10 minute read
On Campus
SD SPEAKER SERIES: Welcoming Michael Tubbs, Special Advisor for Economic Mobility to Governor Gavin Newsom
“Michael Tubbs made a deep and lasting impression on me as well as solidified my sense of him being a motivating and inspirational presence. What he has already accomplished and his plans and vision for the future
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can serve to motivate us all to be more and do more.” —Kali Baird, director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
We were delighted to welcome Michael Tubbs, special advisor for economic mobility to Governor Gavin Newsom, to campus for our popular Speaker Series on March 3 in the Carol Franc Buck Hall of the Arts. Kali Baird, director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at San Domenico School, interviewed Mr. Tubbs onstage in front of a captivated audience. The evening began with an outdoor reception, with refreshments and conversation among the community members and Tubbs. The talk concluded with a Q&A session.
Prior to his roles of Special Advisor for Economic Mobility and founder and chair of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, Tubbs was elected mayor of Stockton in 2016, at 26 years old. He was Stockton’s first African-American mayor and the youngest mayor of any major city in American history. As mayor, Tubbs was lauded for his leadership and innovation that led to Stockton being named an “All-America City” in 2017 and 2018 and its ranking as the second most fiscally healthy city in California. He raised over $20 million to create the Stockton Scholars, a universal scholarship and mentorship program for Stockton youth. Tubbs was named a member of Fortune’s “Top 40 Under 40” and a Forbes “30 Under 30” All-Star Alumni.
In conversation with Baird, Tubbs spoke about growing up, and the kind woman at church, Sister Kim Dixon, who gave all her children’s books to him, filling his small room with all the classics. He used books as an escape and to grow his imagination. That imagination came in handy when he went on to create the first mayor-led guaranteed income pilot program in the country. Tubbs encourages young people to take that first step, however small; after that, he says, the networks and purpose will evolve.
SD Celebrates
On Saturday, April 2, nearly 300 friends of San Domenico gathered for a beautiful evening at Rancho Nicasio in West Marin. It was a night of community, camaraderie, and purpose that so wonderfully captured the spirit of our School. With the event sold out and a record number of teachers and staff in attendance, our community was together and stronger than ever. Everyone agreed it was much more fun to gather in person than on Zoom! We are grateful for our volunteers, for our sponsors, and for each of you who attended and raised your paddle to support the Stronger Together Fund.
Day on the Green
The tenth annual Day on the Green, held in May, took on new meaning as we were able to invite families back onto campus, to gather on Kesterson Field. Students, families, and faculty enjoyed live music played by student performers, yearbook signing, games and activities, and most important, community!
Global Renaissance Faire
Seventh Graders recently hosted the ninth annual San Domenico Renaissance Faire, showcasing their studies of medieval empires and civilizations. This year’s Global Renaissance Faire featured innovations, inventions, activities, and performances focused on historical golden ages of cultures around the world. From archery to kite flying, badminton to henna and jewelry, foam sword fighting to chess, food, dancing, Shakespeare recitals, and Afro-Indian drumming, the faire highlighted student research and talent in a celebratory way!
Earth Day Celebration
For more than 50 years, San Domenico has been celebrating Earth Day with our students. This year, we had a number of guests join us on campus to share their knowledge and passion on related topics. Lower School students had a visit with the SaveNature Insect Discovery Lab and the Agriculture Institute of Marin. Middle and Upper School students enjoyed learning from a variety of speakers on topics including sharks, agriculture, advocacy, climate change, and more. Students also created a beautiful Earth Day mural, restored the grotto on the hillside, planted in the Garden of Hope, and even learned new ways to repurpose old T-shirts. All in all, it was a joyous event. Thanks to Director of Sustainability Shelley Flint for creating such a dynamic roster of activities!
Arts in Action
There was music in the air and artwork in the gallery at our Lower School’s annual “Arts in Action” showcase as Third, Fourth, and Fifth Graders performed for their families onstage in the Carol Franc Buck Hall of the Arts. This year’s theme was “Brighter Days’’ and the performers shared uplifting tunes and wore brightly colored outfits for the occasion. The lobby gallery walls were adorned with art by students in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade.
For Middle School “Arts in Action,” dancers thrilled with performances of their own choreography, theatre students kept the audience in stitches, and the rock band kept everyone’s toes tapping, while the chorus, Advanced Vocal Ensemble, and guitarists showed off how much their skills have developed this year. It was exciting to see so much talent and hard work on display!
SD Upper School Presents: Mamma Mia!
Upper School thespians thought long and hard about which play to produce as the first live musical since before the pandemic began. Ultimately, the students chose Mamma Mia! With its sing-along music, bawdy humor, and a universal story about love of all kinds, it ended up being the perfect show to bring our beloved musical back to a live audience in a lifeaffirming celebration. We salute the entire cast of Mamma Mia!, directed by Erica Smith, director of Dance and Theatre Arts.
SD Legally Blonde Jr.
Based on the award-winning Broadway musical and the smashhit motion picture, Legally Blonde Jr. is a fabulously fun journey of self-discovery and empowerment. It proved to be just the right upbeat vehicle for our talented Middle School cast, who performed to live, sold-out audiences in the Carol Franc Buck Hall of the Arts. Gratitude and kudos to the cast and crew and our incredible Theatre and Dance faculty, including Doree Clark (dance teacher, Grades 6-12), Erica Smith (director of Dance and Theatre Arts), Hannah Ozeran (technical director, Theatre Arts), and Alyssa Carnahan (dance faculty) on a job well done!
Music
Virtuoso Program students performed an orchestra concert in February presenting music spanning the ages, featuring historical composers Bartók, Carreño, and Dvořák, alongside a world premiere by our own Illarion Gershkovich ’23! In April, our talented VP musicians created an exciting evening of solo string music for viola and cello, showcasing works by Saint-Saëns, Fauré, Sarasate, Bach, and more, accompanied by the masterful Miles Graber on piano. And for May’s Spring Chamber Music Concert, students played works by Grieg, Shostakovich, Mendelssohn, Schubert, and others. We were thrilled to once again perform in front of live audiences in the Carol Franc Buck Hall of the Arts!
Congratulations to the Class of 2022!
— Kate Reeser, Director of Upper School / Assistant Head for Academics
“May the God of Peace journey with you all your days And may peace be the gift you bring to everyone you meet. May you continue to live in respect for yourselves, In respect for the sacredness of all creation, And in respect for the dignity and uniqueness of every human being. May you embrace your own gifts with ever-grateful hearts, And may you, dear graduates, continue to join hands and hearts With your brothers and sisters, wherever you are, To make our world, our home, a place of justice, peace, and love.
Amen.” — Sr. M. Gervaise Valpey, O.P., President Emerita
“How fortunate we are to be here. Everything that had to happen to make this moment possible. Everything that you—each of us—made happen, to make this moment possible.”
— Richard E. Goldman, P ’22, Board Chair
“I think when we look back on our high school years, what we will remember more than our grades or accomplishments on paper is the people that surrounded us…you have all shaped the people we are today…Thank you, San Domenico, for everything you have taught us. ” — Lily Ott, Student Body President
“Day-to-day life at SD would have been enough…SD trips would have been enough….Senior year would have been enough…All of that would have been enough, but we did more. We led clubs like BSU, QSU, JSA and JewCrew, we won music awards, broke records across sports, played on the first ever SD Varsity Flag Football team, wrote and directed our own plays, participated in musicals, held concerts, volunteered, raised money, built trails in these very hills, braved AP courses, became climate and mental health advocates, and made lifelong friends… Because we all made it here today through everything that has happened in the 1,383 days since the start of high school we can all agree that we did live our high school years to their fullest as best we could. And it was
more than enough.” — Molly Mandelbrot, 2022 Senior Class President
SD in QUOTES
“Our experiences at SD are unique, memorable, and life changing…it becomes part of who you are.”
— Meehyun Kim Kurtzman ’82, P ’25
“When Sister Gervaise invites everyone to share a moment of reflection during school-wide events, for me this embodies how SD’s Dominican roots are its unique strength. Study, reflection, community, and service are SD to me.”
— Julia Reinhard ’18
“We’re not afraid to use our voices because we’ve been shown respect along the way—respect from the administration and teachers and other students—so we know how to respect ourselves and show other people respect.”
— Brooke O’Connell ’22
“I know that my education at San Domenico was an amazing gift my parents provided that continues to bless me each day.”
— Lisa N. Douglass ’71
“It is essential to have an excellent bond with your teachers, especially when you face hardships in your life. I attended other high schools before SD and I can truthfully say that no other high school quite matches the qualities of the bonds and relationships that the SD teachers and students have together.”
— Molly Mandelbrot ’22
“To my teachers: I respect the fact that you work so hard to give us an education. You work day and night, teaching, grading, and preparing lessons. You not only teach us the school subjects. You teach us how to live, how to grow up, how to treat other human beings. I would like all the teachers to know how thankful we are for all your hard work.”
— Billy Hoagland ’26
