Seven Hills Buzz for May 16, 2013

SEVEN HILLS

May 16, 2013

The Buzz

A Brief Word from Chris Garten The end of the school year brings a feast of performing arts activity. In the last three weeks alone, I’ve enjoyed major drama productions in the Middle and Upper Schools, as well as a series of class plays and musical performances in the second, third, and fourth grades.

This weekend brings the Upper School Coffee House, as well as Instrumental Music Concerts in Middle and Upper, quickly followed by Choral Concerts in midweek.

It is wonderful, of course, to see our students perform with such skill and confidence. It is even more exciting to see them take responsibility for the success of these endeavors.

There are few opportunities in students’ lives where the success or failure of an enterprise depends so entirely on their own collaborative efforts. It is a very exciting thing to witness!

Chris Garten Head of School

Brian Collette, Jessica Seibold honored for outstanding service with Simon Lazarus Human Relations Awards Congratulations to senior Brian Collette and junior Jessica Seibold, who were honored for their volunteer service with both the junior and senior awards in the 48th Annual Simon Lazarus Human Relations Awards, sponsored by the American Jewish Committee, Cincinnati. Brian was named senior class winner and Jessica was named junior class winner in the May 1 ceremony at Rockdale Temple at which 53 high school volunteers were honored.

Brian Collette’s enthusiasm for social action, determination to improve the lives of others locally and globally, and his savvy creativity in developing efforts to match needs seem limitless. Just two results of Brian’s work, which were noted at the Lazarus Awards ceremony, were “helping create nearly 450 jobs worldwide and befriending the homeless locally to help them get jobs.” Brian and a small group of teens are helping small businesses in Third World countries through Charitable Innovations, Inc., the student-run microfinancing corporation they founded. The idea behind Charitable Innovations is to double the effect of dollars donated to established charities by putting those funds into microloans in developing countries through Kiva Microfunds (Kiva.org). The original charity gets all of its money in time, and the borrowers in developing countries have the funds to start businesses, create jobs, and repay the loans.

Brian’s contributions to his community include founding two other social enterprises: one to raise funds for programs to prevent teen suicide and depression and another to help match hard-to-place people with jobs. In addition to his outreach efforts with Cincinnati’s homeless, Brian is working on an English-to-Spanish translation of a pamphlet for a local rape crisis center.

AJC Lazarus Awards Chair Todd Schild, Brian Collette, Jessica Seibold, and AJC Vice President Sandy Kaltman.

When junior winner Jessica Seibold was a sophomore, she thought of a way to make a difference in the academic lives of the students who attend John P. Parker School, Seven Hills’ neighboring public elementary school. Assistant Head of School Susan Marrs recalled, “All it took for continued on page 3

Inside this Buzz The Class of 2013 Sitting Area

2

Upper School News

3

Middle School News

5

Lotspeich News

7

Doherty News

9

New ECO Garden at Doherty!

9

Thank you, Senior Parents & Class of 2013

Thanks to the generosity of the Senior Parents and the Class of 2013, an area of the Hillsdale Campus has been beautifully landscaped to create The Class of 2013 Sitting Area.

The Area is adjacent to the deck and courtyard, between the corner of the Kalnow Gym and the Middle School. The seniors voted in favor of the design concept last spring.The addition of new plantings, paver stones, and more seating makes it a very pleasant place for studying, eating lunch or relaxing with friends. The Class of 2013 Sitting Area is a lasting legacy which honors the Class of 2013 and their days at Seven Hills. page 2

A look at what’s happening at Upper School

See page 5 for Middle School, page 7 for Lotspeich, and page 9 for Doherty Sophomore Pearce Kieser (right) placed fourth out of 132 area students on the Ralph E. Oesper Examination for first-year chemistry students. This test is given annually by the Cincinnati Section of the American Chemical Society. Junior Ben Sorscher placed in the top 12 out of 120 area secondyear chemistry students on the International Olympiad Qualifier examination. Ben then participated in the second round of competition and awaits the results.

Senior Bethany Buck has been notified by U.S. Figure Skating that she has been awarded the GOLD level distinction as a 2013 Graduating Seniors Program Award Recipient. She will receive an official Certificate of Figure Skating Success, as well as the Graduating Seniors Award.

Junior Connor Rouan ran in the half marathon in the Flying Pig and came in 17th in his age division and 399 overall out of over 6000. His time was 1 hour 41 minutes.

Chemistry teacher Linda Ford has served for several years as the Chair of the Chemical Educators’ Discussion Group for the Cincinnati Section of the American Chemical Society. The ACS has provided funds for her to host a one-day workshop on the new AP chemistry laboratory program for local page 3

continued next page

Simon Lazarus Awards continued from page 1 Jessica to set up her student-initiated, student-run tutoring program was a mountain of commitment, organization, perseverance, faith, and lots of phone calls and meetings. By last spring she had nailed everything down at the K-8 school and had also won her classmates’ support.

Every Wednesday now, Jessica and 35 other students from Seven Hills spend their lunchtime at Parker School, tutoring fifth and eighth graders in math and reading.

The Seven Hills tutors are greeted with hugs when they walk in the door, and they walk out 45 minutes later to go back to their own classes, knowing that they’ve made a difference.” Jessica said, “If we change young kids’ minds about school, we can not only raise graduation rates, we can show them that education is the gateway to opportunity.”

For all of Jessica Seibold’s service efforts, which include

volunteering at a soup kitchen and a homeless shelter, she received the Youth Leadership Award from the United Way of Greater Cincinnati in a ceremony honoring community leaders on April 30. Annually, the United Way of Greater Cincinnati honors one high school student in the region who demonstrates leadership traits and a commitment to giving back to the community.

“For 48 years, AJC Cincinnati has honored remarkable student volunteers from public, private and parochial schools, who organize their classmates to selflessly serve others, feed the hungry, help the homeless and brighten the days of those in need.

AJC believes these students are shining examples of the best of our region,” said Todd Schild, Simon Lazarus Awards Chairman.

Family Service Trip to Peru We are grateful to Cathy Sacco, mother of ninth grader Emma, for sharing news of their family service trip to Peru.

Our family (Emma, Ali, John and Cathy Sacco) visited Peru during spring break to do a service vacation with a non-profit organization, Globe Aware, whose mission is to bridge cultures together for understanding. The organization is based in a compound in the city of Cusco. Children who are from the high Andean mountain areas come to live there during the week and go to school, as there is little or no education at home. The children speak Spanish and their native language of Quechua.

Ninth grader Emma (pictured above), along with her family, organized small groups and taught English, and put together art classes with the suitcase full of art supplies that we brought. We also travelled to outlying Andean mountain areas to teach and learn about local culture and arts, where John set up medical clinics where there was no doctor. Highlights included visiting Machu Pichu, realizing that it was a good day when you had water for a shower, and the gorgeous people and scenery.

AP chemistry teachers. Linda said, “This program has 16 inquiry-based experiments to be implemented next school year. Flinn Scientific in Chicago will supply all of the chemicals and auxiliary materials. This will be a valuable day. The teachers will actually perform three of the experiments as they would expect their students to perform them. It will provide valuable insight into the ‘new’ approaches expected in the new curriculum.”

Félicitations!

Poet and writer Dana Crum, who is Seven Hills’ Eva Jane Romaine Coombe Writer-in-Residence and who teaches Creative Writing at Upper, has recently had a poem published in the prestigious literary journal Blackbird. Read his poem at www.blackbird.vcu.edu/ v12n1/poetry/crum_d/portraits_page.shtml Students in Anne Ramsay’s geometry classes have been learning the basics of Google Sketchup, a 3D modeling program. On May 13, Upper School art teacher Jason Knarr visited the geometry classes and showed various aspects of Sketchup, including how to use Sketchup in tandem with actual blueprints and how Sketchup interfaces with Google Earth.

Grades eight and ten English students were treated to an outstanding performance of Macbeth by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company on May 10. The performance was organized by Linda Maupin, whose eighth grade English students enjoy an artist residency each year with a member of the Company as part of their study of Romeo and Juliet. page 4

Students who earned National ranking on the National French Contest.

Congratulations to the following students, who earned National ranking on the National French Contest. Pictured above, they are (row 1) Matthew Marquardt (level 2, rank 8), Mia Samaha (level 5, rank 7), Allie Feuerlein (level 5, rank 2), Katherine King (level 3, rank 5), Kathy Wang (level 2, rank 5), Fatima Anwar (level 2, rank 2), Lauren Driskell (level 2, rank 9), Claudia Fernández (level 3, rank 5), Federica Fernandez (level 5, rank 7); (row 2) Sarah Williamson (level 5, rank 9), Christopher Janidlo (level 3, rank 10), Lauren Collette (level 2, rank 10), Alex Jiang (level 2, rank 1), Madeleine Gold (level 3, rank 11). Not pictured: Matthew Clayton (level 2, rank 8), Carl Compton (level 3, rank 9), and Louise Zenezini (level 3, rank 5).

The following students earned top rankings in the state: On level 2, Alex Jiang, rank 1; Fatima Anwar, rank 2; Kathy Wang, rank 5; Matthew Clayton, rank 8; Matthew Marquardt, rank 8; Lauren Driskell, rank 9; Lauren Collette, rank 10; Brian Hills, rank 11; Evan Smithers, rank 11; Carolina Visoso, rank 11; Camille Williams, rank 11; Maria Bobbitt, rank 12; Sammie Head, rank 12; Andrea Johnston, rank 12.

On level 3, Claudia Fernández, rank 3; Katherine King, rank 3; Louise Zenezini, rank 3; Carl Compton, rank 7; Christopher Janidlo, rank 8; Madeleine Gold, rank 9. On level 4, Gloria Garcia, rank 7. On level 5, Allie Feuerlein, rank 1; Federica Fernández, rank 4; Mia Samaha, rank 4; Sarah Williamson, rank 6; Ellen Coombe, rank 10.

Honorees in the National Spanish Exam will be reported in our next Buzz.

For the latest Upper School news, check out the online student publication, Canvass, at http://7hillscanvass.org/.

A look at what’s happening at Middle School

Congratulations to Middle’s runners in the Flying Pig Marathon: (from left) teacher Carri Haskins, who ran the Full Flying Pig Marathon; teacher Doug Huff, who ran a Full Marathon in Toledo; seventh grader Matthew Maring, who ran the Flying Pig 10K and was the 72nd overall finisher and third in his age group; teacher Andy McGarvey, who ran the Full Flying Pig Marathon; and sixth grader Emma Shuppert, who ran the Flying Pig 5K. Congratulations to seventh grader Hannah Waskowitz, who won Honorable Mention for her poem, “Pepto-Bismol Pink,” in the Cincinnati Public Library’s Teen Poetry Contest.

Grades eight and ten English students were treated to an outstanding performance of Macbeth by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company on May 10. The performance was organized by Linda Maupin, whose eighth grade English students enjoy an artist residency each year with a member of the Company as part of their study of Romeo and Juliet. More photos are on page 4. page 5

The sixth graders’ annual Bird Day is a highlight of the year, culminating the students’ yearlong bird studies. The day included displays of the sixth graders’ inquiry projects, bird banding with ornithologist professors Drs. Dave and Jill Russell, an eBird activity with parents, a writing activity, and more.

When the Pre-Kindergartners (see page 8) joined the sixth graders and Drs. Dave and Jill on Middle’s patio, they observed birds up close, and some Pre-Kindergarten “birds” even held and released birds from Middle’s Bird Garden. Very exciting!

This is the first White-Crowned Sparrow to be banded at Middle. A migratory bird, it clearly liked the looks of the Middle School Bird Garden and stopped by.

ALADDIN!

What a magical production of Aladdin

by Middle’s Theater Department! Bravo to the cast, Director Stephanie Park, Musical Director Robin Wilson, Stage Manager eighth grader Nina Lubeck, Costume and Prop Designer Jacky Kalubi, Set and Lighting Designer James Watson, DVD and Sound Designer Brian Arnold, Choreographer junior Reena SenGupta, and the Lighting, Sound, Backstage, and Props Crew!

Dan Ledbetter Photography

page 6

A look at what’s happening at Lotspeich

Toma the Mime captivated his Lotspeich audience on May 7 with a wonderful performance, sponsored by the Madame Binkley Assembly Fund. The Fund was established

by Lotspeich faculty to honor the late beloved French teacher Bonnie Binkley. Trained in France under the great master, Marcel Marceau, Toma shared the “art of silence” with his audience and showed how his silent stories include Person, Place, Problem, and Solution.

Third and fourth graders delighted their audience with their performance of “It’s A Musical World,” under the direction of music teacher Robin Wilson. The students displayed impressive choreography as they performed songs and dances from different countries.

The fifth grade science students of teacher Natalie Williams put food waste to good use when they created compost jars and a “trash pizza.” The students followed directions to complete their compost jars with the proper ratios of these layered ingredients: soil, newspaper, organic material/ food waste, continued next page

page 7

and drops of water. Natalie encouraged collaboration with these instructions: “Adjust the ratios to fit your jar. Try to do this on your own. If you need help, ask three before me.” The students are now recording changes in their jars, including temperature, on their compost observation charts.

Pre-Kindergarten “birds” fly to join sixth graders’ Bird Day Pre-Kindergartners paraded in their bird costumes to the Middle School where they joined the sixth graders’ Bird Day—a day of activities culminating the Middle Schoolers’ yearlong intensive bird studies—on May 9 (more photos are on page 5). Teacher Cicely Merritt said,

“In spring, the Pre-Kindergartners, too, learn about birds, their life cycles, habitats, and body parts. To conclude our bird study, our children each choose one bird and make costumes representing that bird. As a group, we fly over to visit with the sixth graders and share what we have learned about birds.

One highlight is watching professor ornithologists band birds from the Middle School’s Bird Garden!”

page 8

A look at what’s happening at Doherty Doherty Extended Day students took a field trip to Woodburn Avenue and created beautiful chalk Pig designs to cheer on the Flying Pig Marathon participants, including Kindergarten teacher Lindsay Pietroski.

Photos from the Mini Pig Marathon will be in our next Buzz.

On April 26, 25 fourth graders spent the day at Camp Kern. They hiked down through a ravine, splashing through mud and jumping from rock to rock, to the Little Miami River. Along the banks of the river, they collected fossils and visited an old tavern from the 1800s. In the meadow, they explored stone formations or effigies used for marking the winter and summer solstices created by the Native Americans who lived in Ohio in 1200 A.D. They participated in a reenactment of the treaty of Greenville and had the opportunity to meet with General Wayne! After lunch, the students were divided into groups of pioneer families and transported back to the 1800s, as they trekked through the woods, visiting with a schoolteacher, a farmer, and a frontiersman. Everyone had a wonderful time!

On May 8, Unit III students visited the St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of Assumption in Covington. While learning about France this year, the trip to the historic Basilica was made even more meaningful because it is modeled on the Abbey Church of St. Denis and the Notre Dame in Paris. The students were led on a very engaging and informative tour through the Basilica.

Ryan Rawe, uncle of fourth grader Max Maislin, spent some time with the fourth graders in their science page 9

class, talking about and answering questions about flying. Mr. Rawe is a private pilot, working with Great American Insurance, and has had some very famous people on board his aircraft. The students were thrilled to hear about presidents and pop stars who had traveled in the airplane flown by Mr. Rawe. The students were amazed to hear how, over time, physical controls in the planes have been taken over by computers and that currently all flying is done using iPads!

Students in Vaishali Sarbhoy’s fourth grade math class used Geogebra on their iPads to deepen their understanding of geometric concepts of lines, line segments, and different

kinds of angles. Geogebra is an interactive online tool for learning geometry. It also uses and teaches algebra, statistics and graphing. As line segments changed to lines and rays, the students were able to make connections to the concepts being covered in class. As one student remarked, “This makes it so easy to understand geometry!”

Librarian Linda Wolfe told us, “Fancy Nancy’s (O’Connor) mother visited a Pre-Kindergarten class in the Doherty Library to read one of the books featuring her daughter, and she stayed for a very fancy tea party.

Celebrating The Doherty ECO Garden

A butterfly release was part of the ribbon cutting.

There is a beautiful addition to the Doherty Campus! The Doherty ECO Garden is rich with opportunities to witness Nature’s wonders up close and to learn about the plants and creatures of the garden. The Garden also offers a perfect place for children to draw a picture, read a book, write a poem, or solve a math problem.

Unit III teacher Patty Dawson, who served on the Garden Committee with teachers Bill Schmidt, Cyndi Kenyon, and Jocelyn Coulter, said, “As Richard Louv states in Last Child in the Woods, ‘Today kids are aware of the global threats to the environment, but their physical contact, their intimacy with nature, is fading.’

“Doherty has taken this quote to heart and, with the help of the Doherty Parent Association and landscape architect Rachel Robinson, has created a space to provide our students with this type of intimacy. The Doherty ECO Garden will provide an outdoor classroom that will inspire and enrich many students and teachers, many lessons and imaginations, now and in the future.”

The Doherty ECO garden was dedicated on April 29. Pre-Kindergarten teacher Cyndi Kenyon acted as emcee. She said, “According to our fourth grade speakers, John Humphrey and Olivia Quinn, ‘ECO stands for Educating Children Outside. Educating is learning to be green and about the environment. Educating includes activities in art, reading, drama, math....with neverending possibilities.’

“At the dedication, we thanked special guests Rachel Robinson, our garden designer; Robert Horne, Seven Hills’ Director of Finance and Operations; Rick Questa and John Drew, our boardwalk and bed builders; and the Parent Association for our funding. Diana Colby, representing the Parent Association, cut the ribbon, beginning official tours through the new garden led by fourth grade students.”

Cyndi continued, “It was a special day for Doherty and the beginning of an adventure for many years to come.”

At left, among the plants are the students’ sculptures of animals of the Midwest. page 10