From the Triangle

The advanced ballet class performs during the Spring Dance Recital.

FROM THE TRIANGLE

HIGHLIGHTS

2022

1. The Emma crew team works together to learn how to properly load and unload as they travel for practice and meets!

2. With ribbons and flowers, Abby A. ’25 waits for the moment when the ninth grade class will take to the senior triangle to dance around the maypole on May Day.

3. Chelsea Yang ’22 and Cassandra Carraher ’22 pose for a selfie together at Senior Tea.

4. Katie Everett ’22, Eva Sterthous ’22, and Nikki

Buhac ’22 pose together in hats and sweatshirts from their colleges on chalk day.

5. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the full choir performed in concert alongside members of the Emma Willard dance classes during Spring Showcase.

6. The annual Apollo talent show, presented by the

Black Latinx Student Union (BLSU), returned to campus festival-style for another year of great performances!

7. Bernice U. ’25 performs during the MIASU

International Student Expo event to celebrate various international cultures.

8. Zihan Helena Liu ’22, MIASU club co-head, performs at the International Student Expo.

9. Zara Song ’22 poses with her large-scale piece during the Senior Art Show.

10. Nora B.’25 and Tess Johnstadt ’22 give emotional performances in The Giver.

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AWAY to the National Parks: Nature’s Conservatory

BY SANDRA SANTANA

As the third-largest state in America, California boasts a unique ecological and biodiverse presence. Represented by pristine coastlines, lush forests, snow covered mountaintops, and unforgiving desert sandscapes, nine of the 423 National Parks established in the United States can be found here. Through the AWAY program Spring Break learning experience, 23 Emma Willard School students flew across the country to understand the conservation efforts at Joshua Tree, Death Valley, and Yosemite National Parks.

At the base of our first stop on our National Park swing, we stopped inside the Joshua Tree Visitor Center. Between the pockets of souvenirs and park maps, students were immersed in exhibits displaying the history of the land, topography maps of over 100 hiking trails, and information on the effects of climate change in the park. Here, we learned the annual precipitation has dropped by 39% and the average temperature increased by 3°F (2°C). Currently, research suggests that under these conditions, it could eliminate nearly all suitable habitats for Joshua trees and reduce habitats in the Southwest by 90%.

Straddling the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert ecosystems, Joshua Tree is the size of Rhode Island, yet roughly 800 species of vascular plants can be found within the rugged canyons and exposed rock. Home to some of the most interesting geologic features found in California’s deserts, nearly 800,000 acres protect the rare assembly of natural resources brought together by the ecosystems. Through challenging hikes on trails like Skull Rock and the Lost Palms Oasis, students identified “jumping” cholla cactus, California fan palm, and the famous Joshua trees.

To the north of Joshua Tree, Death Valley National Park presented an other-worldly batch of elements. Most notably famous for being the hottest place on earth and driest place in North America, temps stayed well above the 90 degree mark for our two-day stay. Despite the ominous-sounding namesake and blazing temperatures, this national park is quite lively. Hiking the below-sea-level basin introduced our troop to various plant and animal species, some of which are found nowhere else in the world, and even produced a

campground coyote sighting after returning from a sunrise stargazing activity.

Home to sizzling sand dunes and salt flats, Death Valley is one of nature’s best classrooms, displaying most of the earth’s geological eras and the forces that expose them. During our exploration and connection to the land of extremes, we were joined by two Death Valley National Park rangers for a day trip through the Salt Creek Trail to learn how agents of weathering, erosion, and deposition annualy constantly change the surrounding landscape.

While receiving only two inches of rain on average, water shapes the canyons of Death Valley National Park. Through controlled experiments created by our Park Rangers, we demonstrated how floodwaters from rainstorms carry rocks, gravel, and sand down from surrounding mountains and deposit them on the valley floor. Desert soils are usually hardpacked and are not as water-absorbent as other surfaces, along with the steep slopes in Death Valley that shed rainwater. This overflow channels into low spots such as canyons and can cause flash floods which create incredible damage to roads and infrastructure. On August 5, 2022, unprecedented rains caused severe flash floods across Death Valley National Park creating large flows of debris across roads, damaging and ultimately closing all roads in the park.

In what felt like a complete 180, we ventured north to a chilly Yosemite National Park. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is known for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, and biological diversity. Spanning 747,956 acres, Yosemite National Park is nearly 95% designated wilderness and home to hundreds of wildlife species, and over a thousand plant species.

Driving into the massive park, charred trees dot the vibrant green landscape, highlighting one of the many ways’ climate change is altering Yosemite’s ecosystems. Some natural cycles like wildfire, seasonally dry waterfalls, and tree death already take place but are exacerbated by the rapid changes we are seeing throughout the parks. Researchers connect these large-scale shifts with a jump in wildfire activity in the 1980s. Across the western US, fires burned four times as frequently, six times the total area, and lasted five times as long during 1986–2003 compared to 1970–1986. A study looking back to 1916 found that climate was the main factor determining the extent of burned area across the western US.

Sitting under bright star-studded skies with our ENVOYS tour guides, we explored light pollution. A “natural lightscape,” such as a dark night sky, is an environment that is undisturbed by light and air pollution. The primary cause of light pollution is artificial light, particularly outdoor lights that are aimed upwards or sideways. Any light that escapes upward without being blocked will scatter throughout the atmosphere and brighten the night sky, diminishing the view. Besides spoiling the sights and harming wildlife, inefficient lighting wastes energy and creates glare, which reduces nighttime visibility. Air pollution particles also increase the scattering of light at night, just as it impacts visibility in the daytime.

Wildlife is impacted by light pollution because animals often depend on darkness in order to hunt or conceal their location. Light pollution can also bring habitat disruption for nocturnal animals and disruptions to the natural cycles of plant species. Currently, two-thirds of Americans cannot see the Milky Way from their backyard, and if current light pollution trends continue, there will be almost no dark skies left in the contiguous United States by 2025. Many people seek national parks to experience this vanishing resource, setting up telescopes to observe the action behind the night skies.

Although the sights of nature’s classroom were one to behold, our team of guides emphasized the importance of understanding the challenges the parks are facing and doing our part to combat what we can. During our stay in the National Parks, we were mindful to stay on marked trails to prevent further disruption to plant life and leave our campsites trash-free, the way we found them. Camping at sites without shower access and turning off faucets while cleaning meal utensils were other small ways to contribute to a water conservation practice. We also sought to combat light pollution by turning off lights, when we had access to electricity. What seemed like inconveniences to our daily lives were in fact eye-opening lessons into the growing effects of climate change and other pollutants to our world.

FROM THE TRIANGLE

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2022 Commencement

1. Commencement speaker Mónica Guzmán celebrates with the class of 2022 at the start of her remarks.

2. Chaehyeon “Mia” Pang ’22 and Carolina O’Malley ’22 joyfully take their seats after receiving their diplomas.*

3. History Instructor Isabell Shields and daughter Ashley

Shields ’20 stand with Emma Shields ’22 on stage after she received her diploma.*

4. Dean of Students Shelley Maher hands a rose to Nicola

Burgess ’22 before the procession on inner campus begins.*

5. Megan Chivers ’22 embraces Athletic Director Liz Parry during the ‘Wailing Wall’ following the commencement ceremony.

This marked a return to the Wailing Wall tradition that had been paused during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

6. Ari Ismail ’22 delivers an address to the class of 2022.*

7. Meli N. ’23 bears the torch to lead the class of 2022 around the Senior Triangle to their seats at commencement.

8. Olivia Mundhal ’22, Sophia Mazzariello ’22, and Eaint May ’22 pose with roses outside Slocum Hall as they prepare for the commencement ceremony.*

See more photos online: emmawillard.org/commencement

* PHOTOS BY LIZ LAJEUNESSE PHOTOGRAPHY ’91

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Taking Notice

Emma Willard Students Launch Mobile App

BY KAITLIN RESLER

This fall, Emma Willard seniors Manu B. ’23 and Karissa G. ’23 are launching the product of their joint Signature project: Notice Volunteer, a mobile app that helps bridge the gap between organizations and individuals hoping to offer their time and skills for a mission. The school’s capstone program, Signature, allows students to deeply explore a personal project or passion outside of the traditional classroom. For Manu and Karissa, it’s allowed them the time and space to collaborate on their vision for the app.

Coming out of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic Manu noted that it was a struggle to find connections, not just during the transition from middle school to high school, but also in the wider community: “So, volunteering is a great way to find and make connections, and to help find out what kind of work you like to do,” she says. “You get to build a stronger connection with yourself and others through volunteering.”

Discovering those opportunities can prove tricky as individuals rely on a patchwork of social media, websites, and community notices to figure out where their skills might be best engaged. Through a mobile app, information can be synthesized into an easily accessible place so that a person might quickly match their talents or abilities with an organization’s needs.

Consistently building community has been a theme throughout the project. Though Manu knew she was capable of the coding necessary to build Notice Volunteer, collaboration was a necessary component in seeing the project through. Karissa, the team’s graphic designer, credits their partnership with the success of the project overall.

“It’s about having a goal to work towards,” she says. “Often with a project, I might drop it halfway through because I can’t see the result. But with a partner you can see the end product.” The team eventually expanded to include several other students as well as adult managers and contacts who helped them to: organize database work through coding and front-end development; establish community contacts; and begin work on the promotional stages of their launch. The full team includes President and CEO Manu B. ’23, President Karissa G. ‘23, Chief Operating Officer Angel W. ’23, Chief Financial Officer Soumya B. ’23, Head of Security Robyn W. ’24, and Social Media Specialist Emilia T. ’23.

“They were amazingly optimistic about all challenges. Every time something new came up, this team just said ‘oh, we can do that!’” says Signature Manager and Mathematics Instructor Laszlo Bardos, who worked with the pair throughout their project.

“I’m most proud of them for overcoming other hurdles,” he continues. “They were very comfortable with the technical and the artistic side, but when they realized they had to go out into the public, that was unfamiliar for them. They learned a lot about themselves and they stretched themselves; they are supporting each other to push each other.”

Manu and Karissa know that the development of those skills is an invaluable part of their experience. “We’ve learned how to make an impact with the different skills we have, and also to have an open mind to learn whatever you need to learn to make something happen,” says Manu. This flexibility is an integral component to the Signature program, where the journey is just as important as the end product.

This fall, the team will host a launch party on the Emma Willard School campus to celebrate Notice Volunteer for iOS and Android devices. But the noticing doesn’t end there. With an eye towards the next hurdle, Manu is hoping to keep improving and growing Notice Volunteer.

“I am someone who, when I do have a vision, it will always keep growing. It’s looking back at where a project began and realizing, if you got here you can get somewhere else!”

“They were amazingly optimistic about all challenges. Every time something new came up, this team just said ‘oh, we can do that!’”

LASZLO BARDOS, Signature Manager & Mathematics Instructor