The Seven Hills Buzz - May 21, 2010

The Seven Hills Buzz The Seven Hills School Bulletin

A Brief Word from Chris Garten What a remarkable feast of the arts we’ve had the last couple of weeks: splendid instrumental and choral concerts at both Middle and Upper, some very difficult music performed with confidence and obvious joy; a packed house for the annual Upper School Coffee House, an event that featured some breathtakingly imaginative pieces, a host of art students decked out in camouflage to match the fabrics and canvases of the Donovan Arts Center, and several stirring performances by the Contemporary Ensemble, the Overtones, and Performance Group; and, today, a lively rendition of “No Strings Attached” performed by the fifth grade.

Beyond the talent and self-possession of the performers, what strikes me, as always, is the support our students give each other in all these undertakings. A senior put it this way yesterday in some remarks to some visiting alumni: “We can take risks here because we know that, no matter what, our classmates and our teachers will always cheer us on.”

Vol. 1 No. 17 May 21, 2010

Coffee House celebrates Upper School arts and artists!

Coffee House offered a dazzling array of talent in the fine and performing arts, with a focus on the visual arts. Congratulations to the artists and their teachers! Photos pages 16 &17.

Top rankings in state, nation on National French Contest

Chris Garten, Head of School

Upper School honors year’s outstanding athletes

Congratulations to our Male and Female Athletes of the Year (above) seniors Kyle Neu, Sarah Evans, and Alex Hill and to junior Anne Mapes, recipient of the Elinor Scherr Mosher Award. More photos page 2.

(Seated) Betsy Johnson, Lloyd Ulicny, Justine Cefalu, Allie Horwitz, Federica Fernandez, Mia Samaha; (standing) Ginger Johnson, Helen Jatho, Zoë Pochobradsky, Sarah Williamson, Sara Johnson.

Upper students earned top rankings in the state and nation in the National French Contest. Students who ranked nationally scored in the top 10% of over 100,000 students participating nationwide.

On Level 3, junior Justine Cefalu ranked first in Ohio and third in the nation; senior Julia Baggish, sophomore Betsy Johnson, sophomore Ginger Johnson, and senior Lloyd Ulicny ranked seventh in Ohio and ninth in the nation. Sophomore Sharon Liao, senior Amanda Meredith, and sophomore Ned Williamson ranked tenth in Ohio.

On Level 2, freshmen Sarah Williamson ranked second in Ohio and third in the nation, Mia Samaha ranked third in Ohio and fourth in the nation, Sara Johnson and

Zoë Pochobradsky ranked fourth in Ohio and fifth in the nation, Federica Fernandez ranked seventh in Ohio and eighth in the nation, and senior Allie Horwitz ranked eighth in Ohio and ninth in the nation.

In Ohio rankings, freshman Gloria Garcia ranked 13th, and freshman Andrew Korn, senior Justin Rau, and sophomores Madeleine Rogers and Maddie Shanahan ranked 14th.

On Level 4, sophomore Helen Jatho ranked fifth in Ohio and ninth in the nation. On Level 1, junior Emma Weitzenkorn ranked 12th in Ohio and freshman Grace He ranked 13th in Ohio.

Middle School results on the National French Contest will be announced in a later publication.

High honors on National Spanish Exam Seven Hills students earned high honors on their respective levels on the National Spanish Exam, taken by 130,000 students across the country.

Freshman Allie Baretta earned a Gold Medal for scoring at the 96th percentile nationally.

Earning Silver Medals for scoring in the 85th-94th percentiles nationally were sophomore Pad-dack Bahlman and freshmen Bethany Buck, Elizabeth Young, and Leah Yuan.

Earning Bronze Medals for scoring in the 75th-84th percentiles nationally were freshmen Brian Collette, Priyanka Paramaswaran, Rachel White, and sophomore Carson Quimby.

Earning Honorable Mention for scoring in the 50th to 74th percentile nationally were sophomore Jordan Seibold and freshmen Lauren Driskell, Adeline Sawyer, Hannah Batsche, Caleb Daniel, and Lauren Gerhardt.

Middle School results on the National Spanish Exam will be announced in a later publication.

(Front) Elizabeth Young, Priyanka Paramaswaran; Allie Baretta, Rachel White, Bethany Buck; Jordan Seibold, Lauren Gerhardt, Adeline Sawyer; Caleb Daniel, Carson Quimby, Brian Collette; Paddack Bahlman.

Outstanding athletes in spring season

Above, award winners in the spring sports season; at right, Most Valuable Players.

For a list of all spring athletic awards, go to Seven Hills News.

2

Seven Hills faculty accepted to select summer programs Lotspeich science teacher Natalie Wildfong is one of three local educators selected to join the global master’s degree program that will study desert and marine ecosystems on the Baja peninsula at the UNESCO World Heritage site, Bahia de los Angeles on the Sea of Cortez, this summer. In this biosphere reserve, the group of 20 US educators will work to apply the fundamentals of field methods—capture/recapture, pitfall traps and line transects—to ecological questions and conservation practice. They will participate in two more global expeditions over the next two summers.

The teachers are three of 120 US and international educators accepted to the second year of the Global Field Program (GFP) from Project Dragonfly at Miami University. The program is based on the successful Earth Expeditions program from Dragonfly and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

Upper/Middle English and Support Service Center teacher Meredith Brown has been accepted to participate this summer in the National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar for Secondary School Teachers, “America and the Great War: An Interdisciplinary Seminar in Literature and History,” sponsored by the Hall Center for the Humanities, University of Kansas.

Middle drama teacher Kristin Henderson has been invited to participate in a professional residency at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton, VA, in July. She said, “I will be working with ASC actors and a nationally-acclaimed faculty of scholars and artists for three weeks of concentrated study in performing Shakespeare, through an exploration of the original performance practices and staging conditions of the Renaissance.

“The Blackfriars Playhouse at the American Shakespeare Center is the world’s only re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre. As such, it is not only a work space, it is also a source of inspiration and a partner in discovering the vitality of Shakespeare’s plays.

ASC training challenges actors to discover anew the time-tested ways to illuminate the plays, transform the self, and transport an audience. I am very much looking forward to the work and to bringing home and sharing all I learn with students and colleagues!”

She continued, “Last weekend I attended a conference sponsored by the Southeast Center for Education and the Arts (at UT Chattanooga) entitled ‘Arts @ the Core of 21st Century Learning.’

It was FANTASTIC, and I’ve got some great resources to share with other F&PA department colleagues!”

Follow Karen Glum’s Alaskan trip blog In June, science teacher Karen Glum will travel to Alaska with Drs. Dave and Jill Russell (the ornithologists/bird banders working with the sixth graders), journalism professor Jenny Wohlfarth, her sons Elliot and Michael, and husband Scott.

She said, “The group’s primary purpose is to study birds and form partnerships with Alaskan teachers and scientists, but we will also learn about glaciers, volcanoes, earthquakes, wildlife, and the arctic. We’ll visit Anchorage, Denali National Park, Fairbanks, Barrow (the northernmost village in the US), and the Kenai Peninsula.”

Follow the group’s Alaskan adventure from June 13 to July 4 on Karen’s “Alaska is for the Birds!” blog at http://alaskaisforthebirds.blogspot.com/.

Donations 2 Dollars is a way for members of the Seven Hills community to donate items to be sold on eBay and receive gift credit for the proceeds.

Not only does this help streamline your collection of personal belongings, it also benefits The Seven Hills School.

Explore your basement, attic, drawers and shelves for quality items you forgot you had or no longer need or want. Bring the items to either campus at the location and hours listed below. You will receive a receipt and your items will be listed for sale on eBay. We will mail you a gift credit in the form of a statement containing the net tax-deductible valuation of your item when the item is sold. The proceeds from the sale will benefit Seven Hills in your name.

We ask that donated items be of at least $50 in value and weigh less than 50 pounds. The following is a list of items that tend to sell well and/or have sold recently: • Shirley Temple Doll

• Antique Tray • Sterling Silver Trays

• Pelikan Fountain Pen • Antique Sterling Silver Vanity Items • New Cole Haan Boots • Vintage Tiffany Style Stained Glass Lamp Shade

Donations to Date: As of May 14, 2010, the total proceeds from items sold is $7,850.82.

Thank you to our donors! We are grateful for your support.

Drop Off Locations: Hillsdale Campus—Resale Shop, Mon—Sat 9am—3pm; Doherty Campus—Kemper Building, Mon—Fri Noon—4pm

• Giving Credit • A Tax Deduction

Questions?

Lynn Cowles, Donations 2 Dollars Manager – 513-221-1765 Margo Kirstein, Seven Hills Development Office – 513-527-1319

Donations can be dropped off at Doherty Cam Kemper Building or Hillsdale Campus, Resal

3

The Seven Hills School

Telephone contact: Lynne Cowles 22

A Look at What’s Happening at . . .

DOHERTY

LOTSPEICH

MIDDLE SCHOOL

UPPER SCHOOL Senior Josh Wang was voted First Team All-Academic by the coaches of the Cincinnati Academic League for the 20092010 season.

Students in Units I-III were given a chance to test their luck at the annual Estimation Carnival presented by Mrs. Daily’s math class. Photos page 6.

On April 30, the fourth graders traveled to Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio. Mrs. Burton said, “Our day began with a hike through the woods to the historic Crossed Keys Tavern to learn about its importance in Ohio’s history. Next, the students learned about archeology and how archeologists help unearth history’s mysteries.

The students participated in an archeological dig in which they unearthed items used during the early 1800’s.

“Another exciting part of our day was participating in a reenactment of the signing of The Treaty of Greenville. The students took on the role of Native Americans and had to make the important decision of whether or not to sign the treaty. Our day ended with a living history activity in which the students were transformed into families traveling to Ohio during the 1800’s. Along the way, students encountered a school teacher, a settler, and a frontiersman who taught them about what life was like in Ohio during the early 1800’s.”

Photos page 7.

Third grader Andrew Santamarina ran the Fleet Feet Sports 5k (part of the Flying Pig Marathon weekend of events) on Saturday, May 1. Andrew completed the run in a total time of 26:08.

He finished in 192nd place

Mrs. Martin’s kindergarten children traveled centuries back in time to Mount Olympus in Greece! She said, “They learned about the ancient Greek gods and goddesses with all their attributes and activities. The children also learned the Roman names especially in connection with the name of the planets that they studied in the solar system science unit.

They enjoyed a celestial feast to celebrate the end of this study.

“Each child donned a costume of a particular deity and everyone processed through the halls and classrooms of Lotspeich to greet staff, students and teachers. The children presented several skits relating information about a few of the gods for their parents and friends, shared their projects and work, and delighted in delicious cuisine.

“The deity who descended from Mt. Olympus were Zeus (Will), Hera (Katie), Poseidon (Collin), Hades (Noah), Athena (Taylor), Apollo (Anand), Artemis (Aanya), Hephaestus (Robby), Hestia (Sonya), Aphrodite (Wendy), and Hermes (Liam). Demeter, Persephone, Ares, and Cupid regretfully could not attend. The children were constantly intrigued with these ancient heroes still significant and influential today!”

Photos page 8.

On the second grade’s Japan and China Day, “students presented musical numbers of Chinese and Japanese songs as well as dramatic performances featuring folktales from both

Middle School fine and performing artists presented wonderful spring choral and instrumental concerts and a dazzling art installation created by all second semester art students.

Photos page 10.

A record number of students and teachers—20—participated in this year’s Hair Fair in the Middle Commons on May 18!

The volunteers had their long hair cut to donate to Locks of Love, an organization that creates hair prosthetics for financially-disadvantaged children who suffer from long-term medical hair loss. Organizer Mrs. Keller said, “In 2008-09, Hair Fair had 12 participants; in 2007-08, we had 14 participants; and in 2006-07,we had 6 participants.”

Participants this year were faculty members Joy Copfer, Danielle Necessary, Elissa Donovan, Jody Knoop, Tyler McIlwraith; Lotspeicher Grace Copfer; Middle students Casey Becker, Emma Perentesis, Lauren McElroy, Camille Williams, Kelly Pan, Kate Hickenlooper,

One of icons of the Cold War—the Berlin Wall—made a symbolic appearance in Mrs. Faber’s Europe and the Modern World classes. Constructed of paper and wood, the “wall” divided the class in two, leaving only the front of the room visible to both sides. The Western side of the room was illuminated by the windows; the Eastern side had no illumination. Both sides of the wall bore graffiti. Mrs. Faber said, “The point of the project was to try to make the students feel the presence of something as looming as the Berlin Wall. Diane Kruer approached me early on about implementing this project, and we crafted a way to build the wall and ‘graffiti’ it. After a few days, some of the students became annoyed at being divided in class and wanted to bring the wall down. This sentiment was the overall goal of the project.” Photos page 19.

In an AP Physics class this week, “students were assigned to use their knowledge of electricity and magnetism in order to build a working, wind-driven electric generator that would light a few LED’s (light emitting diodes),” said Mr. Abineri.

“They may not use a propeller greater than 20cm in diameter and they will all be driven by the same fan in the lab. This was, in part, motivated by the young boy in South Africa who managed to build a wind generator for his village recently.”

Photo page 15.

Mrs. Ford said, “Senior Tessa Jones, a student in Environmental Science, became quite the expert on energy efficient windows and has prepared a brochure as part of her Planet and Me Project.” Contact Mrs. Ford or Tessa if interested.

On May 12, the Upper School hosted its first Community Service Fair to give students

4

A Look at What’s Happening at . . .

DOHERTY LOTSPEICH

Continued from Page 2

MIDDLE SCHOOL

overall out of more than 2,000 competitors and was the youngest (8 years old) competitor to complete the race so quickly.

Awesome photo page 6.

Dr. Sarbari Gupta spoke to the fifth graders about Hinduism in the Doherty Library. The students were fascinated with her lively and informative presentation. As part of the Social Justice curriculum, Mrs. Guethlein and Mrs. Wolfe lead classes on major world religions throughout the year. Photos page 6.

Unit I science students studied bluebirds while talking about animal classifications. They built bluebird houses to attract this fragile bird back to our environment. They used milk and juice containers for the structures.

The annual Olympic Day and Fifth Grade vs. Faculty Kickball Game were great events! The entire Doherty community came out to cheer for the students and faculty. Photos pages 13 & 14.

Mrs. Guminey’s fourth grade social studies class experienced what it was like to be an immigrant coming through Ellis Island in the year 1900 through an Immigration Simulation.

The students played the roles of immigrants and immigration officials working the stations on Ellis Island. Photos page 7.

The Unit II Brownie Troop is working hard to spread the word about their “No Phone Zone” campaign. They have been visiting classrooms to ask students to talk to their parents about making their cars no phone zones.

Unit II studies Cincinnati history.

Photos of two impressive projects on page 6.

Asian countries to parents in the Red Barn,” said Ms. Feeney.

“Mrs. Wilson and Mr. White were instrumental in developing the Japan and China Day presentation with the students.

Following the presentation, second graders returned to their classrooms for Origami Workshop, in which students rotated through various stations, exploring the Japanese art of paper folding. More photos page 9.

Ms. Okin’s students concluded their yearlong Passport Travels project with a Kindergarten World Fair! She said, “The students proudly shared their kindergarten passports, knowledge, and architectural creations from each of the seven continents with their parents and special visitors, as students and visitors sampled foods from each of the seven continents.

The kindergarten students worked together throughout the year to construct models of famous architectural landmarks around the world, including The White House, The Sydney Opera House, The Ceremonial South Pole, and the Realto Bridge.” Photos page 8.

Ms. Wildfong said, “The Junior Zoologists had their thank you breakfast on May 17. We had fruit, pancakes, and hot chocolate.”

Photos from the fifth graders’ wonderful production of “No Strings Attached”—the story of Pinocchio—are on page 9. Congratulations to the fifth graders, Mrs. Wilson, and Mr. White.

Tziporah Serota, Catherine Besl, Sophia Carey, Lela Robinson, Marney Briggs; Upper students Beth Hickenlooper, Haley Jones, and Sarah Kloepper.

Volunteer stylists were Michelle Beamer and Team from Identity Salon, Morgan Eppley and Team from Pump Salon, and Jen Knarr and Associate from Paul Mitchell Academy.

Photos on page 12.

Eighth grade English students presented librarian Mrs. Sittenfeld with the class collection of original short stories, which will be installed in the permanent collection (to be used, among other things, as a teaching tool for subsequent eighth grade English classes). Photo of the presentation by one of the classes on page 11.

Mrs. Glum said, “This year seventh grade science students participated in Journey North’s Mystery Class program, a ‘global game of hide and seek.’

Using photoperiod and sunrise data, along with interdisciplinary clues, students determined the location of 10 mystery classes ‘hidden’ around the globe.

Students found classes in the US, New Zealand, Indonesia, Antarctica and other locations.”

Watch for publication this week of the Middle School literary magazine, S+P=This Magazine, and the final issue of the newspaper, Middle Beat.

UPPER SCHOOL an idea of the range of service opportunities in the Greater Cincinnati area. While the fair was open to all Upper School students and staff, the primary purpose of the fair was to help freshmen and sophomores learn about some potential locations at which to perform their community service hours. Participating agencies were Bethany House, Breakthrough Cincinnati, Cincinnati Recreation Commission, Hyde Park Health Center, Madisonville Education and Assistance Center, North Avondale Montessori, Ronald McDonald House, The Scratching Post, Stepping Stones, Starfire Council – Cincinnati, Sycamore Senior Center, and Winners Walk Tall.

Photos page 18.

Junior John Lewis was deservedly described as a Good Samaritan in local media for selfless action and kindness for an accident victim at 12:30am on May 12. John was on his way home from the hospital where he was treated for a lacrosse injury, when he witnessed a one-vehicle accident on I-71 in which the car flipped over the guardrail into a drainage ditch among thick trees. John called police and stayed with the driver until rescue units arrived, extricated the women from the car, and transported her to the hospital with serious injuries. We’re proud of you, John.

Gary Conroy, PhD, principal scientist of Atkins & Pearce, a leading producer of precision engineered textiles, gave a presentation about nanotechnology and carbon nanotubes on May 14 to Mrs. Ford’s AP Chemistry class and Mr. Abineri’s AP Physics class. Audiences for his presentations on this fascinating and important topic have included UC chemical engineering classes. Photos and more news from science on page 15.

The Alumni Association hosted the annual Countdown to Graduation Breakfast for seniors on May 18. It was followed by a panel discussion about college life led by four alums from the Class of 2009. Photos page 20.

5

Estimation Carnival

Third grader Andrew Santamarina finishing the Fleet Feet Sports 5k

Dr. Sarbari Gupta spoke to the fifth graders about Hinduism.

Unit II projects on Cincinnati landmarks

6

Exploring history with an Immigration Simulation . . .

. . . and a visit to historic Camp Kern

7

Head of School Chris Garten surrounded by Greek gods and goddesses

Kindergarten World Fair

8

Second graders’ Japan and China Day

Fifth graders’ production of “No Strings Attached”

9

The Middle School Presents The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party

Spring Art Installation

Viva La Vida by the combined Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Grade Choruses was a big crowd pleaser at the Middle School Spring Choral Concert!

A few of the talented performers at the Middle School Spring Instrumental Concert

10

Eighth grade English students and Mrs. Maupin presented librarian Mrs. Sittenfeld with the class collection of original short stories.

A few behind-the-scene images from the Middle School production of Double Bill: Fifteen Minute Hamlet and Drop Dead, Juliet!, A Brief Shakespearean Evening of Very Tragic Mirth

11

Volunteer professional stylists and volunteer donors with their ponytail donations

Hair Fair at Middle with record number of participants!

12

Olympic Day

13

Fifth Grade vs. Faculty Kickball Game

14

Exploring nanotechnology and carbon nanotubes

In an AP Physics class this week, “students were assigned to use their knowledge of electricity and magnetism in order to build a working, wind-driven electric generator that would light a few LED’s (light emitting diodes),” said Mr. Abineri.

Frog dissection in Mrs. Scarr’s AP Biology classes

Mrs. Ford said, “On May 18, we did the potato experiment in Honors Chemistry. The students design their own procedure to determine how either temperature, concentration, or surface area affect the rate of the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. They use an enzyme, catalase, found in the flesh of a potato as the catalyst.”

15

Coffee House

The evening included (above) original poetry by Kristin FitzPatrick’s Creative Writing students and (above at right) a slide show of the visual artists at work in the art studios.

Camouflaged art students “hid” in the DAC’s decor and artwork.

Next page: Performing Arts at Coffee House

16

Music & improvs at Coffee House

A Performance Group tribute to Patty Flanigan

The Overtones

17

The Concert Ensemble at Upper’s Spring Instrumental Concert

Upper’s Spring Choral Concert

Upper’s Community Service Fair

18

The Berlin Wall made a symbolic appearance in Mrs. Faber’s Europe and the Modern World classes.

At left, the classes watched a video of Dr. Seuss‘ The Butter Battle Book (1984), an anti-war parable about arms races in general and mutually assured destruction and nuclear weapons in particular.

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

19

The Alumni Association’s Countdown to Graduation Breakfast for Class of 2010

Above, Mary and her alumna Mom; below, Alumni Association CoChairs Sybil Mullin and Bob Shaffer with Upper Head Nick Francis

Alumni on the college life panel were Malaika McCoy, Ryan Miller, Donald McKinnon, and Mary Taliaferro.

20