SUMMER 2021
View THE
NEWSLETTER FOR PARENTS, STUDENTS, ALUMNI FAMILIES, GRANDPARENTS AND FRIENDS
LIVING OUR
CORE VALUES
Dear Open Window community, As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, this edition of The View is proof-positive that the Open Window School community continues to be ambitious, optimistic, futurefocused, and mission-aligned. The school essentially re-invented itself multiple times during this academic year, shifting from an asynchronous online program to a synchronous online program to a hybrid program to a program that is on-campus but welcomes and supports those who have chosen to stay remote this spring. We offered the full program: classes, advisory, recess, technology, library, counseling services, after-school activities, and online field trips. Through it all, our wonderful administrators and teachers never lost sight of our mission, to nurture and inspire students of high intellectual potential. In this issue, there are articles that speak to every one of our core values. We have a strong community which emphasizes social and emotional learning; our teachers “get” gifted kids and design authentic learning experiences, real work that matters. In the following pages, you will read about a fourth grade art project inspired by Native American artist John Nieto, the evolution of the K-8 buddy program that drew our community together even when we were online, our student-led #StandAgainstAsianHate initiatives, and our fifth graders who won the National Toshiba/Exploravision competition with their proposal for a solar-powered water filtration system. There is so much to recognize and celebrate. Looking ahead to next year, a major focus will be connection. As the pandemic comes to an end, I look forward to meeting many of you in person, learning your #OpenWindowStory. Please come visit campus, reach out, and say hello! All my best to all of you—
Elaine Christensen Head of School COVER Front, clockwise: Nara Chen, Sophia Sekits, Abhi Battepati, Ava Tang, Ruchi Doshi, not pictured Swaraag Sistla; story on page 11
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Elaine’s Bookshelf
by Elaine Christensen
What do you read? When? Do the young people in your life see you reading? Do you talk with them about what you read? Do you show interest in what they are reading? Making your reading visible is one of the most important things you can do to cultivate this critical habit. Here are three books that have been important to me in the last three months, with a quote from each. The Mermaid of Jeju by Sumi Hahn This novel, by local author Sumi Hahn, tells the story of one of the haenyeo of Jeju, an island off the coast of Korea, during World War II. The haenyeo are women who feed their families by free diving up to 60 feet deep to gather seaweed and shellfish all year long. They are fierce, brave, independent, remarkable. Here is a quote from the book: “’Water time! Water time! Go into the sea!’ The divers secured their seaweed scythes and shellfish picks. They spat into their masks and rubbed the bubbles over the glass. Junja’s mother, hands in thick wool mittens, stirred the embers with a stick and pulled out stones to cool on the sand. With warm anchor
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Letter from the Head of School
11 Students Rise and #StandAgainstAsianHate
2 Elaine’s Bookshelf
13 Kindergarten and Eighth Grade Buddies Program
3 Around Campus
17 Interview with PGA Presidents
5 Fourth Grade Bison Art Gallery
20 Auction 2021
7 Seeds and Algorithms
22 Alumni Spotlight
9 Community Days
25 Summer Reading with Ms. Richey
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stones nestled in their hemp slings, the first group stood ready, lead by an elder who would guide them to the first dive site.” Highly recommend this book. Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take A Chance on You by Suneel Gupta At Open Window School, we are thinking hard about how to emerge from the pandemic with an entrepreneurial spirit. How can we take what we have learned this year and make our program better, strong, more innovative, more relevant? I heard Suneel Gupta speak at the National Association of Independent Schools conference and was inspired to read his book. Here is one of many quotes that lines up exactly with our work at OWS. “What moves people isn’t charisma, but conviction. Backable people earnestly believe in what they’re saying, and they simply let that belief shine through whatever style feels most natural… Be the most passionate advocate.” I am that person for OWS; I believe in the mission and I see the potential and we are building the future of this wonderful school. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson In the spring of 2021, our DEI Community Book Read was Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, a book I highly recommend. I then read The warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration, also by Wilkerson. The book tells the stories—meticulously researched and beautifully told—of three individual people who were born into the
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Jim Crow south and made their way to Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Here’s a quote: “Over the course of six decades, some six million black southerners left the land of their forefathers and fanned out across the country for an uncertain existence in nearly every other corner of America. The Great Migration would become a turning point in history. It would transform urban America and recast the social and political order of every city it touched.” Through the stories of the three individuals profiled in this book, I have a new understanding of the gravity and significance of this migration to every facet of our country’s culture.
OUR CORE VALUES TEACHERS We have passionate, caring teachers who get gifted kids. AUTHENTICITY We challenge, support, and trust students to do real work that matters and has an impact beyond the classroom. LOVE OF LEARNING We engage our students’ curiosity, cultivate their passions, and encourage intellectual risk-taking within a supportive peer group. SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING We support the unique needs of gifted students through an intentional program of social and emotional learning. COMMUNITY Open Window is a diverse and welcoming community, united in supporting our children and families.
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Around CAMPUS NATIONAL WINNERS OF THE TOSHIBA/NSTA EXPLORAVISION COMPETITION Open Window School fifth grade students Julia Stewart and Jacob Park won the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision national prize in the grades 4-6 category. The Toshiba/ NSTA ExploraVision competition is a project-learning based collaborative program which encourages innovation and realworld problem solving. The winning team considered the issue of clean water as inspiration for innovative design. A description of the winning project as described by the team:
“Coagulation Filtration System (CFS) is a solar-powered, portable water filtration system designed to address the world’s growing problems associated with contaminated drinking water. The CFS filters, coagulates, flocculates, and sediments water in a clean, efficient way. Through this system, wastewater is also
acted on by Ideonella sakaiensis microbes which break down harmful microplastics, preventing them from re-entering aquatic ecosystems. All people should have access to clean, safe drinking water. The Coagulation Filtration System is designed to deliver on this belief.” All Open Window fifth through seventh grade students participated in the 2021 NSTA/ Toshiba ExploraVision Challenge this year, an opportunity discovered by middle school science teacher Andrew Mechling. “Finding experiences for students to think about science and STEAM as a way to discover and design forward-thinking solutions to real
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world problems stimulates student engagement and curiosity in an authentic way.” Andrew and fellow teacher Liesel Benecke served as guides to the winning team. In addition to a national win, Open Window School also received six honorable mentions in fifth through seventh grades for projects ranging from cancer detection to sustainable refrigeration and transportation of mRNA vaccines to hydro turbines. Congratulations to all student participants and to science teacher teams Andrew Mechling, Liesel Benecke, Elliott Skopin, and Jimmie Willis!
CHESS WITH JOSH SINANAN The 2020-2021 OWS Chess Club was conducted remotely from late September to early June. Students were split evenly into three groups of 10-15 by age and chess experience level. Chess master coaches Bill Schill, Sloan Setiadikurnia, and Josh Sinanan taught the beginners, intermediate, and advanced groups, respectively. During chess club sessions, students engaged their minds solving tricky chess puzzles, playing fun practice tournament games against one another, and analyzing their games afterwards. Chess parent Sha Sha Zhong-Metzmaker was the parent coordinator and organized two OWS Tornado tournaments, one in the fall and one in the spring.
The OWS Fall Tornado took place on Saturday, November 14 and attracted a record 104 scholastic chess players in two sections: K-3 and K-8 Open. Due to the amazing turnout, the largest in OWS history, the tournament was expanded to four sections for the spring edition. Another fantastic turnout of 98 players participated
DEBATE WITH ARREN ELLINGSON
poured considerable time into researching topics such as:
The 2020-2021 Debate Team went online this year where our students showcased their poise and power of persuasion. The Pacific Northwest Middle School Debate League held three tournaments over the season. Students attended practice three times per week and coordinated with teammates outside of practice hours. This year, students
•S ocial media is a more effective tool than mainstream media to end the tolerance of systemic racism, •T he electoral college should be abolished, •A rtificial intelligence does more harm than good. As teams of three, every debater gave five-minute speeches defending or opposing these kinds of propositions. The tough thing about debate is that debaters will not know what side they will be on until 20 minutes before the debate begins. It is a battle of wits, knowledge, and keeping your arguments well-organized. By the
in the spring tournament on Saturday, March 27. The online format made the tournaments readily accessible to players from cities far and wide. The Open Window students and coaches are excited for the return to in-person Chess Club next season!
end of the season, our debaters reported feeling empowered and more knowledgeable as citizens. Finally, it would not be a debate without competition. This year saw the leagues largest tournaments with over 330 debaters in a single event. Although the venue changed to online, one thing remained consistent; team OWS finished strong with a top four in all three tournaments against 14 schools.
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FOURTH GRADE BISON ART GALLERY by Katya Palladina and Katie Roth
A critical aspect of 21st century learning is acknowledging that we live in a world bursting with influences from different cultures, events, and trends, all in a constant state of flux. As art teachers, we strive to help our kids learn about the cultural traditions and celebrations surrounding us, and the different ways they can translate into the visual medium. The inspiration for this fourth-grade project came from two sources: a celebration of 2021 as the year of the Ox from the Chinese zodiac, and the paintings of Native American artist John Nieto, who portrays the majestic bison in many ways using a bright and extremely saturated palette. Fourth graders began by using watercolors and a tape resist technique to create colorful striped backgrounds in keeping with Nieto’s works. This field of color served as a showcase for their bulls, which were drawn and painted separately once the backgrounds were complete. Students could choose between depicting either the head or entire body of the bull and were encouraged to paint with bold colors for dramatic effect. To complete the work, the bulls were then cut out and attached to the background. It was exciting to see how engaged students were in all stages of this process, from the technical aspects of drawing and painting, to looking for references on how to draw bulls, to thinking and planning the composition of their design. To see students come away from this project feeling confident with the work they produced was immensely rewarding.
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REAL-LIFE
Algorithms PLANT A SEED by Maria DiGiovanni and Ravenna Doshi
In Innovation and Technology class this semester, kindergarteners learned a fun, new word: ALGORITHM! We practiced our algorithms with the Real-Life Algorithms: Plant a Seed Project from Code.org. In this project, kindergarteners sorted through a scrambled set of instructions to select steps that would help them construct an algorithm to plant a seed. Once they identified the steps they would need, kindergarten computer scientists put their steps into a sequence that would help them accomplish their task. After careful construction, we put our algorithms to the test! Each student headed outside with a pot, some soil, poppy flower seeds, water, and their trusty algorithms. Students followed each step in the sequence to accomplish the task of planting a seed. This process allowed them to catch some mistakes and practice debugging to get the code just right. Once our algorithms were perfected and seeds were planted, we waited patiently for sprouts to grow. Through this project, kindergarteners learned about planning, sequencing, the scope and specificity of instructions, and a little bit about gardening.
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Community DAYS
by Kayesee Schermerhorn
WHAT ARE COMMUNITY DAYS? Open Window School had four amazing Community Days this year. The goals of our Community Days were to connect our students to each other, build community, create joy, and spark curiosity. We wiped out our regular school schedule for the day and created a full schedule of fun and engaging activities for the kids. Some of the activities were teacher-led, such as, tap dancing with Ms. Sandberg, emoji dance parties with Ms. Wilson, and karaoke with Mr. Mechling. We also partnered with wonderful organizations in our local community, and some are as far away as London. We have had virtual planetarium visits with the Museum of Flight, Art of Empathy Tours with the Seattle Art Museum, Storytime with Seattle Children’s Theatre, and a crowd favorite, Magic Shows with Magic Fred. Our Parents and Guardians Association has also been a wonderful partner in planning additional activities for the
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HOW DID YOU INCORPORATE THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS INTO THESE DAYS?
kids including winter grade level parties, Valentine’s Day parties and a wind chime crafting opportunity. Community Days originated because of the pandemic. When everything shut down in March 2020, and classes were moved online, we wanted to create a space where our kids could experience some joy. The pandemic has been hard on everyone, and we knew we needed to do something that would bring our school community together. Director of Teaching and Learning Cary Kirby and I worked together on our first Community Day on May 13, 2020. It was a great success. Kids logged on for virtual escape rooms, cooking classes, pet parades, art classes, and so much more. It was wonderful to connect as a community again. Once the day was over, we knew we needed to do it again.
Another positive outcome of our Community Days is that it allowed us to maintain our relationships with our community partners and support them as they have lost teaching opportunities in the pandemic. It is a win-win situation! We got to experience some fantastic programming and their educators got to continue what they love to do. We were also able to reach out and develop new relationships with organizations such as the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, The Little Gym in Issaquah, and Global Team Building in London, UK. These new relationships will continue to benefit our programming, even long after the Covid Pandemic is over. WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF PROGRAMS PARTICIPATING? AND THE LEARNING THEY BROUGHT? One of the partners we were able to work with for multiple grades was the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI). “OMSI is one of the nation’s leading science museums with an international reputation in science education
(OMSI.edu).” Before the pandemic, we were only able to make a quick stop at their museum on our way back from the seventh-grade trip to Ashland, OR. Now with all the virtual programming opportunities, we have been able to have science assemblies for all middle school and multiple grades for lower school. A student favorite has been the React-O-Blast Program, where OMSI educators “conduct experiments that vividly demonstrate the predictable (and sometimes unpredictable) reactions of matter, including some that have explosive results.” Our students’ faces lit up with excitement when they saw the experiments. ARE THERE ANY TAKEAWAYS OR SILVER LININGS THAT WILL CARRY OVER ONCE WE MOVE BACK TO A REGULAR PROGRAM? Community Days helped fill a need for connections and community this year. When we can move away from virtual programming and get back to being on campus, we will take these new relationships we have formed through Community Days with us to create fantastic programming opportunities for our students.
After that first Community Day, I took ownership of these events and used my experience planning partnerships for the middle school to lead the way. All teachers and staff at Open Window also came together to support these days. We had our science teachers leading singing classes and our math teachers showing off their dancing skills. It was truly a team effort.
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#StandAgainstAsianHate WITH NARA CHEN
“I wanted everyone to know that Asian Americans were facing immense amounts of racism, like elders getting assaulted and mass shootings. From this education, I hope to spur action.” NARA CHEN
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In addition to the Covid pandemic, we have also been facing the issues of racism in our country, systemic in its foundation and magnified by controversial leaders. Open Window School is a place where students are nurtured and inspired to ask questions, engage in the global community, and create the change they want to see. I had the opportunity to interview one eighth grade organizer who decided to act. Meet eighth grader Nara Chen and be inspired and empowered by their voice.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE THIS DAY OF ACTIVITIES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL? Many events inspired me to raise awareness for Asian American hate, but the Atlanta spa shootings greatly influenced me. News of the racially motivated shooting came out a full day-and-a-half after the shots were fired, a shockingly long time compared to other breaking news. I thought to myself, “Why wasn’t this on TV? Why had a mass shooting taken so long to make the news?” Even after it hit the major news networks, I still felt an eerie sense of normality. No one said a word about it, as if nothing had even happened. But I, a Taiwanese American, walked down the sidewalk with my dog after sunset with my eyes scanning the
street, gripping a can of pepper spray in my pocket. That’s when I knew couldn’t stay silent. For my school and my community, I felt the need to raise awareness through acknowledging the real fear experienced in the Asian American community. WHAT WAS THE EVENT’S PURPOSE? I designed the #StandAgainstAsianHate event to raise awareness for the racism the Asian American community experiences in a way that was easy to engage with and understand. Racism against Asian Americans has been happening for centuries, yet it’s never come into a spotlight. Through underrepresentation in the media and because of pressure for Asian Americans to be the “model minority” and keep quiet about injustices against them, the Asian American community has been silenced for far too long. I wanted Open Window’s Asian American students and families to feel heard and represented. I wanted everyone to know that Asian Americans were facing immense amounts of racism, like elders getting assaulted and mass shootings. From this education, I hope to spur action. DESCRIBE THE DAY AND ACTIVITIES. WHO HELPED TO CREATE? After running my idea by Open Window middle school head, Ms. Wallace, I reached out to some of my classmates, and I was thrilled to hear that many of them wanted to help me co-lead the event. Co-led by eighth graders Ruchi, Ava, Sophia, Swaraag, and Abhi, the #StandWithAsians event was also supported by many of my amazing teachers. To achieve my goal of raising awareness for Asian hate, I scheduled half of the event to be an educational part, and the other half to be a creative element. In the educational part, students watched videos created by our eighth grade leadership team to
deepen their understanding of Asian racism, such as learning about the model minority myth and Asian scapegoating. Following a quick discussion in grade-level advisories, students continued to the second part of the event: the creative element. Students had options to create posters for change, learn more about Asian historical figures, celebrate Japanese culture through origami, make collages for change, or create activism poetry. WHAT IS NEXT? ARE THERE ORGANIZATIONS YOU WOULD RECOMMEND LOOKING INTO? Currently, I am still thinking on ideas for future events, as I want this to be a series of events acknowledging the unfortunate propensity of Asian racism in American society. In the meantime, some organizations I recommend looking into are: •A collection of anti-Asian violence resources — anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co •S top AAPI Hate — stopaapihate.org Founded during the COVID-19 pandemic to respond to a spike in violence against Asian Americans, Stop AAPI Hate tracks hate crimes and provides resources, like legal services, for those in need. •R ed Canary Song — redcanarysong.net Red Canary Song advocates for all workers, especially Asian and migrant workers, to have full legal rights through advancing labor rights. •A sian Americans Advancing Justice — Atlantaadvancingjustice-atlanta.org By helping people with legal disputes relating to equity and fair treament, AAAJ protects and advances “the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders”.
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KINDERGARTEN & EIGHTH GRADE
Buddies PROGRAM
Several years ago, we came together as a school with the goal to find ways to be a more connected K-8 community. Though traditions like Pizza Friday were already in place, teachers looked at the once monthly event as a natural way to establish new connections between lower and middle school students. Kindergarteners and eighth graders were paired. This connection is meaningful and authentic as both grade levels are experiencing important transitions. For eighth graders in their final year, this program offers a chance for reflection and an opportunity for demonstrated leadership. Kindergarteners come to
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their new school with questions and curiosity. With eighth grade buddies, they have role models and a glimpse into their Bobcat futures. Plus, students have interesting conversations as they participate in activities together and it is in these conversations that the students offer leadership, support, kindness, and encouragement for each other. It has also provided a natural opportunity for the eighth graders and kindergarteners to be an encouraging audience for each other for special events such as the
KINDERGARTEN ADVICE TO EIGHTH GRADERS Follow the Bobcat virtues for your high school. —T. Keep playing with new friends over and over again. —S. If someone doesn’t have someone to play with, invite them to play with you. —A. Be brave and walk into your new classrooms. —M. If someone isn’t being kind, stand up to that person. —S. Find a good high school and try to go where your friends are going. —S. If the assignments are too hard then do your best. Try to make friends with teachers and other kids. —J. Don’t be mean to people and bring your favorite snacks. —C. Have fun at school and play with your friends! —L. Be kind to everyone. Don’t get angry if you don’t get something right. It’s okay to make mistakes. —M. If the assignments are too hard, keep trying to be successful. —S. Stand up for someone that is younger than you if someone is being mean to them. —M.
kindergarten parade and the eighthgrade graduation. This year due to Covid, we shifted away from in-person activities to remote experiences on Zoom. Activities were planned that allowed the eighth graders to meet with kindergarten students in breakout rooms and combine efforts to create a piece of artwork or writing. There was also plenty of conversation around these activities while the students got to know each other better.
Projects this year included: • Bubble “initials” drawings •B ring your favorite book and read together • WINTER acrostic poem • Art drawing As a culmination to the year, kindergarteners designed graduation cards and advice to their eighth grader buddies.
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Words OF Wisdom TO KINDERGARTENERS (AND ALL OF US) FROM THE CLASS OF 2021
Just remember to always make new friends and talk to lots of people. —Alexander
Your journey here has just started, and you will have a lot of eyeopening experiences. If you want advice, remember to be open to help and seek help when you need it. —Rajiv Staying positive through your Open Window experience will help you thrive and have fun. —Ruchi I hope you have the best OWS experience possible! —Maggie You will grow and develop throughout your years in Open Window School. —Darius Throughout your future at Open Window, you will be challenged and will get to overcome your challenges independently and figure things out on your own. —Jasper Have a good time in school! —Connor
I think you’re going to love some of the art projects you’ll get to do, like making breakfast foods out of clay. Keep on reading! You’re going to love the books we read as a class in middle school! —Nara Theodore Roosevelt said that “nothing worth having comes easy,” so work hard and everything will be okay eventually. —Sophia
Be yourself, because why try to fit in when you can stand out. —Abhi When you encounter the amazing opportunities and challenges that you will, remember to never be afraid to ask for help. Your teachers and your friends are your best helpers and are always there to support you as you learn. Keep up your kindness and your positive attitude, and your journey will be incredible. —Sadye Whenever possible, make the most of the opportunities presented to you, and do so while having the biggest smile you can. —Yash One thing I enjoyed was the class plays you get to do because they are a great way to make memories with your friends. —Charlotte You have so much to look forward to, such as hallmark trips in middle school, which are trips with your whole class to cool places. —Daniel Looking back on my experience at Open Window some of my favorite things we have done are all the fun field trips we got to do in lower school and when you get a little older, they evolve into sleepover trips which are SO much fun! —Allie G.
I love your energy and positivity, so please use those skills for the rest of your time. —Barack
As you continue to grow, my advice is to remember that you have an entire community of people who support you and want to see you succeed. Never be afraid to speak up or ask for help if you need it. —Salloni As you continue on your journey at Open Window, don’t be afraid to ask for help or voice your opinions while always staying true to who you are. —Olena
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CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2021
I wish you well in your coming years of education, some advice I can offer is to make sure you don’t procrastinate on work. —Alex My advice is to ask the questions you have, especially the ones you deem most important. Of course, pay attention to all your classes, but remember it’s perfectly okay to prefer one subject over another, even if you’re told that class is less important. —Ava
There are a lot of things to look forward to: Hallmark trips in middle school, the field trips taken throughout the years, and any days intended to bond with the community doing this that aren’t academic. —Julia F.
I’m so grateful for all of my time at Open Window, and it’s exciting to see it all ahead of you. My advice is to be present and make the most of every experience offered at school. —Julia B.
Your teachers always want to help you learn, so always ask them for help if you need it. —Jakob
Stick with your friends and family, as they are your biggest support system. Also, give your best effort, and don’t let anyone put you down. You are perfect just the way you are! —Hailey Your journey through OWS will be full of funny friends, helpful teachers, and amazing experiences. Never stop having fun and you will love all of these! —Allie T. Remember to meet every obstacle with hard work and determination. There are always people who love you and want to support you, so don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it! —Audrey
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Silver Linings WITH THE PARENTS AND GUARDIANS ASSOCIATION Helen Rosemund and Darcie Curley meet outside, socially distant and maskless for the first time in months.
Despite Wi-Fi issues, many, many versions of plans, and more, PGA presidents created community and connection.
We asked our Parents and Guardians Association (PGA) co-presidents, Helen Rosemund and Darcie Curley, to capture the highs and lows of leading our community through one of the toughest years ever. Rosemund has a sixth and fourth grader at Open Window School; Curley has a seventh grader and an alumnus. What were the silver linings of the pandemic for you? Darcie: Hosting virtual PGA and Parent Ed meetings has worked really well for us this year. It’s a more flexible option for many parents and guardians, so we’ve seen participation increase and we’ve had several people attend that were never able to before. It’s great to know that during this unprecedented time we were at least able to welcome more community members to events like these. Prior to this role, I was the PGA’s treasurer for several years. The PGA budget is typically allocated at the beginning of the year and it can be difficult to fund new initiatives after that because every dollar is designated to a specific event or purpose. The silver lining this year was our ability to have a more flexible budget, so we could happily say yes to funding additional parent education events, staff appreciation gifts, and virtual student experiences.
Interconnected Presence Community Craft Project
Helen: I value the strong partnership we have in the entire PGA leadership team and with volunteers who helped us survive this tough year together. I especially treasure having Darcie by my side and the comradery we developed over time. We complement each
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Why did you take on this role at this challenging time?
other well and we have tried our best in this role. I look forward to continuing to grow my friendship with Darcie and all the people I met/ worked with this year. What changes made to the PGA should we continue post-pandemic? Darcie: I’d recommend we keep offering virtual meetings as part of a hybrid format, so people on campus and people attending remotely can both participate. We hope to apply the tech knowledge gained by the school these last few months to ensure that all attendees have an equitable experience. Helen: Continue to support Zoom for PGA meetings and Parent Education events for flexibility and inclusivity! What was your proudest moment? Darcie: Thanks to our many dedicated volunteers, I’ve been proud of everything the PGA accomplished given the circumstances. However, I’ll feel proudest when Helen and I officially welcome Carin (Jacobson) and Jackie (Dodge) as the new PGA co-presidents and we’ll become past presidents, knowing that we did everything we possibly could this year to support our community and no matter the challenges, we never gave up!
An example of the Wind Chime Project
a blank slate when Covid changed everything. We figured out how to throw virtual grade-level parties, starting with the Summer Gatherings. We learned a little along the way with every grade-level party, collecting feedback and making improvements. For the last grade-level craft social in spring, we distributed 400+ craft bags with hands-on materials, provided training and info for volunteers, and concluded with an engaging virtual experience for most K-8 students. Success!
Darcie: Open Window has given so much to my family over the years, and I’ve always thought serving as a PGA co-president would be a meaningful way to give back to the community. When I accepted the role last year, it was mainly with that goal in mind, but also because I was eager to become acquainted with and support our new Head of School, Elaine Christensen. It wasn’t until mid-summer that I fully understood what a challenging role it would be, but that realization didn’t really matter as Helen and I were already committed to making it work no matter what the pandemic threw our way. Helen: To be honest, I did not know Covid would happen when I took on this role. Being able to work with Darcie, who is a kind, thoughtful, experienced exec team member, as well as a close neighbor, encouraged me to take the leap of faith. I was also excited to get a chance to work
Helen: Hmm… I have a difficult time choosing between my top two: Surviving the first PGA Meeting! Having to speak in front of 90-plus participants virtually was a little nerve-racking for me, but we did it. Wrapping up the last wind chime social party was one of my proudest moments. The grade-level parties were done traditionally in person inside classrooms, so we started with
PGA Executive Team
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with Elaine for her first year at OWS and hoped to bring my perspectives as an Asian parent with both lower school and middle school students.
partner and I really look forward to spending time with her just for fun when we’re not trying to complete a to-do list!
What will you miss?
Helen: The opportunity to work closely with school administration and teachers as well as having the inside look at how and/or why certain decisions are made. I’ll also miss meeting with Darcie and Angie (Hurlock, director of parent relations) on a regular basis, for sure :-)!
Darcie: I’ll definitely miss partnering with Helen and the executive team. I’m grateful we had such strong, caring volunteers from our community serving in these leadership roles. The exec team’s support, collaboration, and optimism were never-ending and really encouraged us to keep moving forward. As for Helen, we’ve spent more time together than anyone could imagine (except the other past presidents)! I have such a deep respect for her dedication, determination, thoughtfulness, and gracious manner. I couldn’t have asked for a better
Here are some plans from the 2021-2022 PGA presidents, Carin Jacobson and Jackie Dodge. Jacobson currently has a second and fifth grader at Open Window, and an alumni, and Dodge has a first and sixth grader at the school.
What won’t you miss? Darcie: Wi-Fi issues in my house that happen at the most inopportune time. I always wonder what facial expression I’m frozen in and if my eyes are closed, does it just look like I’ve gone to sleep? I promise I haven’t dozed off in any meetings this year!
I’m a fan of efficiency, so I certainly won’t miss all the extra emails and Zoom meetings that were required to keep people informed. It didn’t take us long to realize that information wasn’t being shared as broadly because we weren’t able to have casual conversations on campus. Who knew that was one of our primary and most effective forms of communication! Helen: Two things: • My inbox flooding with emails! • Planning the PGA meetings
What are some of your key goals for next year, as the community is emerging from the pandemic?
What’s a favorite moment from your time with the Open Window School community?
Dodge: I want to use our core values to rebuild and strengthen the Open Window community. I believe that is what makes our school so special.
Dodge: The pandemic made me realize that it’s the everyday moments that are my favorites! It’s the casual interactions that I took for granted that I miss the most. I realize now, more than ever, how important those moments truly are.
Jacobson: We have all missed each other so much during the pandemic and we want to make sure everyone in our community feels connected to the school and to each other. While rebuilding, I’d like to focus on inclusion and well-being—of our students, parents/guardians, and our staff. It has been a difficult year for all of us and by working together we can grow, support, learn, and reconnect.
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Jacobson: Anytime I can connect with others in the community—grade level coffees, PGA meetings, class parties, and Teacher Appreciation week when I’m working on campus. I miss these in-person gatherings so much and can’t wait to get back to them!
A NIGHT OF
AUCTION ACTION
It was a night unlike any before for Open Window School — a live streaming auction filled with joy and generosity, thanks to the flexible and skillful planning of our Lights! Camera! Auction! team. Laura Kotsis and Jackie Dodge, our auction chairs, lead a team of volunteers to create a family-friendly, accessible evening for more than half of our Open Window School current families, grandparents, current and past faculty and staff, and alumni families. This night included bidding on our traditional auction offerings such as a Super Mega Minecraft Party with lower school science teacher Randy Hollinger and our Head of School for the Day with our new Head of School Elaine Christensen. Some of the new items brought in some fierce bidding among our families. A once-in-a-lifetime Q&A with the Corporate Vice President of Minecraft, Helen Chiang, gave the winner’s children a chance to invite five friends for an exclusive Q&A session over Zoom. They can ask her anything about Minecraft or tell her the features that they want added. For the adults, a 5-night getaway at a waterfront Whidbey Island home tempted many to bid. Teachers and staff shared some Secrets of Open Window in a series of funny videos answering questions like “What does Rufus (the bobcat mascot) wear to bed?” and what lower school Spanish teacher Señora
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Mandi Davis does as her secret moonlighting gig. The highlight of the evening was our traditional Fund-A-Wish, which typically finances an important desired project of Open Window School. In the past, it funded an update of our art studio and Library Learning Commons or purchased air conditioning for the school. This year, the Fund-A-Wish focused on our goals of inclusion and diversity: Financial Aid. The Fund-A-Wish donations of more than $270,000 will allow the school to invest in a near- and long-term commitment to financial aid, so that every child who should be at Open Window, will be at Open Window. Our goal is for an Open Window
School education to be accessible to any family who is accepted, regardless of their financial circumstances. Part of the contributions enhanced and invested in the Jean Augustine Financial Aid Endowment, which supports financial aid for families now and for many, many years to come. “It was a gala evening from the comfort of your own home,” said Molly Rubin, Director of Development at Open Window. “Despite the pandemic, our community was able to come together, celebrate, and laugh, and ensure an inclusive and diverse future for our school.” If you would like to contribute to this year’s Fund-A-Wish, donations are
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still being gratefully accepted. You can visit ows.ggo.bid and click on the red Fund-A-Wish button. The site will walk you through registering on the auction site and entering your credit card. If you would prefer to donate via another format, please contact Director of Development Molly Rubin, mollyr@ows.org. If you would like to watch or rewatch the auction, it’s available on YouTube at youtube.com/ watch?v=yo4atSp1drk.
Congratulations OWS ALUMNI!
The Open Window School community would like to celebrate our Open Window class of 2017 graduates, plus former Open Window classmates, as they graduate high school and start their next chapter. We are so proud of all of you and look forward to hearing news of your future adventures! Keep in touch.
Lucy Benda University of Washington Psychology
Estella Crowson Seattle University Biology, Nursing
Griffin Day Emerson College, Boston Media Arts Production: Film Production
Olivia Del Sarto Northeastern Behavioral Neuroscience
Quincy Eggert Chapman University: Dodge College of Film and Media Arts
Amelia Girotto University of Pennsylvania-Wharton Finance & Business Analytics
Evan Horwat Western Washington University Business
Nikhil Kagalwala University of WisconsinMadison Computer Science
Jacob Kelleran Cal Poly Engineering: Computer Science
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See P24 for more!
Sage Khanuja University of Washington 2019-2021
Teddy Lautch University of Washington College of Engineering
Subi Lumala Harvey Mudd College Computer Science
Findlay (Finn) Murdoch Chapman University, Dodge College of Cinematic Arts
William Murray Harvard (after gap year) Biology, theology, music
Sienna Nguyen Gonzaga University Business Administration
Nate Penner Chapman University Psychology
Lindsay Rubin University of California, San Diego Political Science: Public Law
Vivienne Rutherford Pomona College Public Policy Analysis/ Cognitive Science
Lily Steffen Syracuse University Forensics and Anthropology
Connor Thompson Western Washington University (after gap year) Computer Science
Sydney Vernon Caltech Studying math or computer science, Running crosscountry and track
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Catherine Whitmer Franklin University Switzerland
Samantha Wineland US Air Force Academy
Thomas Yim Stanford University
Maggie Yu Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business
IN OTHER ALUMNI NEWS… Elise Groh (OWS ’12) was recently awarded the Rotary Club of Seattle Scholarship for her work in the UW Consulting and Business Development Program. She will be interning at Paccar in Materials and Logistics and will be graduating in December 2021 with her BA in business administration from the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. Mallika Wagle (OWS ’12) completed her master’s in economics from Columbia University in April 2021. Previously she had graduated in philosophy, politics, and economics from University of Oxford in the UK in 2019. She will be joining BNP Paribas, a multinational bank, in New York City, as a consulting analyst.
Isabel Funk (OWS ’16) is completing her first year at Northwestern University where she was able to live on campus for the spring semester and wrote for the school’s newspaper the Daily Northwestern. This summer she will be back home working for the Mercer Island Reporter. After graduating with a degree in Government and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College in May 2020, Sarah Walker (OWS ’12) arrived in Madrid, Spain in January on a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant. Despite the challenges due to the pandemic, she is very excited to be there and explore her new city, get to know her students, and improve her bilingual communication skills. She also happened to arrive just before Madrid’s biggest snowstorm in a century, which they named Filomena!
Sage Khanuja (OWS ’17) is currently in his second year at the University of Washington studying computer science. While in school, he co-founded Spira.ai, a healthcare software company. Earlier this year, Galileo Health acquired Spira. ai. Subsequently, he is currently working as a software engineer at Galileo Health and is planning on moving to New York where they are headquartered. If you have alumni related news to share, please reach out to alumni@ows.org.
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Summer READING
PICTURE BOOKS Memory Jars by Vera Brosgal
WITH MS. RICHEY
One of the very best things about summer is all the reading I get to do: under an umbrella at the beach, swinging in a hammock, curled up on the couch, or if I’m feeling ambitious, on a floatie in a pool. My summer “to-read” list is a mile long and never seems to get any shorter, so I thought I would suggest a handful of books to add to your family’s “to-read” list, all you need is a glass of lemonade, sunglasses, and some sunscreen.
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The Floating Field: How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field by Scott Riley
A Song of Frutas by Margarita Engle
EMERGING READERS Jo Jo Makoons by Dawn Quigley
ADVANCED READERS (GRADES 3-8) Temple Alley Summer by Sachiko Kashiwaba
The Anti-Book by Raphael Simon
Sisters of the Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Samira Surfs by Rukhsanna Guidroz
The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor (Graphic Novel)
Miles Morales: Shock Waves by Justin A. Reynolds
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Non-profit Org US Postage PAID Seattle, WA Permit No. 315
6128 – 168th Place SE Bellevue, WA 98006 openwindowschool.org CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
CALLING ALL BOBCATS! Order gear in time for the start of school: jackets, comfy pants, shorts, and more. Sizes range from toddler to XXXL. Brands include Port & Co, The North Face, Champion, Nike, Adidas and Under Armour teamlocker.squadlocker.com/ open-window-school
THE VIEW SUMMER 2021 EDITOR
Carolyn Lucas COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
CONTRIBUTORS
Elaine Christensen HEAD OF SCHOOL
Josh Sinanan CHESS COACH
Arren Ellingson SEVENTH GRADE HUMANITIES TEACHER
Katya Palladina and Katie Roth
Maria DiGiovanni and Raveena Doshi
Angie Hurlock
INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY TEAM
DIRECTOR OF PARENT RELATIONS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
Kayesee Schermerhorn
Molly Rubin
MIDDLE SCHOOL SPECIAL PROGRAMS COORDINATOR
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
Lauren Richey
Nara Chen
LIBRARY LEARNING COMMONS DIRECTOR
EIGHTH GRADER, CLASS OF 2021
Trudy Tauscheck KINDERGARTEN TEACHER
Eighth Grade, Class of 2021
ART TEACHERS
Kindergarten, Class of 2029
Fourth Grade Artists
Helen Rosemund and Darcie Curley
PHOTO CREDITS
Vidigami photo community contributors DESIGN
Christa Fleming
PGA CO-PRESIDENTS
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