Park School Spring Currents 2019

SPRING A CROSS CURRENTS NEWSLETTER

COMMUNITY NEWS AND EVENTS

SPRING 2019

TO SUIT THE SEASON

THE PARK SCHOOL OF BALTIMORE

CURRENTS

DANIEL J. PARADIS HEAD OF SCHOOL As many of you know, this past year the Board of

read, appreciate the power of the written word – and

Trustees approved The Park Mission Statement as a

grapple with questions of ethics – in their in-depth

identity. This statement takes its place among Park’s

we delve into the complex process of darkroom

succinct and inspiring articulation of our school’s

other important guiding documents – our Philosophy,

Language Arts explorations. In the Upper School story,

photography and gain an appreciation for the

Objectives, Strategic Plan, and the recently published

opportunity that our students have to employ scientific

Over the course of this school year, we have found that

throughout this spring newsletter, you will also see

School Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. the statement resonates deeply with our faculty, our

students, our parent community, and alumni – as well as prospective families, community partners, fellow

educators, and visitors who are getting to know us.

In the following pages of Spring Currents, we seek

to share some glimpses into the ways we live out the Park Mission every day. Though brief, the stories

reveal a deep commitment by our teachers and students to engage with ideas, processes, and each other. Our

Lower School technology programs ensure that young

methods in pursuit of an artistic vision. And

images that represent our always vibrant, inquisitive,

active, creative, generous, and supportive community.

As so much work comes to fruition in these last

few months of the school year, I am grateful for this

opportunity to take a moment to share with you

some of the happenings on our campus – and look forward to experiencing the exciting growth and

development to come.

Sincerely,

users of digital tools are not only adept and creative,

but also responsible community members – thoughtful,

respectful, and kind. Our Middle Schoolers, you will

Dan Paradis

The Park Mission: Devoted to intellectual inquiry, a collaborative spirit of learning, and an appreciation for the diversity of human experience, The Park School of Baltimore is a community founded on positive expectations of our students and respect for individual differences. We cultivate children’s innate curiosity by nurturing their interests and engaging them as active participants in their own education. We support young people in becoming confident questioners and responsible citizens of the world.

The Park School of Baltimore is an independent, coeducational,

It is the policy of The Park School of Baltimore, Inc. to admit students;

through grade twelve. Since our founding in 1912, a passion for

and loan programs, academic, athletic and other school administered

non-sectarian, progressive school for students in pre-kindergarten critical inquiry, a commitment to innovation, and the spirit and practice of inclusivity have guided our teaching and fostered

a community of life-long learners. It is our belief that for children to prepare for lives of achievement, of generosity, and of joy, their development must be supported in all realms – the intellectual, social, emotional, ethical, and physical.

to carry out its admission and educational policies, scholarship programs; and to offer all the rights, privileges, programs,

and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school without regard to race, color, national or ethnic

origin, religion, ancestry, gender, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation.

spring currents 1

Technology Coordinator Matt Doyle engages Lower School students in a wide range of technology-related activities

from programming robots to design to awareness of what it means to establish an online presence.

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lower school Thinking Through a Digital World At Park, we strive to help children approach and use technology with purpose, awareness, and community in mind. As we seek to prepare students for a rapidly changing world, it is vital that we teach them to persevere, collaborate, and be mindful in their creative pursuits.

In the Lower School technology lab, it is easy to be

As children develop their skills, we also explore what it

or creations from a 3d printer. It is important,

consider the motives of media we take in, we also must

excited by the flashing lights of robots, stacks of code, though, to focus on the ways that children creatively

demonstrate understanding, handle obstacles, and

is like to have an online presence. While we should

consider mindsets and skills for sharing content with

the world. Currently, fifth grade classes are working on

collaborate with others. Building essential mindsets

programming games that will reinforce Spanish

integrating technology to enhance student learning

graders attempt to build empathy by thinking about

and skills for navigating a digital landscape while is the goal.

To achieve this goal, we need to consider the many

issues that children will face as they increase their

amount of digital activity. As early as first grade,

students in the lab focus on the opportunities and

responsibilities that we have when we use technology.

Why do we need to log out? What is the purpose of a password? Why are there advertisements around

vocabulary for first graders. To start the unit, fifth their first grade partners. Next, we have class

discussions about what is appropriate and engaging for a first grade audience. We circle back frequently

to posting information, considering how we represent

ourselves and the objectives that we have in mind as we develop an online identity.

Finally, and perhaps most essential, is that all

students feel the joy of the creative and collaborative

the games on a website? We want children to learn to

opportunities that abound in a digital world.

content and routines that are part of their digital lives.

connecting to others and representing themselves.

question the purpose and motivations behind the

Equally important is the way that children learn to

approach problems. From debugging programs to

leaving public comments, students are presented with

numerous opportunities to stumble through challenges.

It is how we handle these challenges that matters

most. Problems should be seen as opportunities, and it is exciting when we get to test out ideas and make

choices. By combining strategies of computational thinking, design-thinking, and tenets of growth

mindset, children are able to take healthy risks in a safe

environment to work towards solutions. For example,

our second and third graders program robots and

consider how they “think” or process. As they try to create reliable outcomes, it’s important that they

are challenged, make mistakes, and see those moments as chances to learn.

Children today have a wide range of tools for

This should be empowering. What are the values

that we want to include as we shape our world? If we

want to create a world based on respect, civility,

and open-mindedness, then why not start right now?

Fourth grade students are required to comment

publicly on their classmates’ programs. We analyze

and respond to feedback while considering community

guidelines and the best ways to communicate effectively and share aspects of themselves.

Recently, a student came to me and said she left

a comment on a Scratch programming project that

didn’t come across right. With a look of worry and

concern, she talked about how she was tired and posted too quickly. Then she showed me her comment and

said, “Can you help me delete it?” In a moment of

complete vulnerability and courage on her part, I could see the active, engaged, determined, and mindful

citizen that we hope to inspire.

MATT DOYLE DIRECTOR OF ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY & LOWER SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR spring currents 3

middle school To Read (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian), or NOT to Read: That is the Question.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie was published in 2007. Since then, the book has won numerous awards, including the National Book Award. The story is loosely based on Alexie’s own experiences growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington.

True Diary is a first person narrative told from the

perspective of Native American teenager Arnold Spirit

Jr., also known as “Junior,” a 14-year-old cartoonist.

single text. “Loved the book! I don’t know; I just really

like it,” says Rylen. “It’s the first time we’ve read a book in school that’s designed like that. Like a person just

The book is a coming-of-age story, detailing Junior’s life

telling a story.” And Molly agreed: “I liked it. It was cool

go to an all-white public high school off the reservation.

books we read.”

on the Spokane Indian Reservation, and his decision to In Park’s seventh grade Language Arts curriculum,

we focus on using complex texts to analyze language

(including diction and syntax), practice critical

thinking, and write both creative and expository pieces.

This year, the real world came crashing into the

because it was a different viewpoint than a lot of

Once we finished the book, students were told about

Alexie’s misconduct. They read an article about the

allegations against Alexie, and used both the book and the article to participate in thoughtful conversations,

asking many questions and responding to each

classroom with the names Weinstein, Cosby, and

other openly and honestly. The conversations led to

this was a non-issue. But in the spring of last year,

positions – to support continuing to teach True Diary,

Sherman Alexie. When I taught True Diary in the past,

an analytical essay in which students argued their

Alexie made a public apology to the women that he

or not.

So, in the spirit of candor, I shared with parents that we

book should no longer be taught, arguing that you

had hurt.

Each class had four or five students who felt that the

would be reading True Diary by an author who was

cannot separate the artist from the art, and there are

not require parents to purchase the text in an effort

majority of students in each class (nine or 10) felt that

accused of sexual misconduct. I shared that we would to curtail contributing to Alexie’s royalties. I shared

other books that can teach the same lessons. The

the book is invaluable and cannot simply be replaced

that their children were both intellectually capable and

with another book by a Native American writer,

shared that the outcome would be an argumentative

Alexie’s behavior and that his art should be able

thoughtful enough to tackle such a tough topic. And I

piece in which students would provide evidence for or against this book being taught in classrooms.

Students read the book unaware that Alexie had

made women feel uncomfortable. They read the book

unaware that Alexie had promised to help women

advance their writing careers while never fulfilling this promise. And they overwhelmingly loved it.

The themes of wealth vs. poverty, bullying, physical abuse, family, racism, alcoholism, loneliness, hope,

taking risks, and friendship allow so many students

with varied experiences to be able to connect to a

NICOLE SCOTT MIDDLE SCHOOL LANGUAGE ARTS 4 spring 2019

also contending that the book is not about Sherman to stand on its own. Both sides emphatically agreed, though, that if the book continues to be taught,

students should be made aware of the accusations against the author.

I was proud of the way that my students handled this

tough societal issue that many adults are still grappling

with. They were able to weigh this matter without bias and with clarity of mind and thoughtfulness. It is a

privilege, as an educator, to have the liberty to address

current topics and partner with students in making curricular decisions.

After reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, seventh graders learned about accusations against

the author and then participated in extensive conversations about whether the book should be taught.

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Darkroom photography is more than the magic of making images appear on paper in a wet lab.

It combines creativity, science, and mathematics in a deliberate process that demands accuracy

of control to produce a visual understanding of the world.

Photos created by students in Darkroom

Photography this school year (clockwise from top right): Gisselle Sanchez ’21, Manya Gerstley ’19, Ian Zumpano ’20, Conor Angel ’19, Aaron Zaiman ’21.

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upper school Photography in Depth My favorite course has always been Darkroom Photography. Watching the printed image appear in the developer tray on the surface of an exposed sheet of printing paper is magical – it’s scientific, of course, but there is something absolutely captivating about bringing forth the latent image to share one’s own version of the world.

The idea that you can express what you had witnessed at a precise moment – that is powerful stuff.

Often, the first time my students develop an enlarged

the photograph? What do they hope to convey to the

print, they audibly react as they see the image appear

viewer about the subject matter? How does photography

genuine excitement that brings a sense of satisfaction.

to approach photography from a photo documentary

on the paper floating in the tray. It’s a moment of

They are making something that reflects what they

experienced, capturing it to share with others. It’s not

“right or wrong,” but their own thoughts and ideas realized.

Photographs are forceful purveyors of the human

experience, and I appreciate that the photographic

process allows the artist to control the creative

narrative while also capturing a moment in time.

Sometimes people ask me why we still teach darkroom

inform our understanding of the world? Do they want

perspective or might they think about it as fine art?

I also love photography because it allows students

to approach art-making in a way that they can control.

Often, teenage students will say, “I am not good

at drawing or painting,” judging their own ability to render against the perceived abilities of their peers.

With photography, using the camera to capture

an image levels the playing field. If you can work the

photography in a world in which digital methods

camera controls, you can create something that is

an expensive, messy, and time consuming process that

sort of personal value judgment as drawing or painting.

dominate our daily lives. Why would we bother to teach many feel is no longer relevant? I answer with sincere

unique and personal, but does not require the same

In critique, we will often talk about what the student-

conviction: it offers the student an opportunity to

photographer was thinking about when making the

It requires the student to learn camera controls, film

to look at the work of other photographers in order

repeatable methods to achieve consistent results. They

our understanding of the world.

engage in a process that is both creative and scientific.

processing, and printing techniques. Students must use are required to slow down, be deliberate, and think

about what comes next. It demands the understanding

of principles of science and mathematics; it involves

precision, and control. And all of this happens alongside the harnessing of creativity and emotion in order

to express meaning. It is a method of visual expression that requires accuracy and feeling.

Which brings me to the creative part of darkroom:

image: what did they want to express? We also take time

to understand the invaluable role photography plays in Finally, practicing darkroom photography allows for

students to engage in all eight Studio Habits of Mind,

which have been embraced in the Park arts department, and offer a framework for engaging students in the

classroom. The habits include: Develop Craft, Engage and Persist, Envision, Express, Observe, Reflect, Stretch and Explore, and Understand Art in the World.

In my class, we regularly engage each of these habits,

addressing both the visual and conceptual parts of

allowing students to develop their sensibilities as

subject using different angles of view, and are asked

better understand themselves, and the wider world.

photography. Students contemplate how to frame the to consider the quality of light falling on the subject

artists while also using photography as a means to Experiencing Darkroom Photography provides an

matter. Then there are the conceptual considerations –

opportunity for students to engage both the practical

the subject? What were they feeling when they took

worthwhile endeavor for our students.

what does the student want to tell the audience about

JANNA RICE UPPER SCHOOL VISUAL ARTS & EXHIBITIONS EDUCATOR

and the fantastic, and for me, that will always be a

spring currents 7

park athletics Rivalry Day – October 2018 Park captured its third consecutive Rivalry Day Cup

in this annual event acknowledging the decades-old

athletic rivalry between Park and the Friends School.

Final score in Park vs. Friends match-ups: 4.5-2.5.

We loved seeing students from k–12, parents, alumni, and employees contributing to the wonderful spirit

of this cross-community event with the Friends School.

8 spring 2019

park athletics Bruin Night – January 2019 At this year’s Bruin Night, Park’s annual mid-winter celebration of sports and school spirit, we had an

exciting Girls’/Boys’ Varsity Basketball doubleheader and unveiled two new championship banners –

Boys’ Tennis (spring 2018) and Girls’ Cross Country

(fall 2018). Thanks to everyone who joined us for a great night of school spirit!

spring currents 9

park arts Worldly Possessions Park’s Winter Exhibition, Worldly Possessions,

was on view in the Davison Lobby, Richman Gallery, and Library Gallery from January 22 – March 1.

Featuring photographer Tom Kiefer and artist Jean

Shin, the exhibition considered the impact of

America’s consumer culture on our humanity.

The exhibition also displayed student pieces made

by Lower, Middle, and Upper Schoolers.

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1-2. Park’s 2019 Diana Lee Fox ’75 Resident Artist Jean Shin created her installation, Projections,

from thousands of 35mm slides. This work looks at the history of art from ancient to modern times.

3. Fifth graders investigated Islamic tile design

through an extended printmaking project, printing both on paper and in clay. They explored patterns

based on grids of equilateral triangles or tangent circles, then designed their own geometrically inspired relief block to print multiple copies.

4-5. Upper Schoolers in the History of Feminism course learned about the history of American

feminist thought and explored the various and

complicated meanings of contemporary feminism.

For this exhibition, each student chose to

independently explore a topic of interest that they felt grew out of or connected to subjects studied throughout the semester.

6. Seventh graders chose three dimensional objects to paint on a block of wood, playing

with ways to place the object on different sides, including stretching, wrapping, or repeating the object.

7. After investigating rectangular prisms in their

study of 3-d geometry, seventh graders designed nets to make replicas of small boxes. Some

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students made exact replicas, while others used scale factors to enlarge or shrink their boxes.

8-9. Tom Kiefer’s series, El Sueño Americano

(The American Dream), illuminates the plight of undocumented migrants at the border through

the documentation of their confiscated belongings.

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9 spring currents 11

THE PARK SCHOOL 2018 AUCTION On Saturday, November 10, over 450 guests gathered in the Athletic Center to support Park School. Parents, alumni, grandparents, employees, volunteers, sponsors, partners, and guests joined together to benefit tuition assistance and faculty support. This year, the Park community raised over $290,000 – and $132,500 of the total was generated through RAISE YOUR HAND, a live auction program dedicated solely to supporting tuition assistance. We are grateful to every Park community member who generously contributed.

One hundred percent of the auction proceeds will serve the needs of Park students and teachers. Be on the lookout for information regarding our next triennial event – BRAIN sPARK 2020.

12 spring 2019

spring currents 13

THE PARK SCHOOL 2018 AUCTION

14 spring 2019

spring currents 15

PARK PROGRAMS ( AND PEOPLE) IN THE NEWS

Photo by Diego M. Radzinschi/the national law journal

Fourth Grade Teacher Ali Baran Published in nais Magazine In the summer of 2016, a group of Park faculty members

across grade levels and divisions had the opportunity to explore the current research around homework

and the role that it plays in students’ lives here at Park.

The project was funded through the F. Parvin Sharpless Faculty and Curricular Advancement (faca) program – Park’s innovative professional development program

that provides teachers time and funding for intensive

study that directly benefits Park students.

A participant in the faca project, “Examining the Role of Homework at Park School,” fourth grade teacher

Ali Baran wrote an article for nais Independent School Magazine that discusses the history of take-home

assignments, where we are today, and what schools need to consider as they evaluate their approaches.

The following is a brief excerpt from the article:

Judge Amy Berman Jackson, Class of 1972 Judge Amy Berman Jackson ’72 of United States District Court in Washington has presided over many high

profile cases in the eight years since her appointment.

In March, she sentenced Paul Manafort, former Trump

campaign chairman, in a case prosecuted by the

Special Counsel, Robert S. Mueller iii, and his office.

She will also preside over the upcoming criminal trial of Roger J. Stone.

Judge Jackson was appointed as a United States District Judge in March of 2011. Prior to joining the Court,

she was engaged in private practice in Washington, d.c., as a member of Trout Cacheris, where she specialized

in complex criminal and civil trials and appeals. Earlier,

she was a partner at Venable, Baetjer, Howard, and Civiletti. She began her career as a law clerk for

the Hon. Harrison L. Winter on the United States Court

of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, and she served as an

Assistant United States Attorney for the District of

What we’ve learned so far is that when it comes

Columbia, where she received Department of Justice

approach. It has always been our default to assign

and sexual assault cases.

to homework, we cannot practice a one-size-fits-all homework, but what would happen if we conducted

an experiment? What if not giving homework became

our default setting? What if we asked ourselves: Is there a specific reason that this homework

assignment is necessary? Then maybe we could truly be mindful of our students’ lives outside of school,

and put the learning and well-being of students first.

To read the full article, visit www.nais.org/magazine 16 spring 2019

Special Achievement Awards for her work on murder

Judge Jackson served on the board of the Washington d.c.

Rape Crisis Center and has also been a member of

the Parent Steering Committee of the Interdisciplinary

Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders.

She has also served as an expert legal commentator for

a number of news organizations.

Judge Jackson earned her j.d. cum laude from Harvard

Law School and her a.b. cum laude from Harvard College.

A SAMPLING OF RECENT COVERAGE

Kendall Clark ’19 and Ollie Thakar ’19 Present at Joint Mathematics Meeting Park seniors Kendall Clark and Ollie Thakar presented

at the 2019 Joint Mathematics Meeting – the largest

mathematics meeting in the world – held in January

at the Baltimore Convention Center.

Ollie presented with Upper School math teacher

last summer. As a sophomore, Kendall received a

Templeton-Ramanujan Prize for Scholarly Development.

From the abstract:

Although many organizations throughout the world have worked tirelessly to control tuberculosis (tb)

Dr. Katherine Socha on “Enchanting Geometry.”

epidemics, no country has yet been able to eradicate

From the abstract:

compartmental models representing the spread of a tb

Ollie was the only high school presenter in the session.

Mathematicians know that developing and proving

theorems both require creative thinking, but many of

our peers in other lines of work have not experienced

mathematics as creative thinking about beautiful ideas.

In this talk, we present one beautiful geometric result

and coax the audience into developing a particularly

elegant argument. The result: that the lune of

Hippocrates, a shape bounded by two circular arcs,

is quadrable – equal in area to a constructible square.

Join us in the talk to develop the argument! This

the disease completely. In this talk, we present two

epidemic throughout a population. The first is a

general tb model; the second is an adaptation for

regions in which hiv is prevalent, accounting for the

effects of tb/hiv co-infection. Using active subspaces, we conduct time-dependent sensitivity analysis

on both models to explore the significance of certain parameters with respect to the spread of tb. We use

the results of this sensitivity analysis to determine the most effective strategies for treatment and

prevention throughout the epidemic.

exploration is one example from a guided journey through geometry: a book in progress, intended to

enchant the general reader into discovering elegance and creativity through geometry.

Ollie has been working on the book for his senior

project this spring.

above. In January, Park seniors Kendall Clark ( right) and

Ollie Thakar (left) both presented at the 2019 Joint Mathematics Meeting, the largest mathematics meeting in the world.

Photos courtesy of Matthew Hudes ’19.

Kendall presented on “Combating Tuberculosis” with

a research group from her summer study program

at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She was the only

high school student in the program of 12 at St. Mary’s parkschool .net

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