Inspire Fall 2012 Vol. 4 Issue 1

THE EASTSIDE PREPARATORy SCHOOL MAGAZINE: FALL 2012 | VOLUME 4 | ISSUE 1

...Students to Create a Better World

Celebrating 10 Years

EASTSIDE PREP MAGAZINE STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Vickie Baldwin

MANAGING EDITOR

Tina Hadden

GRAPHIC DESIGNER and LAYOUT EDITOR

Joshua Huisenga

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Jeff Adair, Amis Balcomb, Vickie Baldwin, Jennifer Cross, Paul David, Kelly Fox, Kira Geselowitz, Barbie Hull, Jane Lin, Katia Nalimova, Ana Safavi, Stacie Siegfried, Mick Thompson, Kip Wassink, Alec Watson

Happy Birthday, EPS!

COPY EDITORS

Laurie Benaloh, PhD, Jennifer Cross, Kristina King, Allison Luhrs WEB EDITORS

Jonathan Briggs, Jennifer Cross

SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM HEAD OF SCHOOL

Terry Macaluso, PhD DEAN OF STUDENTS

Jeff Adair

DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

Vickie Baldwin

Athletic Director

Doug Blair, JD

CHIEF OF FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

Andrew Boyd, CPA

DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY

Jonathan Briggs

ACADEMIC DEAN

Matt Delaney

DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION

Lauren Formo

UPPER SCHOOL HEAD

Bart Gummere

DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

Kelly Moore, PhD

MIDDLE SCHOOL HEAD

Sam Uzwack

2012-2013 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS PRESIDENT

Rob Short

SECRETARY

Stacy Graven TREASURER

Sasha Press

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Byron Bishop

Read EASTSIDE PREP MAGAZINE ONLINE

www.eastsideprep.org/epsmag

CONTACT EASTSIDE PREP MAGAZINE

magazine@eastsideprep.org

EASTSIDE PREP MAGAZINE is published two times a year by Eastside Preparatory School. It is mailed to all current families, employees and donors. To remove or change your mailing address, to submit a letter to the editor, to suggest a topic for an article, or to submit text or photographs for AlumNotes, contact magazine@eastsideprep.org.

© Copyright 2012, Eastside Preparatory School

C

elebration of a successful first decade must be shared. That is precisely what we we’re doing with this issue of Inspire.

You’ll find reminiscences of The Secret Garden, the musical performance that played to full houses at the Kirkland Performance Center last spring, as well as photographic highlights of Prom – 2012, “From Eastside Prep With Love,” a James Bondian extravaganza attended and enjoyed by most Upper School students.

We’re celebrating our graduates, our eighth grade students continuing on to Upper School, our Five Year Service Awardees, our Alice Strong volunteers, and a robust number of additions to the Eastside Prep family – many of them new to the staff and faculty ranks – and a few new to the families of the EPS family! (Check page 45 for a photo of the children of EPS employees born while their parents are working at Eastside Prep.)

We’re celebrating our campus, too! We opened school year 2012-13 with the dedication of the new Levinger-Poole Commons (photos in the pull-out section beginning on page 25) Since last spring, the campus has been host to architects, landscapers, contractors, and every construction “trade” there is – from plumbers and engineers to carpenters and electricians – we’ve been “remaking” our space. In addition to the Commons, we dedicated the Friel Learning Center, Fade Court and O’Hara Hall.

Finally, a 10th Anniversary commemorative video, produced by Roberta Christensen, and her team from Red Couch Gallery, debuted, on the first day of school to the largest audience ever gathered on the EPS campus.

It captures much of the spirit that inspired the first ten years, and it will motivate all who view it to look forward – with eager expectation – to the next decade.

Contents Fall 2012 | Volume 4 | Issue 1

EPSummer 2 A Celebration of Sounds

4

The Secret Garden 6 From Eastside Prep With Love (Prom 2012)

8

Alum Profile & Notes

34

EPS Science Fair

10

Visiting Thinker — Sherman Alexie

36

Summer Reading

12

Alice Strong Awardees

37

Guess Whose...

14

5-Year Service Awardees

38

Talk Back

16

New Faces at EPS

40

Honoring Our Eighth Graders

17

... and the Celebration Continues

44

Reflections: A Look Back at Ten Years of Growth 21

Trustee Profiles

46

Then & Now: Special Pull-out Section

25

2011-2012 Annual Report

50

Celebrating our Seniors

29

Upcoming Events

52

Contributors Jeff Adair joined Eastside Prep in the fall of 2004, and quickly became a presence across many academic disciplines. He currently serves as the Dean of Students and teaches history.

Vickie Baldwin joined Eastside Prep as the Director of Institutional Advancement in 2011. Vickie also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Inspire and is the liaison to the Parent Association.

Michael Cruz is a member of the EPS faculty currently teaching theatre. Michael reviews EPS’s production of The Secret Garden.

Rachael Decker is a member of the Class of 2011. Rachael is currently a student at Willlamette University with a declared major in English and plans to declare a double major in theatre. Rachael writes for

this issue about finding another school like Eastside Prep.

Patricia Friel, Janet Levinger and Maureen O’Hara are a dynamic trio of still-actively-involved founding Board members. Patricia, whose daughter Diane is a current EPS student, is also a faculty member who teaches math. Janet has just seen her second EPS graduate off to college (daughter Sarah (’12) joins son William (’09) as an EPS alumni). Maureen’s son David graduated in 2010 and she has remained dedicated to Eastside Prep. Patricia, Janet and Maureen share their reflections on Eastside Prep’s first ten years.

Bart Gummere joined Eastside Prep in the summer of 2006. His 27-year experience in the education field has allowed him to assume a variety of roles – math teacher, baseball coach, college admissions officer, College Counseling Director, Upper School Assistant Head. Bart is Eastside Prep’s Upper School Head and college counselor.

Paul Hagen is an EPS faculty member on sabbatical through December of 2012. Paul teaches Historical Thinking and is currently working on a Master’s Degree at Harvard.

Liz Hunt is a current EPS parent and recaps highlights from last year’s Science Fair in this issue of Inspire.

Wendy Lawrence was one of the four founding faculty at Eastside Prep. She started as a science teacher and three years after, she became the head of the Middle School. Wendy recently moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan but is still very much connected to Eastside Prep. Wendy blogs at TheFamilyThatReadsTogether.com.

Terry Macaluso, PhD,has been a division head and a head of school in four independent day schools, including Lakeside School in Seattle, over a 35-year career. In 2002, she guided the founding Board of Trustees from the earliest discussions about the school that eventually became Eastside Preparatory

School, and was appointed Head of School in spring 2004.

Karen Mills is a founding employee of Eastside Prep. Karen served in several different roles at EPS before taking on her current position as Librarian and teacher of Info Lit. William Poole is officially “Student #1” at Eastside Prep as the first enrolled student.

William graduated from EPS in 2009 and is currently attending Brown University. In this issue, William shares with us his reflections on the first ten years of Eastside Prep.

Sam Uzwack joined Eastside Prep in July 2009. For the prior seven years, he taught seventh-grade humanities at The Northwest School in Seattle, where he also co-coordinated the Outdoor Program, served as chair of the Professional Development Committee, and coached soccer and Ultimate Frisbee.

Sam is Eastside Prep’s Middle School Head and an Outdoor Club advisor.

The Ecuador travel group and their guides led by Ms. Fox and Mr. Wassink at Laguna Cuicocha

The Mercado de Otavalo in Ecuador

EPSummer

By Jeff Adair, Dean of Students

Blue-footed Boobie in the Galapagos Islands

2

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

W

hile summer is a time to relax for many, Eastside Prep remains a hub of activity. Our EPSummer program keeps new and returning students, faculty and visitors busy both on our campus and off. The program offers many local camps held either on or near our EPS campus as well as exciting trips abroad. Here is a recap of some of last summer’s offerings at EPS. The summer fun kicked off with the Fish Biology Program, led by EPS teacher Katie Dodd.

Students met scientists at work along the West Seattle Shoreline and visited the UW School of Aquatics & Fishery Science, Ballard Locks, and the Seattle Aquarium. The learning experience also included a classroom-based program with analysis of local and exotic fish as well as dissection.

The five-day rafting trip on Idaho’s beautiful Salmon River took students through 53 miles of awe-inspiring wilderness. Guides shared the geological, ecological, and historical perspectives that make the Northwest such an incredible place.

EPSummer offered a trip to Ecuador with a Galapagos experience. Several Upper School students first spent a week in a small Andean village participating in a cultural exchange which included a “minga,” a collective work effort, where they supported the community through harvesting, construction, and forestry

work. Students also learned about Ecuadorian culture and showed some soccer moves, playing a friendly game with local youth. They developed their Spanish skills on the job with a playground rebuild and a two-day home stay with local families. The group then travelled to the Galapagos Islands, where students snorkeled and swam, making friends with sea lions, giant tortoises, and high-diving Bluefooted Boobies, all the while getting a glimpse at the evolutionary process.

Event-filled summer travel was capped off by a Scandinavian Viking Tour. In search of the Vikings, students rode bikes and trains through Denmark’s islands and then on to Sweden, looking at history from the days of Eric the Red to the current era of modern constitutional monarchy.

Other students were happy to stay on campus and brush up on some skills or learn new ones, from keyboarding to movie making with our iPad stop action and animation series.

Another group joined in a camp for radio controlled car enthusiasts.

For those who wanted to make the most of summer 2012, EPS was the place to go. 

Ms. Dodd, a visiting guest and Nessa (‘18) consider a finned friend in Fish Biology camp.

The Spire at Hamlet’s Castle in Helsingor Denmark

The Scandinavian Viking Tour group at Christiansborg Palace

A view of the Salmon River at dusk

Donny (‘20), Rohan (‘20), Ethan (‘18), and Andre (‘18) race their RC cars.

A local Galapagos resident

INSPIRE Fall 2012

3

A Celebration of Sounds Mr. Kruse directs the Upper School choir at graduation.

By Wendy Lawrence, Founding Faculty and former Middle School Head magine you are a new student at EPS. You are taking a choir class and you are having trouble finding the right range for your voice. Struggling, the teacher coaches you individually in front of the class. Suddenly, there is an epiphany, you get it, and the whole class spontaneously erupts with cheers and applause.

When that happened in one of Matthew Kruse’s classes recently, he says the smile on the student’s face

“brightened the entire room.” And that, to Kruse, is “what teaching music is all about.”

Students at Eastside Prep choose their music program. Middle School students are offered Choir, World Drumming, and an Intro to Music course that includes the basic techniques of singing, drumming and at least one woodwind, brass, and string instrument. Upper School students can join Choir and Instrumental Music Ensemble.

Kruse, who teaches all the courses himself, has a diverse and extensive musical background. He has had a

Tuning up for a Fine & Performing Arts Showcase event

Students from the World Drumming class perform.

I

lifetime of singing lessons and choir performances, experience teaching private instrument lessons, an undergrad degree as a band director and educator, and graduate work in conducting. Kruse says he loves watching his students learn the art of music, loves the moment when they figure out a rhythm or a note, and loves being the person who gets to affirm their hard work. “I’m very thankful for this job.”

Kruse describes a rich spectrum of learning targets for his students.

On a basic level, students learn the mechanics of singing or playing an instrument. At the same time, they are learning more complex skills, such as how to sing or play expressively.

Ultimately, they understand how to communicate an idea or emotion through music.

“And of course there are a million levels between each of those goals,” says Kruse, who also goes on to highlight some of the higher-level lessons, such as being comfortable

with failure. “The music classroom is a classroom where you learn by frequent failure. You become comfortable making mistakes.”

Working closely as a group is another learning goal. “A music ensemble is made up of the sum of every person in the room. Every person’s contribution is important to making something greater,” says Kruse. Ensembles demand that students learn to adapt their own actions to best benefit the group, a skill applicable in many paths of life.

Michael Cruz, theatre teacher at EPS, works closely with Matthew Kruse during the all-school musicals.

Describing his experience with last year’s The Secret Garden, Cruz says, “Matthew created the most beautiful sound from our young singers and musicians. He spends a tremendous amount of time getting to know the skill level of each student. He rewrote some of the vocal score to suit our voices and composed the entire orchestration for our instrumentalists.”

(The score was originally written only for the piano.) “It was incredible. We are tremendously lucky to have him.”

All that hard work seems to come naturally, but Kruse doesn’t stop when the curtain falls: student reflections on their performances is an important part of his courses. “Any performance is a snapshot in time,” says Kruse.

“And sometimes when a snapshot is taken, you are making a funny face.

Most of the best music you hear is not perfect, but it is fueled by the energy Araceli and Andre (both ‘18) perform during a Fine & Performing Arts Showcase.

Mr. Kruse directs the Middle School choir at a Fine and Performing Arts Showcase performance.

you bring to the piece.” After a concert, Kruse tells that to his students to help them reflect. He plays back the recording for them and has them respond, helping guide the conversation to stay positive and productive.

The first round is reserved for positive feedback only, the second round for constructive criticism.

Even after rehearsals, students give feedback. “It sets a precedent for being constructive and gives students a voice in the making of the music.

It gives them a chance to use some of the skills they’ve developed in the music-making process.”

It also helps create an environment where students help each other in a positive way. In his year-long zero-period Instrumental Music Ensemble, which allows students of all grades to play together, Kruse enjoys watching the Upper School students Mr. Kruse directs a senior choir rehearsal.

help out the Middle School students.

“Rehearsing music is my favorite thing to do,” says Kruse. “I always wish that parents could see not just one performance, but a time lapse of all the rehearsals and improvement along the way. I wish they could see those epiphanies and the look on their child’s face when they really get it.”

Kruse says Eastside Prep is “the first school where I don’t feel like a separate entity.” He feels included by faculty from all departments and works closely with people from all over the school. Randi Peterson (Middle School Administrative Assistant) and Jim Washburn (parent and frequent volunteer accompanist) played in the orchestra for the musical and Jane Lin (Upper School Administrative Assistant and Registrar) was the assistant music director for the musical and also helps with the morning ensemble. “It’s a lot of work,” Kruse says, “but it’s good work, and the kids make it worth it.”

At a recent cast party for the school musical, several of his students “randomly broke out into song. And it was a song from choir! It brought back memories of my own high school experience, being in choir. I like that I am part of making those memories for them.”  INSPIRE Fall 2012

5

Secret Garden The

All-School Musical

By Michael Cruz

Clockwise, from above: • • • •

Kayla (‘15) as Lily Craven Chandler (‘14) and cast Jordan (‘14) Kathleen (‘14), Nathan (‘17), Sophia (‘16) and Maya (‘16) • Ellie (‘18) as Mary Lennox • Full cast of The Secret Garden • Heather (‘16), Kayla (‘15) and John (‘17)

I

t has become a tradition at Eastside Prep to present an all-school production each spring.

This year was no exception as over forty Middle School and Upper School students performed on stage, worked on the production crew and played in the orchestra pit for The Secret Garden, based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett with lyrics by Marsha Norman and music by Lucy Simon. A real community effort, many EPS parents and members of the EPS faculty and staff generously contributed their time and talent. The production was directed by

Michael Cruz with musical direction by Matthew Kruse and production design by Roberta Christensen. Seattlebased theatre artist Jesica Avellone choreographed, Daria Brandt served as the assistant director and Jane Lin served as the assistant music director. EPS parents Jim Washburn and Deb Carmichael served as the show’s accompanist and Parent Volunteer Coordinator. The Secret Garden was presented on two nights (May 16th and 17th) at The Kirkland Performance Center to near-full houses and rave reviews from all who attended. 

Eastside Prep From

LOVE

with

Taylor Lautner and EPS students

A

ll the necessary components were there – beautiful ladies, dapper gentlemen, a great venue, a dance floor, a casino and, of course, Bond… James Bond.

The 2012 Eastside Prep Prom was held at The Bellevue Club and had a Casino Royale theme (as chosen by the Student Council). Over 90 Upper School students and their guests were treated to an evening of games, dancing, and lots of laughter.

The evening began with poker and blackjack games (but rest easy, parents, no money was involved!). Everyone showed off their amazing skills on the dance floor as couples and groups danced the night away. Candid and formal photos were taken of groups, couples, chaperones (and Taylor Lautner) as the evening continued. Cramer (Class of ’13) was once again the winner of the now traditional dance contest and seniors Jeanine Reina and Cameron Greenberg were voted Most Spirited by fellow members of the Class of 2012.

With all the activities, everyone still found time to visit with friends and share stories. The evening was a perfect way to celebrate the end of the 2012 school year. 

8

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

The Class of 2012

Connor (‘15) and guest are all smiles.

EPS’s Most Spirited Award winners, Cameron and Jeanine

Brynn, Yichun and Lizzie enjoy the fun.

Derek (‘13) and Charlotte (‘15)

Practicing their poker faces

Dance moves on display

EPS Science Fair Liz Hunt, EPS Parent

E

PS students shared their explorations of science and technology with the school community last spring at Eastside Prep’s first Science & Technology Fair. The room was buzzing with activity as students explained their projects to staff, parents, and fellow students.

The displays were diverse and fascinating. Students were invited to exhibit any of the following: their research on a topic of interest, the results of an experiment that followed the scientific method, or a physical creation or computer program that they built. Students were free to embark on a new idea or to share something that they had done in class during the year.

Fifteen seniors presented their Advanced Biology projects on topics that were both fascinating and deeply explored. Nick Demmert (’12) delved the topic of angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels) and its

Nessa (‘18) and Ellie (‘18) display their water wheel.

10

EPS parent Liz Hunt reviews Emily’s (‘18) project.

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

Alexander (‘18) explains his research on sugars to Dr. Olsen.

importance in the fight against cancer while Brynn Walund (’12) researched total knee replacement surgery and included a description of the surgery, highlighting important steps and the tools used. And Lizzie Krawczak (’12) studied the physical manifestation of Schizophrenia within the brain.

Some ninth-grade physics students showcased their projects including computer programs written in VPython. Akshay (’15) modeled the Sun and the Earth, and then compared it to another model in which he replaced the Sun with a black hole. Could you simulate an Angry Birds game in outer space?

Szymon (’15) and Savanna (‘15) did just that, including an angry bird, a sling shot, a small planet with gravity fields, and a pig.

Many of the projects were done outside of class by students who pursued a topic of interest. Nessa (’18) and Ellie (’18) built a water wheel to show how water is used to generate power. Connor (’18) and Drew (’18) built Señor Roboto using Lego Mindstorms NXT bricks, which they programmed to face a human opponent in a game of tic-tac-toe. Olivia (’17) designed a remote-controlled vehicle with bristles and a cleaning mop pad with a small spritzing container. And Ethan (‘18) presented the results of his scientific experiment to determine if water, apple juice or Diet Coke melted faster, and why.

It was great to watch students research projects that they were so clearly interested in and we can’t wait to see the endeavors in the next Science Fair! 

We’re proud to announce the second

Eastside Prep Science Fair The 2012-13 Science Fair features projects and presentations from different grades tackling a range of interesting topics. All students are invited to participate in this annual EPS event featuring science research projects, new technological inventions, and innovative solutions to problems. Projects exploring the history of American science and innovation will also be featured.

2012-13 Science Fair February 13, 14 & 15

This past fair showcased a range of displays including a hydroelectric water wheel, a bionic arm and an analysis of the effect of food preservatives on cancer cells. We look forward to another round of great presentations.

The entire EPS community is welcome to attend. Stay tuned for further details.

INSPIRE Fall 2012

11

Summer Reading O

ne of the great joys of summer is the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful book.

Our students had lots of great reading options that even adults will enjoy!

Middle School Choices for Grades 5 and 6 Al Capone Does My Shirts

by Gennifer Choldenko Twelve-year-old Moose and his family move to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when his father takes a job as a prison electrician.

They live in an apartment on the island and Moose tries to adjust to life there.

He spends his time watching his autistic sister, Natalie, and eventually befriends the warden’s daughter, Piper, with whom he gets into scrape after embarrassing scrape.

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander Taran’s title is Assistant Pig Keeper but he dreams of more heroic pursuits. He wants to make swords and learn how to fight and protect the mythical kingdom of Prydain. When the pig Hen Wen escapes under his watch, Taran chases after her, knowing that this pig - who can tell the future - is the key to keeping the kingdom safe. In his search for Hen Wen, Taran begins an epic adventure with the lauded warrior Gwydion to save the kingdom.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card Ender has always been monitored by the world government and destined to be of service to them. He is finally recruited to attend the Battle School in the Belt, which will prepare him to be an officer in the world army. Ender trains there in simulated war games that engage his skills against alien armies. But are the games really simulations, or are they real?

12

By Karen Mills, Librarian

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

by Jacqueline Kelly The sweltering heat of central Texas in 1899 stifles everyone around eleven-yearold Callie Vee Tate. But Callie finds that the heat buys her free time, and she takes advantage of it. She swims in the river and observes the natural world around her family’s plantation. Together she and her reclusive grandfather set out to explore the controversial natural-world theories of Charles Darwin.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman A small boy escapes the man sent to kill his family, and ends up in a nearby graveyard where ghosts and other inhabitants decide to raise him as their own. They call him Nobody Owens and do their best to teach him. But as he grows, the residents of the graveyard know that Nobody must rejoin the world of the living.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool Twelve-year-old Abilene arrives in Manifest, Kansas on the 7:45 evening train with her satchel, her wits, and her father’s stories from his youth about “Manifest: A Town With a Past.” Abilene’s stay in Manifest is full of adventure, stories, and a mystery or two, and she learns more than she thought possible.

Tangerine by Edward Bloor Paul Fisher knows there’s something mysterious lurking in his background.

When he and his family move to Tangerine, Florida, he expects life will proceed as normal. However, Tangerine is not like other towns. Other towns do not have lightning strikes at the same time every day, they don’t have fires that burn for years underground, and their schools are not consumed by sinkholes. In Tangerine, anything can happen, and Paul will finally unearth the secret that’s been nagging him.

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

Choices for Grades 7 and 8 The Book Thief

by Marcus Zusak Liesel Meminger steals her first book at nine years old as she travels across World War II Germany toward her foster home. Liesel feels out of place and wakes nightly from bad dreams. She quickly makes friends, though, who help her learn to read. Liesel’s passion for words and stories drives most of her actions throughout the book as she and her friends struggle to survive the horrors of war.

A Mango-Shaped Space

by Wendy Mass Mia is eight years old when she discovers that not everyone sees colors with letters, numbers and sounds like she does. The letter “a” and the number four, for instance, appear to her to be yellow. Ashamed to be different than her classmates and afraid that she might be crazy, Mia doesn’t tell anyone her secret. But how will she pass geometry and Spanish when numbers and words have different meanings to her than everyone else? And who will believe her story?

My Heartbeat

by Garret Freymann-Weyr Ellen spends more time with her older brother, Link, and his best friend, James. She admires them: Link for his intelligence and James for his “super cute” face. When Ellen turns fourteen and starts going to the same prep school as the boys, she hears rumors about the nature of Link’s and James’

relationship. Are they just friends, or is there more between them?

How does that affect her relationship with them?

A Night to Remember

by Walter Lord Walter Lord’s account of the sinking of the Titanic may be non-fiction, but the work reads like a novel. The events that lead to the tragedy build upon one another, carefully pieced together from interviews from the survivors. For anyone interested in this iconic moment on 20th-century history, or those who want to explore the human side of tragedy, this is the novel to read.

The Princess Bride

by William Goldman William Goldman, a Hollywood screen writer, wants to give his son something special for his birthday and, in a sentimental moment, remembers a book that he loved to read when he was a kid. He finds a copy of the book but realizes that it is actually poorly written, so he rewrites the contents for his son. The resulting story is an irreverent adventure that includes sword fighting and grand rescues, giants and evil royalty.

Ship Breaker

by Paolo Bacigalupi On the shores of a post-apocalyptic world, teen-aged Nailer earns a meager living scavenging metal and other salvageable materials. One day, he and his friend stumble upon an exquisite

clipper ship and decide to scavenge it on their own. On board the clipper they find a mysterious girl and are faced with a decision: strip the ship for wealth or rescue the girl?

Touching Spirit Bear

by Ben Mikaelsen Ninth grader Cole Matthews is an angry boy. When he severely beats a fellow classmate, Cole is given the choice of traditional repercussions (a prison sentence) or an alternative Native American form of reparations called Circle Justice. Cole chooses the latter, and is banished to a remote Alaskan island where an encounter with a huge Spirit Bear changes his life.

Upper School Upper School students will enjoy reading Ishmael

by Daniel Quinn.

In this tale, the unnamed narrator is a disillusioned writer in search of truth. He answers an ad in a local newspaper from a teacher looking for serious pupils and meets a wise, learned gorilla named Ishmael.

Through telepathic communication, Ishmael and the narrator embark on a series of philosophical conversations about the history of civilization.

INSPIRE Fall 2012

13

Guess Whose Summer Plans Revealed!

Following are the correct answers to last issue’s GUESS WHOSE SUMMER PLANS game.

Adam Waltzer • Hosting family members visiting Seattle from thousands of miles away • Working at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center • Playing the “ultimate” sport ever invented and not getting injured

Mr. Waltzer

Ms. Fox

Kip Wassink • Traveling to Montana to take advantage of some outdoor activities • Visiting another country in order to practice Spanish skills and enjoy the outdoors • Taking a motorcycle trip to the San Juans Kirsten Pike • Having a baby girl • Learning to change a diaper • Going for hikes with my husband and little one Kelly Fox • Running “Angel’s Staircase,” a beautiful 50-kilometer trail run in the wilderness of the Methow Valley • Camping out on Lopez Island for five days of biking, swimming, running, and smoothiedrinking with a group of great friends • Participating in the Heart of the Sound Triathlon on Vashon Island for the 6th time Sammi Stimson • Working on the EPS campus to get it ready for Fall 2012 • Home improvement – new windows and siding on my house • Going on a few camping/fishing trips in state

Kristina King • Planning my wedding • Completing many DIY (Do It Yourself) projects for my wedding • Aiming to walk without crutches so I can dance at my wedding Allison Luhrs • Spending lots of time in my garden, helping tomato, squash, cucumber, and snow pea plants grow big, strong, and hopefully tasty • Transforming my home’s guest room into a room that, come fall, will be housing a very tiny new member of my family • Spending as many days as possible outside on my patio, soaking in the sun and working my way through the big pile of books I’ve been looking forward to reading Bart Gummere • Attending a Clambake Conference in Newport, RI • Going to a Cubs game in San Diego • Playing golf Jennifer Cross • Working • Reading some vampire novels • Whitewater rafting Sam Uzwack • Backpacking in the Olympics with family • Continue preparing for Middle School laptop program launch • Climbing Mt. Baker with friends

And the Winner is…

The guessing games have become an Inspire tradition. Our last issue featured the “Guess Whose Summer Plans” survey covering the summer plans of our faculty and staff. Many of you took up the challenge of matching plans to people and several of you were able to answer each question correctly. One student was quickest to hit the submit button – Diane (‘13). She is the proud recipient of a $100 Amazon gift card. Way to go, Diane!

14

Mr. Gummere

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

Mr. Uzwack

A

B

C

D

E

F

While reflecting on the first 10 years of Eastside Prep, we thought it might be fun to take a look back at our faculty and staff in younger days.

See if you can match the name of the EPS faculty/staff member to their school photo. Go to http://bit.ly/Nvmy8z to play. The first person to submit all correct answers will receive an Amazon gift card. Responses must be entered by November 15, 2012. Only students, parents, and alumni may submit entries. EPS employees (and relatives) are not eligible.

G

H

Match the names with the photos:

I

__ Jeff Adair

__ Patricia Ferreyra

__ Allison Luhrs

__ Amis Balcomb

__ Lauren Formo

__ Terry Macaluso

__ Adrienne Behrmann

__ Kelly Fox

__ Kelly Moore

__ Laurie Benaloh

__ Patricia Friel

__ Jack Nolan

__ Doug Blair

__ Tina Green

__ Elena Olsen

__ Andrew Boyd

__ Bart Gummere

__ Janelle Panday

__ Jonathan Briggs

__ Paul Hagen

__ Kirsten Pike

__ Theron Cross

__ Melissa Hayes

__ Ana Safavi

__ Michael Cruz

__ Jessica Heaton

__ Tobias Tillemans

__ Matt Delaney

__ Elin Kuffner

__ Adam Waltzer

__ Katie Dodd

__ Cascade Lineback

K

M

J

L

N

O

P

Q

R

INSPIRE Fall 2012

15

Talk

Back

W

e look forward to hearing your thoughts about issues related to understanding each other, the world around us and how we learn and process information. For the first time, we’re asking for answers to some questions and your opinions on others. Send us your answers and opinions at http://bit.ly/PruaXO.

1. At what age do most researchers believe babies understand words? a. 6 months c. 12 months b. 9 months d. 18 months 2. At what age do most researchers believe children can understand simple counting? a. 1-2 years c. 3-4 years b. 2-3 years d. 4-6 years 3. What area of EPS allows students to experiment with an intentional approach to tinkering? a. Commons kitchen b. Design Lab c. Ms. Fox’s Spanish Classes d. Dr. Dartt’s Math Classes 4. At what age do children usually exhibit the fundamental behaviors associated with empathy? a. 1 year c. 3 years b. 2 years d. 4 years 5. Do you think computer games help in enhancing a child’s brain development? a. Yes b. No

6. At what age should a child start playing computer games? a. Toddler … as soon as they can operate computers b. Middle School c. High School d. Never! e. Other (specify) 7. What motivates you to accomplish a goal? a. Small reward now (immediate gratification) b. Big reward later (delayed gratification) c. Half of the reward now (for starting the project) and half later (for accomplishing the goal) d. Other (specify)

9. What is your “brain food”?

What do you crave when you are about to do a lot of thinking? a. Peanuts b. Caffeinated drink (e.g. coffee or soda) c. Chocolate d. Ice Cream e. Everything … I eat anything available. f. Other (specify)

ANswers from our previous issue 1. In which building were we located during our first school year? Current Middle School building 2. How many students did we have our first year (in all grades)? 17 3. Which of these faculty/staff members were here on our first year? Ms. Mills 4. How many students have graduated from EPS? 46

16

8. What do you use to help you remember tasks? a. Smart phone b. Tablet/computer c. Sticky notes/daily to-do list d. Another person (spouse, parent) e. None. My brain remembers everything. f. Other (specify)

5. In what school year did we graduate four students, enroll over 157 students for the first time and receive our PNAIS accreditation?

2009-10 6. What year did Edgar the Eagle first appear?

2008-09 7. What were the first two grades started at EPS? 6th and 7th

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

8. Which of the following current faculty/staff member has been at EPS the longest?

Mr. Adair 9. During what school year did EPS first reach 200 students?

2010-11 10. Which current/former faculty member is also a founding board member?

Ms. Friel

Families help students celebrate.

Ms. Fox shares a story about Max (‘16).

Honoring Our Eighth Graders

By Sam Uzwack, Middle School Head

O

n Thursday, June 14, the Continuing Class of 2012 gathered to commemorate their completion of Middle School. Thirty-six eighth graders, along with their family, friends, faculty and staff, were honored for successfully navigating a challenging chapter of their school careers. The individuality of each member

Ms. Pike surrounded by EPS students.

of the Class of 2016 was front and center, as every student received a book and heard from a teacher highlighting their unique contributions to our community. Of special note was that this class represented a record number of eighth graders continuing on to the Upper School. What follows are excerpts from speeches given throughout the ceremony.

Faculty members

INSPIRE Fall 2012

17

Opening Address: The Four Lessons from the Class of 2016

Students enjoy a light moment during Continuation.

By Terry Macaluso, PhD, Head of School

When I think about Continuation, I like to go through the list of students and reflect on what they’ve been like individually – and as a group. So, when I started down the list of the members of the Class of 2016, I realized that four recent “scenarios” had done much to influence my perception of the class. I call this “The Four Lessons from the Class of 2016.”

Lesson #1– The duo of Chase and Sky have popped into my office on several occasions this year – “just to say hi.” Or to have a huge fight over a cookie during which the bookshelf in my office was nearly toppled. That taught me that the Class of 2016 has grit. They know what they want and they go after it – regardless of the furniture.

Lesson #2 – During this entire year of construction, the campus has had to rearrange itself. In order to provide meeting places for afterschool gathering – and to attempt to preserve a modicum of safety – some benches had been placed directly outside my office window. For most of the year, those benches remained unnoticed. And then – the sun came out. It was spring; the benches became a very busy place for eighth-grade couples to gather after school. Every day the girls got to the benches a little bit earlier than the day before – and the boys followed.

This is all very normal springtime behavior, but one recent afternoon I had a particularly enjoyable time watching two fifth-grade girls who had hidden themselves behind the bushes right next to the benches.

They were oblivious – playing and

laughing– until the eighth-grade show began. Every time an arm went over a shoulder, they covered their mouths with both hands to stifle their giggles.

And then there was the HUG – their eyes popped and they looked at each other as if to say, “Can you believe what we’re seeing here?” What I learned from this is that the Class of 2016 is very CLOSE…one might even say FOND of one another.

Lesson #3 I learned a few days ago when we welcomed Sherman Alexie to our campus for a day of workshops and presentations. Those of you who have heard Mr. Alexie speak know where this is going. He uses...well... earthy language. We took precautions to remind him that he was speaking to a very young audience. Apparently he didn’t hear the part of the message that meant – please watch your language. Every time he said something for which any Middle School student would likely be sent home for the day – Jonny turned in his seat and looked at me with a huge smile on his face. His eyes were saying – “Bet you can’t send HIM home.” And it kept happening – until a singularly notable word was uttered,

after which Jonny nearly did a half gainer off the back of the bench looking to see my reaction. What I learned from this experience is that the members of the Class of 2016 do know what is appropriate and what is not; they only laugh at the stuff that’s inappropriate. Very perceptive.

The last of the four lessons came one day on the sport court when lunch was about to end. It looked like an ant hill out there – with Middle Schoolers running in every direction to find their things and to get to the next class. I remember saying to my colleague – “Just think, one of them is going to perform open heart surgery on you sometime in the future.” We both refrained from further speculation. In fact, we were quiet for a long time.

Ken Johnsen, Mr. Cruz, Stacy Graven, and Chase (‘16)

18

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

Welcome Address

By Sam Uzwack, Middle School Head You know, with world events the way they are right now, I’m tempted to give one of those “tough love” addresses. Since I am keenly aware of the sophistication of the Class of 2016, I’m confident you are aware of the issues I am raising; America is riding out The Great Recession, Europe is apparently about to return to the Dark Ages and adopt the venison-leg as currency, there is no ice for the polar bears… I could go on. But I won’t.

Today is an occasion to pause and reflect on where you are in life, and to focus on the positives. We celebrate one another’s strengths and accomplishments, not so we can sit back and grow complacent, dully patting one another on the back, but instead, to encourage ever more accomplishment. We highlight the success you have had because success breeds success.

So you won’t hear me giving a tough love, get real address. One thing I do know is, the middle school years

The Class of 2016

are tough. And they are real. When looking back at childhood, many cite these years as the toughest. And that’s what makes this day special. You’ve made it!

Tackling Middle School is an exercise in perseverance. Our teachers demand the best out of you and want to push you to grow. Think about how you responded to this challenge. Did you grit it out? If there is one wish I have for each of you, it is that you will continue to develop your ability to persevere, to summon the courage in the face of that which is daunting. It is

the common element in much of what we aspire to here.

I believe each and every one of you has what it takes to be successful in the Upper School and beyond.

Does that mean it will be easy? Can you rest on your laurels? Absolutely not. But you have come so far as individuals and as a class. You work well together, you support one another, you are interested and interesting.

I congratulate you for all of your accomplishments, I thank you for all you’ve done.

Books Given to Eighth Graders at Continuation Ceremony Sofia Delirium, by Lauren Oliver Anna Zombies vs. Unicorns, compiled by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier Matthew Tales from Earthsea,

by Ursula K. LeGuin Mimy In the Time of the Butterflies,

by Julia Alvarez Phoebe The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay,

by Michael Chabon

Grace Watership Down,

by Richard Adams

Inaayat The Lock Artist,

by Steve Hamilton

Heather The Shape of a Girl/Jewel,

by Joan MacLeod

Lillian The Poisonwood Bible,

by Barbara Kingsolver

Max 365 galletas/ 365 Cookies: Desearas probarlas todas!/ You’ll Want to Taste Them All! (Spanish Edition),

by Carlota Manez

Allison Tail Talk: Understanding Secret Language,

by Sophie Collins

Zale How Not to Write a Novel,

by Howard Mittelmark Sean Ice Claw, by David Gilman

Emma They Cage the Animals at Night,

by Jennings Michael Burch Kaylee The Power of One,

by Bryce Courtenay

Fisher The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains,

by Nicholas Carr Teis Cat’s Cradle,

by Kurt Vonnegut Thomas How to Survive Anything, Anywhere: A Handbook of Survival Skills for Every Scenario and Environment,

by Chris McNabb Ellie The Maltese Falcon,

by Dashiell Hammett

INSPIRE Fall 2012

19

Welcome to the Upper School

By Bart Gummere, Upper School Head

Eighth-grade class of 2012, and the future EPS graduating class of 2016: my few words today serve as an official welcome to the Upper School.

Never has the term welcome been more appropriate in this context. This class will enroll the highest number of rising ninth graders … ever. Don’t get too excited, we’re a young school and records are made to be broken. Still, your record numbers, combined with

an extremely strong mix of newly enrolling students will also make you the largest ninth grade ever.

By definition, you will be a force in the Upper School from the start.

My previous association with some of you allows me to know that would be the case regardless of numbers. You possess a great amount of talent and personality. I truly look forward to what you can add, individually and collectively, to our Upper School.

Eighth grade girls strike a pose.

To put you in the best position to excel once there, I want to share some translation with you. The teachers in the Upper School care just as much.

Often, though, they express the same thoughts in a slightly different manner. For instance, after a rough science test on which you didn’t do so well, Ms. Dodd might say, “Don’t

worry, you’re a great student and a heck of a good person. I’m sure you’ll do better next time.” Know that Mr. Waltzer means the same thing when he says, “Get over it. There’s another test next week.” English teachers will continue to give strong feedback on your papers. While Ms. Luhrs might say, “Thanks for putting such effort into this essay. You use evidence and support your ideas well.” Dr. Olsen means the exact same thing when she comments, “The nucleus of your postulate dexterously deconstructs the metaphysics of identity in American culture. But the exposition following that predication treats only the quotidian aspects of that topic in a pre-interpretive manner, and neglects the significance of American subjectivity within the context of historical positionality.”

In all seriousness, all of us really are excited to have you join the Upper School. We look forward to helping you interpret the experience however necessary. 

Books Given to Eighth Graders... continued Chase The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,

by Mark Haddon

Qais Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling Off Your Shorts,

by Troy Lanier

Noah The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer,

by David Goldblatt

Jonny The Maze Runner,

by James Dashner

Sophia A Prayer for Owen Meany,

by John Irving

Shirahn The Legend of Pradeep Mathew,

by Shehan Karunatilaka

Jacob Slaughterhouse Five,

by Kurt Vonnegut

Leila Swamplandia!,

by Karen Russell

20

Sky Legend, by Maire Lu Maya The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley Fina State of Wonder,

by Anne Patchett Akshat The Maze Runner,

by James Dashner Madison Girl of the Limberlost,

by Gene Stratton Porter

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

Miranda Manga Shakespeare: The Tempest, by William Shakespeare (author) and Paul Duffield (illustrator) Julia The Calligrapher’s Daughter,

by Eugenia Kim Keland On the Devil’s Court,

by Carl Deuker Claire The Fault in Our Stars,

by John Green

Reflections:

A Look Back at Ten Years of Growth

Founding Board members Janet Levinger, Maureen O’Hara and Patricia Friel with Dr. Macaluso

By Janet Levinger with Patricia Friel and Maureen O’Hara

S

o what is a memory?

Maureen O’Hara, Patricia Friel, and I sat down to talk about our memories of starting Eastside Prep.

Some memories were snapshots, moments remembered because of their significance: our first openhouse held at a hotel, the ribboncutting ceremony on our first day of school, the books presented at our first continuation ceremony, our first graduation. Some memories were

snapshots of humorous moments: painting shelves and removing gum from used furniture, answering the same questions at open houses over and over, kids playing in the parking lot.

Some memories were a proud recognition of things we did right or well. Our earliest vision was to create a school that offered a new approach to education: one built on research on how people learn; one that valued each student’s strengths; one focused on thinking, communication, leadership, and citizenship. We wanted a

T

en years ago George W. Bush was president, folks from Enron were in big trouble and the No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law. Also in that year, a small group of dedicated individuals acted on their idea to create a school unlike any other on the Eastside. In looking back over those ten years, it seems appropriate to take some time to reflect on the decisions that impacted EPS and the special memories created in that time. Below are reflections from some of our community members. Patricia Friel, Janet Levinger and Maureen O’Hara are all founding Board members as well as parents of current students or alumni.

These three reveal the opportunities and ideals that were instrumental in the creation of Eastside Prep. Karen Mills reflects on what it was like to be an original employee at a brand new school. William Poole, Eastside Prep’s first officially enrolled student, shares memories of his time at EPS. And finally, Terry Macaluso, PhD, reflects on education and culture.

school that reflected the “real world.”

Life is interdisciplinary and handson, so we wanted a school that was as well. Patricia brought some of our earliest marketing and planning documents to help us reflect. We chuckled at our original logo and smiled at the pictures of the students who had changed so much in ten years. We comprehended that we had accomplished what we set out to do.

More importantly, we reflected on the impact this type of education had on our students. We saw them going off to top colleges and universities, fully prepared. We saw them confidently speaking in front of large audiences.

We saw them advocating for themselves. We saw inspired students INSPIRE Fall 2012

21

getting faculty advisors to support their ideas. We saw them showing true empathy for others and for our environment. We saw them conscientiously helping to shape the school that is Eastside Prep.

Some memories were of deliberations when making important decisions. What should our pedagogy be like? What type of student do we want? What type of teachers do we want? How fast should we grow? How much should we invest in professional days for teachers? How much should we invest in financial aid? How do we acquire buildings? How do we attract more girls? How do we build a community? How do we make sure our assessments match our mission? The list goes on and on. But we saw that the board, the faculty, and the staff approached each of these big decisions responsibly and with open minds.

Some of our memories were of others: We praised our amazing teachers who take so much time with the kids and who work together to create an inspirational experience. We recognized how much we needed the staff members who keep the school running. We talked about the parents who believed in our vision and trusted their children to us. And parents who also stepped up over and over to really build a community. We laughed about the day we tried to raise money for our first bus and raised enough to get two buses. We joked about Terry Macaluso’s choice of only black for her wardrobe. But we also realized that we would not have been successful without her strong leadership and vision and we acknowledged how much we all enjoyed working with her.

As we reflected on the past decade, we understood how many different people were part of this effort, essential to its success. And in the end, we were mostly profoundly grateful that all of those individuals were along for the ride.

22

By Karen Mills, EPS Librarian

T

en years ago, I was living in Seattle and finishing my master’s degree in Library and Information Science. I was hoping to find a job locally as a librarian working with kids. I was planning my wedding. I was thinking about finally committing to getting a dog.

I was consumed with these pursuits.

They felt like big and important pursuits and, as a recentlygraduated twenty-something, they were.

Then in January of 2003 I got a call from the founding head of school at Eastside Preparatory School. She was a former colleague, and had been recruited to write curriculum for and then head up this new school that a dedicated, energetic group of parents on the Eastside was starting. My job would be organizing paperwork and making phone calls, which did not fit exactly with my plans but would help pay some bills. Oh, and she told me that I could start the school’s library.

Start a library? Can one do that? How does one do that? I was intrigued, to say the least, and overwhelmed by the possibilities. And then I realized that I was not being asked to start just a library; I could help start a whole school. That was bigger than anything I had imagined, bigger than any one of the traditional pursuits on my to-do list.

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

The first months were a blur of recruiting the school’s first teachers and students, arranging organizational systems, finding and setting up a physical location for the school, writing curriculum, designing the logo and printing stationery, buying furniture, cultivating potential donors … there were many, weighty tasks and only a few folks to tend to them. We all wore many hats and contributed our individual talents as we could.

By September 2003, we opened our doors for the first day of school.

There were four teachers, a business officer, a head of school, an administrative assistant, and a small board of trustees. There were seventeen Middle School students. There was even an old green giant-of-a-shelf holding the first library books.

We had done it. We had started a school.

Ten years later, I realize that we had actually done more than start just a school. We had created a community. A community in which we collaborate and use everyone’s ideas. A community in which we challenge each other to be thoughtful, creative, innovative, and responsible. A community in which we dedicate ourselves to learning about each other and about the world around us.

Ten years later, my original, twenty-something to-do list is complete, with one notable difference.

My librarian “job” is more than just a job: it is part of who I am.

William (‘09) with his mother, founding Trustee Janet Levinger and sister Sarah at her graduation from EPS in June, 2012.

By William Poole, EPS Class of 2009, Brown University Class of 2013

O

n our first field trip freshman year of high school – a class community-building retreat – my entire class fit in one van. It was the largest class I had had since being the first student to enroll in EPS in the seventh grade. When we stopped to get lunch, everyone poured out of the bus. Except me. I tried to unbuckle my seatbelt, but the button didn’t work. It was jammed. To make matters more constrictive, it locked as if the brakes were on and accidentally kept me from my lunch. The more I wiggled trying to get free, the tighter it held me in. Thankfully, the seatbelt was wrapped tightly enough around my stomach that I ceased to regret missing lunch. I eventually escaped, though I can’t remember how – but I do remember a teacher looking for a screwdriver to take the whole seat apart.

In some ways, my experience as a member of the first graduating class was a bit like that field trip. There was no escape; the teachers were helpful and inventive, and I always skipped

lunch. Imagine ten students and as many faculty frequently sharing the same lounge. Yet, within this lack of anonymity, my classmates and teachers came close to being like family. We all knew each other extremely well and together we created a communal home of learning – Eastside Prep. Like a family, EPS was by no means democratic. But, we students knew how to make our desires known (mainly by complaining loudly and often to everyone) and unlike at many schools, the administration and faculty actually listened to us and often took our advice seriously. This was significant — that my opinions (and objections to some new curricula inevitable at a new school) would help shape the school for years to come.

As the first class (sometimes referred to as the “guinea pig class”), we were conscious of the traditions we set. We were the first to do eighthgrade projects, interviewing people in downtown Seattle about what it meant to be human. We were the first to make instruments in ninth-grade physics. We were the first to have senior skip day and a senior prank.

Driven by the desire to go out to

lunch, I started the student government and got seniors off-campus permission – a right retained to this day along with the tradition of a student government.

Although I left for college three years ago, this past June I attended my sister’s graduation from EPS. I was surprised that the Class of 2012, their families and friends, and the EPS faculty still all fit in the Kirkland Performance Center. My sister’s class had always seemed huge compared to my graduating class of 11 students. I was struck by the fact that although EPS has grown since I was there and for the first time a majority of the faces were not familiar to me, it is still a small and new school. I expect that a school like Eastside Prep has a lot of growth and change in its future. I can say as a member of the “guinea pig class” that the experiment paid off for me. I think the school is on the right track. I hope that my unique experience is not wholly unique; that EPS continues to inspire student engagement not just in academics, but in the future of the school itself.

INSPIRE Fall 2012

23

Jonny and Qais, both (‘16)

By Terry Macaluso, PhD, Head of School

A

nticipating the opportunity to think – retrospectively – about EPS has made me highly conscious of what I might call the “meta-memories” of what has become the most meaningful and valued time of my professional life.

I tried to talk them out of it.

I told them they were insane to take on a project of this magnitude – at the dawn of a new century – and a post 9/11 century at that. Undaunted – they prevailed – and they did laugh at my signature fashion style (it worked for Katherine Hepburn), but mostly the founding families that made EPS a reality gave every bit of time, energy and idealism they could muster.

They took the school through some rough patches early on – but reflecting on those now – they were all non-events! Time creates perspective.

What lingers from me (that metamemory I mentioned above) – in addition to some visual scenes forever imprinted on my psyche – is an appreciation for what education truly is. Education is a kind of simplicity that can only be understood after one has experienced its complexity. A Zen saying conveys it best: “Before Enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.

Sophia and Maya, both (‘16)

After Enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”

True – we had to buy things and write curriculum. We had to hire teachers, and establish policies. We had to think about safety and about encouraging risk – both at the same time. But those component features that we usually think of as “education” are just the mechanics.

Education takes place in a culture – not in a classroom. All those hours

“A very wise old teacher once said: ‘I consider a day’s teaching wasted if we do not all have one hearty laugh.’ He meant that when people laugh together, they cease to be young and old, master and pupils, jailer and prisoners. They become a single group of human beings enjoying its existence.”

– Gilbert Highet in the classroom contribute to the school’s culture, but there are so many other ingredients. Most importantly – the way we treat one another is the essence of an organization’s culture. In that simple concept – how we behave toward one another – is the solution to every problem we have in education in America.

Every day I think about the quality of life among the adult colleagues at EPS. Every day I’m stunned at the level of regard and respect each shows the other – without categorization according to job description, without judgment, and without the tainted notion that success is a scarce commodity – available to only some.

In schools we often speak of legacy – the idea that what we’ve contributed to a community stands as a reminder of who we were and what we cared about. The collective legacy of the EPS faculty and staff is that we have demonstrated what’s possible – in a single decade – when adults trust each other, wish for one another’s success, and genuinely care for one another.

It’s possible to be happy – and to engage in serious academic work.

We’re doing it. 

& NOW

2011-12

Eastside Preparatory School has grown.

In the 2011-12 school year EPS was 242 students and 59 employees strong.

INSPIRE Fall 2012 25 26

Over 100 students enrolled

Added second floor of the Upper School

2005-2006 Added tenth grade

2004-2005 First Continuation ceremony

Increased to 45 students (tripled enrollment)

Added second floor to first building

2003-2004 Added eighth grade

April 29, 2003 – EPS finds a home. Board approved signing three-year lease of first building at Linbrook Business Park

2002-2003 August 6, 2002 – Board motion taken to hire Terry Macaluso

June 25, 2002 – Board resolution to open school in fall of 2003

Then,

Private investment group ELG bought ten buildings for EPS

Hurricane Katrina relief

First time for organized sports, joined Cascade League

College planning program launched

Upper School opened with 13 students in ninth grade

Increased to three buildings (Upper School, Middle School, cafeteria/fitness center)

100% retention of faculty and students going in to 2004-2005 school year

First play performance – 1776

Opened with seven employees and 17 students in grades six & seven

September 2, 2003 – first day of school

Ten Years and Counting

Eastside Preparatory School opened with seven employees and 17 students in grades six and seven.

May 17, 2002 – Articles of Incorporation filed with the Washington Secretary of State

2003-04

2006-2007 2007-2

& NOW

2011-12

Eastside Preparatory School has grown.

In the 2011-12 school year EPS was 242 students and 59 employees strong.

INSPIRE Fall 2012 25 26

Over 100 students enrolled

Added second floor of the Upper School

2005-2006 Added tenth grade

2004-2005 First Continuation ceremony

Increased to 45 students (tripled enrollment)

Added second floor to first building

2003-2004 Added eighth grade

April 29, 2003 – EPS finds a home. Board approved signing three-year lease of first building at Linbrook Business Park

2002-2003 August 6, 2002 – Board motion taken to hire Terry Macaluso

June 25, 2002 – Board resolution to open school in fall of 2003

Then,

Private investment group ELG bought ten buildings for EPS

Hurricane Katrina relief

First time for organized sports, joined Cascade League

College planning program launched

Upper School opened with 13 students in ninth grade

Increased to three buildings (Upper School, Middle School, cafeteria/fitness center)

100% retention of faculty and students going in to 2004-2005 school year

First play performance – 1776

Opened with seven employees and 17 students in grades six & seven

September 2, 2003 – first day of school

Ten Years and Counting

Eastside Preparatory School opened with seven employees and 17 students in grades six and seven.

May 17, 2002 – Articles of Incorporation filed with the Washington Secretary of State

2003-04

2006-2007 2007-2

Levinger-Poole Commons opens

Over 270 students enrolled

2011-2012 Join Emerald City Athletics League

2010-2011

Tenth Anniversary Year

National Merit Award winner – Catherine (Marcie) Bain

First TEDxEastsidePrep

Japan relief effort raised $25,000

2009-2010

Over 200 students enrolled

2008-2009

First graduating class

National Merit Award winner – Paul Strong

Increased to seven buildings

Added twelfth grade

Added fifth grade

7-2008 National Merit Award Winner — Amelia Durham

Largest eighth grade class to date

Commons under construction

Expanded to all ten buildings (LC and AD added)

Sent athletics teams to State Championships

Earned PNAIS accreditation

Sport court opened

Black Box Theatre opened

Counseling program formally began

First choral concerts

Increased to four buildings

Added eleventh grade

Class of

2009

Class of

2010

27 28

A Look Back at Four Years of Graduating Classes Class of 2011

2012-2013

Class of 2012

The Friel Learning Center was dedicated to Patricia Friel in honor of her many contributions to Eastside Prep as founding Board member, faculty member and parent to a current EPS student.

Patricia is pictured with her son Andrew and daughter Diane (‘13).

A Celebration of a Successful First Decade

2003-2013

Honorees Janet Levinger, Will Poole, Maureen & Bob O’Hara and Patricia Friel cut the ribbon on the new LevingerPoole Commons.

E

astside Prep kicked off its 10 th year with a commemoration worthy of that milestone.

Current families and alumni and their families were invited to the festivities on the first day of school. Guest were treated to a ribbon cutting for the new LevingerPoole Commons, a ceremony that included the dedication of four different areas of the school and then cake and cider to celebrate ten years of growth at EPS.

With “gratitude for a decade of support,” the Levinger-Poole Commons was dedicated to Janet Levinger and Will Poole.

The largest crowd ever to gather in an Eastside Prep building was on hand to celebrate.

Patricia Friel, Janet Levinger and Maureen O’Hara cut the 10th anniversary cake.

O’Hara Hall was dedicated to Bob and Maureen O’Hara for their “countless acts of generosity and support.”

Maureen and Bob are pictured with their son Michael.

Mitch Fade Court was dedicated to the Fade family in appreciation for their “encouragement, leadership and generous support.”

Dr. Macaluso addresses the crowd as Janet Levinger looks on.

Levinger-Poole Commons opens

Over 270 students enrolled

2011-2012 Join Emerald City Athletics League

2010-2011

Tenth Anniversary Year

National Merit Award winner – Catherine (Marcie) Bain

First TEDxEastsidePrep

Japan relief effort raised $25,000

2009-2010

Over 200 students enrolled

2008-2009

First graduating class

National Merit Award winner – Paul Strong

Increased to seven buildings

Added twelfth grade

Added fifth grade

7-2008 National Merit Award Winner — Amelia Durham

Largest eighth grade class to date

Commons under construction

Expanded to all ten buildings (LC and AD added)

Sent athletics teams to State Championships

Earned PNAIS accreditation

Sport court opened

Black Box Theatre opened

Counseling program formally began

First choral concerts

Increased to four buildings

Added eleventh grade

Class of

2009

Class of

2010

27 28

A Look Back at Four Years of Graduating Classes Class of 2011

2012-2013

Class of 2012

Jeanine Reina, Sarah Krawczak, and Sophia Lynch

Nick Demmert, Peter Lewis, Cameron Greenberg, Alex Copeland and Eve Wuthrich

By Bart Gummere, Upper School Head

O

n Friday, June 15, 2012 Eastside Preparatory School held its fourth commencement. Twentyone seniors received their diplomas that day, bringing our total number of alumni to sixty-two. To commemorate that special day, here are photos, excerpts from speeches, and winners of our Senior Awards.

Rob Short, Board Vice President on behalf of Byron Bishop, Board President Each graduation is special. Besides the twenty-one individual reasons, a special distinction of this class is that it marks the closing of a frontier. This is the last class of pioneers to start their Upper School trek before anyone had graduated from EPS. So, thank you parents and families for your faith in the school and in sharing this wonderful bunch of scholars with us.

Of course the journey would not have been possible without our faculty and staff; their passion, their expertise, and their plain old sweat and dedication every day. Whether it be by finding opportunities outside the classroom to expand students’ horizons or patiently working through a fourth draft of a paper, they always go above and beyond.

Celebrating our Seniors And last, but not least, the graduating class. While there were many steps you had to take on your own, there were just as many times that you helped each other cross some difficult terrain. You have helped each other with trigonometry, encouraged and coached each other on the volleyball court and at crew regattas, or worked together as you prepared for musical and stage performances. So thank you class of 2012 for all you have done to get yourself, and each other, here today.

Bart Gummere, Upper School Head This class is many things. You’ve been hugely significant in fueling the rise of Eastside Prep’s sports teams, theatre productions and our instrumental music program. You pushed the senior projects to new breadths and heights. You participated in

the largest, most raucous Apples to Apples game I’ve ever witnessed.

Too often we are led to think that forging good relationships is easy… that those relationships come without challenge. You’ve gotten to this point by keeping your mind and hearts open to the school and to each other.

You thrive by making allowances for each other’s distinctive traits, and by celebrating each other’s strengths. All of that takes care, patience and work.

I want you to remember this. You are about to start over, and there will be many challenges ahead. There is a temptation, at times, to look back on what you’ve left and lament it as gone forever. This time, with these people in this setting has now passed.

You take from it, though, a great gift.

The ability to know what is possible among people, and what it takes to get there.

INSPIRE Fall 2012

29

Cameron Greenberg, Student Speaker

12

The Class of 20

Sarah Krawczak, Student Speaker Our time at EPS is defined by small quirks and originalities that make our school, and our class, so unique. Eastside Prep is reflected through Jeanine Reina dressed up as an old fat man, or Mr. Waltzer dressing up as a ninja and conducting an entire biology class without speaking one word. There are the moments that happen often, like Brynn Walund playing piano every afternoon in the Art Studio. And then there are the ones that are more obscure, like the time I found Alex and Cameron trying to casually cram two four-foot tall stuffed bears into Alex’s trunk, without anyone noticing. Another one of these defining moments happened on our senior class retreat.

As Mr. Delaney sat on the couch and flipped through an issue of Glamour magazine, Jia Hao and Maris worked tirelessly in the kitchen cooking.

Melody started chopping vegetables, Alex helped with the pasta sauce, and Kirsten volunteered to start doing the dishes. The rest of our class sat on the carpet of the living room, playing charades —Jemma Mercer’s famous laugh frequently rising above the other voices and echoing around the room. In that simple moment, I looked around the room and felt proud; proud of our cohesion and unity. And today my feelings remain the same—Class of 30

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”

– Henry Brooks Adams

2012, I am so proud to share this stage with you. And to our teachers who got us here through their continuous help and support, we are honored to be up here with you. In this moment, there are not enough thank-yous I can say to fully sum up how much you have impacted our lives through the energy you have invested in us and our education, and the time you have taken to truly get to know us as individuals.

We will be challenged by the future, and forced to make tough decisions. We will make mistakes, and learn the most from them. We will take all that we have learned from this community, and implement it throughout our lives. We will ask for advice, and get help from those around us. But in the end, the future is up to us, and no one can push us towards a path because it is our own to create, and make for ourselves.

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

I had to learn something new this last week, how to properly say thank you.

Thank you for making me happier than I have ever been in my life.

Thank you for being the kind of class whose laughs I can recognize through a wall.

Thank you for being the class that’s called: “One big, happy, sometimes dysfunctional family.”

Thank you for always saying hello in the morning, even when you’re dead tired.

Thank you for accepting everyone for who they deserve to be, even if you might never be close to them.

Thank you for being the only type of class ever, who would design a sweatshirt with cats, narwhals and an exploding earth.

Thank you for rarely arguing, always supporting each other, and always, always daring to dream.

Thank you for being you.

Continue to learn and love and live, because true to the cliché, this is only the beginning.

We’re the Class of 2012, the class of the end of the world. But our dreams have only just begun. Let’s take what Eastside Preparatory School has given us these past years, and dare to live.

2011-12 faculty

Terry Macaluso, PhD, Head of School The world isn’t a very friendly place right now. News reports are not encouraging. People don’t feel confident - about anything, really. Economies are confounding. The global economy really IS global - which seemed like a good idea at the time.

Attempts to paint a rosy picture are doomed from the start. Forty years ago I was sitting where you are now, and some hapless soul was trying his best to cheer everybody up standing where I am now. There were no jobs. The economy was tanking.

There was a billboard in Seattle that read, “Will the last one out of Seattle please turn off the lights?”

When I graduated from high school (having been advised by an 85-year-old home economics teacher who was THE guidance counselor, that I should go into cosmetology) and then from college - there were no teaching jobs. So I went to graduate school for five more years and earned a bunch of degrees. And all my

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

on a bulletin board seeking someone to teach philosophy to high school students at a school called Colorado Academy (it was an independent school – something I had never heard of). I got the job. And then one Tuesday morning I woke up and I was the head of the upper school at Colorado Academy - a position that had been NOWHERE on my radar.

So why am I telling you this? Resilience trumps everything. Resilience is the quality that allows you to look at the world as it really is - and charge ahead anyway. Resilience is failing, and trying again because failure is just one of those things that happens on your way to something else. Resilience is being told it can’t be done just before you do it.

It doesn’t matter what’s going on “out there.” You only get one shot at a life - so take it. It’s just that you might not know what IT is until it presents itself to you. Be open when it does. 

Sarah Poole and Sarah Krawczak prepare for graduation.

Lizzie Krawczak and Jemma Mercer share a pregraduation moment while Mara Brashem looks on.

Maris Winters reflects on graduation.

– Margaret Mead degrees were in philosophy. Certainly I was headed for a life of poverty and uselessness. The guidance counselor’s suggestion had been right all along - I would have to do hair.

But then something interesting happened - something ordinary, unanticipated. I found an index card

Mr. Waltzer and Mr. Cruz congratulate graduates.

INSPIRE Fall 2012

31

Senior Award Winners Each year, four students are chosen by the faculty of Eastside Prep for special recognition for the work they have done throughout their time at EPS. The four points of our mission statement — Think Critically, Act Responsibly, Lead Compassionately, Innovate Wisely — serve as inspiration for our four annual awards to seniors.

The Critical Thinking Award is presented to the member of the graduating class whose keen appreciation for ideas and willingness to promote intellectual discussion enlivens our classrooms and hallways on a daily basis. The 2012 Critical Thinker is Cameron Greenberg.

The Responsible Action Award is presented to the member of the graduating class who in both quiet, unseen actions and courageous public moments demonstrates a consistent, sincere regard for the community. The 2012 Responsible Action Award goes to Sarah Krawczak.

The Compassionate Leadership Award is presented to the member of the graduating class whose actions consistently reflect the importance of personal responsibility and compassion for others, setting an example for all to follow. The 2012 Compassionate Leader is Brynn Walund.

The Wise Innovation Award is presented to the member of the graduating class whose creativity, curiosity and contributions illuminate new possibilities and inspire others to similar exploration. The 2012 Wise Innovation Award recipient is Maris Winters.

32

*Attending American University Arizona State University* Austin College Bard College Barnard College Beloit College Boston University Brown University* Bryant University California Lutheran University California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo* California State, Dominguez Hills Carnegie Mellon University Carroll College* Cascadia Community College* Cazenovia College* Central Washington University

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

Champlain College* Chapman University* Colby College Colgate University* College of the Atlantic Colorado College* Colorado School of Mines* Columbia University* Connecticut College Cornell College Cornell University* DePaul University DePauw University Denison University Dickinson College* DigiPen Institute of Technology* Drew University Earlham College

EPS College Bound 2009-2012 Acceptances and Matriculations

Eckerd College Emory University* Evergreen State University* Franklin & Marshall College* George Fox University Georgia Tech Gettysburg College Gonzaga University Goucher College Hamilton College Hamline University Hampshire College Hawaii Pacific University Hiram College Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hofstra University Idaho State University Illinois Wesleyan University*

Jacksonville University James Madison University Knox College Lake Forest College Lawrence University Lehigh University Lewis & Clark College* Linfield College* Massachusetts Institute of Technology* Montana State University Muhlenberg College Nebraska Wesleyan University Northeastern University* Northern Arizona University Northwestern University Oberlin College* Occidental College Oregon Institute of Technology

Pacific Lutheran University* Pacific Union College Pacific University Philadelphia University Pitzer College* Polytechnic Institute of NYU Portland State University Quest University* Reed College* Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rochester Institute of Technology Roger Williams University Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology San Jose State University Santa Clara University* Santa Fe University of Art and Design Sarah Lawrence College Seattle Pacific University Skidmore College Southern Methodist University St. Lawrence University* St. Louis University* Seattle University The Evergreen State College The College of Idaho The College of Wooster* Pennsylvania State University* Trinity College Trinity University Tufts University Union College University of British Columbia*

University of Denver* University of Great Falls University of Hartford University of Hawaii* University of Idaho University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Massachusetts Amherst* University of Montana University of Miami (FL) University of Oregon* University of the Pacific University of Puget Sound University of Portland University of Redlands* University of Rochester University of San Diego University of San Francisco University of Tampa University of Texas, Austin* University of Victoria University of Washington* University of Washington-Bothell* Ursinus College Wake Forest University Walla Walla University Washington State University Wesleyan University Western Oregon University Western Washington University* Westminster College Wheaton College (IL) Wheaton College (MA)* Whitman College* Whitworth University Willamette University* Worcester Polytechnic Institute

View a map at: http://goo.gl/maps/Domh INSPIRE Fall 2012

33

Alum Profile:

A School Just Like Eastside Prep?

By Rachael Decker, EPS Class of 2011, Willamette University Class of 2015

S

ince I started the tedious process of searching for the perfect college, I only really wanted one thing. As I immediately let Mr. Gummere and Ms. Formo know in my college counseling sessions, I wanted “a school just like Eastside Prep.” They were flattered, but laughed it off. I don’t think they realized how serious I actually was.

Let me tell you something that I learned this year, college-seeking Eastside Prep students: finding a school just like Eastside Prep is completely impossible.

Your first week at college will be a cacophony of new roommate introductions (your roommate will like watching horror movies until well past midnight, and you will not). It will be a flurry of choir auditions, and theatre auditions, and maybe even sports tryouts, if you happen to be more athletically blessed than I. You will begin your introductory freshman class and be overwhelmed by the fact that somehow, your professor with the weird name that you still can’t pronounce thinks that you have the ability to read one-hundred pages of The Odyssey in just one night. You will try, and you will fall asleep in the library, your nose buried somewhere between pages twenty-five and twenty-six and your mind somewhere else entirely.

When you are overwhelmed and tired, when you aren’t getting along with your roommate as well as you had hoped, when you don’t get into the choirs or plays or sports teams that you wanted, you will feel dejected. This was supposed to be your time 34

to finally be independent, but you will feel like there is a giant weight holding you down (and, between the fortypound backpack filled with textbooks and the buffet-style cafeteria food, there probably is). Your mom will call every day and ask how school is going. You will lie to her and tell her that everything is fine. When you finally tell her the truth, she’ll reassure you that everything will be okay. It will be, but you won’t know that yet.

Finally, when you’ve almost reached your breaking point and you just want to go back home or at least get a full night’s sleep, you will remember something important that

“I’ve learned that it’s impossible to find a school exactly like Eastside Prep …” you have left behind, which is how much you are capable of. You will work harder. You will keep auditioning. You will refuse to give up, because Eastside Prep has never just handed you success on a silver platter. It has helped you learn that you have the ability and the capacity to be whoever you want, as long as you try hard enough.

Can all of you college-seeking Eastside Prep students take a moment to look over at your tablet PC and think about all of that homework that you have to do before tomorrow? Take a minute. I know you have a lot that’s expected of you, because I did, too.

But, you know what? One day, when you’re in that introductory freshman

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

class, being forced to read one hundred pages of The Odyssey each night, you will remember all of that homework and all of those papers (and let’s not forget final exams!), and you will be thankful, because you will be the only student who cares enough to wake up at six-o-clock in the morning just to finish that one-hundred page reading assignment before class.

I’ve learned that it’s impossible to find a school exactly like Eastside Prep because no other school is exactly like Eastside Prep. You can get close, though. I found a school with small class sizes, caring and attentive professors, a vibrant campus community, and so many different types of people and learning styles that stepping on campus is like stepping into an entirely different culture. I have tried my hardest. I have gotten rejected from some of the things I wanted to do the most. But, I have also succeeded at other things, and been a part of things that I never would have imagined were possible. I don’t plan on giving up anytime soon.

So, when it’s time for you to choose where you want to go to college, you will try to look for another Eastside Prep. I could tell you not to, but if you love that place as much as I do, you’re going to experience the same difficulty letting go. Hold on for now, but eventually, you will have to let go. Soon, you will realize that you don’t need to look for Eastside Prep, because the experiences you had, the hard work you accomplished, and the meaningful relationships you formed will stay with you for college and for the rest of your life. 

Alum Notes

Alumni pose for the camera at graduation.

W

e love hearing what our alumni have been up to lately. Here are some updates:

Laura Cimolino (‘11) I am currently attending Linfield College in Oregon where my intended major is biology. This last year during my freshman year I surrounded myself with dance in any way I could.

I took a modern dance class in the fall and in the spring I performed in two dances for a showcase. However, this fall I am teaming up with another student to petition to initiate a dance minor in order to hopefully create the dance atmosphere that I want so badly. This last summer I danced and hung out with friends and looked forward to an early return to school so that I can play volleyball.

Catherine Gilbert (‘11) I am happily at Wheaton College in Massachusetts and plan to major in

Neuroscience with a pre-med track, and minor in English. At school, I enjoy being a part of the Wheaton Chorale and am co-captain of Wheaton ballroom dance team. I volunteer at a local church there and sing in their choir as well. My big trip this last summer was to Ghana with Northwest Vision. This was our second visit to that area and this trip had a teaching focus, with lectures for doctors about cataract and refractive surgery. The group also donated time to complete transplants and surgeries as well as ocular implants and other surgical supplies. My role was to help make local connections with clinics, hospitals, and doctors to see how our group could best work for them. I also assisted the surgery team. For more information about the trip check out: www.facebook.com/Sight.for.Ghana.

When I was home in Bellevue, I was

working at Northwest Vision as an ophthalmic technician, doing preliminary exams before the patients met with the ophthalmologist.

Victoria Silver (‘11) I am attending Western Washington University with an anthropology major and a sociology minor. I look forward to returning to school and to participating in a Sociology of Deviant Behavior class. This last summer I worked as a camp counselor at Stroum Jewish Community School and I went to Israel for two weeks.

When not at school or work, I’ve been working on building a portfolio and plan to start working as a professional photographer. 

INSPIRE Fall 2012

35

Visiting Thinker

Sherman Alexie

By Paul Hagen, Historical Thinking

I

t is always thrilling to have a Visiting Thinker on campus, more so when he is a Northwest icon and internationally-celebrated author like Sherman Alexie. Mr. Alexie has written twenty-two books of poetry, short stories, and fiction, and is considered one of the “major lyrical voices of our time” (The New York Times Book Review). He has won numerous accolades and awards, including the National Book Award for his poignant, hilarious, and controversial portrayal of life on the Spokane Indian Reservation in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Alexie’s books play a significant role in Eastside Prep’s curriculum, so his visit was a particularly special treat for many students who have studied his work. In Historical Thinking 2, students read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian as they study

the Pacific Northwest. The book’s often challenging material is skillfully taught by Eric Claesson who takes a thoughtful and thorough approach as he gently guides students through the tricky issues of alcoholism, poverty, abuse, and teenage angst. A favorite amongst students, this coming of age story has become a rite of passage in itself within the seventh grade program. Not to be left out, the eleventh graders in the American Literature class have the opportunity to study Alexie’s work as they tackle the acclaimed and truly American collection of short stories and poems The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.

On May 29, 2012 Sherman Alexie began his day at EPS with the seventh graders who eagerly asked questions about everything from basketball to racism. This led to a fascinating discussion about the connections between life experiences and writing – the fine line between fact and fiction. Alexie then enjoyed a rousing lunch with faculty, where conversation ranged from the serious (gun violence, inequity in education, etc.) to the silly (awkward moments at

Mr. Alexie engages seventh graders.

school dances, hair styles of the 1970s, etc.). In the Upper School, Alexie participated in a number of English classes including Dr. Elena Olsen’s Advanced Creative Writing class. In that class, students had a captivating conversation about varying poetic structures and the art of writing short stories. Alexie advised our promising young writers to read a thousand pages for every one page they write.

The highlight of Alexie’s visit, however, was the seventh through twelfth-grade assembly, which was riveting, humorous, and deeply thought-provoking. Alexie recounted his childhood - candidly discussing the effects of poverty, racism, and alcoholism - with wit and comedic timing. He recalled his own physical disabilities and his journey to overcome them, and reminded students that everyone is faced with challenges and that we’re all a little different. He argued that in our differences can be found all the beauty and potential of humanity and that we should celebrate our oddities and our uncensored selves. Alexie then reminded students not to fear ideas. Question them, yes.

Debate them, absolutely. But never recoil from them in fear. Education, after all, is about the exchange of fresh ideas. And ideas should not be restrained, or censored, or suppressed.

A valuable lesson for us all. 

Alice Strong

Awardees

By Wendy Lawrence, Founding Faculty and former Middle School Head

E

astside Prep honors Vandana Chalana, Anne Corley, and Alice Ryan with this year’s Alice Strong Award. This award is presented annually to outstanding volunteers in our community and is named after one of EPS’s founding trustees. The dedication of these three individuals not only directly improves our school community, it demonstrates for our students just exactly how much some hard work and generosity can do.

Vandana Chalana, an Eastside Prep board member, has two children at the school, a tenth grade son and a daughter who started in the sixth grade last year. Vandana brings a wealth of business, entrepreneur, and volunteer experience with her to the school, having launched her own startup company, Winshuttle, in 2003, with her husband and brother.

She’s a longtime volunteer in many educational organizations and she was excited to join EPS. “The welcoming nature of this community drew me in. Wherever you turn there’s so much positivity and commitment among staff, teachers, and parents.

How could you not be part of such a circle?” When she gets any spare time, she enjoys reading, baking, volunteering, doing yoga, biking, and hiking.

Award-winning volunteers Alice Ryan, Anne Corley and Vandana Chalana

Anne Corley has been with EPS since her son John became a fifth grader in 2009. As Parent Association Past President, Anne is a natural volunteer. “Being involved is a great way to get to know others and to feel part of the community. If everyone does a little bit, a lot can get accomplished.”

Anne has been instrumental in helping parents connect into the Eastside Prep community, with events such as the popular parent coffees. “It became clear to us that parents in the EPS community enjoy one another and want opportunities to get together.”

Talking about the upcoming anniversary, Anne hopes that even as the school ages, it “maintains that feeling of being fresh, flexible, and fun.”

Anne is a passionate rower. She’s also the president of the board of the Sammamish Rowing Association and working on a capital campaign for a new boathouse. “If I spent as many hours on the water as I spend volunteering, I’d probably be a world-class rower. Instead, I’ll have to console myself with being a world-class volunteer.”

Alice Ryan’s passion for being involved is rooted in her family history. “Before living in a democratic country, I lived in the Philippines during the tyrannical reign of Ferdinand Marcos.” She was always watching the example her hard-working father set.

“He preached and practiced the value

of a democracy because democracy is not just about the freedom to vote, it’s about full, intentional, and conscious engagement in society. It’s active participation, and it’s our responsibility as individuals to be of service and my responsibility to model that for my children.” Alice’s son Noah began fifth grade at EPS in 2009 and she started work with the Parent Association as the Vice President of Staff Appreciation in 2010. She’s enjoyed watching his class grow and mature. For the school’s 10th anniversary, she hopes we celebrate the “process.” She loves that “the school respects that dynamic relationship between internal guiding principles and the ever-changing external world!”

A social worker, Alice works with bereaved families at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Alice and her family enjoy good food and lots of jokes. “Exploring spirituality and being a service to others is not a spare time activity but more of a calling to integrate more fully into our lives.”

And in case all of that doesn’t inspire you to start signing up for some volunteer work, consider one more thing Alice says. “It’s the knowing that you are part of a great whole that can give you true meaning in life.”

EPS is a “great whole” precisely because of great individuals like this year’s Alice Strong winners. Thank you!  INSPIRE Fall 2012

37

Back Row: Allison Luhrs, Laurie Benaloh, Elin Kuffner and Lauren Formo Front Row: Patricia Friel, Matt Delaney and Patricia Ferreyra

5-Year Service Awardees

By Wendy Lawrence, Founding Faculty and former Middle School Head

E

ach year the number of long term employees of Eastside Prep grows. Seven members of our community celebrated their fifth anniversary as EPS employees during the last school year.

Laurie Benaloh, PhD, Middle School Mathematical Thinking

Laurie Benaloh started volunteering in schools as soon as her oldest was in kindergarten. “I was so excited to have a reason to be in school!” Two years after her daughter started at Eastside Prep (and the same year her son entered EPS), Benaloh applied to teach math.

She has been an important part of 38

the math department’s growth and development ever since, helping to craft curriculum and taking the lead on the placement process.

“My favorite thing is seeing the excitement on the students’ faces.”

Recently, one student said, “this is really fun even though I’m getting all the problems wrong!” Benaloh is quick to point out that this was the first try.

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

Matt Delaney, Academic Dean, Upper School Social Science, College Counselor Matt Delaney followed friend Adam Waltzer to EPS, which he calls “one of the best decisions in my life.” Delaney has enjoyed watching the academic program become more robust and refined. “On the whole this means more choice for students.” Delaney himself has been a big part of the changing program, having helped add seven electives and creating a unified taxonomy and vocabulary to help facilitate integration between classes. He loves being an advisor and working in a place where “thinking

trumps content.” Delaney is excited for the new Commons area of campus. “I can’t wait to be able to go sit down to have a cup of coffee and prepare for class—with the possibility for talking with students always present.”

Patricia Ferreyra, Middle School and Upper School Spanish Language Patricia Ferreyra found EPS through Adam Waltzer, a mutual friend of a colleague. She was looking for more professional growth and can say without a doubt that she found it. “There is a lot of goodwill and positive energy here to generate and engage in new projects.”

Patricia is most excited about the Study Abroad program she is working on. She is also excited to work on curricular development with her colleagues to better address a wide range of learning styles. Patricia loves that her job allows her to be creative and improve every day.

Lauren Formo, Director of Admissions, College Counselor In five years, Lauren Formo has watched the enrollment at EPS grow 150%. Her office has moved four times as the school has added six new buildings and seven new sports teams, one of which (volleyball) she started herself. Moving from Assistant to Associate to Director of Admissions, Formo has overhauled the admissions data process, revamped visit days, communication plans and marketing efforts, and spearheaded the student ambassador program. She’s even taken to physically beautifying the campus with paint and framed photos. She’s also a college counselor and looks forward to following the careers of our graduates. “I love that I am part of a school that is building something,

and I love the people that it attracts.

My relationships with all of those people make me happy to come to work each day.”

Patricia Friel, Middle School and Upper School Math, Founding Board Member, EPS Parent Patricia Friel is an Eastside Prep original, attending one of Alice Strong’s first informational meetings and joining the Board where she served as vice president and treasurer. A few years later, she joined the faculty as a part-time math teacher, where she’s been for five years.

Friel’s influence here ranges from foundational decisions she made on the board about the location of the school and core mission, to the daily decisions she makes now as a teacher, creating hands-on lessons with necklace beading and roulette wheels. Thinking back on what has changed, she first says, “Everything!” But she is most surprised by “the things that have stayed the same. The core mission and values have remained true to the founding principles, the faculty continues to be energetic and focused on students, the integrated curriculum is based on the latest research, the administration remains efficient and innovative, and the community feel is positive and forward-looking.”

As to what she most looks forward to in the school’s tenth year? Her daughter’s graduation!

Elin Kuffner, Middle School, Science and PE, Ultimate Frisbee Coach Elin was introduced to Eastside Prep by a fellow Ultimate Frisbee coach—yep, Adam Waltzer again!

She and Waltzer started an Ultimate team during her first year and their first core of eager sixth graders now forms the seasoned Upper School

team. It’s hard to find an area of the middle school experience where Kuffner isn’t involved: she teaches Spanish, science, and physical education, coaches Ultimate, and helps run events such as the Middle School Girls’ Overnight. Kuffner’s favorite part of her job, which she can do no matter which hat she’s wearing, is “making genuine connections with students,” a response she dedicates to mentor Middle School Head Sam Uzwack. The weirdest part of her job? Kuffner did a Polar Bear Plunge in northern Puget Sound in April with a group of students, which shows just how far she’ll go to make those connections.

Allison Luhrs, Middle School Literary Thinking After college, Allison Luhrs worked in the children’s publishing industry, where she met a lot of teachers and decided she, too, wanted a more direct impact on students’ love of reading. So she pursued a graduate degree and found Eastside Prep when she moved home to Seattle.

“Everything about the school correlated with the philosophy of education I had been developing at Penn.

I knew EPS was where I belonged.”

Luhrs has watched school pride increase as the school grows. “Kids love being at the school, being with their friends, and interacting with their teachers. The sense of community has only increased in the past five years, even though we’re now a much larger group.” In addition to teaching English, Luhrs is an active part of the Middle School Girls’ Overnight and the Yearbook Club.

She’s looking forward to watching her first class of sixth graders graduate in 2014. 

INSPIRE Fall 2012

39

By Wendy Lawrence, Founding Faculty and former Middle School Head

E

ach year, our growth as a school affords us the opportunity to add new faces to our community. This year is no exception, with staff added to run our new cafeteria and Commons facility as well as new faculty added to support our ever growing student population. Here are a few of the new faces you’ll see at EPS this fall: Nancy Adair Middle School Historical Thinking

Nancy Adair says EPS students “are kind, motivated, and aware,” and that they are “like kids nowhere else.” She would know, having taught at more than eight different schools all over the world. Adair lived abroad with her husband, a Foreign Services Officer, and her son, EPS’s own Dean of Students. In addition to teaching Social Studies, English, and French, Adair has directed plays, coached varsity tennis, and been called the “queen of field trips.” She has also worked at a US embassy and brings this firsthand experience with foreign policy to her teaching.

Adair has been a long-term substitute at Eastside Prep since 2008.

In addition to teaching and traveling, Adair sings in a choir, kayaks, writes a travel blog, and is working on a novel based on her time in the Congo. “Teenagers give me energy and my reward comes from watching them excel.”

40

New Faces Roberta Christensen Theatre Manager and Faculty Roberta Christensen joined Eastside Prep in March 2012. She teaches public speaking to Upper School students, multi-media communications in the Middle School and Stage Craft to both. Christensen has spent the past 15 years in Hollywood, producing television shows and designing lights and sets for theatres. She brings that field experience straight into the classroom.

In fact, communication is one of the things that immediately impressed this communications teacher. “The thing I love most about EPS,” she says, “is the access to anyone. Have a question, comment, or problem? Email it and like magic—it’s taken care of!” In addition to quick responses, Christensen was drawn to the EPS vision.

“I not only dig the vibe of the people here—both staff and students alike— but am moved by how forward-thinking the curriculum is and the access the students have to what is currently going on in the world around them.”

When she’s not in the classroom,

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

Christensen can be found “walking around with a camera, documenting EPS life or creating a set design or lighting design for an upcoming production.”

Michael Connelly Spanish Michael Connelly recently completed several longterm substitute positions and a Master’s in Teaching at Seattle University. When interviewing at EPS, Connelly was most impressed by the lunch he shared with a panel of students. “When I asked them what they liked most, several said they loved that there was no limit to their learning—when they were interested in a new topic or concept, their teachers would help them learn as much about it as they could. All the students seemed to genuinely love learning! I couldn’t wait to help students at Eastside Prep pursue their academic passions.”

Connelly loves running and biking, and he takes both seriously. He participates in cyclocross races, which he calls “muddy and exciting.” He ran for the University of Washington and

at EPS now enjoys coaching cross-country and track. When he slows down, he enjoys his vegetable garden, reading, and listening to music. Before teaching, Connelly worked in journalism as the Assistant Editor and Web Editor for the local music magazine Sound Magazine. Connelly lives with his new wife, Allison, and their mini Australian shepherd dog, Cody.

Stephen Keedy English Stephen Keedy teaches Literary Thinking in Middle School and English in the Upper School. He came to Eastside Prep after four years of teaching high school and AP English in Texas, and also serving as a gifted and talented director and sponsor of the school literary magazine. He’s also worked for several years as a photographer and a photographer’s assistant, and hopes to work with students in that field as well. Stephen is an avid backpacker and traveler and looks forward to exploring the mountains around Seattle.

He also plays the guitar and loves trying to learn and write songs.

Kerri McNally Admissions and Institutional Advancement Assistant Kerri is one of the newest Eastside Prep employees and joined the team just before the start of school. She brings to EPS a wideranging background but her favorite work experience prior to joining Eastside Prep was in the Admissions Department at Art Institute of Seattle.

“I enjoyed working with the students and families through the admissions process with graduation being my favorite day.” It was Kerri’s delight in that experience and a desire to be in a positive and collaborative environment that led her to EPS. Kerri is a California native who moved to Washington after college and enjoys camping, hiking and fishing with her husband. And what is Kerri looking forward to as someone new to EPS? Like most of us, she can’t wait to catch the first play production in the new Commons.

Sarah Rainwater Zabriskie Upper School English and History Sarah Rainwater Zabriskie, who goes by Mrs. Rainwater, brings an exciting breadth of experience with her. For each different position she’s held, she has learned something new about teaching. “At Pacific Cascade Freshman Campus, I worked closely with a partner English teacher.” It was there that she “learned what real teamwork is.” Later, at Skyline, “I learned about rigor. I was a ‘scientist of history’ and primary source documents were the basis of instruction.” Her experience teaching abroad, in both Lima, Peru, and Gulu, Uganda, “broadened my understanding of culture and education.”

Sarah likes to expand her students’ experience as well. She has taken students to China and Vietnam and was recently planning a trip to Europe with People to People’s Student Ambassador program. She also enjoys coaching debate. “I like to hear and be a part of heartfelt and respectful discourse among passionate young adults.” She also apparently likes to INSPIRE Fall 2012

41

hear music. “I like to write songs for the topic of study in my class. For example, ‘Primary source document in the house tonight, everybody just have a good time, and it’s gonna make you use yo mind, primary source document in the house tonight… everyday I’m archiving.’ Can you guess that song?”

Sarah discovered EPS at last year’s Finding Kind event. She was recently married to Jonathan Zabriskie, whom she met after a student teaching assignment. “I asked him to help me with some of my classwork and we’ve been sharing teaching ideas and strategies ever since.”

Andy Slater Upper School Science and Math Andy Slater worked as an analytical chemist in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries for eleven years before switching to teaching three years ago. “My work as a chemist has helped me to see what career paths are available for science majors and I want to help students enjoy science to the extent that they study it further.” Slater was drawn to EPS when he visited and saw “how much the students loved coming to school every day and how strong the sense of community is. Also, all the adults seemed really happy to be there!”

Slater was born and raised in Preston, England, and came to the United States in 2001, where he met his wife. They moved to Seattle and now live with their infant son Blake, and their dog Cleo. In his spare time, which was mostly before Blake was born, he’s a pretty decent squash player.

42

Ryan Winkelmann Middle School Literary Thinking Ryan Winkelmann joins Eastside Prep after substituting for many of our faculty over the past few years. Winkelmann, who also coaches Ultimate Frisbee, recently completed a Master’s in Teaching at Seattle University and has taught PE at Northwest and English at Sumner.

“I could tell EPS was a special place immediately. I was blown away by the camaraderie of the staff and students.”

Winkelmann describes the “intellectual drive at EPS” as both “daunting” and “exciting” and says, “I know it will push me to be a better teacher and person.”

Winkelmann has teamed up with a former high school teacher to write a book. He and his wife Danielle love hiking, sports, and traveling. Recently in Costa Rica on a mission trip, he spent time with people providing foster care and counseling to at-risk families. “The example that these people provide is, in part, what drives my convictions and attitudes towards teaching.”

David Winspear Facilities Construction Contractor David Alan Winspear describes his job as the On-call Carpenter and Maintenance Dude, although his official title might be slightly different. He’s been working in construction for over 20 years, including eight years in Madrid, and brings

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

to Eastside Prep a wide diversity of work and educational experience. He’s excited about the opportunity to work in an uplifting environment with positive people. When he’s not carpentering or maintenance duding, Winspear and his wife head to the outdoors for walking, biking, hiking, or camping.

He also loves to travel and returns to Europe every year.

Marcela Winspear Campus Commons Coordinator Marcela joined Eastside Prep this fall to manage the new Commons building where her duties will be as varied as the people she’ll meet hanging out there. But juggling a myriad jobs is right up her alley: in the past few years she has run her own eco-friendly cleaning business, started a photography business, and worked at the W Hotel. Before that, she lived in the Czech Republic, where she worked at a brewery, taking on various jobs in customer service and marketing. Marcela says, “When I first saw the values of EPS my heart was jumping with joy. I had imagined myself in such an environment and felt my mind opened a touch more.

Learning is a lifelong project!”

Marcela’s family lives in the Czech Republic, and while she misses them tremendously, she says, “I am blessed to be with my wonderful husband David here in Seattle.” She loves biking, running, walking, reading, cooking and baking and is interested in psychology, neuroscience and philosophy. 

New Foodies, Too (for our shiny new kitchen)

By Vickie Baldwin, Director of Institutional Advancement and Wendy Lawrence, Founding Faculty and former Middle School Head Ian Dell Food Service Director Ian Dell joined Eastside Prep in summer, 2012, bringing an impressive culinary background as a caterer and executive chef. He calls his career decision to work in kitchens “a match made in heaven.” Dell plans daily menus at EPS, but he’s already thinking outside the lunch box. He hopes to someday offer cooking classes for employees and families. “I also think it would be fun to implement some food gastronomy demos into science classes, and possibly do some things with the nutrition class on healthy eating.” In addition, he’s planning evening and weekend events. “The Commons at EPS will be a great venue to host anything,” he says, including “coursed wine dinners with local wineries, corporate galas, fundraisers, cocktail parties, and student/teacher functions.”

Dell is a cancer survivor, and with “amazing support from family, friends, and most of the UW medicine team,” he was the third person ever to have a laparoscopic RPLND with the UW’s Da Vinci machine.

That has not slowed him down: an avid sports fan, Dell still plays on two men’s hockey teams and is also an assistant coach. He also works on his golf game and plays coed dodgeball, flag football, and softball. In the winter, you might find him “snowshoeing, snowboarding, or doing some light alpine mountaineering.” Dell also volunteers with Seattle Children’s Hospital events and other charity fundraisers around town.

Gilbert Ragudos Sous Chef Gilbert Ragudos is the Sous Chef in the LevingerPoole Commons and brings to Eastside Prep years of experience in the restaurant industry. Most recently, Gilbert was the kitchen manager at the Redhook Brewery and says it was the opportunity for change that brought him to EPS. Well, that, and the chance to have his weekends to

himself – something almost unheard of in the restaurant business. Gilbert looks forward to bringing “good food” to Eastside Prep and finding ways to become more involved in the school outside of the kitchen. When not at work, Gilbert enjoys spending time with his siblings and nieces, watching sports, and cooking. He also tries to make it to the Philippines each year to see family and he’s in the midst of helping his mother build a retirement home there.

Patrick Riggs Pastry Cook Patrick Riggs recently completed his training as a pastry chef at Renton Technical College and is excited to bring his expertise to Eastside Prep as part of the culinary team. When interviewing for the position, Patrick was drawn to the small school environment, something that he has never experienced before.

Patrick says he “loves to bake and cook,” a passion that began early in life, when he was a boy scout. When he’s not in the kitchen, Patrick enjoys scuba diving, a hobby he picked up about four years ago.  INSPIRE Fall 2012

43

By Wendy Lawrence, Founding Faculty and former Middle School Head

W

ith a growing student population, a tenth anniversary, an expanded campus and new facilities, there is plenty of reason to celebrate at Eastside Prep this year. Many of our faculty and staff members have found even more reason to celebrate outside of school.

Paul Hagen, Middle School Historical Thinking Paul Hagen is heading to the other side of the classroom. This fall, Hagen is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in history from Harvard University.

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to be a student again. I absolutely love teaching, but there is something exhilarating about walking into a classroom as a student instead of as the teacher. Of course, the whole thing makes me a little nervous too, so I’ll be soliciting advice on being a student from Eastside Prep’s outstanding student body.”

Hagen is supported by his wife and sons who are moving to Boston with him for the adventure. “My wife and I have already had the chance to live in some interesting places – New York, Spain, Hawaii – and we’re happy to add another to that list. It is always thrilling to find new corners of the world to explore; stumbling into new memories at every turn!”

He ties his travel to his profession: “Education is all about being exposed to other people, places, and ideas.” This degree has been a dream of Hagen’s for some time, but he says “none of it would be possible without my wife. She encourages and supports me, but also dreams right along with me. She’ll be working just as hard as I will be, caring for the boys, keeping 44

... and the Celebration Continues Allison Luhrs, Middle School Literary Thinking

Paul Hagen at the statue of John Harvard.

me on track, reading over my work— and I wouldn’t commit to this undertaking without her.”

Hagen will work at Harvard through December and plans to finish the degree through Harvard’s online extension program by May 2014. In addition to “a new Harvard tie for my collection,” he is excited to bring back “a new set of historical understandings which will undoubtedly improve my craft as a teacher.” But as excited as he is to head out, he’s also excited for his return in January. “I can hardly wait!”

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

As Eastside Prep celebrates its tenth year, Allison Luhrs and her husband will be celebrating the birth of their first child. She knows her celebrations will be helped by six already-doting grandparents and many aunts and uncles. Allison will be on leave for the 2012-2013 school year, a decision she says, “I had a hard time arriving at because I know I’ll miss so many aspects of our school.” But she’s heartened by invitations from students and faculty to come and visit often. And in addition to the usual stack of baby books, Luhrs began last spring piling high the physical evidence of a “to read” list she’s been keeping since grad

Allison Luhrs and husband Mike Masterman

EPS continues to grow in many ways, including the size of the families of our faculty and staff. Pictured here are employees and their children who have been born while the employee was here at EPS. Clockwise from top left: Matt Delaney (whose son Eltaes (3 ½ years) and daughter Juniper (9 months) are not pictured), Tobias Tillemans and K.P. Pike with daughter Haven (5 months), Lauren Formo with daughter Dylan (6 months), Karen Mills with daughters Hazel and Grace (3 years and 5 years), Jonathan Briggs with sons Toby and Eli (5 years and 3 years), Doug Blair with daughter Fina (2 years), Kip Wassink with son Blake (18 months) who will become a big brother in January, Tina Hadden with son David (6 years), and Janelle Panday with daughter Fiona (2 years).

Also not pictured: Katie Dodd, Sam Uzwack, Jessica Heaton and Allison Luhrs who will all be adding to their families this year and Paul Hagen, whose children Benjamin and Adam are in Boston with him until January.

school, many about education. “I’m hopeful that I’ll return to EPS with a whole crop of new ideas and inspirations to invigorate my classroom.”

miss her colleagues and the students, but she plans on being in close contact until her return on November 26.

Kirsten (“K.P.”) Pike, Middle School and Upper School English Kirsten Pike is taking a trimester off to be with her new daughter, Haven Mae Tillemans who was born June 25, 2012. “I’m looking forward to life and my identity changing; the move from couple to family is both daunting and exciting. As soon as we get a decent night’s sleep, we will be celebrating this transformation with picnics, hikes, lazy days, and general gratitude.” After taking some time to relax and get to know her new baby, Pike hopes to return to EPS with “some new perspective.” She knows she will

Tobias Tillemans and K.P. Pike take Haven for a hike

Tobias Tillemans, Middle School Science and Environmental Practices Tobias Tillemans will also be taking some time off next year to be with K.P. and the baby. He’s excited to get to know his daughter as well as celebrate with “friends and family who are planning to visit and connect with our nascent family.” Tobias will be back for the first week of classes, and then take off most of the month of September, before returning again for the whole year. “We’ve got a variety of car camping plans and one bigger trip to the Cascades.” When he returns to EPS, Tobias hopes to bring back “some new gardening ideas for Environmental Practices, some cool rocks for eighth-grade science, and some good hikes for the Outdoor Club.” 

INSPIRE Fall 2012

45

Trustee Profiles

By Wendy Lawrence, Founding Faculty and former Middle School Head

T

he job of a Board member at Eastside Prep isn’t an easy one. Board members have responsibilities such as hiring and overseeing the Head of School, reviewing policy matters and raising funds for the school. Trustees participate in almost monthly Board meetings as well as numerous committee meetings and community events. While we are sad to say goodbye to the Trustees who are not serving this year (Anne Corley, Janelle Durham, Richard Fade, Andrew Lewis, and John Molloy), we are excited to welcome several new members to the Board.

Rob Short Rob Short, new President of the EPS Board of Trustees, has served on the board for three years.

Short is a volunteer who helps nonprofits with technology, and also on the board of the Woodland Park Zoo. “I love the fact that the Eastside Prep board is made up of smart people from different backgrounds who all get along and have a shared goal. It is great to see people with different ideas work together on hard problems. The country would be a better place if more groups worked like this. If I can keep this during my term as president I will feel successful.”

Short studied electronics, radio, and radar in Ireland. His first job was troubleshooting computers. “I loved it and couldn’t believe that people paid me to do it. I have felt that way about every job I’ve ever had and I wish everyone else could.” He moved to the United States in 1977 and worked in design engineering, and later at

46

Microsoft designing the interface between the software and hardware systems. He also earned a Master’s in Computer Science at the UW and studied constantly to keep up with the fast-changing technological world.

Short has two children at Eastside Prep, and his family is a busy one. “We have soccer, ski racing, tae-kwon-do, basketball. My wife runs marathons. We love to travel and visit family in Ireland every summer.”

Short himself loves photography and riding his classic motorcycles—when he can get them to work.

Emily Anthony Emily Anthony has worked in the nonprofit sector for over twenty years, taking on a wide variety of roles including volunteer, administrative staff, board member, fundraiser, and grantmaker. For the past seven years, she has worked as an independent consultant to nonprofits, focusing on fund development

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

planning, organizational assessments, and board trainings. “I love what I do because I get to help passionate people go out and change the world in some way that they care about, and it is exciting to see the organizations develop and grow.”

A resident of Seattle, she never expected to send her kids across the lake for school—until she found EPS. “The special community of interesting and talented kids and adults makes the commute absolutely worth it.”

Before now, her two children have always attended different schools.

“I think it is a testament to the kind of small, individualized school that EPS is that it can serve both of their distinct learning styles.”

Anthony is originally from Cape Cod, and she loves to spend time there during vacations and summers.

Her family also loves musical theatre, soccer, and basketball (both watching and participating!), so their weekends are full of practices and performances of many kinds.

Desiree Eden Desiree Eden graduated from the University of Idaho/College of Art and Architecture, a subject that intrigued her since her teenage years spent in Europe. “The thought that spaces built hundreds or even thousands of years ago continue to

be desirable environments in which we spend our time peaked my interest,” she says. Keen on this “sense of place,” Desiree attended art college outside of London prior to her time at the University of Idaho. Since obtaining her degree in 1981, Desiree has spent most of her career as an interior designer in the commercial realm working with building developers and business owners. Currently many of her projects involve working with business leadership aligning core values with their built environment.

Desiree’s passion about children is what brought her to Eastside Prep, a school culture that she feels “walks the talk.” Since enrolling Angelica at EPS in 2007, Desiree has been a very active member of the parent community chairing numerous events and activities. In 2010 she was the recipient of the Alice Strong Award. She has been a class representative for five years and has held a position on the Parent Association Executive Board for four years. She is passionate about the exceptional educational experience at EPS and as President of the Parent Association will be a conduit for productive communication between the leadership of the school and the PA parent body. Desiree will serve as an ex-officio member of the Board in her role as Parent Association President.

Linda Hedges Linda Hedges joined the Eastside Prep board this fall. She is a Computational Fluid Dynamicist at Analytical Methods (AMI) and has worked in the same field in Boeing and Blue Origin before that. With a PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics,

Hedges has worked in more than just engineering—she also has a love for education, having taught graduate courses at local universities and tutored in preschools. “These opportunities showed me the distinct learning style of each student and the potential difficulties faced by those students who do not fit easily into the one-sizefits-all class structure.” Hedges has been married for 21 years and her son has been at EPS since 2007. “Eastside Prep brings a refreshing approach to teaching that allows the students to be themselves,” she says. “I want to be part of keeping Eastside Prep grounded in its core values as the school grows and matures.” She lives only a mile from campus and enjoys working out, traveling, and discovering new music online.

Jeff Sternitzky Jeff Sternitzky has been an Eastside Prep parent for four years and now joins our board.

A Washington native, he went to Issaquah High School and Western Washington University in Bellingham.

Sternitzky worked at Washington Mutual managing several branches. He left in 2006 to help found the Legacy Group where he is now Vice President and Director of Corporate Development.

“When I’m not working I have a regular yoga and meditation practice that keeps me centered amongst the chaos of my family of four children.

Madison (13) and Emma (11) attend Eastside Prep, Ellie (9) will soon follow, and then we have our crazy three-year old son, Henry.” Sternitzky loves to fish for native species, ski the Washington mountains and dry

out in the summer while traveling to warmer locales.

Eric Voskuil “It’s an exciting and dynamic time for EPS,” says Eric Voskuil.

“There’s a high level of innovation, participation and collaboration. I hope to help these aspects of the school, which have made it such a good fit for our family and others, continue to thrive.”

Voskuil is new to the EPS board, but not to schools. He has also served as a trustee for Berwick Academy in Maine, where he is an alumnus and where a lengthy search process to replace a retiring headmaster gave him a “crash course in the good and bad of independent school leadership across the country.” He is currently CEO of Shingl, his third startup company.

(He has sold the first two.) “I prefer startups because I’m drawn to the freedom and challenges of developing ideas within a small and self-sufficient organization.”

Voskuil also served as an officer in the United States Navy, earning aviator wings in Mississippi where he met his wife Mica. “I deployed as an F/A-18 Hornet pilot, flew 20 combat missions, and accumulated 1,742 military hours.” He also attended the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). He graduated as a tactics instructor and completed his last two years of service as a teacher in both the classroom and the air.

When the Voskuils are not on their bikes or skis, they can be found working on their full-size R2-D2, a project many years in the making. 

INSPIRE Fall 2012

47

2011-2012 Annual Report

Letter from the Head of School and Board President A

cademic year 2011-2012 gave us much to celebrate. With the start of 2012-2013 comes the year-long celebration of the school’s first decade - on several levels.

First, let’s celebrate the student body.

Students arrive at EPS each morning ready to learn and they encounter a faculty eager to teach. As one student put it recently when discussing his newfound thirst for knowledge, “I didn’t know how much I liked knowing things.” Honestly, it just doesn’t get much better than that!

Second, let’s celebrate the faculty. We have teachers pursuing higher levels of education and teachers having babies (or as we like to say, the Class of 2029). Most important is the relationship among the faculty and students, which is visible every day. A parent wrote to us earlier in the year and said that “…EPS has provided a support network and just plain believed in (our child). We don’t think he would have experienced this in other learning environments.” EPS was founded on the principle of reaching a diverse group of learners who get along and include each other. Thanks to the colleagueship and positive energy of EPS faculty, students and staff, we have been able to create just such a place.

Thank You to our Donors These individuals and organizations have made cash or in-kind donations to Eastside Preparatory School.

Robert and Pilar Ackerman Jeff Adair Don and Margaret Alvarez America’s Charities Michael Anderson Anonymous

48

Randi-Louise Austring William and Gail Bain Andy Lewis and Maaike Bakker Amis Balcomb Vickie and Bob Baldwin Jim and Teresa Banowsky Erin Barry and Oliver Sharp Bayhurst Foundation

Paul and Ann Beaudoin Kurt Bechtel and Teri McFall Bechtel Conor Beckerman David and Sarah Beckerman Adrienne Behrmann Gilbert Bell Myrna Belt Laurie and Josh Benaloh John and Kelli Bernhard Subha Bhattacharyay and Sharmilli Ghosh Bishop Family Foundation Byron and Sheila Bishop Doug and Elena Blair Boeing

Finally, let’s celebrate the community of parents, alumni and alumni parents that has grown at EPS over the past decade. Thank you so much for attending student performances and games, the Fall Harvest, ice cream socials, continuation and graduation. Thank you for volunteering your time at events and open houses and for answering the call when asked to donate your time, your talents and your resources.

Thanks to you all for being a part of this remarkable community. Thanks for your support of students, faculty and staff. Thanks for your generosity of time and energy. Thanks for believing in us. Here’s to year ten – Cheers!

Terry Macaluso, PhD Head of School

Inbal Boger-Megiddo and Eran Megiddo Liesl and David Bohan Andrew Boyd Carl Bradley Daria Brandt Lisa and Marv Brashem Leslie Brewer and Arnold Blinn Jonathan Briggs Walter and Trish Bright Bristol-Myers Rick and Stephanie Brooks Ari and Peter Burnham Kim and Bruce Burns Graham and Vera Byng

Byron Bishop President, Board of Trustees

Elena Camerini and Oskar Gjertsson Susan Cameron Deborah and Ian Carmichael Stephen and Yukie Carrigan Vikram and Vandana Chalana Sridhar Chandrashekar and Arathi Srikantaiah Carl and Rebecca Chatfield Celebrated Chefs Anita Chung and Tony Yip Jessica and Eric Claesson Lisa and Bill Conquergood Bruce and Lisa Copeland Robert and Patrice Copeland Anne and Mark Corley

2011-2012 Annual Report

2011-2012 Highlights E

very year since its founding, EPS has experienced double-digit growth of the student population; 2011-12 was no exception. Growth came on all fronts – the student body was larger than ever (over 240 students strong), the faculty and staff grew along with the student body and the facilities took on some epic expansion as well.

In the fall, the new Learning Center/Business Office and Admissions/Development/Head of School buildings were incorporated into the campus. These buildings complete the campus and allowed us to vacate the old business offices and Black Box Theatre to make room for construction of new facilities. This process culminated in the dedication of the recently completed Levinger-Poole Commons (LPC) on September 4, 2012.

The LPC is the first of its kind for EPS – a space for classrooms, performances, eating and gathering.

The Commons is the center court and the heart of the community; we are delighted, finally, to have this gathering place. It has taken the efforts of so

John Corman and Linnea Peterson David Parker and Neicole Crepeau Jim and Jocelyn Cronkhite Theron and Jennifer Cross Michael Cruz Teresa and George D’Alessio Lane Dailey and Pamela Derry Chuck and Kim Daniel Chris and Cheryl Dartt Paul David and Kris Solem Jing de Jong-Chen and Jeroen de Jong Matt Delaney Suzan and Kurt DelBene Steve and Karen Demmert

many to make the LPC a reality. It began with a group of committed board members and a handful of community members who quietly raised the funds that seeded the capital campaign. Last year, that fundraising effort went out to the entire community. It is because of all of you – our EPS community – that the Commons has become such an integral part of the school. Thank you!

This increase in space and growth in the student body opens the doors for some exciting expansion in programs. Athletics has grown more popular each year allowing us to compete with comparably sized independent schools with our acceptance into the Emerald City League beginning in the fall of 2012. New curricular offerings were also made available, such as Communication in the Digital Age, Environmental Practices and a new social-emotional curriculum for the sixth to eighth graders. After much discussion, the decision was made to adopt a laptop program for the Middle School, which will be implemented in the 2012-13 school year.

EPS hosted two interesting speakers in the continuing Visiting Thinker series. Dr. Jacquie Greenberg, a professor of Genetics at the University of Cape Town, South Africa,

Steve and Deborah Dimmer Kathryn Dodd Emer Dooley and Rob Short Harriette and Fred Dorkin Heather and Kevin Dosch Scott and Shelly Douglas Janelle and Peter Durham Desiree Eden ELG Gregg Eskenazi and Margaret Galanti Emerald Real Estate Solutions LLC Richard and Susan Fade Emma Ferguson Patricia Ferreyra

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund Lauren Formo Kelly Fox Patricia Friel Katherine Fugitt and John Dietz Hilary and Kevin Gammill Christina and Ronald Gehrke Debbie and Brad Gliner John and Serena Glover Laurie and Gordon Goetsch Kathy Goodwin Google Stacy Graven and Ken Johnsen Melissa Green Tina Green

brought to Eastside Prep her extensive knowledge on stem cell research.

And just last spring, author Sherman Alexie visited students to discuss the inspiration for his novels. Our second TEDxEastsidePrep event was held, which presented a lineup of dynamic speakers on the topic of Evolution of Instruction: Designing Experience.

And the first fifth graders to enter EPS completed Middle School and became the largest rising ninth-grade class to date. Of course, as Mr. Gummere noted in his address to those very same rising ninth graders, we are a young school and records are made to be broken.

There were, as usual, many exciting events and milestones this last year. But most importantly, the growth we experienced and improvements made to our campus have put us in the perfect position for the coming year, our tenth, and for the years to come.

Sydney (‘15), Shaheen (‘14), Angelica (‘14), and Andrea (‘14)

Greg and Bridget Greenberg Victor Guevara Bart Gummere Suzanne Guon-Corner and Bradley Corner Lily and Michael Guse Tina and Dave Hadden Paul Hagen Harold and Sarah Hager Michael Halcoussis Laura and Alistair Hamilton Steve Harris Trina Harris and Michael Healy Glenn Hart Melissa Hayes

Jessica Heaton Dan and Linda Hedges Marci Hennes and Alan Koslow Hershey’s Inc. Jenny Hickory and Greg Kerrigan Lisa and Rustan Hill Jennifer and Gary Hinds Candice and Ted Hoffman Valerie Horvath and Scott Ludwig Jennifer and Doug Hotes HP Computers Liz Hunt and Benn Schreiber Institutional Data Group

49

2011-2012 Annual Report

2011-12 Fiscal Year Finances 242

Student Enrollment Operating Income

210 172

177

2008-09

2009-10

142 105

Tuition $6,139,637 Contributions $846,198 Auxiliary Services $196,695 Interest* $5,186 $7,187,716

81 16

45

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

$35,096

2006-07

2007-08

2010-11

2011-12

Annual Fund Need per Student

Operating Expenses Program & Instruction $5,277,164 Management & General $1,678,538 Admissions $73,294 Fundraising* $7,222 **$7,036,219

$13,157 $9,795

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

$7,686 2006-07

$6,500 2007-08

$5,300

$5,000

$4,000

$3,400

2008-09

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

*Item not visible on chart due to scale. **Expenses exclude non cash charges such as depreciation, etc.

Bengt and Sayuri Johnson Joseph Krawczak and Debbie Johnson Laura Johnson Gregory and Angela Kavounas Katherine and Ryan Kearny Liam Keese and Tracy Porter Joe and Emma Kim Vladimir Kim and Ekaterina Dubrovskaya Kristina King Michael Koenig Rodney and Elizabeth Korn

50

Cyndee Kraiger and Brett Burris Matthew Kruse Elin Kuffner Tom and Leslie Laird McConnell Chris and Michael Lang Randy and Monika Lawrence Darren and Cheri Laybourn Janet Levinger and Will Poole Jane Lin Cascade Lineback Nicolas and Gina Loebel Keith Logan Mike and Karen Lucero Allison Luhrs Terry Macaluso

Randy and Patti Mann David Maymudes and Emily Anthony Kathleen McGill Nancy McHenry Zachary McKee Kevin and Linda McQuade Menasha Corporation Foundation Microsoft Edward Miller Steve and Libby Miller Karen and Zane Mills Sue Miner and Don Miller Jessica Minier Mabe Patti Mintz

Shamim Mirza and Javed Rasool Rajeev and Shalini Misra Shannon and Christian Moller Jen Molloy John Molloy Kelly and Gary Moore Leigh Ann and Russell More Morgan Stanley MSNBC.COM Sona and Nishad Mulye Victor Mushkatin and Yelena Mushkatina Diane and Tarek Najm Amir and Merav Netz Erich and Kathy Nielsen

Jack Nolan Lara and Sean Nolan Debbie and Charles Nussbaum Bob and Maureen O’Hara David Olix and Leila Belhadjali Elena Olsen Overlake Family Dental The Panday Family Sujal and Anjali Parikh Nuria Perez-Reyes and David Meagher Wendy and Bob Perkins Diego Piacentini and Monica Nicoli Tom and Linda Pichard Heidi Pickard

2011-2012 Annual Report 2011-2012 EMPLOYEES Faculty and Staff

Jess Claesson

Jeff Adair

Jennifer Cross

Mike Anderson

Theron Cross

Dean of Students, History Learning Support Instructor

Amis Balcomb

Artistic Thinking and Visual Arts

Vickie Baldwin

Director of Institutional Advancement

Adrienne Behrmann Mathematics

Gilbert Bell Security

Myrna Belt Custodian

Laurie Benaloh, PhD

Mathematical Thinking

Doug Blair, JD

Director of Athletics, Physical Education

Andrew Boyd, CPA

Chief of Finance and Operations

Daria Brandt

Fifth-Grade Humanities and Math

Jonathan Briggs

Learning Support Instructor Technology Specialist Science

Michael Cruz, MFA Theatre

Chris Dartt, PhD Mathematics

Matt Delaney

Academic Dean, History and Social Sciences

Katie Dodd

Scientific Thinking

Emma Ferguson Spanish

Patricia Ferreyra Spanish

Lauren Formo

Interim Director of Admissions

Kelly Fox Spanish

Patricia Friel

Mathematics

Tina Green

Business Office Assistant

Victor Guevara Custodian

Director of Technology, Advanced Physics, Computer Programming, Social Sciences

Bart Gummere

Roberta Christensen

Director of Administrative Services

Public Speaking and Communications in the Digital Age

Eric Claesson

English and History

Upper School Head, Economics

Tina Hadden Paul Hagen

Historical Thinking

Melissa Hayes

Physical Education

Carlos and Isabella Picoto K.P. Pike and Tobias Tillemans Anne Pillsbury and Jeff Sternitzky Lowell and Sasha Press Kimberlee and Stanley Prince Matthew and Amy Ragen Jeanne Reina Randy Reina Stephen Rimmer and Leslie Decker Melody S Robidoux Foundation John Stark and Lynne Robins Portland Vancouver Rowing Assoc Jeremy and Treencee Russell Jahan Saghafi and Karen Russell Alice and Pete Ryan

Jessica Heaton History

Kristina King

Admissions Associate

Matthew Kruse Music

Elin Kuffner

Fifth-Grade Science, Spanish and Middle School Physical Education

Jane Lin

Upper School Administrative Assistant, Registrar

Cascade Lineback Spanish

Allison Luhrs

Randi-Louise Peterson

Middle School Administrative Assistant

Kirsten Pike

2011-2012 Board of Trustees Byron Bishop

Richard Fade

Rob Short

Patricia Friel

Administrative Assistant for Admissions and Marketing

John Molloy

John Glover

Assistant Facilities Manager

James Smith

Maureen O’Hara

Secretary, Trustee Emeritus

Stacy Graven

Karen Mills

Sammi Stimson

Janet Levinger

Sarah Hager

Literary Thinking

Jessica Mabe English

Terry Macaluso, PhD

Head of School, Philosophy

Zach McKee

Information Literacy and Librarian

Patti Mintz

Cafeteria Assistant

Kelly Moore, PhD

Director of Student Support Services, Psychology

Jack Nolan

Tech Support Specialist

Elena Olsen, PhD English

English

President

Ana Safavi

Student Life Coordinator

Stacie Siegfried

Bus Driver

Trustee

Vice President

Trustee Emeritus

Treasurer

Trustee

Facilities Manager

Past President, Trustee Emeritus

Tobias Tillemans

Leslie Brewer

Sam Uzwack

Brett Burris

Middle School Head, Comparative Government Science

Kip Wassink

Mathematics and Science

Learning Support Coordinator

Janelle Panday

Sasha Press

Vandana Chalana

Trustee

Randy Reina

Ex-Officio Trustee, Parent Association President

Suzan DelBene

David Ostrer

Trustee

Trustee

Anne Corley

Trustee

Janelle Durham Trustee

Andrew Lewis Steve Miller

Trustee

Adam Waltzer

Trustee Trustee

Trustee

Science

Trustee

Trustee

Dev Stahlkopf Trustee

Phillip Swan Trustee

Kathy Weber Trustee

Accountant

Ana and Shawn Safavi Luis Salazar and Yolanda Leon Marco and Molly Salazar Kurt and Doris Samuelson Melissa and Scott Schaefer Roz Schatman Seattle Foundation Scott Selby and Krista White Julia Sensenbrenner Ashvini and Roomi Sharma Alison and Barry Shaw Harley and Pamela Sheffield Sanjay and Angela Shenoy Nirupama and Sumeet Shrivastava

Kim Simmons-Merino and Donald Merino Douglas and Betsy Smith James Smith Elaine and John Sprague Ed and Joan Sputh Dev Stahlkopf and Bill Bue The Stickel Family Sammi Stimson Tom and Alice Strong Srini Subramanian and Sangeetha Suryanarayanan Airi and Vesa Suomalainen Phillip and Tracy Swan

Scott Thompson and Melody Robidoux Scott Thurlow and Carrie Gorringe Karen and Karl Triebes Susan and Larry Tseng Sam Uzwack and Nicole Curry Lil and Dolf van den Heuvel Birgitte Veje Jacki and Edmund von Allmen Irina and Sergey Vorobyev Mica and Eric Voskuil Adam and Shigeko Waltzer Jim and Jennifer Washburn Valerie Wasserman and Scott Moore Kip and Danielle Wassink

Kathy Weber and Bill Shain Liesl and Jeff Wilke The Wilke Family Foundation Greg and Gloria Winters Dan Wuthrich and Samia Khudari Yahoo Tokuro and Myrissa Yamashiro Mojdah and Reza Yasseri Hong Zhang and Xianng Chen Jack and Hellen Zheng Laura and Chris Zimmerman

51

Upcoming Events F

ollowing are some of the upcoming events at Eastside Prep.

For a complete listing of EPS activities and events, visit our website (www.eastsideprep.org) and go to the Calendar link at the top of the page.

OCTOBER 20

Open House: Informational event for prospective students and parents. Registration starts at 12:30 p.m. in the EPS Levinger-Poole Commons and the program runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Prospective students (grades 5-12) and their parents are welcome to attend. The program includes a brief opening presentation and overview, followed by fun and interesting mini-classes, parent/student Q&A panels and campus tours.

OCTOBER 27

Grand Friends Day: Grandparents and Special Friends of EPS Middle and Upper School students are invited to visit campus from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The day includes a tour of the campus and reception at the newly opened Levinger-Poole Commons.

OCTOBER 30 NOVEMBER 1

Middle School Play Production, The Hundred Dresses adapted from the book by Eleanor Estes by Mary Hall Surface; presented by EPS Middle School students, 7 p.m. Middle School Matinee on October 31st. In 1930’s small town America, Polish immigrant Wanda Petronksi doesn’t fit in. When Wanda’s bullied in school, her classmate Maddie has a hard choice to make. (Reservations required.

Email events@eastsideprep.org to reserve a seat.)

52

NOVEMBER 3

FEBRUARY 5-7

APRIL 25

All School Talent Show, Annual event at which the EPS community showcases their various talents, ranging from singing to “stand-up” and everything in between, 4 p.m. (Limited seating capacity. Email events@eastsideprep.org to reserve a seat.)

MAY 17

Open House: Informational event for prospective students and parents. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. in the EPS Levinger-Poole Commons and the program runs from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Prospective students (grades 5-12) and their parents are welcome to attend. The program includes a brief opening presentation and overview, followed by fun and interesting mini-classes, parent/student Q&A panels and campus tours.

Upper School Play Production, Tartuffe by Jean Baptist Poqeulin Moliere, adapted by Richard Wilbur; presented by EPS Upper School students, 7 p.m. This classic French comedy in 5 acts follows Tartuffe, a pious imposter who gains the devotion of a wealthy land owner then tries to marry his daughter and steal his estate. (Reservations required. Email events@eastsideprep.org to reserve a seat.)

TEDxEastsidePrep, 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This is a TED offshoot organized independently

by Eastside Prep. Our audience and speakers will consist of a diverse group of leaders, stakeholders and entrepreneurs in the world of education, technology and cognitive science. To know more about this event, visit www.tedxeastsideprep.com.

(By invitation only)

NOVEMBER 8

FEBRUARY 13-15

Science Fair: All EPS students are invited to participate in this year’s Science Fair. It will showcase science research projects, new technological inventions, and innovative solutions to problems. The entire EPS community is welcome to attend.

All School Musical Production, Once Upon A Mattress, music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics

by Marshall Barer, book by Jay Thompson, Marshall Barer and Dean Fuller; presented by EPS Middle School & Upper School students, 7 p.m. Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s, The Princess and The Pea. This lively musical takes a rollicking spin on the classic story of royal courtship and re-imagines the road to happily ever after. (Reservations required. Email events@eastsideprep.org to reserve a seat.)

Fine and Performing Arts Showcase, 4 p.m. Choral concert, vocal soloists and small vocal ensemble pieces, as well as student visual art displays and, possibly, theatre improv and monologues or scenes.

DECEMBER 8

Open House: Informational event for prospective students and parents. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m. in the EPS Levinger-Poole Commons and the program runs from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Prospective students (grades 5-12) and their parents are welcome to attend. The program includes a brief opening presentation and overview, followed by fun and interesting mini-classes, parent/student Q&A panels and campus tours.

MARCH 7

Fine and Performing Arts Showcase, 4 p.m. Choral concert, vocal soloists and small vocal ensemble pieces, as well as student visual art displays and, possibly, theatre improv and monologues or scenes.

APRIL 20

Parent Association Family Service Project: This is an annual all school event created to allow members of the EPS family to engage in a productive community service project.

Eastside Preparatory School 10 Years and Counting

MAY 21-23

MAY 30

Fine and Performing Arts Showcase, 4 p.m. Choral concert, vocal soloists and small vocal ensemble pieces, as well as student visual art displays and, possibly, theatre improv and monologues or scenes.

By Patricia Friel, founding Board member

W

hile sitting in the new Commons during the dedication looking at the flags and decorum, it occurred to me that the school was started with an innovative idea and after lots of critical thinking, leaders acted and worked hard to make the idea a reality.

Those who started the school, brought different skills and personalities, but we worked collaboratively, aligned to a common goal, and most of all, we operated in the spirit of mutual respect for each other. I find it interesting to think that the creation of the school embodies the core principles that the school espouses - what you might call a “case in point.” Furthermore, I believe that by creating a school that inspires students to “make the world a better place,” we are, in fact, making the world a better place.

Everyone in the Eastside Prep community and those who support that community are living the mission.

10613 NE 38th Place Kirkland, WA 98033

Call us today at 425 822-5668 or visit www.eastsideprep.org