13 minute read
Digest
Fall 2015
Digest
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LOWER SCHOOL
| MIDDLE SCHOOL
| UPPER SCHOOL
SERVICE LEARNING Riverbend Makes a Splash
This fall, the Lower School partnered with Riverbend Environmental Education Center to teach our youngest students about water conservation, our campus’s stream and how to care for the environment and its inhabitants.
In preparation for Dr. Jane Goodall’s visit, Riverbend educators visited campus on a rainy Thursday morning in September. While the original plan for the day involved students exploring the creek that runs through campus in a hands-on stream study, the threat of thunderstorms kept everyone indoors. Nevertheless, Lower Schoolers enjoyed the chance to learn more about our local ecosystem through several activities led by Riverbend’s team.
Students in kindergarten through fourth grade rotated through four interactive units, including a watershed table that showed how pollution spreads through a stream system, a water cycle simulation and an indoor stream study that demonstrated how wildlife can reveal the health of a body of water. Students also met and handled several animals that live in or near streams, including a toad and a tortoise, and learned about their habitats. “Even young kids can understand the importance of protecting nature,” said David Lowe, an environmental educator at Riverbend. “We feel that if you start very young, they will become stewards as they grow older — they will care more about the environment and realize why we want to protect it, keep our water clean, keep it safe for the animals and for our drinking water.” — Amanda Mahnke
For more info visit AGNESIRWIN.ORG
School Acquires Historic Property
On Aug. 31, the Board of Trustees signed a closing agreement for the purchase of a 6.3-acre property and architecturally historic mansion at 672 Conestoga Road, located about three-tenths of a mile from campus. The board and school administration are considering several possibilities for use of the building, including relocation of various administrative offices to recapture classroom space. There are also 41 parking spaces available at the property. The mansion was designed by Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer, known for creating palatial residences during the Gilded Age.
FACULTY SABBATICAL Cataloging a Treasure Trove of History
Second grade teacher Joe Flood has been awarded a sabbatical this coming spring to research, write and publish a parent’s guide to exploring the Delaware Valley with children. This guidebook will serve as a companion to the second grade Delaware Valley textbook Flood authored in 2013, allowing parents to easily supplement classroom learning with hands-on explorations of historically and culturally significant sites. The guidebook will include well-known sites such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, as well as lesser-known destinations. “Nothing excites classroom discussions and conversations more than when a student says ‘I’ve been there’ or ‘I’ve done that,’” Flood said. “Exploring these sites with family also helps to form emotional connections that trigger learning.”
FIELD TRIP Art Up Close
First graders got an up-close look at famous art when they visited the Barnes Foundation in October. On the portrait-specific tour, students viewed works by Modigliani, Van Gogh, Picasso and Renoir to inspire them in their own upcoming self-portrait project with art teacher Trish Siembora. Afterward, students sketched ideas over lunch.
HANDS-ON SCIENCE
Studying Erosion
Fourth graders spent the month of October exploring the effects of weathering, erosion and deposition through several hands-on experiments. To show how sand can erode a rock, students constructed “sandblasters” from shoe boxes, plastic wrap and a straw. Blowing into the straw swirled the sand around in the box, and students could observe their “rock” (a minisand castle and sugar cubes) as it eroded. Students also “weathered” sugar cubes with colored water to represent how a rock might be affected by water and also froze containers of water to show how ice can crack a rock.
Maker Space
At the end of last school year, the Lower School introduced a “maker space” in the library. During open library time — held certain days of the week during recess — students can play mind-stimulating games and tinker with objects like wooden blocks, card-making materials and snap circuit kits. Plans are afoot to expand this space by creating a STEM classroom.
MUSIC CLASS A Song of Hope
Inspired by Dr. Jane Goodall’s visit and message, this year’s Lower School Winter Concert (to be held Dec. 16) will incorporate the school-wide theme of “Hope for Humankind.” The performance will open with a 10-minute “mini-play,” including various lines surrounding the ideas of hope, faith and peace, narrated by students in each grade. In music class, students at each grade level are contributing ideas about plot and themes, as well as their thoughts about what “hope” means to them. “I’m very excited about this project,” said music teacher Murray Savar. “It is a living work-in-progress. The students are already contributing their constructive ideas about the plot during music class discussions about this play.”
On Oct. 16, fourth grade classes had a hands-on look at history during a field trip to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Students viewed “We the People,” a main exhibit featuring rare artifacts and interactive displays, and “met” the signers of the Constitution in Signers Hall, which is filled with 42 life-size bronze statues of the founding fathers. Students also took a look at the special exhibit “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?” which demonstrates how world events, innovation, government regulations, research and economics have shaped what we eat and why. We the People
For more info visit AGNESIRWIN.ORG
STUDENT LIFE
Diversity Alliance
This year, our Middle School has created a Diversity Alliance, an expansion of an affinity group established two years ago to provide an intentional space for students of AfricanAmerican, biracial and multiracial heritage to connect with peers who share this identity. According to Director of Equity and Inclusion Charesse Ford, in the alliance, students will have the opportunity to nurture and establish friendships, develop a strong sense of self, and feel comfortable sharing their experiences, concerns and successes as girls of color at Agnes Irwin. Led by Ford and Lower School counselor Kim Beamon-Morton, students will engage in activities and discussions related to equity and inclusion, confidence and strong intergroup support. All Middle School students are invited to attend.
In early October, eighth graders spent three days in New York City on a class trip to study immigration through the lens of history and English. Before the trip, the girls were divided into groups and asked to role-play as immigrant family groups of a particular nationality and religion. In history class, students researched life in their home countries, as well as when and why they would be motivated to immigrate to America. They also identified an actual immigrant who came through Ellis Island from their home country and based the identity of their family group members around that person. In NYC, students toured Ellis Island to learn about the immigrant experience there, then traveled to the Lower East Side, following the path of many immigrant families. They also visited the Tenement Museum and Eldridge Street Synagogue.
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
New York City, Past and Present
Students take a rubbing from a building built in the year their role-play family immigrant group came to the United States.
A group plans their route for the scavenger hunt before leaving the hotel.
PUBLISHED BE THE LINE
Be the Line: Thoughts on Parenting an Adolescent Girl is the first book by Middle School Director Lynne Myavec, published this summer by The Agnes Irwin School. The work is a compilation of Myavec’s weekly letters to parents penned during her time as Middle School director at Agnes Irwin. The book also provides useful information on child and adolescent development as explanatory notes to the sincere and heartfelt advice that Myavec shares as an educator, mother and friend.
In September, Agnes Irwin students, teachers and families gathered for two events benefiting pediatric cancer research. Organized by seventh grade students, Movie Under the Stars brought friends together on Sept. 18 on Carter Field to watch Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. The movie night, a fundraiser for The Naya Foundation, was held in memory of Naya Summy ’21 and to honor Logan Short ’21, who is battling cancer. The following day, dozens joined Team Naya at the Four Seasons Parkway Walk/Run, a fundraiser for the cancer center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Supporting Cancer Research
Middle and Upper School history teacher Andrew Connally, who spends his summers working as a park guide at Independence National Historical Park in Center City, was featured in August on a 6ABC piece highlighting Pope Francis’s visit to Philadelphia. The pontiff spoke at Independence Hall on Sept. 26 and held Mass for a larger crowd the following day. In advance of the visit, 6ABC asked Connally about the significance of the pontiff’s site visit. “For me, this is ground zero of U.S. history,” he told the newscaster, noting that Pope Francis would join a long and illustrious list of speakers at the historic spot, including its first famous visitor, Abraham Lincoln. Honest Abe spoke at Independence Hall while on his way to Washington, D.C. to be sworn in as president in 1861, Connally said.
FACULTY PURSUITS
History Buff on Camera
LEED Certified
This summer, Agnes Irwin was awarded LEED Silver certification for its commitment to green building practices. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building practices, serving as a “report card” for school buildings. Agnes Irwin sought this certification following its campus expansion in 2013, which introduced 85,000 square feet of new space dedicated to academics, athletics and student life. Among the categories considered in the LEED certification process are energy savings, water efficiency, CO 2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources. By promoting the construction of green schools, “we can make a tremendous impact on student health and performance, teacher retention, school operational costs and the environment,” according to the USGBC.
For more info visit AGNESIRWIN.ORG
Adolescent Health Expert Lectures on Balance Award-winning researcher, author and pediatrician Dr. Ken Ginsburg returned to Agnes Irwin on Oct. 20 to speak with Middle and Upper School students in assembly and deliver a parent presentation about his latest book, Raising Kids to Thrive: Balancing Love with Expectations and Protection with Trust. Coauthored with his teenage daughters, the parenting advice guide is the third in a series and discusses how parents can best balance expectations with unconditional love while shepherding their children through life’s successes and challenges. Ginsburg specializes in Adolescent Medicine at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. His visit was sponsored by the Clower Family Speakers’ Fund and the Class of 1957 Speakers’ Series Endowed Fund.
STUDENT LIFE Making Honor Code Stick
Teagan Aguirre ’16, who serves on the Honor Board, and Arden Berlinger ’16, head of the Character Mentorship Program, recently designed a new Honor Code sticker that was given to ninth graders upon their signing of the Honor Code. The sticker features the honor kilt and lists the tenets of the Honor Code: community, integrity and honesty. The Honor Board is responsible for implementing the freshman honor code signing, which takes place following the annual Ninth Grade Retreat. The honor kilt is the symbol of the duty each Agnes Irwin girl has to act with integrity every time she wears the Agnes Irwin uniform.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT National Merit Recognitions
Thirteen Agnes Irwin seniors have been recognized by the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program for academic achievement, representing 18 percent of the Class of 2016. Five students were named National Merit Semifinalists, and eight girls were recognized at the Commended level. This year’s National Merit Semifinalists are Sophie Fisher, Sophie Gaddes, Anna Kramer, Anisha Mittal and Morgan Smith. Recognized at the Commended level are Arden Berlinger, Annalise Bowen (not pictured), Anika Jagasia, Lydia Kao, Sophia Lindner, Caroline Mosimann, Hunter Sessa and Camille Smukler.
SPECIAL STUDIES INTERNSHIP AT THE INQUIRER
Senior Sophie Gaddes interned with the Philadelphia Inquirer during her SSP this past spring and wrote two articles that were published over the summer on Philly.com. During her internship with the Inquirer, Sophie had the opportunity to meet with the managing editor and sit in on a production meeting, where she learned how articles are chosen for publication and how the Inquirer is designed. Her first published article, the opinion piece “Putting a New Face on Beauty,” encourages women to “confront the mirror fearlessly, with your chin lifted high.” Her second article, “Manager Shows Sexism Is Alive and Well in Soccer,” discusses the discrepancy in pay and treatment between professional men and women soccer players, in spite of the fact that the U.S. women’s team triumphed in the World Cup this past summer.
RAISING AWARENESS Students Think Pink
In honor of National Lee Denim Day and in support of Dean of Students Jennifer Fiorini ’97 , the community donned pink shirts on Oct. 2 for breast cancer awareness. Photography teacher Sarah Bourne Rafferty climbed a 16-foot ladder to capture the sea of pink shirts. Middle and Upper School students were asked to make a donation, raising $807 for breast cancer research.
TOP: SARAH BOURNE RAFFERTY 47 Last school year marked an exceptional high point for AIS athletes, with 47 students being named All Main Line Athletes and 47 students being named All Delaware County Athletes. Those figures represent a 62 percent increase and a 213 percent increase, respectively, since 2011-2012. Thirty-seven girls were named All Inter-Ac Athletes for their sports. Five students received US Lacrosse All Academic Honors and four players garnered US Lacrosse All America Honors last school year.
PARTNERSHIP RESEARCHING BRAIN TUMORS
The Science Department is expanding independent science research opportunities for students by partnering with The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on the study of childhood brain tumors this summer. Since 2010, Dr. James Wilson’s Gene Therapy Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has opened its laboratory to two of our students for eight weeks each summer to conduct research in gene therapy. In 2013, AIS started a partnership with Ursinus College, where AIS students have investigated carbon nanotubes and studied the influence of social media on the 2016 presidential election in a computer science lab.
FACULTY PURSUITS
Summer at Klingenstein
In June, biology teacher Ethan Ake attended The Klingenstein Summer Institute, a two-week summer program for new independentschool teachers held at The Lawrenceville School and hosted by the Teachers College of Columbia University. The annual program selects 75 teachers from around the world (from an applicant pool of nearly 1,000) to participate in intensive all-day workshops and seminars on curriculum, diversity and leadership training. The institute is designed to train “teacher leaders,” or teachers who have leadership skills, to manage challenges both in and out of the classroom. “The program was an exhilarating experience both academically and socially,” said Ake, who presented to the Upper School faculty in September on his experience. “It really made me consider how what I do in the classroom is only one part of the education of our students. I feel invigorated and excited to use the skills I have gained in the program to advocate for best practices in teaching and larger school policy.”
