Seven Hills Buzz for May 2, 2013

SEVEN HILLS

May 2, 2013

The Buzz

A Brief Word from Chris Garten

Upper’s production of The Three Musketeers dazzles!

During a recent visit to Mrs. Shuppert’s Pre-Kindergarten class, I was given a guided tour of the inventions that her four-year-olds had conceived and constructed in conjunction with their study of Earth Day. With adorable earnestness and obvious pride, one student after another walked me into the hallway to show me the display. Each explained the function of his or her machine and filled me in on the global problem it was designed to solve.

One student had built an “Earth Ray” to extract “bad chemicals,” from the soil, while another showed off an ingenious “Air Ducker,” that used a kind of water filtration system to remove toxins from the air.

I had a long discussion with another young inventor about the kinks still to be worked out in her “Pollution Blaster,” that traps polluted air and “shoots it out the hood.”

Bravo to the cast, directors, and crew of Upper’s stunning production of The Three Musketeers! The play was directed primarily by members of the Directing class, with teacher Kate Riley serving as Artistic Director. The directors wrote in the program, “We in the Directing class have all been in the Seven Hills theater program for years, but this semester has given us a new perspective on what it takes to put on a play. As the directors, we have worked with Kate on every step of the process.”

Research shows that as they age, students lose, in some measure, both their capacity for idealism and their capacity to think creatively. It is exciting to see these precious skills being nurtured and valued.

Chris Garten Head of School

Junior accepted for High School Diplomats Program Junior Ben Murray has been accepted to participate in the 2013 High School Diplomats Program. The HSD Program brings together 40 American and 40 Japanese students for a ten-day cultural enrichment experience at Princeton University. The students participate in activities aimed at stimulating conversation, creating friendships, and enriching cross-cultural relationships.

Inside this Buzz Upper School News

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Middle School News

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Visit of author Candace Fleming

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Lotspeich News

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Doherty News

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A look at what’s happening at Upper School

See page 4 for Middle School, page 5 for Lotspeich, and page 8 for Doherty Sophomore Jules Baretta has been selected to represent Seven Hills in the Regional Youth Leadership Program for the 2013– 2014 school year. The program recognizes young leaders in N. Kentucky and Cincinnati area schools. This leadership development program informs, motivates and increases the awareness of selected high school juniors through issue-oriented seminars with community decision-makers.

Congratulations to our varsity winter athletes who were recognized by the Cincinnati Enquirer as Winter All-Stars. The following received Honorable Mention in their divisions: Boys basketball, Roderick McFarland, Pauley Gosiger; Girls basketball, Lauren Weems, Alexis Lindsay; Boys swimming,100 backstroke— Matthew Marquardt, 100 Breaststroke—Pearce Kieser; Girls swimming, 100 Breaststroke—Ellie Wilson; Gymnastics, Emily Long.

Junior Brian Hu participated on April 13 in the Ohio Mathematics Contest at Wright State University. He was awarded First Place for Grade 11 students.

Sophomores Nicole Barresi, Alayna Choo, and Grace Cawdrey showed off their creations from chemistry teacher Linda Ford’s annual Tie Dye Day.

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Congratulations to the new members of Spanish, French Honor Societies

Above at left, new members of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica are Kate Scheurer, Marisa Steele, Roshni Bagli, Tess Renusch, Caroline Linne; Devin Garrett, Donald Mackay, Zachary Abraham, Lauren Driskell, Miguel Alemany, Andrew Ligeralde. Above at right, new members of the Société Honoraire de Français are Gloria Garcia, Ian Hillenbrand, Lauren Weems; Kerry Hoar, Gregory Sun.

Teacher Linda Ford told us, “On April 17, the Environmental Science class went to Lotspeich to do Earth Week activities with the third grade. Senior Alec Kagan led the children in a outdoor game of Sharks and Humans to help the children understand the importance of this top predator to the health of our ocean ecosystems. Junior Blair Brinker led the children on a modified game of Candyland to understand how they can conserve energy at school and at home.“

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 The entire Middle School went to Music Hall on May 1 for a wonderful Side By Side Concert of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra with the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra.

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Fine & Performing Arts Department Head and Middle art teacher Elissa Donovan said, “Eighth grade art students created symbolic representational self-portraits from direct observation. Students looked at the work of Joan Brown and Frida Kahlo for inspiration.”

Samantha Chun

Images from Middle’s spring musical, Aladdin, will be in our next Buzz. Based on the Disney cartoon, the play will be presented for Doherty and Lotspeich fourth and fifth graders on May 4 and for the school community in performances on May 4 & 5.

Callie Jacks

Karen also posed this question: “Could you survive with only contaminated water to drink? Seventh grade science students are building solar stills out of trash (food wrappers and beverage containers) to find out how to do just that!”

For their bird banding unit, the sixth grade science students of Jennifer Licata and Bridget Ancalmo went on a field trip on Apr. 30 to Hueston Woods State Park where they observed the field work of Dr. Dave Russell, one of the professor ornithologists who works with the sixth grade bird studies program. They were also introduced to other inhabitants of the Woods by a park naturalist.

Jacob Weinstein

Science Department Head and seventh grade science teacher Karen Glum told us about an impressive project. “The seventh graders just finished the Make-It Shake-It Challenge in which they had to design and build a tower to withstand an earthquake. For this project, students researched building design principles, met with architect and Middle parent Ben Jacks, handdrew a plan and elevation, designed a 3-D drawing of their tower on laptops using Sketchup, and built their towers out of spaghetti, toothpicks, dowel rods, paper floors and a wooden base. Towers had to support a pound of sand on the roof and a half pound on each floor for 30 seconds. For extra credit, towers—with their sand loads—were tested on a shake table to simulate an earthquake. The winning group in each class earned extra credit points.”

Birding in Hueston Woods

She continued, “Seventh grade art students are finishing their reverse glass paintings, and sixth grade artists are completing their unit on glass.” See these works of art on display in the Middle School.

Annual Children’s Author Visit brings Candace Fleming to Seven Hills All of the readers and writers at Doherty and Lotspeich were delighted by the annual Children’s Author Visit with award-winning author Candace Fleming on April 22–23.

Fleming is the versatile and acclaimed author whose books include the Boston Globe/Horn Book Award-winning biography, The Lincolns; the bestselling picture book, Muncha!

Muncha! Muncha!; and the beloved Boxes for Katje.

At Seven Hills, the author’s high-energy, interactive presentation and rapport with students of all ages excited and inspired her audiences, whom she called her fellow writers.

“This is what we do—you and I as writers.

We gather the little story seeds from our daily lives and weave them into one big story.” She was pleased that many students keep writer’s notebooks, and she shared the one she kept in fourth grade, as well as her Blue Ribbon for one of her fourth grade stories. She and the young writers discussed “sloppy copies,” and she showed them some of her 15+ drafts of Muncha! Muncha!

Muncha!

Unit III Coordinator and math teacher Vaishali Sarbhoy said that the author told the older students that the “three most important tools that a successful writer needs are details, a writer’s notebook and a ‘supersecretsplendifious’ formula called CLAPS—Characters, Location, Action, Problem, and Solution.”

In their “thank you” message to Seven Hills grandparents, who are among the supporters of the annual visits, librarians Marcia Snyder and Linda Wolfe wrote, in part, “We had a ‘super, splendiferous’ day with Candace Fleming, the award-winning author of more than 30 books. Lotspeich and Doherty students look forward to our author visits all year, and everyone from the three-year-olds through our own ‘Fabled Fourth and Fifth Graders’ loved her storytelling and writing ideas! We all enjoyed reading her books and learning about the subjects in her biographies and the characters in her historical fiction books. ... We are very grateful to the donors whose generous gifts make these wonderful visits possible.”

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A look at what’s happening at Lotspeich Fifth Grade Colonial Days

Our thanks to teachers Karla Balskus and Kaye Riser for this glimpse at the cross-curricular background of the fifth grade colonial studies which culminated in the annual Colonial Dinner and day of colonial activities on April 19.

“In social studies, we have been using Joy Hakim’s The History of US (which contains many primary documents) and activities from the Williamsburg Teachers Institute to better understand this era in our country’s history.

“Our fifth grade research project is a colonial trades report, where students become expert on a chosen trade. They write a short process paper and demonstrate how to make the product to their peers. Before they present this research, a blacksmith comes to our campus, demonstrates his trade, and helps the students to make their own dinner bell.

“In language arts/reading, students have studied Ben Franklin’s proverbs and George Washington’s Rules of Civility and have learned calligraphy, which they practice in their handmade copybooks.

Their reading curriculum includes three historical fiction selections: Sign of the Beaver, Witch of Blackbird Pond, and Johnny Tremain, so they can better understand how people lived and thought back in the day. For a creative writing project, they also composed a colonial diary based on our ‘Discovery’ simulation experience.

“In math class, students study colonial money and how to convert pounds, shillings, and pence. They learn to add colonial money using slates and then copy their problems into their copy books. They also choose how to buy supplies using a colonial price list from Williamsburg. They write the supplies bought into their copy books and figure the total amount spent in colonial pounds sterling.

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“During our colonial prep and dinner days, students spend the days working in collaborative groups with the help of their teachers and many wonderful parent volunteers. They churn their own butter with an antique crock churn, bake cornbread in the coals while their Brunswick Stew simmers over the fire, make three different kinds of yeast breads and desserts following colonial recipes. Students ate their meal off of pottery plates they made in Ms. Knoop’s art class. The day was filled with opportunities to try basket making, tinsmithing, spinning wool and more.

“Collaborative learning is part of what makes this unit special. Helping students to learn to work well together in small groups is one of our major goals.”

The annual Third Grade Living History Museum gave visitors a look at a wide range of area landmarks, as well as student experts who were eager to share their knowledge.

Glimpse at another great Grandpersons Day

Students in all grades loved sharing their school day with special people in their lives on Grandpersons Day Apr. 26. page 6

Students use math skills and more on Soil and Mulch Project for Lotspeich garden Our thanks to Math Resources Teacher and Math Enrichment Coordinator Liz Lorenz for this account of her fifth grade students’ fascinasting Soil and Mulch project.

“The students used the math concepts and skills from their core curriculum in order to help science teacher Natalie Williams determine the amount of soil and mulch that she would need for her school garden. The students measured all of the parts of the garden (the entire garden, the flower beds, and the compost piles) in order to determine the area that needed to be covered by the soil and mulch.

They then determined the total volume that was needed of each, based on Mrs. Williams’ recommendations to best prevent weed growth and to provide the best support/nutrients for the plants to grow.

“Students found the range of volume that was needed in cubic inches, based on the minimum required depth and the maximum depth. They had to convert the range to cubic yards in order to be able to compare various prices and products between three local companies. Students determined the most appropriate amount of soil and mulch to buy (whole cubic yard) and support their reasoning for rounding up or down to the nearest whole cubic yard.

“After comparing their product options and prices, the students determined the company they felt was the best match for our needs. After agreeing on a company (Alvis Materials), the students contacted the sales department in order to see if they offer any discounts for nonprofit organizations. After speaking with the sales representative (who said she may be able to get some of the materials donated to the school if the students sent their report and a letter explaining their project), the students wrote a follow up letter to the company and created an impressive project report on the iPad.”

Fourth graders had a great time exploring Camp Kern, where experiences included lessons on natural history and Pioneer Ohio, as well as team building and camping activities.

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A look at what’s happening at Doherty Unit III Coordinator and math teacher Vaishali Sarbhoy told us, “Over spring break, fifth graders participated in the muchanticipated Virginia Trip.

They stepped back in time to experience the ideas and dreams of the people who lived and worked to create this great country of America. They spent four days visiting the Jamestown Settlement, Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown Victory Center, and Monticello.

Students experienced firsthand what colonial life was like. They had a private tour of the Governor’s Mansion and several trades shops, participated in a reenactment of an actual witch trial, trained to fight with the Jamestown militia, and spent a whole afternoon on a roundabout tour of Thomas Jefferson’s home and plantation. It was an amazing experience!”

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The Virginia Trip

Units I–II Coordinator Elisa MacKenzie said, “Students were amazed by special visitors from Raptor Inc., a local not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of birds of prey through education, rehabilitation, and conservation. Students saw a falcon, an owl and a red tail hawk which, due to injuries, cannot be released in the wild.”

For the Unit III students, April brought another opportunity to go rock climbing at Rock Quest.

The students received instruction on the equipment, techniques, and the safety of rock climbing. Some students attempted to reach the top of their 40-foot walls, while others mastered the task of bouldering and were able to boulder over the top of their center rock wall.

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“When Toma the Mime came to visit Doherty, he amazed everyone with his remarkable performances,” said Mrs. Sarbhoy. “He kept the faculty and students engaged throughout without uttering a word! Trained in France under the great master, Marcel Marceau, Thomas or Toma, as he was called in France, adapted his ‘silent’ stories according to his audience. His antics

kept the little ones giggling the whole time, while Units II and III watched in rapt attention, as he attempted to float in space as an astronaut and balanced on his hands on top of a chair! The children had a lot of questions at the end of his performances. This was a befitting end to our study of France, our country for Cultural Connections, for this school year.”

Students in Unit I took advantage of the beautiful weather and explored the outdoors looking for butterflies. Unit I is beginning a monthlong observation of the butterfly life cycle in May.

Mrs. MacKenzie said, “The Green Team hosted An Earth Care Affair where students in Unit I learned about being ‘green’ and helping our Earth stay beautiful.”

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Just a small sample of the talented performers in the Units II and III Recitals/Talent Shows.