Main Street Winter 2021 - Edition 5

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W I N T E R

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STREET

MINI-TERM AT A GLANCE

THE ART OF GIVING BACK

2021 theme Electives Introduction Collaboratives Champions of the Mind

Giving Tuesday Bement Gives Back Supper for Six Wish Week

HOLIDAY & NEW YEARS CELEBRATIONS Holiday Recipes New Years Day Celebration Around the World

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Editor's Note

03

Mini-Term at a Glance

05

Giving Tuesday

07

Bement Gives Back Challenge

11

Supper for Six

13

By Grace '21

Wish Week

14

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

16

New Years Day Celebration Around The World

20

By Angela Wang '21

Holiday Recipes

22

Winter Sports

25

Contributers

27

By Angela Wang | Grade 9

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EDITOR'S NOTE Dear Bement,

In the throes of this winter, it is hard to imagine the arrival of spring, but we know it’s around the corner when newness fills our lungs to the fullest.

As the promise of revitalization elevates our spirit, the dawn of spring also means that the Main Street Winter 2021 edition is ready for you to enjoy! In this issue, we have much to delve into. Let us reflect back on the mini-term and acknowledge Bement philanthropists who are committed to “giving back.” Afford yourself the time to try out Holiday recipes from Ms. O’Brien ’95, Flora Xu ’23, and Tianni Zhou ’23 provided in this edition, or learn about how the Bement community hosted a week of workshops in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.! Needless to say, every story offered by our editorial board members is a testament to the very best that The Bement School has to offer. Each tree bough on 94 Old Main Street, naked from winter’s rasp, slowly blooms the buds of spring anew. As the season starts to change, we too hope that this edition blooms out a milieu of warmth on your last wintry days of bluster. I am ever grateful for all corners of the Bement community— students, faculty, alumni, and parents— who continue to value and take pride in our work.

With all best wishes,

Evelyn '21 EDITOR IN CHIEF

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By Angela Wang | Grade 9

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MINI TERM @

HEALTH & WELLNESS 2020 Theme

"During this year’s mini-term, I joined the Stand-Up for Comedy, an elective run by Mr. Shields. Within this elective, we learned various ways and styles for stand-up comedy via Zoom. After learning some

STAND UP COMEDY

techniques, we performed our skit of comedy on Flipgrid, since most of the elective members were remote learners. We also shared some funny Youtube content involving comical aspects with each other!

The Stand-Up for Comedy elective provided us the time to laugh amidst these mundane lifestyles from Covid-19." - Rose '23

GRILLIN’ AND CHILLIN' “As a Bement tradition, the ninth grade class takes a trip to Tucson, Arizona, each year during the fall term. However, due to the COVID- 19, the class of 2021 could not have this fun class bonding experience. Therefore, during the mini-term, aligning to the theme of “ Health and Wellness”, the ninth grade advisors organized a cooking activity“Grillin’ and Chillin’”- at Mary Hawks’ house.

I got a great opportunity to get to know more about each other: some people cooked well, while someone couldn’t even

THEBEMENTSCHOOL

cut a carrot! Cooking, laughing, and eating together brought a sense of warmth to the snowy winter.” - Grace ‘21

POET'S SEAT “During mini-term this year, Ms. O’Brien ‘95 led a collaborative with eighth-grade students, remote boarding students, and third-grade students as they made 47 packages of cards for the residents at Poet’s Seat Health Care Center in Greenfield.

Students used photography, poetry, rock painting, watercolors, computer graphics, and oil painting.”

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@ A GLANCE WEAVING COLLABORATIVE "As winter approaches and we are in the middle of changing over our wardrobes, the appeal of woven textures on a snowy day is obvious- This winter, Ms. Dembkowski led an upper school weaving project as the fourth mini-term collaborative. Even though the instructions were easy to follow for those new to looms, the project introduced the basic concept of DIY crafts and weaving. After the collaborative, we were left with a woven tapestry perfect for holiday decorations! The finished tapestries were displayed in the Barn for the miniterm showcase and shared on Padlet digitally. Thank you Ms. Dembkowski and her project for bringing maximum coziness into our bitter cold season!" - Evelyn '21

CHAMPIONS OF THE MIND Whose minds will be crowned champion? On a Friday night of December, upper school students, faculty, and staff were invited to a competition of the mind in line with the mini-term theme this year. Each team, consisting of three to four members, competed in five rounds of feats via zoom.

The trivia questioned the minds in four categories which included geography, math, logic, and vocabulary. It was a great time spent on a relaxed Friday night as competitors were eager to parade their intellectual minds and claim their crowns!

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GIVING TUESDAY Interview with Ms. Ardrey, Director of Alumni & Development

What is Giving Tuesday, and how does it work?

me on these outings, but to keep contacts at a

"Giving

minimum, we weren't able to do that this year."

Tuesday is a global day of giving back, 'a

global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their

How did Bement students and teachers show their gratitude on and off campus this day?

communities and the world.' (1) It started in 2012 and "On campus, we handed out Bement Gives stickers

happens on the first Tuesday in December." to all students, teachers, and staff members. Mrs.

How did Covid-19 impact Giving Tuesday this

Currie’s second-grade class packed three bags of

year?

tasty snacks and delivered cards to our Maintenance

"This year because of COVID, our Giving Tuesday

Team, Mr. Powell, Mr. Powell, and Mr. Sheperd, to

efforts were restricted; I delivered treats from

demonstrate their gratitude for keeping us safe and

Bement to some local organizations in recognition of

taking care of our campus. Students wrote drafts,

and thanks for the support they provide in our

made final copies, decorated their cards, and

community: Deerfield Post Office, Deerfield Fire

stuffed the bags with Mrs. Currie. The giving back

District, South Deerfield Fire District, South County

continued into the following week when the second

EMS, Deerfield Police Department, Massachusetts,

graders did the same for the Dining Services Team!

Town of Deerfield Offices, and the Deerfield

And Giving Tuesday inspired parents to make short

Highway Department. Usually, students come with

videos about their thankfulness to Bement as part of

" Our mission is to build a more just and generous world."

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1. “ABOUT.” GIVINGTUESDAY, WWW.GIVINGTUESDAY.ORG/ABOUT.

the Thankful Thursday video series. It is our hope that people will do something to give on this day. Perhaps you have time or resources to give, or you can show someone how much you care about them. Whatever it is, we hope you will choose to support something meaningful to you. Many people gave donations to Bement on Giving Tuesday, and for this, we are so grateful! It is wonderful to have people express their generosity through contributions to our school. In this way, they are helping to make a difference at Bement."

How do you feel about Giving Tuesday and your position in this program?

"As the director of development, Giving Tuesday is one of my favorite days at Bement each year! A lot of hard work and planning goes into this day, and it is very rewarding to hear how people respond by finding ways to give back in their communities. Sometimes we don't even find out what people are doing to give back, but just knowing that Bement stands behind this as a value we are teaching students as well as a movement we support feels really good to me. It's also a day when I feel a lot of school spirit. Some of our alumni, faculty, parents, and past Bement community members chose to remember Bement on Giving Tuesday by giving a donation to our school, which helps Bement to be an excellent school and supports every student and teacher every day. Many Bement alumni feel they'd like to give back to the school that gave so much to them when they were here, and in this way, the giving back pays it forward."

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BEMENT GIVES BACK CHALLENGE Interview with Ms. Ardrey, Mr. Shields

"Giving Tuesday also served as the beginning of the Bement Gives Back Challenge, which happened throughout December. This was a month where we encouraged members of the Bement community, past and present, to volunteer in their communities."

Ms. Ardrey

"The first weekend of mini-term was always our Give Back Weekend for boarding students. If our boarders were on campus, we would have built gingerbread houses for Habitat for Humanity, run in the Hot Chocolate Run, served meals at the Stone Soup Cafe, and wrapped donated presents for families in need. With our boarding students learning remotely this mini-term, we encouraged everyone—faculty, staff, and day and boarding families—to participate online. With each photo of members of the Bement community either building a gingerbread house or running a 5K run, a donation was made on behalf of the Bement community to

Mr. Shields

important organizations serving individuals and families in need."

Bement community members— alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff, and grandparents, past and present— volunteered 216 hours for the Bement Gives Back challenge during the month of December 2020. As a result, the match increased by $100 for each hour volunteered. These volunteers raised an extra $21,600 for Bement in volunteer hour matches.

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SUPPER FOR SIX

Bement citizens belong in a community that values the art of giving back, taking a lifelong responsibility for the good of the world in which we live. One of many ways we 'give back’ is through campaigning for a program called Supper for Six, United Way’s annual food drive coordinated by Women’s Way. Supper for Six has been a long committed community service Bement has been supporting to collect food for local families in need. Starting from January, Bement families filled grocery bags with non-perishable foods to feed a family of six. Over the February break, our fifth and seventh graders organized and loaded the Supper for Six bags into cars while parent volunteers delivered the bags to the Women's Way and United Way of Franklin County, Massachusetts.

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@THE BEMENT SCHOOL

W W II S SH H W WE EE EK K

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DONATE @ HTTPS://WISH/ORG/

Gimkit Trivia Challenge The Students vs. Faculty Gimkit Trivia challenge took place during advisory on Wednesday and Friday. The purpose of hosting a trivia challenge on Gimkit, an online game-show platform, was to incorporate remote learners into the fundraising event. Both students and faculty logged into Gimkit and answered questions that the Student Council members had created. There, those who answered questions correctly amassed money for their team. For those who answered questions incorrectly deducted money. After two long battles of Gimkit, the team that gained more money was… The student team!

As an award for the winners, students received a special snack and donated 25 dollars.

Why Wish Week?

Bad Fashion Day

“Each fundraiser and activity in

Mismatches of plaid shirts and

this event will aim to bring the

neon leggings, unflattering

Bement community closer together,

sweaters worn with ill-fitting pants,

while also ultimately raising funds

perhaps a sparkly hat on top— this

for the Massachusetts-Rhode

apparel was seen everywhere at

Island Alliance for the Make-A-

the Bement School on February 26:

Wish Foundation. This foundation is

A bad fashion day. For students,

committed to making wishes come

faculty, and staff to wear a “bad

true for young children who have

outfit” instead of a normal Friday

medical conditions. As a Bement

dress, they paid a dollar. This

community, we will be helping a

school event raised a total of

child's wish come true!” -Bement

$229!

Student Council news

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Bake Sale

Reading Raffle

The Student Council initiated a ninth grade leadership project as

Each student in the Upper and

part of the Wish Week. The ninth

Lower School received a sheet of

graders and Ms. Bernard baked

paper to track how long and how

treats like cake pops, blondies,

much they read during the course

and snicker doodles. which were

of a month. For each hour they

sold for two days during snack

read, students received one raffle

time. While Upper School delighted

ticket. On March 28, the reading

themselves with baked goods, the

raffle event will close and the

money from the sales went

Student Council will draw tickets

towards the Make-A-Wish

to give a prize bundle to the lucky

Foundation.

winner.

Penny Wars Let the war begin! Penny Wars was a fun competition between Upper school students that lasted the entirety of the Wish Week. For this fundraising event, each team received a minus and plus jar. The goal of Penny Wars was to have the most positive points by the end of the “war” by each group; for every penny collected by the team counted toward their personal plus jar. Depositing silver coins such as quarters, dimes, and nickels into rival teams’ jars, deducted points from their competitors. At the end of the Wish Week, the Student Council counted money each team amassed in the plus jar and the minus jar to determine the winner. All the proceeds were donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

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MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY Written by Evelyn '21

Whether Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. shared his dreams atop burnished steps of the Lincoln Memorial, in his letter from Birmingham jail, or during a Montgomery bus boycott, his voice compelled others to sound up for his causes. At the Bement School, we campaign his voice on the third Monday of every January to speak of our own dreams. Here, MLK day is observed as a day on, not a day off. Not only is it a day where we all come together to celebrate the life and legacy of MLK Jr., but it’s a time where we can celebrate many voices that make up our community at Bement.

Through a special schedule and community activities here at Bement, we honored Dr. King’s legacy by beginning the day with a virtual all-school meeting. The faculty members at Bement have put in a lot of efforts where Mr. Belcher shared a brief history of the origins of MLK Jr. day, Ms. Keddy and Ms. MacCallum read Be a King: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Dream and You by Carole Boston Weatherford, James E. Ransome, and Mr. Schloat spoke about Dr. King’s approach to peaceful protests.

Learning about Dr. King’s causes resonated beyond the allschool meeting and onto classroom settings. Throughout the week of MLK Jr. day, students and teachers at Bement engaged in activities related to Dr. King’s work of message.

Ms. W’s fourth-grade class read Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice written by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Laura Freeman. Her students then spent their time choosing a project on the book from their choice board. The kindergarten class honored the legacy of Dr. King with artwork displayed outside their classroom,

and in Mr.

Jarvis’s fifth-grade class, students were introduced to books and works of poetry related to historical events. In the upper school, Mr. Cain’s seventh-grade class spent time reading Just Mercy: Adapted for Young Adults by Bryan Stevenson. The sixth-grade class studied the lyrics of Lift Every Voice and Sing with Upper School English Teacher, Ms. Carter.

Let us take in the words of Mr. Schloat every day to honor Dr. King's legacy and bend the arc towards a better world: “When given the chance to act, remember and follow Dr. King’s example: true words when paired with just, peaceful action can move mountains. And remember that your voice matters.” The greatest service we can render as individuals and members of the Bement community is to speak up. Dr. King said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Given the causes he advocated for and the magnitude of the changes he made, it is our unceasing responsibility to heed his teachings and keep the conversations going with our own mighty voices. Speak up!

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Y E A R

O

NEW YEARS CELEBRATIO

Toler '21 | MA On New Year’s Eve, my family spent the morning as we would any other day. However, the hope and delight for an upcoming year filled the living room as my family sat by the fireplace after dinner. To alleviate the anticipation, we played various board games and enjoyed late-night drinks like eggnog, fizzy drinks, and champagne for my parents.

Then, when it was almost midnight, we pulled up the live video of Times Square in New York City and watched the ball drop. Three, Two, One. It was the year of 2021!

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O F

2 0 2 1

ON AROUND THE WORLD Evelyn '21 | Seoul Every Korean new year, also known as Seollal, begins with a hot bowl of rice cake soup in the morning. Due to COVID, there was no family gathering or the cooking of traditional food my household practiced every conventional New Years’ Day celebration.

Instead, we connected via facetime to perform our formal bow, called Sebae. I bowed to my grandparents, uncles, and aunts in exchange for blessings that came in the form of Won, Korean cash!

Angela '21 | Shanghai This year because of the pandemic, I had an opportunity to spend time with my family for Lunar New Year back in my home country,

enjoyed a family dinner together as a bigger

Fumi '22 | Gifu

group with cousins and grandparents. There

The festivity of the new year was suppressed

was a variety of dishes for us to choose from.

by my family’s commitment to preserving our

After dinner, the elders gave red pockets to

health. If it was not for COVID, we would have

the younger people in the family. Due to

been praying at our local shrines, buying

safety issues, firecrackers were banned in

trivial fortune papers called Mikuji, and

most of the places, so unfortunately this year,

meeting our relatives who live far down the

I did not have the chance to play with them.

South of Japan. Yet some traditions were

Still on, I am so grateful to be able to

preserved. I recall watching Kohaku-

experience this rich family tradition continued

Utagassen on the night of the 31st—an annual

every Lunar New Year’s Day.

music television program that had become

China. On the first day of the New Year, we

popular over the years. My brothers and I would indulge ourselves in comparing J-pop hits with American music (usually holding a special predilection for the latter). And when the show was over, when we finally realized our diminishing tradition and energy, let alone our diminishing captivation of a fresh, new year, we attempted to fall asleep, but couldn’t, and ended up taking a midnight walk in the hopes of fulfilling our childhood excitement of a traditional new year.

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perfect sweet treats when you need a pinch of holiday spirit!

HOLIDAY R E C I P E S Ms.O'Brien'95 Flora Tianni

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'23 '23

MS. O'BRIEN'S S'MORES COOKIE CUPS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2. In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

3. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar together

1/4 cups all-purpose flour

until creamy. Add in eggs and vanilla extract and

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

mix until combined.

1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.

5. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough into a greased

1/2 cup light brown sugar

mini muffin tin. Press each dough down into the tin

1/3 cup granulated sugar

using a spoon. Bake for 6-8 minutes until the edges

1 egg

are golden brown.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 12 marshmallows cut in half 2 Hershey's chocolate bars (24 chocolate pieces)

6. Remove the tin from the oven and gently press a marshmallow onto each cookie.

7. Once cooled, preheat the broiler. Place the cookies under the broiler for 1-2 minutes.

8. Once the marshmallows are golden brown, remove them from the oven and place a piece of chocolate on top of each cookie.

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FLORA'S HOLIDAY NOUGAT 250 grams marshmallows 250 grams dried strawberries (or a topping of your choice) 100 grams unsalted butter 200 grams milk powder

1.

In a pan, melt the butter under low heat.

2.

Add the marshmallows and stir until the marshmallows are melted.

3.

Add the milk powder, stir until well mixed followed by the dried strawberries. Stir until it forms a thick dough.

4.

Transfer to the greased baking tray, use a lightly greased rolling pin to roll the dough flat at about 1.5 cm in height.

5.

While it is still warm, cut the nougat into sizes of your choice.

6.

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Chill in the fridge for 1 hour before serving.

TIANNI'S SCALLION PANCAKE 2 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup water + 10ml for adjusting 2 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon cooking oil of your choice 2 cup chopped scallion 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Whisk the flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix in water until a shaggy dough forms.

2. Knead the dough until it is smooth in texture.

Add more flour or water if needed to prevent stickiness or flakiness.

3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.

4. After resting, divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each piece into a large circle. Brush some vegetable oil, sprinkle pepper, and chopped scallion. Roll up the dough into a strip and further roll the strip into a coil.

5. Heat some cooking oil in a skillet over mediumlow. Working with one at a time, cook the dough. Use a spatula to press the dough flat from time and time.

6. Once the dough is crisp and golden brown on both sides, cut the pancakes into wedges.

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WINTER SPORTS Written by Gordon '22, Interview with Mr. Bartlett, Director of Athletics

What was your main goal this winter sports

Gymnastics and paddle tennis, in particular,

curriculum as a Director of Athletics?

have been two options that kids have really

“This year the main points that we focused on

loved.”

were very different from years past because we Because of the pandemic going on, the safety did not have the benefit of the DA facilities.

So of students and faculty was the key concern for

we needed to get creative.

So we allowed the Athletic Department. In a classroom setting,

students to choose an "on campus" option upper school students were often divided by where we could be outside and not travel, and grades, so this separation was a factor to an "off-campus" option where students could consider during sports as well. get off campus and go to gymnastics, Indoor Action for soccer and basketball, and ski team

Were there any difficulties due to COVID?

at Berkshire East.”

“The main challenge like I mentioned was not having the facilities at DA, but also to be able

The shift was still effective without using the DA to try to keep grades separate when inside. facilities. There were six different sports options That is why we had 8th and 9th grade share provided for students: Basketball, Indoor Soccer, days, and 6th and 7th share days. Not perfect, Paddle Tennis, Track and Field/Hiking, Strength but a way to limit exposure and risk during and Conditioning, Gymnastics, Alpine Ski. Track COVID.” and Field replaced indoor track, while strength and conditioning from fall term continued to be

While ensuring the students’ safety during the

a present option. Hiking, Indoor soccer, Paddle

sports curriculum, many competitions and

Tennis, and Gymnastics were added to the list.

scrimmages were offered. The ski team went

Were there any problems or advantages with the new sports offerings?

down to Berkshire East for their matches while the soccer and basketball teams played scrimmages. Essentially, this year was very

"Not really any problems when sports were different, but the changes made to added; to the contrary, it actually allowed us to accommodate the public health situation were explore new options! Kids have loved it. successful.

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WINTER TERM - 2021

Main Street T H E

B E M E N T

S C H O O L

EDITOR IN CHIEF MAIN PUBLISHERS GRAPHIC EDITOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR

O F F I C I A L

M A G A Z I N E

Evelyn '21

Angela '21, Grace Guo '21

Toler Poole '21

Fumi Kimura '22

Gordon Guo '22

Cleo Xu '23, Rose Dan '23

NON-EDITORIAL BOARD CONTRIBUTORS Ms. Keddy, Ms. Ardrey, Mr. Shields, Ms. Cromack, Mr. Bartlett, Ms. O'Brien, Flora '23, Tianni '23

PHOTOGRAPHERS Ms. Gearhart, @thebementschool on Smugmug

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EDITION 5

MAIN STREET WINTER TERM

Please contact us at magazine@bement.org for any inquiries