Princeton Day School Journal

* v V (! ■ I v ' i.r - v f V ‘ • * PRINCETON DAY r ^ v ' SCHOOL JOURNAL * ~ x i Ir » » ,■ r. * ■ v.*v • * ' t- /i. *t rL«. Fall/Winter 1981-82 Editors: David C. Bogle PRINCETON DAY Martha Sullivan Sword '73 SCHOOL JOURNAL Vol. 14 No. 1 Fali/Winter 1981-82 Contents Letter from the Headmaster, Douglas O McClure 2 The McClure Years, PDS Faculty recollect Doug McClure’s tenure at Princeton Day School 6 On Campus, Scholars, Athletes, and Faculty make the news 8 Up With People, The International Stage show performs at PDS Page 6 1 0 Twelfth Night, The first presentation of a full-length Shake speare play at PDS Page 8 1 2 Values, Town Topics appraises PDS’s values and health education program 14 Former Faculty 1 5 A Song For All Seasons, The Madrigals travel and bring home prizes from distant competitions 1 9 Commencement 1981 and Alumni Children Page 10 20 Class of 1981’s College Choices 2 1 The Child from 9 to 12 and the World of the 1980’s, PDS's school psychologist evaluates the world we live in 24 New Trustees Appointed Report from the Search Committee Page 12 25 Alumni Day 1981 Page 15 26 Young Alumni Unite 27 Spring and Fall Sports 28 A L’aventure, French teacher Pat Echeverria describes her journey to Guadeloupe with four young students 29 Alumni News Page 25 Princeton Day School is a K-12, coeducational institution which admits stu dents of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities accorded and made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national nor ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, scholarship programs, athletic and other school-administered programs. Page 29 Letter From the Headmaster by Douglas O. McClure One price I suspect that many of us pay for our enjoyment of reading is the envy we feel when we come across something we wish that we might have written ourselves. This feeling can be prompted by a phrase that is a superb example of writing style, a statement that is particularly profound, or a passage that states with clarity and effectiveness an idea that we have been trying unsuccess fully to articulate. Perhaps this may help explain why some of us suc cumb so readily to the vicarious plea sures which television and the movies offer us—they don’t remind us quite so painfully of our fallibility as do our struggles with the demands of the English language. Be that as it may, I confess that re cently I did come across a statement I am convinced that Mr. Oakeshott and worthwhile human beings. that I wish I could have claimed as my has said some very important things Second, as Jerome Kagan wrote in own. In the fall, 1981, issue of D aed- about schools that share goals similar an article in the first of these two is ulus, the second of the two issues to those which Princeton Day School sues of Daedulus, “kindness, re straint on aggression, honesty and a which discussed current concerns in professes. Some of these are obvi reasonable blend of pride and humil America's private and public schools ous—the sense of community which that resulted from St. Paul's School’s includes both students and faculty, ity" must be at the top of the list of any 125th anniversary celebration, Philip the importance of learning for its own school's goals. This obviously must W. Jackson, a distinguished profes sake, the value of a shared tradition work both ways— not just as a state sor at the University of Chicago and which helps define what a school is ment of what the school expects from respected commentator on educa all about. its students, but also a description of tion, quotes the British political It seems to me that what is even how it responds to them. Finally, what schools can accomplish at best is to philosopher, Michael Oakeshott, as more significant, however, is his con provide an initiation and not fulfill follows: cluding statement. If one considers seriously the implications of asking ment. The "mysteries of the human The idea “School” is that of an historic that schools produce a sense of grati condition," after all, are what all of community of teachers and learners, neither large or small, with traditions of tude for learning what it is to be hu us need to accept, appreciate, and its own, evoking loyalties, pieties, and man with all this suggests about not value. It requires more than what affections, devoted to initiating suc just the intellectual, but the moral even the best of our schools can offer cessive generations of newcomers to dim ensions this requires, it is, to say to achieve that goal completely. We the human scene and to the grandeurs can, however, and must provide un and servitudes of being human. the least, humbling. I believe, none The marks of a good school are that in theless, that there are some valuable derstanding, reasonable demands, it learning may be recognized as, it lessons to be learned from doing this. and a commitment to doing every self, a golden satisfaction that needs First, the tendency to be somewhat thing we can to assist our students no adventitious gilding to recommend arrogant in using a school’s explicit to move from their initiation to the it; and that it bestows upon its alumni the gift of a childhood recollected, not statements of its policies and expec "grandeurs and servitudes of being as a passage of time hurried through tations as a fixed standard against human.” I can think of no more appro on the way to more profitable engage which individuals’ behavior and priate description of what we should ments, but, with gratitude, as an en achievement are measured needs to be trying to accomplish as we go joyed initiation into the mysteries of a about our business of teaching and human condition; the gift of self- be tempered with a greater under knowledge and of a satisfying intel standing of what is actually taking learning. lectual and moral identity. place in their development as unique 1 The McClure Years After sixteen years of distinguished service at Princeton Day School, Headmaster Douglas O. McClure will leave Princeton Day School to accept the position of Headmaster at Sewick- ley Academy in Sewickley, Pennsyl vania. During his tenure at PDS, the school has grown remarkably both in population and in physical size. The school's enrollment now stands at 860. PDS's physical plant is most impressive with the addition of an ice skating rink, a second gymnasium, a renovated Lower School and a new Middle School, to name only a few facilities added since Doug McClure came to the school in 1966. Compiled below are photographs and memories of the “McClure Years" as described by some of the PDS faculty. Teaching and the administration of teaching have daily pitfalls. There are many happy opportunities, but often we find ourselves engulfed in small problems and tedious details. “In the fall of 1967, the only men his delight in our Faculty Revues has There are serious problems, too. brave enough to come out for the first been a source of great gratification to Ones that demand and require the rehearsals of Glee Club were Chris me," she continues. "He gives me a ability to bring many perspectives Reeve and Doug McClure. Soon free hand and revels in the zany and disciplines into focus. Doug others joined, but for my first few aspects and rejoices in the rewards." McClure excels in the process of sort years," reminisces Frank Jacobson, Says Louise Topp, “Doug's greatest ing and balancing pieces of any situa “Doug came to as many rehearsals gift to me has been having the cour tion into meaningful patterns. At his as possible and sang in concerts.” age to give me time to grow at my best, he listens carefully and remem Those now serving on the faculty own pace—to let me make my own bers a remarkable number of details. have come to recognize Doug's rich mistakes and grow from them." Doug has demonstrated his capacity energetic, though sometimes qua And for me, I will remember Doug’s for synthesis again and again during very baritone in “We Three Kings” trust in Frank’s judgm ent and hiring all the years I have known and and also in Faculty singers. I love me first at one hour a week, ever in worked with him. his musical spirit—singing away un creasing my time year after year, and Our methods and curricula for very daunted by talk and laughter during encouraging me to take that same young children were sometimes baf performance at his house, requiring free hand to build a Middle School fling and rather unfamiliar terrain for that his secretary reserve the practice program using whatever I felt were Doug. But if our small world ever time in his weekly calendar, typically my strengths—and being humble seemed puzzling—its doing and worrying about that tricky rhythm in and sincere in expressing amaze learning seemingly all clamor and the Spanish carol or the low G in ment at the artistry of my young noise— Doug trusted us to work our "Sing We and Chant It," and taking students. curious kind of alchemy. his folder home and really practicing. I will miss his “Are we going to sing Doug has always been extremely Doug’s passion for music, his ar today?” But, even more, I will miss the supportive to our children, their par dent feelings of nostalgia for music feeling that Doug made me believe ents, their teachers and me.

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