March 2012 Ridge Report

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The Ridge g

March 2012

Take the Dad-Q Quiz!

This month, I am giving you some time to spend getting to know more about your daughters ... and about one of the better resources to help you along the way. Joe Kelly, “The Dad Man,” has a great website www.thedadman.com for you to explore and perhaps pick up some tips on being a good dad during the tween and teen years.

Just so you know that I am not leading you down a path you would

The quiz continues with many more personal questions. Once you

rather not take, here is a sample of a quiz from his website that I

have answered all questions, the score is tallied, and you can see

strongly encourage you to take. Don’t worry - only you will know

where you fall in the spectrum and what might help you, or

the results.

encourage you, to pay more attention to the special role you play in the life of your daughter. Scientific American Mind [May/June 2010]

The Dad-Q Quiz

tells us there are three times as many stay-at-home dads today than Often

Sometimes

Hardly Ever

I can name her 3 best friends.

1

2

3

I know my daughter’s goals.

1

2

3

I comment on my wife/ partner’s weight.

3

2

1

I’m physically active with my daughter (shoot hoops, jog, etc.)

1

2

3

I make dinner for my family.

1

2

3

I talk to my daughter about managing money.

1

2

3

I spend 1/2 hour, 1-on-1 with her, doing something we both enjoy.

1

2

3

I talk to other fathers about raising kids.

1

2

3

I talk to other fathers about raising daughters.

1

2

3

I restrict her more than I do/would a son.

3

2

1

I talk to my daughter about advertising.

1

2

3

I tell my daughter what her strengths are.

1

2

3

there were only a decade ago and that a household with a single father is the fastest growing type of household in the United States.

Joe’s “10 Tips for Dads” are also instructive. The 10th tip — Learn from Other Fathers — is one that Forest Ridge could help with, if there is an interest. If having opportunities for dads to get together with other dads is of interest to you, let me know. And if at some point you think having Joe Kelly here on campus would be helpful, let me know that, too. Part of our work as an academic community is to provide continuing education opportunities for our “older students” (having just turned 50 I can say that with a straight face), which, in turn, helps all of us better tend to the needs of our girls — your daughters.

Researcher and author JoAnn Deak, Ph.D., speaks of the importance of adults as “neurosculptors” (sculptors of the young, plastic brain) and says, “Every interaction a child has in the course of the day influences the adult that child will become.” So I encourage you, dads, to take the quiz, check out the resources and make the most of the short time you will have with your little girls. You will thank yourself when they are young adults.

Mark Pierotti Head of School

Help us sustain academic excellence!

Diana C. Wall, RSCJ, ’82 (Broadway) Director of Advancement Our Annual Fund appeal, Girls First!, is not yet over, and we need your help to bring it to a successful conclusion. The Annual Fund supports the operating budget for the current academic year. This includes many critical budgetary items -- especially salaries and professional development for the faculty. The Annual Fund is central to our continued success in providing teachers who are engaged in serious intellectual pursuits the means to enrich their programs.

Without this necessary financial support, we cannot aspire to be great.

As a Religious of the Sacred Heart with long-standing ties to the Jesuits, I want to share with you concepts put forth in an article by Michael McFarland, S.J., titled “Aspiring to Be Great.”

“This ambitious vision,” Fr. McFarland says in Aspiring to Be Great, “can only be realized if our schools [in the Sacred Heart Network] maximize their impact in forming the next generation of leaders, become significant centers of intellectual life and serve as resources and animators for community development. This is the Jesuit principle of the magis [literally translated as the more] by which we always strive for the greater, not out of pride or ambition, but because we believe that what we do matters, and it must be done in the very best way possible.

Every one of our [148 schools, in the United States and around the world,] must aspire to be great, in a way that is appropriate to its time, place and circumstances; and that begins with our academic life, which is at the core of everything we do. Anything less is a betrayal of the mission we have been given by the [Society of the Sacred Heart].”

I have had the good fortune of studying at academic institutions under both the RSCJs and the Jesuits and working in various capacities at a number of schools in our Sacred Heart Network.

Especially influential for me has been my time here at Forest Ridge.

I have come to realize with great appreciation that the quality of educators here is stunning — 88 percent of our faculty has advanced degrees. Their love, care and concern for educating your daughters is tremendous! Forest Ridge students – your daughters – have amazed me in their pursuit of intellectual curiosity; Goal II is alive and very present on this campus. After reviewing 151 scholarship applications, I am impressed with the depth and breadth of the essays, clear articulation of the Goals and Criteria and understanding of our mission. I thank our outstanding educators for enriching these life values in our remarkable young women.

To continue further with Fr. McFarland’s ideas, he “... believe[s there are] five elements [that are] essential for achieving the academic excellence that all of our [schools] must strive for if we are to be faithful to our missions.” All of which require financial support. They are, according to Fr. McFarland:

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• The first is talent. Great organizations build around great people, those who have the ability, commitment and drive to carry the organization to the highest possible level. At the center of this is the faculty, which has primary responsibility not only for the classroom experience and student learning, but also for innovation, curriculum development and the overall intellectual life of the institution.

• Secondly, it is also necessary to create conditions under which talent can flourish, which require, above all, maintaining high expectations.

People tend to perform up – or down – to expectations. We see that in our students, and it is true for ourselves as well. A high- performing organization must set high standards for its members.

• Thirdly, it is equally important that faculty and others be provided with the environment they need to meet high expectations. Facilities is a very visible one. Space matters; St. Madeleine Sophie knew this and insisted on it. Facilities influence the way we interact and even how we feel about ourselves, one another and our institutions. The quality of our buildings and grounds and how well they are maintained send a strong message about our institutional commitment to excellence.

• Fourthly, just as important are the many intangible elements that help shape the environment. These include a sense of collegiality, both within departments and across the institution, and a creative, stimulating, intellectual atmosphere where students and teachers are brought together to share their ideas, insights and work.

• The fifth element, openness, is especially important in creating an environment in which academic excellence can flourish. Everyone must have the freedom to ask hard questions, challenge accepted truths and think about issues in unconventional ways. That is how new ideas and deeper understanding emerge.

I believe Fr. McFarland’s words say it best: “To be true to [Jesuit] heritage, we should be known for our relentless, uncompromising drive for excellence [in all things, but especially in the education of our students].” Our students deserve no less from a Sacred Heart education. As Fr. McFarland concludes, “We are instruments of God’s saving, healing work in the world. That should give us a strong sense of urgency, with no cutting corners, no half-hearted attempts and only total involvement. We too must only play to win.” Our girl’s deserve it!

They are the future global leaders!

If you have contributed to the Annual Fund appeal – thank you! If you have not, I urge you to participate now. We need your help to support our mission!

-ML<GGJ #<M;9LAGF

helping girls find out who they are

Heather Mirczak HS Outdoor Education Director

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s this simple: If we never try anything, we never learn anything. If we never take a risk, we stay where we are. And while we practice constancy, the world evolves around us and we miss so much magnificence.

By holding ourselves back, we trade the opportunity to find out who we are for the illusion of safety.â&#x20AC;?

These words by Hugh Prather are part of the foundation for the Outdoor Education (OE) program here at Forest Ridge. Taking risks in a safe environment and discovering all that comes after, are what Outdoor Education is about. Think back for a minute to a time when you stepped forward and took a risk; think of something physical or tangible. Can you remember your heart beating, all the reasons floating through your head as to why you shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do this or all the other things you could be doing instead? Was there a sense of exhilaration or fear? Now remember the feeling you had afterward. Was it a sense of satisfaction? Was there a new thread of confidence or perhaps a little swagger in your step? Maybe it was a little bit of awe as you reflected on what you did.

It is that opportunity, to find out what we are like, who we are, that keeps me going to the mountains, rivers, rocks and oceans, both personally and professionally. Each time I watch a student trying something new and moving beyond her fear and discomfort to tap into herself, I am amazed at what the experience draws out.

Sometimes it is a fierce passion. Brianna Hartzell â&#x20AC;&#x2122;08 found a passion for alpinism. She became involved in the local Search and

Rescue and worked her way up as a teen leader. She went on to be part of a team that received a grant from the American Alpine Club to go into British Columbia and make a first ascent on an unclimbed peak. Currently she is developing her ice climbing skills in Ouray, Colorado, between semesters at Prescott College.

Sometimes it puts things in our lives in a different perspective.

Shailly Pandey â&#x20AC;&#x2122;14 discovered the spiritual side of mountains as we hiked out of the Goat Rocks Wilderness this year. She found walking to be meditation and has since joined her father on a few hikes.

Sometimes it is just plain fun. Kelly Brennan â&#x20AC;&#x2122;13 and Ellen Jacobus â&#x20AC;&#x2122;13 once spent a number of hours shoveling out a snow cave during an Outdoor Leadership winter camping trip, and I mean working hard, only to have it collapse around them. They made the best of it and had a tale to tell, which they still smile about to this day.

It is my hope that every student at Forest Ridge can participate in an opportunity in which she discovers who she is. Personally, I would love to see it be in nature on an OE trip, a time when I have discovered so much about myself.

There are a number of programs coming up. The annual winter camping weekend is scheduled in March, and this spring and summer the OE program is offering two new five-day programs: rock climbing in Smith Rock over Easter vacation in April and canoeing on Ross Lake in June, right after graduation. These are some of the opportunities for our students to â&#x20AC;&#x153;find out who they are.â&#x20AC;? More information can be found on the Outdoor Education page on Forest Ridgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website.

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Teaching and leading

by example

“Your example, even more than your words, will be an Sara Konek and Betsy Briardy Middle School Faculty

Who would have imagined that the simple idea of serving others and sharing the gift of education that St. Madeleine Sophie spoke of 200 years ago would have such a meaningful impact on our students today?

Being of service in the wider community is a critical part of a Sacred Heart education.

Goal III calls Sacred Heart schools to offer all community members opportunities for service, but it does not stop there. Schools are challenged to go beyond direct service into advocacy and creating reciprocal relationships with the poor and marginalized. This means creating opportunities for students to understand the issues behind poverty and to speak for those who may not have access to the resources they need. It also means encouraging students to see themselves in relationship with the people they serve: to not only be givers, but also receivers.

There are three key components of a successful service program that Forest Ridge tries to incorporate throughout the middle school: experience, relevance and reflection.

To create the ideal experience, we seek partners in the community who will allow our students to fully share their gifts and engage in meaningful work during the school day. We also seek projects that will feel relevant to our students. When students feel connected to a project that needs what they have to offer, their enthusiasm grows, as does their gratitude for some of the basics they may have taken for granted in their own lives, such as education and abundant, healthy food. This connection becomes the heart of their service. Reflection and discussion after a service experience allow students to integrate what they have learned into their understanding of the world.

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eloquent lesson to the world.”

—St. Madeleine Sophie Barat Experience, relevance and reflection make service meaningful and compelling to students and instill the lifelong commitment to service we are striving for as a Sacred Heart school.

Feedback from students and community partners helps us gauge the effectiveness of our service projects. This year, the seventhgraders are serving as reading buddies with first-graders at Lake Hills Elementary. Once a month, the entire seventh-grade class ventures down to the nearby elementary school and meets with their buddies for a little over an hour, reading with them, helping them with their writing and leading other literacy activities. This experience has allowed our students to build strong relationships with their first-grade buddies over the course of the year. Our students are finding that they are receiving as much as they are giving to the young people.

Recently the seventh-graders were reflecting on their service work. We asked them what they would share with St. Madeleine Sophie about their experiences. Their words speak powerfully to the legacy she has left us: I would tell her that I hope that I have been helpful to the children. They are so wonderful, and they are so eager to learn. They like to challenge themselves, and they love math! I would tell her that they are truly wonderful and that I am so glad to have gotten this opportunity to get to help them with their education!

I would tell St. Madeleine Sophie that doing service is really fun, and it’s really rewarding.

It’s amazing when you see how you have changed someone’s life and watch them grow with that change.

I would tell St. Madeleine Sophie that it’s an honor to be a part of these children’s lives and how I love teaching them how to spell and pronounce new words. I would also tell her that even if they don’t speak English that well, I can still connect with them and become friends with them.

I would tell her how great I feel afterwards; I feel accomplished for the hard work and dedication this service project takes.

I would tell St. Madeleine Sophie that this experience has been inspiring and unbelievable. I would tell her that I feel like in the past few months all of the kids have grown already. I would also say that I love being able to watch them grow as readers and as people.

I would like to tell St. Madeleine Sophie that my service work was a great opportunity, and working with kids has made me more patient and wiser. I feel like I found a part of myself in those kids, like my traits and my personality. I found that out myself.

I would tell St. Madeleine Sophie that I understand why she enjoyed helping others pursue their education deeper. I would also tell her that just by us being there at service we motivate the children to be the best they can be.

I would tell St. Madeleine Sophie that I’m serving just like her.

From left to right are eighth-graders eighth graders Katherine Seely Seely, Riley Brown, Brown Alexandra Brandes and Eileen Vert.

Want to be a merit scholar at Forest Ridge?

It’s entirely possible!

Diana C. Wall, RSCJ, ’82 (Broadway) Director of Advancement This year the Scholarship Committee was overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of applications students submitted for merit-based scholarships at Forest Ridge for the 2012–2013 school year. Recognizing the amount of effort put forth into these applications was humbling. The depth and breadth of the essays were impressive, and I commend all of the students who applied.

Merit-based scholarships are awarded to students who live the Goals and Criteria that we value as a member of the Network of Sacred Heart Schools. Three of these merit awards are the Sacred Heart Scholarship, the Barat Scholarship and a new award presented this year: the Inspireum Cor Unum Scholarship. I am delighted to announce that recipients of these scholarships will also become the ninth-grade class officers next year.

The Sacred Heart Scholarship is a merit-based scholarship awarded annually to incoming ninth-grade students. It is a great honor to be named a Sacred Heart scholar – she is considered a leader in her class. Each Sacred Heart Scholarship is renewed annually if the recipient fulfills the duties of a Sacred Heart scholar, acts as a positive role model for the student body and maintains good academic standing. Each scholar is evaluated annually at reenrollment time to assess her standing for the following school year. This year I am excited to announce Katherine Seely as the recipient of the Sacred Heart Scholarship.

The Barat Scholarship is named for St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart. This scholarship is awarded to eighth-grade girls with the top test scores on the ISEE high school entrance exam, outstanding

academic performance across all subjects in eighth grade and a demonstrated intellectual curiosity and passion for learning.

I am pleased to announce that the Barat Scholarship recipients are Alexandra Brandes and Eileen Vert.

The Inspireum Cor Unum Scholarship celebrates an inspirational Forest Ridge eighth-grade student entering the high school who embodies the core values of a Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart education: union of mind, heart and spirit. This candidate inspires her classmates to be of one heart – cor unum. She demonstrates character, courage, confidence and commitment through her generosity, sense of sportsmanship as a positive, action-oriented path to self-discipline, a healthy lifestyle, strong academic performance and leadership.

This scholarship is not necessarily awarded every year. I am thrilled to announce that the inaugural recipient of the Inspireum Cor Unum Scholarship is Riley Brown.

Congratulations to all of you! You make Forest Ridge proud and remind us, as Sacred Heart educators, of the many ways we are rewarded through our work with young women.

Whether you were selected for a scholarship this year or not, I encourage you to continue to work hard and for scholarships next year. Visit the Forest Ridge website and review the many scholarship options we offer. Applications are due by the end of November 2012.

“I’m honored to be chosen and look forward to fulfilling this role!” – Katherine Seely ’16 “I’m impressed that my daughter took the initiative to research and apply for scholarships on her own!” – Proud FR mother

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Photo by Tanya Lange

Women as Global Leaders Program

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The Peace and Reconciliation class of 2012 returned from the Holy Land with their heads and hearts filled with stories and new experiences. The class of 14 students and five adults left for Tel Aviv on Feb. 16 and returned to Seattle on Feb 26. The itinerary included time in the Old City of Jerusalem with daily dawn excursions to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and a homestay in Bethlehem with host sisters from Terra Sancta. There was also a meeting with the Hagar School in Beer Sheva to learn about the

Kisha Palmer Program Director Women As Global Leaders

dream of peace through bicultural and bilingual education of Israeli Jews and Arabs, and a visit to a Bedouin community in Lakiya to learn about the experiences of Bedouin women on their journey to self and community empowerment through business and literacy.

The class will now work together on a book to be published later this spring.

Stay tuned for details!

Photo by Tanya Lange

6 The Ridge Report

Photos by Tanya Lange

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SEE YOU THERE! Friday, March 23, 2012

FOREST RIDGE AUCTION