Summer 2018, Vol. 4
Zine Mania in the ISB Library! The ISB Library’s Zine Mania was a smash hit! This six-part series of workshops was offered after school to students in 4th-8th Grade to introduce them to the world of zines and zine making. Each workshop was led by a different guest artist, with a line up that included authors, illustrators, photographers, educators, and bookmakers, all of whom brought their unique perspectives on the form. Zine Mania kicked off in April with “An Introduction to Zines” led by Brooklyn Public Library Outreach Librarian and Artist Leigh Hurwitz. Students discussed the definition, history, and circulation of zines and then created their own.
Students brainstormed how to define zines for themselves. “A very tiny book!” one student suggested. “A homemade magazine!” suggested another. Leigh Hurwitz offered a more socially-minded, abstract definition of a zine as, “an instantaneous paper rebellion.” Midway through April, we were visited by the charming and talented Sara Varon, author and illustrator of the popular Odd Duck, Robot Dreams, and the Chicken and Cat and Sweater Weather series. Sara taught attendees how to make zines filled with characters who have pop-up beaks! “The ISB students were great! I loved how enthusiastic they were, and I was excited that they were game for making mini pop-up books. They all made really fun projects.” - Sara Varon
“I like zines because they let me show creativity in more than one way. For example, I could cut magazines with powerful photos and make a collage of something that I identify as. I am overflowing with joy that ISB is starting new zine workshops so other students can feel as liberated with this instantaneous paper rebellion as I am.” -Jillian, 7th Grade Eliseo Rivera, a photographer, artist, and technology integrator at Brooklyn Heights Montessori School, led students through an in-depth conversation about photo collage and introduced them to two methods of construction: a saddle stitched method and a single page folded version. Students looked at the samples of zines that Eliseo brought and noticed how they varied: some had lots of pictures, some had lots of colors, some had many words, and some had very few… and their topics ranged from sports, to politics, to simply “things the author likes.” The students discussed what they wanted to make for their own photo collage zines. Was it going to be a personal reflection? Or a creative exploration? What would the subject be? The zines came out beautifully, and they varied widely in form and content. Many students chose random images and thought of ways to connect them, while others picked one subject, such as animals or water, and worked from that idea.
In mid-May, author, printer, and bookmaker Esther K. Smith of Purgatory Pie Press joined us on a rainy afternoon to share some of her very special handmade books, origami books, double sided box books, accordion books, and wearable books (such as a crown book and teeny tiny book earrings with short poems inside). Esther taught students how to make beautiful surprise popup poster books using a map folding technique. “It was fun! I made two: one was a tiny article about my life, kind of like a biography. The other one was a birthday card for my friend!” - Lucia, 4th Grade
“The zine workshops were out of this world! I learned to makes things that I usually could not make by myself at home.” -Caterina, 4th Grade In early May, Ayde Rayas, a licensed creative art therapist and art educator at Cooke Academy High School, came in to share some of her students’ work and lead a discussion on zines and social change. “How can we act as agents for changes we wish to see in the world?” she asked. Each student picked a cause they cared about, and made a zine about that subject. Themes included electricity, immigration, creativity, agency, waste, and endangered species. “Making a zine was an amazing experience, I learned how to make zines with images from magazines and make them interesting and funny. I even learned how to make a little notebook in general with string and folding paper. Hanging out with kids that were in different grades was fun. The teachers helped out a lot when I was not confident, and in result, I made a cool zine called “A Series of Unfortunate Animals.” -Mahe, 7th Grade
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Our sixth and final zine workshop took place on Wednesday, May 30th, with very special guest artist Elvis Bakaitis. Elvis is a Brooklyn-based academic librarian, cartoonist, and author of numerous zines. They are the co-founder of the NYC Feminist Zinefest, now in its sixth year, and a coordinator at the Lesbian Herstory Archives. Thank you to all of the amazing artists who shared their work with our 4th through 8th Grade students!
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Taking Action: ISB Students Speak Up and Speak Out Action is at the heart of an ISB education. Our students actively participate in their own learning inside the classroom through inquiry and research, they engage with the community through service projects and extracurricular activities, and they are never afraid to speak their minds, share their opinions, and try to effect change. At 10am on March 14th, many of our 5th-8th Grade students joined the national walkout, an initiative started by students from Parkland, Florida. They were joined by many members of the ISB faculty and administration, who also feel passionately about the topic of school safety. Our younger students discussed the walkout and how the older students were engaging in this action to advocate for measures to bring about peace. The Lower School Student Council organized its own action, a minute of silence to stand in solidarity with the older students’ walkout. We are proud to see our students speaking up, taking action, and being advocates!
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Letter from the Head of School Dear ISB Community, Wow, the spring semester went by in a flash! As I look back at the last six months, I cannot but be amazed at the pace of events and what a busy place ISB is. There were too many events to list all of them, but here are some of the highlights from the second semester. In February, we held our annual Alumni and Staff vs. Dragons basketball game at St. Joseph’s College. Alumni from all graduating classes turned up to this popular event it’s amazing to think that our first Alumni are now high school seniors who will soon be college-bound! In March, the ever-popular Pecha Kucha - one of my favorite events of the year - was held and as usual, it showcased the creativity and wide-ranging talent of our community. In April, our annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day was expanded to include 1st Grades, and we welcomed enough participating families and friends to fill our gym! During this month we also held two very popular student events, the Lower School Poetry Slam and the Middle School Literary Cafe, giving our erudite students an opportunity to show off their poetry and prose. May event madness was then upon us. An awesome 5th Grade PYP Exhibition was quickly followed by the 8th Grade MYP Community Service Projects, both showcasing what an IB education is all about and demonstrating once again that our students are indeed the masters of their own learning. For the parents, we had the Unselfie Project and the very fun Spring Benefit to support the ISB Annual Fund for Excellence! Finally, among the many events held in June, special mention must to go to milestones of the 5th Grade Moving on Ceremony and of course the Class of 2018’s Graduation. One great thing about the quieter pace of the summer is that I can catch up a little on my reading. This summer, I have two books on my list - the first is a suggestion straight from ISB’s Multicultural Book Club: The Book of Emma Reyes by Emma Reyes. Emma was an artist originally from Bogota, Colombia, and the book chronicles her struggles through letters she wrote over the course of thirty years. I am looking forward to discussing this work at the Multicultural Book Club meeting on October 23. The second book that I am reading is Give and Take by Adam Grant; this book’s theory upends a popular idea that people who take more than they give do better in life. Grant’s premise is that giving to and helping others brings greater rewards to self and to organizations - perhaps the return of altruism.
What’s New for September... Middle School Electives A new and exciting initiative for the Middle School will be the creation of elective classes. Teachers and administrators at the school are offering the Middle School students the opportunity to study topics and subjects that go beyond our core curriculum. With over twenty different classes to choose from, students will be able to go deeper into areas that both they and the teachers are passionate about. Whether a student fancies taking part in a musical theater production, studying oceans, researching French films or blogging in Spanish, there is something on offer for everyone!
A New Learning Support Team In September, our student support team is expanding with the addition of a new Learning Specialist. Patricia McDougall, who has worked in IB school overseas for many years, will be joining us in August. She will have specific responsibility for Learning Support for 3rd through 8th Grade while Lea Brady, who will lead the team, will be concentrating on our younger grades. In addition to this new hire, we are also creating a resource room for the team.
A Full-Time School Nurse Starting in August, ISB will welcome Kali Gerber as its new Nurse. We are in the process of creating a new Nurse’s Office for her on the Lower Level of the West Building. After Kali arrives on campus, she will be reaching out to families whose children take medication in school or have medical conditions that require additional support. We look forward to introducing her to our community, and we look forward to having her on campus to keep us all healthy and happy in the coming school year!
I hope that you are all having a wonderful summer and I look forward to hearing about your adventures come September. Warm regards, Joe Santos Head of School
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We paired each 2nd Grade artist with a 7th Grade artist and began the exploration. To launch this project, both grades studied portraiture and then designed a set of questions that they could ask to get to know their subjects better. The students then came together many of them meeting for the first time - and they conducted their interviews, took pictures together, and sketched each other. Next, the students began painting their portraits. In April, we finally opened an exhibit on the first floor of the North Building to celebrate the completion of the students’ project, where they could see the final results of the work. Both groups of students were very happy to have a portrait painted of themselves and reflected positively on the experience. “J’ai bien aimé être dessinée car c’est intéressant de voir ce qu’elle pense de ma personnalité et comment elle la représente.” -Emma, 7th Grade
Picture Me! A Portrait Collaboration between 2nd & 7th Grade Students
This was a wonderful experience for our students. Both the older and the younger ones enjoyed working together, and many of the partners now say hello to each other in the hallways. We are looking forward to having this project become an annual tradition in the art department!
by Carolina Bermudez, Alda Arazi, and Muriel Stallworth This year, the art department wanted to find opportunities for cross-divisional collaboration in the art studio. After brainstorming what sort of project could become a tradition in art class and inspire students to look forward to collaborating together artistically, we came up with the idea of having the 2nd and 7th Graders create portraits of each other. This seemed like the perfect way to promote collaboration, as well as to spark new friendships among the students. A portrait involves the representation of someone, and in order to represent your subject well, you need to get to know a person to show their personality in the portrait.
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ISB Celebrates Cultural Week 2018 From April 18 to April 20, ISB held its annual Cultural Week celebration. During these three days, students from Preschool through Middle School engaged in special workshops that highlighted the cultural diversity of our school and city. These workshops were hosted by ISB parents, staff, and community members and covered activities including Indian cooking, Mexican folk art, Sicilian cannolis, Middle Eastern dance, Spanish poetry and urban art, and more. Thank you to the many workshop leaders for sharing their cultures with our students and making this year’s Cultural Week such a success!
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“The book club has opened up my world. I get a chance to read books I wouldn’t normally pick up and have important discussions with parents outside of my usual ISB parent circle. It has been a great way to connect even more as a community.” -Aliya B.
“I personally love it because it gave me an opportunity to expand my ISB community beyond my son’s class.” -Donyell T.
The Library Committee and Diversity Committee started this school-wide initiative in the hopes of challenging our presumptions and ideas through conversation. In today’s divisive political and social climate, when it feels especially important to maintain thoughtful discussion about diversity and make space for hearing voices of people from different backgrounds, this book club has provided a meaningful structure through which we can have important and sometimes difficult conversations about race, religion, and politics.
The ISB Multicultural Book Club’s Inaugural Year by Maria Falgoust, ISB Librarian The ISB Multicultural Book Club held five gatherings throughout the past school year, offering parents across language tracks and grade levels, as well as ISB faculty and staff, opportunities to meet in a social and intellectual setting. Attendees got to know each other while discussing literature about important contemporary issues. The meetings created a space for us to come together and reminded us of the importance of lifelong learning, setting an example for our children and students by showing them that intellectual growth and community-building do not end with formal education.
Meetings were hosted either in the morning, over coffee and bagels in the Learning Commons, or in the evening in private homes, where attendees were treated to delicious dinners of Indian and Middle Eastern food. We kicked off the school year off with a discussion of The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, a mesmerizing fictional story, set in Pakistan, that delves into cultural identity and politics. In December, the Chopra family hosted an evening book club, during which we discussed mass incarceration and race after reading the award-winning nonfiction title The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander. Next, we read the novel, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, which brought up the painful topic of slavery in America. In April, the Hervot family hosted the subsequent book club meeting and we read Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan, a collection of absurdist short stories set in the Middle East. Our last book for the school year was The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson, a gender bending memoir that brought up conversation topics such as motherhood, romantic love, identity, step-parenting, and more. “I love ISB’s book club as it connects some of my favorite things, being social and reading. It’s a great way to meet other parents whom I may not know, and it’s a place where we can share different points of view in a very non-judgemental and safe environment.” -Ashna C. “I love that the Multicultural Book Club inspires me to read titles I might not have chosen on my own. I also enjoy getting to know other members of the ISB community and considering various cultural issues from different points of view.” -Jenny R. As Franz Kafka said, “ A book must be the axe for the frozen sea inside us.” The ISB Multicultural Book Club, by extension, helps us all make sense of the slush, which also strengthens our community! Our book club has been a great way for me to branch out and read books I might not otherwise pick up. I always leave our book clubs feeling energized and proud to be a part of the ISB community.
GET A HEAD START ON YOUR ISB MULTICULTURAL BOOK CLUB READING THIS SUMMER AND CONSIDER JOINING US AT ONE OF NEXT YEAR’S MEETINGS!
The Book of Emma Reyes: A Memoir by Emma Reyes Tuesday, October 23, 2018 March [Trilogy] by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell January 24, 2019 *This meeting is open to Middle School Students 12
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee Wednesday, March 13, 2019 Hunger by Roxanne Gay May 2019
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The Design Classroom Becomes a 3D Makerspace for the 8th Grade Model Chair Project by Pat Hough, Middle School Design Teacher & Technology Integration Director
After doing pencil sketches, each student completed a self-directed tutorial on SketchUp. They then used their new technology skills to transfer their sketched designs into SketchUp models. This digital model became the first summative assessment for the unit. In order to accommodate the building of their chairs, the Design classroom at the Annex was transformed into a 3D makerspace for the students. Hand saws, coping saws, sandpaper, precision knives, craft glue, hot glue, foam core board, and cardboard became our building materials. Finished wooden models were primed and painted. Foam core and cardboard models were carefully glued together and colored with markers. Their handbuilt chair became the second summative assessment for the unit. At the culmination of the project, the students were very happy with all they had accomplished and learned.
During the first semester, the 8th Grade students started a unit on three-dimensional design. The project required students to design chairs, first using two- and threedimensional drawing skills, and later transferring their ideas into a three-dimensional modeling program called “SketchUp”. Their final assessment for the unit was the finished 3D chair. We began by doing some research on the history of chairs. It was fascinating to see that as art and architecture evolved over time, chair design did too. But their purpose never has; for millennia people have needed a place to sit. As such, the chair is a perfect marker for the ever-changing history of design. The students continued their exploration by searching for images of many different types of chairs. After researching, they made sketches of four separate chair designs using paper and pencil. “While designing my chairs I was keeping in mind what I would personally have interest in and what would be the most interesting to make. As the different ideas evolved, I wanted to create something that would be a standout design and that could even induce sentiments in others, whether it be nostalgia or horror.” -Cypress
“I was thinking of how I could make my chair be a place that was comfortable to sleep (I was tired that day). I continued with that idea towards the end and made a mattress next to a small couch in my chair. I asked myself whether I should make a normal chair or make a chair that you could probably live in as well. In the beginning, I decided to continue with the idea of an actual chair. Once I had finished my design on Sketchup, I decided to do something a little different.“ -Shirin
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Insights and Reflections from a NAIS Aspiring Heads of School Fellow Director of Operations and Advancement Natalie Stella Judelson recently completed a year-long National Association for Independent Schools (NAIS) Fellowship for Aspiring Heads of School. She sat down to share her insights, reflections, and inspiration following her culminating presentation at the 2018 NAIS National Conference. How did you come to work in independent schools? I started my career as an attorney, and I worked in finance as a lawyer for almost 12 years. I decided to take time off when I had kids, since I knew my work schedule wasn’t compatible with the new demands of family life. I am the kind of person who enjoys taking on new challenges and activities, so I became very involved with my kids’ school (VCS, in the West Village), first as a parent volunteer, then running their fundraising efforts, then becoming a Trustee and eventually serving on the Executive Committee of the Board. As I became more involved in the Board’s work at VCS, I was very excited to learn more about how schools operate, especially all the things that come together to make the school special, how faculty and staff are at the heart of a school and its success, the importance of fundraising, and how schools can use a strong budget to support an exciting program. I always had a strong love for education, which I got from my parents, and with my background in law, I thought that moving to an independent school would be a great next step for me, career-wise.
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Finally, we worked in a small groups, conducting independent research that we presented at the NAIS National Conference in March. My group studied the leadership attributes and qualities of first year Heads of School, looking at whether female and male Heads displayed different attributes. We were interested in this topic because although women and people of color hold 70% of senior administrative roles in independent schools, they represent less than 10% of Heads of School. What were the most important lessons you learned? One of my biggest takeaways was that being collaborative is what makes a leader stand apart, and this is an especially important skill for a Head of School. There are many constituencies in a school community, and it is so important for a leader in this context to take the time to hear from all the different voices when making decisions. I also came back with a new awareness of how big a job it is to be a Head of School. In independent schools, a headship is essentially the CEO of a multimillion dollar company. Heads need to understand how to run the business, be the face of the school, and continue to move the school forward based on its mission, while still juggling everything else that goes on everyday.
I got more involved professionally in fundraising, and I worked with a variety of schools and nonprofits in this capacity. When the opportunity at ISB came up, I was excited to be able to put all of my experience and effort into one institution and help develop the fundraising program at the school.
One amazing aspect of this experience was getting to speak with a number of Heads of School from across the country. Despite the heavy workload, all the school leaders that I interacted with in this process were among the happiest people I have met. They love working with students, are innovators, feel passionate about their schools’ missions, and stay energized despite the long hours. That was truly inspirational.
How would you describe your role at ISB? When I first joined 8 years ago, I was focused on transforming our fundraising efforts into a strong and healthy part of the school’s budget. As time went on, and I saw the need for someone to be more involved in the operating side of the school, and I took on the role of Director of Operations in addition to Director of Advancement. Broadly speaking, this involves working with groups to make sure things are running well in the building and that we using space effectively, and also creating a strong administrative team that works together, including coordinating efforts between Advancement and Admissions.
In addition to providing me with insight into what it takes to be a Head of School, the fellowship also gave me concrete skills and ideas that I have taken back to my current role. At ISB, we have the opportunity to be innovative, to bring new programs in, and to move things forward. I learned a lot about crisis management during my fellowship, and I was able to come back to ISB and put together a crisis management team to review our current procedures and draft a comprehensive emergency operations plan. We have been working on this project for the past year, and we will be continuing our efforts in the summer and throughout the coming months.
This dual role of Operations and Advancement Director is not typical in most schools. Advancement work traditionally focuses on communications, marketing, fundraising, and outreach, but pulling in the operations piece allows me to take a big picture view of how the school is functioning. For example, I can take a look at the experience of families from when they first through the doors of ISB as applicants, through being members of our community, and finally to graduation and alumni life, thinking about how to make that journey the best that it can be at all stages.
I also left the fellowship with new excitement about how to inspire members of my team to take the next steps in their professional growth. I try to inspire and support my team in growing their own leadership, whether through professional development opportunities or by taking on new projects at work.
What is the fellowship program that you did? It was the NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring Heads of School. This is a one-year fellowship during which you work with a mentor who is a current Head of School at a NAIS school. I worked closely with a mentor and a small group of fellows, looking at what it means to be a leader in a school environment. As part of the fellowship, we met for a one-week indepth work session in Atlanta, focusing on topics such as how Heads work with Boards, manage budgets, engage in crisis management, and build cultural competency. We also looked at the qualities and abilities that combine to create strong leadership, and what this looks like in a Head of School in particular.
I also learned that effective Heads of School are not just people who embrace the education side or just business side of running a school. They are leaders who are fully involved in both with student life and education always at the center. Here at ISB, with the new Middle School trimester schedule, I jumped at the opportunity to teach an elective class next year in order to be more involved with the students at ISB. I am teaching a class called “From Malala to the Parkland 5,” in which I will be bringing in my legal background to talk about constitutional law and how it affects the rights of teens, but also how teens have the power to make change. Regardless of whether I become a head of school in the future, the lessons I learned in this process will inform my leadership experience and journey and will continue to impact my work at ISB everyday.
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ISB Celebrates & Graduates the Class of 2018 On June 15, 2018, ISB held commencement exercises for the Class of 2018. During the ceremony, Head of School Joe Santos shared his pride in the students’ commitment to equity and justice, as well as their willingness to take action on issues that are meaningful to them. “I know that you want to make the world a better place, and that you are willing to work hard to make it happen. You are seasoned adventurers; you are vocal and passionate advocates; and you will continue to grow as thoughtful leaders as you move on to high school and beyond.” As parting words, he shared with them a quote: “My final words come from one of my favorite authors, Maya Angelou. She once said, ‘You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.’ 8th Grade, whatever happens in the future, good and bad, do not lose this joy that you now have. Keep that always as part of who you are and you will do well in life for yourselves and for others.” Congratulations to the Class of 2018!
Good Luck in High School! ISB’s Class of 2018 graduates will be attending the following schools across New York City and in London: American School in London (UK), Bard High School Early College Manhattan, Bard High School Early College Queens, Beacon High School, The Berkeley Carroll School, Brooklyn Friends School, Brooklyn Technical High School, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Frank Sinatra High School of the Arts, Léman Manhattan Preparatory School, Loyola School, Midwood High School, Millennium Brooklyn High School, New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math, NYC iSchool, Poly Prep Country Day School, Saint Ann’s School, Urban Assembly Maker Academy, United Nations International School
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We wish them all the best of luck as they continue to grow as Adventurers, Advocates, and Leaders!
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More to See on the Blog... Dispatches from the North: 7th Grade Language Acquisition Trip to Québec City & Montréal
Everyday is Earth Day! Sustainability at ISB For these stories and more, go to isbrooklyn.org and click on “Inside ISB.”
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