Curtis Magazine Spring 2019

MAGAZINE | SPRING 2019

Curtis

A Year of Flying Moments

From The Head of School

Strategic Plan Process and Progress

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Perspectives

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From Weapons to Angels

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The 4 C’s

Student Voices

Goodbye, Athula!

C C C C Drone Technology

Tackling The Bard

Curtis

By Number

Go Global Week

Milestones & Travel Fellowship

Alumni Focus

Competitive Robotics

Author Days

A New Math

Curtis Cares Day

46 NEWS + NOTES

Matriculation of H.S. Class of 2019

Curtis School • 15871 Mulholland Drive • Los Angeles, CA 90049 • (310) 476-1251 • Publications@CurtisSchool.org

Acrylic on wood.

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Contents

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Cover and below: First and third graders designed and painted a large-scale mural that illustrates some of the values that are taught and reinforced through Curtis’s monthly Life Skills program, a part of the school's Character Education curriculum.

This artistic collaboration was inspired by a unit in the art curriculum about the work of Keith Haring, an American artist, known early in his career for his graffiti-style “subway drawings” in New York. Haring devoted much of his time to public works that often carried a social message. Both his style, emphasizing line and simplified forms, and his impulse to create public art worked well with our students’ ideas for this mural depicting life skills including “Effort” (cover detail). Similar to Haring’s art, this mural is intended for a place on campus where we all will be able to see and be inspired by it.

A Year of Flying Moments From the Head of School

years ago, the faculty began a deep dive into the teaching and learning of mathematics at Curtis. Over the course of the 2018-19 school year, they immersed themselves in our newly adopted Singapore-based math curriculum and worked intensively with a math integration specialist to prepare to implement this method of learning math in our classrooms in the fall. Our community also came together to envision our future as a school. Parents, faculty, staff, students, trustees, and alumni and their families inspired a strategic plan that will chart the course of Curtis for the next several years.

The year-long Envision Our Future strategic planning process is the most inclusive in Curtis’s history. And, as a result, our direction will be informed by all stakeholders who care deeply about our school and its mission.

As my career in education has deepened and my own life become ever more entrenched in the life of a school, I have come to recognize another layer of meaning in the words above that clock. Moments in a school day and a school year are truly “flying.” From the minute the campus opens up in the morning to the minute it closes for the night, the school is a constant stream of hurried activity, each flying moment punctuated by the frenetic joy that emanates from our learning community. The pace and rhythm of a school day is unique, and unless one really lives it on a daily basis the way teachers, students and staff do, it is hard to truly appreciate the flying moments.

This year, I personally took to heart the call to “enjoy the flying moments.” I spent more time than ever in classrooms, on the sidelines at games cheering on our athletes, and sometimes just standing in the middle of the Quad during a passing period to highfive students as they made their way to their next class and fresh learning opportunity.

The moments of this year flew by, and they were rich in creativity, sportsmanship, scholarship and friendship. In the following pages, I invite you to gain a glimpse into the flying moments at Curtis, whether in a specific area of curriculum, a new initiative, the experiences of our students, or the life story of our parents. Every corner of our community contributes to the flying moments, and for that I am so grateful.

Warmly,

As I reflect on the flying moments of this school year, I beam with pride for the ongoing growth of academic programming, community effort and engagement. In this issue, you will read about the many ways our community has continued to build on a strong foundation and how the seeds of initiatives sown in the past several years have begun to ripen and yield fruit. Only two

Dr. Meera Ratnesar Head of School

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“As I reflect on the flying moments of this school year, I beam with pride for the ongoing growth of academic programming, community effort and engagement.”

I first started teaching straight out of college at a K-12 independent school in New York City. One of my most vivid memories of my time there is walking into the main building and looking up at an old grandfather clock.

Above the clock was a plaque that advised the observer “Enjoy the flying moments.” At the time, I took that recommendation to mean what most people would, which is “enjoy the moment,” “be present,” “stay in the now.”

Strategic Plan Process and Progress In spring of 2018, Curtis embarked on a strategic planning process to determine the priorities that will guide it through the coming years. The school engaged Doing Good Marketing to elicit the opinions and ideas of our administration, faculty and staff, current and former families, and current and former trustees. Information gained from surveys, interviews and planning sessions was synthesized and distilled into four key strategic priorities characterized as learning literacies. Here are some thoughts from the Envision Our Future Steering Committee about the work that has been undertaken during this focused and inclusive effort.

Rob Friedman, Trustee Why was it important for Curtis to develop a strategic plan?

Curtis has been a fantastic environment for my two children to grow and thrive. It has and continues to help to set them off on the right path for their futures.

It’s important that the strategic plan for Curtis and its benefits endure for children long after mine have moved on. This planning process sets the school on that path.

Daniel Rothbauer, Chief Operating and Financial Officer What were the main goals of the strategic planning process?

We set five goals for our planning process: to engage our constituents in an inclusive manner; to collect data in a variety of ways; to bring out our school’s distinguishing characteristics; to identify areas of vulnerability; and to acknowledge us as an elementary school. I was inspired by just how excited our community was to participate. Having an inclusive process made all the difference.

Corinne Schulman, Director of Advancement How did we decide on a consultant/partner?

I worked with the 2017-2018 Advancement Committee of the Board, which includes trustees and non-trustee parents, to spearhead the research process. Dr. Ratnesar and I circulated a list of schools that had recently been through a visioning process and asked the committee to add to it. We identified key contacts at those schools (head, trustee, advancement director) and divided up into teams to interview the schools and understand their approach.

We developed questions to ask during the interview process and shared feedback and observations on the interviews in our Advancement Committee discussions. The outcome of those discussions led to five key goals for our visioning process at Curtis.

A sub-committee then had conversations with recommended consultants/facilitators, resulting in three finalists who met with the committee and senior administration. Romayne Levee and Carley Croom of Doing Good Marketing were hired and have proven to be wonderful thought partners, ably helping to manage the full scope of the process with a keen understanding of Curtis as an elementary school. The addition of Giselle Chow, a skilled graphic recorder, brought the process to life in a very special way.

Kasey Nott, Teacher What was the composition of the Steering Committee?

The Steering Committee was made up of members who belong to various constituency groups at Curtis, including administrators, parents, trustees, teachers, and alumni. During the entire process of researching, planning, and finally drafting and editing the strategic plan, the Curtis students have always been our common focus. However, because we all have different roles at Curtis, we have been able to contribute multiple perspectives to ensure that the strategic planning process has been as inclusive as possible with the end goal being that the final plan is celebrated and endorsed by the entire Curtis community.

A graphic recorder illustrated in real time our community's thoughts about how Curtis should steward the three pillars of its mission—mind, body and heart—into the future.

“The addition of a skilled graphic recorder brought the process to life in a very special way.”

– Corinne Schulman, Director of Advancement

Ashley Ma, Director of 6th Grade & Secondary School Outplacement How did you solicit and gather feedback from community members?

In order to create our vision and strategic planning initiative, we surveyed members of the Curtis community, including current parents, faculty, staff and administrators, alumni, alumni parents, and the Board of Trustees. Each of the three surveys had different purposes. The first survey was launched in May 2018 and focused on collecting our community’s attitudes towards and satisfaction levels of our school in order to identity our strengths and weaknesses. The second survey was launched in November 2018 in order to determine our vision, purpose, and values. The final survey was launched in April 2019 to assess our goals, based on feedback and input on the strategic goals that were drafted previously.

Ginger Healy, Teacher How were faculty and staff invited to give their ideas and input?

Faculty and staff were invited to participate in the Envision Our Future process in a number of ways. In addition to participating enthusiastically in our community-wide surveys, they attended town hall meetings facilitated

by Doing Good Marketing consultants and Steering Committee members and provided meaningful feedback on the drafts of the plan.

Left: Romayne Levee of Doing Good Marketing guided our faculty and staff to envision what Curtis should look like in 2030.

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Q & A with the Envision Our Future Steering Committee

Steering Committee: (Left to right) Romayne Levee, Ashley Ma, Kirstin Meyer, Roy Choi, Meera Ratnesar, Vanessa Keith Garcia, Corinne Schulman, Dan Rothbauer, Kasey Nott, Jon Wimbish, Ginger Healy, Carley Croom.

(Not pictured: Rob Friedman)

our ideas in real time. There were so many great ideas and feedback that kept circulating, and seeing them visually brought them to life for me and others who participated.

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Carley Croom and Dr. Ratnesar recorded ideas generated by faculty and staff.

Kirstin Meyer, Current Parent and Parents Association President 2017-2018 How were parents invited to give their ideas and input?

During the Curtis School strategic planning process, parent feedback was critical to the creation of the plan and thus they were solicited in a variety of ways.

From multiple anonymous surveys, to one-on-one interviews, to town hall sessions, parents were asked in a variety of ways for their thoughts, feedback, and visionary ideas for the future of the school. Perhaps the most meaningful part of the process were the parent town halls because they brought together (in some cases) upwards of 50 parents in a group setting to hone in on key themes they felt defined Curtis School now and into the future. The group brainstorming sessions, accompanied by a graphic recorder, really helped guide the Strategic Planning Committee to get an accurate gauge of key themes important to the parent body. It was meaningful to categorize all the feedback that was given and realize that the core of our mission statement, “sound mind, sound body, governed by a compassionate heart,” were continuous threads throughout all the parent feedback. It was very gratifying to know that although Curtis plans to adapt to continue to serve modern day needs, it will continue to have a strong grounding in its core values.

Roy Choi, Parent What was your favorite part about the process?

My favorite part of the process so far is when we got to engage with the parents in the graphic wall visioning session with the graphic recorder and she illustrated

Vanessa Keith Garcia, Trustee What was the role of the Board of Trustees in the process?

The role of the Board of Trustees in the strategic planning process was to provide a perspective on issues that may not be top of mind to the Head of School or other administrators, who are primarily focused on the day-to-day management of the school. As part of our governance responsibilities, it is the duty of the Board to be forward thinking to ensure the long-term success of the school. The completion of our Strategic Plan is an incredibly exciting milestone that sets the stage for the equally important work of executing the plan. I am extremely proud of the work that the entire Curtis community has done over the past year to create an exciting vision and actionable plan that highlights the best of who we are and what we strive to be.

Jon Wimbish, Trustee How did the Committee decide upon the four learning outcomes?

The decision to promote our four major learning outcomes arose from the synthesis of the input we received from all constituents who engaged with us in our strategic planning process. The values we selected represent the ideals that our community hoped a Curtis education would aspire to. Further, the framing of these outcomes as “literacies” seemed a perfect fit for Curtis because that word echoes a hallmark of any quality educational experience, especially elementary school, where becoming literate is foundational. From learning to read, to reading to learn, to reading other people or ourselves, we should all seek to develop literacies as we mature as thinkers and human beings.

Meera Ratnesar, Head of School What excites you most about “Envision Our Future,” Curtis School’s new strategic plan?

I’m inspired knowing that the Curtis community is now aligned around a shared set of values and united in achieving a newly articulated vision of pioneering and enhancing programs that set the standard for elementary education in the greater Los Angeles area and beyond.

Facing page: A variety of opportunities were provided to stakeholders to share ideas and feedback.

“The values we selected represent the ideals that our community hoped a Curtis education would aspire to.”

–Jon Wimbish, Trustee

As teachers, staff and parents, we cross paths during the year with families who we may only know casually and, as is often the case in life, find that our first impressions don’t reveal the person we come to know with time and effort. Over the past several years, Curtis has implemented curriculum and initiatives that direct students to explore their own and others’ identity. Similar opportunities have been provided for the adults in our community, including the Parents Group on Inclusivity, the all-school F.A.C.E.S. project (2015-16) and the new Dads and Donuts group. In deepening our relationships with each other, we discover common ground, develop our capacity for empathy, learn to appreciate our differences, even make lifelong friendships—all of which strengthen the educational environment for our students.

ROB FRIEDMAN Rob Friedman and his wife, Shari, began their journey at Curtis in 2010 when their daughter Brooke (’18) entered DK. Younger sister Jolie (’20) followed shortly thereafter in 2012. Over the years, Rob and Shari have provided meaningful volunteer support to our school. Through her work in the Curtis Parents Association, Shari’s time and talents have produced beautiful photography of countless events. The family’s generous philanthropy and Rob’s leadership as a trustee helping to steer the Curtis Master Plan have been foundational to the school's growth over the last decade.

Rob grew up in a small, rural tobacco town with a population of 1,500, near Raleigh, North Carolina. He remembers with fondness this formative time of his life: “There were no fences. Our yards were our neighborhoods. We played in the woods, dug foxholes, chased tobacco trucks. I enjoyed all that a rural childhood had to offer.” One of Rob's closest friends was 22 years older and had Down syndrome. “My friends and I loved him and provided protection for him. I hadn’t thought about the connection, but maybe that’s why I’m involved with supporting the Special Olympics.”

ari Friedman rooke and Sh at Jolie, Rob, B knit family th eos ) are a cl er. th ge to (left to right g in be talking and enjoys time

“My children are tuned in and understand the importance of their social and emotional development at Curtis. ”

Rob began college but felt that he didn’t have the skills to succeed, so he quit. “After a year and a half, feeling that I was wasting my parent’s money, I got a passport and travelled in Europe for a few months. My cousin, who worked at Warner Brothers, gave me grief and challenged me to get a job, so I got one in the mailroom at Warner Brothers.

I saw that they were posting positions and one for publicity sounded fun to me. I started in that department and continued to grow at Warner Brothers into the most senior positions in publicity and marketing and eventually moved on to help run another studio and start a successful independent studio, which I later sold.”

Now an established entertainment executive, Rob attributes much of the success he’s had in his professional life to his social and communication skills. “I always felt in my work life that if you can’t interact and communicate well with people, all the education you have is valuable, but social and behavioral growth is critical.” Rob appreciates that Curtis values those important components and that they are an integral part of the school’s educational program.

Rob has older children and reflects that “in the 17-year difference in age between my children, I have learned a lot, with Brooke and Jolie, about how to be a better parent, and I understand priorities differently. In our home we talk about the news and some of the bad stuff going on in the world. My children are tuned in and understand the importance of their social and emotional development at Curtis. The reason I chose Curtis, aside from our amazing campus, is that at Curtis we are interested in becoming more aware of ourselves, our community, how we differ, the value in those differences, and all the advantages and opportunities we have as a school because of that.”

JENNIE KIM Jennie and David Kim joined the Curtis community when their son, Ryan (’20), became a shiny new Kindergartner in 2013. Two years later, their daughter, Kayla (’22), also began her Curtis journey. Jennie jumped in as a Parents Association volunteer and quickly stepped up to co-chair the Curtis Fair, and most recently, the PA’s biggest annual fundraiser, Curtis Celebrates! Chatting casually with our head of school one day, Jennie shared a bit about her background and it piqued our interest to hear more about how she and her family came to Curtis and what about the Curtis experience resonates with her own story.

“We had already toured at least seven schools by the time we came to Curtis,” says Jennie. “The vibe and atmosphere felt remarkably sunnier than other schools we had visited, and the children seemed genuinely happy.”

The Kims really wanted their children’s first introduction to school to be one that was happy, welcoming and inclusive. And there were other reasons stemming from Jennie’s background that confirmed their choice of Curtis for their children.

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Recently, we sat down to talk with two of our current parents to get to know them better. Each shared some of their life story with us including how impactful experiences shaped them, how those experiences inform the way they are raising their children, and their choice to bring their children to Curtis.

The family moved to California when Rob was 11 and he remembers spending a lot of time reading and recording his voice as a 6th grader, which he attributes to the loss of his thick southern drawl. He reflects, “I was not a great reader and always learned through listening and observing. I tended to want to play more than work and became a surfer and skateboarder.”

Perspectives

Perspectives

Rob shared that he didn’t really understand until his older brother clarified for him that he and his siblings felt bullied sometimes because his was the only Jewish family in the town and also because of his lower socio-economic status. Both his parents worked full time. His father was a veterinarian and his mother a secretary in a tobacco company.

In the aftermath of the violence, her parents, devastated by losing their livelihood, decided to leave Los Angeles. Almost by accident, the family ended up resettling in a very small town in Louisiana, when her father discovered a store with a “for sale” sign on his way to visit a friend in Mississippi. Jennie’s parents seized this opportunity to set up a new life away from Los Angeles.

And they still run the same store—though they have also expanded the business to other locations—and continue to live in the same small Louisiana town today.

“I want my children to learn about the commonalities we share regardless of race or ethnicity as well as differences that we all have.”

About her sudden translocation, Jennie says, “I experienced total culture shock. On my first day of 8th grade, the vice principal asked my name, and when I replied ‘Jennie Shin,’ he responded, ‘I’m not even going to try to pronounce that.’” School forms did not include a checkbox for Asian, so she routinely crossed out “Cauc” in “Caucasian.” She remembers walking home from school hearing adults in Jennie Kim appreciates the anti-bias cars driving by honking at her and calling curriculum at Curtis. Left to right: David, Ryan, out racial slurs. Kids at school asked her if Kayla and Je nnie Kim. she was Mexican or possibly Chinese. Her sister’s high school held segregated proms and her sister was unsure which one she should attend.

The principal steered her towards the white prom.

From Weapons to Angels Lin Evola, Artist

Over the past decade, visitors to Curtis may have wondered about a resplendent one-foot-tall sculpture of a seated, robed female angel. To her left, a group of young children huddle together within the shelter of the angel’s wings. Close observation would also reveal, at the foot of the group, in seemingly odd juxtaposition to the figures, stacks of rifles, handguns and automatic weapons. This beautiful small sculpture is Curtis School’s Peace Angel, a gift from the artist, Lin Evola.

Recently, we asked Lin to talk about her work and her gift to our school. Lin was a parent at Curtis in the late 1990s, when her son, Jason Warnke (’96), was enrolled in the school’s former middle school. Lin shared how grateful she was to find Curtis for Jason’s 7th and 8th grade years and how supported she and her son felt during his time at Curtis. As a mark of her deep gratitude for that experience, Lin presented Curtis with one of her original 12-inch Peace Angels. Since then, her angels have grown to monumental stature as her work to promote peace through disarmament, the Peace Angels Project, has taken flight.

Evola and Renaissance Peace Angel National September 11 Memorial & Museum, 2018

Lin founded the Peace Angels Project in 1992, when she became profoundly affected by the growing number of people—especially children—who were dying due to gun violence. Expressing her belief in “our responsibility as humans to create a better world,” Lin works tirelessly to bring attention to the epidemic of gun violence through her conceptual art. Created from melted down street weapons and the stainless steel casings of decommissioned missiles, the Peace Angels Project permanently transforms weapons of mass destruction into symbols of peace and reminders to value life (www.peaceangels.com).

Peace Angels are now found across the globe in centers of civic life. Among the most notable is the Renaissance Peace Angel, a 13-foot-high sculpture that bears the signatures of many of the workers and volunteers who responded at Ground Zero after the World Trade Center attack in 2001. The statue is now in the permanent collection of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

In spite of having the strong love and support of her parents, Jennie dreaded going to school and still isn’t sure how she made it through “the daily grind.” In part, that is why she is “so grateful that Ryan and Kayla are comfortable in their own skin and that there is cultural and racial diversity at Curtis.” Jennie reflects that her life experience as a young girl showed her how ignorance divides people and gives rise to hurtful and offensive communication. She shared how much she appreciates the anti-bias curriculum at Curtis and the diversity within our community. “Talking about race is very important,” says Jennie. “I want my children to learn about the commonalities we share regardless of race or ethnicity as well as differences that we all have.”

Sadly, attacks and mass shootings have become only too common. Responding to one recent tragedy, our Head of School, Meera Ratnesar, wrote: “Each of these terrible and senseless attacks makes us even more resolved in our mission to develop compassionate hearts and to deepen our students’ empathy through our curriculum and teaching practices.” In the last three years, Curtis has implemented, and continues to strengthen and refine, an anti-bias curriculum for all grades. Using the four frameworks of Teaching Tolerance (www.teachingtolerance. org)—identity, diversity, justice and action—anti-bias anchor lessons and units of study have been designed to engage students in intentional conversations, reflection and discussion about bias, prejudice and stereotypes in order to teach them how to respect others and value diversity.

In addition, Jennie is excited that Curtis has started a World Languages program. She says, “When I travel, I meet people that speak two or more languages. I believe everyone should learn multiple languages.” And she hopes that Ryan and Kayla will learn Korean one day. In the meantime, this summer the Kims will travel to the U.S. South, where Jennie plans to acquaint her children with her earlier life there and that very formative part of her childhood.

Curtis is honored to be one of the recipients and repositories of a Peace Angel. Its presence on our campus reminds us as educators and a learning community of our commitment to the essential work of developing compassionate hearts and growing our students to be more just and peaceful.

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Perspectives

Jennie was born in Korea and emigrated to the United States with her parents when she was a year old. She grew up in Los Angeles and spoke Korean as her first language. Her parents owned and managed a clothing store in Koreatown. In 1992, when Jennie was 12 years old, a 6th grade student at Hobart, a public school near Koreatown, the riots broke out in Los Angeles. That day changed her life forever. “My parents’ store burned to the ground and that was so scary to me,” she recalls. Jennie couldn’t go home and stayed for several days with a friend who lived across the street from her school, because her parents couldn’t get to her. She remembers, “In Koreatown, supermarkets were closed. People didn’t have enough food. They were calling in to Radio Korea saying they needed diapers and baby formula.” She spoke with friends outside of Koreatown who had seen the images of unrest on TV, but the riots did not seem to affect them personally.

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gh nts throu e u it t s n o form all c ations Goal: to ind clear communic n regular a

THE 4 C’S OF THE CURTIS PARENTS ASSOCIATION

Community

When parent groups and schools work together to build a strong sense of community, everyone benefits. The Parents Association at Curtis School is a vital life force in our community and makes a tangible impact on our elementary school. It binds us all together by striving for best practices in Communication, Community, Caring and Collaboration—the 4 C’s.

Goal: to edu c and engage ate, acknowledge our school c ommunity

Caring

nurture Goal: to live Curtis’s mission to ing compassionate hearts by provid community service opportunities

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m curriculu l o o h c s support ough Goal: to community thr hips d rs and buil ism and partne r voluntee

In an ongoing effort to offer support to our parent body and communicate effectively, this year we have focused on educating parents in our monthly PA meetings. We have hosted a variety of special guest speakers to keep us informed about everything from math (6th Grade Math Teacher Terra Shirvanian spoke about math enrichment opportunities for Upper Elementary students), to library resources (Librarian Amy Wiggins explained how the Book Spree puts books on our own library shelves), to LEGO Robotics (Dr. Linda Schaffer shared news about our school hosting a First LEGO League competition), to an explanation from our Head of School, Dr. Meera Ratnesar, about how to interpret ERB test scores! Second grade students even made an appearance to share the results of their schoolwide book drive to benefit GOOD+.

The PA aligns itself each year with faculty and administration to help support the school’s curriculum through the efforts of its long-established committees, including Buds (the student community service group for grades 3–4), Seedlings (the student community service group for DK–grade 2) and Emerging Artists (which helps the visual arts department mount the annual exhibition of student art).

The PA also supports newer groups, such as the Parents Group on Inclusivity (PGI) and our fledgling association for Curtis fathers, Dads and Donuts. Strong parent volunteerism provides opportunities for our families to make and strengthen friendships and allows parents to give back to our school in a meaningful way.

The Parents Association strives to live our school’s mission of nurturing compassionate hearts by providing students and families with opportunities to serve the greater Los Angeles community through partnerships with organizations like One Voice and our Families Helping Families program, now in its 26th year. Community service both on campus and off campus through our participation in L.A.’s Big Sunday activities and our own school-wide day of service, Curtis Cares Day, are a cornerstone of the PA’s annual efforts.

There are always many ways to get involved at Curtis School, but we know one thing for sure: Everything is better with parent involvement! With hundreds of Curtis parents volunteering their time each year, the entire community is the real winner!

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By Jeanine Kay, PA President, 2018–19 and Kirstin Meyer, PA President, 2017-18

: S E IC O V T N E D U T S at a Time ills One Month Building LiFe Sk

eir teachers, and the ons with classmates, th ati ers nv co ful ing an ulty to focus attention students engage in me s developed by our fac wa ram og pr ills Each month, all Curtis Sk e The Lif at support its a designated life skill. viors and attitudes th ha be e th ing tic ac pr division heads around d cter as part of aracter an d model ethical chara importance of good ch an e th ch g tea din to an e us rst rs de un ato on students our educ two-year cycle, and as is one technique that a ram on t og ea pr e rep Th . ills nt sk al me develop ation. The individu ’s broader range of ing for Character Educ keeping with children in en ep de Curtis’s Goals of Learn ills sk e th und grades, discussions aro progress through the . e maturation experience and cognitiv

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By Beatrice Ekstrom, 2nd Grade

I think of courage as the King or Queen of all the other Life Skills. For me if you don’t have courage it’s like you are standing in the shade wanting to participate in activities but are too afraid to join in. Courage lets you come out of the shade into the sunshine and be part of the fun. It takes courage to be the best you that you can be. If you run into a burning building, that is courageous and you are a hero. But that kind of event doesn’t happen all the time. If you like challenges here is one for you. Try to be courageous in your everyday choices.

When I think of courage I think of Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

She is brave and strong and speaks up for what she thinks is right. She has helped girls see that they can do anything they want to do—get an exceptional education (she was one of three women in her class of 500 at Harvard Law School), and then get any job they want.

She also helped boys out because boys and girls should be able to spend time together and be friends. When they are adults some boys might want to do jobs that people used to say were just for girls.

When I was new at Curtis in first grade, I used to be afraid to talk in class. Then my teacher Mr. Hruby helped me get over my fear. He told me that everyone gets scared sometimes and if you are talking you can think of it like you are having a conversation with a friend, say what you think, and then you realize that you are talking to not just one friend but to a whole class of friends.

Here are some samples of how courage can be shown in each of this year’s Life Skills.

September – Curiosity – It takes courage to speak up and ask questions.

October – Sportsmanship – When you get upset about losing and you want to yell, it takes courage to stay calm and say good game.

November – Gratitude You might worry that your friends will laugh at you if you tell them how you feel about them. It takes courage to tell them that they are really good friends and you appreciate having them support and be there for you.

December – Integrity – You need courage to stand up for your friends (or anyone) when they are being bullied.

“Courage is another word for being brave and we all have that inside of us.”

February – Forgiveness – It takes courage to say you are sorry when you make a mistake or to accept someone’s apology when they’ve done something wrong and you are still mad but you want to move forward.

March – Initiative – When you fail at something and you don’t want to try again, if you have courage you will get up and keep trying until you succeed.

April – Common Sense – You might want to be doing something silly or dangerous because your friends are doing it but your courage helps you make the right choice and tell your friends no.

May – Respect – You must have courage to be kind to everyone even when other people are being mean.

Everyone deserves respect.

Courage is another word for being brave and we all have that inside of us.

The best kind of courage comes from your heart.

It shows up not only in your words but also in your actions.

Kindness Travels Like a Boomerang

By Jonah Schweitzer and Alonzo Wickers, 6th Grade

The Curtis Life Skills monthly program strives to set a profound example of how to practice the use of different skills in life such as manners, etiquette, respect, and kindness in the upper grades, and sportsmanship and gratitude in the younger grades. This system hopes to leave us more prepared in many fields of expertise before we are set off into our new schools and, ultimately, the world. We believe that it is important to talk about and practice life skills because they will be extremely useful in new situations as we grow up. For example, we are going to meet many new faces in our lives that will have a big impact on the future, and we will need to treat those we meet with maximum respect, show them etiquette and manners and, most importantly, leave a lasting impression of kindness.

In our monthly program meetings as a sixth grade, all sixty-seven sixth graders meet in the Tuttle building atrium. Facilitators of the sixth grade Life Skills monthly program, Dr. Ajmere and Ms. Chung, introduce a new topic for the month, and we then proceed to begin activities regarding that topic. One skill that stood out to us was kindness because we realized how much of an impact it actually can make on a society in a short amount of time. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of kindness is, “The quality

or state of being of a sympathetic or helpful nature.” In one of our sixth grade community building meetings, we discussed kindness by watching a video of how people react to the verbal abuse of a homeless person through the use of kind words and actions. Through this video, we were able to see how one act of kindness led to another. Also, during our sixth grade retreat, we did one activity that made a big impact on many of us.

We huddled around in a big circle as one group went in the middle of the circle. A Fulcrum leader would call out a positive adjective such as, “Compassionate,” or “Motivating,” and they would ask each person in the middle to tap the people around them in the big circle whom they felt portrayed that adjective during the trip.

Almost everybody was tapped for each word, which shows that, in our grade, we can all demonstrate kindness and we are also all able to identify positive qualities in others.

L-R: Alonzo Wickers, Jonah Schweitzer.

How can kindness impact society?

Kindness, even just one act of kindness, can have a profound impact on communities. Kindness travels like a boomerang, eventually finding its way back to the original person. This boomerang can be set into action by one person simply by sharing a positive comment or by saying “please” and “thank you.” These actions inspire a feeling of joy in the recipient and often motivate them to act kindly towards others, too. Eventually, kindness abounds throughout the community. Kindness is very powerful and can be used to prevent conflict and war. To recap, kindness can transform communities, cheer people up, and it is a meaningful life skill that can be very rewarding when it is used. In the words of renowned author and speaker, Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, “When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind.”

Goodbye, Athula!

Athula’s story is compelling. He came to the United States in 1983 to escape the unrest of civil war in his native country of Sri Lanka. In his home land, Athula had graduated with a degree in hotel management and worked for a Sri Lankan airline in the catering division.

Hired at Curtis in 1986, under then Headmaster Willard “Baddy” Badham, as a member of the maintenance team, he rose within five months to the position of supervisor, which he has held ever since.

Fulfilling this critical role, he has been a steadfast partner of 2 facilities managers, 5 heads of school, and 33 Parents Association boards—supervising the setup and breakdown of as many Curtis Fairs!

“Athula represents all that is good about Curtis. Kind, generous, full of life and fun, playful, hard-working and always, always ready to help.” ­—Clay Stites, former Headmaster (1992-1997)

After so many years making the 70-mile round trip to and from school each day, Athula leaves to spend more time with his wife, Asoka, and daughter, Amali (’12), and to travel. Asked what he will miss most about Curtis, he doesn’t skip a beat: “Everything. Students, parents, teachers—everyone. This is my second home.” In fact, Athula has cared for Curtis the way he would his own home, economizing where he sees opportunities to save and stewarding the landscape as he would tend his own garden. Jeff Albert, Director of Facilities, points out that Athula selected and planted many of the trees that make Curtis such a beautiful place to work and learn—a legacy that will continue to enhance the experience of everyone who steps foot on campus. Jeff notes, “Curtis School would not be the school it is today if it weren’t for Athula. Not only was

he instrumental in making the campus beautiful, he did it with love and care for all.”

Jeff and Athula surveying the campus on a typical day to make sure everything is in top condition (2018).

The heads of school Athula served have been touched by his humility and commitment to Curtis. Current Head of School Meera Ratnesar shares a special kinship with Athula, as she also has roots in Sri Lanka.

She says, “For me as a young leader, he has shown me how to listen with compassion, how to be flexible in thought and action, and how to lead with humility.

Most importantly, he introduced me to the soul of Curtis and taught me to cherish it. I could not have asked for a better teacher and mentor than the one I found in Athula and I am forever grateful.”

Peter Smailes, Headmaster from 2009 to 2015, notes that “one of Aturugirige's greatest gifts [is] he gets along with everyone. Humble to the core, he has worked tirelessly with anyone to get any job done. No task is beneath him, and no task is beyond him. No one is below him, and no one is above him. What an extraordinary gift he has been to us all.”

Reflecting on Athula, former Headmaster (19921997) Clay Stites asks rhetorically, “Was there anyone prouder of the way the campus looked than Athula?

Or anyone who cared more about it? He has been the heart and soul of the school … Athula represents all that is good about Curtis. Kind, generous, full of life and fun, playful, hard-working and always, always ready to help.”

Meera Ratnesar and Athula, here enjoying International Lunch Day 2019, share a special kinship, as both have roots in Sri Lanka.

“Curtis School would not be the school it is today if it weren’t for Athula. Not only was he instrumental in making the campus beautiful, he did it with love and care for all.”­—Jeff Albert, Director of Facilities

Below: Mimi Petrie, Director of Admissions, with Athula on his 2019 Valentine's Day birthday. Both came to Curtis 33 years ago. She is "privileged to have worked with him both as a parent volunteer and a colleague. He has always had the most positive attitude and shown complete commitment to excellence in everything he does.

His contribution to Curtis is immeasurable."

Now we will have to let go of Athula. While we say goodbye today, we do not say farewell forever.

Characteristically, Athula has promised to “return to help out” (rather than just visit) on our most important days of community, including Fairs, International Lunch Days, and Grandparents Days—and because we cannot let go, we will hold him to his promise.

Proud father Athula and 4th grader Amali shared their first Dads Day at Curtis in 2010.

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At the end of the school year, we say goodbye to Athula Aturugirige, Maintenance Supervisor at Curtis for the past 33 years. Thirty-three years is a long tenure in any position or organization, and Athula is one of the longestserving employees in our school’s history. The number 33 cannot begin to tell the story of Athula’s dedication. Those 33 years comprise many thousands of days of personal attention and loving care from Athula as he supervised the maintenance team and saw to innumerable details behind the scenes to make each school day, meeting and event run smoothly for our community.

DRONE TECHNOLOGY:

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By Mark Gutierrez and Patrick Lynch, Educational Technology Specialists The drone technology elective started as a simple idea: to enrich Curtis’s 6th grade coding curriculum by offering an additional opportunity for the application of coding and to further develop the school’s multi-grade robotics program.

During the planning stages of the class, as instructors, we had many unanswered questions like: “Is it possible to use drones in the classroom?” “Can we program drones to perform everyday tasks?” “Can a drone cover my lunch duty?”

(We knew we were getting ahead of ourselves after that last thought.) The goal of this elective is to introduce students to drone technologies. More specifically, it aims to have students experiment with and explore how drones work, cover the safety and ethics of drones, and explore possible future uses of drones.

We structured the course to be taught in three phases. The first phase is dedicated to research about current uses of drones. In the second phase, students jump into learning about different drone models and build their own drones.

Phase three culminates in using coding to program drones to complete specific types of missions.

This phase has the most test flights—and crashes! The experimentation that goes with drone building and testing presents a wonderful opportunity for students to learn through trial and error. With each crash and rebuild, they learn from their mistakes and increase their knowledge about engineering, wiring, and even physics. Most importantly, perseverance (what we like to call GRIT) is key.

In addition to the Flybrix, our students are introduced to the Parrot Mambo. This student favorite comes pre-assembled and requires programming to fly. Students use it to complete real-life missions like “Delivering a Package” to a specified location, navigating the “Obstacle Course” (mimicking a surveillance mission that requires the drone to clear obstacles along the way), and doing a “Drone Dance-Off” to favorite popular songs. As instructors, it is an amazing experience for us to watch students build, crash, rebuild and fly again.

It has been so rewarding for us to see our students go from zero experience to comfortably flying drones to complete tasks. Our students have exceeded our expectations in the ways they have combined their creativity and worked together to solve real-world problems and complete missions Students are always fascinated by how drones are currently using drone technology. One day soon, we may even see them being used or tested. In phase one of the elective, students programming drones to haul student backpacks to the Circle are randomly assigned an area of focus on current drone for carpool. use to research. These range from filming and Or, maybe, photography, to express shipping and delivery, Alden Detmer & Taj Kapoor: just maybe, to military purposes, and even to the role of “My favorite part about the drone elective was to cover our drones in farming and agriculture. Students researching and learning about how drones are lunch duties prepare a short presentation based on their being used.” “We feel more comfortable with on the Quad! research and share what they have learned with drones and what we can do with them.” the class.

Vyvien Estes: In the second phase, students learn about “I think it’s cool that we were able to different drone models and build their own drones. Each build the drones with Legos and see student receives a “Flybrix” drone kit and an iPad with which how every piece makes them work.” to build their models. They have the option to create a Quadcopter, a Hexacopter, or­—the coolest one of all—an Octocopter. Students learn Johan Samuel: how the motors in a drone function, how “My favorite part about the drone elective was flying the propellers spin and help the drone the ‘Parrot Mambo,’ because we got to program it. maneuver, and most importantly, how to I just wish the elective lasted the whole year.” wire everything correctly to the flightboard.

“It is so cool how we got to code the drones and watch them fly.”

—Maple Mand

what visions ha Methought Ive I seen! enamored of was an ass

Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind ortals be ! m e s e th ls foo t a h w Lord,

Thou hast by oonlight at her windm With feigninow sung, verses of fei g voice, gning love

mile s m i h e k a m on and r e b guile O e o b t e t s s r e j o h I d e f d bean n a t a f a I n Whe So quicikngs h bright t come to n o confusi

Tackling The Bard

(A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act V, Scene i)

In the last act of A Midsummer Night’s Dream (MND), through words spoken by Theseus, Shakespeare paints an image of himself, the poet, who creates entire worlds and peoples them “from airy nothing.” While Shakespeare’s plays held contemporary Elizabethan audiences in their spell, for modern readers, a common hurdle to accessing these imaginary realms is the English of Shakespeare’s age and the unfamiliar (to the unpracticed ear) phrasing of his verse.

Even so, our 6th graders proved themselves up to the challenge when introduced to A Midsummer Night’s Dream in a first foray into Shakespeare in the language arts curriculum for this grade.

While Shakespeare is taught in most middle and high school programs, the challenge of comprehension raises the question “Is there a benefit to teaching Shakespeare at the elementary school level?” Sixth Grade Language Arts Teacher Angela Favreau believes that exposure to Shakespeare at an early age is an advantage and helps in later years when students are required to

“We went into a lot of depth of the history and the forms of writing.

Reading MND really helped to expand my use of writing techniques.”

–Pearl Gatins read Shakespeare in depth. “While older people may already have formed preconceived notions about the accessibility of Shakespeare, young students usually don’t have such fixed opinions and are more open to meeting the challenge of Shakespeare’s language,” she says. Sixth Grade Teacher Sue Chung agrees and points out, “There is research to support the teaching of Shakespeare early, in small doses, throughout elementary and middle school as part of a larger scaffolding effort to improve student perception and long-term appreciation of Shakespeare.”

The teachers employed a number of strategies to help students make sense of Shakespeare’s

writing and appreciate his storytelling. “When students read Shakespeare for the first time,” notes Ms. Chung, “the immediate reaction is often ‘What is going on?’ or ‘I don’t understand!’” The choice of a first text that combines Shakespeare’s original, unabridged script with illustrations in the form of a graphic novel helped students bridge natural gaps in their understanding and decode the play. The choice was intentional. Most students already enjoy comics and graphic novels tap into that interest.

“My favorite part of the play was the larger than life, relatable characters that you can laugh alongside, understand, and almost engage with.”

–Mason Walline Techniques employed in class, such as discussing with peers, looking up vocabulary words and using context clues to find meaning, showed students that they actually were capable of deriving meaning from the text and fueled their enthusiasm. Ms. Chung reflects, “When I announce that it is time to read A Midsummer Night’s Dream, students actually cheer, because they look forward to it.”

Beyond preparing students for a deeper study of Shakespeare in secondary school, the 6th grade introduction provides a springboard for broader lessons about language and writing.

Reading Shakespeare’s original text helped students understand that words and grammar evolve in response to the changing times. It llustrated how playful language can be and how skillful one must be to tell a story in a particular way—within the formal structure of a sonnet or iambic pentameter. Students saw how Shakespeare created characters that could be our contemporaries and how he borrowed from mythology and legend to invent original stories.

“Shakespeare’s work is like a puzzle that we decode as we ourselves evolve as readers … reading Shakespeare is a challenge that can literally span a lifetime,” says Mrs. Favreau. With this early exposure to Shakespeare and the strategies our students have developed to unlock the richness of his language, they are on solid footing as they begin that lifelong quest.

Contributors: Sue Chung and Angela Favreau, 6th Grade Teachers

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One sees more devils than vast hell can hold

The poet's eye, in fine frenzy rolling, Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven, And as imagination bodies forth The forms of things unknown, the poet's pen Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing A local habitation and a name.

“Core Values” is designed to determine how a team works together and exemplifies the FLL philosophies of “Inspiration, Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition®.” “Robot Design” judges the mechanical design, programming, and strategy of a team’s robot. For the “Research Project” section, students must give a 5-minute presentation on a research topic related to the challenge. Teams identify a problem related to the challenge and create an innovative solution that they share with others, including real-world experts and the local community.

By Robotics Team Coaches Dr. Linda Schaffer, Science Teacher, and Mark Gutierrez, Educational Technology Specialist In the 2018–19 “INTO ORBIT” challengethemed season, Curtis launched its firstever FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL) practice tournament for teams from schools from all around Southern California. Lift-off took place on our campus on October 21 with 22 teams and more than 200 attendees, including participants and their families from private, charter, parochial and public schools.

Everyone was so excited to participate in the first tournament of the FLL season. The action was split between the von Furstenberg Auditorium, where tension and anticipation ran high as the “robot engineers” navigated missions, and the Kissick Pavilion, where teams regrouped in between rounds to refine their strategies and robot programs. At the end of the day, teams were recognized with trophies we created using LEGO bricks, and the participants expressed their excitement to come back for next year’s tournament. Steve Zimmerman, the coach from La Cañada High School, said, “We’ve historically been known for the best handmade trophies, but I think Curtis School has one-upped us.” And a member of Alpha Squad, one of the participating teams, remarked, “The tournament has been a fun

and interactive way to meet new kids and let your light shine.” We had a great time hosting our first tournament and we are looking forward to making next year’s even better!

Curtis School’s robotics team is part of the First LEGO League, an international competition organized by FIRST® for elementary and middle school students (grades 4–8). Each year, in August, the organization introduces a scientific and real-world challenge for teams to focus on and research. At the beginning of the competition season, teams receive a themed “challenge mat,” LEGO® bricks, and instructions for building the items for the mat. They also receive a list of tasks, or “missions,” to complete for each model. FLL gives teams complete freedom about how to complete the missions, providing that they are performed by a programmed LEGO® Mindstorms robot. The robot has two and a half minutes to complete all missions. Teams only have 8 weeks to analyze the challenge mat, design and build a LEGO® Mindstorms robot and program it to complete as many of the missions as possible.

In addition to robot performance rounds, the competition has three additional judged sections.

During this year’s competition, both of our robotics teams won awards in qualifying competition. The 6th grade team advanced to SoCal finals, where it scored “Exemplary” in both Core Values and Research and won first place in Core Values, which is described as follows: The award celebrates a team that is an inspiration to others. They are empowered by their FLL experience and display extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit. They are able to accomplish more together than they could as individuals through shared goals, strong communication, effective problem solving and excellent time management. And lastly, they show respect to their teammates and to other teams at all times. They recognize that both friendly competition and mutual gain are possible, on and off the playing field.

Curtis School has participated in FLL for five years. Although our teaching objectives have shifted over the years, our goal in robotics has remained constant and embodies the school's mission to "develop, in every child, a sound mind in a sound body governed by a compassionate heart." Our goal for students is to promote critical thinking, respect, collaboration and resilience as we solve real-world problems with robots.

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Competitive Robotics at Curtis

During the 2016–2017 school year, a Math Depth of Study group was formed with the objective of determining what math teaching and learning should look like at Curtis and what skills and knowledge we want our students to possess by the time they graduate. The group researched best practice in teaching math and drafted Curtis’s Mathematics Goals for Learning. This focused examination of our existing curriculum, inquiry into best practice and development of goals for learning led to a decision that Curtis would benefit from adopting a new math curriculum. The following year, 2017–2018, the Math Depth of Study group, along with division heads and the Head of School, researched different math curriculums to select the best one for Curtis. This year was spent preparing to implement the chosen curriculum in fall 2019.

“I like Singapore Math because it has more challenges . . .I am always looking forward to doing it.”–2nd Grade Student

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How did we land on a new curriculum, the so-called “Singapore Math”?

Several of our peer schools have already implemented a Singaporebased approach. Curriculums with a Singapore Math-based approach have been found to be highly effective and engaging.

They are research-based and focus on mastery through number sense and problem-solving.

Through discussion, school visits and Curtis’s own research, it was determined that a Singaporebased model would be the best fit.

Why is it called “Singapore” math?

The name refers to the teaching methods used in grade schools in Singapore. Singapore is consistently ranked at the top of the list of countries in the International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

What are the pillars of Singapore-BASED Math?

Students in a Singapore Math curriculum balance accuracy, efficiency and flexibility. Singapore Math is built on number sense, mental math and problem-solving.

Number sense is a student’s overall understanding of numbers and their relationships. Mental math does not mean that students solve problems without using pencil and paper, but rather that they

are able to flexibly compose and decompose numbers and recognize patterns and properties.

WHAT IS A SIMPLE EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU MIGHT USE THIS APPROACH TO MATH? Fluency with number facts is emphasized rather than a focus on drill and memorization.

Singapore Math is rooted in a foundation of place value.

Students build their number sense by recognizing the relationship between numbers, being able to break them apart and put them together. For example, rather than memorizing the math fact 7 x 8 = 56, you can find the product by recognizing that 7 is 2 + 5 and therefore use two known facts, 2 x 8 = 16 and 5 x 8 = 40 to get the product of 7 x 8.

Why is Singapore Math preferable to other methods?

Any strong math program should include a balance of computational fluency, conceptual understanding and problem-solving. Many math programs focus on memorization of facts, strategies and algorithms to solve problems. A Singapore Math curriculum arms students with number sense, problemsolving, and computational fluency, so students balance accuracy with flexible thinking and efficient problem-solving.

Rather than a series of steps, every aspect of a lesson is designed to

move students forward in their journey towards mastery.

How is Curtis transitioning to the new curriculum?

Rather than jumping straight into a Singapore-based curriculum from Everyday Math, the 20182019 school year was intentionally a year of teacher learning. Curtis teachers have been working with a math consultant, Shelly DuBose. Each month had a different content focus, allowing the teachers to be learners while exploring and problem-solving through a different lens. Shelly DuBose and Terra Shirvanian will continue to coach and guide teachers throughout the 2019-2020 school year, as the implementation is fully realized.

A Curriculum Change that Makes Number Sense

2018–2019 was a year of teacher learning.

How have teachers, students and parents responded to THIS NEW WAY OF LEARNING MATH? The feedback this year has been very positive from all of the Curtis constituents. We have already seen evidence that students are enjoying this new approach to teaching math. Teachers have been piloting lessons in their classrooms during this transitional year and are excited to fully implement the program next year. They have reported that their students have been cognitively engaged and excited by the new lesson structure. Parents who attended the parent education sessions with Shelly DuBose were engaged and excited when learning how to solve problems with a Singapore approach.

By Kasey Nott, DK Teacher, and Terra Shirvanian, 6th Grade Math Teacher

Shelly DuBose piloted lessons in the classroom.

CURTIS BY NUMBER: Outtakes from the Year 4 Grades of Spanish

In just two years, Spanish language instruction has expanded from Kindergarten and 6th grade to four grades, adding DK and 1st this year. The success of the Spanish language program and the enthusiasm of students, parents and the administration have accelerated the roll-out of our two-year-old World Languages Program, and beginning next year, students in all grades will receive some Spanish instruction.

“When I say ‘Happy,’ you say ‘Birthday’ ….”

Everyone is loving a new Curtis tradition that began this year and honors each and every individual in our learning community. Each week, at Friday Flag, we celebrate student, faculty, and staff birthdays with shout-outs, birthday buttons and a rollicking chant accompanied by hundreds of clapping hands and stomping feet.

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Cougar Conversations

Our Head of School initiated a new forum to provide time and space throughout the year for parents and guardians to meet with her for conversation with no set agenda.

These Cougar Conversations were open to all, and many parents and guardians appreciated and took advantage of the opportunity to ask Dr. Ratnesar questions and hear her thoughts about topics ranging from the implementation of our new math curriculum, to the student transition from Lower to Upper Elementary Division, to “What are ERB’s and should students be tutored for them?” The meetings gave our Head of School and others additional opportunities to hear about our families’ lived experience at Curtis.

Our Choir and Orchestra are as good as gold. At least that’s what the judges of this year’s Forum Music Festival thought. Both groups received Gold Ratings, the highest possible award, for their performance at the Charles M. Schultz Theater at Knott’s Berry Farm in March. The Curtis Choir has earned 16 gold ratings in 16 years of appearances at the Forum Festival. And Orchestra has received nothing less than silver. Choir and Orchestra are consistently among the most popular extracurricular classes at Curtis. Our students learn teamwork and how to blend their individual musical skills together to achieve a collective goal.

500 Dollars for Fire Relief

The Woolsey and Malibu fires of 2018 devasted so many and Roots & Shoots was determined to help. Members of this student service group crafted hand-stamped and stenciled wrapping paper and sold it at the Parents Association’s Holiday Boutique, earning $500 in sales and donations. The students researched charities and landed on Direct Relief, a non-profit that directs the funds it receives to a variety of needs. Dean Axelrod, Associate Director, Partnerships and Philanthropy, came to campus to receive the check from the students and to thank them in person for their compassion and their effort that raised money earmarked for victims of the recent fires.

480 Loaves of Bread

Curtis compassionate hearts keep beating! Over the past 14 years, under the leadership of 4th Grade Teacher Debra Cohen, Curtis students have baked thousands of loaves of pumpkin bread for St. Joseph Center during the Thanksgiving holiday season. This year, the tradition was truly a community-wide service event. With help from Roots & Shoots, 4th graders and their parents baked, and Buds and parents helped wrap, a record number of

10 Tons of Snow

…fell magically overnight on the lower courts (or so it seemed), to create a January winter wonderland for our youngest students. Blocks of ice were trucked in and transformed into snow powder to create a special Snow Day. DK’ers and Kindergartners, wearing colorful mufflers, caps and gloves, took turns riding saucers down the snow hill Mr. Hall constructed. They delighted in building snow people and pelted one another, their teachers and even the Head of School (!) with an endless supply of snowballs.

4706 Donated Books

Second grade spearheaded a school-wide book drive and collected new and gently-used books from our families for GOOD+ Foundation, a “national nonprofit that works to dismantle multi-generational poverty by pairing tangible goods with innovative services for low-income fathers, mothers and caregivers” (www.goodplusfoundation.org).

Along with help from Roots & Shoots, teachers, and parent/ guardian volunteers, 2nd graders sorted and packed the books for delivery to GOOD+, which repackaged them as mini libraries for families served by nine Los Angeles non-profits.

Roots & Shoots collected another 700 books to rebuild school libraries in Puerto Rico destroyed by Hurricane Maria.

10,000+ Butterflies

Along with the rest of Los Angeles and Southern California, our community was spellbound by the record-breaking numbers of Painted Ladies flying over and briefly resting on our campus this spring. An unusually large migration of these delicate beauties, estimated at a billion or more, is making its way from Mexico to the Pacific Northwest to breed. All over campus, students and adults paused to appreciate their graceful presence, marvel at their numbers and be reminded of the wonders of nature.

342 Chests of Tea

That’s how many the American colonists tossed into Boston Harbor. While 5th graders fell short of the bar set by the colonists during the infamous Boston Tea Party, they had a blast recreating this act of rebellion, arguably one of the most important events leading up to the American Revolution. This stop on the class trip to Boston included witnessing a stirring meeting of the Sons of Liberty, role-playing colonists and listening to Samuel Adams remind them why they should be angry with Parliament for unfair taxation. Huzzah!

8 Chicks

If it’s spring, there must be chicks in DK, and this year there were eight! For 27 years, the DK students have had the miraculous experience of incubating eggs and watching chicks peck through shells to emerge as adorable peeping fluff balls. In anticipation of the momentous event, students learned about the life cycle of the chicken and counted down the days (21) until the eggs hatched.

Raising chicks led to discussions about empathy and the importance of caring for living creatures.

The children were allowed to interact with the chicks gently before the young birds moved on to make a forever home at a ranch belonging to a Curtis family.

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590 Birthdays Celebrated

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Gold Ratings for Music

loaves. Parents delivered most of the bread to St. Joseph Center, where the L.A. Clippers handed it out to families in need. A portion was also delivered to nearby Woolsey fire evacuation shelters. Thanks go to Mendocino Farms for donating trays to hold the baked loaves and to two of its employees who joined our students to mix batter.

Going Global: Around the World in One Week at Curtis

“Go Global is important to me because it’s like celebrating all the different cultures at our school.”

–Avery Eisenstein, 4th Grade

One of the most beloved moments in our school calendar, Go Global Week is an annual celebration of the rich diversity of the world’s people, traditions and cultures. Curtis’s Travel Fellows 2018-19 told stories of their adventures in Alaska, Ecuador, Denmark and Germany. Some parents helped our students learn to write their names in languages that use a different character set than English, while others shared Nowruz traditions in the classrooms. We were treated to martial arts demonstrations and Spanish, Latin American and Persian dances, with opportunities for students to learn some defensive karate moves and salsa dance steps. The week culminated with a very special International Lunch Day hosted by our amazing parents, who cooked up a feast of mouthwatering culinary delights from their own cultures and heritage. All continents were represented—Antarctica’s contribution was icy treats, of course!

“And, then, there was a giant explosion!” exclaimed Nathan Hale, and every single third, fourth and fifth grader burst out laughing as he continued to explain the digestive adventures of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Using drawing and humor, Nathan Hale brought the historical facts of this fabled exploration to life during his visit on one of six Author Days the Curtis Library hosted this year.

Laura Lacámara

A primary goal of the library program is to foster an appreciation for literature and to develop in students a lifelong love of learning and reading. Each year we invite authors and illustrators of children’s books to Curtis to present to our students. By introducing our students to the creators behind their favorite books, we are nurturing that love of literature. In past years, Curtis has hosted best-selling, award-winning authors and author-illustrators such as Lisa Yee, Candace Fleming, Tad Hills and Jon Klassen. Each unforgettable visit gives our students and teachers new insights into the world of children’s literature.

Author Days create powerful connections for our students with books and those who create these beloved stories.

Inspire Curtis Readers and Writers

Adir & Ganit Levy

By Amy Wiggins, Librarian and Media Specialist

This year, Ganit and Adir Levy, Nathan Hale, Henry Lien, Laura Lacámara, Eric Rohmann, and our very own Curtis Art Teacher Drew Beckmeyer shared their process of writing and illustrating through dynamic and often humorous presentations. Students heard new stories from Nathan Hale about “Thunder Clappers,” a remedy used by those on the Lewis and Clark expedition to compensate for their low-fiber diet.

They practiced making good choices when considering the dilemmas a young boy faces in What Should Danny Do? (A. & G. Levy). They rocked out to the fight song of “Nobody and the Fire-Chickens” (Lien: Peasprout Chen: Battle of Champions). And they imagined what new fantastic things might come out of Dalia’s Wondrous Hair (Lacámara). Visiting authors help bring books to life for our young readers, and Author Days create powerful connections for our students with books and those who create these beloved stories.

Author Days also inspire children to pursue their own dreams and ambitions. By talking about their creative process and their failures and successes, visiting authors encourage students to see themselves as writers and artists with their own stories waiting to be told. Third-grader Lukas Magna entered and won a contest to have lunch with Nathan Hale and other students by writing, “[Mr. Hale] inspires me to write my own [graphic novel series] Sharkman.” Afterwards, Lukas’s mom wrote, “Lukas may end up becoming an actual author one day because of this special memory!” Author Days are a valuable part of the library program and one of the many wonderful opportunities the library provides for Curtis students.

Nathan Hale

Eric Rohmann

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Author Days

Henry Lien

Curtis Cares Day On Curtis Cares Day, our community joined together to grow our Curtis compassionate hearts through projects benefiting local non-profit organizations, the environment and our school. Faculty, staff and extended families arrived to decorate baskets and boxes and pack them with items donated by our classes for Curtis’s Families Helping Families program, a 26-year effort in partnership with One Voice. Paracords were braided for U.S. troops; shower kits were assembled for Saban Clinic clients; flowerpots were filled with plants for senior centers; and pet toys were made for animals at No-Kill L.A. Families dropped off e-waste for recycling

by Homeboy Industries to make our planet a little cleaner. While some worked in the school’s Monarch Waystation, planting milkweed for a new generation of butterflies, others cleared the way for a future vegetable garden behind the Pavilion. Much was accomplished by working together and living our mission to nurture compassionate hearts in our students.

“Curtis Cares Day is such an amazing program that allows everyone to step up as leaders and help those who aren’t as fortunate as us.”

–Alexandra Meyer, 6th Grade

Celebrating

2019 Curtis Educational Travel Fellowship

Milestones of Service 25 YEARS Mark Nott Loren Sobul 20 YEARS Annie Grimes Ashley Kolbe Raylene Mayer Gale Robitshek Deborah Seidner 15 YEARS Pat Escolin Sally Loyd Christine Sorfazian D'vora Taus-Kahn

This year we celebrated 19 long-serving employees whose demonstrated dedication and many contributions to our school have enriched the lives of so many Curtis students and families. We are deeply grateful for the work they do to support a learning environment that enables our students to reach their highest potential.

Left to right: Raylene Mayer, Sally Loyd, Deborah Seidner, Christine Sorfazian, Loren Sobul, Pat Escolin, Amy Wiggins, Ashley Kolbe, Daniel Rothbauer, Gale Robitshek, Mark Nott, Annie Grimes, Greg Patterson, Rose Hubbard ('99), Joe Navarro. (Not pictured: Mark Gutierrez, Paul Okorie, D'vora Taus-Kahn, Vana Varvarian)

It’s the game you loved as a kid and the Fair you’ll love for your whole family and All Your friends …

“Candyland” is coming to Curtis on October 13, 2019!

Save the Date for this Event of the Season, the 36th Annual Curtis Fair

5 YEARS Mark Gutierrez Rose Hubbard (’99) Joe Navarro Greg Patterson Vana Varvarian Amy Wiggins

Debra Cohen, Fourth Grade Teacher, will travel to Italy and Greece to explore how people living daily where ancient history is still a part of modern life tell stories of the past and present through artifacts, tradition and personal experience. Ms. Cohen believes that storytelling, or sharing one’s own history, helps to bring about a deeper understanding of those different from ourselves. She plans to teach students how learning about the ancient past and different cultures can help shape our understanding, tolerance and appreciation of differences.

Karen Nguyen, Associate Librarian, will travel to New Zealand and Australia, visiting five cities—Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch, Adelaide and Melbourne—two of which are designated by UNESCO as “Cities of Literature.” She will attend the New Librarians’ Symposium and explore with her peers from across Oceania how librarianship is evolving globally and what skills are needed to serve 21st century learners. Ms. Nguyen will use what she learns from her travels to develop fresh approaches that inspire students to read and to appreciate literature.

Jessica Pezdek, Spanish Teacher and World Languages Curriculum Coordinator, will hike part of the Camino de Santiago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Spain. Along her journey, Ms. Pezdek will observe the rich cultural heritage of northern Spain as well as its natural beauty. She hopes to explore questions around national and regional identities with pilgrims she meets on her trek and plans to share her experience with students through projects and activities that consider how identity is shaped by words, objects, places and the people we interact with.

Olivia Siegels, Associate Teacher, will travel to Thailand to investigate how it is adjusting to an increase of tourism and what efforts are being made by government, hotels and conservation groups to protect the country’s rich biodiversity. The surge in tourism in recent decades has created issues around land conservation, pollution and exploitation of animals. Ms. Siegels will use what she learns to continue to guide students to be conscientious citizens who care for our world and all of its inhabitants.

D’vora Taus-Kahn, 6th Grade Teacher, will travel to Israel and Jordan to visit historical and contemporary sites that relate to the social studies curriculum for 6th grade, which includes the study of ancient civilizations, tolerance, and world religions and belief systems. In addition to ancient sites and places of archeological interest, Ms. Taus-Kahn will visit locations that are important to major monotheistic religions in order to explore the ways in which religion, race and culture are at the intersection of history and contemporary politics.

Follow our travel fellows’ blogs at www.curtisschool.org/travelwithteachers.

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10 YEARS Paul Okorie Daniel Rothbauer

For four years, Curtis has offered its faculty the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world in order to explore, investigate and ask questions in ways that will enrich their teaching and curriculum. In the first three years of this remarkable program, we enabled 13 educators to travel to every continent (save Antarctica) to connect with people with diverse histories, cultures and daily lives and “bring the world back to Curtis.” We look forward to hearing about the experiences our 2019 Travel Fellows will bring back to enrich our students’ learning in the coming years.

Alumni Year In Review

2018 Curtis Alumni Service Grant Update

The year was another busy one for alumni affairs. After kicking off with its annual beach house dinner party in September, the Alumni Council sponsored the Alumni Lounge at the Curtis Fair, hosted a happy hour at the White Oak Tavern in New York City and the annual Legacy Breakfast at Curtis, held a Sixth Grade Roundtable (for students transitioning to middle school), and gave our alumni who graduated from high school this year a fond farewell with the ever-popular Senior Send-off.

Whitney Elson (’13), Grant Recipient Upward Bound House is a non-profit in Los Angeles that aims to eliminate family homelessness by providing temporary housing, counseling and mentorship to people who are struggling to get back on their feet. I discovered Upward Bound House in 2012 through my volunteer work with National Charity League. Amongst other annual projects, we regularly host festive holiday parties and events at the UBH apartment complex. After working directly with the children living in Upward Bound House, I knew I wanted to do something more to bring joy into their lives.

This year, the Alumni Council also played an integral part in the school’s Envision Our Future strategic planning effort.

The Council met in a special session with consultants from Doing Good Marketing to contribute their opinions and help determine the priorities that should shape Curtis’s future and enable it to fulfill its mission of nurturing “a sound mind in a sound body governed by a compassionate heart.”

The Alumni Council kicked off the new school year with its annual gettogether at the beach. Many thanks to Andy Miller for providing the lovely venue. Left to right: Ari Bass, Lloyd Bunnak, Allison Jacoby, Max Mednik, President Jill Carmel, Tybalt Whitney, Amanda Glazer, Head of School Meera Ratnesar, Jared Cohen, Marshall Cole, Andy Miller and Darren Cohen.

After five years, Jill Carmel (’85) is stepping down as the Alumni Council President. Jill has done an outstanding job of leading the Council and helping to expand its programs. We have benefited from her energy, positive outlook and vision and are forever grateful for her service and dedication to Curtis. As we say goodbye to Jill, we congratulate Darren Cohen (’88) as the incoming Council President, beginning in the 2019-20 school year.

Legacy Breakfast: Our biggest group ever! Meera Ratnesar hosted Curtis alumni and their Cougar student children at the Head of School's residence in February.

In addition to the projects stewarded by the Alumni Council, Curtis participated for the first time in an alumni giving competition, “Battle of the Blues,” with longtime friendly athletic rival school John Thomas Dye. The winner was determined on the basis of number of alumni participating (not amount donated), and while JTD won by a slim margin (1%), both our schools are so grateful to all who supported the challenge, and we were thrilled to see so many new alumni donors step forward.

We welcome interested alumni to join the Alumni Council and be part of the fun! In addition, Curtis is looking for alumni who are willing to serve as ambassadors and liaisons for their graduating class. If you are interested, and for more information, contact Alexis Shuster, Manager of Events and Alumni Relations, at ashuster@curtisschool.org.

Rising to the Challenge: (Left to right) Heads of School Rose Helm (JTD) and Meera Ratnesar duke it out in anticipation of the Battle of the Blues alumni giving competition. We were thrilled to see so many first-time gifts from alumni supporting Curtis in this friendly rivalry between our schools.

Left to right: Julia Wald ('05), Director of Advancement Corinne Schulman, Charles du Manoir ('09), Molly Cox ('05), and Brian Harwitt ('05) joined up for Curtis's first East Coast Happy Hour at the White Oak Tavern in NYC in January. We look forward to hosting more events like this.

In 2015, along with the help of my family and friends, I founded an annual summer camp for the kids of Upward Bound House. Every summer, this opportunity brings together kids of all ages from UBH for a week of beach days, field day activities and arts and crafts. The generous grant I received from the Curtis Alumni Council enabled me to provide our campers with new toys, games and gadgets for use at the camp. Their eyes lit up as they opened up cans of new, vibrant-colored play doh and flipped through fresh coloring books, able to choose any image they desired to color.

The summer camp has become an annual, much anticipated tradition. The luckiest kids are only in Upward Bound House for a few months while their parents receive the counseling they need to find a new job and permanent housing. However, some kids return to the camp year after year as they continue to grow up in this apartment complex. This camp is what unites them and creates a community in what the children previously saw as just a building. On the first day, name tags are pinned to all campers, as they don’t even recognize their own neighbors. By the last day, the kids walk out holding hands, asking their moms if they can go over to their new friend’s apartment to play. Nothing makes me happier than witnessing the sheer joy these few days bring to campers, but knowing that the bonds formed here last beyond camp makes it all the more worthwhile.

The Curtis Alumni Community Service Grant opportunity is open to Curtis alumni in grades 9–12. Award recipients receive a $500 stipend, which may be used to fund an identified service project the student intends to carry out or donated directly to the non-profit the student is working to benefit. The application period opens in January and the award decision is announced in May. For more information, contact Alexis Shuster, ashuster@curtisschool.org.

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The Council was proud to underwrite its second annual Alumni Community Service Grant. Each year, high school alumni are invited to submit an application that describes a community service project or non-profit organization they wish to benefit. The winner of the grant receives a $500 stipend. This year’s winner is Ben Jacoby (’16), a freshman at Harvard-Westlake School. Ben volunteers for Harlem Lacrosse Los Angeles, a sports-based development program that helps at-risk students reach their full personal potential by being “immersed in an activity that they take pride in, led by a caring mentor, tutor and coach who can help them build confidence and skill sets on the field and in the classroom” (www.harlemlacrosse.org). The grant will enable 25 kids to attend the organization’s summer camp.

ALUMNI NEWS + NOTES 1970s Spencer Marks (’72) has been splitting his time between writing and breaking records. In 2017, he conceived and co-wrote his first screenplay, My World, which went on to win "Grand Prize, Best Screenplay" at the Nevada International Film Festival.

This year, he published his first novel, Living History, which is available beginning in June. Switching gears, Spencer helped drive an electric car, “The Phoenix,” to a new world record on a test track for non-solar-powered, longest distance on a single charge. The car traveled 999.5 miles before a mechanical issue stopped it and still had enough charge to go another 200-300 miles. He also helped build the only rubber-band-powered, human piloted airplane in the world, “The Rubber Bandit.”

Spencer admits he cannot say “no” to new adventures!

R: Spencer Marks

Anne Marie Cordingly (’78) has moved from California to Washington, D.C., where she is teaching first grade. She is in touch with Curtis alumnae Mary Morton and Susannah Olch (’77). Anne Marie remains very close with her brothers and sisters, all of whom attended Curtis: Karin (’64), Susan (’66), Michael (’68) and Jimmy (’71) Burnap and Bruce (’79) Cordingly. She writes, “I am so grateful for my education at Curtis, Marlborough and UC Berkeley and that is why I went into teaching.”

Lisa Niver (’79) is an award-winning travel expert and a former Curtis science teacher.

She founded the blog “We Said Go Travel” in 2010 and it was read in 212 countries in 2018. Lisa was named #3 on the Top 1000 Travel Blogs list and the top female travel blogger in 2019 and her videos on YouTube have nearly one million views. She has shared travel segments on KTLA TV in Los Angeles and was part of the Critic’s Choice Awards and the “Countdown to Gold” Oscar coverage. Lisa has written for AARP, American Airways, Jewish Journal, Smithsonian, USA Today, Wharton Magazine and Ms. Magazine and is working with a literary agent to publish her book Brave Rebel: 50 Scary Challenges Before 50. You can find all Lisa’s articles and media at http:// lisaniver.com/one-page/.

Jon Levine (’88) writes, “Excited to be back on campus with my DK son. Reconnecting with Curtis brings back some great memories.”

Jason Levin (’89) is currently working at Gafni & Levin LLP with fellow Class of 1989 classmate and current Curtis parent Adam Gafni. Jason shares, “Adam and I grew up one block away from each other and went to Harvard-Westlake together. My niece and nephew are currently at the school, and my love for the Cougars continues to this day!”

the California Volcano Observatory in Menlo Park, California, studying the Long Valley supervolcano east of the town of Mammoth Lakes. He recently relocated to Hilo, Hawaii, as a Presidential Management Fellow at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. His research uses high-performance computing to model the way earthquakes travel through active volcanoes, allowing him to map their magma chambers. He credits his love of science to the education he received at Curtis, particularly algebra courses taught by Mr. Bridges and science by Mr. Candel, and he’s glad to see that Jeff Albert is still at Curtis.

Ashton Flinders

Holly Sidell (’89) is the Senior Writer for the Kabbalah Centre, a non-profit organization. Holly also writes and performs theater throughout Los Angeles—“strictly for the love of it!” She is a recent breast cancer survivor, who shared her journey in her blog on Medium.com: “So, Apparently I Have Breast Cancer.”

1990s Brad Becken (’93) is a board-certified pediatrician, who is pursuing sub-specialty training in pediatric infectious diseases (PID) and is a PID fellow at Duke University.

He is also a fellow of the Pediatric Scientist Development Program, a program designed to augment the ranks of pediatricians who engage in basic science research in addition to seeing patients. Brad’s research is focused on Akkermansia muciniphila, a bacteria that inhabits the gastrointestinal tract of most humans. He is working to clarify how it protects against inflammation, metabolic disease and obesity, as well as how it interacts with the innate immune system.

Ashton Flinders (’94) is a research geophysicist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Volcano Science Center. He earned an M.S. in Geophysics from the University of Hawaii, an M.S. in Ocean Engineering from the University of New Hampshire, and a Ph.D. in Geological Oceanography from the University of Rhode Island. For the past three years, Ashton worked for

Marshall Cole (’96) is a partner and trial attorney with the law firm of Nemecek & Cole. Since 2014, he has been recognized by his peers as one of Southern California's “Rising Stars” Super Lawyers, and in 2019, he was also named as an "Up-and-Coming 100” Super Lawyer in Southern California. Marshall enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, James (3) and Caroline (1), and hopes that they will follow in his footsteps and become Curtis alumni one day.

Max Mednik (’96) recently joined a new startup called Epirus, as Co-founder and COO. Epirus is building modern defense systems to address 21st century threats, such as drones and other asymmetric technologies.

Max describes Epirus as “a team of hardware and software guys with backgrounds split between aerospace/defense and Silicon Valley/startups … working on solving really hard problems in RF engineering, embedded systems, computer vision/machine intelligence, and algorithmic control. We are lucky to have amazing support and funding from 8VC and are growing quickly.”

Katelyn & Violet Fisher

Michael Cary Hooks (’99) has worked in the film/TV industry for the past 15 years on TV series such as Prison Break, Supernatural, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and a BET mini-series called Madiba. This past year, he made his directorial debut with a short film titled Like Company that deals with the topic of casual racism—“the idea that one doesn’t have to subscribe to the ideology of racial superiority or incite racial violence in order to say or do

Katelyn Rader Fisher (’96) writes, “I'm excited to share that this past year I became a mom! Violet Stanley Fisher was born on May 30, 2018. She's the light of my life!” Katelyn’s family wasn't the only thing growing last year.

Her business, Duff 's Cakemix, a do-it-yourself cake and cupcake decorating studio, expanded to Pasadena and Tarzana, and a fourth location will open this summer in the South Bay. Ginger Healy (’97) has taught at Curtis for the past twelve years. She began as a Lower Elementary Associate Teacher and has taught 5th grade for the past eight years. Next year, she will step into a new role as the Interim Director of Grades 3-5. Ginger is excited to take on a leadership role at Curtis and also to share her love of Curtis with her son, Sean, who will begin Kindergarten in the fall.

Cristina Beltran (’99) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009. She now lives in New York, where she works in fashion and chronicles her life in a blog called “The Style Sensor.” She's happy to report that her first childhood friend from Curtis School is still one of her best friends today; they both live in NYC. Cristina recently got engaged and will be getting married in early 2020. You can follow her story and upcoming work on her website (www.thestylesensor.com).

Michael Cary Hooks

something with racist implications,” he explains. The film is currently in consideration to be shown at film festivals all over the country.

In addition to his work in TV and film, Michael is pursuing opportunities in real estate.

Charlie Melvoin (’99) writes, “It's been quite a busy past year! My husband, Paolo, and I had a baby girl, Leila, born in January, thanks to an incredible surrogate in Wisconsin. And then my second ‘baby’ entered the picture in the form of a product launch: I've spent the past two years developing the first wireless headset, called Zygo (www.shopzygo.com), for underwater streaming audio and live coaching, with a companion app of guided workouts.” The family is settled in London for the foreseeable future.

Daniel Berry (’99) is a Rabbi at Chabad of Pacific Palisades, where he runs a program for Jewish teenagers primarily from Pali High and Paul Revere Middle School. He has been married for seven years to Rucheli and they have two adorable children, 4 and 2 years old.

Daniel and Rucheli each discovered traditional Judaism in college, and that’s how they met. Daniel is a also musician, who works as a pianist in various capacities. He fondly remembers his first gig accompanying a Curtis choir in Mr. Mark Williams’s music class.

Paolo Fresia, Leila & Charlie Melvoin

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*Alumni are identified by their 6th grade class year.

1980s

everyday lives, whether or not they are Haley (Rader) Weidenbaum (’99) has athletes. Samantha writes, “Our goal at been working as an interior designer for the Yoga Strong is not to just teach poses but to last seven years. This summer, she and her educate you about your body and give you the husband are launching a new company, called tools to feel your best inside and out.”

Everhem, to provide a simpler way to design beautiful custom window treatments. In addition, the Weidenbaums have “a very Samantha & Jason Deutchman cute and very talkative 2 ½- year-old named Judd!”

2000s

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Freisleben Alexandra Duhl & Shayna

Alexandra Duhl (’03) graduated from Emory University in 2013 and moved to New York City, where she works at Condé Nast as the Director of Sales Operations in the Style Division. She is engaged to be married in Los Angeles in August. Alexandra shares, “One of my very best friends, who lives in NYC with me, is Shayna Freisleben, who is also a member of the Curtis Class of ’03. She is a bridesmaid in my upcoming wedding, and we frequently talk about our memories from our Curtis days. Thank you, Curtis, for all of the memories and my best friend!”

Samantha Deutchman (’04) and her older brother, Jason Deutchman (’99), started a fitness business last year called Yoga Strong that provides a customized yoga platform for the individual, based on the specific way their body moves. With backgrounds in high-level sports, the siblings aim to help their clients move and function at their highest in their

Molly Cox (’05) attended Crossroads School after Curtis and then Colby College, where she focused on Global Studies and Environmental Studies. After earning her undergraduate degree, she lived in Boston for a few years and worked in the solar industry. Molly now lives in New York City and is working in solar energy research at Wood Mackenzie.

She writes, “I am so happy to be in NYC, where I have also reconnected with my old Curtis friends!”

Bobby Dishell (’05) completed Teach for America in Baltimore in 2017 and earned an M.S. in Education from Johns Hopkins University before relocating to Denver, where he currently is finishing his second year of law school at the University of Colorado. Earlier, he earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, graduating from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy in 2015.

Bobby recently got engaged to Sara Shapiro, who is also an alumna of Teach for America.

The couple met through a Teach for America alumni program.

Brian Harwitt (’05) has been living in New York City for the past three and a half years and is currently working at CoVenture as an asset manager focused on early-stage tech-

Regan Banvard (’09) graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, with a B.A. in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology, with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience, and a double major in Marketing. On top of a demanding academic schedule, she was a member of and recruitment chair for Kappa Delta Sorority, concert chair for Congress of the South 40 and VP of programming for the Women’s Panhellenic Association.

Aleks Martinovic (’05) completed a 4-year program in audiology at the University of Utah, earning a Doctor of Audiology degree (Au.D.) in May. She is headed next to Kansas City, where she will be a pediatric audiologist at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Jordan (Kitty) Risko (’05) is a Los Angeles-based financial services professional for NYLIFE Securities LLC and enjoys working with families to identify their goals, understand their needs, and help them create a roadmap to reach those goals. Outside of work, she is involved in local community groups, including the Guardians of the Los Angeles Jewish Home and Jewish Women International, and still finds time to hike and play tennis and golf. Jordan writes, “Since graduation, I have stayed close to a lot of my Curtis classmates and I’m excited to see how they excel in their personal and professional lives in the upcoming years.”

Samy Harbert (’07) graduated from the Rossier School of Education at USC with a master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy. She is working as an Associate MFT at the Maple Counseling Center in Beverly Hills, getting her hours for licensure. Samy does psychodynamic psychotherapy with adult clients and will shift to working with adolescents soon. Her ultimate goal is to work in private

practice in LA. Samy writes, “I’m excited to be in a line of work that empowers people to be the best version of themselves.”

Daniel Dávila (’08) is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrument musician, who is one-half of the group Fabriq along with Cooper Bell.

The Electro-Pop duo launched their self-titled and mostly self-produced debut EP in April, with 8 tracks, available on all streaming platforms, along with a behind-the-scenes video that samples the duo’s work creating the EP. Fabriq opened for Grammy nominated act Coastcity in May 2018 and toured in Holland shortly after. Daniel has been working independently in the music industry for five years. In his short tenure, he has performed on stage with Gladys Knight, Little Big Town, Stevie Wonder and Kanye West. Daniel is also a TV session singer and has recorded for theme songs, award shows and TV episodes.

Regan co-founded a skating team at Wash U during her freshman year and watched it grow to more than 20 skaters in only four years. The team placed fourth in intercollegiate skating in the Midwest region for the past two years, and Regan competed in the USFSA Intercollegiate National Championship in 2018 and 2019.

Pictures International account with OMD Los Angeles, a global media agency, part of the Omnicom Group network. “And in true L.A. fashion,” she says, “I will be reporting to the Sony Pictures Entertainment lot. I am excited for this next step in my future and to dig into the professional scene in Los Angeles.”

Katie Albert

2010s Katie Albert (’10) shares, “I am living my life in the best way possible, as I am a pilot in training!” Katie is working towards a career in commercial aviation and her goal is to be an airline captain by the age of 27. “Being in control of an aircraft is a feeling like no other.

Up in the air, I am weightless and in control of everything around me, and it is a feeling I wish everyone could experience,” she writes.

She is having an amazing time in her training and feels so fortunate to call herself a pilot.

Casey Curtis (’13) created and launched a platform to boost financial literacy across generations through an interactive forum called WeCommett (Commerce, Education, Trade, Tomorrow!). Casey created WeCommett to address a lack of financial education for children in schools.

Daniel Dávila

Regan Banvard

Julianna Sacks (’09) is returning home to Los Angeles after four years in Washington, D.C., studying at American University's School of Communications. Julianna has accepted a position as an Account Planner on the Sony

Mikey Golob (’13) graduated from HarvardWestlake this spring and will attend Emory University, where he was recruited for baseball. Mikey played varsity baseball for Harvard-Westlake as the closing pitcher for the Wolverines and recently finished playing in the USA Baseball High School Invitational (NHSI) in Cary, NC, where his team placed second. Mikey says, “Shout-out to Coach B.

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Jake Lasker (’04) shares that he co-wrote an episode of Fox’s sitcom The Cool Kids that aired in April 2019.

Andrew Kallick (’05) recently launched an art and charity company called A Good Print.

A Good Print releases limited edition, modern art prints in collaboration with influential people (musicians, athletes and cultural icons), and each print raises money for a cause that the influential person is passionate about. Andrew welcomes you to check it out online at www.agoodprint.com and send him a note to let him know what you think!

Samy Harbert

Nicole Goldhaber (’02) graduated this year from Harvard Medical School and will begin residency in surgery at UC San Diego this summer.

lation that previously did not have access to them or had access only to abusive product.

Outside of work, Brian volunteers for the financial literacy non-profit Cents Ability and is an avid cook, who often prepares elaborate meals with his brother and fellow Curtis alum David Harwitt (’02).

Megha Srivastava (’08) will be working at Microsoft Research in Seattle as part of its Artificial Intelligence Residency program for one year starting in 2019. She will be doing research on topics such as improving computer-based translation systems for rare languages. Afterwards, beginning in fall 2020, she will pursue a Ph.D. in Computer Science at Stanford University, where she earned a B.S. degree in Computer Science in 2018.

nology investing. He invests in innovative technology companies that look to provide financial services to segments of the popu-

Johanna Levie (’13) is currently living in Chicago, training with the Joffrey Academy of Dance. She was accepted to NYU, her “dream school,” but is deferring college to pursue a professional ballet career and plans to earn a degree in nutrition sometime in the future.

Johanna says, “I am so grateful for my years at Curtis. A huge ‘thank you’ to the teachers and staff who taught me so much. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.”

Kendall Lubkeman

Department and founder of the high school's first senior-freshmen mentorship program.

She created a student internship for academic credit program, provided weekly tutoring services to high school students, actively participated in Model UN and worked at the local Aspen Soul Cycle. She is now headed for Brown University. Gaia has great memories of her Curtis School education, teachers and friends and credits them with laying the foundation for her interest in academics and community engagement.

naments and the NDCA National Championships. Overall, she earned 11 bids to the Tournament of Champions (TOC) in LD and Policy combined. Jaya says, “I’m so grateful to Harvard-Westlake for the institutional support they have provided me these past five years. But without the head start that I was given at Curtis School, where as a 6th grader I participated in the Middle School Public Debate Program, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Gaia Murphy (’13) traveled to Africa as a journalist with the March to the Top Foundation, participated in a fundraising climb of Mount Kenya and worked with children affected by HIV at the New Hope Orphanage in Meru in 2016. As a student at Harvard-Westlake, she played on both the indoor and beach volleyball teams before transferring in her junior year to Aspen High School in Colorado. There, Gaia was president of Future Business Leaders of America, captain of the Girls Varsity Volleyball team, student liaison with the Aspen City Council and Elections

Ryan Neapole

Jai Bhavnani (’14), a rising senior at Windward School, created a cryptocurrency -centric app at the age of 16 that is “aimed to bank the 1.7 billion people in the world without access to a bank account.” In 2019, the app was acquired by a company called MyCrypto. Now Jai is working at MyCrypto and leading its strategy in pursuit of this massive demographic.

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Reece VanDeWeghe (’14)

This spring, Reece, a rising senior at Oaks Christian School, spent a week in Ecuador on a service trip hosted by ME to WE, an enterprise that provides leadership training and travel experience to help fund partner organization WE Charity, an international development charity. Photography is a huge passion of Reece’s and he shared some of his images from the trip. For more of Reece’s work, see www.vandeweghephotography.com.

After a long plane flight into Quito, I traveled with a group of volunteers for about 12 hours on rough, beat-up dirt and gravel roads. As we left the city, the scenery grew more beautiful. We climbed thousands of feet up and around the Chacana caldera in the Northern Andes and entered the province of Napo, where the landscape started to look like jungle. Another hour in a boat along the Amazon River and we arrived, exhausted, at our home base. After grabbing breakfast early the next morning, we boated to a village about five minutes down the river.

Emma Wilck

Kendall Lubkeman (’13) moved to the U.K. after completing 9th grade at Harvard-Westlake and attended the American School in London, where she was a member of the rowing team. She competed in the Head of the Charles in Boston this past October, and at the beginning of the summer, she will compete in both the Henley Royal and Henley Women’s Regatta. Kendall will return to the United States next fall as a freshman at the University of Notre Dame.

Golden Lady

Emma Wilck (’14) is finishing her junior year at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Winter Park, Florida. She was honored to be selected for an internship at the Weather Channel in Atlanta this year, where she was able to learn in depth about television production and every job at the Weather Channel. She is interested in social media branding and plans to study media and communications in college.

She says, “Interning at the Weather Channel made me excited for the future and eager to start working.” Emma is also involved in musical theater and her Large Group musical piece earned the highest ranking, “Superior,” at State Thespians in Tampa this year.

Jaya Nayar (’14) had another outstanding year in debate at Harvard-Westlake, competing in both Lincoln Douglas debate and Policy debate. As an LD debater, Jaya won the Greenhill Round Robin and co-championed

Lola Lugash (’18) writes, “It’s been around a year since I graduated Curtis and started Windward. I go scuba diving more often and try new activities. I have swum with sharks, held an octopus, helped dogs with arthritis, and so much more. Curtis has taught me to try new things because I learned that you

the Meadows, Damus, and Stanford tour-

have to live one day at a time.”

Small villages in this area lack clean water, electricity and a strong educational system. They depend on other, larger villages for these basic necessities. My goal in joining this trip was to help the local people take a step towards independence and self-sufficiency by assisting with local development projects. On day one, I shoveled sand and small rocks into many wheelbarrows and pushed them to a construction site to make cement for a water filtration system that the villagers were building. On another day, I visited a farm, where I planted crops and weeded fields. In yet another locality, I helped lay cement to make a floor for a village kitchen. During our stay in the area, our group visited a nearby school and saw how a new technology was being used to make roofs quieter and more durable. This is a huge step for the village because the noise of heavy rain (which is common here) falling on the old metal roofs makes it impossible to hear the teacher.

On work breaks, I took photos that show both the natural beauty of the area and the hardships the people face living without clean water, electricity and other basic necessities. I also captured photos of the children playing and enjoying life despite the things they lacked. Near the end of my stay, I visited a local shaman to learn about the culture of the village and received a blessing. The shaman blew smoke along my arms, legs and neck to clear me of unwanted spirits and rubbed and hit me with an herb. I found it humbling that strangers took time out of their day to bless and welcome me into their land.

Looking back at my trip, a lot was accomplished. Progress was made on a water filtration system that would provide access to clean water. Crops were planted to feed the villagers and boost their economy by providing surplus food to sell. A concrete floor was made for a village kitchen. I hope and believe that the contributions we made have given these villages a stronger path to self-sufficiency and independence.

Sunset over the Amazon

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Ryan Neapole (’13) graduated from Harvard-Westlake School this spring, where he played on the Varsity Water Polo team for four years and helped Harvard-Westlake capture the CIF-SS Division 1 championship this year. Ryan was named 2018 Varsity Mission League Boys Water Polo Most Valuable Player and also named to the SoCal All Division First Team. Ryan was recruited by Princeton University to play water polo.

Building Self-Sufficiency in Amazonian Ecuador

Alumni Spotlight

and Coach Saken for developing my athletic skills since 4th grade. Go Cougars!”

Matriculation of the Curtis Alumni High School Graduates of 2019

BACK COVER: This display on campus was created by the 6th grade and DK students. It aims to represent the diversity that exists globally and in our local community.

DK and 6th grade are paired in the school’s Buddies Program and their hands are positioned reaching out towards each other to represent their partnership. In order to extend learning about equity and inclusion, DK students analyzed their own identities and each child selected paper with a skin tone they identified with. Sixth grade buddies helped DK’ers cut out the shapes of their hands and place them on the right and left sides of the paper.

The 6th graders designed cutouts of their own hands to represent the uniqueness of each of their own identities.

Contributors Sue Chung Beatrice Ekstrom (’23) Whitney Elson (’13) Angela Favreau Mark Gutierrez Dede Haglund Jeanine Kay Patrick Lynch Kirstin Meyer Kasey Nott Meera Ratnesar Chuck Sawyer Linda Schaffer Corinne Schulman Jonah Schweitzer (’19) Terra Shirvanian Reece VanDeWeghe (’14) Alonzo Wickers (’19) Amy Wiggins

Design SMOG Design, Inc. Jeri Heiden & Glen Nakasako FSC_C020287_Full_-_MIX_Paper_Landscape_BlackOnWhite_r_ZJj5p0.pdf

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Curtis is committed to caring for the environment.

This publication uses paper from responsible sources and soy-based inks.

Printing Colornet Press Curtis School 15871 Mulholland Drive Los Angeles, CA 90049 publications@curtisschool.org

Curtis School admits students of any race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or national or ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs.

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*Information about the student’s 2019-2020 plans was unavailable at press time.

Spring 2019

Photography Giselle Chow Dede Haglund Lauder Photography Michel Lim Moloshok Photography Kasey Nott Barbara Segor Reece VanDeWeghe ('14)

Sixth Grade Class of 2013 Claire Altman University of Wisconsin Madison Mikey Golob Emory University Anthony Pimentel University of California Wyatt Bailes University of San Francisco Jacqueline Greenberg University of Portland Santa Barbara Cole Beeks Tulane University Nolan Greenspan Washington University Sydney Pizer Georgetown University Kaelyn Bowers Barnard College Matthew Gross Cornell University Nicholas Platt University of Michigan Chace Brindley New York University Ara Hekimian-Brogan* Maxwell Prather Southern Methodist University Mary Bush Chapman University Evan Henley Duke University Emma Proctor University of San Diego Isabella Carino New York University Jesse Kaltman Indiana University Lucca Quartararo California Lutheran University Megan Chang Pomona College Maxwell Klein San Diego State University Sean Ray Northwestern University Samuel Clareman* Charles Kogen Stanford University Chase Richter Indiana University Andie Cook Colgate University Brendan Krutchik University of Florida Jacob Rothman Tulane University Caroline Cook New York University Jacob Lapin United States Military Academy Luke Rowen* Davis Cook University of Chicago Jillian Lasker Syracuse University Alex Russell Amherst College Isabella Corton University of Colorado Boulder John Lee* Georgia Salke Brown University Nicolette Corton* Darian Levey Lewis & Clark College Kate Salke Brown University Casey Curtis Indiana University Johanna Levie Gap Year: Matthew Samuels University of Bryce Daneshrad University of Wisconsin Madison Joffrey Academy of Dance Wisconsin Madison Talia Daneshrad Tulane University Elijah Liker University of Wisconsin Madison Pilar Schrage University of Oregon Chloe Davenport Southern Methodist University Kendall Lubkeman University of Notre Dame Jacqueline Schwartz University of Arizona Sanders Deutsch University of Pennsylvania Jenna Marks University of Southern California Madison Stearns* Whitney Elson Duke University Claudia Moysset King's College, London Ben Takowsky University of California Los Angeles Taylor Fourticq University of Pennsylvania Gaia Murphy Brown University Maija Wainwright University of Texas Austin Michael Franco University of Southern California Roshan Nayar University of Miami Vienna Webb University of Southern California Chase Garvey-Daniels Colgate University Ryan Neapole Princeton University Miles Woollacott University of Virginia Lauren Ghadoushi* Thomas O’Gara University of Colorado Boulder Griffin York University of Wisconsin Madison Ryan Goldberg Syracuse University Lauren Zatulove Babson University

Curtis Magazine

Curtis MAGAZINE | SPRING 2019

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