MAGAZINE | SPRING 2018
Curtis
Asking More Beautiful Questions
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From The Head of School
Culturally Responsive Curriculum
World Languages Program Is Launched
Faculty & Staff News
A Celebration of Leadership
Breaking Bread To Embrace Differences
Highlights of Go Global Week
Alumni Focus
Parent Perspectives
Reflections on PoCC
Robotics: More Than Coding
Matriculation of the H.S. Class of 2018
Hot Off The Press! The Cougar News
Departmentalized 6th Grade Program
Developing Compassionate Hearts
On the cover: At the outset of the year, Head of School Meera Ratnesar reminded our community that innovation and improvement follow from “asking more beautiful questions.” She encouraged students to be inquisitive and teachers and parents to nurture our children’s curiosity.
Curtis School • 15871 Mulholland Drive • Los Angeles, CA 90049 • (310) 476-1251 • Publications@CurtisSchool.org
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Childhood is brief and precious, a time of limitless potential and essential development. It is also a time to be savored for its own wonders, as it will not come again. – Curtis Mission Statement
Asking Beautiful Questions From the Head of School
It is because of our teachers’ beautiful questions and their courage to stay curious that we are able to nurture in our students sound minds, sound bodies and compassionate hearts.
Each year, Curtis faculty and staff read a book that is intended to inspire us all to think deeply about our roles as educators and how we prepare young children for their futures. Last summer, we read Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question. The book explores the power of inquiry and shares evidence of inventions and innovations that grew out of the simple act of asking a question. Children are famous for asking questions. Research shows that a child asks about forty thousand questions between the ages of two and five. These range from simple factual inquiries to others that require more elaborate explanations—the notorious “why” questions. Neuroscience has shown that, as children ask questions, their brains grow rapidly, forming many thousands of synapses between neurons and creating connections that are triple the number found in adult brains.
Children’s brains are constantly being exercised and stretched to accommodate all of the information they absorb through questioning. Somewhere along the journey to adulthood, this natural curiosity and ease of questioning diminishes and we stop asking the “why’s.” But asking these questions is what leads to innovation and improvement. Netflix, Airbnb, barcodes, the internet—and thousands of mundane and marvelous things we now take for granted, from suitcases with wheels to space travel—had their beginnings from someone asking “a more beautiful question.” I would further suggest that people’s experiences in life, whether the choice to immigrate to a new country, the decision to start a student newspaper, or the work to redesign an academic program, also originate from asking questions that lead to self-reflection, or, in the case of a school, thinking about how to better itself. In the following pages, you will read a variety of stories that share individual journeys as well as the school’s journey to live out its mission through new programming and experiences both for our students and our teachers. I am so proud of the work of our faculty and their leadership in engaging in conversations around our curriculum and the experiences of our students. It is because of our teachers’ beautiful questions and their courage to stay curious that we are able to nurture in our students sound minds, sound bodies and compassionate hearts. Warmly,
Meera Ratnesar Head of School
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One of the marvels of childhood and joys of educating elementary school students is the natural curiosity and inquisitive mindset that children bring to the classroom and school environment. More often than not, a young student begins her conversation with a question rather than a statement, and the question becomes a conversation starter. Without realizing it, the child, through her question, naturally engages those around her to contribute their thoughts, ideas and experiences and a shared, lived experience emerges.
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A Celebration of Leadership, Past and Present, at Winter Brunch
“So many people from Curtis are in my heart, forever. Curtis School always felt like a family.” – Kim Vamos, Parents Association President, 1998-1999
Curtis celebrated current and past trustees and Parents Association presidents early this year at a Winter Brunch hosted by Meera Ratnesar at the Head of School’s home. The gathering brought together individuals from Curtis's past whose leadership and belief in the mission of the school contributed to creating the exceptional educational experience our students and families enjoy today. The morning was filled with the sharing of fond memories and love for Curtis. Members of the school’s senior administration and this year’s Parents Association Executive Committee, as well as parents who serve on board committees, joined the group to honor the years of dedicated service that laid the foundation for our school. This get-together, for some a reunion of old friends, for others a joyful meeting of those on whose shoulders we stand, reminded us that the bonds and relationships formed through volunteer service to the school continue to strengthen the fabric of the Curtis community.
“I have great satisfaction seeing the tremendous institution Curtis has become. It could not have happened without the early risk-takers and devoted board members.” – Milton Miller, Vice-Chair and member of the Board of Trustees, 1993-2004
Clockwise: Past Trustees Carol Goldberg and Suzi Given and current Trustee Rachel Edwards; Suzi Given shared her photos from the 1982 groundbreaking of the Mulholland campus; Board Chair Allan Schweitzer (’79) welcomed past and current school leaders; the event guestbook was filled with love and gratitude for Curtis; Jeff Albert and past PA President Cindy Spitz shared a reunion hug.
TOP, L-R: PAST AND CURRENT TRUSTEES Michael Dreyer, Michael Richter, Shaheen Nanji, Stephen Rose, Head of School Meera Ratnesar, Wendy Spinner, Suzi Given, Carol Goldberg, Milton Miller. BOTTOM, L-R: Rachel Edwards, Michael Tuchin, Allan Schweitzer (’79), Jerry Neuman, John Wimbish.
L-R: PARENTS ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS Kirstin Meyer (2017-18), Susan Lynch, Susan Welsh, Sherry Chen Hsu, Laura Dudley, Nancy Littman, Cindy Spitz, Beth Kleid, Wendy Spinner, Janna Wong Healy, Marla Schlom, Mimi Petrie, Carol Goldberg.
Perspectives
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Each year, we are excited to welcome a new group of families, each one bringing its own story and experiences to enrich our community. This year, Rachel Kirenga and Zuba Nyarwaya enrolled their daughter Shami in Kindergarten, and they recount their remarkable journey to Curtis. At the other end of the Curtis journey, alumni parent Janna Wong Healy shares the lasting impact that being a Curtis parent has had on her life.
A Conversation with the Kirenga-Nyarwaya Family Thinking back to her first visit to Curtis, in 2015, Rachel begins, “I didn't know much about the school, but I fell in love with the campus.” She met several Curtis parents, Director of Admissions Mimi Petrie and Head of School Meera Ratnesar. “They were very welcoming and made me feel so at ease,” she recalls. “One parent said, ‘Take my number. If you need any help through this process, please let me know.’ I remember thinking, ‘We have to apply to this school!’” But the family’s journey to Curtis begins much earlier, shaped by the value placed on education by the couple’s own parents. “We grew up in Uganda,” says Rachel of herself and Zuba, who met as adults but share a common early history. “Our parents migrated there from Rwanda in the 1960s during the genocide.” Throughout their years of exile, the couple’s parents instilled in them a love for their native country and to always be proud of who they were. Rachel explains, “We had a sense of who we were and where we wanted to go in life despite the limitations. It was hard being a refugee; basic necessities were hard to obtain, so was education. Yet besides character, education was the only valuable asset our parents wanted for us.” Eventually, Rose Kirenga, Rachel’s mother, brought her family to the United States and settled in upstate New York.
L to R: Meera Ratnesar, Curtis mom Rachel Kirenga with baby Makara Hirwa, Shami (K).
Rachel attended college and later moved to California, where she and Zuba met, married and started a family here in Los Angeles. First came Shami, followed by younger sister Neza Gwira, and in December, baby brother Makara Hirwa. Reflecting on their early married life, Rachel says, “We bought a house not thinking about schools.” As Shami approached school age, Rachel visited
Parents An active , n volunteer Associatio ts en d u ped st Rachel hel ign space des er ak M with ar. ye is th s challenge
“Shami is not only nurtured and challenged academically, but Curtis also values her individuality and is shaping her character as we envisioned.”
The family’s second visit to Curtis was for the Admissions Open House. “The auditorium was full,” recalls Rachel, “and we thought, ‘What are the chances we’ll get in?’” The couple kept their options open and looked at other schools, but there was a personal touch and a sense of caring at Curtis that impressed them. “We are strong believers that it takes a village to raise a child, so environment does matter,” says Rachel, “and being part of our child’s educational environment was vital for us.” Something was pushing them towards Curtis.
Perspectives
their local public school and felt it was missing what she remembered about her own education, which was a strong sense of belonging to a tightknit community.
Now, Shami is finishing her first year at Curtis. “Every day when we pick her up, we see she is having a fantastic time,” says Rachel. “She shares her projects, she’s starting to read.” Shami, who is sitting in on the conversation, shares her excitement about her teacher, Mrs. Maribel Wallace, who, like her own mom, just had a new baby. The parents say they can feel that Shami’s teachers really know their daughter and are amazed at how comfortable their once shy 5-year-old feels at Curtis. Rachel says, “Shami is not only nurtured and challenged academically, but Curtis also values her individuality and is shaping her character as we envisioned. She is teaching us about recycling, how to be a good person by positively filling our buckets each day—but, above all, she is happy and embracing it all.”
MY LIFE AS A CURTIS PARENT By Janna Wong Healy
When my daughter, Ginger, began life as a Curtis DK student in the fall of 1989, I began my life as a Curtis parent. I think I was more nervous than she was on that first day of school. As a naturally shy person, I stood against the wall of the DK class and tried not to stand out. My plan worked: Nobody noticed me, and when the morning was over, I was relieved. For the next few months, I maintained a similar low profile. In the summer, when the questionnaire went out to parents about how
Janna, center, cochaired the En dless Summer Fair in 1996 with Leslie Doh eny (L) and Debor ah Kinsella (R)
Perspectives
“Being a Curtis parent of a school-age child is more often than not filled with happy celebrations. All those volunteer hours are hours spent among friends for the benefit of our children.”
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The Healy family: Ginger (’97), a Curtis 5th grade teacher, Neil, Janna, and Jack (’04), a post-production specialist on an animated series.
they would like to volunteer their time, I had checked a few boxes, never really expecting to hear from anybody. But a call came with an invitation to help on the PA’s Health and Safety Committee. That’s when it truly began—my life as a Curtis parent. I can say, without reservation, that being a Curtis parent has transformed my life in many important ways. Despite my early reticence, I stepped up to serve on the low-key Health and Safety Committee, and before I knew what was happening, I was fully ensconced in the life of the PA, taking on almost every job it had to offer over the course of my 15 years as a parent to Ginger and Jack. Being a Curtis parent brought me out of my shell and enabled me to grow personally in many ways. And I am a happier and more fulfilled person for it. There is no better place to volunteer than your child’s school. The PA’s year-round efforts enhance programs, enrich student life, support the faculty and staff, and improve the campus. From the Hot Lunch program to Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day (I’m proud to say that this special day began during my tenure as PA president, and since Ginger is now a Curtis teacher, I know for a fact how much a simple day like this bolsters the spirit and energy of the faculty and staff), the Curtis PA has been instrumental in the life of the school and its students, and Curtis is better for it.
I have made lifelong friends through my involvement in the Curtis PA. My co-chairs of the Endless Summer Fair are still dear friends. And, the time I pulled an all-nighter along with two parents to rewrite the entire auction catalog the day before it was due at the printer, because of a crashed computer, resulted in a professional working relationship that lasted for many years. Being a parent of a school-age child has its challenges, failures and successes. But being a Curtis parent of a school-age child is more often than not filled with happy celebrations. All those volunteer hours are hours spent among friends for the benefit of our children. Thank you, Curtis, for the opportunity to serve you. Thank you to my fellow parents Debbie Attanasio, Leslie Doheny, Deborah Kinsella, Joan Singleton and Kathy Smith. I could list 100s more! I am deeply grateful for these experiences that will stay with me forever.
f f O t o H ! s s e r P The r a g u o C The News
would like to come and pick up one of our articles, go to the library and ask for the News Stand! It is a display featuring all the issues the Cougar News team has done this year. – Daniela Benudiz
The Inside Story Every school needs their own new spaper to inform students about what is going on at our school, in our community , and in our world, told from a student’s perspe ctive. When I heard the word “newspape r” one day from a friend, I blurted out, “Are you starting a school newspaper?” I knew tha t if we joined forces we could make it happen. We spent many break times working on the layout, the stories, and the editing. The pro cess wasn’t easy, but I can say with pride tha t it was worth it! – Helena Augsberger
I love when my friends ask me wh en the next article is going to come out, becaus e it tells me I should keep writing. I like inte rviewing teachers, because I get to learn mo re about them and their life outside of sch ool. – Scarlett Fisher TOP, L-R: May a Harrison, Hel ena Augsberger Addison Jean. , Gentry Garcia KNEELING: D , Grace Whitn aniela Benudiz, ey, Amelia Chiare lli, Scarlett Fish er.
group of The Cougar News is written by a e time at tak We de. eight girls in the 5th gra that will cles arti te home and at school to wri new you h teac hopefully interest you and ws, rvie inte as h suc things. We write things We ts. craf f rsel news stories and Do It You tor is the even have a comic strip. Our men lot of work a is re amazing Molly Simms. The ing at least lish pub that goes into writing and ke edits ma We ks. four pieces every two wee h other eac help to each other’s articles and about k thin to lot a think of ideas. There is sure ke ma to e hav when writing stories. We are and ut abo read they are fun to learn and nity mu com tis Cur well thought out. If the
I write the cartoon that Maya illu strates, which is always fun. Additionally, I do a lot of articles on film. I want to be a writer and director, so that is where that com es from. – Grace Whitney I wrote “School Bans Cartwheels ,” because it felt like a real world issue kids could relate to. Schools across the country are banning cartwheels, certain types of ball s, and even games of tag in an effort to keep the kids as safe as possible. I think that crosses the line! – Amelia Chiarelli I liked writing “Girl Scout Cookies ,” because I was able to really show what I knew about being a Girl Scout. I usually write DIY articles though, and they always end wit h a “BAAM!” So … BAAM! The Cougar News. – Gentry Garcia
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I love working with all the girls and I love writing. We can express our idea s in our own different pieces, and we help teac h the people who read the newspaper new and really exciting things. – Maya Harrison
Culturally Responsive Curriculum:
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The Classroom and Beyond “My Nose-Yo The realization that our world is increasingly ur Nose”: D K student pa themselves interconnected in all spheres of human activity— irs identified that is visibl something di e and somet by fferent abou ge hing the sam political, economic, social and cultural—is nothing tting to know t e that they co each other. uld only disc new. But this reality requires schools and the over education they deliver to evolve in order to ensure that young people cultivate the skills they need to be Mix It Up at Lunch Day “encourages successful in the workplace, in their communities, as leaders and as global citizens. In addition to problemstudents to identify, question and solving and communication skills and quantitative and digital literacy, these competencies include cross social boundaries. When leadership, teamwork, adaptability, integrity and ethical decision-making, among others.1 students interact with those who
What is also clear is that our students will be called on to use these skills in an increasingly heterogeneous society, interacting with people with diverse ethnicities, lifestyles, cultures, religions, abilities and languages. As a result, there is a growing need for educators to engage students in reflective, empathetic thinking around identity, equity and inclusion. This year, Curtis faculty and academic administration responded by creating an Anti-Bias Task Force to pilot and develop programs and curriculum around matters of inclusivity. The group, comprised of faculty from both divisions, meets regularly with the mission of establishing an academic forum to share, discuss and create experiences and curriculum for students that build their skills in understanding bias and stereotypes, in supporting equity, and in promoting advocacy, both inside and outside of the classroom. One overwhelmingly popular experience that grew out of the task force was Mix It Up at Lunch Days2, six of them, spread throughout the year. On these special days, we asked students to move out of their comfort zones and sit with others in their grade— or, in some cases, other grades—with whom they normally do not eat lunch. A list of conversationstarters, beginning with “What is your favorite …?” was provided on the first Mix It Up Day to help students break the ice, and soon they were chattering away on topics of their own. Students enjoyed this new way to share lunchtime. Several remarked: “I made a new friend at the first Mix
are different from them, biases and misperceptions can fall away.” – Teaching Tolerance (www.tolerance.org)
It Up lunch, and then I was so surprised and happy to sit with her at the next one!”; “I’m so glad I got to sit with some new kids so that I could make more friends;” and “I got to sit with an old friend and a new friend. Lunch is more fun this way!” Student Council augmented the experience in April with “Be the Friend Day.” Following a Mix It Up lunch, 6th graders led mixed-age groups of Upper Elementary students in conversation and a series of outdoor games designed to help them get to know one another better and build cross-grade camaraderie. Additional classroom lessons and activities that promote the ethos of empathy and inclusion for all students emerged from the task force. Even a few examples illustrate the wide range of reflection that is taking place throughout the curriculum. “Celebrating Families” units at various grade levels provide yearlong opportunities for families to visit and share their own cultures and heritage with the students. “Identity Iceberg” lessons help children understand that identity is made up of what you can see about another person and also what is “beneath the surface.” A “Girl in a Box/Boy in a Box” activity asks students to sort
This article was contributed to by Sarina Fierro, Head of Lower Elementary Division, and Hedwig Aerts, Head of Upper Elementary Division.
toys by the gender they are intended to appeal to and teaches children to recognize gender biases that are promoted by advertising for toys, clothes, sports and other products. In classrooms this year, teachers guided sensitive conversations about fairness and equity and also differences in personal appearance, skin color, hair and ability. Art teachers designed lessons about art as activism and art as a reflection of one’s identity and culture. Homeroom classes discussed different types of family units, and encouraged students to talk with their families and friends about each other’s ancestry, cultures and traditions. Fifth graders studied the power of the words they use when talking about colonial times. Classroom teachers intentionally shifted the language found in some texts they use from the noun “slaves” to the adjective “enslaved” and discussed with their classes how this word choice grants individuals an identity as people, describing their position in society rather than reducing them to a label. “While the shift of language may seem minor, the rich classroom discussion around words and their influence helps to build critical and empathetic thinkers,” says Sarina Fierro, Head of Lower Elementary Division. The work of the task force complements efforts throughout the school and school community to create not only a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students and families, but also to nurture the skills that our children will need to navigate our increasingly globalized world and to steward forward our mission to prepare children for their futures.
eider’s riel Schn the dson Gab n ra g d p e s c a art of n introdu heritage a h c rm n tu re S F Batya e family's class to th lum. 1st grade s curricu ng Familie ti ra b le e C Partial list of “21st Century Competencies” from a presentation by Dr. Derrick Gay, titled “Preparing Students for Success in the 21st Century,” at Curtis School on February 1, 2018.
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Mix It Up at Lunch is an international campaign created by Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center that provides resources for educators to promote inclusive and welcoming school communities (www.tolerance.org).
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“Girl in a Box/Boy in a Box”: Kindergarteners explored gender stereotypes as they sorted toys into pink and blue “boxes.”
How can we prepare students for global citizenship?
By Kristen Coleman 3rd Grade Teacher & Co-Facilitator of Breaking Bread
BREAKING BREAD TO EMBRACE DIFFERENCES
I liked what we discussed about how you can't judge a book by its cover and don't judge people. – Chase Fidler, 5th Grade
I learned so much about who I am, how I can be a better person, and how other people feel. – Connor Bunnak, 6th Grade
Breaking Bread is a very special place for me at school because it is a safe space to share my feelings without judgment. … it is mainly student driven and we can openly discuss ways to improve our school as a student body. – Bella Spencer, 5th Grade
Educational consultant Dr. Derek Gay visited the Breaking Bread lunchtime student group and helped facilitate a conversation about compassion vs. empathy and stereotypes in the context of our school’s Families Helping Families service effort.
On Thursday, February 16, 2018, the film Black Panther opened nationwide to rave reviews. The excitement over this film had been brewing for more than a year, especially among people of color. Various social, civic, religious and cultural organizations across the country raised money to take underprivileged youth to see it. I found myself asking the question why is a film about a fictional superhero so important? And instantly this thought came to me: It is the same reason why Breaking Bread, the student discussion group for all 5th and 6th graders, is so important.
“There will be a day... when each student will not only connect with students of different ancestry and culture, but also embrace and applaud those differences.”
At the beginning of the current school year, a new lunchtime forum, Breaking Break, facilitated by me and Curtis’s school psychologist, Dr. Kavita Ajmere, was formed to provide a place for our oldest students to explore how we can create a more inclusive culture at Curtis. In one meeting, the theme of our discussion was culture and cultural differences. Students first shared some components of what makes up culture: language, food, religion, family, clothing, ways of living, ethnicity and belief systems. They then engaged in an exercise intended to get them to know one another better by answering questions about their families and ethnic/cultural heritage. Discussion concluded with students voicing the importance of embracing one’s identity and having regular conversations about each person’s background. Breaking Bread is important because this generation of children is still dealing with the educational issues and concerns that I had growing up and my parents had as well. Breaking Bread gives our students a safe environment in which to discuss these as well as providing a forum to generate ideas about practical ways to approach and resolve them. There will be a day when each student’s ancestry and culture is represented, discussed and celebrated in our schools—when each student will not only connect with students of different ancestry and culture, but also embrace and applaud those differences. Until then, we will need films like Black Panther to help people of underserved cultures see themselves in a positive light. And we will need Breaking Bread to help our students discuss and resolve questions that a film like Black Panther or the classroom experience might evoke.
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I was blessed to grow up in a home not only with two parents, but with both of them being from the upper middle class—two things that quite often do not exist in African American families. My community, along with the prestigious public school I attended, was predominately white. Though I benefited greatly and had few negatives from this experience, I could not ignore the fact that my stellar education had left me with a void—one that was not shared by my predominately white classmates. As a child of African American and Japanese ancestry, I found very few images in my school that represented me or my culture. There were only three teachers in my primary and secondary schools who were African American. In literature, we may have occasionally discussed James Baldwin or another famous black writer. In between history lessons about the medieval period or Greek mythology, we learned about Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. To most people, this may not seem like much of a concern. However, studies like psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark’s “doll tests” suggest that, during the key period of a child’s social and emotional development, it is critical for them to see positive images of themselves in order to develop self-esteem and cultural pride.
NAIS People of Color Conference:
Growing Our Cultural Competency
How inclusive is our school culture in practice?
The NAIS People of Color Conference (PoCC) landed in Anaheim at the end of 2017, giving our teachers a rare opportunity to attend this powerful national gathering en masse. This year, the participants explored the theme Voices for Equity and Justice Now and in Every Generation: Lead, Learn, Rededicate, and Deliver.
One of several featured speakers that inspired conferencegoers was Ta-Nehisi Coates, a national correspondent for The Atlantic, MacArthur Fellow, National Book Award winner (Between the World and Me, 2015) and graphic novelist for Marvel (The Black Panther, since 2016). His words resonated with first-time PoCC attendees Amy Dolman, 2nd Grade Associate Teacher, and Mikayla Park, Science Associate Teacher (DK-3). Reflecting on their experience, they write: “As closing speaker Ta-Nehisi Coates says in his book We Were Eight Years in Power, ‘An America that asks what it owes its most vulnerable citizens is improved and humane. An America that looks away is ignoring not just the sins of the past, but the sins of the present and the certain sins of the future.’ At PoCC we were asked to take a direct, deep, and often uncomfortable, look into ourselves and the world around us—its flaws, inequities, and biases, as well as the role that we ourselves play in it. “We were overwhelmed by the sheer size of the conference: Nearly 6,000 educators, students, and community members came together to discuss the difficult realities that our students and peers of color experience every day. The very first day, in our affinity groups, we were warned to be prepared for the answers to our questions to come in the form of more questions. Absence of closure is part of the journey at PoCC. After all, it is about growth, not reaching a finish line. In sessions, we discussed gender identity, body positivity, self-care, the overlooked and harmful messages in popular literature, integrating social justice in our classrooms, and addressing diversity with our kids. It was an experience we will not soon forget, and we can’t wait until next year.”
Conference Experiences: “In the session ‘Why Are We Still Teaching To Kill a Mockingbird?’ I was amazed at how many things can slide by, without notice, when sensitivities aren’t heightened.” “I found it incredibly valuable to hear from various schools/people about their challenges around diversity/ inclusion issues, what their solutions were, and what worked or didn’t.” “I learned more about myself as a person and my own insecurities regarding discussions about race.” “I learned about the four sacred gifts [from indigenous wisdom] from Dr. Anita Sanchez; I learned about restorative justice; I learned about teaching social justice in science classes.” “The biggest highlight was getting to hear Ta-Nehisi Coates speak … [H]earing his thoughts on race at this crucial time in our nation was such a gift.”
Post-Conference Changes: “Often things can be shut down quickly to preserve what was planned for the class, but I realized that by doing that, I can be sending the signal that these issues aren’t important enough to talk about or worse. So, [I’m] being present and flexible enough to stop the train and dig into issues when they come.” “I now ask myself, ‘Who is missing and who is in charge?’ when I pick up a children’s book.” “I am focusing on the specific vocabulary I use with the children regarding gender.” “I am being very intentional about including a range of people in my curriculum, and also mindful of how those people are portrayed in the materials I am choosing.” “We are having more deliberate conversations about equity and inclusion in regard to race and gender.” “I have weekly morning meetings to discuss topics of concern in the classroom or the world around us to give the students a platform to speak openly and freely. I created this environment of a safe space utilizing one of the games I learned from the conference as an opener.”
Additional Thoughts after the Conference: “How inclusive is our school culture in practice? What changes might need to be made to support families of color and their students.” “I have been thinking a lot about body image in our female students as a result of one of the workshops I attended.” “I wish more students of color knew that they could approach me as an ally if they are having difficulties, and I’m grappling with how I can make that possible.” “I think that open lines of communication are important, as well as not allowing our own egos to get in the way.”
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Curtis was strongly represented at the conference, with some 44 teachers and administrators as well as several of our parents taking part. Of special note, Jung Lee, 3rd Grade Teacher and a member of the Head of School Task Force on Inclusivity, served on the planning committee for this monumental event, and Meera Ratnesar was invited to speak on a select panel of four heads of school on the topic “Increasing the Pipeline: People of Color’s Pathways to Headship.”
FACULTY REFLECTIONS
Enhanced 6th Grade Program Boosts Student Preparation
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By Hedwig Aerts, Head of Upper Elementary Division, and Debbie Taus-Kahn, 6th Grade Teacher
what materials to bring to class and home, and understanding the different expectations from each of their subject-area teachers. The fall was a time of real adjustment for many, but as the year marched on, students found their groove and gained new self-confidence. With all that is new, Curtis also remains a place of traditions, and the hallmarks of the 6th grade year remain untouched. Children who have grown up at Curtis have watched our community gather by the flag twice each week for morning announcements. This assembly continues to be a time for our 6th grade students to take turns leading the ceremony and sharing a thought for the day. Sixth graders also carry on the tradition of an executive board that meets regularly to guide the Student Council and think about ways to enhance the student experience. The service-learning program in 6th grade gives students a chance to be leaders in our own community through Roots & Shoots, or to serve others at the Bread & Roses Café and food pantry at St. Joseph’s Center. Twelve hours of service learning, when students volunteer with organizations they care about, continues to be a requirement of
The 6th grade year at Curtis has always played a significant role as the bridge that supports our students in their transition from elementary school to middle school. As part of a process of reflection and growth, a team of administrators, board members and faculty spent a year thinking about ways to make a great 6th grade program even better. We examined research into what is necessary to best prepare students for their middle school experiences and beyond, looked at practices in peer schools and listened to alumni families talk about the transition from Curtis to secondary school. We aspired to discover what positive change could look like, while maintaining the qualities that are fundamental to the experi“We all meet and discuss ways to engage students most ence of our students: safety, effectively and parlay that into action. Each student benefits joy and the feeling of being known throughout their years from having a team of teachers working on their behalf.” here. The culmination of our – Gianna Vargas, Science Teacher work resulted in the decision to departmentalize the 6th grade in order to help our students develop the organizational, the 6th grade year. Other highlights of the year include the 6th time management and executive functioning skills that are so Grade Retreat, where the group forms strong bonds through crucial to success in middle and high school. team-building challenges; Science Expo, where students present their long-term research projects; performing The Canals After 12 months of research and planning, the inaugural year of Venice, a play the students write with David Frank; and the of our departmentalized 6th grade kicked off last August. Southwest Trip, a capstone of the year and of the time we’ve Students received new Chromebooks and new lockers, and spent together. they were introduced to new teachers and a new schedule. Each student was grouped into a homebase with an advisor, Along with the new departmentalized program come new and Day One saw students moving from room to room as they traditions as well. One of these, Community Building, allows made their way to language arts, math, science and social for town halls on subjects of interest and concern to our 6th studies classes. Learning is enhanced by new additions to the graders: negotiating Valentine’s Day to feel as inclusive as poscurriculum as well. A World Languages program, featuring sible; discussing social media issues as they arise; and a time Spanish, has students learning both the language and about for meaningful discussions, presentations and celebrations. the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries throughout the world. Coding was added to give students experience using Our first departmentalized year in 6th grade presented our different programming languages. We also offered a numstudents with many new challenges that have been opporber of electives that allowed our students to expand their tunities for growth, ranging from time management and experience in areas of interest. Another new component this balancing expectations from different teachers to learning a year is study hall periods that give students the opportunity new language. Students have honed their executive functionto balance their workload throughout the day and meet with ing skills, expanded their knowledge base and graduated in teachers in office hours. self-confidence. We are confident that they will leave us well prepared to pursue, successfully, their continuing educational Importantly, students are getting a chance to practice middle journeys. school executive skills such as managing their time, planning
How can we best prepare students for the next step in their educational journeys? ELECTIVES Our students will have more choice to select courses in middle school. We added electives to the curriculum to enable students to discover where their interests might lead them. In the first year of our new 6th grade program, we offered • GUITAR CLUB • LEGO ROBOTICS • TOUCH RUGBY • DE-STRESS FOR SUCCESS • YEARBOOK AND PHOTOGRAPHY • CHAMBER MUSIC • SWIMMING • PRINTMAKING • SEWING • DANCE • FRISBEE GOLF • SOCCER SKILLS • STOP-MOTION MOVIES • BAN THIS BOOK: SUPPORTING YOUR FREEDOM TO READ
¡A los estudiantes les gusta (mucho) aprender el español! By Jessica Pezdek, Spanish Teacher and World Languages Curriculum Coordinator
The 6th graders visited the Kindergarteners throughout the year, collaborating in a variety of activities, including singing in Spanish and reading to the younger children original stories they had written in Spanish class.
¡Vamos a la clase de kínder!
The upbeat pop hit “Tengo tu love” emanates from the Spanish classroom as students line up to greet me with a colloquial Spanish expression: “¿Qué hubo, Profe?” ¿Qué tal, Profe? ¡Buenos días, Profe! ¡Profe, estoy cansada, muy cansada hoy!” Starting each class in this way sets the tone for an immersive experience, allowing my students and me a chance to connect around mutual interest, respect and seriousness of purpose. It also allows them to explore the language playfully. Students bounce into class, excited by their early success at the door, and follow the routines we outlined at the beginning of the year: organize their
“¿A ti te gusta mi arte?” she asked, holding up the Spanish art project she had just finished. My jaw nearly dropped. I had never taught this class that phrase before; she had learned it from the repetitive exposure to this structure in the 6th graders’ story and now she was using it to ask if I liked her art piece. The study of culture is a highlight of the program, as it allows the students to learn about and appreciate Spanish-speaking communities. Students are encouraged to see themselves as active participants in evolving cultures. To this end, they interact with the
This year saw the inauguration of a World Languages Program featuring Spanish language instruction in Kindergarten and 6th Grade and the fulfillment of one of the first initiatives Meera Ratnesar announced after becoming Head of School to increase our students’ cultural
materials, take out their homework, and begin their daily warm up. It’s a typical morning in 6th grade Spanish and students are bringing their A game. To step into a Spanish class at Curtis is an experience— one intentionally designed to help our students enjoy learning the language, see themselves as capable language learners, and develop 21st century skills like collaboration, higher order empathy, creative problem solving, and technology and media literacy. By the end of the year, students can understand classroom conversations and descriptions of stories and events as well as communicate and be understood, respond with complete sentences, tell a story in their own words, and ask an array of questions. As a culminating project for the unit on “gustar” (to like), students wrote original stories set in a Spanishspeaking country. After weeks of research, collaboration with their partner, textual iterations, pronunciation drills, and practice, it was time to visit the Kindergarten class to read their books. This was a special day, and the feeling in the room was electric. “¡Vamos a la clase de kínder!” I announced. Excited, the 6th graders jumped up and marched across campus. Once there, they found a cozy spot with their Kindergartener partners and started reading their interactive books. It was one of several collaborations we would do between the two grades throughout the year. As a teacher, I know that each day holds the potential for something magical to happen and today was no exception. A Kindergarten student approached me.
language in their daily lives and exercise agency over their learning experiences. “Tarea Semanal” in 6th grade is one example. Each week, students self-assign a homework choice from eight options. These may include interviewing a Spanish speaker, researching the origins of street names in Los Angeles, coding a game in Spanish, and learning commands to train your pet to be “bilingual.” The objective is to link the language to students’ lived experiences and interests. One student said, “My parents yelled at me to stop being on my computer having so much fun when I still had homework left to do. I told them that it was my Spanish homework.” In the fall, students learned about and participated in Día de los Muertos celebrations on campus. Kindergarteners and 6th graders built a giant ofrenda for Día de los Muertos in the Tuttle Building, adorned with colorful, handmade papel picado, along with flowers, traditional bread and photos of their loved ones. Older students spoke about their loved ones in Spanish, and younger students listened to a children’s book about the holiday. After participating in the World Languages Program at Curtis, students graduate with a strong foundation in Spanish as well as knowledge of themselves as language learners and tools to be successful in the 21st century, like collaborative learning and cultural competency. Over the next several years, we will expand the program to all grade levels with the ambition of reaching every Curtis student. It is an exciting time to be a Cougar!
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competency and nurture global citizens.
“Everywhere around the world a heartbeat sounds the same”
We kicked off the first week of spring with Curtis’s 12th annual Go Global Week. This much loved and eagerly anticipated week of learning about the world and its many cultures began with presentations by the 2017-2018 educational travel grant fellows about their journeys to Egypt, Costa Rica, Italy, New Zealand and the East Coast of the United States and how those experiences are being incorporated into the classrooms. As the week progressed, Irish dancers tapped out the rhythms of the Emerald Isle, fútboleros displayed acrobatic feats of ball handling, and Korean percussionists amazed us with their perfectly synchronized choreography. Second grade presented its heartwarming Multicultural Celebration, featuring folk songs and traditional dances from five continents that underscored the variety of the world’s musical and artistic expression. Parents visited their children’s classrooms to tell stories about their family’s heritage or make a presentation about Nowruz, the Persian New Year’s celebration that coincided with Go Global Week. The week finished with the hugely popular capstone event International Lunch Day. Strains of Bollywood and Caribbean steel drum music mixed on the breeze while our parents and guardians, many wearing the colorful traditional dress of their heritage, served up a fabulous feast of lovingly prepared dishes from every corner of the world. Go Global Week reminds us to recognize and value the differences of all people and cultures and to carry with us the words of the closing song from the Multicultural Celebration: “Everywhere around the world a heartbeat sounds the same,” (Listen, by Red Grammer). We all just need to listen.
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4 Teacher ( e c n e i c S chaffer, y Linda S
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B
At Curtis School, we have begun teaching robotics in Grades 3 through 6 as part of the science program. The STEM skills that robotics teach are great for inspiring tomorrow’s engineers and scientists. Although not all of our children are going to work for NASA, or even work in a science and math-related field, some of the mental and teamwork skills they learn through robotics are ones they will use for the rest of their lives. When students work on a project with a robot, they quickly see that technical skills, such as coding, are very important. When they work in groups, if they want their robot to move and perform, they must be able to collaborate with others and communicate their ideas. Through robotics in the classroom, students learn how to express themselves and listen and relate to others. STEM lessons are critical for students as they prepare to enter the 21st century workforce. Through robotics, students learn more than just how to code. They can learn skills in leadership, community involvement and teamwork, which will position them for success well beyond their school years. Through robotics, children learn how to communicate across different technology platforms—a crucial skill that we all need to be
familiar with, no matter what career path we follow. And some will even find their passions in science, math, computer science and engineering. In my years of teaching science, I have observed that children naturally want to complete a challenge or a problem by creating a solution all at once, trying that solution, and if not successful, beginning again. This can be a time-consuming method. By contrast, engineers use a process that involves computational thinking. While the concept is often used to describe how computers work, it is useful for general problem solving as well. In robotics children learn to: 1. Break a problem into parts or steps. 2. Recognize and find patterns or trends. 3. Develop instructions to solve a problem or steps for a task. 4. Generalize patterns and trends into rules, principles or insights. Not only does this process save time for our science students who are learning to program their robots, it creates a structured mental process that they can incorporate into everyday problem solving.
The thing about robotics that I enjoy most is the challenge of figuring out a program, because it’s not an easy thing, and I’ve failed many times, but the fun part is getting back up, trying again, and getting it to work.
– Zoë Kahn, Grade 4
As a science teacher, I am excited by the sense of self-reliance that the children exhibit as soon as they are able to independently program their robots. They particularly love to alter the coding to incorporate a personal touch into the challenges. I feel certain our students will leave robotics instruction during their Curtis years ready for whatever technological challenges they may encounter in their next schools.
Curtis Cougars Robotics Team In addition to robotics in the science curriculum, interested students in Grades 4 through 6 have the opportunity to be involved in extracurricular competitive robotics. For the past four years, the Curtis Cougar team has participated in the Los Angeles First Lego League (FLL), a research and robotics program that introduces children to science and technology in a competitive, but friendly, atmosphere. Teams research a given topic and build and program an autonomous robot to complete a series of prescribed missions. Experience on the Cougars team complements and builds on the robotics science curriculum. “The children who have participated in FLL have developed great pride in what they were able to accomplish, in robot performance, in researching their topics and in their newly cultivated sense of “cooper-tition” (cooperation/competition),” says Linda Schaffer, the team's faculty mentor.
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Curtis students have eagerly embraced the new robotics curriculum. A team seeing its robot successfully navigate through a maze, after having made numerous fine adjustments to the robot’s programming, has a huge sense of accomplishment that spurs students to rise to ever more complex challenges.
Developing Compassionate Hearts
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By Melissa Papp-Green, Chair, Families Helping Families Project One of the many ways Curtis School has fulfilled its mission to develop compassionate hearts has been through our annual Families Helping Families (FHF) community service project. For the last 25 years, Curtis has partnered with One Voice, a community assistance center that serves families at or below the poverty level. Each spring, One Voice sends Curtis the profiles of local families in need of assistance, and families are then paired with Curtis classrooms. Each classroom is responsible for collecting a list of essential household items, including non-perishable food, toiletries, bath towels, and cleaning supplies, as well as new socks and t-shirts for each member of the family it has been assigned. Profiles often include additional requests for items the family desperately needs, like blankets, jackets and shoes. A social worker also provides background information detailing the reasons the family needs our help. One Voice families may have experienced an illness in the family, lost a job or a home or, sometimes, even suffered the devastating loss of a parent. Curtis families have the opportunity to choose which item they would like to donate. All of the items are then collected and wrapped in student-decorated boxes and baskets and delivered to the One Voice families. Throughout its 25-year history, the Families Helping Families community service project has experienced many changes. Folks may remember “Easter Baskets” and “Spring Baskets” and the move to the “greener” SignUpGenius process for donation item selection. However, in the last two years, FHF has evolved even further, moving from a lunchtime project for room parents and DK-4th grade students to being an integral part of our annual weekend Curtis Cares Community Service Day that involves the whole Curtis community. Nineteen One Voice families expanded to 26 families when the 5th and 6th grade classrooms were added to the mix. Most importantly, Curtis
students were given additional stewardship of the process through the Roots & Shoots service club. Roots & Shoots members are now responsible for introducing the project to the school, cataloging donations and creating signs for Curtis Cares Community Service Day. Beginning in January, Roots & Shoots members began working on the Upper Elementary assembly to launch FHF. The students had two goals: to create empathy for the One Voice families and to explain why it was important to participate in the FHF drive. At the April assembly, they presented their research on poverty in Los Angeles, including the causes and issues facing people living below the poverty line and how organizations such as One Voice can help prevent people from becoming homeless. They also explained how FHF is one way Curtis students can help address the issue of poverty in Los Angeles. I am happy to report that the students were successful in their efforts and FHF had another banner year of donations and participation. More than 500 One Voice families have been helped throughout the 25-year-old CurtisOne Voice partnership. While many aspects of this volunteer effort have changed, one thing has remained constant—Curtis’s commitment to helping families in the greater Los Angeles community. I hope that Curtis will continue this tradition, and I look forward to returning to celebrate the 50th year of Families Helping Families in 2043!
OPPOSITE PAGE, LOWER R: The author and daughter Georgia Green (’17), then in Kindergarten, poured their love into Spring Basket decorating (2011).
“We love the Curtis School members and all that they do for [One Voice] families in need. They treat them as if they were members of their own family!” – Rosie Clark, One Voice
Drew Beckmeyer, Art Teacher (4-6), published his first book, The Long Island, (Chronicle Books, 2018). The story, richly illustrated with Mr. Beckmeyer’s brightly colored crayon drawings, follows the islanders as they try to discover what is on the far side of their
Sarina Fierro, Head of Lower Elementary Division, is pursuing a doctor
world. Publisher’s Weekly hails it as an “auspicious debut” and notes,
of education degree in Educational Leadership, with a concentration in
“With a sharp eye, Beckmeyer shows how easy it is for paradise
K-12 Leadership in Urban School Settings, at the Rossier School of Ed-
to tip into ruin.”
ucation at USC. This year, Ms. Fierro taught a seminar for the California Teacher Development Collaborative (CATDC), called Developing Your Leadership Capacity. The seminar was designed for current and prospective leaders in independent schools in Los Angeles. Ms. Fierro, along with 4th Grade Teacher Vicki Lockhart, also led a Depth of Study group for Character Education at Curtis.
Gina Favre, Fifth Grade Teacher, and Ginger Healy, Fifth Grade Teacher, led a Social Studies Depth of Study Group at Curtis this year. Depth of Study groups are a primary component of the continuing initiative to evaluate the Curtis curriculum and develop Goals for Teaching and Learning at Curtis in every
Noteworthy
subject area.
Jung Lee, Third Grade Teacher, has been a
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Faculty & Staff News
member of the executive board of Southern California People of Color at Independent Schools (SoCal POCIS) since 2012. She organizes events and speaking engagements for SoCal POCIS and maintains its website, which includes many resources for educators. In 2017, Ms. Lee served on the local committee for the NAIS People of Color Conference (PoCC), in Anaheim, with responsibility for volunteer organization and outreach. Ms. Lee is also currently working to support
a pilot equity and justice leadership program for high school students attending independent schools in the greater Los Angeles area that is focused on empowering student voices, #studentstaywoke.
Misty Hahn, Science Teacher (DK-3), created a diversity and Elijah Carbajal
Anita Carbajal, Music Teacher (K-1), and her husband, Rudy,
science lesson that teaches students about observation and inference and connects these scientific concepts and skills to help students bet-
welcomed their second child in June 2017, with the birth of
ter understand and analyze identity,
Elijah Gilberto Monico, who made Noah (3) a happy and proud
bias and stereotypes. She presented
big brother.
her lesson at the National Science Teachers Association’s (NSTA) National Conference in New Orleans in fall 2017 and was asked to write an article about it for NSTA’s Science and Children journal.
Maria (Barba) Owens, Database Administrator and Advancement Assistant, married Tony Owens
Ochoa Family
on September 1, 2017. The couple honeymooned in Maui and are enjoying their life as newlyweds.
Karen Ochoa, Physical Education Teacher/ Coach, and her husband, Antonio, doubled their family size when they welcomed twin baby girls into their lives on January 18, 2018. Adeline and Liliana are keeping their parents both busy and delighted.
Amy Wiggins, Library and Media Specialist, and her husband, Chris, welcomed their first child, a daughter, Evelyn June (“Evie”), in July 2017. Amy recently co-authored an article published in the well-known book blog The Nerdy Book Club about #BookExpedition, a distance reading group of educators and authors who share and review new books. In addition to overseeing the library program and teaching library classes, Amy continues in her role as
Corinne Schulman, Director of Advancement, serves on the board of directors of PS Science, an educational non-profit organization that was founded in response to a deficit Ophelia Wallace
in meaningful early elementary school science education. PS Science supports classroom teachers primarily in Title 1 elementary schools with materials, curriculum and training so they can provide their students with regular, on-going science learning. This year PS
Maribel (Barba) Wallace, Kindergarten Teacher, and her husband, Marco, became
Science is in partnership with nine schools across Los Angeles and serves approximately 1,600 students living at or below the poverty line.
the proud parents of a baby girl, Ophelia Luna, their first child, on February 3, 2018.
Meera Ratnesar, Head of School, was one of four heads of school invited to speak on a panel called “Increasing the Pipeline: People of Color’s Pathways to Headship” at the NAIS People of Color Conference in Anaheim in November 2017. This spring, Ms. Ratnesar completed her dissertation, “Independent School Headship Transitions: The Female Experience,” and earned a doctor of education degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Ratnesar and her husband, John Querio, welcomed their first child, Philip Rajendra
Gianna Vargas, Sixth Grade Science Teacher, and her husband, David Seay, welcomed Sorcha Vargas Seay to the world in June 2017. Her name is Irish and means “radiant light,” which is fitting, since her big smiles light up her parents’ lives.
Querio, on October 30, 2017, and are enjoying life as new parents. Philip is the first baby born to a Curtis head of school during the head’s tenure and to live at the Head of School Residence.
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debate coordinator for the 6th Grade Debate Program.
Curtis Educational Travel Fellowship Program The Travel Fellowship Program, now entering its third year, offers our teachers a unique opportunity to travel virtually anywhere in the world and craft an experience that will expand their own global horizons as well as enhance teaching and learning at Curtis. This exceptional program advances the school’s educational goal of helping our students become global citizens. We are excited to announce the awardees of the 2018-2019 travel grants.
Vicki Lockhart, 4th Grade Teacher, will travel to Ecuador to visit historic cities, experience a homestay in a remote village of the Amazon rainforest, study the theory of evolution at the Darwin Research Center, and observe animals found only in the Galápagos Islands. Ms. Lockhart will engage with people who speak different languages, practice different belief systems, and do everyday things in different ways. Traveling as a social scientist, she will search out new ways to engage students’ curiosity and encourage them to ask questions about the world they live in.
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,
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objects, places and the people we interact with.
Linda Schaffer, 4th and 5th Grade Science Teacher, will travel to Alaska to learn about changes in oceans and marine organisms in the Kenai Peninsula and to study first-hand the Alpine Taiga biome in Denali National Park. The Kenai National Wildlife Refuge is home to a wide diversity of wildlife, and the area includes ice fields and glaciers, with their own particular plant and animal species, as well as tundra, boreal forests, lakes and wetlands. Dr. Schaffer will use what she learns to provide her students with reallife evidence of changes within Arctic biomes. Follow our travel fellows’ blogs at www.curtisschool.org/travelwithteachers.
35 YEARS Terri Morell Tracy North 20 YEARS Neatha Coventry-Mahony Eladio Hernandez Thomas Osborne
Milestones of Service
15 YEARS Sarina Fierro Michel Lim Patty Molinari Kasey Nott Linda Polan Susan Woolley 10 YEARS David Frank Molly Simms
In 2017-2018, we celebrated these valued faculty and staff members for their years of dedicated service to Curtis. We are deeply grateful for their many contributions that enrich our learning community and support the school’s mission
5 YEARS Sarah Chistolini (’03) Lauren Nuccio Karen Ochoa Maria Owens Stacy Rotter Kyoko Sasaki
By Alexandra Mork (’14) and Jaya Nayar (’14)
Together, we won Woodward Novice Nationals in 8th grade, and we both qualified for the Varsity National Tournament in our 9th grade year, making us the second and third females in Lincoln-Douglas (one-on-one) debate history to qualify as freshmen for the Tournament of Champions. In addition to our competitive success, debate has also given us life-long skills. Not only have we improved our research skills and increased our knowledge in a variety of topics and ideas, we have also learned how to use argumentation to persuade diverse groups of people. In addition to participating on the Harvard-Westlake Debate Team, we have also helped coach students at Valor Academy and taught them how to run debate arguments. Because we are so passionate about debate, we want to make it inclusive for all students, regardless of their backgrounds. This prompted us to found, along with three of our teammates, GirlsDebate, an organization dedicated to shining a light on the unique issues that women and other marginalized communities face in the world of debate. We were inspired to start this organization because of our personal experiences combatting sexism in the debate community. Women are frequently spoken over by male opponents, told they’re too aggressive, and penalized because their voices are “too high-pitched.” We noticed that, over time, more and more girls were leaving the activity as a result of some of these challenges. On our platform, girlsdebate.org, we write articles about the challenges women experience, draw attention to the successes that they achieve, and provide resources, such as evidence packets, in order to encourage more girls to continue in debate—because debate yields incredible benefits. Jaya focuses heavily on providing argumentation resources and finding evidence to share with the community; while Alexandra addresses statistics regarding women’s competitive success and also builds GirlsDebate’s social media presence. We are inspired to share our knowledge with other women and to support them in pursuing the exciting and rewarding field of competitive debate. You may learn more about GirlsDebate by following @girlsdebate on Instagram and www.facebook.com/ girlsdebate/ on Facebook. L-R: Alexandra Mork (’14) and Jaya Nayar (’14) won, respectively, Second and First Place overall and First and Second Place Speaker awards at the Novice National Championship in 2016.
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Our careers in debate began at Curtis when we became members of the 6th Grade Debate Team. We participated in three-on-three (parliamentary format) debate, competing against mostly middle school teams in the Golden West Debate League, and were mentored by 6th Grade Teacher Debbie Taus-Kahn, 5th Grade Teacher Ginger Healy, and alumni parents Glenn Sonnenberg and Christopher Keyser, who taught us the fundamentals of argumentation and refutation. Encouraged by our early team and individual successes, we jumped into debate when we transitioned to Harvard-Westlake middle school, and, as rising juniors, we are still deeply committed to it.
Alumni Spotlight
Leveling the Playing Field in Competitive Debate
Alumni s e t o N & News
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1950s John Pratt Bingham (’57) is the author of the Hangtown adventure series set in an 1850s mining camp that is now Placerville, California. John attended Willamette University, Virginia Theological Seminary, and has a master’s degree in Psychology from Antioch University. John is married to Barbara Lynn (Dunn) and together the couple has six children and nine grandchildren. He was an Episcopal rector, and later, a psychotherapist, until 2013, when he retired and moved to San Diego to be closer to his children and to focus on his writing.
1970s Heather (Vandeweghe) Shannon (’73) attended Stanford University and then took time off to train polo ponies before attending USC Medical School. She met her husband, Dr. Kevin Shannon, while doing her residency in pediatrics at UCLA. After serving as chief resident, she remained at Olive View-UCLA medical center as a pediatric attending working in urgent care, emergency room and inpatient wards while raising three children: Kayj (24), Kassie (22) and Collin (18). In June 2017, Heather retired as chair of pediatrics at Olive View-UCLA, and is now enjoying having time to travel, train with her daughter for triathalons, help her husband's camp for children with heart disease (Camp del Corazon), teach high school students at 6 am and accompany her husband on medical missions.
*Alumni are identified by their 6th grade class year.
Scott Brittingham (’74), along with his wife, Ella, and their dogs, were forced to evacuate their Montecito home of 21 years, moving temporarily to Colorado, after the fires and tragic mudslide/debris event at the end of 2017. The couple both work in the non-profit sector, and Scott currently serves on the board of USC Marshall School of Business. Scott and Ella are adjusting to life as empty nesters, as their son, Tommy, is a sophomore at Ojai’s Thacher School, and their daughter, Poppy, is a Stanford freshman. Scott shares, “I have the fondest Curtis School memories and my time there inspired me to spend a few years in the early 1990s teaching 5th grade at Village School in Pacific Palisades. Long live Baddy!” He would love to hear from fellow classmates of the Class of ’74! Brad Kesner (’76) attended Brentwood School and graduated from California State University, Northridge, while working at CBRE Commercial Real Estate, in Beverly Hills. After 13 years with CBRE, Brad moved, in 1994, to Stone-Miller in Brentwood, where he does leasing and sales of commercial and residential property. Brad married his college sweetheart in 1989 and the couple has two sons, both college graduates, who also live in the Los Angeles area. Brad shares that he has “only good memories of Curtis.” He is thankful to have his health and family and is looking forward to continuing to travel the world.
1980s Cathryn (Krantz) Benner (’87) is an international award-winning wedding, Bar/Bat Mitzvah and lifestyle branding photographer. Cat’s company, Next Exit Photography, is a favorite of so many Curtis families and often photographs their most important events. You can find her across social media platforms at @nextexitphotography.
1990s James Bairian (’90) is a music producer and songwriter who works under the name "The Gifted" (www.wearethegifted.com) with his business partner Louis. Their latest releases include "Black Mirror" by Sophie Simmons and "Warning Signs" by Cade. Earlier in their career, James and Louis toured the country with their band The Hippos, releasing albums on Interscope Records and Fueled By Ramen. The pair later moved on to producing bands/artists as The Gifted and formed Headquarters Music, specializing in scoring music for film and TV. Headquarters’s latest song aired in a Subway commercial during the 2018 Winter Olympics. James lives in Highland Park with his wonderful wife and two-year-old daughter. Justin Mink (’94) will marry his fiancée, Kate, in October. Justin is a therapist at Tarzana Treatment Center, working with patients suffering from co-occurring mental health disorders and also working on his hours to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in California. Patricia (Petrie) Weg (’94) and her husband, Adam, are looking forward to joining the Curtis parent community. Patricia shares, “We are so excited that our daughter, Pauline, will be attending DK at Curtis in the fall. Let the memories begin once again! Go Cougars!”
Max Mednik (’96) attended Harvard-Westlake after Curtis and Stanford University, where he studied Computer Science and Management Science. While in college, he co-founded an algorithmic currency trading hedge fund with two other classmates, which is still in existence today, 13 years later. In 2012, he earned an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management and co-founded another startup in the field of legal technology. He spent three years as a Senior Software Engineer and Tech Lead at Google, working on Chrome and Machine Intelligence. In 2016, he and his wife, Suzanne, welcomed their son, Benjamin, to the world. Since then, he has been focusing on being the best dad he can be and investing in other exciting startups as an angel investor.
math,” for which he won the Producers Guild of America’s Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television Award in 2017. Taylor is currently producing a six-part documentary series for Netflix on undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.
Vera Golosker (’99) joined MGM Television in Beverly Hills as a production attorney and is currently working on the television series “Shark Tank.” After working as an entertainment litigator at a boutique law firm for three years, Vera moved in-house at MGM in 2017 for an opportunity to work on some of the company's dynamic unscripted content, which includes shows such as “The Voice” and “Survivor.” Vera graduated from UC Hastings College of the Law in 2012.
Casandra Campeas (’03) spent 2015-2016 as a Fulbright scholar living in Spain, where she was an English language teaching assistant for middle school students in Madrid and also taught Model United Nations. The experience helped her recognize her passion for language and further fueled her desire to become a teacher. Since returning to the U.S., she taught high school Spanish at a charter school for a year and is currently working part-time as an instructional aid while she pursues a teaching credential at California State University, Northridge. Casandra reports that her brother, Cole Campeas (’06), is well and working alongside their father in Mr. Campeas’s accounting firm, SJC Management.
Rose (Jimenez) Hubbard (’99) is happy to announce that her son, Caleb, will be following in her footsteps as a Curtis Cougar when he starts DK in the fall. Caleb is the adored grandson of our own beloved Pepe Jimenez, Rose’s father.
2000s
Jenna Fields (’97), a graduate of Curtis’s middle school (1997-1999), recently changed up her view from the skyline of Los Angeles to the small town of Strömstad, Sweden, where she lives with her boyfriend, who is a music producer. Jenna is a blogger and social media influencer and spends much of her time creating content for her lifestyle blog and Instagram account Circus of Cakes (@circusofcakes). Before leaving L.A., she had worked as a personal/ household assistant and nanny for many families over the years.
Taylor Levin (’02) says, “I am a 2002 Cougar graduate whose best memories of his childhood remain on that campus.” He currently lives in Santa Monica and is still best friends with the boys he met in Mr. Hall's DK class more than 20 years ago! Taylor works in television as a creative producer with a focus on social documentaries. He recently finished producing a series on the Church of Scientology, called “Leah Remini: Scientology and the AfterSarah Chistolini (’03) is engaged to Billy Ballas, and the couple will wed on June 30, 2018. They are planning a “big fat Greek wedding,” followed by a Caribbean honeymoon in St. Lucia. Sarah earned a BA in Liberal Studies, a teaching credential and a master’s degree in Education from California State University, Northridge. She began her teaching career at Curtis five years ago and has been a lead teacher in 5th grade for the past two years.
Nicole Chalme (Meyberg) Bernstein (’99) shares, “After graduating college and working towards a career, I met the man of my dreams. We got married on July 1, 2017, and shortly after the wedding, we found out we were pregnant with a baby girl." Their sweet
Taylor Brandt (’04) jumped into the consumer tech world after working in corporate America for several years folNatalie Rose
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Natalie Rose Bernstein-Meyberg was born on Mother's Day, 2018. The couple also recently purchased their dream home in Valencia, California. “It's been a wonderful journey and we are excited about the future,” she says.
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lowing graduation from Emory University in 2014. She is the head of operations and strategy at Rockets of Awesome (www. rocketsofawesome.com), a pioneering retail business that “simplifies shopping for stylish, high quality kids clothing by providing a personally curated delivery of outfits for children each season, along with a personalized online shop.” She loves hearing the excitement of the kids and reading the amazing emails they send to the Rockets team. Alumni who want to try out the service can sign up with code CURTIS to get $20 off their first box. James Ivy (’05) enlisted in the U.S. Army after earning an associate degree from Santa Monica College in 2013. Stationed at Ft. Carson, Colorado, he reached the rank of corporal and was in charge of a fire team before receiving an honorable discharge in 2017. His love of the area and the friendships he formed in the service kept him in Colorado, and he is now enrolled in the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, where he is majoring in Environmental Science. He plans to pursue a master’s degree in Applied Geography after earning his baccalaureate. When he is not studying, he is working for Geek Squad. Miranda Taylor (’06) has just completed her first year in the Veterinary Medicine program at UC Davis. Max Quilici (’06) graduated from USC’s Thornton School of Music in 2016. As a Popular Music student, Max opened for the Beach Boys and played with Chaka Khan and David Foster. He also performed with John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival, when he received the John Fogerty Scholarship in 2015. Now, Max is busy writing and producing music for himself and other artists. This past winter and spring, he played venues across the country with ZZ Ward on The Storm Tour, and one of the highlights was playing “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” He says, “My passion for music and guitar started while I was a student at Curtis. I have memories of playing guitar for my friends during recess, and I always look back on those years fondly.” You can follow Max’s work on Soundcloud (www. soundcloud.com/quilici) and on his website (www.quilicimusic.com).
the Southern District of New York. She plans to practice corporate law in Los Angeles after graduation.
Max Quilici at Irving Plaza, New York City, 2018.
Anna Witenberg (’07) graduated from Bard College in May 2017 with a degree in Dance and Gender and Sexuality Studies. She was invited by visual artist and curator Nick Mauss to collaborate on choreography and perform in his exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, Transmissions, a multidisciplinary work about early modernist ballet in the 1930s through 1950s. From March to May 2018, she performed in a four-hour piece that consisted of improvisation and choreographed responses to balletic form.
Carly Shagrin (’06) works at Google, in San Francisco, on the executive staffing team and helps scout and recruit top talent from around the world for Google’s tech and non-tech leadership teams. Carly has worked at Google since graduating from Northwestern University in 2016 and shares, “I am really enjoying this first chapter of my post-college life.” Alexis Abdulian (’07) graduated this spring from California State University, Fresno, with a degree in Liberal Studies. Currently, she is a financial analyst at ERI’s corporate office (an electronics recycling company) and plans to pursue an MBA degree in the future. Shannon Barry (’07) graduated from DePauw University in May 2018 with a BM in Vocal Performance and a BA in Biochemistry. At DePauw, she participated in numerous opera productions, including “Le nozze di Figaro,” “Little Women” and “Street Scene.” In spring 2018, she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She will be attending Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, pursuing a Master of Music degree in Voice. This summer, Shannon is getting married in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Museum of of the Whitney Court, courtesy Photo @ Paula
American Art.
Brooke Bagnall (’08) graduated in April 2018 from the University of Michigan with a triple major in International Studies, Psychology and Sociology. She is excited to embark on a legal career and will be heading to the University of Chicago Law School in the fall. She adores Chicago (and deep-dish pizza) and is looking forward to the prospect of spending three years in the heart of the city.
Nicole Gould (’07) graduated in 2017 from Amherst College, where she was captain of the volleyball team. Nicole just finished her first year at Cornell Law School and made the Dean’s List last semester. This summer, she will be working for a federal judge in Brooke Bagnall (’08)
Eric Greenberg (’08) graduated from the University of Chicago with a BA in Political Science in 2017. Since then, he has been conducting research about political behavior alongside a professor and presented their findings at the last two Midwestern Political Science Association conferences. For the past year, he has worked as a paralegal at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and now, he is excited to announce that he will start law school at the University of Chicago in the fall, making him “a proud double Maroon!”
producing Echoes of You, the story of “an aspiring classical pianist who finds his greatest fulfillment in the most unlikely of places.” The film is currently making the festival circuit around the world. It was accepted into the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner and won Best Overall Short Film at the Hollywood Just4Shorts Competition. Henry was fortunate to collaborate with his brother, Max Quilici (’06), who scored the film. He hopes to use Echoes of You as a springboard to directing and producing feature films and television series that he is currently developing.
Anna Barnes (’09) completed her junior year at Indiana University in Bloomington, where she is a double major in the Jacobs School of Music for Ballet and the Kelley School of Business. When she graduated from Curtis, her dream was to become a professional ballerina, and it still is today. In addition to business classes, she trains every day and will be auditioning next year for professional ballet companies to finally make her dream a reality. This past year, at college, she was cast as “Arabian”—her favorite role to perform in The Nutcracker.
2010s
Taylor Shabani (’12) recently received the Teen Hero Award from Teen Line, a non-profit teen-to-teen crisis hotline open to calls, texts and emails from young people around the world. Taylor was the Salutatorian of the Buckley School high school Class of 2018. She will be attending Duke University in the fall.
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Jarod Bacon (’11) is a rising sophomore at Washington University, St. Louis. He is a member of the Wash U Sports Analytics Club that won the 2018 SABR Diamond Dollars Case Competition, placing first out of 23 teams in a competition that was judged by MLB team executives. The challenge was to build a model that determined the optimal mean launch angle for a set of assigned players in order to maximize their offensive performance. Jackson Eick (’12) will be heading to Carnegie Mellon University in the fall to earn a BFA in acting. He is currently producing the play Brilliant Traces, which opens in June at the Young Actors Studio, and he is also consulting with students who wish to pursue acting in college. Jackson is passionate about his creative writing community service project. He travels to underserved elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District to teach creative writing to children.
Henry Quilici (’09) is studying Film and Television Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. He has created a number of short films and recently finished writing, directing and
Ara Hekimian-Brogan (’13) is a rising senior at Brentwood School and an amateur competitive archer. In 2017, he was nationally ranked 21st overall, and he was one of only 20 boys and 20 girls selected to participate on the National Junior Dream Team, the Olympic development team for archery. Ara had an exceptional year in competition at many tournaments throughout the U.S. in 2017, including the Arizona Cup, where he took third place. Ara also won a silver medal in the National Junior team trials at the Outdoor Nationals in Indiana.
Alec Dávila (’14) a rising junior at Harvard-Westlake, is one of nine members of the Legacy A Cappella group, comprised of high school students from the Los Angeles area. This spring, Legacy represented the West Coast region in the 2018 International Championship of High School A Cappella Finals at Lincoln Center, in New York City and won first place. Now, representing the high school level, Legacy will compete against all age groups in the International A Cappella Finals at Carnegie Hall in September. Alec is “excited and honored to be part of such a talented group of singers!” Emma Limor (’15) is a rising sophomore and member of the varsity debate team at Harvard-Westlake. Emma began her debate career in 6th grade at Curtis. As
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a 9th grader, Emma made it to elimination rounds at both the Stanford Invitational Debate Tournament, where she was a triple octafinalist, and at the James Patterson Invitational Debate Tournament, where she was an octafinalist. She is a founding member of GirlsDebate at Harvard-Westlake, an organization formed to provide girls with equal resources and opportunity in the world of high school debate. Emma is the founder of the Women in History Commission, which is working to amend Harvard-Westlake's middle school curriculum and state curriculum. She also established MECCA, a club dedicated to bridging the cultural gap between people of different nationalities within the Middle East and with other countries. Tessa Augsberger (’16) is in middle school at Harvard-Westlake and has been a debater since 6th grade at Curtis. In March of this year, she won the Woodward Novice Nationals in Atlanta. The competition is open to first and second year high school competitors. In January, she won the novice tournament of the 2018 Harvard-Westlake Debates. David Eick (’16) was 8th grade Class President at Campbell Hall this past school year and is a passionate debater. He won several top speaker awards in 7th and 8th grades as well as the First Place Speaker/Gavel Award at last year’s Southwest Regional Debate Championship. David created his own company, Get the Gavel, offering debate and public speaking coaching. Alumni of the Class of 2015, Paul Brindley, Zach Chayet,
Members of the Alumni Council meet on campus to plan and conduct business. At the April meeting L-R: Kat Haydarzadeh (’88), Ari Bass (’81), Darren Cohen (’88), Lloyd Bunnak (’85), Jill Carmel (’85), Jeffrey Porter (’91), Allison Jacoby (’83), Amanda Kolodny (’85), Glenn Kay (’80).
CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER L Alumni at the 2017 #FUTURE Fair: Sam Green (’14) and Jai Bhavnani (’14) kicked back in the alumni cabana; Christine O'Handley (’57), an alum of the Carl Curtis School, stopped by and met our Head of School; Amelia Scharff (’16) and Quincey Dern (’16); Class of ’17 friends Katie Hopmans, Sydney Carmel, Claire Robichaud, Sophia Yassinger and Nicole Hopmans mugged in the photo booth.
Andrew Gussman, Julian Kay, Aidan Levine, Sebastian Mayer, Kai Saken, Asher Schwartz, and Jasper Stratton joined forces last year to champion ocean health. These Curtis class friends are working to educate people about the environmental harm caused by dumping plastic waste into our oceans. In May 2017, the group, known as the Seacleanerss, screened a documentary made by the non-profit organization A Plastic Oceans, at Lionsgate, and, with the help of friends and sponsors, raised $12,000, which it has used to share the film with schools and organizations around the country. Zach Chayet and Sebastian Mayer also returned to Curtis to speak to the Roots & Shoots service organization and to educate Curtis students about the harm that plastic waste does to the oceans. Follow the group’s work at @theseacleanerss.
L-R: Old and new: Current parents and Council members Darren Cohen (’88) and Lloyd Bunnak (’85) welcomed new parent Jonathan Levine (’88) and alums of the Beverly campus Todd Singleton (’69) and Robert Clifford ('69) at the Alumni Happy Hour.
A Full Year for Alumni The Alumni Council was excited to kick off the year by creating a new opportunity for Curtis graduates, the Alumni Community Service Grant. Open to high school students in Grades 9–12, the grant aims to sustain and strengthen the connection between Curtis School, its alumni and the larger Los Angeles community. Each year, the recipient of the grant will be awarded a $500 stipend, which may be used to cover the costs of the community service project or donated directly to the nonprofit the awardee is benefiting. In reviewing grant applications, the Alumni Council was impressed by the inspiring community service projects our young alumni will be undertaking this year. The Council is pleased to announce that the inaugural Community Service Grant was awarded to Whitney Elson (’13), a rising senior at Harvard-Westlake. In May, the Alumni Council hosted its second annual Student Panel and Roundtable Discussion. Middle school alumni were invited back to Curtis to talk to our graduating 6th graders to help them better navigate the transition from Curtis to their new schools. Some of the topics that were tackled included homework expectations, balancing extracurricular activities and academics, and social challenges in middle school. Parents of 6th graders were also able to engage in a similar discussion with alumni parents and some high school freshmen. This year, the Council was also pleased to sponsor the Alumni Lounge at the Curtis Fair, the annual Legacy Breakfast at the Head of School Residence, Senior Send-off for graduating high school seniors, and the Alumni Happy Hour at The Peppermint Club in West Hollywood. To join the Alumni Council and be part of the fun, contact Chuck Sawyer, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, at csawyer@curtisschool.org.
Head of School Meera Ratnesar hosted a joyful Legacy Breakfast for alumni parents and their Cougar children at the Head of School Residence in February.
2018 Curtis Alumni Community Service Grant Congratulations to Whitney Elson (’13), recipient of the newly created Curtis Alumni Community Service Grant! Whitney will use the $500 award to support the work of Upward Bound House, which provides homeless families with temporary housing and other resources to help them get into permanent housing. She has volunteered for Upward Bound for many years, planning events and working on fundraisers. She says, “The kids living in Upward Bound House often have led tough lives. I work with the organization's Teen Corps to create a week-long summer camp for the kids, entirely free, so they can bond and have some fun.” Whitney will use the award to improve the summer camp experience for the children, by creating new activities and field trips, and will provide them with school supplies for the fall. The Alumni Council is proud to support Whitney's volunteer efforts and looks forward to continuing to recognize and promote the spirit of philanthropy of our alumni in the Los Angeles community.
Whitney Elson, here with her former Curtis School buddy Chase Klein (’20), has recruited Curtis students to take part in Upward Bound's annual Home Run for Kids fundraiser.
Matriculation of the Curtis Alumni High School Graduates of 2018
Taylor Applegate Indiana University Eli Klein University of Wisconsin-Madison Andrew Rein Boston University Amali Aturugirige College of the Canyons Graham Kosich University of Southern California Eli Ricanati University of Pennsylvania Julia Barger University of Miami Alexander Kravec Miami University (Ohio) Jonah Rubin* Sophia Barnes University of Michigan Lily Kreisberg Boston College Kaitlyn Rubin University of Wisconsin-Madison Matheu Boucher University of Chicago Janie Kreshek Tulane University Henry Salke Pratt University Jocelyn Chen University of Southern California Sarah Lee Northwestern University Ryan Schifino Tulane University Claire Cohen University of Michigan Bryan Levine University of Miami Kaitlin Schrage Cornell University Lindsey Cole Tulane University Jenna Lewis San Diego State University Noa Schwartz UC Berkeley Michael Corrin DePaul University Hannah Littman Vassar College Taylor Shabani Duke University Jackson Eick Carnegie Mellon University Nataliya Mehta Southern Methodist University Zain Shamji University of Wisconsin-Madison Serena Ettinger Northeastern University Kyle Mickelson New York University Jack Shane Bowdoin College Jeremiah Fountain University of Southern California Jacob Neuman Elon University Hayley Slusser UC Berkeley Sasha Fox Chapman University Jonty Nobbs Carnegie Mellon University Danielle Spitz Northwestern University Maya Golob University of Southern California Lindsay Oberman Chapman University Jacob Stern UC Davis Sydney Gough Cornell University Ryan O’Donnell DePaul University Joshua Stern UC Riverside Kathyrine Hankin UC Santa Barbara Sydney Oppenheim Tulane University Murphy Stratton* Grayson Hansen University of Arizona Brian Park Occidental College Blair Sullivan Tulane University Maya Hinkin University of Edinburgh Isabella Peyrot Lafayette College Justin Tager University of Miami Neil Iken University of Michigan Nicholas Plummer New York University Kyra Terenzio UC Berkeley Kanoa Johnson Whitman College Simon Pompan University Of Richmond Jordan Tuchin University of Southern California Sebastien Kelliher-Hernandez Tufts University Aileen Prajogi* Ethan Webster Tufts University Griffin King Indiana University Chelsea Wilck Belmont University *Information about the student’s 2018-2019 plans was unavailable at press time.
Curtis Magazine Spring 2018
Contributors Hedwig Aerts Kristen Coleman Sarina Fierro Dede Haglund Janna Wong Healy Alexandra Mork (’14) Jaya Nayar (’14) Melissa Papp-Green Jessica Pezdek Meera Ratnesar Chuck Sawyer Linda Schaffer Debbie Taus-Kahn
Design SMOG Design, Inc. Jeri Heiden
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BACK COVER: To complement 2nd Grade’s Multicultural Celebration, featuring song, dance and spoken performance, the students made yarn paintings inspired by the Huichol people of Mexico. This art form reflects the belief that people are connected to nature and all living things. Students chose a spirit animal they identified with to represent in their own yarn painting. They used yarn and glue in the finished piece but also experimented with authentic Huichol technique, using beeswax and thread.
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Photography Dede Haglund Misty Hahn Lauder Photography Michel Lim Susan Lynch Moloshok Photography Astor Morgan Lauren Nuccio Shelby Slayton Debbie Taus-Kahn
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