocacy and influence?

Systemic improvement of healthcare in Iraq

Helping Colombia respond to the Venezuelan refugee crisis

Souce: J.K. Rowling: Photography Debra Hurford Brown © J.K. Rowling 2018

Five major anti-poverty bills passed by the U.S. Congress in 2018 with worldwide ramifications

J. K. ROWLING ON POVERT Y AND ADVOCACY CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

The Global Food Security Reauthorization Act passed

by U.S. Congress; 5.2 million global families no longer live with food insecurity

Discover more A MUST SEE AND HEAR!

THE BORGEN PROJECT CLICK HERE TO VISIT

31,084 people applied to volunteer or intern at The Borgen Project.

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Confessions of an Up-and-Coming Author and Why You Should Never Stop Trying

BY PAOLA OLIVEROS RÁBAGO

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Writing isn’t always easy and neither is keeping yourself motivated; but, as I have found, it’s absolutely worth it. of my perseverance turned out to be quite the coolest thing. It sounds crazy, right? Well, maybe, but the craziest dreams are the most impactful and, perhaps this can help you and anyone with a big dreams too.

I attended ASM from 2011 to 2015, years in which I went through the Lower and Middle school. During my time at ASM, I started the habit of reading at least one book a month; a habit from which my love of writing was also born. I was awarded the International Harmony Award — you can see a plaque on display in Lower school — and the Service Award — see the plaque displayed on Middle School. I was a runner up for the Robert Silis Award. My time in ASM was certainly memorable and one of the best experiences of my life. I got to be part of a diverse and inclusive community that supports the endeavors of all who are or were part of it. To this day, I thank ASM and all its staff for the lessons they taught me and the love and support they’ve shown me.

Being an author or, rather, becoming one isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

But, that doesn’t mean it isn’t an amazing experience. I am a young girl aged 18, about to graduate high school. I have set my hopes on publishing my novel, Confessions of a Pessimistic Dreamer. It’s written in English, even though I’m Mexican and currently live here in Mexico City! The idea of my dreams ever coming true sounded far-fetched and unreachable but… the outcome

The hardest part of writing a book isn’t wanting to, it’s actually doing it. The thing you learn when writing a book is perseverance.

The hardest part of writing a book isn’t wanting to, it’s actually doing it. The thing you learn when writing a book is perseverance. In the beginning, I made so many alternate timelines and flowcharts and countless Google searches of ‘synonyms for the word said’ that I only ended up getting myself confused. Somewhere in the middle of my writing process, I caught myself running in circles with my own descriptions and side plots. It was messy and a little bit chaotic but, in the end, what mattered to me the most was that I was happy with the story I had created; and I still am. Writing isn’t always easy and neither is keeping yourself motivated; but, as I have found, it’s absolutely worth it.

Life much like in writing. You find yourself stuck into your own mess, you create your own potholes, and you have to go back and fix them later, and you get frustrated with your efforts. All that’s fine.

Big dreams require really big faith to sustain them; if you truly believe in something, then you should be the first to advocate in their favor.

Alway remember that anybody from anywhere can do anything they set their minds to — that includes you. Always be optimistic about the things you know you can achieve; they are always worth it.

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ASM Community Honors Alumnus’ Recovery with Benefit Concert

BY JORDAN GARRISON, GRADE 12

Reprinted from ASM Chronicle, March 2, 2019* On Aug. 21, 2018, ASM alumnus Joaquin Chumaceiro (‘17) was in a tragic golf cart accident which resulted in devastating injuries including brain trauma that put Joaquin in a coma for several months. Recently, family, friends, and ASM classmates celebrated his progress with a concert to benefit the foundation that has supported his recovery.

His road to recovery has been a remarkable one. After waking from his coma, Joaquin began moving certain parts of his body, and eventually even regained his speech. Upper School Dean Martina Bree, who visited him twice since his accident, mentioned that there was “major improvement” between the first and second times that she visited.

The first time, he was able to reach out and touch a tiger stuffed animal. “The second time,” she said,

“he was sitting up in a chair and he was able to stand up.”

She then remarked on seeing his progress again at the concert. “He talked to me… he remembered me…

And then just seeing him stand up was amazing.”

With support from Fundación DACER, a nonprofit organization that benefits people with brain damage and their families, Joaquin went from not being able to remember his numbers to having

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full conversations and walking.

To celebrate his life and recovery, his friends organized a concert on Jan. 11, featuring ASM student and alumni musicians. Through ticket sales, the students raised over 1,000 euros for DACER, not including other generous donations from families in the community.

His classmates wanted to provide him with a night dedicated to his rehabilitation, surrounding him with love and care at the time he needed it most.

When asked why she decided to perform in the show, Emma Gimeno (‘20) said, “I thought it was a good way to make Joaquin happy…

Considering his circumstances, I think he deserves a lot support, and I wanted to show that.”

Upper School Director Kim Cullen, who was involved in planning the concert, said that they chose to do a concert because “[his] friends wanted to connect with him in a way that he would connect to.” She says that her experience planning the event with Joaquin’s friends showed her the “connectedness that you can count on” from the ASM community.

[It’s] something that really touches you... It’s a sign of hope, a sign of great advancement.

The beautiful show was full of Joaquin’s favorite songs, such as “She Will be Loved” by Maroon 5, “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix, and “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Though every piece was wonderful, the song that really swept the audience away was the final number: “You’ll Be in my Heart”

by Phil Collins, the class of 2017’s graduation song. Dr. Bree said it

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was “a very proud moment” for her to see all of the talented musicians playing together.

To finish the concert, the Class of 2017 joined Joaquin at his place in the audience. As the alumni stood around his wheelchair, the audience began to sing together, bringing performers and audience members alike to tears.

Ms. Cullen said many people were touched by the concert.

“People found so many messages in Joaquin’s story,” she said.

“Even if your struggles in life haven’t been as tangible as his are, we’ve all struggled to some extent. There’s this message about hope, persistence, strength, and togetherness that I think came through at the concert.”

Audience members said the sound of everyone’s voices in unison, celebrating Joaquin and surrounding him with support and love, was an incredibly moving experience. “[It’s] something that really touches you,” Natalia Botero (‘20) said.

“It’s a sign of hope, a sign of great advancement.”

Evidently, it was stirring for Joaquin, too. As his friends sang the final song to him, Joaquin stood up from his wheelchair with the support of his friends, showing everyone in the audience the power of compassion and support for others.

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*The ASM Chronicle is the Upper School digital newspaper, run by students.

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A query about Linn’s hiking might end in an interesting talk on the effects of the last Ice Age on the local topography or the role of a particular stretch of mountains in the Spanish Civil War. As a person who appreciates educated and eclectic people, I am a big fan of Linn Peterson. He is an avid naturalist, “hill walker” (he’s too old for mountains!), ecologist, and wine connoisseur with a cellar of 800 bottles to prove it. The jovial Vermont native loves the natural world and is a staunch believer in ecology.

Still Going Strong

BY DANIEL GRZYWACZ

Linn Peterson was on a flying visit and clearly didn’t have much time to talk.

“Got a minute for a photo spot and a quick interview.”

“Yeah, I have time for that,” said Linn “Come into my office. We’ll talk.

How about a photo here in the office entrance? Then let’s go into Ben Weinberg’s office for another.

The light is better in there.”

Linn agreed to everything. Photos were taken. He was drawn to the fossil collection in Ben’s office.

We examined wonderful specimens of fossilized bee pupae from the deserts of Lanzarote. Then, a sample of striated lava, followed by chunks of bone, one with the remnants of skin still attached.

“Are they from the Cambrian Explosion?” I asked naively.

“No, they’re from the PermianTriassic Extinction about 250 million years ago,” said Ben. “We may be headed for another massive climate change, the way were heading,” said Linn, “all that cow flatulence and coal burning in China.”

Bits of fossilized this and that traded hands for twenty minutes, with quips and jokes about the remains.

I had just experienced a classic “Linn Peterson moment.” I wanted a photo and some biographical data, and we began a short journey through the Permian-Triassic Era. A question about his telescope might evolve into a lengthy discourse about the nature of solar eclipses.

Linn Peterson taught at ASM from 1977 to 2017 with a couple of breaks.

He founded the Middle Earth Players forty years ago; this middle school drama club will present its ninetieth production this coming spring. Linn began annual field trips with ASM’s sixth graders with the collaboration of Mike Tribe. The men’s desire to give their students the benefit of field trips escalated into excursions to granja escuelas. In the 1990s, they added excursions to Merida to study the Romans and to Burgos to follow the path of El Cid. Linn’s interest in the natural world sparked the muchanticipated annual 6th-grade trips to the nature reserve at the Gredos Center, a program started in 20002001 that continues to this day.

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Now…and then.

(Opposite) With Bonnie McGrath – Halloween ‘83 (Left) Cast of “A Christmas Carol,” 1979

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A Cinematic Life: Alejandro Restrepo Alejandro graduated from ASM in 2008. He then went to live in London where he graduated four years later with a BA Hons Interaction & Moving Image from the London College of Communication. After graduating, he stayed in London and worked full time for The Mill as Content Director. Then he was off to Los Angeles to develop a project that would grant him a nomination for a Young Director Award in Cannes in 2015. Now he represents production companies in Spain, France, the UK and Mexico, and for them he has directed television and online commercials for companies such as Coca Cola, McDonalds, and Mercedes Benz.

This past August (2018), he was married to his lovely wife, Anna. The ceremony was held at the Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Pastrana, Guadalajara. The reception was held at the Convento del Carmen. The photograph shows some ASMers celebrating along with Alejo and his new bride.

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(Above: Left to right: Ricardo GomezAcebo, Gabiela Cabanillas, Federica Yanes, Michael Newman, Carolina Moreno, Brezo Ruiz-Garcia, Lucia Muñoz, Kurt Oriol, Javier Schapiera, Daniel Toro, Anna de Lachapelle, Alejandro Restrepo, Javier LLiso, Alex Haba, Juancho de Pablo, Steven Voges, David Chamas, Victor Aleñar, Andrés Restrepo, Nader Arab, Pablo Delclaux.)

Keeping Tabs on Our Alums Gabriel Gomez just graduated from Northeastern University in August. He completed three full-time internships of six months each in the process of completing his diploma. These included State Street Corp (Boston), supporting the sales team in Transition Management; London (same division) passively managing a $2 billion portfolio; and Reebok as a Business Analyst in Performance Apparel & Accessories. He’s since moved to Miami and is in his second week of training at L’Oréal as a full-time demand planner the Giorgio Armani Designer Fragrances. In his free time? He likes to practice boxing!

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h c u o t n i ! y s a St with u

Click the links above to connect.

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S PSEPCE TCRTURM UM

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minds off things. Can you think of something?”

“Dance is the way to go,” she replied. “Let me talk with my Afrobeats teacher. We’ll put something fun together.”

Ana is committed to dance. She travels frequently to dance events in France and Portugal. Her favorite dances are Kizomba, originally from Angola and Cape Verde, and Brazilian Zouk.

“It is a way to communicate. When you dance, there is no past or future. There is only the present. You go into a real state of mindfulness.”

What good does it do?

“After dancing, the brain becomes more productive. It boosts your energy and productivity.”

The activity had 100% participation.

It took place in a thirty minutes break session on a flex day. Ana and Tayson taught the students four major African rhythms and dance steps. At the end of the dance interlude, they put everything together in a big circle dance in which everyone participated.

When There Is Only the Present!

Tayson, her dance teacher and a native of Guinea Bisseau.

“Tayson was great with the kids. He’s only twenty-two years old, and his youth helped him connect with our juniors. He’s a specialist in modern African dance (Afrobeats) which is performed solo. He puts so much energy and soul into his dancing.”

“The juniors are so stressed from exams and all the end of the year drama,” said Javier Garcia, Upper School Counselor to Ana Suarez.

“We need an activity to take their

The event was a great success.

Participants use words like “dynamic, enjoyable, pure fun” to describe their experience. Will we do it again next year? You bet!

JUNIORS “DE-STRESS” TO THE RHYTHMS OF AFROBEATS

Ana Suarez (Class of ’98 and Development Head & Community Liaison) loves to dance and share her passion for dance with others.

On May 2019, she offered an Afrobeats dance session for ASM juniors with the collaboration of

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A Rollicking Get Together for the Class of 1999 On Saturday, June 29th, some twenty members of the ASM Class of ’99 got together with their spouses and children to enjoy their own company and memories of the school. Ana Gimeno was the class rep, who orchestrated the entire event. The ‘99ers toured the school, so much changed from their days at ASM. They all enjoyed pizza outdoors on the back campus and a dessert buffet in the Learning Commons afterwards. It was great fun!

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Come Raise a Glass with Us! OUR FIRST ALUMNI/ COMMUNITY WINE TASTING WAS A SUCCESS!

ASM Fosters Longtime Friendships Who are the two personable, professional women who watch over the main desk in the Upper School office? The woman working on the left of the main desk is Elizabeth Smith (‘74), the Upper School Secretary. The woman on the right is Blanca Martin (‘88), the Guidance Secretary. Both ladies are alumnae, perfectionists, early risers (4:00 a.m.), share a Spanish and American background, have raised children and divorced at a fairly young age. They are organized and detail-oriented. They love food, a very important trait in my book!

Elizabeth is the manager of the Upper School Baking Club, and faculty waits for the opportunity to sample her homemade bagels.

Blanca loves food too, but raising two teenagers and a pre-teen don’t give her time for much else.

They first met in 1987, when

Elizabeth was already the full-time secretary and a young mother of 27 years and Blanca was a 13-year-old.

They started to know each other over breakfasts at the Pastelería Castilla in Las Rozas — Elizabeth and her son, John, together with Blanca and her mom and dad. The custom lasted a long time…

They had many of the same teachers of that time in ASM history, all of whom became good friends of Elizabeth. Blanca initially entered the business world but after a chance meeting with Elizabeth at the supermarket, reconnected with the school. She tamed the “Killer K” as a lower school substitute teacher, worked as a library assistant and as a part-time secretary in the lower school office before settling into her job as guidance secretary. Elizabeth took her job in 1978 and has been going strong ever since.

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On December 1st, 2018, our sommeliers César Ródenas and Celica Crespo De La Heras led us on a journey through the Spanish terroir with a great selection of choice wines. We met at De Olla y Sarten for an evening of flavorful wines, tapas, and socializing. An assortment of quiche, hot from the oven, went so well with the wines, which represented an interesting cross-section of Spanish varietals. Conversation flowed effortlessly; love of food and wine, and an enjoyment of life were the common denominators that brought us all together. It was a great opportunity to bring together alumni and members of the ASM community.

FUTURE TASTINGS Look for other tastings in the coming year. We can explore the wine worlds of various countries.

What makes Italian wine unique?

How does French wine compare with Spanish wine? There are endless possibilities.

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We Won’t Be the Same Without Them A FEW OF OUR VERY OWN

A familiar face on campus

HIL ARIO ESTEBAN JIMENEZ

Hilario Esteban Jimenez has retired after 35 years of service at ASM. He worked in maintenance. We all appreciated his thoroughness and professionalism.

In the coming days, he looks forward to enjoying life, fishing, and leatherworking.

Tony Perez Pleite had this to say about his long-time colleague: “I think his greatest asset, gained from over 30 years of working for ASM, is his knowledge of all the hidden secrets of the buildings — what lies behind walls, underground, on the rooftops, and inside restricted areas. He has love and devotion to the school and all the people who work there. He is always willing to share his time and know-how to anyone in need of his help.”

Taking her leave from ASM Diane Cotton retired as Secretary to the Headmaster, Ben Weinberg. She came to Madrid 48 years ago. After a long time job at the U.S. Air Force base at Torrejon (1970-90), she worked for private law firms between 1990 and 1998.

She answered a help wanted ad in Segunda Mano for an experienced school secretary, placed there by Rebecca Thompson, then Lower School head. She got the job and began a nearly 20-year career with us at ASM. After several years as Ms. Thompson’s assistant, she then became secretary to Bill O’Hale (2013-16) and finally to Ben Weinberg.

Diane is well known and regarded for her fashion sense. She will be retiring to Port St. Lucie, Florida.

We will all miss her very much!

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DIANE COT TON

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Those who knew her describe her as “that woman with a big heart,” “that gentle woman,” and “a person who cared about everyone.”

A Woman Known for Her Grace and Generosity of Spirit IN MEMORY OF JAN KUJAWA, A WOMAN WITH NO BORDERS

Jan Kujawa was one of those people that reassured everyone that all was right in the universe!

Those who knew her describe her as “that woman with a big heart,” “that gentle woman,” and “a person who cared about everyone.”

At ASM, she was known for professionalism, her “connection” with the students she counseled, and the compassion she displayed to everyone. The arc of her life was truly inspiring.

She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on July 6, 1945 and died in San Diego, California, May 16, 2019, as she wished, surrounded

and supported by her family. After earning her psychology degrees from the University of California at Berkeley (’67) and San Francisco State University (’69), she began her first job in Billings, Montana, as a school psychologist. She spent most of her career (1983 to 2001) as a school psychologist with Washington County ESD, where she developed approaches for working with special needs children and was known for her creative problem solving.

Then, she “took to the road” and worked at Ruamrudee International School in Bangkok (’94-97) and the American School of Madrid (’02-05).

After ASM, she volunteered with Doctors without Borders, working with women and children in trauma.

She spent two years working with Palestinian refugees in Nablus, West Bank in the Occupied Territories and another two-year stint working with victims of domestic and tribal violence about the hill tribes of Papua, New Guinea.

She loved to travel and see the world. She loved food and people.

She enriched the lives of all those whom she touched.

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Jan Kujawa will truly be missed!

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Carleton Carter (‘74-’75) with his wife, Ana Sancho

Victor Villalba Salazar (‘18) and Cindía Escalante (‘17)

Daniel Rodriguez (‘16)

Alumni Visits

Alexandra (‘07) and Bárbara (‘13) Marbán

Margot Shaya (‘16)

José Luis Martin de Bustamante (`00) and his wife

Diego (‘18) and Leone (‘15) Lubrano

Maria José Bravo (‘01)

Megan K. Perez (attended ‘06)

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Tristan Pérez (‘10) and her mother

Chris Hancock (‘88-’92) and his wife

Will Gerstein (‘17-18)

Tyler Wilson (‘01) with Anna Pointing and his wife

Sofia Piedrahita (´18)

(Right) Fred Lindgren (‘99)

Beatriz Shaver (‘14) and Graciela Alonso (‘14)

Daniela Ballvé (‘18) and Marina Novack (‘18)

Mariana Rey Naar (‘17)

Jerry Holguin (‘73-’74) with wife, Carol, and daughter, Emily

Paz Nachone (‘92-’95) and Teo Klerks, her husband

Richard Greene (‘83-’86), mother, Elaine

(Left Lucas Aspe (‘10)

Ivonne Mangual Forsthoefel (‘82)

Martin Murphy (‘89)

Nader Arab (‘09) and Christine Kroll (‘09)

John Wehmeyer (‘09-’13)

Gonzalo Navas-Migueloa (‘93) with Ana Suarez and Anna Pointing

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