The College School Newsletter - Winter 2019

Volume 40

Issue 1

Winter 2019

30 Years of Field Ecology

By Kevin Roach, Middle School Coordinator

Students use natural materials to create images of self.

This year, the Eighth Grade Field Ecology Theme celebrates 30 years of science and adventure at The College School. The 30year milestone is a great opportunity to look back at the history of this core TCS experience.

Building on the Freshwater Ecology Theme that Kathi Beyer and Tim Wood started in 1985, Field Ecology was developed in the early years of Middle School at The College School, after Seventh and Eighth Grade were added to the program. The Wilderness Experience in Sixth Grade had been the “grand finale” when the school ended at that grade level, and the Board of Trustees asked the Middle School team - then Tim Wood, Judy Weng, John Riggio, Margaret Rowe, and Carol Fitzsimmons - to think about how to ensure students would want to stay with the school through Eighth Grade.

“We identified pretty quickly that there was no last big adventure,” Tim said. He says it was daunting to plan a theme with a trip that was longer, more expensive, and farther away from the

school. But Tim said, in the end, the new theme paid dividends - Field Ecology deepened the school’s outdoor education offerings, attracting both teachers and families. It created demand for summer outdoor experiences like TCS Outdoors and supported the school’s reputation as a leader in experiential and outdoor education.

In partnership with parents and outside organizations, the team put together the first Field Ecology trip, with visits to Sapelo Island, the Okefenokee Swamp, and the Great Smoky Mountains.

That first trip consisted of Tim, Jan Phillips, parent volunteer Louise Morris, and all 12 students of that year’s Eighth Grade class.

“We set out from home the very day that Hurricane Hugo hit,” Tim said. “So it rained every day.” Despite the weather, it was a successful trip.

However, Field Ecology is more than just the trip. The theme Continued on page 11

Winter 2019

Authentic Learning in the Atelier: Engineering a Mouse Playground

By Sarah Hassing, Early Childhood Coordinator and Atelierista When a small, oddly shaped hole was noticed on the Atelier’s wall, it quickly became a topic of much conversation. What was the hole used for? Who had put it there? These questions began to drive the children’s conversations and observations.

They began to piece together intricate theories, often using each other’s ideas.

That is where the steam and the air come in.—Annalise Maybe someone broke the wall.—Sawyer Maybe a construction worker hit it with a hammer too hard.—Jack And the wires go inside there.—Claire Maybe the mice went in there and they were crawling up the wall.—Harper It’s their home. The mice live there.—Mae The children then began to hone in on one specific theory; it must be mice that lived in the wall and utilized the hole. They began imagining a narrative for these potential mice and what their lives were like.

Before long, they wanted to invite the mice into the studio to play. Discussions in the Atelier began to shift toward thinking empathetically, compassionately, and creatively toward these new friends and what their needs might be. At this point, the children decided that designing and building a playground for the mice would be most appealing to the furry friends. They ruminated on what the mice might like to play on, what types of activities the mice would find entertaining, and what they might need in order to assemble such a structure.

The children compiled their ideas into

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space filled up with playful structures for the mice, the children engineered a series of ladders, slides, and nets in order for the mice to easily climb from one location to the next.

When the final playground segments were put in place, the children moved back to using the two-dimensionality of paper in order to observe and reflect. Though Early Childhood students use engineering and empathy to construct a mouse playground drastically differin the Atelier. ent in design, the secondary set of preliminary schematic sketches that outschematics, and the reflective discussions lined architectural plans for a mouse playthat accompanied the sketches, displayed ground. These drawings contained whimsimany of the original features of the first cal diagrams of sandboxes, slides, swings, maps. Both sets of schematics were vital to and climbing structures. More importantly, the children’s process of creating and rethey showcased the children’s capabilities flecting upon the mouse playground, and to generate abstract ideas and represent these maps served as reminders of their them on paper. These initial drafts ininitial ideas as they evolved throughout formed the children’s next steps of utilizing the process. “loose parts,” found objects, and building The mouse playground now stands materials to bring their two-dimensional as a warm invitation for all mice to play. Its concepts into three-dimensional reality. colorful slides and twisty climbing strucArtistic languages aided the children in betures celebrate all potential tiny visitors, as coming more precise in their designs and well as the potential of young children to more aware of how the mice might best create meaningful, creative, and thoughtutilize the play structure components. ful ways of interacting with their world.

As the children found mastery usWhen young children are given ample ing three-dimensional materials, they also time and quality creative materials, their began to refine their capacity for authentic learning is endless. preliminary ideas.

Inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach, Often collaborating children at The College School are regardtogether, the children ed as leaders of their own learning; caassembled thoughtpable, imaginative, and worthy of respect. ful, detailed playUsing social-constructivism as a foundation ground equipment for our classroom environments, children to be placed on the utilize their peers and their teachers to back wall of the stucontinually broaden and enrich their ideas, dio, near the mouse theories, and views of the world around hole.

The children them. The mouse playground was conworked together to structed through this ever-evolving cycle of find permanent places collaboration, dialogue, and deep listenfor their components, ing. Through sharing their ideas and helpsometimes utilizing ing one another, the children created an one another to help environment where empathy for animals hold, stabilize, and and engineering are tethered together position each piece through joyful creativity. n onto the wall. As the

Winter 2019

55 Years of Student-Centered, Progressive Education

By Carl Pelofsky, Head of School The College School welcomed Carl Pelofsky as our new Head of School in October 2018. To read the full announcement, visit thecollegeschool.org/hos.

In a 1963 St. Louis Post-Dispatch article a headline announced: “College Plans Experimental Grade School.” The article was six short paragraphs, part of one column, otherwise unadorned by pictures or inspiring quotes from those planning this new school.

Fifty-five years later, The College School carries on what the founders began: a tradition of student-centered, progressive education. “The children will have the opportunity to ask all the questions they wish, but probably will have to find their own answers,” the lead paragraph explains.

When I arrived this past June, I noticed immediately that The College School had unique qualities: a clear, purposeful mission; a dedication to exploration and adventure; and a history that distinguished itself from other independent schools. The adults I met during the summer months loved the school, and it was obvious that I had come to a place that was a cornerstone of an important community in the St. Louis area.

The foundation of the school rests, interestingly, on the same words written in that article in 1963: the children will have to find their own answers. More than a century ago, John Dewey wrote expansively on progressive education, sharing his notion that children are in large part responsible for creating their own educational experience. While many of us grew up in a very traditional “teacher-asexpert” world, that approach no longer serves our children in the ever-evolving, dynamic, stimulating world in which we live.

In my first year of teaching, I taught a middle school U.S. History course. We had an older textbook, and my “method” was to move through the text, cover all the key material, and let the students’ natural curiosity for the details of the Stamp Act drive the class forward. We did a lot of memorizing of historical figures and important dates, and by February I had my own revolt on my hands.

I remember a parent coming to see me at one point with this revelation: “My son is bored.” She shared that insight compassionately; it wasn’t intended to hurt my feelings. My first reaction was dis-

nally realized what was obvious--of course he’s bored.

The world he functions in is incredibly different than the one in which I grew up. It moves at a lightning pace, and what happens at school must engage students in a way that understands this change in our culture. We don’t have to move more quickly, but we do have to educate students more dynamically. And what does that look like?

Students have to find their own answers. Our students need to be curious, imaginative, and inquisitive. In my first few months here, I’ve seen that approach in action. Our teachers are guides, facilitators, and partners on this path. Much has changed in the past fifty-five years, but the reason this school was founded remains very much the same. n

belief: but the British taxed every piece of paper printed--even playing cards. How could he be bored after I taught him that?

Quickly after dispelling that idea, I fi-

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Winter 2019

Thanksgiving Celebration

By Joyce Vest, Administrative Assistant

Every November, the spirit of community and helping others is ever present in the halls of The College School. Our Thanksgiving Celebration is a beautiful entry into the season of Thanksgiving and provides students the opportunity to both give back to their community and share a ‘feast’ with classmates and friends. It has been my pleasure to coordinate and enjoy our Thanksgiving Feast since I started working with The College School in 1989.

On the Friday before Thanksgiving, the day kicks off with an assembly, which happens first thing in the morning. After the assembly, everyone sings Over the River and Through the Woods, as the Second and Third Grade “trail of food” heads out. Middle School Sixth Grade students, and Second and Third Grade parents and students make the mile-long walk to the food pantry at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, pulling dozens of little red wagons piled high with food collected from the entire community.

What a sight to behold, watching these children and their red wagons. The annual “wagon train” grew out of our curriculum in 1988 when second and third graders were studying a Native American theme and learned about the Cherokee people’s “Trail of Tears.” One expression, “walking your talk,” is credited to people who believed that talking about something important wasn’t enough, you had to do what you said was important. This inspired the students to collect food, clothing, and books for a Native American community.

So much was collected that it was too

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heavy to ship, and a parent volunteered to drive it to Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. The next year began the tradition of pulling wagons of food. Students called it the Wagon Train “Trail of Food.”

For me, Thanksgiving brings to mind thoughts of a warm, caring family coming together to celebrate friendship. Families gathering under one roof, combining many ingredients to cook up a beautiful holiday...The focal point of our Thanksgiving Celebration is the Feast, a beautiful

tradition dating back to the early 1970s, when The College School was located on the campus of Webster University (then Webster College). Each year the school honors students and faculty/staff with a special luncheon, and we gather together to share a meal as family.

About 20 years ago, our Thanksgiving Feast was indeed a “feast,” complete with turkey and all the trimmings. Each grade level participated by preparing part of the meal (dressing, corn, carrots/celery sticks, jellied cranberries, corn muffins, desserts,

placemats, nameplates), and parents provided the cooked turkey, sliced and ready for the table. Middle School students helped with setup, serving, and cleanup – just like the eighth graders do today.

In the early, early days, when there were fewer students, the Feast was held in the Dining Room. Students quietly walked in procession, each one carrying a lit candle through darkened hallways into the Dining Room (back then there weren’t as many windows, so the room was naturally dim and the glow of the candles quite beautiful). Middle School Ensemble played an instrumental version of Simple Gifts as students walked into the room.

And, just like today, older grades partnered with younger grades and sat together after singing The College School Song.

As The College School grew, the Feast evolved to accommodate a greater number of students. The event was moved to the gym, candles were eliminated, and the turkey dinner gave way to a simpler menu honoring the season’s harvest. A pinch of this, a dash of that, cut-up vegetables, and all seasoned to taste! A meal is served, consisting of soup and simple vegetables (prepared in the classrooms and provided by parents), bread (donated by a local bakery) and scrumptious desserts (provided by our wonderful Parent Crew). As in years past, students participate in special activities together throughout the year, building community from within and forging bonds of friendship. They parade into the room, hand-in-hand, younger and older students together, and they sing The College School Song before sitting down to share a meal as one large extended family.

But wait…the day is not done! The Thanksgiving Celebration concludes with a stellar performance by the Middle School Drama Class, while a group of very dedicated parent volunteers helps with the final cleanup.

I’m usually back in my office – gratefully – by 3:00 PM, tired but happy. My motto for the day… Many hands make light work (John Heywood, 1546).

This is my favorite of all the celebrations at The College School, and it is why The College School’s a special place, It’s just right for me… n

Winter 2019

Wagon Train is Over. Now What?

By Emily Figley, Second Grade Teacher I recently read an education research article that described the power of engaging students in the study of social issues. The article discussed the challenge of designing student-led projects around social issues that emphasize “justice, not charity” (Torre, 166).

This subtle yet important distinction has stuck with me. I think about it often when Wagon Train season rolls around.

Wagon Train is an incredible time of year for the TCS community, most especially the second and third graders. For three weeks of the school year, little red wagons filled with cans line the halls of the

systems. In July, teachers from all around the St. Louis metro region gathered for three days to explore tools for teaching community-based systems dynamics in K-12 classrooms. These tools provide a way for students to describe the interconnected nature of some of our biggest social challenges. I could not wait to use these tools with this year’s group of second graders and see how it would impact their thinking.

When Wagon Train season started, we spent a few days defining food security before trying the first tool—Variable Elicitation. I asked the kids to brainstorm all

Second, Third and Sixth Grade students work towards social justice through the Wagon Train of Food building. Through generous donations, the school makes a huge difference by providing nearly half of what Emmanuel Episcopal Food Pantry distributes in the Webster and Rock Hill neighborhoods each year.

Yet, I have always wondered what lessons the kids take away from the project.

As a social justice educator, I want the students to know that food drives are more than just donating cans. How do I make sure that second graders finish our Wagon Train unit understanding that we are working towards justice, not just charity?

This past summer, I was fortunate enough to attend a conference organized

by Systems Thinking for Educational Equity Partnership (STEEP). STEEP is a collaboration between local St. Louis organizations dedicated to studying social

the factors they thought were important for creating food-secure communities.

I was completely floored. The kids produced a complex network of systems involving a multitude of factors, including clean water, access to transportation, awareness of nutritious practices, and government response to a disaster. Some of these variables we had discussed as a group, but most were things the kids brought up from their own personal histories and beliefs. It was such a powerful way to bring everyone’s voices into the conversation and to highlight the reality that food security is much more than just access to food.

Our next step was identifying the ways these different variables were related. To do this we used another systemsthinking toolˆ—Connection Circles. The

students wrote the variables around the edge of a large circle. We then discussed how they were related.

We asked questions like How does clean water impact the number of families living in poverty? Is access to shelter related to disease and obesity? How? Why? The kids came up with many interesting connections and shared compelling arguments about how the different factors influenced one another. We wondered what would happen if we took away certain variables. How could a single change impact the whole system?

My favorite discovery about using

Systems Thinking in Second Grade is that although our Wagon Train unit is wrapping up, the learning is not over yet. If the main lesson were just about charity, our work would be done as soon as the last can was placed on the food bank shelf.

Now these second graders understand that the work for food justice is a constant pursuit, a neverending analysis of a dynamic, ever-changing system. n Resources: • Community Based System Dynamics Facilitation Guide for Teachers.

(2018). Systems Thinking for Educational Equity Partnership (STEEP).

Created for the STEEP 2018 Conference, St. Louis, MO. • Torre, Maria Elena and Fine, Michelle.

“Engaging Youth in Participatory Inquiry for Social Justice” Everyday Anti-racism. Ed. Mica Pollock. New York: The New Press, 2008. 165-171. Print.

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Winter 2019

For the Love of Learning

By Penny Allen, Assistant Head of School “The principle goal of education should be to create people who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done - (people) who are creative, inventive, and discoverers.”—Jean Piaget, psychologist and child development specialist The Kevin Navarro Endowed Faculty Scholar Fund was established through the generosity of our school family at the

ence. From experimenting with a variety of materials or “languages” to express thoughts in the Early Childhood program to dreaming up businesses for River City and Market Days in Third Grade to various ways to reflect on an experience in Middle School, the creative spirit is nurtured here.

Carlina Rinaldi, president of Reggio Children and lecturer on the Reggio Emilia experience, says, “The competent and creative child exists if there is a competent and creative adult.” Last summer’s workshop was an opportunity to feed my own personal and professional creative spirit.

I spent five rich days engaged in experiential learning with thirty participants from different countries and professions, more than half of whom were educators.

Our instructor, Dr. Kirpal Penny Allen was the first recipient of The College School’s Kevin Navarro Singh, is a writer and exEndowed Faculty Scholar award, which encourages professional development. pert in the fields of crePenny traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to attend a Creativity Workshop. ativity and innovation in the realms of business, school’s 2017 annual auction. This award art, science, and life. Through indepenrecognizes a current, full-time faculty dent and cooperative work in the mornmember for “outstanding contributions ings, we explored different sources of into the school community in teaching and spiration, the creative process, and how school leadership as demonstrated by to approach challenges with a “beginner’s Kevin Navarro (Class of 1989) in his work eye.” Afternoons were devoted to comas a teacher and as former Assistant Head pleting assignments using the city of Barof School from 1997-2017.” celona as our classroom.

I was honored to receive the first In addition to feeling reinvigorated, award and chose to put the stipend and some of my learning could be applied improfessional development funds toward mediately in structuring and planning acthe Creativity Workshop in Barcelona, tivities during the Back-to-School Kick-off Spain, last summer. This workshop had Meeting for Faculty and Staff. I learned been on my bucket list for at least ten that moments of inspiration can come at years since former Fifth Grade teacher any time from anywhere. This awareness, Kathy Lewis returned from the workshop and the understanding that it is OK to fail brimming with inspiration. if you fail better each time, is helping me Creativity is considered one of the in my work as Assistant Head of School key 21st-century skills along with colthis year. I look forward to continuing to laboration, critical thinking, and problem share some of the practices and inspirasolving. Creativity is also a thread woven tion with faculty for application with their throughout The College School experiown students. n

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2018-2019 Navarro Endowed Faculty Scholar This year’s Kevin Navarro Endowed Faculty Scholar is visual arts teacher Mary Jo Wilmes. For the past 23 years, Mary Jo has led First

through Eighth Grade students in their exploration of a wide range of artistic techniques and media. One colleague wrote that Mary Jo “exhibits excellence in her teaching of the fine arts. I have witnessed Mary Jo challenge students to go outside of their comfort zone to grow through creative expression. Additionally, Mary Jo plays an integral role in several themes for Third through Eighth Grade.” Mary Jo’s leadership outside the classroom includes her work with ISACS, curriculum mapping, former faculty rep on the Board of Trustees, continuing art education, and sharing professional development opportunities with faculty and staff.

Congratulations, Mary Jo!

Winter 2019

Campout Writing and an Ethic of Excellence

By Matt Diller, Third Grade Teacher Former TCS Director, Jan Phillips, has often said that “reflecting on an experience is as important as the actual experience.” Indeed, it is how we learn and grow.

Third Grade follows this reflective path of learning as we share our campout experiences with an authentic audience of visitors to The College School.

Our adventures camping at Hawn State Park, playing in the clear waters at Pickle Creek, and exploring special places on The Trail Through Time provide our students with inspiration to capture their memories through journal writing.

Upon our return, students choose a journal entry to revise, edit, and publish.

When students know visitors will read what they write, they are motivated to do their best work. Ron Berger, author of Ethic of Excellence, tells us this “authentic audience” is essential.

Students are highly intentional about having a plan that specifies how their next draft will be better than their previous

During Third Grade campout, students reflect on their experience through journaling.

draft. Third graders often cite a plan to clarify ideas, to improve the organization of ideas, and to use a thesaurus for more descriptive word choice. This focus on strategies is rooted in the approach called 6+1 Writing Traits. We teach children that exemplary writing includes thoughtful ideas, organization, descriptive word choice, voice, sentence fluency, proper conventions, and a beautiful presentation.

A student’s ethic of excellence grows with multiple drafts. Each draft starts with the craftsman’s adage, “Measure twice, cut once.” This process of careful revision includes one-on-one conferences with a teacher editor to guide each student to their personal best work.

This year we have 23 published Third Grade authors. Their work is curated on the display just outside the Third Grade classroom. Next time you are passing by Third Grade at The College School, linger a little longer and peruse our students’ high-quality writing guided by their ethic of excellence. n

A Call to Adventure

By Scott McClintock, Fifth Grade Teacher This year we developed a new after-school opportunity for our Middle School students interested in going on expeditions outside of our already robust adventure and outdoor education curriculum. The club is called TCS GO! (the GO! stands for “Get Outside!”) and is an outings club that aims to provide activities that are challenging, rewarding, and safe but with perceived risk. The club creates an atmosphere that challenges and excites the imagination, while enhancing emotional and personal growth, building self-esteem, and developing friendships.

To join the club, interested students were given cryptic directions to solve three challenges. The first challenge consisted of several number and logic puzzles. The answers to these puzzles correlated to the numbers needed to unlock a combination lock on a hidden locker in the Middle School hallway. When students successfully accessed the locker, they found GPS units and were given coordinates to a hidden geocache in nearby Blackburn Park. Students used these units to locate the hidden cache which led them to the bookstore, Novel Neighbor, where they were told to ask for the book Secret Powers You Never Knew You Had and What

TCS GO!, a new adventure and outdoor after-school program, kicked off this fall for eager Middle School students.

To Do With Them Now That You’ve Wised Up (an obscure reference from the Harry Potter series). Any student who asked for

that book would be handed the official inContinued on page 8

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Winter 2019

A Call to Adventure continued from page 7 vitation to the first club meeting.

Our first trip’s theme was Altoid Survival Kits. Students began by analyzing the essential needs one might face if stranded in a true survival scenario. After identifying the four main needs (fire, food, shelter, and a means to communicate for

help), they were then given a tin of Altoids and instructed to create a DIY survival kit, using only the space afforded by an Altoids tin.

Our inaugural expedition was to a primitive campsite off of the Ozark Trail between Rocky Falls Conservation Area and Klepzig Mill. Students chose rocks from a bag to determine their group for the weekend and with this group they had to work collaboratively to complete four

different challenges, using only the contents of their Altoids tins. Each team was tasked with making a fire, building a shelter, finding or catching food (some groups identified wild edibles, others attempted to catch fish), and demonstrating their plan for communicating or signaling for help. Each group was also given an iPad to film their efforts in a Bear Grylls/Survivorman type video diary. Upon return from the expedition the students edited these videos during our weekly meetings and created a 5-minute survival video and reflection on their performance.

Other highlights from the trip included an extremely rare sighting of a meteor falling from the sky (confirmed upon our return by the American Meteor Society).

We had just asked the students to turn off their headlamps and enjoy the night sky in a low-light pollution area when the fireball zoomed across the sky. The AMS says this is a once-in-a-lifetime event! Another rare event we were lucky to experience was that of a herd of feral horses tromping around the field next to our campsite when we woke up on the second day.

These events prove that you never know what you’re going to see when you Get Outside!

The club’s next trip will be this January for our annual winter camping expedition. The students in the club will be developing the theme for this trip over the next several weeks, and we look forward to sharing more stories from our adventures soon! n

Congratulations to our Published Faculty

By Penny Allen, Assistant Head of School Each Day, our faculty share their knowledge, curiosity, and enthusiasm for learning with our students and others in the TCS community. They create rich experiences that integrate subjects and make the topics meaningful. As education professionals, we are also encouraged to reach out and share with those beyond our school—to the St. Louis region and the broader education community.

Several of our faculty members have recently been published! Congratulations to Uchenna Ogu, Katie Malone, Sarah Hassing, Sarah Gravemann, and Tim Wood. Please take this opportunity to see what these dedicated and passionate teachers have been sharing with the larger community. You can read these articles directly on our website at thecollegeschool.org/publishedfaculty.

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Uchenna Ogu, Katie Malone, Early Childhood Teachers Sarah Hassing, Early Childhood Coordinator, and Atelierista Questions for the Sunflowers: Cultivating Science, Imagination, and Art Through Sunflowers Science & Children, October 2018 Sarah Gravemann, Middle School Teacher Now What? Connecting Students with What They're Reading by Pairing Texts with Real World Experiences.

Association for Middle Level Education Newsletter, September 2018 Tim Wood, Sustainability Coordinator First Steps Towards Ecological Restoration The Healthy Planet Magazine, October 2018

Winter 2019

Living Building Challenge Certification at The Jan Phillips Learning Center: An Update

By Tim Wood, Sustainability Coordinator After certification, the Jan Phillips Learning Center at The College School’s LaBarque Campus will be one of less than 20 buildings in the world deemed “Living Building Challenge.”

Several years ago, our school took on a challenge. We had recently purchased the LaBarque Creek property. Our Board conducted a Feasibility Study of the land, making sure we could use the property in the manner we planned. Soon the request for a learning center came from faculty.

Our Board recognized the importance of the LaBarque Campus from an environmental standpoint: with two pristine creeks, and a wide variety of natural communities, LaBarque is a unique ecology within a short drive of our school. After much thought, they decided to build the learning center to the highest environmental and sustainable standards. They chose to adhere to The Living Building Challenge standards for this new building.

The learning center was dedicated to former Director Jan Phillips. Jan brought outdoor and experiential education to our school. She began as a Physical Education Teacher, when the school was on the Webster University campus, and retired as Director in 2001, after heading a capital campaign that added the gymnasium and the south wing to the building. Jan was a leader at our school for 35 years, but remains connected and often can be seen in our halls and out at LaBarque.

The Living Building Challenge is a set of rigorous building standards that apply to every stage of construction. There are seven petals that make up the challenge.

The College School chose to work toward full certification, all seven petals.

Petals include: Place The LaBarque Campus and the Jan Phillips Learning Center are designed to provide a connection to nature for our school community and the community as a whole.

Energy The Jan Phillips Learning Center produces more energy from its solar array than it consumes.

Water Our site provides its own water and works to keep rainfall on-site through the use of rain gardens, wetlands, ponds, and water storage.

Health and Happiness The space creates an environment that promotes well being.

Beauty The atmosphere of the learning center and pavilion creates a beautiful architectural piece that blends seamlessly into the surrounding environment.

Materials The building is constructed from materials that are safe at all stages of their development and use, and they are locally sourced.

Equity At the Jan Phillips Learning Center, we are creating an environment of equity and awareness, a sensitivity to the environment and to the wide variety of people who use the site.

Last year, we began the one-year performance period for the Living Building Challenge. Not only does the Living Building Challenge require rigorous building standards, it also requires the building to demonstrate that it performs to meet those standards for one year. So, after two years of construction and almost one year of use, the JPLC is coming to the end of a long process that began as a dream: to build a building that is good for the environment, good for society, is pleasing to the eye, and lives within the limits of its environment; a building that provides a place for people to come together; a building that serves as a representation of our school’s commitment to the environment; a building that teaches about sustainability simply by being. The Jan Phillips Learning Center, when certified as a Living Building, will be one of less than 20 buildings in the world to have “Petal” certification; truly something for which our community can be proud. n

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Winter 2019

New Faculty and Staff

By Jill Pampel, Director of Admissions & Marketing

Mark Anderson Maintenance

Mark works in the maintenance department, helping keep our facilities clean. He grew up in St. Louis and has three children. Mark joined our TCS team in September 2018.

Brie Alley

Director of Development & Communications Brie has 13 years of experience in fundraising and marketing, working for St. Louis organizations including the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and, most recently, at the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri, where she was the Senior Manager of Annual Giving. Brie enjoys building programs that grow community engagement and champion the mission of the organization. Brie lives in St. Louis with her husband, Josh, and 9-month old daughter, Ruby. She can be found many weekends exploring St. Louis and enjoying the Tower Grove Farmers Market near her home. Brie has her Bachelor of Science in Financial Management Services from the University of Missouri. She joined the TCS team in January of this year.

Katherine Borg PreschoolNewport Teacher

Katherine is from Alaska and has lived in St. Louis for four years. She has worked with children for ten years, four of which have been in Early Childhood. While in Alaska, Katherine led multi-day trips across the state teaching children of all ages survival skills, “Leave No Trace” principles, local fauna and flora, as well as how to kayak, canoe, rock climb, and backpack. After moving to St. Louis, Katherine delved into experiential education for two years at a preschool and as a private educational caregiver for a family with preschool-aged children. Katherine is passionate about getting children outside and into nature

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to explore, discover, and help them have new experiences. Growing up surrounded by wilderness, Katherine has firsthand experience with how being outside benefits children and wants her students to have the same opportunity. Katherine has her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a Studio Art Minor from University of Evansville. She joined our TCS team at the beginning of this school year.

Andrew Gillentine

Chief Financial Officer and Director of Facilities Andrew comes to The College School with a long history in and passion for independent schools as a student, alumnus, parent, spouse, and employee.

Most recently, he served as the Director of Finance and Operations at Applewild School, a K-8 school in Massachusetts.

Andrew has an extensive background in small-business management. This work has given him a strong understanding of goal setting, financial planning and analysis, operational management, compliance, marketing, and team dynamics.

Andrew’s formal education includes an MBA from Southern Methodist University, a Certificate in Financial Success for Nonprofits from Cornell University, and a BA in Economics from Randolph-Macon College. Andrew’s wife, Berkeley, and two children, Worth and C.C., will be relocating to St. Louis from Massachusetts at the end of the school year. Andrew joined our TCS team in November.

Will Langton Third Grade Teacher

Will, a native St. Louisan and an alumnus of Rohan Woods and John Burroughs, joined TCS as a former Connecticut-based educator and a local Family Coordinator at the Mid-County YMCA. His journey with education began over a decade ago through the Wyman Teen Leadership program, where he guided local, underserved youths through mindful meditation and leadership training, and led groups on week-long treks through the Kentucky wilderness. Later,

he would run an academic mentoring program for four years, establish himself as the lead behavioral specialist at a Title I institution, and serve as the Visiting Policy and Advocacy Summer Fellow with Connecticut Voices for Children, a nonprofit working to highlight solutions and effect change for underserved youths in Connecticut. Will believes strongly in the power of partnership, mentorship, play, best-practice based, and outdoors-centric education to create impactful learning.

He received his Bachelor of Arts in Government and English from The College of William & Mary and his Master of Arts in K-6 Elementary Education from Old Dominion University. Will joined our TCS team at the beginning of the school year.

Leah Zueger

Development & Communications Associate Leah has been a member of The College School community as a current parent since 2014. Having worked at the University of Minnesota Foundation, The New York Public Library, and The Pingry School, Leah brings with her twelve years of fundraising experience. While focusing her time on supporting the operations of the Administrative Office, Leah also assists with fundraising and communication activities. Leah grew up in South Dakota but has lived in Minnesota; Washington, DC; Brooklyn, NY; and New Jersey. She moved to St. Louis with her husband, Jay Eversman, and son, August, in 2011 and enjoys traveling to destinations near and far and adventuring with her son. Leah earned her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Geography and International Studies from Macalester College. Leah joined our TCS team in late summer 2018. n

Winter 2019

30 Years of Field Ecology continued from page 1 begins by asking students to apply to join one of several scientific teams: Botanist, Zoologist, Chemist, Geologist, Meteorologist, and so on. Each science team gets a crash course in how to gather data in the field, as they visit sites across the St. Louis area. As students get comfortable with performing site studies, they begin to realize that to truly understand an environment, all of the scientific disciplines must share information with each other they learn that it’s the interconnectedness that truly describes an environment.

Once students learn to work in collaboration as a unified scientific team, they are ready for the nine-day expedition. In recent years, Field Ecology traveled to North Carolina, following the course of water from the peaks of the Appalachian Mountains down to the Outer Banks. To access the science sites, students engage in high adventure: hiking to the top of Black Balsam Knob, kayaking across Fontana Lake and Pamlico Sound, and seine fishing in the Atlantic Ocean.

But for many, the greatest adventure of them all is whitewater rafting down the Nantahala River.

As with all themes at The College School, there are layers to the Field Ecology experience. As they learn about the scientific concept of adaptation - organ-

isms adapted to the environments in which they live - eighth graders are aware of how they are adapting to the challenging environments they encounter. In turn, this becomes a metaphor for how they

This year marked the 30th year of The College School’s Eighth Grade Field Ecology Theme. will be adapting to the end of their College School experience and the beginning of high school.

Over the years, the theme itself needed to adapt to new circumstances. Eighth Grade is much larger now than that original group of 12 students. More recently, the loss of the original Field Ecology sites due to fire and hurricane damage necessitated a redesign of the trip to the current

sites across North Carolina.

However, Tim says that one of the biggest changes in Field Ecology happened in the early years of the theme.

“We were doing these amazing things,

but no one knew what we were doing,” he said. “Jane Sanders, who has attended almost all of the Field Ecology trips, came in and started the display, and suddenly everyone else in the school could see all of these experiences the eighth graders were having.” The display in the Commons, a huge reflection project designed and produced each year entirely by the students, showcases the science and the experiences of the Field Ecology theme.

“Younger students could see that display and start looking forward to an experience they’d have in Eighth Grade,” Tim said.

That’s as true in 2018 as it was decades ago. “The Field Ecology trip is a trip like no other,” said current eighth grader Luca C. “Even when I was a third of the size I am today, I heard the stories and saw the pictures.”

As the world’s attention is ever more focused on environmental issues, Field Ecology is as relevant today as it was 30 years ago. Young people must learn to understand the complex web of relationships within our natural world. “On the trip, many people asked me what we were doing there - and they were blown away that a group of teenagers was on an outof-state field trip studying the ecology of the Earth,” said eighth grader Rainey F. This year’s eighth graders, and many more to come, can change the perspectives of others as a result of their Field Ecology experience. As Rainey said, “We get to change people’s minds about how the world looks, for a minute, by telling our story.” n

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Preschool through Eighth Grade 7825 Big Bend Blvd.

Webster Groves, MO 63119 (314) 962-9355 thecollegeschool.org

4/5 Play Performance Wednesday and Thursday, February 13 and 14 Third Grade River City Market Day Friday, March 8, 1:30-2:30 PM Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day Friday, March 29, 10:30-12:00 PM Gala and Auction Saturday, April 13, 6:00-10:00 PM Middle School Shakespeare Performance Tuesday, May 14, 7:00-9:00 PM Summer Camp Begins Monday, June 3

at The College School

Find out more information about these events on our website.

Permit No. 3469

Summer Camp

Upcoming Events

St. Louis MO

Registration for Summer Adventure Day Camps and Expeditions Opens End of January.

thecollegeschool.org/summercamp