Gallery – Page 6 – Park Perspectives

Park’s Summer Blockbuster: Professional Development!

Published on June 5, 2018 in Summer 2018 by Pamela Penna, Director of Institutional Practice

We all have come to expect summer blockbusters: Jaws (1975), Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), Jurassic Park (1993), or Finding Nemo (2003) may come to mind. At Park, one of the most popular things to do during the summer months is professional learning! This summer, over 60 faculty and staff from The Park School will participate in 28 (to date) professional development events. Blockbuster events for 34 of Park School’s faculty this summer include:

Diversity Directions Independent School Seminar
EXPLO Critical Making Camp for Educators
Harvard Graduate School’s Project Zero Classroom 2018
Practices & Principles of Transformational Learning Communities with School Reform Initiative
Responsive Classroom Course for School Educators

In the United States, 2.6 billion long-distance trips are taken per year. That is 7.2 million long-distance trips per day! (A long-distance trip includes a journey of more than 50 miles from home, and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics cites that fewer than one out of five of these trips is for business.) Park is proud to contribute to these statistics, sending five people over 1,000 miles to learn (California, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Utah) and five people between 75 – 450 miles (New York and Washington, D.C.).

Amazing learning experiences continue to be available close to home as well. Many more faculty will take advantage of local opportunities, including:

EdTech Teacher Summit
“My use of technology in the classroom has already had a profound impact on how I teach. I would like to further advance my academic technology skills for the benefit of all of my students.”
~ Nancy Barre, Upper Division Social Studies Teacher

Multicultural Teaching Institute
“I not only want to deepen my own teaching practice in this area but also, and perhaps more importantly, want to be better prepared to support Scott Young and the leadership team in DEI work.”
~ Chris Beeson,Upper Division English & Social Studies Teacher

Family Engagement in Education: Creating Effective Home and School Partnerships for Student Success
“I’ve developed new ideas for how to better and more fully engage families in order to improve the educational experience for kids. In particular, I’m interested in better supporting families of color. I’d love to learn more about what best practices other schools are using and how to develop a more thoughtful and wholistic approach to family engagement as opposed to random acts of engagement.
~ Katie Carr, Grade I Teacher

Engaging the Whole Child
“These strategies, activities, and the instructional language from this learning will inform my work with emerging readers. I’m planning to focus on methods to increase students’ feelings of competence and ownership of their learning process.”
~ Deb Dean, Academic Support

Deeper Learning for All: From the Classroom to the System
“I want to guide my students to tackle open-ended problems in critical and creative ways while helping them to improve the necessary skills to communicate, compete, and be active and engaged citizens in all communities in which they are a part.”
~ Merrill Hawkins, Upper Division English & Social Studies Teacher

Perform Better: Functional Training Summit 2018
“The most current research on exercise performance and functional training is presented. I’m excited to participate in hands-on training, learn new exercises for specific sports, and bring all of this learning back to Park’s PE classes and Athletics.”
~ Steve Savage, PE Teacher and Coach

Middlesex Retreat For Adults
“I’m excited to deepen my personal mindfulness practice and advance my teaching facilitation. I look forward to offering mindfulness learning to faculty, administration, staff, and students. I have already begun with Pre-K and K, and that has been fantastic! Maybe I could offer this to families!”
~ Tahira Wilson-Guillermo, Academic Support

Park’s commitment to professional development is part of what makes the School so appealing to the dedicated faculty. Teachers are eager to learn more and apply these new ideas to create cutting edge initiatives, all in the spirit of contributing to a blockbuster education.

Sources:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-ranking-of-the-highest-grossing-summer-blockbusters-since-jaws_us_5999b598e4b01f6e801f22bc

https://www.thestreet.com/slideshow/13664095/1/10-biggest-summer-blockbuster-movies-of-all-time.html

https://www.bts.gov/archive/publications/america_on_the_go/long_distance_transportation_patterns/entire

Next Schools for the Class of 2018

Published on June 4, 2018 in Summer 2018 by The Park Perspectives Editorial Board

Park's Class of 2018

Guled Adam	Milton High School
Jeremy Altman	Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Olivier Armand	Brookline High School
Mia Bartlett	Abington High School
Tess Bierly	Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Molly Brenner	Beaver Country Day School
Erick Caridad	Beaver Country Day School
Lilly Carter	Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Jacob Casper	Noble and Greenough School
Jack Cohen	Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Gabriella Doherty	Noble and Greenough School
Anna Fattaey	Dana Hall School
Robert Feldman	Gann Academy
Bella Fynn-Thompson	Noble and Greenough School
Emma Gershberg	Dana Hall School
Gemma Gifford	Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Theo Goldman	Buckingham Browne & Nichols
Avery Golub	Concord Academy
James Good	Milton Academy
Elena Guerra	Noble and Greenough School
Saunders Haley	Brooks School
Ian Hill	Cambridge School of Weston
Sydney Holzman	The Rivers School
Paige Hostetter	Suffield Academy
Samsam Ismail	Noble and Greenough School
Tilde Jaques	Milton Academy
Jean Jin	Deerfield Academy
Will Kelly	St. Mark’s School
Ava Lewis	Noble and Greenough School
Jonah Lieberman	Brookline High School
Luchi Mascia	Boston Latin School
Anna McWeeny	Boston Latin School
Maggie Myslik	Concord Academy
Jennifer Ngo	Brimmer and May School
Hannah Ono	Phillips Academy Andover
Jonah Paquette	Beaver Country Day School
Phoenyx Peltier	Leysin American School
Lulu Pierce	Commonwealth School
Naya Powell	Cristo Rey High School Boston
Maya Rabin	Commonwealth School
Sofia Samuels	Noble and Greenough School
Ryan Sanghavi	Noble and Greenough School
Ava Scheibler	Milton Academy
Rebecca Shaff	Needham High School
Ameen Sheikh	Milton Academy
Quinn Smith	Milton Academy
Adele Spitz	Newton South High School
Sylvie Spitz	Newton South High School
Ronan Tabor	The Putney School
Kai Tjia	Commonwealth School
Will Tran	Concord Academy
Sophie Weinstock	Boston Latin School

Making at Park

Published on June 3, 2018 in Summer 2018 by Megan Haddadi, Head of Academic Technology

Academic Technology Specialist Kimberly Fogarty 'making' with fifth graders
Creating the circuits behind the fabulae in stellis project
Grade VI Latin students created physical representations of constellations using circuitry and LED lights - displayed on the main stairs
Over the summer of 2018, Park's conference room will be transformed into a state-of-the-art Makerspace

Maker-centered learning has been part of the Park curriculum for decades. (Just ask any alum who remembers their House Project from Grade VI.) But in recent years, this kind of hands-on learning has become full-fledged design-thinking projects, as well as an opportunity to incorporate robotics and coding.

This year, the Technology Department added a new full-time Academic Technology Specialist to the team to meet the growing curricular needs of the School. Kimberly Fogarty, who joined the Park community in September, has jumped into her new role with both feet. With Kimberly’s guidance, students in all three divisions have embarked on projects where they can utilize design-thinking and maker skills. Here are three examples:

Lower Division
In their new “To the Rescue” project, second graders are combining design skills with language arts and science in a new take on fairy tales. Student teams are given a challenge: 1) pick a fairy tale, 2) identify problems that various characters have, 3) determine which ones offer engineered solutions, and 4) build a prototype, which includes at least one simple machine they are learning about in science.

Students designed clever and effective solutions using pulleys, levers, and wheels/axles to escape, assist, and protect their characters. For instance, one team designed an elaborate drawbridge to help the Billy Goats Gruff foil the troll under the bridge. Another team designed a well with a pulley-drawn bucket to help Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughter get water for her garden.

Second graders designed a well with a pulley-drawn bucket to help Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughter get water for her garden.

Fifth graders making the robot challenge race course.

Sixth graders tinkering with their LED displays in the makerspace in the scene shop.

Middle Division
This year’s fifth grade students completed Park’s first robotic survey with Kimberly Fogarty and Middle Division Science Teacher, Meg McLean. The students were asked to define “robot” and then program and evaluate the suitability of robots for different tasks. After introducing the fifth graders to several types of robots and programming apps (Dash by Wonder Workshop with the Wonder app; Sphero SPRK+ and Ollie by Sphero controlled with the SpheroEDU app; and Rolling Spider drone by Parrot with the Tickle app), Kimberly and Megan asked the students to discover patterns among the different programming apps and anticipate patterns in new programming tools.

The final design challenge was to build obstacle courses for the various robots to participate in a relay. Working in small groups, students designed a robotics challenge (with certain specifications) for another group to solve, then solved another group’s challenge using a different robot. Challenge mats were placed end to end with each leg of the relay forming a different challenge, and the robots completing their tasks in rapid succession.

Upper Division
Janice So’s Grade VI Latin students researched Latin and Greek-named constellations and the ancient myths behind them for their fabulae in stellis (“stories in the stars”) project. Charged with representing their constellation with lights, they designed, built, and tinkered to create a physical representation with circuitry and LED lights. In this process, they learned about circuits, used materials such as copper tape, LED light bulbs, batteries, hot and cold solder, paint, and foam board. Lastly, students filmed green-screen presentations of their constellations, associated myths, and other interesting facts (click here to watch a video about Cassiopeia.)

Looking Ahead to Park’s New State-of-the-Art Makerspace
Currently, “making” happens in classrooms, in hallways, in project areas, and in the Library. Over the past year and a half, the scene shop underneath the theater has doubled as a makerspace for Middle and Upper Division students. This summer, in order to support the growing needs of Park’s student makers, and to facilitate the implementation of Park’s Strategic Plan that calls for increased applied learning at Park through a two-pronged approach of design thinking and project-based learning, the School will convert the existing conference room and adjacent corridor into a new state-of-the-art facility, designed and equipped to support leading and innovative practices in making curriculum. Younger students will continue to benefit from the Library makerspace (renovated this academic year) and the multiple maker carts throughout the building.

Kimberly will continue to reach out into the community to integrate making into the classrooms and curricula in meaningful ways. But, beginning in September 2018, be sure to visit her in the new Makerspace!

In preparation for and in anticipation this new Makerspace, a committee of Park educators came together to formulate the following purpose statement:
The purpose of maker-centered learning @ Park is to empower our community to #MakeThingsBetter. At The Park School, where students are known and valued as individuals, making offers students opportunities to develop empathy and agency as problem finders and creative problem solvers. In addition, Park’s Habits of Scholarship and Citizenship (curiosity, grit, gratitude, zest, and personal responsibility) are nurtured by making at Park.

Food In Focus – ASP

Published on June 1, 2018 in Summer 2018 by The Park Perspectives Editorial Board

To me, ASP stands for “Amazing Special Projects!” There are so many fun and educational food-related programs and projects happening at Park’s After-School Program these days.

LaToya Downing-Peltier, ASP teacher extraordinaire, brings her passion for molecular gastronomy to her five- and six-year-old clientele by routinely talking about the relationship between food and science. The kids loved their research on the phase changes of liquid. By making sorbet from frozen strawberries and then letting it melt in their mouths, they learned all about melting and freezing.

During an ASP Food Photography Club session this spring, LaToya spoke with her students about the five senses and how when it comes to food, most people believe taste is the primary sense at work. However, it actually takes a back seat to sight. LaToya explains, “The children were fascinated to hear about a very exciting experience I had at a restaurant in Paris named Dans Le Noir (In the Dark) and how eating in complete darkness made it very hard enjoy the meal, although it tasted delicious!” Students then applied this lesson to a hot chocolate food styling competition. They also received an introduction to lighting and food staging tricks before taking beautiful photographs of their finished products.

Finally, there’s no better way than a garden to help kids appreciate where their food comes from. ASP has invited Jean Devine from Meadowscaping for Biodiversity to do just this and much more through their Tuesday afternoon Junior Meadow Club. Through exploring flower beds, bird watching, testing soil, and observing how the landscape changes and grows have delivered many teachable moments.

Ask your children or the ASP faculty about the “million other” food-related activities taking place at the After-School Program. You’ll quickly notice the ASP’s knack for hiding learning opportunities inside of really fun projects, especially when it comes to bringing food and joy together.

Dear Mr. Young,

Published on June 1, 2018 in Summer 2018 by Park School Library Department

The Library is eagerly anticipating two major events of this summer: reading with leisurely abandon and welcoming Mr. Young as Park’s new Head of School. Then we thought, Why not combine the two? With this in mind, we are launching the “Dear Mr. Young” summer reading incentive. All Park students will be given a self-addressed postcard along with their summer reading assignments, and we are hoping that everyone will take the time to write Mr. Young with their reading (and summer) updates. Adults in the community are also encouraged to participate. Additional postcards can be picked up in the library until the end of the school year. We want Mr. Young to be as inundated with mail as Harry Potter was when he received his invitation to Hogwarts!

Great reading suggestions for kids of all ages can be found on the Library’s web page Park Reads!, 2018 ALSC Summer Reading List, and We Need Diverse Books Summer Reading Series.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the new titles that can be found on the Park Reads! site for book recommendations.

Grade II’s Very Special Visit To The Sophia Snow House

Published on June 1, 2018 in Summer 2018 by Mulian Chen, Mandarin Teacher

Park’s second graders are regular visitors to the nearby senior living community, Sophia Snow House in West Roxbury. Every week, one class spends an afternoon with the residents. This April, the second graders in Liz Miller’s class brought along ten visiting students and two teachers from our Chinese partner school* Hangzhou Greentown Yuhua Qinqin School.

Earlier in the day, the seventh and eighth grade students from China learned about this year-long community service project from the second graders and were thrilled to participate and experience what community service is like in America first hand. Ms. Miller’s second graders were very excited and looked forward to singing songs for and sharing their poems with the residents. They have been coming to visit the community every month and spending time with the residents reading, drawing, singing, and getting to know each other. The second graders explained how it was important to understand what the residents need rather than what they might want to give. After some initial uncertainty, the Qinqin students jumped into the activities with their younger guides and the time flew by as they spent an afternoon with the elderly residents at Sophia Snow House.

When the students from The Qinqin School were asked to reflect on their experience, they noted that their biggest takeaway was that “community service is more than giving things to others; giving could mean giving time to others.” They were surprised that they were capable of giving in such a way and were thrilled that they could make the residents happy by being present, asking questions, and having conversations.

*Park’s partnership and exchange program with The Qinqin School began in 2011 under Jerry Katz’s leadership. Since then, Qinqin students have visited Park each spring, staying with current students’ families. Ninth grade Mandarin students visited Qinqin during spring break in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Beginning next March, eighth grade Mandarin students will visit Qinqin and China.

Laura Barkan and Sue Jeppson’s Top 10 Moments as PA Leaders 2016-2018

Published on June 1, 2018 in Summer 2018 by Park School Parents' Association

Sue Jeppson and Laura Barkan turn over the reins to Heena Lee and Elizabeth Wood
PA volunteers host new parent dinners in the fall.
Parent volunteers serve up cotton candy at Springfest 2018!
Liza Talusan, Sarah Elliot, Young Ju Rhee, and Cyd-Cherise Jeyes at a PA DE&I event
Parents tinkering with batteries and playdough in the Library Makerspace
Kimberly Fogarty gets parents working in the Library Makerspace
Parent volunteers at Chop-a-thon 2017!
Laura Barkan, Kia Powell, Heidi Johnson, and Nancy Cohen at the Faculty & Staff luncheon in May.
Parent volunteers ready to serve at the Faculty & Staff luncheon.
Faculty & Staff enjoyed a wonderful lunch in a magically transformed Dining Room.

June is an exciting time for the PA at Park: every year we officially welcome in a new slate of PA leaders who will help to carry forward the long-standing tradition of parent involvement in and giving back to The Park School by the Parents’ Association. As the outgoing PA President and Vice President, we are so grateful to have had this opportunity and can’t help but feel a bit nostalgic about all the connections we’ve made with many of you over the past two years. Here are just a few highlights:

Springfest morning! After a lot of planning in the cold days of winter, it is so much fun to see Park parents come together over coffee to set up for a great day of play – and then to see the explosion of the students coming in with big smiles! There is always some stress leading up to the day, but our parents without fail step up to deliver a wonderful day for our children, it is truly remarkable to see. (Please click here to see amazing photography by E. Witkowski, E. Gerber, H. Johnson and M. Eddings.)
Hosting New Parent Dinners: Remember the excitement of having your child start at Park? These dinners offer parents the chance to connect with other new parents and administrators. It feels great to make sure they receive a warm welcome, get to know each other in a small environment and watch friendships develop.
Having honest discussions on sensitive subjects in DE&I breakout groups: Dr. Liza Talusan brought her skills and a new format to DE&I roundtable discussions that allowed parents to talk in small groups and share insights. It is amazing that in just a few moments, you can learn more about fellow Park parents than you ever might otherwise. The discussion on socio-economic diversity really stood out as one where parents connected and learned from one another about how to navigate this sensitive topic with children.
Paul Newmark and Leah Walters calling BINGO this year! Bingo night is a frenzied and fun family night at Park that we love! This year, Paul and Leah made it even more fun as the callers. They brought their good humor and young crowd management skills to the room – it was a good time for all!
Serving at the Faculty & Staff Appreciation Luncheon. This annual spring event is one way we give back to Park’s fantastic Faculty & Staff. We love seeing them have fun together and allowing us to be the ones taking care of them for a change. The Dining Room is transformed and the joy, mutual respect, and community among our Faculty & Staff is palpable.
PA Board meetings (and, um, the scones!). It has been very fulfilling to work with a group of committed PA board members who care deeply about the School and the PA, and who do all they can to help steward our mission. PA Board meetings are open to our entire parent community, so please mark your calendar to attend at least one meeting next year. A bonus: The chocolate chip scones provided by Dining Services! It’s hard to say which one of us ate more (one is never enough and they go perfectly with coffee!)
Getting a chance to work closely with Park’s leaders. It truly was such a privilege to work closely with Cynthia Harmon, Kimberly Formisano, Caroline Beasley and other Park faculty and staff to see the talent, passion, and commitment to make things better at Park. We are so grateful to all of them for allowing the PA to do what we can to help.
Carrying forward Park traditions and making new ones: The PA’s role of creating a connected community, bringing parents together to do good work and having some fun in the process has felt especially meaningful during a time of leadership transition. We want to make sure that everyone feels they belong and can contribute in the spirit of Simplicity and Sincerity.
Hearing from Faculty & Staff about the impact of our PA grants. Over the past two years, we have allocated over $60,000 to Faculty & Staff Curriculum Grants and Building & Grounds Grants. It is so exciting to hear about the impact of these grants in the classrooms and with our children – from Megan McLean’s “Trout in the Classroom,” the new Makerspace in the Library spearheaded by Tory Lane, to “Bakistry” by LaToya Downing Peltier. Park’s faculty and staff are curious, passionate, and innovative and our PA dollars help bring their ideas to life!
Working with fellow Park parents! There is nothing better than seeing new parent friendships formed over chopping vegetables at Chop-a-Thon, delivering pizzas on Pizza Day, or lugging stuff out of the PA closet for Springfest. We have had a blast together serving as President and VP, with so many moments from humbling to hilarious.

We are incredibly grateful to have served the Park community at this time and are thrilled to pass the baton to Heena Lee (President) and Elizabeth Wood (Vice President).

We wish you all a fabulous summer with your families and will see you in the fall!

Park’s Eighth Graders “Face Their Own History” in New Course

Published on March 6, 2018 in Spring 2018 by Pamela Penna, Director of Institutional Practice

Photo By Trikosko, Marion S., photographer [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
In this Dec. 12, 1974 file photo, white students, who walked out of Boston's Hyde Park High School, stand along the curb and jeer school buses carrying blacks home from the school. (AP Photo/Frank C. Curtin, File)
An eighth grader shows off her Advoc8! project at the Upper Division ARC night, 2017.
Collage created by eighth grade social studies students.

It’s 1865, and the Civil War, a war that killed about 625,000 Americans – two percent of America’s population at the time –has finally ended. In the wake of the war, the three “Reconstruction Amendments” are ratified. These three amendments were so full of promise – they freed all enslaved people, guaranteed equal protection under the law to all citizens, and granted voting rights to African-American men –that they almost seemed to justify the war’s mind-boggling bloodshed. And yet, even a cursory survey of American history of the 100 years following the Civil War reveals that many of the rights these amendments guaranteed were just empty promises to many citizens. Here’s just one example: Although the Fifteenth Amendment (ratified in 1870) promised all male citizens the right to vote, as of 1964, only seven percent of Mississippi’s black residents were registered to vote. It would require years of civil disobedience, which was often met with brutal repression, to finally achieve the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. For African-American citizens living in many jurisdictions, this act was the first piece of legislation to actually give them anything like equal access to the polls.

Upper Division Social Studies Teacher Nancy Barre, who has taught at Park for 12 years, had long been wrestling with the fact that Park’s seventh graders ended their study of American history with the Reconstruction Amendments, with no idea that Americans, to this day, continue to struggle with how to truly fulfill their promise. Two things happened that inspired Nancy to propose a change in the curriculum that would address this challenge. The first was reading Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns (2010), a narrative nonfiction account of “The Great Migration,” the time period between the 1920s-1960s when approximately six million African Americans left the rural south for new lives in cities in the north. Wilkerson’s book helps build a bridge between the African-American experience right after the Reconstruction Era to the present. The second was the need to rethink the social studies curriculum in Grade VIII, once Grade VIII became students’ final year at Park.

At The Park School, students are often the recipients of the amazing benefits that come with teacher passion, and the contagious nature of Nancy’s passion easily spread to the rest of the social studies team. In the summer of 2016, the Grade VIII social studies team met to begin planning a new eighth grade course. Using the “Understanding by Design,” backward planning model, the social studies teachers, librarians, academic technology leaders, apprentices and I joyfully took on the enormous and fulfilling task of redesigning the eighth grade social studies experience. We knew that in the ten-year journey of learning at Park, as students move from grade to grade, they also move alternately from a study within our country to studies around the globe.

After deciding to focus on Human Rights, the team thought it would make sense to create a connection between how our country responds to rights and how the world responds to rights. Park students now analyze the results of those three Reconstruction Amendments through the lens of human rights, while focusing on the experience of African Americans and women from the mid 19th century to the present by asking the following essential questions:

What are rights?
How are rights obtained?
What is my responsibility with regard to rights?
How are struggles for rights from the past still relevant or present today?

While designing this course, the team focused on creating a learning environment that asks students to use what they learn in authentic and meaningful ways. Skill development would require not only discipline-specific skills, but also the essential 21st century skills of collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and communication. The National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) states, “Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.” This course would inspire civic duty and advocacy based upon the formulation of an opinion that is justified with evidence.

I am wonderfully amazed and humbled by your approach to these subjects and by the content matter that you are teaching the children. They are so so lucky to be able to explore and grapple with these issues, and to hear all sides of the subject, and to form their own opinions – all in the context of a supportive environment.”
parent of eighth grader 2017

In the Upper Division, we pay close attention to the developmental needs of middle schoolers. Knowing that pre-adolescents are motivated by autonomy, competence, relationships, and fun, this course is not without its moments of impact! Students use their voices to contribute to a class current events blog, based on student-selected news articles or videos. Students learn to evaluate sources, which provides an understanding that bias exists in news reporting and that they are capable of recognizing bias in news sources, as well as developing fact-based understandings of issues. In the school segregation unit, most students are shocked to realize that the angry mobs screaming at buses that are taking African American students to schools outside of their neighborhoods were actually residents here in Boston. Their surprise continues in the women’s rights unit, when they learn through research that women weren’t able to possess their own credit cards until 1974 or that pregnant women had no legal protection from discrimination in employment until 1978! When students turn their attention to human rights around the world, it is difficult for students to grapple with how many basic needs are unmet for so many refugees: 1.87 million people from Syria alone! Inequities becomes clear, both in our country and abroad.

The Grade VIII social studies course is an eye opener – students become incensed about injustice and are curious to learn about where else injustice may exist. They choose not only to learn more but, even more important, to take action! This course supports and inspires the individual civic-minded voice of students, culminating with a project called, Advoc8! Each student engages in research around a topic of interest, whether local, national, or international. As successful advocates do, they research the topic to shape their understanding, use that research to inform others, and then determine what and how they can impact the needs they uncover. Now in its second year, with four committed civic-minded teachers guiding students toward this end, we look forward as a community to being inspired by our Grade VIII.

End Notes

Park’s Partnerships Across The Years

Published on March 6, 2018 in Spring 2018 by Martha Golub, Park Parent Editorial Board

On a recent Thursday afternoon, Betsy Platt’s Pre-Kindergarten class read books and played charades with their fifth grade partners from Courtney Bonang’s class. Down the hall, Nicole Siverls’ Kindergartners and Kat Callard’s second graders read a book about a girl in a wheelchair and then talked about what they knew and wondered about people with disabilities. And upstairs, eighth graders from Susan Bogue Myslik’s English class interviewed their first grade buddies about their favorite place in the School in preparation for a writing assignment about perspective.

Partner classes make our large community smaller – they create opportunities for older students to reach back to younger ones and be role models; for the younger students, it can give them a sense of being a part of the broader Park student body.” ~ Cynthia A. Harmon, Head of School

One of the many advantages of a Pre-K-8 elementary school is giving kids of all ages opportunities to interact with each other. Across nearly every grade at Park, teachers have created meaningful interactions between children of different ages through buddy programs like these.

“As a school community, the opportunity to have children connect across the developmental ages and divisions is quite special,” says Cynthia Harmon, Park’s Head of School. “Partner classes make our large community smaller – they create opportunities for older students to reach back to younger ones and be role models; for the younger students, it can give them a sense of being a part of the broader Park student body.”

There are at least ten different buddy programs in place this year at Park, some following decades-old track records of success and some in the early stages of experimentation and learning. Betsy Platt and Jerilyn Willig started their Pre-K and Grade I buddy program 12 years ago and immediately recognized the benefits to both grades. “Betsy and I are big believers in the power and the importance of play,” says Jerilyn. “When we get together, the kids play. They build, they cut, they dress-up, they sculpt … they practice compromising, showing compassion, listening and speaking, applying learned skills to new situations, tapping into creativity and imagination. There’s so much rich learning and growing that happens among these littlest Parkies during these buddy times.”

Older students benefit from buddy programs, too. When Susan Bogue Myslik’s eighth graders began their partnership with first graders five years ago, she remembers asking herself whether her students were benefitting as much from the program as the younger kids were. “At the end of the year, I had them articulate why it was important for them,” Susan said, “and it was a list of everything I’d want them to get out of English class: perspective, understanding that their own ideas matter and have impact, community, looking out for each other, all the things you want to learn from good literature.”

Current eighth graders agree and feel the program has given them more confidence and the ability to see things from a different lens. Anna Fattaey, an eighth grader in Ms. Bogue Myslik’s class, says the buddy program helps her appreciate another viewpoint. “When something’s really hard for me, it reminds me that we’ll probably look back on our problems now as little problems. They [our first grade buddies] have their problems and we have ours. It makes our problems seem smaller because we can see that they have problems too.”

Kimberly Formisano, Lower & Middle Division Head, sums it up like this: “These programs are a wonderful opportunity to build a relationship with an older student, and in many cases help provide a mirror and a connection to the MD or UD. The older students model what it means to be a friend, a supporter, a helper, and a teacher. The students learn from one another in meaningful ways that are unique to the partnerships.”

DE&I – It’s For All of Us

Published on March 6, 2018 in Spring 2018 by Emily Callejas, Sarah Elliott, Merle Perkins, & Young Ju Rhee, PA DEI Chairs

Kindergarten students paint beautiful self-portraits as part of an activity called “This is Who We Are,” which explores the emerging recognition of race, skin color, and ethnicity.

Robert Greene, a nationally recognized consultant who specializes in organizational development and culturally competent systems, was recently invited to Park to share some insights into the theme of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and how it relates to academic and organizational excellence. Robert’s presentation challenged the audience to have a growth mindset to learn what diversity means, and to bridge ways to which we can achieve equity and inclusion for all. Robert reminded us that it is not always easy to navigate diverse communities, yet research shows that the rewards of incorporating diverse ways of thinking are tremendous for businesses and communities alike.

Earlier in the school year, Pamela Penna, Park’s Director of Curriculum and Instruction, presented “Academic Excellence: DE&I Lens in Curriculum.” She gave illustrative examples of where DE&I is integrated with the curriculum at each grade level. For example, in Pre-K, children explore family structures and configuration in books and discussion about “windows and mirrors.” In Kindergarten, a beautiful self-portrait activity called “This is Who We Are” explores the emerging recognition of race, skin color, and ethnicity. In Grade II, ethnic and cultural diversity around the world is studied through exploration of place, food, clothing and games/crafts, and many families from diverse backgrounds enrich this process of learning. In the Middle and Upper Divisions, students engage in critical thinking about stereotypes and assumptions and discuss how to put their learning into action through social justice.

Pamela also highlighted that on a school-wide basis, students and faculty discuss how equity and inclusion are key to being better citizens, community members, and individuals. The Park School curriculum supports that issues of diversity are deeply connected to academic excellence.

To be effective collaborators with our children in this work, the Parents’ Association DE&I Committee believes that parents in our community must also be engaged in an ongoing examination of our individual and collective assumptions and biases. This September, we conducted a survey of parents’ concerns and interests, and parents told us they were interested in discussing socio-economic issues and class. As a result, we are hosting parent discussions on this topic, and have shared articles, case studies, and knowledge from each other’s experiences as parents on how best to discuss these topics with our children. We have worked with Park’s leadership, including Cynthia Harmon, Dr. Liza Talusan (Director of DE&I), the librarians at Park, as well as outside facilitators, to have important conversations about how to support this work with parents at The Park School.

Part of the challenge of engaging in DE&I topics is that not only are our views on DE&I perhaps different, our understandings and expectations from DE&I work can vary in range. For many families these topics are an integral part of their family discussions, while others recognize the importance but are just beginning to learn the tools and language. The PA DE&I events hope to provide opportunities for all parents to engage and feel greater belonging to the Park community through these meaningful ‘growth mindset’ conversations.

We encourage you to get involved. Please contact Parents’ Association DEI Chairs Emily Callejas, Sarah Elliott, Merle Perkins, and Young Ju Rhee for more information.

What Makes Mary Poppins! Pop!

Published on March 6, 2018 in Spring 2018 by The Park Perspectives Editorial Board

"Feed The Birds" featuring puppets manipulated by Park students.
Scene changes require all hands on deck!
Placing the furniture on stage "spikes" can be tricky in the dark.
Moving furniture for the next scene.
View of the theater during a tech rehearsal.
Two students run the spotlights from the catwalk above the audience.
The view from the tech booth.
Lighting and Sound Designer Mark Buchanan works with two students in the booth.
Control panel for lights

On Friday March 2 and Saturday March 3, Park’s Upper Division (UD) theater ensemble proudly brought Mary Poppins! to the Park School community. Drama Department Head and UD faculty member Kyra Fries (director), Music Department Head Sadiemarie Mayes (music director), and Apprentice Ali Felman (stage manager) have been collaborating on the show since mid-fall. Pre-K teacher Betsy Platt designed the costumes and outside professionals designed the set and lights. Kyra Fries, who has overseen the theater program for over 13 years says, “This is the biggest production I’ve ever done in my life. There are 40+ students working on every aspect of this musical, not to mention all of the adults who are involved. Everything about this production is big – the acting, the singing, the choreography, the technology, and the staging. It’s really exciting!”

Kyra is quick to point out that bringing Mary Poppins! to life has, more than ever, highlighted the essential role that students who volunteer to do tech support, costumes, and set design have been absolutely critical to bringing this production to Park, as well as many others. She notes, “The production is much more than the actors. I think of it as a team sport. It’s only as strong as the people who are supporting the people on stage.”

Students have always had a certain amount of involvement in the technical aspects of the productions. Costume designer Betsy Platt invites conversations with each student as she begins to choose costume pieces for their various characters. Their comfort and portrayal of the character are essential to her design choices. Happily, involvement in the technical aspect of Park productions has increased over the past six years. While there is no official initiative or program for this involvement, it’s a fun and valuable way for students who do not wish to be on stage to participate in theater. Students find time during recess, TEACH, and after school to practice working the light and sound board, or to make props. For Mary Poppins!, students needed to make dozens of brooms for the chimney sweeps using dowels and pipe cleaners and painting them in the theater shop behind the stage. “It’s great design thinking,” Kyra states. “They feel ownership when they come up with solutions and make the props. Most high school and college theater programs run in this way.”

Students who take the opportunity to work in tech support often find themselves coming back for other productions during their time in the UD, having enjoyed the experience so much. Sixth grader David Wibiralske remarked, “I have done tech support before and I think it’s fun knowing there’s somebody up there on the catwalk making the lights flash or the doorbell ring. If you didn’t do this, you wouldn’t know about it.” Will Kelly (Grade VIII) added, “Tech is a great opportunity to be part of a production but not be main stage. Our support of the actors is vital to the success of the production.” And alumna Sophie Lewis ’17, recalls her time fondly: “Some of my favorite memories from my time at Park took place in the theater shop. Tucked away directly under the stage, many students who pass through Park’s doors never are able to discover this extraordinary room. It’s where all of the magic happens–where props, set pieces and costumes are carefully put together and make Park’s shows truly come to life. I was fortunate during my eighth grade year to not only be a part of some incredible shows, but to help out behind the scenes as a prop maker. For Park’s whimsical production of The Phantom Tollbooth, we spent hours laboring over a seemingly endless number of signs, letters, banners, and creatures, armed only with cardboard, paint, and quite a bit of glitter. But it was truly a labor of love, because each prop helped make the show more special for audience members and actors alike. Now, as I enter the world of high school theater, I am grateful for how these opportunities at Park inspire my love for technical theater and give me an inordinate amount of respect for all of the hard work techies preform to make each show as meaningful as possible.”

As I enter the world of high school theater, I am grateful for how these behind-the-scenes opportunities at Park inspire my love for technical theater and give me an inordinate amount of respect for all of the hard work techies preform to make each show as meaningful as possible.

~ Sophie Lewis ’17

Given the complexity of the Mary Poppins! Production, everyone has had to figure out how to organize props and costumes backstage in a way that will allow the production to go off without a hitch. And there are more than just actors in the production: “For the scenes ‘Feed the Birds’ and ‘Let’s Go Fly A Kite,’ we are using ‘puppets’ operated by the students. It’s part of the magic of this show! Puppetry is selfless, it’s all about making the puppets shine. It’s great to give students the chance to expand their acting repertoire.”

When a production wraps up, high school and professional theater ensembles typically participate in the “strike” or taking down of the set and storing of the production props and costumes and cleaning up. This year, students have started to participate in this process at Park, which has typically been done only by adults. Kyra explained it’s a great way for students to go through the learning curve of how this is done beyond middle school and to know it’s part of any production.

The Drama Department’s goal is to make sure students with all kinds of interests and skills are able to participate in theater. As Kyra notes, “Theater at the middle school level is not about making lead actors look good, it’s about collaborating to bring a great production to the community and making sure that kids who don’t want to be on stage are part of creating the art together.”

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