The Marker 2020

THE

MARKER

THE MARK DAY SCHOOL MAGAZINE

SPRING 2020

CELEBRATIN

NG 40 YEARS

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f I had drafted this letter even a few weeks earlier, the school I would have been discussing would not resemble the school that I write about today. In late January 2020 we announced the cancellation of our annual student delegation to Beijing; just over a month later, we closed the campus to students and announced the launch of distance learning at Mark Day School.

The pivot point, of course, was the COVID-19 pandemic and the shelter-inplace directives that Bay Area counties, and later all of California, enacted in response. As soon as we began to learn of the spread of the coronavirus in January, we began asking ourselves what we would need to do to move to distance learning.

How would we achieve our mission in an entirely new format? What were the most important elements of a Mark Day education we needed to maintain? What obstacles could we see, and how could we

overcome them? It rapidly became clear that the planning was going to prove incredibly valuable--and once we began, we never really slowed.

On Opening Day in the fall, we took inspiration from the 50th anniversary of the Apollo missions about what we might make of our year together, and particularly three messages gleaned from NASA’s Gene Kranz, flight director for the landing portion of Apollo 11: (1) What we will dare, we will do. Dream big, and go for it! (2) When we unite in pursuit of a worthy cause, the result is greater than the sum of the parts. (3) And there is an awful lot of future out there. Yes, there are challenges. But you are building the skills, you are building the knowledge, and you already have the love. Let’s move forward and make a great year together.

Little did I realize on August 27th that, like the Apollo astronauts before us, we, too, would be loading into our version

of a spacecraft, pulling the hatch closed behind us, and launching on a great challenge together. On Friday, March 13, campus was a hive of activity, with teachers across grade levels prepping materials, novels, workbooks, and digital devices for families to pick up as we launched distance learning. Work continued through the weekend, and the campus continued to buzz with training and team meetings as the week opened. By Wednesday morning at 8:30, though, all was silent at 39 Trellis Drive, and I found myself imagining the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center after Apollo 11 was on her way. But online, the network was crackling with live lessons, connection, intellect, and social and emotional growth.

While we are not hurtling through outer space on our way to the moon, on some days it does feel that way. We have learned new habits and new ways to communicate together in formal and informal ways, to assess student learning and give feedback. We discuss our reading, conduct labs, dig into math problems, ask questions, meet one-on-one and in small groups, and more--in short, we learn together. On most days I continue to work from my office, and I often find myself starting to walk to visit a teacher, or drop into a class--only to remember that I have to log onto Zoom instead.

I wrote above that a few weeks’ time made the difference between one school and another, but in fact, the opposite is true. Distance learning has served as a crucible, revealing what is so special about Mark Day School--the supportive, inclusive community in which each child is truly known, supported, and challenged; the thoughtful, innovative, hard-working faculty; the dedicated, joyful, talented students; a forward-looking team of leaders; remarkable parents and guardians embracing a new reality for themselves and their children.

What matters at Mark Day when we are together on campus matters just as much in this new mode of teaching and learning. As a school, we know ourselves as a thoughtful, innovative learning community. This community embraces growth and learns with love and joy. That has never been more evident to me than on this new journey together.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Robert Hee, President Julian Allen, Treasurer Lindsay Bartsh Sharina Belani Nishant Budhraja ‘06, Alumni Trustee Ethan Dornhelm Aimee Foreman, Vice President Alexander Fraser Kelly Giddings, Faculty Trustee Reetika Grewal Joe Harvey, Head of School Dan Kalafatas Andrew Kawahara, Assistant Treasurer Chris Mazzola Michelle Mulkey Sam Parker Steve Polsky Carl Reichardt David Shapiro Nicole Stanton Rachel Street, PA President Peter Supino DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION Katie Kelso DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Wendy Levine ‘89

Joe Harvey Head of School

CONTENTS NEWS 5

News & Highlights From Campus

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Teacher Feature: Beth Bonzell

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Theater Productions

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Alumni News

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Congratulations, Class of 2020!

FEATURES 13

Connecting on Common Ground

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More Than Just a Game

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The Sky’s the Limit

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Learning Through Simulation

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From K to 8: Math

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Diving Into Distance Learning

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How Can We Help?

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Forty ReMARKable Years

EDITORIAL & DESIGN Sophie Shulman’02 Director of Communications

ALUMNI NEWS Christine Maguire Associate Director of Development

PHOTOGRAPHY Chad Forrester ‘86 Media Specialist Sophie Shulman ‘02 Director of Communications

PRINTING AlphaGraphics Inc. alphagraphics.com

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NEWS & HIGHLIGHTS FROM CAMPUS EXPANDING 6TH, 7TH, AND 8TH GRADES

FACULTY & STAFF SHOW OFF THEIR TALENTS Faculty and staff danced, sang, and performed to support eSibonisweni’s ePOP program.

The third-ever Fun Fest, a faculty and staff variety show, went live on Friday, November 8th to benefit the eSibonisweni Primary Orphan Program (ePOP).

All were welcome to attend, and we were happy to see some alumni in the audience as well as current families, students, and friends who filled the gym to near capacity. Acts included music by the Soggy Bearded Boys, a band comprised of Dave Hickman, Brian Wilkerson, and a guest appearance by Richard Navarette; Musica de Los Andes: Valicha, a dance performance by world language teachers Tracy Caton, Chantal Charbonneau, 5

and Silvia Buckley; The First Day of School, a comical recreation of getting ready for school performed by 5th grade teachers Deb Pannell and Lacy Zehner along with Beckie Mejia and Gaelle Gordon; and the famed Literal Play titled “A Day at Mark Day, Literally.” In between acts, emcees Norm Lyons and ReAnna Gailes entertained the audience with photo guessing games, songs, and witty banter. The event raised more than $4,500—a record in Fun Fest history. Thanks to all who attended, sang along, and supported ePOP.

After a year-long thoughtful planning process, we were excited to roll out the expansion of our 6th grade class in the fall. Our 6th-8th grade program is founded on smaller class sizes within the larger grade to improve opportunities for student voice, greater differentiation, and deeper relationships with teachers.

We know that adolescents need strong relationships with adults for healthy development and also that they thrive in a slightly expanded social peer network. Additionally, research has established the positive effects of hands-on, project-based learning, a pedagogical practice that we embrace here, and smaller sections enable more depth in such practices. Diversity of all kinds has been proven to improve critical thinking, perspective taking, overall group decision making, and readiness for leadership in an increasingly diverse and interconnected world; the diversity added to our student population by expanding the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades offers these kinds of positive outcomes and more.

POSTPONING OUR DELEGATION TO SOUTH AFRICA Every other summer, we send a delegation of Mark Day families to visit our partner schools in South Africa. This summer, Mark Day students, families, faculty, and staff planned to journey there again to visit Kliptown Youth Program (KYP) and eSibonisweni.

There were so many families interested in going on the trip that we created two trips. It would have been the largest delegation we’ve ever sent, with nearly 100 people! However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the trip was postponed. We are hoping to visit our partners in South Africa during the summer of 2021.

“It’s so exciting to watch this program grow. It’s wonderful to have Mark Day families experience the sense of welcome, belonging, and partnership together as they visit KYP and eSibonisweni.

Our partnerships have been such a huge part of my life, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to share these moments with so many members of our community next summer.” - Fernanda Pernambuco, Director of Cross Cultural Partnerships & Community Engagement

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GROWING & LEARNING IN A BIGGER CLASSROOM Students in grades 3, 5, 6, and 7 went on outdoor ed trips this year to Walker Creek, Point Reyes, Pinnacles National Monument, and Yosemite. Students hiked and rock climbed, and got to know themselves and their peers on a deeper level.

PARENT ED: IDENTITY, SCREENS, & SEL Parents and guardians had the opportunity to attend two workshops this year to further their understanding of important issues students are facing.

In early October, Rosetta Lee, an expert on diversity, inclusion, and equity, spoke with our community about parenting with identity in mind. She addressed questions such as, ‘how do we learn about our various group identities like female, African American, Buddhist, homosexual, middle class, etc.?’ and ‘why do some people develop proud and healthy self identity and others experience own-group shame and hatred?’

Through her presentation, parents and guardians learned how they can instill positive self identity in children and teach them how to be positive influences on others’ identities.

In January, we held a public screening of the movie Screenagers Next Chapter: Uncovering Skills for Stress Resilience, which included a Q&A with producer Lisa Tabb. The topics addressed in this movie, such as SEL and its intersection with digital life, are very much aligned with Mark Day curriculum. The film is a follow-up to the first Screenagers film we showed in May 2016.

PARTNERING WITH HAMILTON SCHOOL IN NOVATO In the spring of 2019, we began a partnership with Hamilton School in Novato to create a new reading buddies program.

During the 10-week sessions, Mark Day Upper Division students visit Hamilton School weekly to meet with 2nd through 5th grade students. The program provides Hamilton students with a place to go after school and to practice their reading skills. It’s a great opportunity to connect with other students in the community and put SEL skills into practice. Eighth grader Abby R. says, “My favorite part about going to Hamilton School is being able to talk to younger children and help them read books that interest them...

It’s a way for older students to connect with younger ones that are in a different situation and to help them grow and practice their reading skills. I think that Hamilton School students benefit from this partnership because they get out of their comfort zones a little bit and practice reading out loud, which some of them might not have been as comfortable with before.”

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WHO IS THE NEW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR? His name is Ben Simmonds and he’s hit the ground running.

VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONS Two championship banners were added to the gym this fall!

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“I hold my Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education along with multiple National and International coaching qualifications. For the majority of my teaching and coaching career, I have been based in Southern California. I previously taught P.E. at an IB World School based in Orange County, CA. Before joining Mark Day School I was recruited to take on the exciting role of Founding Athletic Director and P.E. teacher at an independent K-8 school in West Palm Beach, Florida. Prior to moving to the United States from England, I had the pleasure of teaching and coaching in the English Public School System. Being very passionate and motivated by sports and fitness my whole life, I have been able to reach out and positively impact the lives of children and adults in many ways. I’m a firm believer in the importance of setting and reaching goals and that all children should enjoy and participate in a healthy active lifestyle, which includes lifelong fitness. What better way to spend my life than making a difference with youth in a healthy, active, and positive way of living!”

The 6th and 7th grade girls volleyball teams are Marin County Volleyball Champions! Both teams charged through the season with undefeated records. The 6th grade team was coached by Leslie Garber and Remi Zimmerman, and the 7th grade team was coached by Sayra Trejo. In November, they proudly presented the new banners to the community at assembly before they were hung on the wall of the gym.

This fall, students also participated in cross country and flag football, which returned after a hiatus.

Fifteen runners competed in the Junior Olympic Qualifer meet in Folsom on November 24th, and eight students went on to qualify for the USATF Region 14 Junior Olympic Championships. And the flag football team finished strong with a record of 5-2. Well done to all our fall athletes this year!

WELCOMING OUR NEW FEATHERED FRIENDS

In the spring of 2019, we welcomed four new chicks to our campus.

They spent the first several weeks living in 1st grade classrooms to become acclimated to their new environment and continue to grow before they were ready to relocate to our brand new coop in the organic garden on the west side of campus. Since then, Ginger, Rosie, Monet, and Luna have been a wonderful addition to our garden and ecoliteracy education, with many students visiting, learning about, and taking care of our new feathered friends.

CHESS & JUST IMAGINE CLUB LIVE ON—THROUGH ALUMNI! Following Ray Orwig’s retirement after 39 years, the all-school chess championship commenced for its 40th year on January 8 with help from Mr. Orwig and Sean Peisert ‘90, who was on the chess team as a student here.

Additionally, Chad Forrester ‘86 has taken over Just Imagine Club, a weekly club for students to watch classic sci-fi flicks.

DIVING DEEP INTO MARK DAY SCHOOL Since its founding in1984, Mark Day School has become a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and accredited by the California Association of Indepedent Schools (CAIS).

Our CAIS membership requires us to conduct a comprehensive written selfstudy every seven years.

Starting in the 2019-2020 school year, we launched this community-wide effort to look deeply and thoughtfully at every aspect of our program, engaging faculty, staff, and administration in small group discussion, interviews, and independent research to examine specific topics like mission, educational program, student learning experience, faculty and pedagogy, climate and community, financial sustainability, operations, health, safety, and wellness, and institutional stewardship and leadership. We are looking forward to continuing our work in the fall.

TEACHER FEATURE

BETH BONZELL

MATH SPECIALIST (6TH & 7TH GRADES) Beth Bonzell has been at Mark Day School for 15 years as a math specialist for the Upper School. She has also served in other roles, including elective teacher, Graduation and Closing Day coordinator, student Green Team advisor, and summer camp teacher.

How many years have you been teaching overall?

This is my 26th year teaching, and my 15th year teaching at Mark Day School.

What is something most people at Mark Day don’t know about you?

I have a supplementary credential to teach art. I was an art major when I first entered college. I was tutoring math on the side and found that I enjoyed the tutoring more than my courses for my major. I also had an amazing math instructor who showed me how fun math can be.

Why did you decide to become a math teacher?

I enjoy empowering people in their ability to do mathematics. In college, I tutored students who had various learning challenges. Their brains did not work in a typical way with mathematics. I had to be creative and versatile to get them to understand concepts. Many of them understood it much more when I used visuals or acted it out. The best feeling is when they “get it” and feel confident in their math abilities. So many people think they are not “math people” because of negative experiences or being taught math in a way that didn’t sync with how their brain functions. I find many people are excellent mathematical thinkers but don’t think they are good at math because they had trouble with fractions or in an Algebra class. This can hold them back from taking on challenges in mathematics which results in missed opportunities for them and for our society. I want to do what I can to change people’s mathematical mindsets and views of mathematics.

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YEARS TEACHING

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MARBLE RUNS BUILT

What are your favorite hobbies/activities outside of teaching?

Hiking, all kinds of puzzles, crafts, spending time with my dog, socializing with friends, and camping in my RV. What has been your favorite “math moment”?

My favorite moments are when students say, “Oh! I get it now!” or “This is fun!” or “I didn’t think I liked math before, but now it is one of my favorite classes.” I love observing their growth in their own math confidence! Another example is when I attended a math conference in Monterey around 2001. One of the presenters taught us the Quadratic Formula song as a way to memorize the formula. I then taught it to my class when we got to the Quadratic Formula. I made sure every student sang the song. I was amazed at how well it helped them remember it. I would walk by students as they were working on Quadratic Equations and could hear them hum the tune as they worked. It demonstrated to me how much music can help people remember things. I have made sure to teach the song ever since and am constantly looking for songs for other formulas or concepts.

Why did you become the Green Team advisor?

I love to be outdoors and appreciate the beautiful world we live in. It breaks my heart to see how it is deteriorating. I want to do my best and help others, including the Mark Day School community, to be less wasteful and think about the impact we have on our environment and future.

340 TOTAL HOURS DANCING IN HER LINE DANCE ELECTIVE CLASS AT MARK DAY

5,000 25 50

TOTAL STUDENTS TAUGHT

TIMES SHE’S CHAPERONED AN OUTDOOR ED TRIP

PUZZLES IN HER CLASSROOM 12

CONNECTING ON COMMON GROUND

This year, we began planning to launch affinity groups at Mark Day School. We are excited to offer these spaces to students in 5th through 8th grade to promote healthy awareness, acceptance, and understanding of identity.

What is an Affinity Group?

Affinity groups are safe spaces where people can come together with a common identity to talk about their experiences and concerns and discuss issues that are specific to that identity.

According to Rosetta Lee, a widely

Affinity groups allow for an exploration of one’s own identity, celebration of shared identity, and debriefing of the common challenges and experiences that members of the identity group face. recognized expert on diversity, inclusion, and equity, “Affinity groups allow for an exploration of one’s own identity, celebration of shared identity, and debriefing of the common challenges and experiences that members of the identity group face.” These groups are different

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from alliance groups, which are support based, and interest groups, which are activity or passion based.

A Foundation of Research and Planning

During the 2017-18 school year, a subcommittee was formed under the Diversity & Inclusivity Committee to research the idea of bringing affinity groups to Mark Day School. “We know that having affinity spaces for students is best practice,” says Fernanda Pernambuco, Director of Cross-Cultural Partnerships and Community Engagement. “Affinity spaces are good for community building, social dynamics, and academics.

We also know that especially for students in marginalized groups, being able to get together and have positive identity development is crucial. And so it was time to start researching and create a vision for how this could look at Mark Day.”

The subcommittee spent two years researching information from a variety of resources, notably the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), Rosetta Lee, and other independent schools that have

already implemented affinity groups.

They found that affinity groups in schools allow kids to more comfortably talk about how their identity— and how others view their identity— affects them. In an article published in the NAIS magazine titled “Identity, Affinity, Reality,” Julie Parsons and Kimberly Ridley explain: “Even in the most progressive independent schools, issues of race often live just below the surface of children’s daily experiences. In the relative security of an affinity group, these realities come to life. Affinity groups are places where students build connections and process “ouch” moments from their classes...The relationships students gain through race-based affinity groups enable them to feel less alone with their emotions and help them build a stronger sense of self.”

One of the more common types of affinity groups they encountered during their research are racebased. Affinity groups offer a space in which to talk about, explore, and affirm identities of racial minorities. Rosetta Lee states that, “Those of us who have privileged identities are affirmed on a daily basis in many ways—we are reflected in government leadership, in

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At Mark Day School, it is important that we start the conversation about identity, and affinity groups are one way in which we can do that. Research has shown that affinity groups can be particularly influential for healthy identity development in kids and adolescents.

media, in school curriculum, and more...We are like fish thinking that the water is nothing special. However, there are those of us with identities that are rarely given that affirmation—in fact, we are told disparaging things about our groups...Affinity groups offer a space where marginalized groups can experience welcome and affirmation.”

Some pose questions like: aren’t affinity groups more divisive than unifying? Doesn’t segregating groups of people based on race and gender just incite a greater sense of separateness? Though segregation is rooted in a history of injustice and oppression, affinity groups are a form of self-segregation that is optional like separate places of worship and sports teams.

Beverly Daniel Tatum, one of the most renowned researchers on the psychology of racism, has widely addressed this idea of self-segregation. In her national bestseller Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, she sparks new conversations about race and racial identity. In a 2017 article with The Atlantic titled “Do Conversations About Race Belong in the Classroom?” Tatum states that “in a race-conscious society, we all have a racial identity that develops in predictable ways, shaped largely by the interactions we have with others.

I still believe that an understanding of that identity-development process can help all of us begin to build bridges across lines of difference.”

“It’s not an ‘us vs. them’ mentality,” says Fernanda. “It’s about affirmation of identity and figuring out how to embrace it.” Part of bringing these affinity spaces to Mark Day is that students will learn to understand their identity and the identities of others. An important part of the education is realizing that other students may not have the same opportunities to get together with people who are like them often. Giving them a place to talk about what it’s like and have a positive affirmation around that identity is important. It’s not curiosity, it’s identity. It is a possibility that down the road, allies and upstander groups will be created so students who want to show up for their friends can do so without disrupting the purpose of an affinity group.

At Mark Day School, it is important that we start the conversation about identity, and affinity groups is one way in which we can do that. Research has shown that affinity groups can be particularly influential for healthy identity development in kids and adolescents. According to a webinar released by Early Childhood Investigations, children begin to absorb social stereotypes, attitudes, and biases—in both themselves and others—at age two. And by the age of 10, these attitudes have become deeply rooted and difficult to shift without “life-changing experiences.”

Following their research, the Mark Day subcommittee believed that bringing Rosetta Lee to campus would have a profound effect on faculty education and preparation. In

October 2019, Rosetta Lee visited campus for a full day of professional development. “For faculty, it was important that they fully understood what this could look like and feel like for students,” explains Fernanda. After a discussion and interactive activity around identity, they named groups, and then broke out into these groups to talk about their commonalities, challenges, and identities as prescribed by themselves and others. While this activity allowed faculty to gain a clearer picture of how affinity groups would function, this exercise also showed that affinity groups aren’t just beneficial for students in a school environment; studies have shown that these spaces boost employee happiness and retention. Mike Peel, the Vice President of Human Resources at Yale University, attributed the University’s tremendous improvement in diversity and inclusivity to the presence of affinity groups and encouraged staff managers to allow employees to attend these spaces during work hours. In a message to all managers at Yale, he said, “Probably the single most important catalyst for our greater diversity and inclusiveness has been our Affinity Networks.”

Introducing Students to Affinity Groups

In March, we planned to introduce 5th through 8th graders to affinity groups. Unfortunately, that introduction was postponed due to the transition to distance learning. When we are able to come together, Fernanda will lead grade-level conversation about what the term affinity means, how we all have a web of identities, and how affinity groups are an opportunity for people who share an identifying characteristic to connect and share experiences. To put this new knowledge into practice, students will be grouped by birth order (oldest, youngest, middle, only, and twin) and answer questions like: What are some common stereotypes of your group? What is a disadvantage or struggle being in your category? What are the advantages and strengths of being in that group? What message or request might you have for people who are not in your particular place in the birth order? Even when it comes to birth order—which on the surface, seems relatively straightforward—there will be a moment for students to connect with their identity more deeply. Fernanda says, “An important part of this activity is allowing for flexibility. For example, a student might have half siblings that are a lot older, and so will feel like the oldest in their household. It is important for students to choose the identity that most resonates with them.”

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It was important—and will always be important—for students to feel like they have a choice and that we are hearing them. We want to honor the identities that are important to them.

Following the activity, students will have the opportunity to write down parts of their identity they would be interested in starting an affinity group for.

Fernanda, along with Gaelle Gordon, Director of Student Life, and Dave Hickman, Head of Upper School, will use these student ideas and select several affinity groups to start. “It is important—and will always be important—for students to feel like they have a choice and that we are hearing them,” says Fernanda. “We want to honor the identities that are important to them.”

What’s Next?

We are hoping to have between four and eight affinity groups next school year. These groups will meet once a month at lunch, led by two faculty or staff members who share the same identity and have been trained to facilitate. Each group will also have its own mission statement and a set of guidelines that all participants abide by. Throughout the year, students will have the opportunity to suggest additional affinity groups.

Bringing affinity groups to Mark Day School is a great step forward in our constant commitment to diversity, equity, inclusivity, and ensuring that students are equipped with the tools and experiences to become secure in their own identities and accepting of others.

More Than Just a Game Teaching confidence, collaboration, and kindness through sports in grades K-3

Throughout the school day, you might see students taking off on a one-mile run, tossing foam balls across the gym in a friendly game of dodgeball, or yelping in excitement when they’ve been tagged on the playground. To an observer, these activities might look like fun—and they are. But the intention, planning, and skill-building behind them runs much deeper.

At Mark Day School, every student in grades K-8 has P.E. every single day. In addition to the physiological benefits of physical exercise such as improved heart health and decreased depression and anxiety, we know based on widely published research that physical activity has positive effects on academic learning. A research article titled “Aerobic Fitness is Associated with Greater White Matter Integrity in Children” published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience states that “...children who are more fit have more white matter in their brains than those who aren’t as fit. The areas of the brain where more white matter was observed are important for attention and memory, and are critical for linking different parts of the brain together.”

For these reasons and more, it is important for students to move throughout the day—not just at recess and lunch but also in a more structured setting that allows for additional skills to be developed.

Robert Bowers, Lower School P.E. teacher, uses fun games to teach both basic motor skills and social and emotional literacy (SEL) skills like collaboration, good sportsmanship, and growth mindset. “In class, I 18

disguise skill-building in the context of games,” he says. “During one game, for example, students will learn proper technique for throwing and kicking while also learning how to communicate with teammates.”

These multidisciplinary lessons start as soon as students come to class and begin their warm-ups. Usually involving a tag game, warmups are meant to improve students’ cardiovascular system and spark peer-to-peer communication.

A popular warm-up game is sprout tag. In this game, everybody is “it” and tries to tag other players with two fingers on the arm. If a student is tagged, the student is “out” and must sit on the ground until the person who tagged them gets out.

If two students tag each other at the same time, they play roshambo to determine who gets out.

Robert enjoys seeing the progression as students move through the grades. “At first, there are a lot of disagreements and trying to play around the rules,” he says. “But as students play more and more, they get better at communicating and being a good sport when they’ve been tagged. They learn to figure it out among themselves and take responsibility for following the rules.”

Another game, new this year, is called battleship. In this game, gymnastics mats create a wall in the center of the gym floor, dividing the class into two teams. On each side are 20 randomly placed bowling pins. Each team throws foam balls over the wall to try to knock down the pins, with-

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out knowing exactly where they are. If a player catches one of the balls thrown over the wall, that student has the opportunity to run a full lap around the court and in doing so, can catch a glance at where the other team’s pins are located and relay that information back to the team. In the context of this game, students practice handeye coordination and motor skills, continuously move their bodies, and must work together to determine strategy. Robert’s favorite part of this particular activity is that the lap running around the gym is actually a reward, one that puts that team at a significant advantage.

Just like learning any new skill, frustrations pop up along the way, and “failing” is an important part of the process—especially when it comes to introducing hand-eye coordination and basic motor skills to younger kids. Robert says that kindergarteners in particular can get quite frustrated when trying new activities. “When we do jump roping, for example, they can only do one or two at first,” he says. “When they get upset, we focus on modifying the activity to allow for smaller successes until they are able to gain more skill.” Keeping a good attitude and learning how to persevere through frustration are skills that will benefit students outside P.E. class, too.

Celebrating the smaller victories was also the inspiration for an end-of-class activity called Highlights. Every day, students in K-3 P.E. have the opportunity to compliment their classmates.

In class, I disguise skill-building in the context of games. During one game, for example, students will learn proper technique for throwing and kicking while also learning how to communicate with teammates.”

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They can give each other a shoutout for improved athletic ability, cooperation, or kindness—anything they noticed about their friend they thought was noteworthy. “This activity emphasizes how good sportsmanship can make you feel,” says Robert. It also serves as an incentive for students to continue working together and being kind to one another.

They recognize that it feels good when they are mentioned in a highlight, and when they offer a highlight for someone else.

Robert’s favorite moments are those “aha” moments when students achieve a goal after working hard. “When we started our running program in the fall, the kindergarteners and 1st graders were reluctant to do it at first,” Robert shares. “But now it’s cool to see kids come up to me after class and say they didn’t stop once while running. They realize that the more they do it, the easier it becomes. I like to repeat that comment back to them so they understand that it also applies to the next activity.” He encourages his students to continue working out over school breaks and explains that if they are consistent, they will see tremendous success and improved endurance.

By the time students reach the end of 3rd grade, Robert’s main hope is that they enjoy physical fitness. He expects their cardiovascular system to be a fair match to those of 4th graders, who run every day at the beginning of their Upper School P.E. classes. To prepare them for these more physically demanding classes, Robert increases the length of their runs and tag games progressively throughout the year. “Towards the end of the year, they don’t realize they’re running 15-30 minutes in class,” he says.

Robert’s hope is that his students are developing a lifelong love for fitness. “I want them to have a positive association with exercise,” he says.

“I love seeing them enjoying P.E. and progressing athletically.”

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THE SKY’S THE LIMIT FLIGHT & ROCKETRY IN 6TH GRADE SCIENCE

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n his 22-year tenure at Mark Day School, 6th grade math and science teacher Tim Evans has taught the flight and rocketry unit for as long as he can remember. And, like all his science units, this one intends to spark students’ excitement and innate eagerness for understanding “the way stuff works.” Tim says, “I want them to enjoy science and be able to see that science is actually all around them.” What better way to show this than with Newton’s Laws of Motion? The six-to-eight week unit on flight and rocketry is a great way to introduce physics concepts—concepts that often aren’t taught until high school.

“Generally in the United States, we tend to undercut kids in what we think they can do in science,” says Tim.

“Physics is typically taught in junior or senior year of high school because it’s complex material. Middle school students are missing out on a lot of cool concepts because traditionally, they’ve been reserved for older students. But through my experience at Mark Day, they’re not only ready to learn— they’re eager to learn.”

The unit begins with lessons about the properties of matter. “Understanding that air is matter is really a

jumping off point for these concepts because it makes a lot of other things make sense,” says Tim. Scientific theories like the Bernoulli principle and Newton’s Laws of Motion are the foundation for understanding the way more familiar objects function scientifically—like flying a kite, controlling an airplane, shooting a rocket into the air, and riding a hot air balloon. Though he’s been teaching this material for years, Tim says that these

classes are different every year. “The students really keep me on my toes,” he explains. “Every year, they ask questions I’ve never been asked before, and I end up learning quite a bit along the way as well.”

Once students understand basic physics concepts, they have the opportunity to understand them on a deeper level through hands-on activities. One such activity that demonstrates air pressure involves marshmallows,

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION Students in Tim’s class learn to love science through engaging, hands-on activities that demonstrate scientific concepts in real life. In this photo, students are eager to volunteer during an activity demonstrating water pressure. During the activity, Tim fills a jar with water and seals it with a screen. When he holds it upside down, the water miraculously stays in the jar. It’s a demonstration of the interaction between surface tension and air pressure.

Physics is typically taught in junior or senior year of high school....But through my experience at Mark Day School, [middle school students] are not only ready to learn—they’re eager to learn.”

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I want them to possess a sense of wonder about the world around them. Students have the rest of their lives to study science content.

It’s my role to spark an interest.”

much to students’ excitement. “Part of the Bernoulli Principle relies on the understanding that there is air pressure,” says Tim. During class discussion, Tim will often explain that the air in the gym weighs as much as an elephant—a difficult concept to grasp because it’s evenly spread out and completely invisible. So to demonstrate air pressure at 27

work, Tim gives students a food storage container that serves as a vacuum and a single marshmallow. Students put the marshmallow in the container and begin to pump the air out of the container. As they do so, the air trapped in the marshmallow pushes against the sides of the marshmallow in an attempt to escape.

The result: an extra large marshmallow!

Tim says, “Making air pressure a visual concept lends to a deeper understanding of the concept.”

Density is another important scientific concept taught in this unit. To learn about density, Tim incorporates math by giving small groups of students a clear tube holding a mystery substance (like teflon) cut into different sized pieces. The task is to find the density of each piece by weighing, measuring the volume, and applying the formula, which is mass divided by volume. The “aha” moment comes when they realize all pieces—regardless of size—have the same density. “It’s a hands-on activity where they come to their own conclusions, rather than just telling them during a lecture that the density of a substance doesn’t change if you cut it into pieces,” says Tim.

Another activity students enjoy involves the interaction of gas and pressure. Students place “fizzy tabs” (alka seltzer) and water in a small plastic canister, step back, and watch it shoot into the air moments later. It’s a demonstration of Newton’s Third Law of Motion, action and reaction. By the time Tim shoots a larger rocket into the air (see photo to the right) near the end of the unit, students fully understand how and why it works the way it does.

“I don’t know what we’re doing today, but I know it’s going to be fun.” It’s a shared thought for many students who have entered Tim’s class over the past 22 years. Tim believes his role as a 6th grade science teacher is to spark a natural interest in science, one that he hopes they will carry with them to 7th grade and far beyond. “I want them to be curious,” he says. “I want them to possess a sense of wonder about the world around them. Students have the rest of their lives to study science content. It’s my role to spark an interest in doing so.” And, Tim says, it’s a bonus when students initiate a dinner-table conversation about scientific concepts their parents don’t know.

What’s kept Tim at Mark Day School for 22 years? In his words, “I feel lucky to work with amazing colleagues in a supportive community.

Mark Day has always felt like a second home to me.”

LEARNING THROUGH SIMULATION A LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY BRINGS THE GOVERNMENT— AND THE POWER TO ENACT CHANGE—TO LIFE

During a presidential election year, U.S. history class takes on a more palpable intensity. Learning about the way our government works isn’t just conceptual—it’s directly observable in the news, during debates, and at electoral events throughout the year. Understanding the procedural elements of electing representatives and passing laws is an essential step toward becoming an active voting member of the country. Still, some of the material can be quite dry—especially for 8th grade students. So Upper Division history teacher Melissa Villarreal developed a creative way to increase student engagement through a multi-day simulation that mirrors the real legislative process in our government.

The simulation ran for the first time last year. “The way bills become laws is really abstract,” she explains.

“Common lesson plans teach the procedural steps to turn bills into law, but often lack the more human element

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GAMING THE SYSTEM Students collect in committees to discuss bills proposed by their classmates

of the process, like the frustration people feel when an issue they’re passionate about can’t get enough bipartisan support to pass or how difficult it can be to gain support.”

So when she came across a one-day legislative simulation during her research, she knew she wanted to adapt it for her 8th grade class. She continues, “We’re in an interesting political climate, and it’s important for students to understand how much their representatives can influence what happens in our country. The steps are important, but it’s also about the people who are fueling those steps.”

In the simulation, one section of the 8th grade class serves as the Senate and the other section serves as the House of Representatives. Within their respective chambers, each student proposes a number of bills that are relevant to Mark Day School—for example, participating in the selection of Upper Division elective classes and helping choose school plays—in a

format that closely resembles the way bills are actually created. Students are guided by a point system throughout the process, encouraging students to submit strong bills—one point for each bill that’s submitted, two points per bill that gets passed by a committee, three points if it’s passed by the House, etc. They also get points for serving in leadership roles like Speaker of the House or President Pro Tempore.

“Their bills must be realistic,” says Melissa.

“These bills should propose changes that have real potential to come to fruition.”

Once students submit their individual bills, the class is organized into sub-committees based on subject matter to decide on individual bills. For example, a bill about vending machines might be examined by a sub-committee focused on student health and wellness. Sub-committees have several options—recommend the bill for a full House vote, kick it back to its author for revisions, or eradicate it. Bills that are 30

The President Pro Tempore presides over a Senate session to decide on proposed bills.

pushed through have the opportunity for a vote by the House of Representatives, and those that pass the House are then voted on in the Senate. Bills that pass both votes are signed into law by the President. Last year, 120 bills were sent to sub-committees and about 20 were signed into law.

While Melissa sets the broad parameters of the simulation, it’s the students who run it. The Speaker oversees House sessions and the President Pro Tempore oversees Senate sessions, managing conversation and process with minimal input from Melissa. And students ultimately decide what bills get passed. “The whole simulation is student-driven,” says Melissa.

“Their conversation is driven by the legislation they themselves proposed, which comes from their own life experiences.” In this activity, she says, many students take on their assignments with genuine interest. For example, students who sometimes struggled with writing for other assignments showed a new eagerness to rewrite and resubmit their bills. Collaboration and compromise are also woven into the exercise. For example, students need to gain bipartisan support for the issues. One faction of students can’t just decide what’s important for the entire class. Students must gain support and buy-in from other members in each chamber, and every voice is heard and accounted for.

“Once a bill has been signed into law by the President,” says Melissa, “It signifies that the issue is important to the entire 8th grade class.”

Last year, students were so enthusiastic about the legislative simulation that it carried over into a full presidential simulation—which then led to the elected President and Vice President presenting passed bills to the school’s administrative team.“It was important for students to see the connection all the way through,” says Melissa. “They created bills, collectively passed the bills, and were then able to move those bills up the Mark Day ladder to have a hand in creating real change at the school.” It’s an exciting moment not just for students, but for administrators as well. Head of School Joe Harvey says, “To be good citizens, students need to know how to advance an idea in the political realm. They learn to shape and promulgate convincing messages in many ways, using a wide variety of media.

The 8th grade legislative simulation is a great demonstration of this learning in action. When we sat down with student delegates last year and this year, I was so impressed with the quality of their ideas and their focus on the needs of not just themselves and their peers, but other constituents at the school. We con-

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Their conversation is driven by the legislation they themselves proposed, which comes from their own life experiences...it signifies that the issue is important to the entire 8th grade class.” tinue to make progress on some of the ideas advanced last spring, and I look forward to hearing from more 8th graders in the future.”

Though it may be hard to imagine, 8th graders are just a few years away from being able to vote.

Understanding how the legislative process works is a key step to forming political ideologies and recognizing their own abilities to enact change. “It’s important to know who you’re voting for,” Melissa says. “I want to get kids excited about voting because it matters— not just who the President is, but who our legislators are because in many ways, they have more power to shape what’s happening in the country.” Through the simulation, students also learn how to be great advocates for themselves and others. “We help kids build strong relationships with adults,” says Joe. “That’s one of the habits we believe in. Students need to be able to advocate, particularly with those in a position of power. Sometimes it’s a parent or a teacher or, down the road, a colleague at work. It may not come naturally for every child, but every child learns to exercise that muscle at Mark Day.”

Though the simulation very closely mirrors reality, it leaves “politics” out of it. “We’re able to stay non-partisan and non-political. It’s not about Democrats or Republicans. Students are figuring out what they believe, and I want to create a space where they can represent who they are without judgment. My intention is to teach them how the process works, how they can figure out what their values are, who their representatives are, and how they can get involved in issues they believe in. The process doesn’t depend on political party.” Instead, Melissa explains, it’s about coming together for one purpose—to make our school better—and collaborating to make that happen.

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FROM

We sat down with a select group of teachers to talk about what math learning looks like over the K-8 curricular arc. Kindergarten teacher Jennifer Southern, 3rd grade teacher Eileen O’Hare, 4th grade teacher Donna Young, and 6th & 7th grade teacher Beth Bonzell offer their thoughts and expertise on the development of math skills and mindsets from kindergarten through 8th grade.

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K TO 8 math

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We really emphasize being able to explain your thinking, showing more than one way to get to an answer, and reviewing learned skills so they obtain a deeper understanding of the concepts through constant practice.

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What is the basic philosophy in your math class?

Jennifer (Kindergarten teacher): Our basic philosophy aligns with the Bridges math program, which is a hands-on way to teach math.

Through the use of visual models and games, students develop good number sense and a conceptual understanding of math.

Eileen (3rd grade teacher): In 3rd grade, we really emphasize being able to explain your thinking, showing more than one way

to get an answer, and reviewing learned skills so they obtain a deeper understanding of the concepts through constant practice.

Though we use some visuals, it shifts in 3rd grade to more problem solving and practicing. We also supplement with Reflex math and other visual aids.

Donna (4th grade teacher): Our general philosophy in 4th grade math is that everybody can do math.

Beth (6th & 7th grade teacher): In my class, and in 8th grade as

well, I want the students to develop their mathematical thinking skills. I want them to be mathematicians and have fun with math.

What strategies and/or activities do you use to boost engagement and interactivity in your math class?

Jennifer: For every concept that we’re teaching, we practice during center games, which are hands-on and partner work activities. This week in class, for example, we’re focusing on presidents, U.S. symbols, and money. Students are learning to identify coins and their value, and how to exchange coins for exact value.

Eileen: In 3rd grade, we start with concrete concepts.

For example, if we’re learning place value, students are introduced to manipulatives. And then we’ll use those same manipulatives for addition and subtraction of multi-digit numbers with regrouping, where they have to actually see how to regroup by trading in the 10s for 1s or the 100s for 10s and so on. And then they bring that new knowledge to paper in the context of an equation.

Donna: We don’t play a lot of games, but we do use hands-on materials that help students learn strategies for breaking a problem down. Generally, when kids

take the time to slow down and use their materials, they can overcome their initial block. One of the biggest things we try to shift is their belief that if you can do it in your head, it means you’re good at math.

It’s actually the exact opposite—if you can show every step of your work on paper, that means you’re good at math. The students who are struggling the most just don’t believe in themselves, so our activities provide them with strategies to really build that confidence.

Beth: Whenever I can, I include a game in the curriculum and try to connect it to real life situations. I also avoid long lectures wherever I can because I want students to talk about math with each other. For example, in 6th grade, we play a game called Integer Roll to practice their integer operations. It’s kind of a dry subject, so I created a game board that has a bunch of different positive and negative numbers on it, and I have three dice. Two have negative numbers on it, and one has positive numbers on it. They roll the dice and get to pick two of the numbers to do whatever operation they want to try to get an answer that’s on the board. They try to get four in a row and beat the other person. It’s a game and it’s competitive, so they’re more likely to talk about what they’re doing. I also like to do hands-on activities when we can; recently 7th grade students built scale models of pyramids to better understand proportions and scaling.

What are the developmental stages that you encounter with your students? What do you see kids experiencing regarding math each year?

Jennifer: Whether it’s math or writing, and based upon their preschool experience, they’re all coming in at different levels. And so through whole-group, small group, and center group, we meet each child where they’re at. With the Bridges program, there are different components—teacher-led lessons, number corner, and work spaces—through which we do individual and flexible group work to teach different target skills.

Eileen: By the time they get to 3rd grade, students’ skills are a little more similar, but there’s always a range of ability, and we differentiate to support these varying abilities. We are all working on the same concepts and skills throughout the year, but with different levels of ability. One of the supplemental materials I use is an activity on the iPad called IXL, which is a great way to differentiate.

Donna: In 4th grade, students seem to have decided whether they’re good at math or not, which is some-

thing we work hard to shift. And, like I mentioned before, they also believe that if you can do math in your head, you’re good at it. They don’t yet understand the value of showing your work clearly and neatly, and that’s one of the biggest goals of this grade level. One of the biggest challenges is that quick is good. Fast is good. It’s usually not. Fourth grade is an important year when habits develop, not just in math but across the board. And if you can really hit home with good habits like highlighting, showing all your work, and labeling your units, then it lasts.

Beth: The biggest thing that I see in 6th and 7th grades is students’ mindset—their beliefs about who they are as mathematicians and their ability to do math.

There’s something about math that makes students want to label themselves as good at math or not good at math. Sometimes their negative beliefs about math are based on having trouble with fractions or multiplication facts or certain concepts. So that’s always a battle, to change that mindset. Students at this age level also tend to compare themselves to each other.

They’re really concerned with how people see them or if someone else is getting to the answer faster. I want my students to see math as an adventure—to see what we can discover and find. But it’s hard sometimes with

this group because they’re so concerned with their image and their grades. They’re not yet naturally viewing their education as a journey.

What are the learning outcomes from your class as they move to the next grade?

Jennifer: In kindergarten, to name a few learning outcomes, students are identifying and writing their numbers to 40, counting to 100 by 1s, 5s, and 10s, and by 2s to 20. They are identifying and representing numbers and comparing numbers with greater than, less than, or equal to. They are adding and subtracting within 10 and identifying 2- and 3-dimensional shapes and comparing their attributes. They are telling time to the hour and focusing on measurement. Students are graphing, learning about money, and identifying coins and exchanging them for the same value.

Eileen: We also want them to understand how to differentiate in word problems and know what to do when they encounter a multi-step word problem.

Also, to understand how to read and write basic fractions, show their thinking, and solve problems in more than one way. By the end of 3rd grade, we aime to have students going into 4th grade have their basic addition/subtraction facts automatic and accurate using the Reflex math program. We want them to have a pretty good handle on multiplication facts—not necessarily mastery but to know most of them. We also want students to know at least two strategies for multi-digit addition and subtraction, and one of those strategies should be the standard algorithm.

Donna: In general, they should have learned how to use a highlighter to isolate facts and really understand what’s being asked. We hope they also learn the value of showing their work, that quick is not the way to go, and that there’s always more than one way to arrive at the same answer. Also by the end of 4th grade, we want most kids to become math confident.

Beth: There are the obvious math skills like being able to do arithmetic and write and solve an equation by the end of 7th grade. But more importantly, I want them to have the tools and confidence to know how to figure out new types of math problems they encounter. I tell them a lot, if you don’t remember how to do it, that’s okay, because you can probably figure it out.

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Fourth grade is an important year when habits develop, not just in math but across the board. And if you can really hit home with good habits like highlighting, showing all your work, and labeling your units, then it lasts.

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So much of mathematics is logical, and I want them

to have the confidence and skill base to figure things out when they don’t remember. I also want them to know how to use their resources because there are so many math resources out there. That way, they can be successful no matter what math class they’re put into.

What’s the most exciting thing you’re learning or developing as a math teacher?

Eileen: The Bridges program has opened up a new way to look at strategies that I didn’t learn when I was learning math. As a kid, I learned standard algorithm for everything, and I didn’t always learn why and how things worked. So, knowing that I’m teaching kids the foundation of how multiplication works, how a standard algorithm makes sense, using a number line for multi-digit subtraction, and breaking numbers apart, that’s pretty exciting to me.

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Donna: As a teacher, you think you have it all figured out and no matter what, a student will come up with another way to do something that you haven’t thought of. That’s always pretty cool. Also, I feel like our school does a super good job of challenging strong learners. I also put a lot of energy into really figuring out the best and most productive way to work with the kids who are struggling.

Beth: Right now, I’m really focused on trying to find other ways to assess students and determine if they are developing the skills that I’m teaching. For example, I’m not calling their tests “tests,” they’re called checkins—because that’s what I’m doing—I’m checking in to see what they know. And if they don’t do well, then they can retake it. This way, it’s viewed as more continual and not final or set in stone. So much of math is built on previous knowledge. We’re always learning.

I go online, read articles, and dive into my own research as a lifelong learner. Youcubed by the Stanford

Graduate School of Education is one online resource I use. Particularly Jo Boaler, a Professor of Mathematics Education at Stanford University and a faculty director of Youcubed, has been a great resource for me. She focuses on the brain science behind learning math and talks a lot about mindset and how that affects learning.

How do you use technology to teach math?

Jennifer: I model everything first through ImageMate on the smartboard. So when they go back to their seats, they’re confident. And then I have a lot of interactive games from Lakeshore Learning, an online resource, to teach different number sense like identification of numbers, number sequence, and comparing numbers and quantities.

Eileen: We use the iPads with Reflex math to practice basic facts. We also use the iPad to play math games such as numbers league, math bingo, and pop math.

I’ve recently implemented IXL this year, which is an online learning tool, because it’s a great way to differentiate. And when you get an incorrect answer, it explains why. I’m also always using the smartboard.

Having the visual image up there is huge because the kids are so engaged with it.

Donna: I don’t know if I could teach math without the Smartboard. Because it’s interactive, they can come up and engage with it and it just helps it to be clear visually and in an engaging way.

Beth: It’s hard in some areas in math because typing math is harder than writing it by hand. But there are resources that can help with data, like spreadsheets.

There’s a website or an app called Desmos, a free online graphing calculator. Students can enter data and it’ll graph it for them. It’s very versatile and helps them visually see the information, which is important, and it’s faster than drawing by hand. I also use games online.

What are the benefits you see students getting from learning math together in a collaborative, discussion-based community of learners?

Jennifer: It makes learning real and engaging. And it also teaches more than just math skills. It teaches those collaboration skills—that sportsmanship. We have a saying in class, “It doesn’t matter who wins or loses, it’s how you play the game. You’re going to win some, you’re going to lose some. But you’re a good sport. We say good luck before, we say good game after.”

Eileen: They learn from each other. They are doing partner work and explaining their thinking to each other. If students are explaining their thinking and it doesn’t make sense, then they talk about that and they show each other why it doesn’t make sense. I just think collaboration and kids being able to hear each other and see each other’s work is important. And you’re a team, you’re a community.

Donna: Talking about math and explaining what you’re doing is crucial to learning. If you can explain it, it means you’re really understanding it. Also, the kids who generally like to do individual learning like Khan Academy can be pretty rigid in their thinking.

And conversation allows them to see methods and hear ideas that they would never have thought of themselves. There are multiple approaches and nobody has all the best ideas individually. You’ve got to get them from each other.

Beth: To me, working together in math is huge because students need to discuss it with each other. For me, talking to my peers when I’m trying to learn or develop something is so much more powerful and the learning is deeper. I love it when students get in math “arguments.” There’s so much math learning happening in that math argument and that can’t just happen in an individual setting. You need someone to banter with.

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DIVING INTO DISTANCE LEARNING A NEW EDUCATIONAL LANDSCAPE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

How do you move a school online in a matter of days? It’s an intimidating question that schools across the world would begin to answer in January 2020 as COVID-19 started to spread.

Whether public or private, in rural China or the city of San Francisco, elementary school or university, the challenge was the same—transition from in-person teaching to teaching students from a distance.

At Mark Day School, this work began when Head of School Joe Harvey and Director of Cross-Cultural Partnerships and Community Engagement Fernanda Pernambuco considered the implications of sending our annual delegation of Upper Division students to visit our partner school in Beijing, Beijing #2 Experimental Primary School, also known as Er Xiao. A group of 7th and 8th 43

graders taking Mandarin was slated to travel to Er Xiao over spring break to immerse themselves in the language and culture of Beijing. It’s a trip students look forward to, and one that is an important part of students’ cross-cultural learning. They stay at Er Xiao families’ homes, attend school at Er Xiao, and learn to push through challenges like homesickness and living in an unfamiliar environment. But in January, with the seemingly rapid spread of COVID-19, then more well known as coronavirus, in China, the trip no longer felt like a safe option for our students and faculty chaperones. “Canceling the trip was both an easy and a difficult decision to make,” says Fernanda. “Our top priority was safety, but we were also disappointed that those students wouldn’t be able to have that important and influential experience.”

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WHETHER PUBLIC OR PRIVATE, IN RURAL CHINA OR SAN FRANCISCO, THE CHALLENGE WAS THE SAME— TRANSITIONING TO TEACHING STUDENTS FROM A DISTANCE.

It was this decision and the conversations with our partners at Er Xiao that prompted Joe and Assistant Head and Director of Educational Design and Innovation Bonnie Nishihara to begin envisioning what distance learning could look like at Mark Day School.

“Underpinning our work was the belief that we could do it,” says Joe. “We knew we were capable of developing a robust and meaningful distance learning program and recognized that we might need to. The ‘how’ was the question, and fortunately we have Bonnie’s incredible experience and vision to rely on.” Though at the time they had no idea if or when school was going to close, a few main goals served as 45

the foundation for their early conversations: set priorities, identify and remove obstacles, distribute the right tools, and implement an iterative process.

In early February, Bonnie began her research by consulting the work of Global Online Academy (GOA), “a nonprofit, international learning organization that empowers high school students, teachers, and leaders to thrive in a globally networked society.” Because GOA has been engaged in distance learning since 2011, the organization had the knowledge and expertise to serve as a learning model for Mark Day. The most helpful takeaway from her research was the idea of a phased approach

to transitioning to online distance learning. “We have always been a learning community,” says Bonnie. “So we had to take what we know about learning and apply it to transitioning to an online learning model.

That meant not giving everybody everything at once.

We took it step by step to give teachers, students, and families time to adjust.” If campus was going to close, which at the time was still uncertain, the community wouldn’t just need time to adjust to online learning--it would need to adjust to a temporary new way of life.

What families would experience and need could be vastly different from household to household, and easing families into this new learning model would be a key part of the process.

As the team began to imagine this multi-phase approach, access to technology was at the forefront of their minds. Whatever system served as the foundation for the school’s distance learning program, it was imperative that every student had necessary equipment. In late February, Bonnie began contacting vendors, setting up accounts, and ordering equipment like portable document cameras, USB tablets, and Apple pencils just in case. Fortunately, because of the structure of our technology program, the school already had devices in a 1:1 ratio for students in grades three through eight.

Obtaining physical equipment was a relatively easy challenge to solve. Training teachers and students to use them, however, was a more complicated challenge. On March 3, more than a week before campus would actually close, the idea of moving to

It’s not about checking boxes or filling the day with various activities to keep students busy—it’s about maintaining the feel of a school community while continuing to learn.

online learning was brought to the faculty for the first time, and a few days later, training began. Faculty started learning how to use Zoom, which involved downloading the app, understanding its features, and thinking creatively about translating their in-person lesson plans to an online medium. Bonnie and the Media, Technology, and Innovation team, including Tatian Greenleaf, AJ Cheong and Ray Karter, offered workshops, Q&A sessions, and a tech support ticketing system to prepare faculty. “None of our faculty signed on to become online teachers,” says Bonnie.

“The skills are different. The time commitment is different. Preparing faculty involved providing those skills but also offering all kinds of support, including emotional support as they navigated through this new reality.”

For the working group of Joe, Bonnie, and division heads Dave Hickman and Thad Reichley, maintaining and building on the strong, trusting relationships between students, teachers, and families was a top priority. Working together to develop the distance learning program, the team focused first on community connection and developed a distance learning schedule that would enable faculty, families, and students to gather for live morning meetings, interactive lessons, and asynchronous learning activities. They managed a delicate balance between leading a new initiative and supporting people’s unique needs.

Anticipating these needs and finding out what was on teachers’ minds were central to the process. “We didn’t want to overwhelm teachers or isolate students,” says Dave. “We thought a lot about how we could make sure everyone still felt like part of a community and had the support they needed.” This focus on community is in many ways what makes Mark Day’s distance learning program unique. It’s not about checking boxes or filling the day with various activities to keep students busy—it’s about maintaining the feel of a school community while continuing to learn.

Campus officially closed to students on Friday, March 13, and a tremendous amount of work happened behind the scenes to sterilize and package materials for family pick-up. The first few days were dedicated to additional planning and faculty training.

Then, phase one of Mark Day’s distance learning program kicked off on Wednesday, March 18. The primary goal was to get everyone feeling connected, supported, and oriented to being and learning online together. “One of our biggest questions was, how do we translate something like the Mark Day education--which is so founded in connection—into an online arena?” Bonnie says. “Moving online adds a layer of complexity to so many of our normal tools that are central to what makes a Mark Day education what it is, like students’ relationships with teachers, the ability to see where students are in that moment and support them in their learning, and our community moments both as a class and as a school.” Implementing live, synchronous classes and moments of connection began immediately to preserve these touchpoints. Assemblies continued twice per week, and faculty used a combination of whole-class and small group configurations during live lessons. They also offered “office hours” across grades so students could ask questions and receive additional help. Phase two began the following week, with the aim to set a more robust weekly schedule. And phase three followed, with more integrated assessment and feedback systems.

“Formative feedback, which happens while students are working, is so important to the learning process,” says Bonnie.

The phased approach also allowed the team to apply a design thinking model, which involved iterating, receiving feedback from all constituents of our community, and iterating again. Wrapping in these opportunities for feedback and making adjustments along the way was essential. At each step, the school’s commitment to a diverse and inclusive community played an important role. We recognized that families would have very different challenges to navigate, strove to anticipate as many as possible, and asked for feedback to help understand what we may have missed. “Using data to understand what’s going well and how we can improve is crucial to how we think as a learning community,” says Joe. “Starting on day one, we surveyed the faculty as a leadership team to better

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understand how distance learning had launched and identify areas where it could be improved. On day three, we surveyed all parents and guardians for their feedback.” Another parent and guardian survey was also distributed after phase three was underway. Checking in with all constituents of our community in both formal and informal ways offers opportunities to gain multiple perspectives, which, in turn, help contribute to developing the best possible distance learning program.

As with any new program—especially one quickly implemented out of necessity—there were a few roadblocks, like Upper School students’ use of the chat feature on Zoom. Under normal school guidelines, this feature would be disabled to remove distraction. However, because connection was at the heart of our online learning program, it became a moment to shape and guide students’ appropriate usage of this feature. In many ways, Bonnie says, it was like a crash course in current century skills. For Thad, supporting parents of younger students as they are home with their kids and assisting online learning was one of his biggest tasks as the program began. “Parents didn’t sign up to be a partner in online education,” he says. “Helping navigate expectations of school and themselves and being aware of different families’ needs and struggles was a big focus.”

At the time this article is being written, we are a couple of weeks into phase three of distance learning. Faculty have had the time to learn and dive into new technology, teach synchronous lessons to full classes of students, and discover how to provide feedback and assessment remotely. While every member of the community has charted through unfamiliar territory, learned challenging skills in a short amount of time, and adopted new roles they never could have imagined stepping into, Bonnie is incredibly inspired. “I’m so proud of our faculty for the way they leaned into the process,” she says.

“They didn’t learn just one new tech tool, they had to learn multiple tech tools simultaneously and then put them into practice practically right away. Our faculty are bearing the brunt of this challenge, and the amount of work they’ve put into it is phenomenal.”

In many ways, the success of Mark Day’s distance learning program is the result of years—if not decades—of work. To prepare students for the 21st century world they are living in, technol-

ogy, multi-disciplinary learning, and real world application have for many years been integrated into cross-grade curriculum. Mark Day students understand that technology is just another tool, and most grades (grade 3 and up) use devices in class on a regular basis. Because of this, students and faculty were able to adopt new tech tools and skills more seamlessly.

“It still feels like Mark Day,” says Dave, reflecting on the community’s commitment to continuing to learn and be together during this period

of social distancing. “Watching teachers help other teachers is such a joy. They’re heroes, the way they’re learning something new while running their classes at the same time.” For Thad, the group effort and watching everyone dive in to help, particularly when putting together individual student’s bags of materials, was a heartfelt moment—and also something that is inherently Mark Day School. “Many teachers included handwritten notes and took special care to add items that would make their students feel comfortable, safe, and routined, like their desk pets.” What stands out for

Joe is the growth mindset of our faculty and students as they rapidly adapted to online learning. “It’s not a surprise,” he says. “It’s always been there, but in moments like this, it’s such a shining strength of the school.”

At Mark Day School, we face challenges together, guided by the belief in our mission and values as a learning community. We are so proud of our students, faculty, and families for the way they have embraced this new mode of learning—and we look forward to coming back together in person soon.

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How Can We

HELP? Students use SEL tools to show gratitude and appreciation for healthcare workers during a global pandemic

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Mr. Rogers, creator and host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, famously once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mothers would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” During times of widespread stress and anxiety—particularly during a global pandemic—this practice of recognizing the helpers is an important part of being a kind and responsive community member.

At Mark Day School, recognizing that we are all part of a community, both large and small, is integral to our mission as a school. It is the foundation for our cross-cultural literacy and community engagement programs, during which students learn to become local and global citizens with compassionate habits of heart and mind. Whether students are volunteering with Downtown Streets Team or hosting a member of KYP in their homes, they learn to build reciprocal relationships with people who often live very different lives.

As students navigate through these experiences, social and emotional learning, or SEL, is the thread that weaves them together. SEL is in everything we do, from greeting each other in morning meetings to collaborating on academic projects. It’s seen on the playground, in the classroom, and at home. In addition to teaching students how to manage their own emotions and use a variety of tools to problem solve, it also encourages empathy and compassion. So when our community is in need, Mark Day students have learned to step up and ask, “How can I help? What can I do?”

When school closed on March 13 under a shelter in place order to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, Cross-Cultural Partnerships and Community Engagement Associate Remi Zimmerman got to work figuring out how to continue our connection with local partners. Upper Division community engagement day in March was canceled, but Remi still wanted students to experience the connection and perspective students usually gain on that day. But with the shelter in place order, that proved difficult, so she began brainstorming other ways to stay connected.

“Fernanda Pernambuco [Director of Cross-Cultural Partnerships and Community Engagement] suggested I reach out to Kaiser and other medical facilities in the area to see if there was anything we could do to help them,” says Remi. “They said healthcare workers in all positions, especially the people who are rarely recognized, really appreciate letters of gratitude and pic-

“It’s a good time to be a community member—for students to use their tools, like empathy and patience. We are all at home, but we can put ourselves in other people’s shoes.”

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tures drawn by kids. There was a clear link to our SEL program, and that’s when I reached out to Theresa Hall, our School Counselor and SEL program coordinator to come up with a project for students.”

They started by showing a couple of videos like a compilation of different workers in action in a hospital and an Indeed commercial that demonstrated the message that “great moments are the work of many.” It’s not just the man who walked on the moon, for example, it’s also the mathematicians, technicians, and custodians who help make it happen.

Showing appreciation for healthcare workers was not a novel concept. Around the world, people have shown gratitude, from donating personal protective equipment (PPE) to staging neighborhood-wide claps and howls. But doctors and nurses—common “frontline” workers—receive most of the praise, while more behind-the-scenes personnel who are just as vital for keeping healthcare organizations running are less recognized. Thanks to an administrator at Kaiser in Terra Linda, Remi had a long list of these medical professionals, which included food service workers, x-ray technicians, and pharmacists. “All of them are heros that take risks every day they go to work,’” says Theresa. “It’s important students understand that it takes a lot of different people to run a hospital during a global pandemic to keep people safe and healthy.”

Students across the grades wrote letters to those healthcare workers, thanking them for their work and sacrifice. “It’s a good time to be a community member,” says Theresa. “For students to use their tools, like empathy and patience. We are all at home, but we can put ourselves in other people’s shoes.” One of students’ first questions was how to write and deliver these letters without spreading germs. They had the option to craft their letters on the computer or by hand and then take a photo of it so Theresa and Remi could then pass them on digitally to Kaiser. Students participated in a similar project writing letters of appreciation to firefighters last fall when fires were rampant in California.

Feeling isolated and disconnected during the shelter in place are normal concerns. “It was an opportunity for students to feel like they can help, be part of what’s happening, and stay connected to the community,” says Theresa. “Also, gratitude is one of the best ways to lift your spirits during a tough time.”

Students across the grades wrote letters to different healthcare workers, thanking them for their work and sacrifice.

FORTY REMARK RE MARKABLE ABLE YEARS It’s been 40 years since Mark Day School opened in 1980. Over the past four decades, the school has been on three campuses, changed its name, graduated over 1,500 students, and more.

We looked back on some of our most notable milestones.

1980

1981

SCHOOL OPENS IN SEPTEMBER Founded by Ray Bizjack and William F. “Buzz” Nern, the school’s guiding philosophy was to provide high quality education in an atmosphere of love and care in which each member of the community was responsible for the well-being of others.

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1982

1ST SCHOOLWIDE CHESS TOURNAMENT P.E. Teacher and Athletic Director Ray Orwig initiated the first chess tournament, inviting all students to play.

Forty-eight students participated in the tournament. There has been one every school year since 1981.

1983

JUST IMAGINE CLUB BEGINS Ray Orwig and his wife Gail start Just Imagine Club, a lunch club showcasing old sci-fi, fantasy, and horror movies, in response to growing student interest in the genre. The Just Imagine Club originally met every other Friday at lunch.

1984

CAMPUS RELOCATION: 375 BLACKSTONE On the first weekend of new Headmaster John Pistel’s arrival, the school moves to its second campus located in the Marinwood neighborhood of San Rafael.

OFFICIAL ACCREDITATION Mark Day is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleages (WASC) and is given full membership with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS),

1986

1987

DOMINATING THE MARIN COUNTY SCIENCE FAIR Students at the school sweep the Marin County Science Fair, winning two Grand Prize awards, 12 of 21 1st place awards, and three other awards for a total of 17 awards.

1989

DAMON KERBY BECOMES HEADMASTER

1ST BOYS’ BASKETBALL TEAM FORMS

Known for his gentle kindness, his routine of shaking students’ hands in the front of campus every morning, and for knowing every student deeply, Damon Kerby remained headmaster for 24 years.

The school enters the sports arena by forming the first boys’ basketball team. Since, the school offers a competitive basketball league for grades six through eight.

1990

1991

THE KNIGHTS WIN NATIONALS

A NEW CAMPUS LOCATION

The Mark Day School chess team, the Knights, win 1st place at the National Junior High Chess Championship.

The school moves to its current location: 39 Trellis Drive in San Rafael.

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1992

1995

RUNNERS QUALIFY FOR THE JUNIOR OLYMPICS The first track and field team runners qualify for the National Junior Olympic Cross Country meet.

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2000

1997

THE FIRST STRATEGIC PLAN IS DEVELOPED

SEVEN PILLARS OF CHARACTER INTRODUCED

The school’s first Strategic Plan is published, outlining goals, initiatives, and improvements for all aspects of the school.

The Seven Pillars of Character— caring, courage, citizenship, respect, responsibility, honesty, and fairness—are integrated into the culture of school and student life.

2001

A GENEROUS GIFT A CAMPAIGN SUPPORTS ACCESS FOR ST. MARK’S Named after a former teacher, the MV Williams Endowment was a transformative $2 million gift given over the course of 10 years in support of tuition assistance.

It is still the largest donation the school has ever received.

The Campaign for Saint Mark’s launched to raise money for the construction of the gym and arts and science buildings.

The community collectively raised $3.5 million for the transformative project.

2002

2003

ARTS & SCIENCE BUILDING AND GYM OPEN The new arts and science building and the gym are constructed to offer additional learning space for the arts and Upper Division science, as well as a dedicated indoor space for sports.

2004

2005

ORGANIC GARDEN 1ST DELEGATION LEADING EDGE CREATED TO SOUTH AFRICA TECHNOLOGY AWARD The school’s first organic garden is built on the southwest side of campus. Since, it has become an extension of the classroom and a place where students can learn, dig, plant, relax, and cultivate a healthy relationship with the environment.

The first delegation of Mark Day families travel to visit our first partner in South Africa, eSibonisweni.

The school is named a Leading Edge Technology School by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) for our media literacy program.

2006

THE FIRST GOLF TEAM IS FORMED The first golf team is formed under Ray Orwig’s leadership.

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2007

2008

THE CAMPAIGN FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING The school’s first endowment campaign, The Campaign for Teaching and Learning, is completed. Also, the Green Team is started to help lead efforts in sustainability.

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LEARNING FROM ER XIAO For the first time, faculty exchanged ideas with and learned alongside faculty from our partner school in Beijing, Er Xiao.

2010

2011

2012

1:1 LAPTOP PROGRAM IMPLEMENTED

JOE HARVEY BECOMES HEAD OF SCHOOL

The school launches its one-toone laptop program for 6th-8th grade.

The school also receives funding to add smartboards to every classroom.

Joe Harvey becomes Head of School and begins the process of advancing our school on many fronts, including a lease extension, name change, and campus expansion.

GOING GLOBAL: COSTA RICA Our global partnership with Pan-American School in Costa Rica begins. Also, the school signs a lease extension for 39 Trellis Drive through 2045.

2013

2014

2016

EXPANDING PARTNERSHIP WITH ER XIAO

ST. MARK’S BECOMES MARK DAY

Head of School Joe Harvey travels to Beijing to visit our partner school, Er Xiao. The partnership is expanded to include students traveling between Mark Day School and Er Xiao.

Effective July 1st, the new name was chosen after thorough research and collaboration by the community.

2018

2019

WE CREATE IS LAUNCHED

MARK DAY GETS ITS OWN BUS

EXPANDING THE 6TH GRADE

The campaign to build our new Creativity Lab, Learning Commons, amphitheater, and quad is launched; the campaign exceeded our fundraising goal and raised over $6.5 million.

To expand transportation options to Marin and San Francisco families, the school purchases its first school-owned bus.

The school launches an expanded 6th-8th grade program to implement smaller section sizes and increased social community.

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2020 MARK DAY SCHOOL TURNS 40 YEARS OLD! It’s been 40 years since Mark Day School opened its doors in the fall of 1980. In the fall, we intend to come together to celebrate with current families, alumni, alumni families, faculty, staff, and friends.

2019-20 THEATER PRODUCTIONS In November, students in grades 4-8 had the opportunity to participate in the fall play, Haphazardly Ever After. This topsy-turvy fairy tale mash-up follows a kindly queen and king as they try to magically make-over their four outrageously bratty adult children, who all still live at home. From hiring a Royal Therapist to heading over to the Enchanted Depot for a more DIY approach, the family gets their happy ending the hard way in the wise-cracking comedy about growing up.

In early 2020, students began work on the spring musical, Seussical, Jr. Unfortunately, school transitioned to online learning before the play could be shown, but we celebrate the hard work and dedication put into both this year’s productions.

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ALUMNI NEWS Class of 1986 Chris Corbett recently moved back to Marin from San Francisco. He hosts an all vinyl soul weekly event at 19 Broadway in Fairfax on Sunday afternoons.

Class of 1988 Mike Long is a film editor who recently came back to the Bay Area to work on the documentary “Q Ball.” It follows the lives of the San Quentin Warriors—teammates and inmates at “The Q”, California’s San Quentin State Prison. Kevin Durant and fellow Golden State Warriors team members’ previous visits to the prison helped kick-start the project. The documentary explores the inmates’ personal struggles, as they search for redemption and transcendence both on and off the court. The answers, characters, and stories are complex, but in San Quentin—a place where freedom is taken away—basketball gives a little bit back. The movie premiered at the San Francisco International Film festival, and aired numerous times on Fox Sports and can now be seen on Netflix. It was nominated for two Sports Emmys.

Class of 1990 Sean Peisert leads computer security and privacy research and development at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and is an adjunct professor of Computer Science and Public Health Sciences at UC Davis. He lives in San Rafael with his wife Kathryn, managing editor for The Governance Institute. Sean and Kathryn are over the moon that their son Lucas is a third grader at Mark Day School. They also have a two-year-old daughter, Lauren (Mark Day School class of 2032!). While sheltering in place, they have enjoyed playing tennis in the driveway; building “chain reactions” with prompts from Mark Day School Tinkering Instructors Mr. Greenleaf and Mr. St. Martin; exploring the local fauna, also with guidance from Mark Day School teacher Mr. Krupp; doing playdates and attending virtual jazz and Grateful Dead con-

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certs by video; and caring for the Mark Day School chickens, taking hikes in China Camp and taking the family Labrador retriever on a somewhat excessive amount of dog walks.

Class of 2001 Josh Galland and his wife Veery Maxwell happily welcomed their first daughter, Sloane in December 2019.

Class of 2002 Sarah (Lopez) Catalano and her husband Tyler Catalano welcomed their first child, Magnus Kilburn Catalano on July 10, 2019.

Class of 2006 Alexandra Norman started her career in education as a teacher at Tilden Preparatory School in the East Bay, and quickly became the Foreign Language Department Head.

After helping to open the Tilden Sausalito campus, she went to Teachers College at Columbia University for a Masters in Education at the Klingenstein Center for Private School Leadership. Upon graduation, Alex returned to Tilden Preparatory School Marin as Associate Head of School and now oversees all faculty, academics, and resources, as well as developing curriculum, as the school transitions and rebrands in 2020. In developing curric-

ulum, she has often been inspired by “my time at Mark Day, and think about how the school helped me to develop a strong academic foundation and the love of learning that I have today.”

Class of 2008 Julia Smith continues her career in theater, with her newest role playing Estrella in “Almost Famous” the Musical.

Class of 2009 Eva Geisse is finishing up her second year as the Science Support Specialist at Mark Day School. She is grateful to have reconnected with the Mark Day community through her passion for teaching science.

Class of 2010 Tyler Leswing is a recent graduate of Berklee School of Music, and he has released his solo album, Unfinished Portrait, composed and performed by him. You may listen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBI-YWGEZSI&t=108s. It is also available on all other streaming platforms, such as Spotify, Apple Music, and iTunes. Ben Lyons graduated Bates College in May 2019, and he’s now living in Boston and working for Accenture.

Aidan Nelson is a consultant for Charles Salter in San Francisco, and when socializing resumes, he will be found at Terrapin Crossroads in his role as a Live Sound Engineer.

Class of 2011 Sarah Ihnken graduated from Texas A&M University, class of 2019 with a major in Kinesiology. This month she is starting classes to become an Emergency Medical Technician while waiting to apply to medical school to begin in 2021. Claire Kirkpatrick graduated from Wake Forest University in May 2019 with a B.A. in Communications and a minor in Computer Science. She spent the next four months hiking on the Appalachian Trail before starting her career in Corporate Social

Responsibility at Dish Network in Denver, CO. Madelyn Quirke-Shattuck graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences, with a double minor in Hispanic Studies and Dance from Connecticut College in2019. She spent four years on the Guest Services team at the Mystic Aquarium on Long Island Sound. Maddy also pursued her interest in marine ecology and conservation in Ecuador, the Galápagos Islands and the Bahamas through study abroad opportunities and internships. During the summer of 2018, Maddy worked in the Educational Programs Department at the Cape Eleuthera Institute on the island of Eleuthera. Having studied Spanish since her Kindergarten year, Maddy has become fluent in the language and finds ways to include it in all her endeavors. She was granted a Fulbright Fellowship for the 2019-2020 academic year, and was placed in an elementary school in the Canary Islands, Spain. Although her time there was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Maddy loved the time she spent teaching natural and social science classes in English to students in second through fourth grade, and volunteering with a local beach cleanup organization, where she also prepared and presented marine conservation and art workshops for several other primary schools on the island. This summer, Maddy hopes to spend another season as a National Geographic Student Expeditions Leader, sharing her love for Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands with middle school students as they study wildlife conservation and photography. She plans to pursue a career in marine science experiential education, inspired by her early exposure to outdoor education programs at Mark Day School, and obtain a Masters degree in Marine Conservation. Annalise Schulman graduates this spring from Occidental College, with a degree in Biology, with a cellular and molecular emphasis. She is also a five year member of Marin Search and Rescue.

Class of 2012 Avik Banerjee will graduate spring 2020 with a computer engineering degree from UC Irvine. Robert (Wally) Dryden graduated from the Bay School of San Francisco in 2016 and will graduate with a BS from Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles in Business from their Entrepreneurship Program in 2020. While at LMU was president of the men’s fraternity Phi Delta Theta and was co-captain of the Men’s Lacrosse team. Additionally, he received a national academic service scholarship from Phi Delta Theta called the Whole Man Scholarship and was a accepted into Order of Omega, an academic honor society. He plans to attend graduate school in business

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and work in Marketing. Dylan Woodhead and Quinn Woodhead ’14 helped Stanford win its first NCAA water polo Championship in 17 years this January. Quinn is currently a sophomore majoring in Product Design and Dylan is a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering.

Class of 2013 Larkin Levine is a junior at Washington University in St. Louis. She is studying global health and women’s studies and policy. She plans to go to law school to become a health law/women’s rights lawyer. Larkin started the year in Durban, South Africa doing a semester abroad studying the HIV epidemic there when the COVID 19 broke out. She was ordered to return to the US before she completed her work, but she will finish her independent study project on polygamy, sexual consent tradition and the transmission of HIV. Marielle Lyons is a double major in Spanish and Sociology, with a concentration in Immigration, at Occidental College. She also is a member of Oxy’s Women’s Volleyball team. In late February, she traveled to Chile on the IES study abroad program in Santiago. Unfortunately, her trip was cut short, but she will return on a future trip. Claire Smythe is a Junior at Stanford, majoring in Civil and Environmental Engineering. She is a Peer-Advisor for her major and the Vice President of the Stanford Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. She is a member of the Varsity Lightweight Rowing team, and has won two National Championships. This summer she will be interning as a Civil Engineer Assistant at a Bay Area engineering firm.

Recently, Claire led a fundraiser to raise $1,500 for the Marin and SF Food Bank by rowing a marathon on her indoor rowing machine.

Class of 2014 Daisy Lookinland is a sophomore at UCLA and was just accepted to the UCLA Sports Medicine Internship Program. She will work side by side a UCLA sports team

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helping them with physical therapy, injury treatments, and prevention. Spencer Petras is enjoying his college life at the University of Iowa. This year he will be the starting quarterback for the Hawkeyes. Perhaps his ability to read the defense so well can be related to his playing chess in preschool and at Mark Day School!

Class of 2016 Lily Cummings worked with LGBTQ+ Rights and Advocacy in The Netherlands with The Experiment in International Living. She also earned a Julie Davis Butler award at San Domenico to pursue her senior Rose Project last summer. Lily is a volunteer and teen leader, along with fellow alum Kai Nittenberg, with Ceres Community Project. Lily also serves as the youth representative to the Board of Directors. Allegra Diaz traveled to Puerto Rico with National Geographic Student Expeditions. She worked with World Central Kitchens, and did conservation work to restore El Yunque National Forest. She also earned a Julie Davis Butler award at San Domenico to pursue her senior Roses Project last summer with Lily Cummings. Katherine Gutierrez and Ben Strassman danced together as Cavalier and Sugar Plum Fairy in the December 2019 Nutcracker from Stapleton Ballet at the Marin Civic Cen-

ter Veteran’s Auditorium. This was the culminating event of their 12 plus years dancing together at Stapleton, and it was a huge honor to dance these lead roles. Kai Nittenberg received the Youth Volunteer of the Year award at the 27th Annual Heart of Marin Awards in January 2020.

Class of 2017 Beck Lorsch, along with other students from the Bay Area, won the education track at the Global Hack and was a grand prize finalist for their project called “Inside Scoop.” There were more than 15,000 participants from 100 countries. This 48-hour competition sought building solutions to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Class of 2018 Lilah Parker and Chiara Savage Schwartz received the local Jefferson Award (The Jefferson Awards Foundation is the country’s longest standing and most prestigious organization dedicated to activating and celebrating public service in America) for their work with Wonderbag.

Class of 2019 Craig Parker is spending a semester of high school abroad at the Pan-American School near San Jose, Costa Rica. This is one of Mark Day’s international partner schools, and Craig is the first exchange student from Mark Day that Pan-American has admitted for a full semester. One of the highlights for Craig so far has been his involvement with their varsity soccer team, and recently Craig joined the team for a trip to Honduras to participate in an international soccer tournament.

Remembering Sally Henrikson. The former Mark Day French teacher passed away November 2019. Sally was dedicated to teaching not just the French language to our students, but also the culture of the French people.

During her time at Mark Day, she celebrated “National French Week” with her students by making pain au chocolat and playing Pentanqué with the famous Louis Toulon. Sally retired in 2011. She is survived by her husband Steve, and their sons Charlie and Oliver.

Xander Kropp, who graduated in 2015, died on March 28, 2020. He is survived by his mom Tori Kropp, his dad the late Raymond Kropp, and older brothers Matthew and Adam. His mom writes that he was, “goofy, willing to not back down when we disagreed, and a loyal friend.”

He is remembered as a natural athlete, a lover of lacrosse and a hockey aficionado who wanted to become a psychologist.

CLASS OF 2016

COLLEGE MATRICULATION Natasha Anderman: Haverford College Marcos Brasil: University of San Diego Natalia Castillo: University of Pennsylvania Sarah Clements: Sarah Lawrence College Max Cohen: Boston University, Questrom School of Business Lily Cummings: Barnard College Madeleine Dawson: Bates College Ramona Dewane: Texas Christian University Allegra Diaz: University of Hawaii Elise Dickinson: Boston College Noah Erickson: Prescott College Katherine Gutierrez: University of Tampa Hayden Hattenbach: UC Santa Barbara Charlotte Hee: Cornell University Kyle Jakiemiec: Texas Christian University Jammie Kuramoto: College of Marin Kaisa Lee: Carnegie Mellon Univerrsity Peter Levine: Cornell University Frank Lookinland: USC Corban McIntosh: UC Santa Barbara Grant McKechnie: University of Illinois Madison Morrison: Johns Hopkins, Whiting School of Engineering Kai Nittenberg: UC Berkeley Mariah Ozkay: CSU Los Angeles Mack Parlamis: California Institute of the Arts Scott Roche: Rice University Nick Salesky: Northeastern University Lauren Seale: University of San Diego Carter Sharp: Orange Coast Community College Ben Strassman: Gap year Sophie Swett: UCLA Zander Taaffe: Texas Christians University Sophia Torto: Boston College

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CONGRATULATIONS, CLASS OF 2020!

Albany High School (1) Bishop Kelly (1) The Branson School (3) Drake High School (2) Marin Academy (12) Marin Catholic (7) Marin School of the Arts (2)

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Marin School of Environmental Leadership (1) Novato High School (1) Redwood High School (6) San Domenico (2) San Rafael High School (3) Sonoma Academy (2)

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Parents of alumni: Please forward this publication. If your child no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Development Office at 415.472.8000 or alumni@markdayschool.org.