Pegasus Magazine Fall 2013

THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

ISSUE 6 / FALL 2013

What do

YOU

Think?

MISSION STATEMENT The Pegasus School is dedicated to academic excellence and to the development of lifelong learners who are confident, caring, and courageous.

COMMUNITY VALUES Our students learn best, and develop the skills they need to pursue their dreams, in a community that is: • Diverse, collaborative, and vibrant • Serious about academic life • Rich in opportunities • Nurturing of the gifted student • Engaged in the world outside

the school

PORTRAIT OF A GRADUATE PEGASUS STUDENTS love to learn, to be challenged, and to work hard; they are bright and motivated; they are joyful; they grow in both intellect and empathy.

PEGASUS TEACHERS love to teach; they are flexible, creative, collaborative, and innovative; they foster each student’s individual gifts and passions; they educate the mind and the heart.

PEGASUS PARENTS value education; they work closely with the school in a partnership based on thoughtful communication and mutual respect.

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THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

•

Academically Confident

•

Well Balanced

•

Critical Thinker

•

Exceptional Communicator

•

Collaborative Leader

•

Responsible Citizen

• Environmentally Conscious • Technologically Adept • Economically Astute • Versed in the Arts • Globally Aware

Fall 2013 www.thepegasusschool.org EDITORIAL BOARD Nancy Conklin, Director of Admission Rick Davitt, Photographer Sue Harrison, Director of Advancement Karla Joyce, Writer Shalini Mattina, Assoc. Director of Advancement, Marketing Nancy Wilder, Middle School English Teacher John Zurn, Head of School WRITERS Karla Joyce John Zurn CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jennifer Aguilar Jamie El-Erian Karla Joyce Jean Kawahara Mike Mulroy Jonathan Stark Tricia Starkenburg Marrie Stone Ellen Williamson ART DIRECTION AND DESIGN Shalini Mattina

Table of Contents FEATURES

20

Think About It

25 Homework

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

28

The Art of Narrative

30

If You Build It, They Will Come

5

Head’s Message

6

At the Heart of

Pegasus Magazine is published twice yearly

8

Program: Writers Workshop

by the Office of Advancement at The Pegasus School. It is archived at thepegasusschool.org/about/publications

10

Distinguished Speaker Series: Sal Khan

12

Faculty Focus: Remy Carl

16

New Middle School Electives

18

Program: The Age of Apps at Age Ten

Rick Davitt PRINTING Orange County Printing

We welcome your feedback! Please address queries and comments to Shalini Mattina smattina@thepegasusschool.org

PEGASUS NOW

40 Calendar

ALUMNI

34

Those Who Soar

37

Alumni Connections

PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

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4

THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

HEAD’S MESSAGE

Thinking about Thinking “We make our world significant by the courage of our questions and by the depth of our answers.” – Carl Sagan The terms “critical thinking” and “critical thinking skills” are used so frequently in education that they risk ubiquity. But, maybe that is the idea. The notion that we teach students how-to-think, like it is a subject, misses the point. We teach students how to track down answers to their own burning questions, how to compare and contrast reams of information, how to synthesize and evaluate and, ultimately, make decisions. If we make this process reflexive, we educate for life.

How do we do this?

In this issue of Pegasus Magazine, the concept of critical thinking is defined and examined from every angle. Karla Joyce tackles the topic from the perspective of inside the classroom. Through conversations with teachers in our primary, lower, and middle schools, she identifies clear developmental stages students pass through as they develop their critical thinking skills.

Of course, thinking doesn’t stop at the end of a school day. Marrie Stone picks up the torch outside the classroom as she follows Pegasus families into their homes for a look at how we can foster criticalthinking skills in everyday living. And Jonathan Stark makes the case for invention as the ultimate model of critical thinking; his inside look at Adam Stockman’s DreamLab exposes the vitality at play when thinking happens.

Thinking critically involves identifying the relationship between subjects, and we mimic this in the development of our curriculum.

Jennifer Aguilar outlines the wide array of offerings among our new middle school electives- classes specifically designed to address unique curiosities. And Tricia Starkenburg shares with you the exciting new primary school program called Writers Workshop, where our earliest learners are being given the vocabulary and the opportunity to think critically.

This opportunity to reflect, to evaluate, and to create permeates the student experience at Pegasus. It shapes the character of our children and defines a lifestyle of thoughtful insight and purposeful action. It is the reason our students are so well received at area high schools and the reason they will find themselves attracted to leadership roles in their future communities.

John Zurn Head of School PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

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At the Heart of Pegasus

by Karla Joyce

Snapshot of a Community

The dictionary defines community as a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. This mayor may not include friendship. Typically, these two pages of the Pegasus Magazine feature a collection of stories about individuals in our community that — together — say who we are. The portraits that follow are different, however. They are not separate. They don’t celebrate individualism, personal achievement, or quiet dedication. Instead, they bear witness to the intense friendship that bubbles below the surface of the Pegasus community.

This is the heart of Pegasus.

Olivia’s Story

E

arly last spring, Olivia Barkhordar was bouncing along the blacktop in a pack of fourth grade girls, happy as ever. Nobody would have noticed the enlarged lymph node the size of a marble in her neck; in fact, she had to crane significantly to bring it out. Her teacher, Jennifer Green, was one of the first to spot it. Lisa Arangua, Olivia’s mother, rushed her to the pediatrician, but really, they would say now, it was unclear, asymptomatic. And the doctors concurred, associating it with Olivia’s waning sore throat.

Olivia quietly asked: “Do I have cancer?” No, said the experts, after myriad tests for lymphoma failed. But the lymph node and Arangua persisted. When — a whole month later — an ultrasound came back stamped urgent and a biopsy followed, Olivia’s fear was confirmed: she had papillary thyroid cancer. During spring break, UCLA surgeons removed 100 cancerous nodes from her neck. The disease was ultimately identified as a very rare variant called diffuse sclerosing papillary carcinoma (DSPC), and Olivia endured radiation, days in isolation and a whole host of demons that kept her painfully awake for months.

“I Feel Protected” It had been Olivia’s idea to go public. Days after the diagnosis Karen Hurst, the Pegasus nurse, sat Olivia down like a daughter and said, frankly: let’s talk. How did she want to manage this? Should they tell her classmates? Nobody would expect communicating cancer to be easy at any age; at age 10, it seemed inconceivable. But Olivia insisted.

Hurst orchestrated a grade-wide sit-down with Olivia and Arangua facing sixty kids and their teachers, all rapt and unmistakably compassionate. They described the disease, the procedures, treatments and prognosis, answered questions, shared fears, and yes, cried.

In general, there is a mystery to cancer. But when a fourth-grade brain wraps itself around the concept, facts jumble, distortion spreads.

Stopping it, like a bodyguard, was Robby Keilch, fellow fourth grader.

Robby and Olivia had been fast friends since preschool, always classmates but more: they were in sync. If Olivia was hurt, he was there. He ran interference, dismissed chatter, and delivered news as it happened on a need-to-know basis. He visited her in the hospital and joined her in isolation, via Skype. There was tremendous peer support and a devoted ring of friends, but Robby was there.

Post-surgery, Dr. Shreeti Patel, Pegasus parent, took a knee to ask Olivia face-to-face just how she felt. Olivia thought first, then answered: “I feel protected.”

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THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

The Army of Angels Patel is just one of a group of adults who, from the outset, supported Olivia and her parents with tenacity. Extended family and close personal friends were in this camp, as well as a collection of Pegasus parents and teachers so armed with compassion and purpose that Arangua dubbed them her Army of Angels. Fellow Pegasus parents and longtime friends, Lisa Argyros and Angie Karahalios, carried Arangua emotionally, calling her daily. Karen Hurst was the back-up mom, and Kelly Townsend, parent, the mobilizer. Second-grade teacher, Sharon Goldhamer, donated a laptop for the Skype sessions during isolation and third-grade teacher, Vicki Olivadoti, visited regularly. And, fifthgrade teacher and friend, Keri Gorsage, monitored Olivia’s seamless return to campus.

The family was optimistic. “We had nailed the surgery,” Arangua says. “We were in the hands of the extraordinary physicians at Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA.” But anxiety held on, a consequence of cancer treatment that Jamie El-Erian, friend and Pegasus parent, knew well.

El-Erian had lost her father to cancer the week Olivia was diagnosed. Her experience with the specialists at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston had been so impactful that she urged Arangua and her husband to consult with them, for peace of mind.

Patel, herself a physician and advocate of extensive research, identified and contacted experts in papillary thyroid cancer at New York’s Sloan Kettering and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The team at UCLA willingly expanded to include these new parties and, together, they determined that Olivia’s impending protocol was not efficacious for children. It was innovative, but it would have been ineffective for Olivia. “We really could have blown it,” says Arangua.

In the battle against cancer, it’s good to have an Army of Angels.

Flat Olivia Travels the World While doctors were redefining how to treat children with this form of cancer, Kelly Townsend was busy keeping Olivia connected. She devised a scheme to bring friends to her in the hospital in isolation over the summer. With vanilla card stock cut into the shape of a doll, she created the Flat Olivia. Classmates, teachers, friends and family all dressed up their “Flats” and Flat Olivia in Palm Springs packed them safely into suitcases for some with Chase Harvey far-flung adventures.

Pictures of Flat Olivia popped up daily from places like Palm Springs, Cabo San Lucas, New York City, and Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, where Mrs. Green was giving birth. (Flat Olivia was in the delivery room.) And, thanks to the Argyros family, the “Flats” made impressive friends. While in Washington, D.C., Flat Olivia was photographed with General Colin Powell, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and Buzz Aldrin.

Flat Olivia with Lisa Argyros (L), And — because she is just a kid — Brad Pitt, and Julia Argyros (R) Brad Pitt.

Olivia is back at school, in step in fifth-grade and moving forward. Her health is strong, math is hard, and there is a fishtail, rainbow-loom bracelet waiting to be mastered. But Olivia carries with her the substance of her experience. She has the comfort of knowing that there are many mothers, standing behind her own; there are scores of friends who love her; there are strangers, in distant locations, willing to work on her behalf. And there are angels around every corner in our Pegasus Community.

Karla Joyce is a Pegasus parent and contributing writer for the Pegasus Magazine.

Contact: karlajoyce@cox.net Olivia’s Army of Angels

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PROGRAM

Out of the

Mouths of

abes

The Writers Workshop, at Work, at Pegasus

by Tricia Starkenburg

A

sk Nancy Larimer’s kindergarten class, “Who here is

Workshop is a program that teaches kids from the earliest ages

a writer?” and you will see every hand shoot into the

to be writers. Students brainstorm story ideas, organize their

air. Ask Sandy Deering’s pre-kindergarten class, “If you

thoughts, write and write some more, revise and revise again,

have a great story to tell, give me a thumbs up,” and you will see

and finally publish a finished piece of work.

every student give not one but two thumbs up. Observe Sarah

Hurwitz’s kindergarten class during free-play, and you will see

University, Writers Workshop has helped thousands of teachers

clusters of students discussing their story ideas. Something new

transform their writing curriculum. Tashon McKeithan,

and exciting is infecting the primary school. And that something

Primary School Director who joined Pegasus in 2012 with

is Writers Workshop.

extensive experience in Writers Workshop, encouraged primary

school teachers to try the program last year. “I suspected

What exactly is this Writers Workshop that makes primary

school students cheer and ask for more? At its core, Writers 8

THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

Founded 30 years ago by Lucy Calkin at Columbia

Writers Workshop would fit well with the Pegasus gifted

curriculum,” says McKeithan. “By its nature, Writers Workshop is differentiated. The program works for writers who are writing well-above grade level, as well as for writers who are just beginning. It meets each writer at her level and then continually stretches and challenges her.”

The primary school faculty experienced immediate results.

“Students who had no previous interest in writing were suddenly writing pages and pages,” shares Hurwitz. “And during a single session I showed a more advanced writer how to add spaces between his words and a beginning writer how to label his pictures with beginning sounds.”

Such positive results led the primary school division to

embrace Writers Workshop this academic year with one modification. Instead of starting in kindergarten, Pegasus is

edits, titles his story, designs a book cover, creates a title page,

starting in pre-kindergarten. “It’s a risk,” states Deering. “But we

and finally publishes his book. The class then throws a party

believe our students are ready.”

to celebrate both the writer’s published work and the writer

himself. “We wanted to make our first publishing party extra

The risk appears to be paying off. “I have students ask me

during recess when the next Writers Workshop will be,” says

special by inviting our fourth grade buddies,” says Deering.

pre-kindergarten teacher Traci Lappin. “Other than free-choice, I

don’t recall students ever asking about a specific subject.”

for a buddy event,” says Green, “but we had no idea what a

tremendous success it would be.” Before the party, Deering’s

“My students cheer every time it’s time for Writers

“Sandy and I knew the publishing party was a great idea

Workshop,” says Deering. The pre-kindergarten team agrees that

class practiced and practiced reading their stories out loud,

their students connect with Writers Workshop in part because

and Green’s class practiced listening attentively and providing positive comments. All the practice paid off.

... students connect with Writers Workshop in part because the program taps into each writer’s passions and imagination.

Each pre-kindergartener and first-time author confidently

and proudly read her published story to her fourth grade buddy, and the older buddy listened intently and praised her work.

“Every single student in the classroom was engaged,” says Green.

“No one wanted the party to end.”

Green states the positive experience continued back in her

fourth grade classroom. “My students couldn’t believe what creative and confident storytellers their pre-K buddies were,” she says. “More importantly,” Green continues, breaking into a

the program taps into each writer’s passions and imagination.

big grin, “my students asked when they could write their own

“A pre-kindergartener who is obsessed with airplanes can write

stories.” Green looks forward to celebrating more publishing

about airplanes every day,” says Deering, “and a writer who is

parties with Deering’s class this year. “It was a huge win-win.

passionate about fairies can write about fairies every day.”

It was one of those authentic teaching moments you can’t plan,”

says Green. “It just happened.”

Recently, Jennifer Green’s fourth grade class witnessed first-

hand the power of Writers Workshop when they participated

in their pre-kindergarten buddies’ first ever publishing party. A

school. It’s infecting it with the joy of writing.

core Writers Workshop activity, story publishing occurs several times a year. Each writer chooses his favorite story, makes final

Yes, Writers Workshop is definitely infecting primary

Tricia Starkenburg is is a Pegasus parent and contributing writer for the Pegasus Magazine. Contact: tricia@starkenburg.com

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Meet Founder and Executive Director, Khan Academy

by Jamie El-Erian

O

N OCTOBER 12, 2013, THE PEGASUS SCHOOL HOSTED SAL KHAN, THE VISIONARY BEHIND THE EPONYMOUS, NONPROFIT EDUCATIONAL WEBSITE, KHAN ACADEMY. With over 300 million people in 216 countries in over 24 languages viewing his videos, Khan Academy is well on its way toward achieving its ambitious mission: to provide a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere.

If you open today’s newspaper, you will find the United States ranked 14th in reading, 25th in math, 17th in science and an abysmal 22nd in high school graduation rates, as compared to the top 27 industrial nations worldwide. This is equally troubling given that the

celebrating his 37th birthday and vision for the future of

United States spends an average $10,000 per student each year

education with Pegasus and our local community. What Sal is

(about $1.3 trillion annually) on education. Our high school

doing in education is a game changer.

dropout rates hover close to 30% (1.2 million students a year)

correlating to double the national average unemployment rate

Engineering and Computer Science and an MBA from

for those under 24 years old. Perhaps more dire, studies show

Harvard. He is listed in Fortune magazine’s ‘40 under 40’ (the

that 75% of all crimes are committed by high school dropouts,

40 most influential people under the age of 40), has been

with incarnation costs of approximately $31,000 per year.

profiled twice on ‘60 Minutes,’ and has been named by TIME

Combine that figure with lost tax income and you have a total

magazine among the ‘100 Most Influential People in the

annual societal cost of $1.8 billion…for our dropouts, alone.

World.’ He has received grants from the Gates Foundation,

That’s the bad news. Here is the good news.

Google, The Broad Foundation and Oracle, been awarded

Brilliant minds are working to solve these problems

the Microsoft Tech Award for Education and been invited to

Sal has three degrees from MIT in Math, Electrical

here and abroad, and they are making a difference. The new

speak at a TED conference by Bill Gates (who admitted to

kid on the educational block is Sal Khan, who is graciously

using the Khan Academy to teach his own kids).

10 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

A little history about Khan Academy. In 2004, Sal began

We loaded up two iPhones, one iPod, an iPad and a Kindle

tutoring his cousin Nadia in algebra. By 2006, due in part to

with the app and looked for pre-algebra. Khan Academy has

Nadia’s wild success, he starting uploading tutoring sessions

eleven videos on positive and negative numbers, two of which

to YouTube for his other cousins. People — many more than

are dedicated to subtracting negative numbers. Within five

his cousins — started watching. In 2009, Sal quit his day job

minutes we had watched the relevant video, and I repeated

as a hedge fund analyst to start Khan Academy, a free online

the question: ‘What is negative 3 minus

site offering educational videos to everyone, everywhere. His site has over 4500 videos, teaching kids from kindergarten through 12th grade subjects ranging from math, sciences, economics, and finance to history and the humanities. These lessons are paced to an individual’s needs so that basic concepts can be

Brilliant minds are working to solve these problems here and abroad, and they are making a difference.

negative 3?’ and an enthusiastic ‘zero’ came back, even from me!

Four kids, five minutes, and the confidence to last a lifetime. My nephew said, “I wish Sal Khan was my teacher.” I shot back: ‘Sal Khan IS your teacher! He’s YOUR teacher!’

We live in a wonderful time. All of my grandparents were born and

understood deeply, with no gaps, allowing greater mastery of more advanced material.

raised in rural Arkansas. They received their entire education

Let me share how the Khan Academy has affected my

in one room, grades one through twelve taught by a single

life. Last month, I went to Arkansas to see my nieces and

teacher. In my lifetime, I am seeing this concept come full

nephews. In my own household, we had been visited by

circle. Khan Academy has captured the concept of the one-

the ghost of subtracting negative numbers, so when I arrived in

room schoolhouse and reimagined it online as a virtual One-

Arkansas I asked the kids, casually, over dinner: ‘What is

World schoolhouse, where everyone, everywhere, at anytime

negative 3 minus negative 3?’

has access to a world-class education…for free.

I got back two blank stares, one “negative six” and a

“zero.” It had been a long time since I thought about negative numbers, so I wasn’t exactly sure which one was correct.

This concept is changing the world.

Jamie Walters El-Erian is a Pegasus parent and attorney. She is married to Mohamed El-Erian.

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FACULTY FOCUS

Remy Carl and the Mystery of Pegasus

by Mike Mulroy 2000 B.C. – Algebra is developed by the Babylonians.

1923 – The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran, is published.

1971 – John Wooden teaches Bill Walton how to put on socks and tie shoes.

1984 – Dr. Laura Hathaway founds The Pegasus School.

2005 – U.C. Berkeley wins NCAA Women’s Rowing Championship 2010 – Remy Carl accepts a job in Middle School at Pegasus.

2013 – Sal Khan presents at the Pegasus Distinguished Speaker Series

W

hat do these events have to do with each other? Lots of

unknown variables in that equation.

Imagine you are a teacher, with the task of solving an equation containing approximately 20 pre-teen variables, all with different learning styles; half of them thinking they know more than they do and the other half not yet fully confident in their intellects. Tough problem to solve.

Fortunately, Pegasus teems with solutions to this problem — the school’s teachers.

This article is about one of those teachers who not at all ironically teaches Algebra: Remy Carl.

12 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

But what does it mean to teach? Gibran’s prophet speaks of

work together than the All-American coxswain on a Division I

teaching:

champion rowing team? The metaphor from coxswain to teacher

“No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep

is just too perfect; I half expected the desks in her classroom to

in the dawning of our knowledge.”

be set up in the shape of an 8-rower shell. But no, desks were

“The teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple, among his

followers, gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith and his

lovingness.”

Does Algebra lie dormant in the child’s mind, waiting to be

released? Did the ancient Babylonians invent Algebra or discover it?

Carl speaks of John Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success.” The

middle block on the bottom row says “Loyalty — To yourself and to all those depending

simply partnered together so that, according to Carl, “no student would be alone.”

I happened to sit next to Carl at the Sal Khan Distinguished

Speaker Series event in early October. This personified reminder of my looming deadline made it hard to focus on the lecture.

I heard enough though to drift off and daydream about it. I give titles to my daydreams and call this one “Education Trek 2.0 — The Wrath of Khan.” I imagined a conversation I could have had millions of years ago with a particularly cold-blooded Tyrannosaurus Rex. I told

upon you.” Coach Wooden

it that a comet was coming

said, “Loyalty is part of human

and its smashing into Earth

beings’ higher nature. It is also

would lead to the extinction

part of the nature of great teams

of the dinosaurs. T-Rex was

and those who lead them. The

unhappy with this news and,

power of Loyalty is the reason

over my protestations about

I placed it in the center of the

my being just the messenger,

Pyramid’s foundation.”

the daydream ends with me as

Carl is loyal, fiercely loyal,

afternoon snack.

to her students — perhaps at

Still daydreaming, fears of

a time in their academic lives

things far worse than T-Rex

when they need it most. She

emerge. Fear of a world of

ascribes her teaching success

children being educated at

not to her prowess in Algebra, but rather to her ability to convince her students that she wants them to succeed. I am reminded of that oft-repeated question, “Why do I need to learn this; it’s not like I’m ever going to need to know it.” So, what do the 12-year-olds really learn in seventh grade Algebra? Generalizing, what do Pegasus students really learn at Pegasus? They all, of course, work through a multi-year curriculum chock-full of interesting facts and theories. But while the subjects covered are generally the same, the discoveries are quite different. The teacher plays a critical role here, but each is really a guide. Going back to the Gibran quotation: it is really about unlocking something already within. There is humility in all of this — Pegasus students are not invented; they are discovered.

There is an important social aspect to the student’s journey,

which Carl recognizes. The challenge for the teacher, per Gibran, is not to impart wisdom but to awaken the student by demonstrating faith in the student. Try that in a group setting

their home computers, alone, with the desks still paired together in Carl’s empty classroom.

Fear of parents avoiding both the financial burden of a great education and the many ills of underperforming schools. Fear of arguments about efficiency. Can a computer screen provide faith and lovingness?

It was good that I had interviewed Carl prior to the lecture.

It was good that I sat next to her during the lecture. It helped me get through it and not think of Pegasus as some sort of ancient, mythical creature on the way out but rather as a critical force in the lives of so many children and one that will be even more critical in the years ahead. For these reasons, I give thanks to Carl and all the teachers who everyday help our children discover their inner Pegasus student.

Mike Mulroy is the proud Pegasus parent of Alden (5th) and Michael (Pre-K).

Contact mkmul2002@yahoo.com

with 20 different personalities and a need to move the class through an established curriculum. Who better to get a team to PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

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THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT The phenomenon whereby one tiny event - the butterfly posing, wings frozen for inspection - can have large effects elsewhere...like minutes later, when the child asks her teacher, “Do butterflies have brains?” or “How long will that butterfly live?” and the universe opens.

14 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

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A

n aerial snapshot of the Pegasus campus on any given day might suggest that primary, lower, and middle school students mingle consistently,

like one big family. And, if the confidence and familial conviviality of the greater student body is any indication, they do. But zoom in on the hub of lockers at the east end of the Quad, where clusters of preteens gather north and scatter with direction, and the distinctness of the middle school experience appears.

the

REVIVALof

TINKERING New Middle School Electives Designed to Make Things Happen

by Jennifer Aguilar

The editors at Pegasus Magazine asked me to investigate

the recently launched, massively expanded Electives Program available to sixth through eighth graders. As a parent of younger kids, I entered blindly. In a word, middle school is invigorating...a place that feels youthfully energetic, where teachers sport gnarly (a.k.a. cool) facial hair and kids, the air of independence. They’re still kids, but there is a palpable difference from the fourth and fifth graders around the corner. According to Joe Williamson, the middle school years are a time when students “branch out, explore their interests, and take everything to the next level.”

Sure, middle school students must manage the newness

of lockers, intensified academics, and rotating schedules, but they are still shrouded in the comfort of Pegasus — a place most have known exclusively for years. Freed from physical transition anxiety, these students can “channel their creativity and curiosity and, ultimately, emerge with the ability to think critically,” says Adam Stockman. But how do we facilitate the journey? “One way is building their confidence,” adds Williamson, echoing the independence program launched in third grade, when parents agree to step away from homework and place the onus of success and failure (or, learning) on the student. Another way, in Middle School, is through electives.

Last year, middle school director, Joe Williamson, set

out to expand his electives curriculum to tap the thinking 16 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

skills required in “making,” a buzzword for invention and

the application of technologies, including (but not limited to)

that, according to Williamson, has become a lost art. “It’s the

engineering-oriented pursuits. To augment a slate of proven

cornerstone of invention!” Tinkering capitalizes on the innate

offerings, like Writers Workshop, Performing Arts, and Debate,

tendencies of children to figure out by fiddling, who learn

Williamson asked each of his teachers to come up with a new

by doing. “For years,” Warren says, “parents of her students

elective course, stressing one essential guideline: “Make it

watched their kids race home to work on a project, getting lost

something you are passionate about.”

in the process of building and testing to achieve a simple result.”

The Rube Goldberg elective is a structured outgrowth of her

Apparently, seventh grade math teacher, Dustan Bridges,

Many of the new electives promote a revival of tinkering

is passionate about CO2 Dragster Cars. Bridges affectionately

curriculum.

describes his new elective as “Pinewood Derby on steroids” and

his enthusiasm is infectious; over 20 students signed up. In this

all driven to tap critical thinking skills operable in identifying

one-semester course, kids take a rudimentary kit consisting of

problems and creating solutions. Middle School Spanish

a wood block and wheels, and design and build a small racecar

teacher, Valerie Harelson’s Marketing elective exposes students

powered by a CO2 cartridge. Students learn about mass, inertia,

to mainstream advertising and, by comparison, marketing

friction, thrust, aerodynamics, and Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion,

techniques particularly effective in raising awareness of a cause.

but the real draw is speed. Longtime Pegasus science teacher

Remy Carl’s offering is Textile Arts, “a practical class focused

Rob Grant, who taught a similar class before his passing in 2008,

on life skills like: sewing a button, communicating, following

inspired Bridges.

instructions, and making mistakes.” First lesson: knitting.

Freed from physical transition anxiety, these students can ‘channel their creativity and curiosity and, ultimately, emerge with the ability to think critically.’

Equally popular is Stockman’s Dreamlab, a course-like

Not all of the new electives involve technology, but they are

Williamson sees great potential for the new electives to

grow into a strong and successful program. “We have teachers who are strongly connected to their subjects, many motivated to seek continuing education to expand their knowledge. We have students feeding off this energy. And we have the added bonus of: no grades!” Williamson hopes that future waves of electives will be student-initiated and created deliberately for unique interests. In the meantime: Students, start your engines…

Jennifer Aguilar is the Pegasus parent of Noah (5th) and Sabrina (3rd). She designs and assists with the copywriting of marketing collateral for Communities for Cause (CfC). Contact: jennifer@communitiesforcause.com

“experience” that draws heavily from the “maker” movement, a technology-based extension of D-I-Y culture. Dreamlab is a “venue for student-driven learning and tinkering,” says Stockman, “using tools such as a 3-D printer and microcontrollers.” He sees Dreamlab as a throwback to the 1960s and earlier, when every kid in school had to build a simple electrical circuit. “In a time when we have access to so much technology,” says Stockman, “the irony is that we have little understanding of how these devices are built or how they work.”

Science teacher Julie Warren designed a Simple Mechanics

elective based entirely on Rube Goldberg, a cartoonist who imagined and drew extraordinarily complex machines that accomplished very simple tasks. In this one-semester course, students work in groups of three to create machines using mechanical, chemical and/or heat energy transfers to accomplish simple goals, like opening a window, making a paper airplane fly, or turning on a light.

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PROGRAM

The Age of at Age Ten Technology that Changes How We Work, How We Teach, How We Learn

A

by Jean Kawahara

fter a limited pilot program last year, fourth

or where they saved their work; it is saved automatically to a

through eighth graders are swapping Word, Excel

globally accessible drive, a.k.a. the cloud. Those frustrating days

and Power Point for Google Apps for Education,

of forgetting or losing the flash drive that contained all of one’s

a cloud-based suite of software applications for

assignments are gone. Instead, students can always access and

email, word processing, spreadsheets and computer slide

edit their work on school iPads, home PCs, even smartphones.

presentations. Although the basic functions have remained

the same, the change is just as exciting in the academic setting

of the early adopters of Google Docs. He raves about how the

as the professional world. Teachers and students are reveling

application enabled his debaters to brainstorm together as never

in the interactive capability that Google Apps affords, and

before, but he finds the same advantages for his eighth grade

the newfound ease in editing, saving and submitting their

social studies classes. Not only does Google Docs make it easier

assignments.

for his students to work together on a project, the color-coded

Have Internet, Can Work!

revisions history feature allows him to see clearly what each

Front and center among the applications is Google Docs, a

extends to individual assignments, as well. Whether a student

word processing program that allows for online collaboration.

has worked on an assignment consistently for two weeks or

Gone are the days when the only means of seeing a student’s

began the night before, it will be documented on the revisions

work was when it was either printed or emailed to the teacher. Now, students share their work file with their teacher, enabling the teacher to open, read and comment on — or even revise — the students’ work online, sometimes while it’s still

Jim Conti, middle school teacher and debate coach, was one

student contributed to the assignment codes. This transparency

history and irrefutably clear to the teacher. The dog did not eat the homework!

HAPARA: Transparency, Accountability and Security

in progress, allowing them to make sure that

Every parent knows that monitoring one

they are on the right track. Collaboration among

child’s computer usage can be a daunting

students on group projects is also much easier, as they can work on the same document or presentation file simultaneously, and see and respond to each other’s additions and revisions in real time.

Switching to Google Docs also has

meant that students no longer have to worry about when

18 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

task. How then can Pegasus teachers supervise an entire classroom of students on their laptops and iPads? Enter the Hapara Teacher Dashboard.

Initially developed in collaboration with teachers in New Zealand, Hapara (the Maori word for “daybreak”) is a management system that layers on top

of Google Apps, allowing teachers to get a bird’s eye view of

Jennifer Green, fourth grade teacher, gushes about how

students’ activity in all the Google applications. Hapara provides

the program has enhanced her ability to manage her students’

teachers and parents with an added degree of transparency,

work and help them navigate the freedom and responsibility of

accountability and security in the face of increased online

their new school laptops. Hapara makes it easier for Green to

activity.

track down missing computer files, monitor students’ progress

Hapara organizes each class by student and

on assignments, and send emails to some or all of her

subject, and students merely drop their work into the

students at the same time. She has even been known

designated folder for each class or subject. Teachers can

to startle a wayward student to attention with an

see at-a-glance on their onscreen “dashboard” the

instant message, alerting him to the fact that he had

status of every assignment for each student, including

been caught browsing the Internet — thanks to

when the work was revised and by whom. This

Hapara. When asked whether the need for constant

dashboard view also facilitates teacher input, as class

monitoring might threaten to overwhelm her other

assignments can be easily opened, reviewed and commented

responsibilities, she smiles. “Once the kids know I can do this, I

upon from a single screen.

really don’t need to use it anymore.”

The Hapara dashboard helps teachers ensure that students’

These high-tech tools are dramatically affecting our lives,

online activity is efficient and appropriate. When students are

and they are making our work efforts more efficient and

at work on their iPads, teachers can use the dashboard to see the

collaborative. What remains to be seen, however, is how this

browser tabs and open-screens on each student’s device, alerting

different level of interaction between student and teacher and

them if a student is viewing inappropriate content or is simply

heightened efficiency, from such a young age, will influence the

off-task. Teachers can also see what files or links students may

lives of our children and, by extension, our future.

have shared with each other and, if necessary, monitor emails sent through students’ Pegasus Gmail accounts.

Jean Kawahara-Dunlavey is the Pegasus parent of student Corinne (5th) and alumni Brett (’10) and Grant (’13). Contact jeankawahara@gmail.com

PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

19

FEATURE

Think ABOUT IT Teaching Students HOW to THINK...Critically, Creatively, Constructively

by Karla Joyce

POP QUIZ: WOULD YOU RATHER YOUR CHILD GROW UP TO BE AN A-STUDENT OR A THINKER? As a parent of twin fifth graders, I would answer: thinker. I think. But, backpedalling: a high GPA will serve them better on college applications. I think. Backtracking still: surely the ability to go beyond academic performance and create solutions will give their lives greater meaning. Wait. Are they necessarily mutually exclusive? Is this a trick question? Am I failing?

So much has been written on the subject of critical thinking and thinking skills in childhood education that it is now ubiquitous, something assumed to be integrally woven into every classroom experience from kindergarten through college. Is it?

How does a five-year-old think critically? How are my eleven-year-olds learning to think creatively within the fifth grade American history curriculum? And how will my soon-to-be middle school students translate these critical thinking skills into the kind of constructive thinking that transcends high-volume high school academics?

It is in this fog of not-knowing and questioning candidly — also known as thinking — that I ask educators from the Primary, Lower, and Middle divisions to discuss thinking…one developmental stage at a time.

I

PRIMARY SCHOOL Remembering & Understanding

confess. When it comes to my childrens’ education, I hover.

I don’t taint their homework with stealth forty-something insight, but it’s a calculated restraint. Instead, I read

Theory aside, anybody with a four-year-old knows that kids have

pedagogy, the various methods and practices of teaching, and

an innate desire to understand why things happen and how things

follow its trends like a diet.

Around the time we entered Pegasus, I discovered

work. Thinking is driven by the questions we seek to answer, but to answer questions, we need information. Kristen Brady,

Bloom’s Taxonomy. Back in 1956, an educational psychologist

lower school learning specialist, points out, “The little guys

named Benjamin Bloom designed a classification of levels of

can’t reflect because they have less prior knowledge.” Although

intellectual behavior in learning. He started with knowledge,

critical thinking is most applicable to higher-order thinking, it

comprehension, and application, then progressed to the higher-

is how we transmit knowledge and coax understanding in these

order thinking skills: analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

youngest students that sets the stage for future thinkers.

During the mid 90s, a new group of cognitive psychologists

re-envisioned this progression with 21st-century relevance:

use to build students’ critical thinking skills at every stage of

remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

It seemed logical, like a snapshot of the developmental stages that occur during elementary education and beyond. It is also a framework from which emerge the concepts of critical and creative thinking.

20 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

According to Brady, there are key techniques that teachers

development, starting early: Open-ended Questions. Nancy Larimer, kindergarten teacher, admits that the Socratic approach at this age relies more on closed-ended questions, a fact-based question format that limits respondents with a list of choices, “because we’re building

PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

21

groups,” says Lessenger. “Today, we sorted and categorized the working parts of a community. Each group produced a book, identifying their findings, such as places to learn, work, get help, play, worship, buy, one page at a time.”

LOWER SCHOOL Applying & Analyzing This is a developmental stage when the brain is taking in massive amounts of information and the sourcing of research material, as a newfound skill, takes center stage. Despite rich, curricular opportunities to weave thinking-outside-the-box into the assimilation of knowledge, there is a hard reality to facts. Shannon Vermeeren, fifth grade teacher, laments that her students — particularly the ones who have typically achieved basic knowledge.” But open-ended questions exist. “We talk

at high levels — are so driven to get right answers. One student,

about social skills in kindergarten and we do that through

upon receiving 87% on his first researching assignment, sobbed,

books.” In every story there are opportunities for reflection, via

“I’m just not good at this!”

questioning. “I’m asking kids to put themselves in somebody else’s

shoes.” (And to the fifth grader: “How would the Revolutionary

daily to challenge students to tap that four-year-old’s instinct

War have been resolved without the support of other European

to question everything, but at a higher level. “Fifth grade is a

countries?” Research, compare and contrast, posit, defend. In

challenging year,” says Vermeeren. “It’s not harder because of

both cases: think.)

increased workload or academic content. It’s harder because we

Patterns and Connections. Some kids see patterns naturally;

are expecting the students to think in different ways.”

others learn to spot connections. Either way, it’s a critical

thinking skill that can be honed daily at a very young age.

the Lost Colony of Roanoke, a puzzling mystery in American

Larimer turns her Friendly Frogs’ calendar time into a rousing

history in which 115 English settlers disappeared without a

game of patternmaking. “Give them a grid with numbers, a

trace. Vermeeren posed the question: What happened to them?

hundreds chart or basic calendar, and the options are endless.”

(Only theories exist, with clues pieced together from recently-

Older kids, says Brady, are challenged to “connect the content

unearthed maps and three letters carved into a tree at the time.

between their classes and recognize how the content of these

But there is no certainty, no real proof, and no right answer.)

classes relates to issues in their lives in meaningful ways.”

Working in groups, kids could answer in one of three ways:

Categories and Classifications. Organizing information into categories develops analysis, discrimination, comparison, and logical thinking skills. Larimer can find myriad ways to simply seat her kids on the carpet each day, grouping long hair or short hair, boys versus girls, or blue eyes and brown eyes. “It helps them see similarities and differences, and that there is no one right way or wrong way of categorizing.”

Group Work. “Group work is essential,” explains Denise Lessenger, second grade teacher. At higher thinking levels, collaborative work breeds flexibility, an ability to apply divergent opinions and the suspension of judgment, biases and egocentrism. Starting early matters. “We regularly work in

22 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

To address this roadblock, the fifth grade team strives

In a unit this fall, Vermeeren’s fifth grade students studied

Sure, we need to guide some kids more than others. But at a certain point, we need to stop handing out answers and just say: THINK. They can do it.

MIDDLE SCHOOL Evaluating & Creating

via straight news article, based on evidence; tabloid article, stemming from the most salacious speculation, or; fictional narrative, from the perspective of the tree. The energy in the room screamed: Are we being graded on this? What if I didn’t get it right?

The fact that this stage of learning-through-research exists

Full disclosure: my attentiveness to pedagogic process has waned of late, replaced by a busy schedule. The scope of my girls’ learning extends far past my ability to lace bigger-picture

in a digital format presents its own critical thinking challenges.

implications into every assignment. Maybe I’m just letting go.

A text here or there may be required for citation, but the bulk

Over the years, our dinner table conversation has moved from

of kids’ sources will be web-based. By necessity, according to

questioning to reporting to argument to now, a more thoughtful

Brady, running parallel to the lower school academic curriculum

discussion; it’s practically adult-like. But it’s more than age. It’s

is a steady exposure to the three D’s: digital literacy (the ability

the natural progression toward higher-order thinking, and it

to discern the veracity of online sources), digital citizenship

blossoms in middle school.

(thou shalt not plagiarize), and our digital footprint.

to deliberately apply the skills of analysis, problem solving,

Vermeeren insists that while all kids aren’t wired to analyze

data, make connections or solve problems at the same pace, they’re all capable of getting there eventually. “Sure, we need to guide some kids more than others. But at a certain point,” she says, “we need to stop handing out answers and just say: THINK. They can do it.”

At this age, students should have a strong enough foundation

critical thinking, organizational proficiency, research prowess, and confidence in presentation. These skills are most visibly on display in competitive debate. Debaters, led by eighth grade teacher Jim Conti, learn the four building blocks of an argument: assertion, reasoning, evidence, and impact.

PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

23

According to Conti, an assertion is

a claim about the world, a stance on an issue, or a simple statement, but it is not an argument. Adding reasoning, (Conti calls it “the because part”), is essential to making arguments. And since debate by its nature involves an opposing viewpoint, providing proof — solid,

...the argument needs impact.

‘Who will really care about your assertion?’ asks Conti. ‘Whom will you affect?’

researched evidence — of the reasoning is essential. Finally, the argument needs impact. “Who will really care about your assertion?” asks Conti. “Whom will you affect?”

Whom will you affect? The question lingers.

This template, which integrates what students have learned while forcing them to learn more broadly and in greater depth than they would otherwise, isn’t reserved for extracurricular debaters. “I purposely weave the debate format into my history classes,” says Conti. “Kids are encouraged to make assertions, offer a reason for the assertion and defend the assertions with evidence both in writing, via a paragraph, and in discussion.

One student may view a concept — like the One Child Policy in

24 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

China — through a certain perspective, while another may see it in a totally different light. Both have to think critically, using assertions, reasoning, and evidence, to defend their perspective.”

My interest in education persists, and I follow with fascination the likes of Sal Kahn and others who are redefining how

we learn and, by extension, how we think. But I am also at ease turning-over my twins to educators so clearly apace in their own thinking evolutions, like Vermeeren.

“All of the 21st-century skills are important,” she says,

“but critical thinking is the game changer. This generation is technologically astute and will graduate with a global perspective and reasonable economic literacy. But the catalysts of change will be the thinkers, those who can recognize problems, analyze and understand them at their core, and come up with creative, realistic solutions to solve them. We owe it to our students, and ourselves, to do our best to develop these skills in every single student.”

A HOMEWORK n aerial snapshot of the Pegasus campus on any given day might suggest that primary, lower,

and middle school students mingle consistently,

like one big family. And, if the confidence and familial

conviviality of the greater student body is any indication,

How Inspire Critical they do. Pegasus But zoom in onParents the hub of lockers at the east end Thinking the Classroom of the Quad, whereOutside clusters of preteens gather and scatter with direction, and the of the middle school bydistinctness Marrie Stone

I

experience appears.

N AUGUST 2011, PEGASUS MOTHER JILL FALES The editors at Pegasus Magazine asked me to investigate FOLLOWED THROUGH ON A DARING DECISION. the recently launched, massively expanded Electives INSTEAD OF SENDING HER FOUR CHILDREN Program available to sixth through eighth graders. As BACK TO SCHOOL IN THE FALL, SHE LOADED a parent of younger kids, I entered blindly. In a word, THEM INTO A MINIVAN AND SET OUT ON THE middle school is invigorating...a place that feels youthfully GREAT AMERICAN FIELD TRIP, A THREE-MONTH energetic, where teachers sport gnarly (a.k.a. cool) facial ADVENTURE OF ROAD-SCHOOLING ACROSS THE hair and kids, the air of independence. They’re still kids, UNITED STATES. Her children ranged in age from 6 to 14, but there is a palpable difference from the fourth and fifth two boys and two girls, each with his/her own personalities graders around the corner. According to Joe Williamson, and enthusiasms. Fales managed to cover math, science, the middle school years are a time when students “branch literature, history, and countless other topics all through out, explore their interests, and take everything to the hands-on experiences, real-life applications, and personal next level.” encounters with people, museums, farms, national parks, Sure, middle school students must manage the newness battlefields, rivers, libraries, mountains, and more. Each of of lockers, intensified academics, and rotating schedules, the twenty-seven states they visited offered a unique piece but they are still shrouded in the comfort of Pegasus — of the American puzzle. a place most have known exclusively for years. Freed from The backbone of Fales’s strategy was to bring learning physical transition anxiety, these students can “channel home by leaving home. Fales turned the country into an their creativity and curiosity and, ultimately, emerge with interactive classroom and every person they encountered the ability to think critically,” says Adam Stockman. But into a teacher. The challenge, of course, was educating four how do we facilitate the journey? “One way is building their children of different ages and genders, and making a love of confidence,” adds Williamson, echoing the independence learning part of their DNA. She accomplished this largely program launched in third grade, when parents agree to through letting her children’s curiosities drive the learning, step away from homework and place the onus of success and asking open-ended questions, and fostering an environment failure (or, learning) on the student. Another way, in Middle of consistent critical thinking.

School, is through electives. on page 26 School Director, Joe Williamson, set Continued Last year, Middle out to expand his electives curriculum to tap the thinking

(L-R) Heidi & Annika Tufo explore a friend’s home backyard pond full of water plants and critters.

PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

25

CRITICAL THINKING DEFINED “Critical thinking” has become a buzz-phrase among educators, and while most parents agree it’s an essential skill, many still struggle to define it. According to Elizabeth Shaunessy, Ph.D., in an

The SOLE approach depends on asking big, open-ended questions: When did the world begin? How will the world end? What happens to the air we breathe? What is a soul? Can animals think? Stimulating a child’s natural curiosity and giving them encouragement (letting learning happen) instead of threats (making learning

article she wrote for Duke

happen) creates an environment

University on Enhancing

of contagious wonder.

Critical-Thinking Skills in

Children: Tips for Parents,

Weber, a Pegasus parent,

critical thinking is

magician, and consultant,

“nonlinear, open-ended, and

inspires his children to explore

complex thinking; it allows

many of life’s tricky questions:

for multiple responses,

what causes waves in the ocean,

unspecified answers,

the origins of cursive and, on a

various perspectives

practical note, exploring how PHOTO COURTESY OF JILL FALES

and interpretations, and recognition of order among chaos.” Simply put, critical thinking focuses on teaching the student how to think, not what to think.

Examples of how

Pegasus teachers apply these The Fales children (L-R: Sally, Wyatt, Janey & Payton) role playing at Yorktown while skills in their classrooms

learning about the battle of Yorktown! It was fun to imagine the battle between the Americans and French versus the British troops while running up and down the trenches.

abound, but what happens when students go home? While not every Pegasus family is prepared to take to the road for three months, there are endless ways to enhance these skills in everyday, fun ways.

Pegasus parents, with their vast body of experiences and expertise across diverse fields, are a largely untapped resource of inspirational ideas.

THE SOLE CHALLENGE In February of this year, Sugata Mitra, Professor of Educational Technology at Newcastle University in the UK, presented a TEDTalk revealing his intention to build a School in the Cloud, a learning lab allowing children anywhere in the world to engage in intellectual adventures by exploring and collaborating online. Mitra introduced the SOLE Challenge, a Self-Organized Learning Environment that can be created in schools, at home, or anywhere there’s a broadband connection and a group of curious children.

26 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

Using this approach, Michael

rubber stamps are made (which led to Xander, his third grade son, producing self-stamped thank you notes for a birthday party). “I like to model quick lessons that don’t take too long,” says Weber. Having discrete tasks that can be accomplished quickly is satisfying to children, particularly young children. It

keeps them engaged and motivated.

“The art of accomplishment is the art of finishing things.

If you can model finishing things, actually completing a task, you’re already ahead of most people,” Weber says.

MINING YOUR OWN PASSIONS Sharing your own enthusiasms will help your children connect to your passions and model critical thinking skills.

Some families engage their kids over the stock market, investing money on their behalf so they can track the trends.

Others bond over reading the Sunday morning New York Times or the Wall Street Journal, all the while stimulating discussion through open-ended questions and soliciting opinions about what’s happening in the world.

Our family dissects electronics. When a computer,

television or cell phone dies, we disassemble it piece by piece, talking about what makes the device work and the art of design.

More information often begets more curiosity; one

question leads to others, and the process of critical thinking spirals more deeply.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MENTORS In addition to asking your child open-ended questions, eliciting conversations around the dinner table and hearing their opinions, giving children access to mentors in subjects that interest them will cultivate their curiosity. As a child, PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAMI ABRAHAM

Weber says he was surrounded by mentors — intellectually engaged older adults who allowed quiet kids in the room. His childhood exposure to sleight-of-hand legend Dai Vernon was a major influence in the trajectory of Weber’s career in magic.

Weber now plays that mentoring role every chance he

gets, and he advocates the practice of seeking out experts in any field. “It’s important to demystify the experience of success,” he says. Professionals are often generous with their time if you have an interest in their subject. Talking to them helps children understand that success and achievement aren’t reserved for the rich and famous.

Students from the Pegasus Robotics team receive hands-on experience using the da Vinci Si Surgical System, thanks to parent physician, Dr. Reginald Abraham, who arranged the lesson.

“Approaching people with authenticity will garner their

respect. Being mindful of where your path intersects theirs is helpful,” says Weber. “Once they see you’re further down the path, they’ll listen to you.”

Mentors are everywhere. They don’t have to be educated

experts. Ask the Fales family. Nearly everyone they encountered on their three-month sojourn taught them something important, whether in the corn fields of Iowa using PHOTO COURTESY OF SHALINI MATTINA

complex math to determine gross and yield, or reenacting the lunch-counter sit-ins from the Civil Rights movement at the Smithsonian, or chatting with a WWII fighter pilot.

Many parents make the mistake of believing their tuition

dollars buy them out of engaging with their children on tough intellectual topics. Opportunities to elicit critical reasoning skills abound and, within the conversation, there’s the chance not only to inspire thoughts and ideas, but to connect with your child, ignite your own curiosities, and create a lifelong love of thinking.

Kai Kasserman & Jack Makler engage in conversation with an bladesmith from the Renaissance Pleasure Faire and learn how armor was constructed during the Medieval period.

Marrie Stone is the Director of Public Affairs and co-host of “Writers on Writing” at KUCI, 88.9 FM and the mother of Haley Rovner (’15). Contact: marriestone@gmail.com

PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

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FEATURE

M

ost of us can recall, perhaps viscerally, the process of selecting a school for our

children. You may remember your first visit to the Pegasus campus, being greeted by the front office staff, meeting the admission personnel, touring the classrooms. You weren’t merely handed a fact sheet about the school (though that information likely weighed into

As early as prekindergarten, students stand up in front of their class, share something from home, and tell their story.

small character inside the world and imagine the plot of your child’s untold story.

Stories are how we create meaning.

In a world abuzz with more information available than ever before, coupled with technology that severely compromises our attention spans, the power of crafting a well-told story is an increasingly rare skill.

In an article for CNNMoney, Douglas

your decision). Instead, you were taken on a narrative journey of the school, starting wherever your child

Warshaw writes about Nate Silver joining ESPN as an expert

would start, and imagining all the years before you. You heard

on how to use data to tell stories. He observed, “In order to

the story of the school, including Dr. Hathaway’s vision. You

communicate—in order to truly move audiences, whether they

were allowed to picture your child inside her classroom, what

be one person or millions—data still need narrative, because

she would learn, who she would see, how she would play, the

people are hardwired to be moved by emotion.”

sights, sounds, smells, and textures of her day. You established

an emotional connection to the place where your child would

and author of Lead with a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives

spend the majority of her waking time. The guided tour of the

that Captivate, Convince, and Inspire, built a career on investigating

campus provided the setting, and it allowed you to put your own

how companies can connect with, inspire, and motivate change

28 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

Paul Smith, consumer research executive, corporate trainer,

in their clients and employees. Regardless of whether you’re talking to the board, your boss, a subordinate, or a client, his conclusion is this: the difference is storytelling. The ability to tell a compelling story, one that makes an emotional connection and influences human behavior, has been identified as one of the essential traits for 21st century success. As Warshaw claims, “Narrative is not just how we discuss the world, it’s how we interpret it, how we bundle our neurological impulses and responses to make sense of our immediate environment, which has far too many data points for us to ever live solely by the numbers.”

Opportunities for teaching effective storytelling abound

at Pegasus. As early as pre-kindergarten, students stand up in front of their class, share something from home, and tell their story. No wonder by the time students reach the Debate Team in middle school, with all those years of emphasizing public and persuasive speaking, they dominate over other leagues. Our teachers have mastered the fine art of story and give students

and imagined.” After the story is finished, share with your child the parts you found the most interesting and engaging, the bits you connected to the most.

every opportunity to cultivate their own. But how can parents

ENCOURAGE POINT OF VIEW SHIFTS. There are few

encourage and reinforce these skills at home?

better ways to build empathy in your child (or yourself) than

IDENTIFY THE THEME. Children often tend to lose the big picture when formulating their story. They’re easily distracted by irrelevant tidbits and tangential facts. If your child suffers from this common problem, wait until he completes his tale and then ask questions. Can he sum the story up in one or two sentences? Why was it important to tell you? What did he hope you’d get from it? This exercise will help him settle on the theme or purpose of the story, and what it meant to him.

PROMOTE EYE CONTACT AND BODY LANGUAGE. Lower and middle grades are self-conscious years. Often children haven’t found their confidence, or they lack experience engaging with groups or adults. Reinforcing eye contact and effective body language with acknowledgement and praise is a great way to solidify those important skills.

retelling a story from another person’s point of view. Forcing your child to crawl inside the clothes of another, sleep in her bed, and dream her dreams will widen her global perspective and get her outside her own head. PBS icon Fred Rogers always carried a saying from a social worker inside his pocket that said, “Frankly, there isn’t anyone you couldn’t learn to love, once you’ve heard their story.” Stories not only have the power to change the mind of the listener, but of the teller, too.

Stories have the power to persuade, to inform, to relate, and to identify. Just as Pegasus tells a compelling story on that initial tour as a “safe place to be smart,” our students will use narrative to tell their own stories as they apply to high schools, colleges, and beyond. They will use storytelling to connect with friends, spouses, employers, and competitors. They will create bonds, strike deals, build bridges of understanding, and reach

MAKE THE AUDIENCE CARE. Filmmaker Andrew Stanton

compromises, all through the power of narrative. They will have

(Toy Story and Wall-E) in his TEDTalk on The Clues to a Great Story,

the ability to cut through the noise of information, technology,

says, “Storytelling is joke telling. It’s knowing your punch-

and life served in bite-sized chunks to establish connections and

line, your ending, knowing everything you’re saying is leading

make meaning. The British playwright William Archer said,

to a singular goal, and ideally confirming some truth that

“Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty.” Narrative is

deepens our understanding of who we are as human beings.

the stuff of life.

Stories affirm who we are. And nothing is a greater affirmation than when we connect through stories and allow ourselves to experience the similarities between ourselves and others, real

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FEATURE

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME Pegasus Creates Cutting-Edge ‘Learning Space’ with the Launch of

by Jonathan Stark How frequently do we see people create new products or solutions to societal problems? Impatience with the status quo and the pace of change is accelerating at a fantastic rate. As parents, we need to ask ourselves:

Are we preparing our children not only to live in a dynamic world, but also to shape it?

How well will our children be prepared to answer the call: INNOVATORS WANTED? Until recently, we lacked the vocabulary to even identify the common traits of an innovator. Innovation was pervasive, but was neither tangible nor accessible. Then scholars such as Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, gave us insight to how Bill Gates could build a Microsoft, Larry Page and Sergey Brinn could grow a Google, Elon Musk could create Ebay and Tesla. With this glimpse into the process of innovation, educators have rallied to recreate it, to give young, curious minds the setting to foster invention.

Three people in our community, each with idiosyncratic ‘impatience’ and vision, have come together to create a unique, inventors’ environment at The Pegasus School, to tap the passion and latent traits of innovation for Pegasus students in an age-appropriate setting.

It’s called DreamLab.

T

here are many modern examples of innovation success

Zurn describes Dreamlab as the perfect forum for students

stories having started as hobbies, or hours of tinkering

to pursue interests at a deeper level, convinced that they could

in a garage. The most notable link: they started outside

gain a more profound understanding if their passions about

the classroom. About a year ago, Teacher Adam Stockman, Pegasus

a subject compelled them to physically create something.

parent Dwight Decker, and Head of School John Zurn, crafted

“Essentially, Adam is teaching a kind of creativity that, in the

a plan to create that captivating, chock-full-of-stuff garage at

past, people honed outside a classroom setting.”

Pegasus. It would be a room stocked with the right tools for

INNOVATION IN LEARNING

students to, as Stockman puts it, “uncover their passion for something, and relentlessly pursue performance in that thing… toward a novel conclusion.”

30 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

Certainly, Stockman, Decker, and Zurn shared a common interest in bringing a new learning environment to The Pegasus School. But the road from vision to fruition happened as the

PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

31

result of three divergent talents: Stockman’s passion for creating

best at expressing unmet needs, solving problems, and thinking

this type of learning space for his students, Decker’s track

differently.” He adds, “The goal isn’t to make a product. It’s

record of promoting innovative learning at Pegasus (it was

knowing how to make one’s dreams.”

Decker who brought ST Math to the school), and Zurn’s capacity

PROOF OF CONCEPT: DREAMLAB

says Zurn, “and Decker was the perfect catalyst for Stockman to realize that passion.”

The initial blueprint for DreamLab was a STEM-focused

environment, designed, says Stockman, to “expose students to information they need to conceive and create their own ideas.”

Stockman started by researching the Maker Movement

and designed DreamLab using

Stockman and Zurn embraced Decker’s notions, and DreamLab developed into more of a student-centered innovation engine than a true technology lab. Zurn explains the difference from an education perspective: “We already promote discipline in our students the traditional way. We push them to work harder in the classroom and to do more homework, but this is all external motivation developing discipline.” Simply adding a technology focus doesn’t make something

the “Maker Space” as a model.

innovative.

Maker Spaces have traditionally

Zurn clearly identifies the

been a space for engineers and

traits of successful innovators in

hobbyists — who don’t have

a way that Pegasus students can

access to a garage, packed with

emulate. “If I can describe two

electronics and tools — to either

things that make up innovation,

make electronic devices or

it’s passion and discipline. If we

embed electronics into physical

can first help students find their

things. Recently, Maker Spaces

passion, then the discipline

have gained popularity thanks

is self-generated. Passion

to educational vanguards like

motivates the critical thinking

Sylvia Libow Martinez and

required to overcome challenges

Gary Stager, authors of Invent to

— the challenges of grasping an

Learn: Making, Tinkering, and

interest and taking it farther,

Engineering in the Classroom.

making it better, making it

Martinez and Stager hail Maker

your own.”

Spaces as the future education

Stockman shares a similar

space for kids to “invent to learn

description. “Passion is simply

and learn to invent.”

Stockman, that while the engineering focus has merit, it is too narrow. Being a technology executive himself, Decker saw how electronics can hatch so many ideas, but he felt strongly that limiting DreamLab to electronics narrowed the scope of thinking, and put an unnecessary constraint on the scope of ideas students might want to pursue.

the relentless pursuit of an

Decker cautioned

Articulating the overall objective for DreamLab, Decker

explains, “the goal isn’t necessarily to create more engineers, it’s to create more and better innovators. In order for our children to

DreamLab had just become its own proof-of-concept: Stockman had pursued a passion and possessed the discipline to create something novel in DreamLab itself. Now it was time to go Live with sixth- through eighth-graders.

“Finding a Pegasus student’s interest isn’t the hard part,”

says Zurn. “To separate interest from passion, we had students ask themselves the tougher question: ‘How willing am I to devote time and attention to this?’”

(When the answer comes back — very willing — the next

step is to find what the student needs in order to fulfill his or her passion. This is where things get interesting.)

Then

succeed in the future global workforce, they will need to be the

interest,” he says. Creating

32 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

Now

to bring them together. “Adam was driven to make this happen,”

DREAMLAB AT WORK (AND PLAY) Despite the fact that DreamLab just opened its doors this past September, there are already a host of projects Pegasus students are pursuing. A few examples are: •

One student wants to create a power generator from the

force of water flowing through a rain gutter;

•

Another student is printing t-shirts and has created a

working e-commerce website to sell his creations online;

•

Students are hacking into remote-control cars and

expanding control through computer programming;

•

Other groups of students are building and programming

a robot; •

A student is creating a “theremin,” a hands-free,

electronic musical instrument that makes a signature

eerie sound, and has been used in horror and science-

fiction soundtracks since the 1930’s, and;

This is just a small taste of what’s already happening in

Dreamlab, and Zurn is excited.

“If we can leverage our students’ passion and promote self-

generated discipline toward innovation,” Zurn says. “If we can recognize that lack of satisfaction with the way things are today, and support students’ courage to change it, then we have truly given our students wings with which they can soar.”

THE FUTURE Imagine what other Pegasus teachers might do, armed with the knowledge that our students have a resource whose sole purpose is to equip them with the courage and discipline to recognize and realize their life passions?

Innovators Wanted? Innovators Found.

Jonathan Stark is the Vice President of printed electronics and new materials development at MFLEX, an Irvine-based technology manufacturing company. He is passionate about fostering the innovation process in others, and has used that passion to help create numerous start-ups and a new technology division in his current position. Contact: jstark@mflex.com

AN ENGINEER’S VIEW OF DREAMLAB

W

hen Adam Stockman started his research to create what is now DreamLab, he found Edrication (a Maker Space, right in our back yard) and met his “partner-in-crime,” Wess Gates. Gates had recently founded Edtrication, a Science and Engineering Education Company that provides affordable, accessible education and electronics hardware “to inspire one’s inner engineer.” His goal from the start was “to enable academically-trained engineers who were unable to apply the theory they learned in school.” Gates soon discovered that “all of the excitement in my classes came from non-engineers.” Teachers, parents, and kids were far more interested in what he was offering.

One of those enthusiastic non-engineers in his class was Adam Stockman. “Adam came to me this summer to take Introduction to Arduino.” (Arduino is a simple, flexible, electronics circuit board about the size of a Hello Kitty wallet, designed to make electronics prototyping easier and cheaper for students.)

When Stockman explained his vision for DreamLab, Gates was instantly inspired and agreed to be the technology resource Stockman needed. “I was amazed at how [Stockman] could take a totally complex idea and break it down for sixth graders,” says Gates. “I now come to every session.”

HACKING THE CLASSROOM The best example of DreamLab for Gates happened recently. “I came into the class, prepared to assist in a lesson on microcontroller programming, but none of the circuit boards were out.” Instead, on the whiteboard, read a list of programming commands that Stockman had created.

They were commands that could be used by the students to “program” a fellow student to dance.

“He [Stockman] was essentially teaching the fundamentals not only of programming, but of writing program languages,” by giving the class a set of common instructions on how to choreograph and get one another to dance. Gates beams, “It was amazing to see the kids so engaged. When the bell rang for the next lesson, they actually moaned—they didn’t want to leave!”

In that moment, Gates had witnessed the broader vision of DreamLab at work. “Not everyone needs to be or should be an engineer,” he explains. “Having the passion to be creative and solve problems, to have the inclination and courage create...

That’s what we need more of.”

PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

33

Those who Soar

by Ellen Williamson

Legend has it that everywhere the god of Pegasus struck his hoof, an inspiring spring burst forth….

The Pegasus School has been an “inspiring spring” in the lives of these three alumnae, individuals who have taken the reins of unique opportunities and climbed tremendous heights…so far.

Haley Stark ’07 started

on. Her time at Pegasus allowed

interning at a fashion designer’s

her to “come out of her shell,”

studio in midtown Manhattan

she explains, overcome extreme

the day that she arrived at

shyness, and develop tremendous

NYU. She had no idea what to

confidence.

expect from her freshman year

in college, but she knew she

art courses in her four years and

needed an outlet for the artistic

was a member of both the literary

passion she had discovered in

magazine and school newspaper

the fourth grade at Pegasus. In

staffs. She had longed to paint,

no time, Haley was adding to

but felt she couldn’t achieve the

her resume.

level of expertise that matched

her vision, so she tried graphic

New York University (and

NYC) had always been Haley’s dream, despite having applied to “a ton of art schools.” While

At Sage Hill, Stark took five

design. It clicked. She created

Haley Stark ’07

her own fashion “zines,” and

Senior Designer, NYLON Magazine

designed all Sage student event posters for Prom, Multicultural

still a senior at Sage Hill School, the vitality of NYU and its “essentially random” Media

Fair and Bandapalooza. As a high school senior, she

Studies major captured her heart. Following her passion

joined Teen Vogue’s Generation Next program, where she

proved successful. This field of study — coupled with NYU’s

teamed up with the retail giant, O’Neill, to design a dress

proximity in the creative hotbed of NYC — has provided

and handbag for one of their spring collections. Looking

Stark, now a college senior, the framework to thrive, both

back, meeting those Teen Vogue’s editors turned out to be

academically and professionally.

a pivotal point in her future career in fashion publication.

Within the Media program Stark has focused on

Stark parlayed that first internship in NYC into a string

psychoanalysis, East Asian media, and neural science… a

of professional experiences that would rival a 10-year

“mix” of courses that may not seem inter-related but has

veteran’s. At PAPER Magazine, an indie publication in the

contributed significantly to the work she is producing. Last

city, she designed and created materials for client events,

January, Stark traveled to Shanghai to interview media

including HP, Target, Lacoste, and Nars. She interned for

professionals about government censorship and social

fashion designer, Alexander Wang. And, ultimately, she

unrest. These interviews are the basis of an article she is

landed her dream job, in the art department NYLON. “I

currently writing for the school.

instantly fell in love!” she explains. Haley has been with

NYLON for two years, advancing from intern to freelance

Stark traces her love of all-things-artistic to her time

at Pegasus. She credits Mr. Mack’s art class, acting in the

illustrator, to iPad designer, contributing designer, and now

fourth grade play, three years of Middle School visual arts,

senior designer. This current position gives her tremendous

as well as Japanese, science, and cooking classes later

design control, yet she still has time for side gigs: she is

34 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

contributing to the redesign of Glamour and designing a

participated in this program, because “it allowed for the

book cover for actor Jared Leto.

funding for my research in Shanghai.” And as art director

of NYU’s photography magazine ISO, graphic designer for

In her spare time, Stark attends classes, writes papers

and takes tests. She was chosen last year to be one of 15

several campus clubs, and photographer for NYU’s fashion

members of the University Honors Leadership Seminar, a

magazine HAZE, Stark’s schedule would exhaust the

class taught by NYU President John Sexton and the deans

Energizer Bunny.

of each school. She feels particularly fortunate to have

Not listed in this lengthy list of achievements: sleep.

Alumna Kelsey Hennegen ’05

with the students extending

may have found herself at the

beyond the classroom. In both

right place at the right time,

cases, she learned to channel

but it was her own, powerful

her drive to excel beyond the

drive that got her there. After

grade, or personal advancement.

a semester studying in India,

Even today, she strives to excel

Hennegen returned to her

as a gesture of gratitude to her

junior year at the University

teachers, professors and mentors.

of California, Santa Barbara,

looking for part-time work.

Hennegen has gone from

She accepted an internship at

novice to a full-blown integral

a technology startup called

component of a major tech

FindTheBest, a privately held

company. Year one: she joined

network of for-profit websites

the Revenue Operations team

that helps consumers and

Kelsey Hennegen ’05

businesses “make informed

Recruiter, FindTheBest

In less than two years,

and built out the affiliate marketing channel. By February of 2013, the young company

decisions.” Within four months, Hennegen transitioned into a revenue-

had grown to 50 full-time employees and was beginning

generating position and two months later she went

a Series B funding. With funding came international

full-time. Having just a handful of college courses left

exposure, new use-cases for the platform, and new

to complete she finished her remaining college courses

business development ventures, all of which needed

online and graduated a year early.

manpower to fuel the growth. At the right place at the

right time, Hennegen was asked to create and head a

To this day, Hennegan credits experiences during her

nine years at Pegasus as truly formative on her eventual

new department, called Talent and Recruitment. In this

path. Like Stark, she remembers that fourth-grade play,

role, she is charged with building out a comprehensive,

as well as the fifth-grade States Fair and seventh-grade

cohesive, and scalable strategy to identify, vet, and

English classes, but Coach Tyler’s lessons on character

integrate “talent” for FindTheBest.

had the most lasting impact. She can still hear the echo of

Coach, repeating his mantra: “Character is doing the right

has loved, FindTheBest encourages all of its members

thing even when no one is looking.” This philosophy was

to grow, develop, and thrive. Hennegen loves that her

fully absorbed by the time she left for boarding school,

colleagues are competitive, intelligent contributors, and

where she served as community service officer, president

she appreciates having the good fortune (at her age) to

of Common Sense environmental action club, peer English

be surrounded by such engaged, passionate, and driven

tutor, and participated in Model United Nations, Amnesty

people. Her company reminds her of the communities

International and Model Congress.

at Pegasus and Middlesex. “It is not often that you find

yourself immersed in an environment of such unique

Hennegen equates her Middlesex experience to her

years at Pegasus, where teachers had caring relationships

Much like the small educational communities she

people from whom you can learn and grow.”

PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

35

Those who Soar

Continued

Pegasus faculty members,

and business owners, I’ve really

Keri Gorsage and James

been able to appreciate this

Swiger, remember Katherine

place that’s temporarily home

Nagasawa ’07 as a

for me.” In addition to helping

consistently gifted writer in

to secure funds, Nagasawa

a community of extremely

has offered her graphic design,

talented students. “Katherine

marketing and filmmaking talents

was one of those extraordinary

to several LEND clients. She

students who leaves a mark

designs logos, develops social

wherever she goes.” For

media campaigns, and shoots

Nagasawa, her mark — as

and edits video.

a writer, and journalist,

and graphic designer, and

works as a production assistant

filmmaker – is intertwined

Inspire Media Productions,

with her passion to help underserved, inner-city teens

Katherine Nagasawa ’07 LEND

At the same time, Nagasawa

mentors inner-city teens through Medhill Media, and leads tours

and foster business growth in

of Northwestern for prospective

poorer, Latin American countries.

students and parents. But her “baby” is this: she is in the

midst of writing a grant which will enable her to return to

In her junior year at Northwestern University, Nagasawa

is majoring in journalism with a focus on Latin American

Bolivia next summer. Nagasawa and a fellow journalism

and Caribbean Studies. But, on any given day, one

student have proposed a timely and provocative

might find her meeting with civic leaders and nonprofit

documentary chronicling the history of banana farming

organizations around Evanston. Two years ago, Nagasawa

in Bolivia and the “irrevocable impact” the United Fruit

joined a student-run microfinance organization called

Company and other large companies have had on small

LEND that works to provide loans of up to $5,000 and

co-op farms, their communities.

business development services to local entrepreneurs and

small businesses unable to secure capital from traditional

age. But she is just a wise, compassionate, talented and

financial institutions.

philanthropic college undergraduate. Her words of advice

for today’s Pegasus students: “work with friends, don’t wait

“LEND has taken me out of the classroom and into the

community,” she explains. “By working with local artisans

Nagasawa’s resume suggests someone twice her

to grow up, be everywhere, explore!”

Ellen WIlliamson is the Associate Director of Advancement, Programs & Events. Contact: ewilliamson@thepegasusschool.org

36 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS

(L-R) Hanalynn Hunt ’06 (Occidental College) and Lindsay Kish ’06 (Whittier College) are in the same conference and compete against each other twice per season.

Past student, Peter Seidner, and sister, Madelyne ’05, recently visit Pegasus for fifth grade sister Ellie’s CelebriTea.

and her keen eye for sophisticated

featured in LA Business Journal’s 20 in their

Brandon Carr is is an attorney practicing

accessorizing. Charlie and Me recently

20’s report. COO technically means that

in San Francisco. Brandon misses his

partnered with their neighbors at Classic

Shane is doing a bit of everything from

family in Southern California but is

Kids Photography to host a Dog Parade

brand strategy and running social media

enjoying the Bay Area and has recently

and Costume contest to benefit the Irvine

to business development and customer

been recruited by Buchalter Nemer, a full

Animal Shelter. See what’s new at Charlie

service. This unique young company is

service business law firm.

and Me at charlieandme.us.

creating a lot of interest in their market.

Tracy Carr ’01 proudly displays her American Airlines wings.

Her mom, Michelle Carr, wore similar wings when she was an international flight attendant in the ’80s.

1999

2001

Jenny Hurst is an associate with Triage

Check out their products and story at smartdecofurniture.com.

Tracy Carr was recently hired as

Consulting Group in San Francisco.

an international flight attendant for

She graduated from the University of

American Airlines, which received 50,000

Pennsylvania in 2010 where she was

Stuart Palley, photographing for the

applications for 1,500 available openings.

captain of the varsity gymnastics team.

Orange County Register has recently

Tracy is based out of Miami International

She recently moved from Nob Hill to

collaborated with OCR Travel Editor

Airport. Congratulations Tracy!

Walnut Creek where she participated in a

Gary Warner to produce two amazing

mud run and keeps in touch with several

history lessons/travel logs on the century

of her Pegasus classmates.

old Lincoln Highway. Over two years

2002 Taylor Beauchamp recently opened the new store Charlie and Me in The

Shane Webster is a partner and COO

Cove shopping center Newport Beach.

in the Venice Beach based SmartDeco

Knowing that there’s nothing Newport

furniture company. Shane shares that

dog owners won’t do for their dogs,

their product is very well designed and

Charlie and Me offers high end items

despite being light weight, as it is made

that appeal to the stylish dog owners

out of corrugated cardboard, the furniture

in her hometown. Taylor’s best canine

pieces can all hold well over 300 pounds,

friend, French Bulldog Charlie, was her

the perfect solution for college kids or

inspiration for the shop. Opening the

anyone just starting out on their own.

store has allowed Taylor to develop a

The brand has been around for a little

career based on her passion for animals

over a year, is gaining traction and was

2003

Stuart drove the Lincoln Highway, piecing it together in the fragmented manner in which it was created. 2013 has been a busy year for Stuart as he received first and second place in the Associated Press Sports Editors awards competition while working at the Columbia Missourian newspaper at the University of Missouri.

Stuart won top awards against many national professional publications. With a BA and BBA from Southern Methodist

PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

37

2007

University in his rear view mirror, Stuart

and a National Merit Semifinalist as

is completing his MA project on the

Kennedi Varing is a junior at the

well, Wyatt seems to not only manage

Salton Sea for the University of Missouri

University of San Diego. Kennedi is doing

but to thrive on the demands of his

photojournalism program. To view a

very well and loving life at USD!

significant number of responsibilities and

sample of Stuart’s vast collection of photos check out his work at stuartpalley.com.

Amazing work Stuart!

2006 Brian Hurst will graduate from the University of Pennsylvania in May 2014 with dual degrees in Economics and Math. He is a four year catcher on the varsity baseball team for the Quakers, a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, and has accepted a position with Susquehanna

2008

commitments.

Sloan Varing is a sophomore in excellent

Matt Hurst has committed to run track

standing at the University of Southern

and field at Harvard University after his

California.

graduation from Corona del Mar High

Austin Dix graduated as an honors student from Newport Harbor High School and will be attending University of Colorado, Boulder in the fall. She plans to major in science.

School in June 2014. Matt is the reigning county champion in the 400 meters and placed 2nd at CIF. He ranked 5th in the state last year among juniors and 35th among juniors nationally. Matt also runs the 200 meter, where he ranks 5th in the

2010

county and anchors the 4x100 and 4x400

International Group, a proprietary trading

relays. In addition to track and field, Matt

firm in Philadelphia, beginning after

played lacrosse and basketball and ran

graduation.

cross country at CDM. He is a member of the National Honor Society and

Hanalynn Hunt will be graduating this

volunteers for the Magic Shoe Foundation,

year from Occidental College with a major

which reconditions donated shoes

in Urban and Environmental Policy and

and distributes them to needy athletic

a minor in Kinesiology. Hanalynn has

programs. He is excited to head to Boston

had a wonderful career as a volleyball

next year and is looking for a warm coat!

player…from Pegasus, to Sage Hill School, club volleyball with Fluid and then on to Occidental, it has been a fabulous ride.

Pegasus classmate Lindsay Kish ’06 was been right by her side until the girls went to different colleges. Lindsay attends Whittier College which is in the same conference so the girls compete against each other twice a season. Hanalynn recently enjoyed spending the semester abroad in Amsterdam with no fear of being homesick since Pegasus alumna and good friend, Jordon Team ’06, a senior at the University of Virginia, was studying in Barcelona! The girls took advantage of visiting one another in their adopted cities. Hanalynn reports how thankful she is to continue making great memories with friends from Pegasus.

38 THE PEGASUS SCHOOL

Wyatt Robertson ’10 visits the campus to meet with new alumni relations director, Ellen Williamson.

Wyatt Robertson stopped by Pegasus recently to catch up with faculty and to meet Ellen Williamson, the new Alumni Relations director. Wyatt, the ASB president at Newport Harbor High School, keeps busy with his presidential duties, a full complement of AP courses, and presenting at several middle schools as a representative of YETA (Youth Empowered to Act) working on the Safe Schools campaign. He was selected as a leader in the Red Shirt Internship Program where he is currently working in the emergency room at St. Mary’s Medical Center. A Boys’ State delegate

2011 Randon Davitt continues to have success in the entertainment world. In the last few months he’s appeared in a Lifetime movie, booked a spot on the Van’s Warped Tour, and spent time in the studio working on a CD to be released in early 2014. His blues trio, Chase Walker Band, is receiving national recognition, with a paid gig almost every weekend.

He has opened for Casey Abrams and B.B. King, played the world famous Roxy in Hollywood, and been a featured band on a worldwide festival, Artists In The Plus televised from The Village Recording Studio where famous bands from The Doors to The Rolling Stones to Lady Gaga have recorded and performed. Randon is

Jamie Ostmann ’13 visits with librarian, Mrs. Carin Meister.

Sage Hill seniors, Ian Fries ’10 and Becky Lynskey ’10 returned to Pegasus to mentor kindergarten students as part of the Sage Hill Garden Collaborative service learning program.

Brian Robert ’13 (J Serra High School) and Jack Pelc ’13 (Sage Hill School) came to support and cheer for the Thunder flag football team during the championship game at Tarbut V’Torah.

the Arts (OCSA) where he is excelling in

documentary that she made during last

Neighbor section of the magazine and

his honors and AP courses. If you want

years’ service trip to Costa Rica helped

expresses her thanks to two former

to catch up with Randon’s activities

double the sign-ups for the 2014 trip! In

neighbors who are currently seniors at

visit his websites: randondavitt.com or

addition, Jamie continues to participate

FVHS. A top honors student-athlete,

chasewalkerband.com.

in the Wings for Crossover club on the

Carly is, herself, the kind of person anyone

Pegasus campus.

would be fortunate to have as a neighbor.

Jamie Ostmann recently returned to

Carly Perri was recently published in

Lauren Fishman sent a message to the

campus to visit faculty and staff and

Fountain Valley Home Living magazine.

Pegasus community that she is really

reports that she is enjoying being a part

Carly, a nationally ranked swimmer, is a

enjoying her freshman year at Sage Hill

of the Film Production Conservatory

freshman at Fountain Valley High School

School. Although Lauren is truly missing

at Orange County School of the Arts.

where she is following in the footsteps of

teachers and friends at Pegasus she is

Jamie’s passion for film and chronicling

her brothers, Lee ’08 and Michael ’08.

staying busy with school work, activities

important experiences was a highlight

The article Carly wrote was featured as

and played on the varsity tennis team.

for middle school students this fall. Her

a two page spread in the Neighbor to

a sophomore at Orange County School of

2013

PEGASUS MAGAZINE FALL 2013

39

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December 18 Winter Concert (Grades 1-5) December 19 Pre-K Winter Concert December 20 Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day December 23 – January 3, 2014 Winter Break February 17-21 Intersession Week March 15 Wig Out for Pegasus Spring Benefit March 21 International Earth Day