9 minute read
On the Quad
Family Visit Weekend
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The CSW community was delighted to welcome parents and families to campus for the school’s annual Family Visit Weekend in October. Visitors tagged along with students to classes like “Pinhole Photography,” “South Asian
Literature,” and “Analytic Geometry.” Drop-in time with Head of School Lise Charlier afforded families the opportunity to get to know CSW’s new leader, and an engaging Culture Fest event on Friday evening celebrated the diverse array of cultures represented at The Cambridge School of Weston. A group of families headed out to Honey Pot Hill Orchards for an afternoon of fall festivities on Saturday. ON THE QUAD • 3
Haiti Project Recognizes 5th Anniversary
This year marks the 5th anniversary of the founding of the Haiti Project, an online dance exchange program founded by Hope Cooper ’15 with students from Kenscoff, Haiti, ranging from the ages of three to twelve. The program is meant support vibrant cultural exchange, immersing Haitian students into the American dance experience. Sadly, political instability has raised serious obstacles for our friends in Haiti, preventing students from engaging in their usual programming. In an effort to help, members of the Haiti Project collected donated clothing, electronics, and school supplies to send over to those in need. The group ended up collecting over 200 pounds of donated clothing.
Alice in Wonderland
The fall mainstage production of Alice in Wonderland delighted audiences with its whimsical costumes, wacky characters, and clever storyline!
Nuyorican Poetry
In observance of Latinx Heritage Month, members of CSW's Sociedad Latinx affinity group shared the history of the Nuyorican Movement and read poems by Latinx poets who identify as Nuyorican (Puerto Ricans from New York), including Miguel Algarín, Magdalena Gómez, Tato Laviera, Nancy Mercado, and Pedro Pietri. ON THE QUAD • 5
Join The Club
While long-running student organizations like LitMag, A-Board, and Community Service Committee continue to run strong, each year seems to bring a new crop of interesting and unique groups — many of which are telling of the times we live in. Here are just a few of our recent favorites:
90 DAY FIANCE CLUB (FOR FANS OF THE TV SHOW)
ASTROLOGY CLUB
TAGS (TRANS AFFINITY GROUP)
INTER-FAITH
DRONE CLUB
CSW was pleased to welcome author and transgender advocate Alex Myers to campus in the fall. Alex came out as transgender in 1995, right before his senior year in high school. Since then, Alex has worked with schools and colleges to educate students, faculty, and administrators about gender identity. He has assisted dozens of schools as they redesign facilities, practices, and policies to be more gender inclusive.
Alex began his visit by meeting with the full faculty and staff to review terminology, break down the basics of gender identity and expression, and educate the adult community on how the school can develop its rules policies, guidelines, and facilities to further improve the daily experience of all students. When it comes to gender equality, Alex explained that many schools’ struggles can be tied to issues related to the following policies, structures, and program areas: dress code, athletics, facilities, dormitories, off-campus travel, and documentation. Throughout his presentation, Alex also addressed specific questions from the faculty and staff and shared tips and advice he’s picked up from his years of experience working with schools.
Later, Alex led a presentation for the entire community, in which he shared his personal journey growing up as transgender in a small town in Maine. He talked about what it was like coming out to his family, friends, classmates, and teachers, and the impact of the various cultural trends as they related to gender and gender expression at the time. Alex also provided examples of transgender historical figures, making the point that the concept of transgender identity is not a new concept. At the end of the presentation, students were able to ask questions and solicit advice on coming out to parents, seeking out transgender role models, building awareness of cultural constructs and trends, and understanding the ever-changing landscape and resulting terminologies of gender identity.
End-of-Mod Shows
The End-of-Mod Show always surprises and delights. Here are a few highlights from Mods 1 and 2.
PACE Program Officially Launches
CSW was proud to celebrate the official launch of PACE (Promoting Awareness and Community Engagement) in September. The pioneering program, designed completely by CSW faculty and administrators, is meant to equip students with strategies for addressing real-life challenges, like understanding the disparities between the digital universe of our cell phones and everyday life; what it means to engage in healthy relationships; what purposeful community service looks like; and how and when to care for our bodies and minds.
“It is no secret that today’s youth is more anxious and stressed than ever before. The ever-expanding digital landscape and the enormous presence it holds in young peoples’ lives, in addition to the unprecedented pressures they feel to achieve and perform at the highest level, is taking an immense toll on upcoming generations,” says CSW Head of School Lise Charlier. “Through PACE, CSW strives to create a new generation of young people who are as resilient, self-aware, and kind as they are intelligent and creative. Our world is in desperate need of compassionate, conscientious, and responsive leaders, and we are excited to be leading the charge towards a new way of educating and mentoring our youth.”
Every other Wednesday, in lieu of their core academic classes, students will engage in meaningful service learning projects via a unique studio-classroom model and explore coursework based on a highly intentional four-year series. Mornings will be dedicated to “Promoting Awareness,” fostering skills related to physical, mental, behavioral, and relational health (9th Grade); mind-body connection and mindfulness education (10th grade); equity literacy and identity development (11th grade); and self-representation and adult life skills (12th grade). Afternoons will be focused on “Community Engagement,” with students engaging in a unique studio learning sequence designed to educate them on the research, relationship building, and reflection required to enact positive change in their communities and beyond.
Learn more about PACE at www.csw.org/pace.
About Vulnerability: The Book of White People
In The Book of White People, the first exhibit in the Thompson Gallery’s About Vulnerability series, artist Christiane Dolores offered a rumination on whiteness and how it affects people of color. In addition to the exhibition, Dolores created a piece in the school’s IS (Installation Space) gallery, inviting the community to reflect on “Whiteness” and add to “The Book,” which was set atop a pedestal surrounded by eggshells. To participate, contributors had to literally walk on eggshells. Students joined Dolores to research racially charged advertisements and media portrayals and created a mural with their thoughts in drawing or writing.
New Faculty & Staff Match the new faculty member or staffer to the fun facts about them. One thing's for sure, it's not as easy as it looks! Answers are below. ON THE QUAD • 9
Lace Campbell Theatre Department
Derek Thomas English Department
Charlie Bigelow Facilities
Erica Cabag Development Office
Toni Singleton Health Office
Sean Reynolds Facilities
• I’m the parent of twin boys. • I’m very good at darts. • I can’t stand onions or mushrooms.
• I have three chickens. • I detest mushrooms with all of my heart. • I was in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia.
• I used to teach tap and jazz classes. • I'm a big baseball fan and my favorite team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. • Since 2016, my birthday celebration goal is to visit a new (to me) body of water.
• I once won a cow milking contest. • I spent a weekend with my kids at a Masai village. • I once performed in a 5-minute production of Hamlet.
Kristen Paratore Bock English Department
Brian Surkan Technology Office
6.
•I fished offshore for five years on various boats out of Gloucester, MA, Portland, ME, and Beverly, MA. •I have traveled through or been to 25 states. •I have delivered multiple boats to Nova Scotia.
7.
• I love to skateboard. • I do aerial silks and in the air circus arts. • I have a dog named Symba.
8.
• I have been to Ireland 10+ times. • I tried out for the over-18 Rugby National Team. • I am a chronic straw chewer.
9.
• I worked at CATS Academy Boston. • I earned my bachelor's and master's at the Cleveland Institute of Music.
10.
• I have a 16 inch titanium rod in my leg. • I was a busboy at the Cheesecake Factory at Coconut Grove in Florida. • I've slept in over 30 Walmart parking lots.
Tyrenna Gaines Business Office
Brandon Fernald Facilities
Lise Charlier Head of School
Jeanne Segal Theatre Department
11.
• I danced the Argentine Tango under a full moon on the Harvard foot bridge. • I cycle-toured in multiple continents for over a year. • I sailed from Key West, FL, to Boston in a replica 18th-century schooner. • I participated in a student exchange with an all-girls school in Japan.
12.
• I was given the name "Laughing Belly" in infancy by my parents. • As a toddler, I used to dance not only to the theme song of the nightly news but to the words spoken by the newscasters. • While making "mud stew" quick recipe (rocks, grass, berries, water, and dirt) I added a bean looking vegetable for enhancement. Turned out to be Mimosa tree seeds. Waaaay too close to the house. Oops! Dad replanted.
Answers:1. Charlie Bigelow 2. Kristen Bock 3.Erica Cabag 4. Lace Campbell 5. Lise Charlier 6. Brandon Fernald 7. Tyrenna Gaines 8. Sean Reynolds 9. Jeanne Segal 10. Derek Thomas 11. Brian Surkan 12. Toni Singleton
