::::::::::::::::::::::::: LABthe magazine for alumni, parents, andLIFE friends of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools | SPRING 2012 LISTEN TO THE POEM! U-HIGH POETS STAND AND DELIVER IN THE NAME OF MY COUNTRY LAB GRADS FIND THEIR CALLING IN MILITARY CAREERS IN THE HALLS: THE INAUGURAL LABARTS EXHIBITION LAB NOTES: CLASS NOTES & ALUMNI NEWS LABLIFE::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::999PIECES OF ART from the director in this issue ON THE WALL::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: LabLife, published three Dear Friends, times a year, is written for 01In the Halls Many of the projects in the the University of Chicago Science teacher sings the Laboratory Schools’ At least half of LabLife readers do not live in or around blues, high seas on the exhibition were autobiographical. One community of alumni, Chicago, so you might not be aware of how interesting it Great Lakes, emeritus group of nursery children, taught parents, faculty, and staff. is to live in a city that will have hosted the NATO Summit retirements, and more. by Meredith Dodd, Tomoko Hata, and Stephen Pratt, created ink and Director on May 20–21—the city filled with representatives David W. Magill from the 28 member and 22 partner foreign countries 04A place for everything watercolor self-portraits. Each artist participating in the Summit. This will have been the first supplied an interpretation of their Editor time an American city other than Washington, DC, has 14Connections 2012 Catherine Braendel, ’81 More than 750 guests hosted a NATO summit, so we decided to reschedule the attended this year’s gala. Contributors Rites of May across two separate weekends. The LabArts exhibition Laura Demanski, AM’94 Carrie Golus, AB’91, AM’93 16Lab+ Kay Kirkpatrick, MAT’72 It was an unusual move, but when the When will you put up represented every medium: the ice? Early Childhood Katherine Muhlenkamp world is visiting Chicago, it’s the least we Heather Preston Campus construction is fine arts, performance, music, Laura Putre can do. humming along—just ask a We want graduates nursery-schooler. Benjamin Recchie, AB’03 even web design. Elizabeth Station As a gentleman of a certain age Listen to the poem! Beth Wittbrodt to feel secure in their (who is typing on an iPad, using the 18 At the world’s largest teen finished image: “Blueberry internet, and therefore, has the world poetry festival (and in the Design own community while eyes,” “My eyes look up when I Good Studio at my fingertips), I cannot express how classroom), U-High poets think,” “I notice I have no legs in drastically my view of the world has stand and deliver. Photography recognizing their the picture.” changed during my lifetime: a world Chris Kirzeder Four-year-old students Marc Monaghan economy has emerged influenced heavily 22Tipping the scales responsibilities as global Bucking a national trend, taught by Mary Jones, Niloufer by Asia; technology has changed our Lab Notes Correspondents girls at Lab hold equal The inaugural LabArts exhibition Hai, and Jane Burwell Hecht day-to-day lives; and global solutions Dozens of diligent alumni citizens. ground in computer created autobiographical and agents are required to solve the problems of science. On the last weekend in January, Kovler with the teachers, and we had great collaborative self-portraits our planet. Gymnasium became an exhibition support and leadership from Katy Publisher 24In the name of my space for nearly 1,000 pieces of art Sinclair and John Biser.” with their seventh-grade University of Chicago country created by Lab students, ages three to The event drew heavily on buddies. Each image included Laboratory Schools But as an educator, I can surely tell you that I know we (and by that I mean not just Lab grads find their calling two silhouettes—one of 1362 E. 59th Street American schools but we here at Lab) may not be doing enough to prepare our students in military careers. 17. With its high ceilings, tall windows, volunteer efforts. Parents Tracy Chicago, IL 60637 and bare white walls, the gym made a Coe Jennifer Rhind the preschooler and one of for how their lives will be influenced by the rest of the world. Certainly, Lab students and joined with p: 773-702-3236 surprisingly convincing approximation faculty to gather the works of art and the seventh-grader, each f: 773-834-9844 (and faculty) have benefited from the cultural differences that are a natural part of the 26Lab Notes Class notes and profiles of of a gallery space—folded-up coordinate musical performances. immediately identifiable. www.ucls.uchicago.edu UChicago environment and being part of a major metropolis. (Lab families speak a Irving Wladawsky-Berger, basketball hoops and “Go Maroons!” Garland Taylor—parent, fine artist, Illia Mazurek’s third-graders combined total of more than 53 languages in their homes, after all.) And absolutely, ’62, SM’65, PhD’72; Andrea Please send comments to scoreboard notwithstanding. and art preparator—donated his time created a series of personal individual teachers are including a world perspective as part of their curriculum. But Ghez, ’83; Lara Nie, ’85; [email protected] Historically, the annual and talent to create the display space, narratives in the form of three recognizing our need to prepare students to be global citizens is not a formal part of Todd Belcore, ’98. Connections gala included a student and dozens of volunteers mounted drawings with captions: a Volume 5, Number 3 our school mission. Maybe it needs to be. 39In Remembrance arts component. But in an effort to the show the night before it opened. memory, an event from the © 2012 by the University of make the exhibition available to a Music co-chair Katy Sinclair organized present, Chicago Laboratory Schools During the 2012–2013 school year, we will be examining our mission statement, one 41From the U-High much broader audience—not least and helped prepare students for a and an that has guided our efforts for more than a decade. It may be the perfect time to Midway imagined Reproduction in whole or of all the students themselves—the series of informal music and dance include a more global perspective in what defines a Lab education. I am impressed part, without permission of planners, led by Connections co-chairs performances. future: “I the publisher, is prohibited. that many schools are placing global education and citizenry high on their agendas for Cynthia Heusing and want to be improvement. We want U-High graduates to feel secure in their own community while Anna Marks, created a a zookeeper recognizing their responsibilities as global citizens. How the Schools foster that should new stand-alone event: when I grow be born of an institution-wide conversation and mission-driven commitment. LabArts. up and invent “We wanted to a new species I invite you to share your thoughts with me on what defines a global citizen. Please send make more out of the of elephant,” an email to [email protected]. great work the kids are “In the future doing,” says Ms. Marks. I want a David W. Magill, EdD The show represented trampoline in Director every medium: fine arts, my dining room performance, music, instead of a even web design. Adds table.” Ms. Heusing, “This was a tremendous collaboration “I notice I have no legs in the picture.”page 1 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::soundbite::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::LABLIFE:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::01::::::::: Emeritus retirements in 2012 Frances Moore-Bond has worn many hats at Lab, including parent to daughters Ebony, ’93, and Naima, ’97. After a quarter-century of service to the Schools, she’s retiring this June. Ms. Moore-Bond started in the High School as learning consultant and testing coordinator, at times also serving as an advisor for sophomores and juniors. She was the faculty sponsor for the Black Students’ Association and organizer of the High School’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Day assembly. In the latter role—a highlight of her Lab tenure—she helped to grow the gathering to include Middle School students as well. When she moved to the Middle School in 2001, Ms. Moore-Bond became the school admissions and testing coordinator. She continued working with the Middle School Black Students’ Association. Today, as she prepares to retire, she’s Lab’s assessment specialist, overseeing all standardized testing for the Lower and Middle Schools. Ms. Moore-Bond says she intends to take “a little break” before deciding what to do next, but she knows she’ll remain active with the organizations for which she currently volunteers: the HistoryMakers, the Golden Apple Foundation, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Gamma Phi sororities. When Elvira Pellitteri started teaching at Lab in 1986, she had just 15 students in her U-High Latin class, and the only foreign languages being taught in the Lower School were French and German. Today, as Ms. Pellitteri prepares to retire, there are more than 100 students of Latin in the High School, and Spanish classes are available to students from third grade on up—due in no small part to her efforts at promoting those languages over her 26 years at Lab. To entice more students to enroll in Latin, Ms. Pelliteri started a Latin club. “For many years introduces we did an annual Roman banquet” featuring Roman food, togas, and grape juice from goblets, Math in motion them to the she says. Meanwhile, in the Lower School, she and fellow teacher Ann Beck started a third-grade concept Spanish class in 1987, adding new grade levels as the original cadre of students moved on to each OR why the Schools bought next grade up. “I always welcomed the opportunity to teach in all the grades,” she says, “because it of linear MOTION DETECTORS was so wonderful to see the students develop over the years.” functions and Math is getting Middle and High Retirement doesn’t mean Ms.