Despite living in an era when the level of connectivity in our society seems unprecedented, I’d still argue that, at times, we can find ourselves a bit disconnected from compadres and community. I’ll leave it to sociologists and scholars to decide whether that disconnection results from our unique geographic and transportational challenges (the realities of Los Angeles, like it or not, will continue to inform various aspects of our relational lives, at least until Mr. Musk installs a tunnel or two), the sometimes divisive nature of modern political rhetoric, or the fact that we treat the easy access to digital communication to be synonymous with the obsolescence of face-to-face conversation. In any case, from my limited perspective here on campus, as well as my alliance with the greater Los Angeles community, I am left pondering this regularly.
It is, therefore, no coincidence that this issue of Mirman’s “Meridian” centers around the concepts of connection and connectivity in many forms. In these pages, you’ll find stories about how we foster connections on our campus — a relatively small space that contains many metaphorical and real-life pathways. I don’t think it’s too far off to say that some of those pathways might be seen as somewhat divergent. After all, the concerns of a Kindergarten student negotiating his first foray into integrated technology may be a world away from a Senior steeling herself for the challenges that await her arrival at an East Coast boarding school.
As you know, however, life at Mirman goes much deeper than what one might see at first glance. Woven into our educational philosophy — indeed, into the accepted best practices for teaching gifted learners — is this notion of connection, of integration across interpersonal contact, time, and traditional subject matter. To remain agile in our swiftly changing world, educators have to travel further outside of what has been often referred to as one’s “lane.” To be most relevant today, an art curriculum must merge with its counterparts in engineering. World history cannot be taught without the infusion of contemporary practices related to inclusivity and equity. Music is steeped in history and culture. And yes, there’s a reason why, even with unprecedented computing power available in our pockets or on our wrists, we’re still asking students to think about how to tackle that geometry proof. And this is to say nothing of the social connections fostered on our campus in our classrooms, fields, and shared spaces.
Please join me in celebrating and exploring Mirman School — our connected community.
Respectfully,
It’s not hard to find good things to say about being a part of the Mirman School community. On any given day, I get to engage with other passionate parents, committed volunteers, and a faculty and administration dedicated to the specific needs and passions of our talented students. I do think, however, that lately it’s been a particularly exciting time to be on campus.
In this, the first year of our 2018-2021 Strategic Plan, Mirman is at an exciting intersection between preparation and opportunity. All of the work that we’ve done, all the ground we’ve traveled side by side, has brought us to a beautiful point in time where we’re able to gather together not only in honor of our achievements — as with our upcoming Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon, the Annual Giving Celebration earlier this spring, and more to come — but also to combine our voices in answer to questions about what’s next for Mirman.
The Board of Trustees is proud to support the recent Strategic Plan, the product of many diverse constituencies putting their hearts and minds together to steer us forward. We remain confident in the ongoing administration as they continue to guide our ever-evolving campus into its next iteration — from moving forward with our plans to create the learning spaces of tomorrow to recruiting and supporting a faculty committed to shaping a curriculum calibrated precisely to serve our kids and prepare them for the complex world they’ll soon inherit. Finally, we are thankful to have our community as ever-present partners as we continue to hold Mirman School’s mission in trust.
With gratitude,
Modi Wiczyk Chair, Board of Trustees
Dan Vorenberg Head of School
What does it mean to have an integrated curriculum for gifted students?
Connecting the dots
It’s tempting to think of schooling as inherently divided into discrete subjects. Memories of getting Trapper Keepers organized by class morph into majors and minors and eventually specialized (or even sub-specialized) careers. In practice, however, education — and life — is a little more fluid. You’ll hear, for example, a concert pianist wax poetic about the mathematical patterns beneath her latest composition. A scientific illustrator will harken back to his experience in anatomy class in his rendering of a new species unearthed from the fossil layer.
According to Tessa McKeown a former First Grade teacher who now holds the position of Director of Curriculum and Instruction, this is far more than an incidental reality on Mirman’s campus. An integrated curriculum — the notion that subjects should be encouraged to meld together, with core concepts stacking like building blocks as a student progresses through the Mirman journey — is not only sound educational philosophy, but also best practice when it comes to gifted education.
“Our gifted students are capable of making connections in ways that more typical learners might not be,” said McKeown. “They find unique and novel relationships in places, and this is coupled with the fact that they can make these connections at an accelerated pace. They’re ready for deeper thinking, for problem solving.”
REVIEWING AND REGROUPING
McKeown started in her official capacity overseeing curriculum in July 2018. She described her first few months in the position as focused mainly around data collection, looking at what was going on in the various classrooms, grade levels, and across the two major divisions. She spent numerous hours dropping in on lessons, in discussions with teaching teams, and assessing the synergies — and sometimes gaps — between mission and practice.
“I think that the landscape of gifted education has seen a lot of shifts,” she observed.
“With all that goes on in the classroom, it can be easy to fall back on a more
Director of Music Programs
Nicolás Kello brings mathematics into his music class using manipulatives.
traditional curriculum drawing from textbooks and oldschool reading lists. I think with [Head of School Dan Vorenberg’s] leadership, we started zeroing in on what would specifically address the needs of our learners, and started to really move the needle in that direction.”
McKeown, the Curriculum Committee, and others sorted through the literature to decide which integrated curriculum model might fit best for Mirman’s faculty and learners, eventually settling on a thematic framework developed by Dr. Joyce VanTassel-Baska, the founding director of the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William and
Mary. Mirman’s themes were codified after assessing what was already being taught at the various grade levels and examining potential connections across subjects — even, and perhaps most importantly when one considers the holistic journey of a student, between grades.
“When we talk about our grade level themes, it’s important to note that we aren’t just setting themes for a grade to center lessons around. We want to look at themes which are really broad and can be connected across subjects,” said McKeown. “So looking at the idea of change in First Grade, they can talk
about ways that matter changes in science. They can observe ways that numbers change in math. Students can see how notable people throughout history have changed our lives in the present. And the goal of the integrated curriculum is not for teachers to ask these questions of the students, but to ask really thoughtful questions which would get students to make these connections on their own.”
INTEGRATION IN PRACTICE
Having a theory in place is one thing, but the practice of rolling out a curricular model is a different animal.
While McKeown and her colleagues at least know which direction they’ll need to have their compasses trained, there are practical considerations when effecting change.
“I think this is definitely a way that we can make our faculty’s jobs easier once we get over the initial hurdle of the planning and preparation,” she said. “And the outcomes for students are going to be so much richer.”
In addition to the ongoing work inherent in this type of coordination across subjects and classrooms, there’s a startup cost when it comes to everyone’s most wanted (and often scarcest) resource: time. Teachers need time to come together and plan the kind of overarching, connected lessons that can make a splash and eventually turn into a signature experience. Administrators need to carve out time which has already, in many cases, been claimed by the logistical matters of running a school. And finding time to implement these ideas within an already crowded calendar can be daunting.
But when it works, proponents say, it really works. In the Lower School, McKeown gave examples of cross-
curricular engagement like the Room 5 Mythcade project, where students combine their studies of art, mythology, design thinking, and coding to create miniature arcade games (“Zeus on the Loose,” “Medusa Maze,” etc.). In the fall of 2018, several Upper School departments combined to host Mirman’s first Under the Stars gathering, marrying a convivial pizza party with an evening of genuinely inclusive astronomy.
Apart from simple stargazing, the students, faculty, staff, and parents in attendance learned concepts in science, Latin, math, and technology.
“These are the types of moments that we’re trying to create over and over again, all across campus,” said McKeown.
In addition to offering support through in-service workshops and mapping and documenting scope and sequence in a universally accessible way, McKeown is working to build a common language within the faculty by using tools such as the depth and complexity icons developed by Dr. Sandra Kaplan at USC. Folded into the classroom environments in different ways, these icons are visual prompts used to push students further into their studies and passions, undergirding a self-strengthening neural network of sorts that flows through classroom conversation during a lesson.
“There are so many benefits for students who learn this way,” said Director of STEM Jeffery Flagg who also sits on the Curriculum Committee. “It sticks with the student for a while, for one. They don’t just lose the skills and the knowledge when they leave the classroom, because they’ve got that connection, and the way they’re seeing the world is shifting. They’re living in a full bloom of educational space that isn’t relegated to a single book, or classroom, or even a lab.”
Particularly where the STEM disciplines are concerned, said Flagg, an old assumption still tends to linger that subjects like math and science belong in silos apart from the creative fields. And as Mirman looks to further interweave subjects once seen as disparate on the curricular spectrum, he welcomes the shifting
Upper School science students bridge research, data science, and design as they work in the ID Lab building weather station devices.
language and landscape around his field — moving from strictly STEM to STEAM in programs like MirmanX, the school’s startup accelerator.
World Language Department Chair Gian Molero (who also sits on the Curriculum Committee) readily gave various examples of integration in her department.
Upper School Mandarin collaborates with technology and science to have students present weather forecasts against a green screen in the language, while Molero’s Spanish classes use simple vocabulary (i.e. architectural components of a house) to delve deeper (how cultural differences inform the architecture of dwelling places in different countries). “It’s really about adding that complexity and moving beyond
“...we started zeroing in on what would specifically address the needs of our learners, and started to really move the needle in that direction.”
a superficial level of study and understanding of a subject,” said Molero.
“As curriculum designers, we have to address the needs of our students, and we can do this by integrating and unifying experiences and different fields of study,” she said.
What’s more, it turns out that what’s best for gifted students is equally beneficial for gifted practitioners, who find themselves working in concert and breaking down previously siloed departments for the betterment of all.
“As we’re building these programs, we’re collaborating more as a faculty between disciplines. We’re modeling how that collaboration looks to students," said Flagg.
“I think it’s been very advantageous for our educators,” agreed Head of Upper School Ron Simmons “It’s created a conversation where teachers can learn more about what their colleagues are doing, and to make space for students to really apply the knowledge they’re learning in ways that make that knowledge more meaningful.”
Tessa McKeown, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Mirman now » Mirman next
There’s never any shortage of institutional priorities and possibilities in a place as dynamic as Mirman School. However, the same can’t be said of more finite resources such as money, individual talents, and that seemingly ever-dwindling metric we call time. Balancing the possibilities with the parameters is the unenviable job of the school’s leadership, in particular its Board of Trustees and Head of School, Dan Vorenberg.
If this sounds like a big undertaking, it’s because it is. Of course, we’ve all got our favorite platitudes about how one might begin to eat an elephant or start on a journey of a thousand miles. Fortunately, the school has a more concrete and significant lifeline as it ventures forward into the future: the 2018-2021 Strategic Plan.
“It’s not lost on me that one of the first concepts that learned as an educator was the lesson plan,” said Vorenberg. “A lesson doesn’t happen serendipitously, it comes from planning.”
Whereas a lesson might have a concrete beginning, middle, and end, a school’s strategic plan might feel a little more open-ended. Not unlike a classroom lesson, though, these plans are meant to build from one to the next: “scaffolding,” in pedagogical-speak. Vorenberg said that “great independent schools are not product oriented, they’re process oriented” — meaning that the iterative envisioning and execution of a strategic plan is how Mirman will move forward.
PLANNING THE WORK
It’s no small thing to distill competing priorities, institutional momentum, and the ambitious goals of a diverse group of constituencies. For Mirman’s Board, that process started with Trustee Sharon Gavin, who chaired the planning subcommittee and was charged with the plan’s architecture. “It appealed to me,” said Gavin when asked why she jumped at the job. “I enjoy global and strategic planning to help organizations realize their vision.”
Gavin spearheaded a Strategic Planning Task Force made up of administrators, faculty, Trustees, and current Mirman parents. The group then put their heads together to brainstorm external factors which might be germane to the school’s growth and plans over the next three years, such as shifts in demographics and economics. With that step complete, their focus turned inward.
“We examined documents such as our previous strategic plan, employee engagement and parent surveys, the NAIS Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism, and our recent California Association of Independent Schools accreditation report,” said Gavin. “We also analyzed comparison data from other schools in our category — how were we stacking up in terms of factors like admission, tuition, financial aid, class size, and so on.”
A SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis followed, and, eventually, the plan’s focus was narrowed to six specific areas: mission and philosophy, community and inclusivity, program and curriculum, faculty and staff, financial sustainability and advancement, and campus and facilities. During a day-long retreat involving voices from the alumni, current parent, past parent, Trustee, administration, and faculty constituencies, group leads took notes.
The plan was further finessed and condensed by Gavin, eventually gaining full board approval in the fall of 2018. “The process proceeded quite smoothly,” said Gavin of the undertaking. “And as a parent, it’s gratifying to read the finished plan. I really believe in what our team created, and it lays out a great direction for us to go.”
WORKING THE PLAN
With the first school year of the plan almost complete, Mirman’s leadership looks to this strategic document to guide the school forward, both as a continuation of the previous strategic plan and of the vision held by the school’s founders. When speaking of the plan as a connective bridge spanning past to present to future,
Mission & Philosophy
Develop strategies to ensure we live and communicate our mission and philosophy.
Community & Inclusivity
Articulate clear objectives and implement strategies to ensure an inclusive, equitable, diverse, vibrant, and connected community of learners, families, alumni, faculty, and staff.
Program & Curriculum
Develop and deliver an inspirational, innovative, and integrated curriculum for highly gifted students.
Vorenberg evoked Dr. Norman and Mrs. Beverly Mirman’s initial intentions to serve the needs of highly gifted children. No matter if that learning takes place in a residential home, as it did in 1962, or on a significantly expanded campus, as it now does now on Mulholland Drive, the ingredients for success are much the same.
“I’m very excited about this current plan because as we approach our 60th year, this really identifies some of the strongest, most relevant issues in contemporary gifted education,” said Vorenberg. “When you start with nine kids in a living room, the idea of individualization speaks for itself. We’ve grown substantially since then, and it takes a significant amount of ongoing planning, resource management, and talent to make sure we can live to our founding concept of making sure each student gets what they need.”
Faculty & Staff
Continue to recruit, recognize, develop, and retain a highly qualified and diverse faculty and staff.
Financial Sustainability & Advancement
Commit to a vigorous fiscal strategy and comprehensive fundraising plan.
Campus & Facilities
Expand the creation of contemporary learning spaces both on and beyond our physical campus.
If the past is any indication of future progress, Mirman is in a unique sweet spot in time. During its last strategic planning phase, the campus itself doubled in size, as did the athletics program. Specialist positions were created in STEM, mathematics, choral arts, Mandarin, and technology integration. And growing awareness of and alignment with issues of inclusivity and equity are allowing for a more progressive, connected curriculum in a time where students need to leave “the Mirman bubble” ready to interact with a society that is growing more complex by the minute.
“I’m incredibly impressed by how quickly we’ve been able to grow,” said Vorenberg. “And I think this next phase of strategic growth will have a lot to do with deepening the mission we’ve always had. We’re committed to keep driving the school toward true north — its best iteration for gifted learners, not only today but in the future.”
Lessons we’ve learned from our four-legged friends
It started with Waffles.
Waffles became an integral part of the Lower School community when he came to rule the roost (or habitrail, as it were) in Room 5Z. Students took their persuasive technique lessons to heart and set out to convince teacher Suzanna Zifkin that harboring a hamster would be a good idea. Zifkin eventually agreed, and took on the trials and tribulations of her latest classroom charge with aplomb, even presenting at a regional conference on the process she required of her students as they worked to obtain their furry friend.
However, as any parent who has entertained the oftpleaded phrase “Can we keep him?” will tell you, pet acquisition can be a slippery slope.
“A few years ago, we had siblings in 5Z,” explained Hudson P. as he sat alongside co-conspirators Sabrina N and Vivi A “So we wanted a class pet.”
Not yet in possession of the persuasive rhetoric of their elders, the then-Second Graders had to settle for a Venus flytrap. “It died,” Hudson said.
Hudson explained that a certain well-loved but recalcitrant teacher in Room 4 famously did not like animals (“That’s fair,” said Brad Barry, former well-loved but recalcitrant Room 4 teacher and now Director of Admission and Enrollment Management), and so the group’s hopes were dashed. But then came a new chance in another year when Hudson and his peers became one half of “the Seniors of the Lower School.”
When they took the idea to their teacher, Lisa Barba she was skeptical. “I wasn’t against the idea,” she said, “but I wasn’t going to do it on my own. So we went through the whole process and put a list together of what they’d need to do.”
That list included but wasn’t limited to: raising funds, sticking to a budget, buying the appropriate equipment, coming up with a care schedule for weekends and breaks, and making sure allergies were accounted for.
LESSON #1
A hypoallergenic hamster isn’t actually hypoallergenic
“We thought we were going to get a hamster,” said Hudson. “But we found out that the allergens aren’t just in the fur. They’re in the skin!”
Not to be deterred, the self-proclaimed ”Committee of Three” had to huddle up again. A turtle seemed like the next natural candidate (there’s precedent on campus in the form of Kindergarten F’s elder stateswoman, Murtle the Turtle the Tortoise), but they were disappointed to find out that the turtle they wanted was an underwater turtle. “It’s too hard to take care of an underwater turtle,” Vivi said. “And the next turtle we wanted was too expensive.”
Sabrina, however, had a lead on a lizard elsewhere in the shop. “The person working there directed us to the crested gecko. They make really great class pets, and they are easy to take care of. And,” she added, “they gave us a discount.”
The Crested Gecko was once thought to be entirely extinct, until it was rediscovered in 1994. They’re good at hiding.
LESSON #2
Lizards don’t care if they are on layaway
Hudson admitted that despite the class’s fundraising, they were slightly in debt to their parents after all equipment and food purchases were accounted for. And while Elliott Geico Bowba began to acclimate to his new environment, the class geared up for a bake sale, clearing the event with Head of Lower School Stephanie Leung and sticking up posters to advertise for their cause.
There was one additional wrinkle, though. When the day of the bake sale came, the star of the show had gone missing.
“Above all, in addition to persuasive writing, I think this gecko has really taught them about resilience,” said Barba. “Here we were, trying to have a bake sale for this gecko that we didn’t even have anymore. We had to face this challenge. How could we solve this problem? It turned into trying to think like a lizard. We know they’re cold-blooded, so he doesn’t want to run outside in the rain. We know they don’t need to eat every day, so he’s not trying to go look for food outside. We know that he’ll want to seek warmth.”
LESSON #3
Binders are not just for homework
“Ultimately,” said Barba, “Devon G. found him, because she was able to think like a lizard.”
When Devon located Elliott, he was tucked in repose underneath a loosely crumpled piece of paper in
Barba’s grading binder. Since then, Elliott’s had another caper that ended similarly, but it’s been relatively smooth sailing otherwise. “He brings a lot of joy to the students,” said Barba, whose room now draws a wide crowd of visitors. The students are negotiating how to take care of him on weekends, and they take turns bringing in his preferred cuisine: live crickets. This is supplemented by “powdery stuff, mixed with water to a ketchup consistency,” according to Vivi.
When asked what was next for Elliott after his caretakers graduate to Upper School, Barba turned pensive. “That’s a very good question,” she said. “The future of Elliott Geico Bowba is undetermined.”
LESSON #4
Respect your elders
Kindergarten teacher Stephanie Fiore first met Murtle the Turtle the Tortoise when she started at Mirman as an Assistant Teacher in 2008. A common padloper tortoise, Murtle had been ensconced in early childhood education for a while already as she belonged to the room’s lead teacher, who in turn had met Murtle’s acquaintance from an Upper School colleague, Nancy Dean Dean’s daughter had surrendered Murtle when she went off to college.
“Murtle is about thirty years old,” guessed Fiore. “When the lead teacher left, she offered Murtle to me, and accepted, not really thinking very much about the future. I think they live to be about a hundred.”
When you’re playing the long game, like Murtle, you’re bound to have more than a few old friends. In a tightknit community like Mirman’s, which sees its smallest students move through their childhood and early adolescence only to come back as parents or, at the very least, visiting alums, graduations and goodbyes come with an implied “see you later!” rather than a “so long.” Two years ago, Fiore recalled, student Joanna D., then a kindergartener in Daniel Gibbs class, walked by with her mother — Nancy Dean’s daughter. Murtle plays her cards close to the vest, of course, but
there was undeniable excitement in the reunion of the two old friends.
“She’s been part of our community for such a long time,” said Fiore. “I remember during Trustee Visitation Day, Anessa Karney ‘77-‘82 came into the room and saw her. She was like, ‘Oh my gosh! This is the same turtle that was here when my son [Justin Goldstein ‘09-‘16] was in this room!’ And occasionally an Upper Schooler will walk by and stop to say hi to Murtle, too.”
LESSON #5
Zen and the art of tortoise maintenance
Like Elliott in 5B, Murtle has taught the kids in Kindergarten F a great deal about responsibility. Their classroom chore wheel includes the venerated job of Murtle feeder. “They always want to know what she’s doing,” said Fiore. “They are really in tune to what’s happening with her.”
Fiore added that empathy was another Core Value that Murtle has helped the students grasp. Being in a room of twenty-something active five- and six-yearolds can be a lot for an old soul, and Fiore tries to remind the kids about this. “We talk about how Murtle might feel when we’re loud,” she said, “and we try to keep the noise level down for her. We also know that we can’t knock on the tank.”
If the Room 5 students of the future are to truly care for the charges that seem to regularly come out of their persuasive writing units, it’s important that they grasp the ins and outs of tending to a living thing. As they all have their specific needs and routines, so too do their animal counterparts. Some are relatable — tortoises need their claws filed. Some needs are more exotic (beak clipping). “It’s basic tortoise maintenance,” said Fiore.
Life lessons aside, more than halfway through the school year, Murtle is a fixture of life in Kindergarten F. Various students describe her personality as “fun,” noting that she likes to “play in the water” and eat “veggies and dead crickets.” She’s also been known
The Common Padloper Tortoise typically lives to be about 100 years old. That’s a lot of school days.
to be “not very picky.” But other than Fiore, the most detailed view might come from Liam A., who has been friends with Murtle “for a long time.”
On Thanksgiving break, assigned to tortoise care, Liam saw a slightly more active side of the usually staid Murtle.
“I fed her, we played in the grass, she dug a hole,” he said. “She’s nice to me.”
“He really likes to eat his food,” chimed in one eager student, rising on her tiptoes and spreading her arms wide to indicate the enormity of Murtle’s appetite.
“He’s a girl,” deadpanned another.
A HORSE WITH NO NAME NO MORE
After a student-centered contest melds Core Values with school spirit, Mirman reintroduces its mustang: Rider.
After the school rebranded a few years ago, Athletic Director Angela Brown felt that something was missing. New uniforms were donned for the first day of school, new signs were hung around campus, and a new website was launched to accompany refreshed marketing materials. But the updated design left something to be desired when it came to truly raising team spirit to the power of Mirman.
In a school where more than half of the student body participates in some form of competitive athletics, and on a campus where a significant expansion created pristine courts and fields upon which one can cheer on several teams on any given day, Brown saw an opportunity and sensed a desire to elevate the program. After working with Jenn Salcido, Director of Marketing and Communications, and Noah Kaufman Director of Advancement, the school’s branding was expanded to include a strong, confident steed. New uniforms, sweatsuits, and swag followed suit.
“It’s a truly exciting time for athletics at Mirman,” said Brown. “There’s a sense of pride that you can see and feel. It’s almost like we’ve arrived You could have taken a snapshot of the students in their old uniforms, and then in their new ones with the names on the back, and you would see a clear
difference. It’s a rallying cry. You can see the pride on their faces.”
Finally, everyone could don uniforms featuring their own names writ large. Everyone except, of course, the horse. The school community knew it had a mascot — people would see the nameless mustang trotted out for the occasional assembly or championship bout — but nobody really knew the mascot.
What if the students could help change that?
Last fall, Brown and her colleagues in the Physical Education department introduced a contest at an all-school assembly. The objective: not only to name the mustang, but to tell its story. Over a six-day cycle, ballots were collected from every grade level in both divisions. With Salcido’s help, Brown and Assistant to the Athletic Director Alyssa Woods tallied the results.
The judges carefully considered the entries, assessing them on an unwritten rubric including points for overall catchiness, gender-neutrality, universal appeal, and other considerations. As the dust settled, one clear winner emerged: Rider. In retrospect, it seemed rather obvious. The school had only recently unveiled its Core Values (Responsibility, Integrity, Discovery, Empathy, and Resilience). And as equine monikers go, Rider makes a certain degree of sense. The name
was revealed with much aplomb at an all-school assembly, with Rider trotting out on stage to show off a newly-minted personalized jersey.
The winning entry belonged to Room 4L students Victoria A. and Amelie S., who soon revealed that they had a little help from their friends, specifically former Room 4L co-teacher and current Librarian Allison Sparks
“We had just had a community circle in class talking about the Core Values,” said Sparks. “This was something new to me as a new member of the Mirman community. When I asked the class out loud if they’d considered Rider for the name, a few of the students wanted to suggest it.”
“I laughed it off and dismissed the idea,” Sparks admitted. “I thought that since it had come from an adult, it wouldn’t count. But when saw how excited they were when they submitted it, I knew the name rang true. It really came out of an ‘aha’ moment we had together as a class.“
“It relates so much to our school and Core Values and helps us make sure we’re always doing the right thing,” said Victoria A. of the new name.
“It’s amazing to be part of our school history,” added Amelie S.
The two girls, who themselves represent Mirman on the basketball court and soccer field as part of the Room 4 teams, admitted that, like many great ideas, their first idea might not have been their best. “I think we wanted to do Mustard,” said Victoria.
“Or Mayonnaise,” said Amelie.
As it turns out, most things do get better with teamwork.
know
KIDS’ CHOICE
Like any ballot box, this one was not without its curiosities once opened up. Here are some of the voting trends:
» More than a few students wanted to name the mustang after themselves or their classmates.
» One entry suggested “vegan”
» “Uncle Grandpa” popped up more than a few times, much to the confusion of one judge. It was revealed upon further investigation that this is in fact an affectionate nickname for Coach Allen Foster.
» Regarding “The Mysterious Moose" — decidedly not a horse, but good alliteration.
You may
him as Coach Allen Foster, but read on to find out this faculty member’s interesting nickname.
Currently, there are 14 affinity groups meeting in the Mirman community — and counting.
Mirman launches affinity groups for students, families, and faculty
For some, the idea of an affinity group — an intentional space where people with a shared identity, anything from race to left-handedness, gather together — seems counterintuitive. We’ve been told the analogies of the melting pot and the salad bowl; we’ve seen the election of a black president in a country whose infrastructure was built by slave labor from Africa. Given all that we’ve worked for to increase diversity among peer groups, in schools, and in the workplaces, why might we still need separate spaces to reflect on who we are?
ourselves out by race signals to them that the work we’ve done in multiculturalism has failed in some way,” said Chiu. “And that causes a lot of anxiety.”
To discuss racial identity is anxiety-provoking in and of itself, said Chiu. There’s fear around saying the wrong thing, causing offense, and being misinterpreted. It’s an emotionally-charged issue which, much like politics at a family gathering, can feel better off avoided. But the reality is that for people of color — 35% of Mirman’s student body — this prevents being seen, heard, and bringing one’s whole self to school. And affinity groups, Chiu said, are meant as much to affirm identity as they are to confront uncomfortable truths.
15 finding common ground
When Director of Inclusivity and Equity Connie Chiu announced that Mirman School would be launching affinity groups for faculty/staff, families, and Upper School students in the 2018-2019 school year, she was faced with this and other questions from interested parents. There was, admittedly, some anxiety around the topic from parents who were unsure what affinity groups would entail. The groups were a culmination of identity work that Chiu had put in place in recent years, including anti-bias training with the faculty and staff, bringing in speakers for parent education events, and collaborating on lessons with classroom teachers to discuss aspects of identity at a developmentally-appropriate level. Still, though, some questions remained.
She recalled a speaker on a panel at neighboring Westland School who brought up the point that, for entirely well-intentioned reasons, race-based affinity groups may be fundamentally hard to accept for many white parents in particular. “Breaking
Parent Kelli Kirkland, who chairs the Families of African Ancestry at Mirman (FAAM) affinity group, which was originated by parents a few years ago, spoke to this when discussing how she came to understand the power of affinity groups despite her initial discomfort with talking about race. “I inherently appreciated the value of my son being surrounded by and deeply connected with other gifted students when I enrolled him at Mirman,” she said, noting that by this definition, Mirman is an ‘affinity school.’ “I asked myself, if I could joyfully embrace and celebrate my son’s intellectual differences, why would I hesitate to place that same value on his rich and vibrant ethnic background?”
Through her involvement with FAAM as well as the affinity group for families of color, Kirkland said the value of these groups has far outstripped any fears that were initially holding her back. “Having an
Affinity groups give space for students to feel safe within the Mirman community, and to voice their concerns and perspectives.
– DORIAN W.,
US4
affinity community where one can feel safe asking some of life’s toughest questions has been a lifeaffirming experience,” she said. “Watching my son learn more about himself and feeling welcome to celebrate the fullness of his heritage on campus has been a beautiful journey to witness.”
This bears out what renowned speaker, author, and educator Elizabeth Denevi said when she came to campus to speak to parents and students in the early stage of the affinity group rollout. If there’s an idea that children are being protected by overlooking or intentionally not discussing matters of identity in affirming spaces, she said, programs like Common Ground provide living proof to the contrary. Herself a parent, Denevi admitted that the instinct to “make childrens’ paths easier” is tempting, however, “we forget sometimes that children do need to have the space and time to navigate their path on their own. They may face challenges along the way. This kind of identity work gives them the tools to do that in a safe space guided by adults.”
According to Chiu and Denevi, the research shows that students begin to understand identity at a very early age. “By the time the students hit third grade, differences, social circles, relationships, understanding stereotypes, all of that really starts to solidify,” says Chiu. “They’re understanding their identity and seeing differences, and that’s great. But we need to help them understand those differences and counteract negative stereotypes and associations before they form.”
“If we are trying to help our kids navigate a complicated future, the ability to understand the experiences and perspectives of others is essential,” echoed Trustee Karen Sherwood, a participant in the white family affinity group and a member of the Board Committee on Inclusivity. “My sons are naturally curious about the world and why things are the way they are. Even after just a few sessions, the experiences in Common Ground have enabled
me to speak to them mindfully about differences in a way that creates compassion and understanding, and perhaps the opportunity for real change.”
In Common Ground, those adults are faculty and staff who self-identify with the group they’re leading. Taking a curriculum-based approach, all of the facilitators have undergone trainings with Denevi and Chiu, and have mapped a scope and sequence as well as mission statements for each group. Beginning in the late winter, each group began to meet once per cycle during Upper School lunch periods. Catching up with some of the facilitators, the buzz has been overwhelmingly positive.
Black at Mirman co-facilitator Allen Foster, a physical education teacher and athletics coach,
BEGINNING IN THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL YEAR,
Mirman offered several voluntary affinity groups for faculty/staff, families, and students in the Upper School. Below, you’ll find descriptions of the current offerings in Mirman's Upper School.
Common Ground is facilitated by trained faculty and administration. Students choose the affinity group(s) that speak to their identities with a focus on self-discovery, self-nurturing, and self-affirmation. Next year, Lower School students in Room 5 and 4 will have the opportunity to participate in affinity group(s) of their choosing.
In Kaleidoscope students connect over experiences and conversations about unique family structures, celebrating the beautiful and complex aspects of each family.
Alphabet Soup is a confidential, inclusive, and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ students and allies. This group is an alliance, meaning that students can simply “come as they are” in support of the LGBTQ+ community. This group appreciates differences, practices self-love and celebration, asks questions, and works to make Mirman’s campus a safer place for LGBTQ+ students and their allies.
Students of Color Collective is an umbrella affinity space that brings all students of color and multiracial students together, and occasionally splits out into specific groups such as Black at Mirman This group makes visible the racial and ethnic diversity on Mirman’s campus by affirming individual and collective identities.
Shades of White is a space for recognizing, discussing, and understanding what being white means for oneself and others through an activist lens.
Jew Wanna Talk? is an affinity space to share experiences, concerns, and further develop identities as Jewish people. This group is open to people who identify as culturally, ethnically, and/or religiously Jewish.
People of Faith is an affinity space to share experiences as a person of faith.
remembers all too well what it was like growing up black in a predominantly white, upper-middle-class neighborhood in Palos Verdes. The sting of being called the “n-word” in kindergarten has perhaps dulled with time, but will never disappear. “I know what it’s like to be the only black kid in school,” he said. “I know what it’s like to be singled out by teachers.”
Foster largely credited his parents with helping him work through the struggles that were inherent to his racial identity, as well as opening him up to other cultures from an early age. In this way, he wanted to help Mirman students navigate those same waters. “I felt like I could bring something to these kids, that I could really relate to them,” he said. “And middle schoolers are at the age where they’re trying to navigate their identity on multiple levels, wondering where they fit in. Any way I can be a part of something that will support all of our kids, I’m all for it.”
And although the pre-teen years can rightfully cause even the most experienced parent (or educator) to wince, it’s not all an uphill battle. “The really cool thing about kids is that they’re naturally more open,” said School Counselor Lauren Curnyn who leads the Shades of White affinity group. “They’re going to bring their questions in a more vulnerable, genuine way.”
This is particularly important for the white affinity group, said Curnyn, because often whiteness is looked at as a lack of race, sort of a default option without nuance. The truth is far from this, of course, and in order for white students to feel comfortable moving forward in discussions around race, that identity work needs to be done. “I think it was really eye-opening for our students to talk about,” said Curnyn. “As soon as you do this identity work, you can’t unsee it. It starts changing how you relate to people. And if we’re going to be the community we aspire to be, this is the kind of work we need to be doing.”
Mathematics Teacher Alyssa Wray and members of the Kaleidoscope affinity group get together to look at old family photographs and share stories.
Unsung Heroes
Assistant Teachers round out the faculty and bring their own passions and talents to campus
It would be unfair to categorize the Assistant Teaching (AT) faculty at Mirman as being “behind the scenes.” After all, from the moment students’ feet hit the pavement at morning drop off to reminding the last student left at Annex not to forget his lunch box, chances are an Assistant Teacher isn’t too far out of frame.
Still, by nature of their title, and, at times, due to a comparatively less of experience in the field than lead teachers, they’re seen in more of a supportive role rather than a position of leadership. But even the briefest moments spent speaking with the ATs at Mirman paints a more intricately involved picture — and an equally varied breadth and depth of experience, interests, and talents.
“Our Assistant Teachers really understand the pulse and passions of our students,” said Head of Lower School Stephanie Leung , whose division houses most of the teachers in the AT program. “They have so many opportunities to connect with kids outside the classroom, and this gives them a different and valuable perspective.”
In the Upper School, a smaller group of specialized ATs offer assistance and leadership in some of the division’s larger programs, such as performing and visual arts, science, and yearbook. Head of Upper School Ron Simmons also observed that, particularly in a middle school environment, having supportive and engaged role models who are just beginning their careers creates a valuable example for the young minds they’re shaping. “To have talented examples of young professionals, that have had their passions nurtured and model constructive, lifelong learning, brings a tangibility to our mission for our students,” Simmons said.
CLASSROOM PARTNERSHIP OFFERS TANGIBLE OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH, SKILLS
Though she’s a lead classroom teacher now in both the Lower and Upper School, it wasn’t too long ago that Mathematics and Science Teacher Stephanie Feder was in an assistant’s shoes at the beginning of her teaching career. And although she holds a master’s degree in education, Feder, who also serves on the Faculty Advisory Council, credits her own mentor teacher with providing an indispensable education that went well beyond books and best practices.
“I think that Mirman is such a unique place, and to have an opportunity to learn about our population with the educators here is a very cool concept. Nothing taught me more about being an educator than what my mentor teacher taught me,” she said. “So many of the things that I do today are things that she helped me develop — from the way I organize a lesson plan to the way I lay out my curriculum. I don’t think a classroom lesson can ever teach you as much as actually doing that work with another person,” she said of her experience as a co-teacher in a special education program prior to Mirman.
Feder’s experience has certainly informed her desire to mentor the following generation of teachers. Speaking of her assistant in Upper School science, Micah Stimson , she mentioned making an effort to play to and develop Stimson’s strengths as a budding educator interested in writing. “For example, if there’s ever an MLA citation that we need to talk about in class, or formatting issue for reporting and experiments, I let her set the stage for that piece of the lesson. It’s a training exercise for her.”
By approaching her relationship with her assistants as a true partnership, Feder said, involving those teachers in the planning and execution of lessons happens naturally. And the benefits are far from onesided. “It’s always nice to have someone to bounce things off of, to let you know if something doesn’t
make sense or you need to rework something,” added Feder. “And the students very much recognize the effect their Assistant Teachers have in their classrooms.”
Speaking to the ATs, it’s clear that the teaching partnership forged between themselves and their lead teachers is critical to not only a good training experience, but a smooth life for all in the classroom.
First-year lead teacher Katy Carroll and first-year Assistant Teacher Kevin Lynch both joined shortly before the 2018-2019 school year began and only had a short time to acclimate as a team. Still, they got off to a strong start, and one can see this in their classroom dynamic.
“Katy allows me to be proactive in the classroom, both in behavioral aspects and in academic lessons,” said Lynch, whose duties run the gamut from counseling friends through kerfuffles on the playground to running math lessons in front of one of the grade level’s larger groups. “And we’re both new, so we’re learning the rhythms here together. It’s been really helpful to work with her.”
Now almost at the close of the school year, Lynch seems comfortable with the ebb and flow of the academic calendar along with the “unique, wonderful, and challenging” gifted population he’s charged with steering throughout the day. All of this has been a “great learning experience” for him, he said, adding that though he has worked with children for a while, much of his experience has been in camp settings and outdoor education. Lithe, upbeat, and with a warm and open personality, it’s not hard to imagine him soothing a scared pre-teen out of paralysis on a ropes course. “I’m a bit of a performer, naturally,” said Lynch, “and you have to be a bit of a performer in a first grade classroom.”
Assistant Teacher Kevin Lynch leads a First Grade math lesson on a smartboard.
Assistant Teacher and Yearbook Coordinator Justin Granados helps one of his US4 editors solve a layout snag.
TAKING CENTER STAGE
As can be expected, particularly in a small school setting, sometimes growing an educator’s career means saying goodbye as they move on to other institutions. But sometimes opportunities present themselves within Mirman’s campus, as one did for Karissa Royster when Room 4 lead teacher Julie Leavitt needed to take maternity leave earlier this year. Royster was able to step into a co-teaching role with Leavitt’s long-term sub, and retained those responsibilities after Leavitt’s return in the second half of the school year.
“I’ve always considered becoming a teacher,” said Royster, who came to Mirman after spending years freelancing as a performer and educator in the dance world, including a stint on Broadway. “I really enjoy working with kids, particularly in the classroom setting, but I’m also interested in educational theory and systemic issues in education as well.”
Royster herself grew up in a gifted magnet program, and was drawn to Mirman in part to experience that educational environment once more as an adult. Third grade (Room 4) was a great fit for her, she found. “The students are definitely still kids at this age; they’re easily entertained,” she said. “But they’re at a level where they are really starting to think for themselves, starting to find their voice and becoming more confident in who they are. I’m really enjoying the rich discussions we have together.”
Royster’s classroom life, which she describes as a mix of “leading lessons, entertaining everyone, and helping the students with transitions,” is only part of her day-to-day story. She also sits on the Lower School Student Advisory Council, where she works with students on various internal and external community initiatives such as book drives, assemblies, service learning activities, and more.
“It’s great to get to see the students in those different spaces,” she said.
LEADERS, LEARNERS, AND MORE
The one-on-one interactions during lessons and outside on the playing fields are one thing, but for Royster, those “different spaces” also include one of the largest on Mirman’s campus — the Jacquelyn Michelle Ross Auditorium. Naturally building on her partnership with Theatre Director and Department Chair Jeff Maynard , who has hired Royster to help with theater intensives over the summer at UCLA, Royster is now choreographing this spring’s musical.
A dancer by training (and, outside of her time in Mirman classrooms, by profession) Royster has a wealth of experience on stage. It’s the first time she’ll be fusing these two talents of hers on campus, something she describes as “exciting but a little nerve-wracking.”
“I feel like my whole life, I’ve been compartmentalizing dance and education,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s society’s emphasis on math and science versus arts as a profession, but I’ve always kept those passions separate — I’ve always felt like I had to pick one or the other. I’ve tried to split into these two people, but didn’t realize until now that I could be the same person, just simultaneously. It’s really cool to be at a point where I can explore this, and work further with the theatre department and the music department at Mirman.”
One of Royster’s counterparts is Olivia Aguilar the AT in Sarah Moore ’s Second Grade class. Though she spends most of her time training (and teaching) in the classroom, her responsibilities growing alongside her abilities, there’s a natural fit for Aguilar that fell outside of her initial job description. Encouraged by Art Teacher Patter Hellstrom who learned that Aguilar had a passion for pottery, Aguilar has been joining Hellstrom and Assistant Art Teacher Giovanni Zelaya to help with ceramics lessons for Upper Schoolers.
“My initial experience was not in teaching, so there was a learning curve,” explained Aguilar, who has a B.A. in studio art from Cal State Long Beach. “And
teaching ceramics has been a wonderful learning experience to have in my back pocket — helping these students grow as ceramicists and artists.”
Aguilar herself fell in love with ceramics late, having studied graphic design for much of her undergraduate career. Shortly before graduating, she realized that the art form had a hold on her. Fortunately for Aguilar (and for Hellstrom and Zelaya), the art department spent a good deal of time this year building out its burgeoning ceramics program.
“I really love working with the kids in the studio,” said Aguilar. “They may not remember me in ten years, but hopefully they’ll be able to remember this skill that I taught them.”
Aguilar said that her long-term plan entails opening up a ceramics studio and going back for her master’s in the form, eventually returning to the classroom and the studio as a teacher herself. The skills she’s learning at Mirman — leading classrooms, planning lessons, impacting the young children in her care — will more than serve her well wherever she lands next. For that, she said, she’s grateful to Stephanie Leung and her lead teachers in Second Grade for “encouraging [the Assistant Teachers] to grow and step outside of their comfort zone.”
“We’re learning right alongside the kids,” she said.
NEW TEACHERS, NEW TRICKS
Although he’s one of only two Assistant Teachers dedicated entirely to the Upper School classrooms, Yearbook Coordinator Justin Granados has a pretty high level of visibility on campus. When he’s not filling in for Mirman’s veritable institution in the front office, Toy Kelly, you’ll probably find him
dashing from place to place capturing the various happenings on campus. Like Lynch, Granados worked with children in nonprofit spaces — the Youth Policy Institute’s afterschool program was his latest gig — but stepping into the classroom was a challenge that attracted him.
With plenty of graphic design and media/film experience, Granados said that he’d never worked on a yearbook or similar publication in his educational career, save for a stint critiquing work for Moorpark College’s literary magazine. Still, he was excited when he got the call to co-lead Mirman’s yearbook program, an intense three-times-per-cycle elective with a strong following and a slew of awards in its history. Admittedly, though, that rich history presented challenges for Granados and yearbook teammate Upper School English Teacher Simon Darcy, who had to hit the ground running together, not stopping to rest until their spring deadline finally passed.
“Problem-solving has always been my favorite thing to do,” said Granados. “And problem-solving was the way that we worked through the various challenges that we dealt with. I loved how it always kept us on our toes.”
Between Darcy, Granados, and the eleven students enrolled in the yearbook elective, the atmosphere was a lively one. “It kind of feels like we’re part of a ragtag newsgroup working in this newsroom,” said Granados with palpable affection. “Everybody’s doing something. Everybody’s talking about something.”
As if the adrenaline rush of producing the yearbook weren’t enough, Granados has found himself involved in other multidisciplinary pursuits. “Part of what attracted me to Mirman was the philosophy of an integrated curriculum,” he said, adding that one of his goals is to eventually be a media studies professor. These interests and skills have served him well as he’s found himself more involved with the art department, making films for Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month alongside Zelaya, running open studios for Upper Schoolers in the art room, and collaborating with Upper School Integrationist Sean Lueder on media literacy lessons.
“I wanted to stretch my wings when I came here, to see if I could teach things from what I knew, or if I didn’t know something, learn from someone else,” said Granados. “There are definitely a lot of collaborators here; I really like that in a workplace.”
Karissa Royster, a co-teacher in Room 4 and a professional dancer, rehearses her choreography for "Shrek," the spring musical.
Second Grade Assistant Teacher and artist Olivia Aguilar only recently discovered her love of ceramics; she’s now sharing her favorite art form with Upper Schoolers in the art studio.
A young alum shares his passion for robotics with peers in Ethiopia
Since he was young — well, younger than he still is at this early point in his life — Jake Futterman ’10-’17 hasn’t been afraid to go beyond his comfort zone. He remembers learning advanced mathematical concepts in pre-school. In elementary school, he would ask for more homework. It wasn’t until he enrolled at Mirman that he found the opportunities he was looking for — which is to say the chance to push further, be it in a classroom environment or on his own time. An interest in computer programming combined with LEGO Mindstorms robotics blossomed alongside other adventures in social justice, student leadership, and yearbook. When he couldn’t simultaneously take robotics and yearbook electives due to scheduling, Futterman spent time outside of school hours pursuing more advanced robotics work using VEX EDR technology with the help of Jeffery Flagg Mirman’s Director of STEM. After moving on to Harvard-Westlake for high school, he looked for ways to push his knowledge further — and, as it turns out, farther, too.
When it came time to fulfill a service learning requirement at his new school, Futterman didn’t want to settle for the bare minimum. In particular, he saw a natural opportunity to connect with an organization he’d cared about for a while through his aunt — Ethiopia Health Aid, a California nonprofit which has conducted medical and educational missions and has built hospital and school facilities in Ethiopia for the past decade. After fundraising and spending most of spring 2018 developing weeklong curricula for a robotics camp, he traveled to Gode, a rural village in the Oromia region of Ethiopia. It wasn’t long after Futterman arrived that he realized that the distance to travel was greater than a simple transAtlantic flight.
MERIDIAN: This being your first time in Ethiopia — was it what you expected?
JAKE FUTTERMAN: It’s about a seven hour flight from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, to Gode. It’s beautiful country, and the weather is perfect. But as we were driving along the highway, all I could see was farmland. I remember starting to think, “This isn’t going to work.”
M: Why is that?
JF: I knew that going in there would be some challenges to face. Ethiopia is the third poorest country in the world. The drop-out rate for rural high schools is 90%.
allotted them two days to start working with the LEGOs, but once they’d been introduced to the pieces, even though they’d never seen it before, they built the robots in about two hours.
M: Did you get the sense that they were really excited about learning this new skill set?
JF: Definitely. As soon as we arrived, there were so many kids looking to join the team. We originally set the number of students to only 12 or 16, but every morning there were kids who were trying to sneak into the class, or others peering in through the windows. We ended up having about twice the number of students we had planned for.
M: What do you think the students took away from the experience? Beyond how to build a working robot, of course.
alumni class notes
As soon as we arrived, there were so many kids looking to join the team. We had kids trying to sneak into the class, peering through the windows.
There were also a lot of problems on the ground — I didn’t speak Oromiffa [a language spoken in Ethiopia], and many of the kids I would be teaching knew very little English. Most of the students had never even seen or heard of a computer or a LEGO before, because this was a very rural part of the country. I knew I would have to face the challenge of trying to teach highly technical ideas across a language barrier. However, all of my doubts were quickly put to rest. The students in Gode greatly surpassed any expectation I had — and more.
M: Once you’d arrived and gotten a sense of those challenges, how did you work to overcome them?
JF: Though the kids had never experienced almost all of the technology I brought, they were able to pick up a lot of important ideas right away and were able to accomplish some major tasks in less than half the time I expected. As the week progressed, the other volunteers and I began to better understand some of the road-blocks and how to solve them. I had my curriculum plan, but each day we had to continuously adapt to the problems and solutions we encountered. Over time, I got better at tailoring my lessons. At the end of five days, the students were able to take brand new technology and ideas and complete a complicated final mission.
M: How old were the students you were teaching?
JF: Originally, we planned to teach middle school students. As it turns out, they were in middle school, but they were actually 15- to 18-year-olds. However, they didn’t really care that I was younger. I think being a little older helped them grasp the concepts a little easier, too. I remember I had
JF: Robotics and programming are the future. And of course, what I taught was more than just building and programming — robotics is just a medium for vital skills like teamwork, logic skills, and problem solving. Having a chance to work with the most upto-date technology and learn countless new skills will hopefully impact their lives for the better.
M: What’s next for the program?
JF: Well, we knew we needed to continue the work. Once we’d seen what the students accomplished we knew there was no way that we could just come in and be done after one session. So I created an after school program for the kids in Gode, complete with a 70-page workbook. We sent them two robotics kits. They meet once a month to complete missions that I give them. This summer, the idea is to expand the program and come back and teach more kids with a larger team of teachers.
M: Do you think any of the experiences you had at Mirman prepared you for your work with EHA?
JF: Yes, definitely. Student Advisory Council, Student Diversity Leadership Council (SDLC)...I’ve always been told I’m kind of a natural leader, and I think those activities helped me grow that skill. The leadership skills I developed at Mirman were really helpful in leading such a large class of older students. Running Peace and Social Justice Day for the Lower School with my fellow Upper School SDLC cohort helped me want to give back and teach curious kids who really want to learn and challenge themselves. Taking those experiences to Ethiopia was so fulfilling.
Well, Mustang fam, it’s been another jam-packed year since we last wrote to our readers in the “Meridian,” and, as expected, your updates did not disappoint! From politics to passion projects, our alumni community is out there changing the world for the better.
One Mustang in particular caught our attention, though — possibly because she’s been around campus so often lately! So before we get too far into our submissions we want to give a special shout out to alumna Ashley Felts ’92-’96 who began the new year by joining Mirman’s administrative staff as the Interim Director of Alumni Relations. Ashley has been no stranger to the Mirman community since she graduated and moved on to Harvard-Westlake, then to University of Michigan Ann Arbor, and finally to study international marketing at Northwestern University. Most recently, you may have heard from her in her capacity as a member of the Alumni Council and the MirmanX Advisory Board! Apart from her interim position, she now leads the digital division at Murphy O’Brien, a LA-based PR and digital firm that works with luxury hotel, real estate, and lifestyle brands. Prior to Murphy O’Brien, Ashley directed the digital strategy and launched the first-ever global influencer program for Land Rover and Jaguar. The highly-gifted force is strong with the Felts family — Ashley’s sister Lauren Felts Chen ’92-’98 also wrote in to share that she is happily living in Boulder, Colo. and working as a nutritionist specializing in pregnancy nutrition and postpartum care. She and her husband brought a mini Mustang into the world — say hi to their one-year-old son, Bodhi, seen on the right in some brand new Mirman swag! Be sure to drop Ashley a line if you want one of these bibs for your baby genius.
Another Mirman mom on a mission, Rachel Lily Campbell (White) ’93-’97 is living in Austin, Texas and running a business called Fit4MOM.
“It’s essentially a bootcamp for moms who are looking to get their bodies back,” she explained, “but it really is a community and a village for moms in every stage of motherhood.” Rachel is in her fourth year of business in addition to balancing homeschooling her five-year-old son. Meanwhile, back on the left coast, classmate Rachel Valente Ramsay ’89-’98 just this October welcomed a baby girl, Blake Evelyn Ramsay, with her husband Tyson. Rachel spent several years working in private wealth management with J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo Advisors, and now she is enjoying the opportunity to spend time at home with Blake.
Josh Resnik ’75-’82 knows more than a thing or two about the world of finance. Josh, who currently resides in Washington, D.C., recently joined the tech company FiscalNote as Chief Content Officer and SVP/Publisher.
FiscalNote’s investors include Mark Cuban, Yahoo! founder Jerry Yang, and Steve Case’s Revolution Fund. In his role he oversees publications “CQ” and “Roll Call”, which cover U.S. government policy and politics. He’ll also be involved in building out new TV and podcasting studios for the company. Another mover and shaker among tech types is Chris Yeh ’82’86 an author, investor, entrepreneur, and mentor in Silicon Valley. His most recent book, “Blitzscaling,” which he co-authored with Reid Hoffman, the co-founder of LinkedIn, was named one of Amazon’s best business books of 2018. “Blitzscaling” analyzes and explains how companies like Amazon, Alibaba, and Airbnb went from humble garages to global giants in record time. Also in the technology space, we were pleased to hear from Matthew Kopald ’75-’82, who currently works
1. Ashley Felts ’92-’96
2. Future Mirman Mustang Bodhi Chen
3. Rachel Lily Campbell ’93-’97
4. Rachel Valente ’89-’98
5. Josh Resnick ’75-’82
6. Chris Yeh ’82-’86
Matthew Kopald ’75-’82
at Skybox Security, a cybersecurity management and analytics company outside of San Jose. He works remotely from Illinois, where he lives with his wife and three daughters.
It’s no secret that your alma mater values qualities like discovery (one of Mirman’s recently coined Core Values), curiosity, and scholarship — all things you need to succeed in pursuing the life of a scribe. So it’s no coincidence that more than a few of you Mustangs have turned out to be quite the writers and academics. Take John Ghazvinian ’85-’88 for example. An author, historian, and former journalist, John became the new associate director of UPenn’s Middle East Center in 2018. He was formerly a senior fellow at the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing and a research associate at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies. He has also worked as a journalist, written two history books for general audiences, and taught modern Middle East history at several universities.
Operandi, Net-a-Porter, Saks Fifth Avenue, among other stores.
Empathy is another Core Value we Mustangs hold dear, and a fine example of this is Abi Desigan ’89-’95, as a partner at Dykema Gossett, LLP, she practices intellectual property litigation. In addition to her career, she is actively involved in volunteering with the Alliance for Children’s Rights helping advocate for children in foster care. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and nine-month-old son. Also rocking the world one cause at a time is classmate Julia Silbergeld ’89-’95 the Chief of People and Organizational Development at MoveOn, a national progressive political and advocacy nonprofit. She lives in Oakland, a few minutes away from her sister Diana ’86-’92!
Mighty Mustangs, we see you on social media!
We hope you take a second to follow our feeds on Facebook and Instagram, because we certainly enjoy following you! Here are some updates that we’ve gleaned in the recent past — we felt they merited some celebration.
Alex Cohen Dean ’78-’86 has been gracing the airwaves of Spectrum News as a political analyst.
Charles Matthau ’71-’76 has been spotted readying to finish the indie feature “The Book of Leah” with Armande Assante.
Proud Mirman mom Anne Korban announced that daughter Chloe ’97-’06 passed the California bar on her first try!
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Diana Arnold ’90-’95 pens works of a different flavor. After studying acting at NYU’s Tisch School and creative writing at The New School, she began working closely with some of the city’s best chefs while running the front of house in a few restaurants. After 15 years in the restaurant industry, she has written an original one-woman show running off Broadway called “On The Table.” She credits her experiences hosting the Poetry Festival in the Lower School, her dialogue with Mirman’s teachers, and the various performing arts opportunities Mirman provided with making her the confident creator she is today!
Alumna Katie Dolle ’93-’99 has taken her creativity to the silver screen, and recently her short film, “We’ll Never Make It,” premiered at the Valley Film Festival, taking home the Audience Award. And we’re willing to bet that more than a few stars of stage and screen have been spotted around town sporting handbags designed by Carolina Santo Domingo ’91-’98 whose wares can be found at Moda
The younger generations of Mustangs are turning out to be activists in their own right. Recently, Sage Shurman ’11-’17 returned to campus to talk with Room 4 and 5 about her website, Kids Contribute, which she developed at her current school, Flintridge Prep. The website makes it easier for kids to connect to charities and make a difference through donations and awareness. Though slightly before Sage’s time, Sydney Banner ’03-’08 also returned to her alma mater during the final weeks leading up to winter break to help prepare students for the annual Winter Program as well as to substitute teach in a few Lower School classes. Sydney, a senior at American University, was indispensable! We owe another similar sentiment of gratitude to experience designer Michael Libby ’89-’96, who recently held a four-part LEAP course for Upper Schoolers. After talking about his exciting experience designing worlds for theme parks around the globe, Libby lead our students in building their own universes. While he was on campus, he shared that his sister, Anne ’92-’99 had an art opening at the end of 2018 at the Magenta Plains Gallery in New York.
Christian Lanz ’83-’89 garnered five Voice Arts Award nominations from the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences for his work on “Spy Kids: Mission Critical” for Netflix, “Coco” for Disney/Pixar, Marvel Studios "Thor: Ragnarok” and Melissa McCarthy’s box office sidesplitter “Life of the Party.”
David Dorfman ’00-’07 who serves as legal counsel to the ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, was named to "Forbes" 2019 Law & Policy 30 Under 30 list.
David Wienir’s ’79-’85 memoir “Amsterdam Exposed” was featured in Columbia University’s fall 2018 issue of "Columbia College Today."
Devin Sidell ’85-’92 turned heads and earned praise from critics for her role as Emily in the Sacred Fools production of “The Value of Moscow” last November.
Evan Nicole Brown ’99-’08 penned an article for “Chicago" magazine titled “Chicago: the Typeface” about the iconic font of the early Apple user interface. Talk about #TBT!
Harrison Schaen ’90-’94 was officially inducted into the Central San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce last fall.
Mattias Lehman ’94-’03 accepted a position as a field representative with the Progressive Turnout Project in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District.
And this final update comes to you from the original social media platform — the Mombook. Current and alumni parent Deb Stark writes that the Mirman Class of 2015 had a great showing in National Merit this year with five semifinalists!
Congratulations to Ben Beckman, Jason Goodman, Edie Graber, Sinclaire Ledahl, Hannah Sherwindt ’06-’11, Nate Tausik, Emma Wang, and Anthony Weinraub ’06-’12.
What’s in store at Mirman and beyond
Even though school isn’t in session during the summer months, there’s never any shortage of activity on Mirman’s campus. This summer, the fields, courts, and classrooms will host students participating in a variety of activities ranging from the mad scientists’ STEAM experiments at Camp Mirman to pondering questions about beauty and justice with the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth day program. Meanwhile, off campus, students in Upper School 3 and 4 can apply for the Discovery Project at USC, a groundbreaking partnership which allows Mirman students to study subjects at the college level alongside peers at other area schools.
Camp Mirman
A comprehensive day camp where students can fully explore the STEAM fields, unlock their potential for athletics, and learn through play. mirman.org/campmirman
June 17 – August 2
Pre-school and Kindergarten
Discovery Project at USC
Topics include medicine, philosophy, public policy, computer science, and more. Students can pursue independent study projects guided by USC faculty. mirman.org/uscsummer
July 22 – August 2
Accepts applications from students currently in US3 and US4
Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
Offering rigorous academic exploration in a variety of topics, these sessions bring gifted students together with peers who share their passion for learning. cty.jhu.edu/start
