Sewickley Speaking the Magazine of Sewickley Academy
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SEWICKLEY SPEAKING THE MAGAZINE OF SEWICKLEY ACADEMY Serving in northern Thailand as a program manager for Rustic Pathways, Megan McAdams ’04 and her team mix cement for a community center’s foundation. SUMMER 2008 SEWICKLEY SPEAKING SUMMER 2008 SEWICKLEY SPEAKING SUMMER 2008 A MESSAGE FROM THE CONTENTS A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL 2 8 EDITOR Haley Woods CONTRIBUTORS Julie Bevevino ’99 Sharon Hurt Davidson Tammy Ewin Jennifer FitzPatrick Kolia O’Connor Debbie Osterhout Trevor Rusert Susan Ratcliffe Sour THE Academy’S FIRST ALUMNI around THE WORLD ROMANIAN EXCHANGE Haley Woods Students represent Ukraine at the sixth grade World’s Fair. Students completed research on their assigned During the Middle School’s first South Asia Day, students try their hands (and feet) at fast-paced Bhangra dancing. country and then designed a poster and booth to share at the fair. 12 16 PHOTOGRAPHERS Julie Bevevino ’99 Dear Readers of Sewickley Speaking, Sharon Hurt Davidson What does it mean to have a global perspective? We hear this phrase One powerful linguistic example comes from the auto industry, when Tammy Ewin increasingly, including at Sewickley Academy, and it is perhaps worth Chevrolet was attempting to market its highly successful Nova sedan in Harry Giglio pausing to note what is meant when we talk about global perspectives, Argentina more than 25 years ago. The marketing department did not pay especially through the lens of a Sewickley Academy education. attention to the fact that “no va” in Spanish means “does not go,” certainly James R. Wardrop ’57 not an effective marketing strategy for a car! Haley Woods Simply put, a global perspective is one that, while grounded in the basic, traditional skills and values that have long been the hallmark of a Take another example from childhood. Remember when a friend, holding Sewickley Academy education, provides students a window into worlds his hand up with the thumb and index finger joined to form a circle, said DESIGN Richard A. Hooper that are different from their own, ways of thinking that are different from to you, “Can you poke your head through this hole?” You said, “No,” only Third Planet Communications their own, and ways of operating within those worlds that will allow for to see your friend put the circle up to his head and then, using the index www.333planet.com greater success. finger of his other hand, poke his finger at his head through the circle. He laughed, and you turned around and played the trick on your dad. Some Generations ago, schools were seen as vehicles for acculturating and THE COLLEGE PROCESS IN LESSONS from FIRST GRADE problems that seem difficult or even insoluble can be solved quite easily by THE 21ST CENTURY assimilating the children of immigrants into mainstream American life. assuming the right perspective. Today, this imperative is complemented by a growing understanding that to be cultured, to be educated, to be competitive in the 21st century means In his timely and compelling book, The Difference, Scott E. Page, a Sewickley Academy does not discriminate on A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL 1 having an understanding of the world beyond our borders. More than professor of complex systems at the University of Michigan, writes THE ACADEMY’S FIRST ROMANIAN EXCHANGE 2 the basis of race, gender, religion, national or that, it demands a set of skills that will allow our young people to learn powerfully about the difference that perspectives can make in the solving from and learn with people who are different from them. We sometimes of problems. Ultimately, he argues that bringing together diverse perspec- Sector SPEAKER SERIES 2008 / MEMORIAL DAY PARADE 5 ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in the hear people say that the world is getting more diverse, but that is not true. tives by bringing together people in possession of diverse perspectives ANNOUNCING THE SEWICKLEY SERIES 6 administration of its educational policies, The world has always been a remarkably vibrant and diverse place; it is just makes it more likely that seemingly insoluble problems can be solved. MARJORIE “MARNIE” BROWN JUMP ’33 7 financial aid program, athletic program, that our increasing interconnectedness and interdependence make that Collective collaboration, thus, is a fundamental skill that needs to be level of diversity and difference more important to us. taught so that our young people will know how to take advantage of the ALUMNI around THE WORLD 8 or any other policy or program. different perspectives present in a group. THE COLLEGE PROCESS IN THE 21ST CENTURY 12 Europeans have always understood – because they have needed to – the value of knowing and comfortably being able to use a second and even a As the Academy moves to refine our efforts to prepare our students for THE 2008 ELIZABETH BISHOP Martin Award 15 third language. While the hegemony of English as a world language is success in the 21st century, we know that the foundational basics must LESSONS FROM FIRST GRADE 16 Correspondence concerning not in question, the power that comes from understanding a culture and be assured; we also know that, in the world our children will inherit, the community through a knowledge of its language is likewise indisputable. basics are no longer enough. Additionally, we know that the same set of SEWICKLEY ACADEMY IN THE NEWS 18 Sewickley Speaking should That is why Sewickley Academy has long taught French and Spanish be- skills that will allow our students to be more successful in the future is be addressed to: FAREWELLS 20 ginning in Pre-Kindergarten. That is also why we have added Mandarin also the one that will lead to even greater success in our classrooms today. NEW Trustees 22 in Grade 9 and now introduced it in Grade 6. Haley Woods In the following pages of Sewickley Speaking, you will see that global NEW Faces 23 Director of Marketing & Publications But knowing a foreign language is only part of the answer. Learning perspectives are already well represented at Sewickley Academy. In fact, to work in diverse groups, to collaborate, and to solve problems collec- the school has a long tradition of reaching beyond our borders, and we are FAMILIAR Faces IN NEW Places 26 Sewickley Academy tively are also skills that are fundamental to a global education and to the proud to build on this legacy to ensure that the education we provide our 315 Academy Avenue WELCOMING A NEW ALUMNI COUNCIL PRESIDENT 27 development of global perspectives. There may not be only one correct students today is as relevant and inspiring as it was in years gone by. Sewickley, Pa 15143 REUNION 2008 28 way to solve a problem; there may be several correct ways. Therefore, we [email protected] must teach our students how to choose the most efficient strategy given a PICTURE THIS Campaign UPDATE 30 With best regards, particular context, one that may, in fact, be culturally based. Students DELIVERING ON THE PROMISE 32 412.741.2230 need to understand this in order to be able to choose well – or even more CLASS NOTES 34 www.sewickley.org important, to avoid choosing poorly. Knowing the cultural coding that suggests one option rather than another could spell the difference between IN MEMORIAM 40 success and failure. Kolia O’Connor 1 SEWICKLEY SPEAKING SUMMER 2008 SEWICKLEY SPEAKING SUMMER 2008 THE Academy’S FIRST ROMANIAN EXCHANGE By: Debbie Osterhout participate: Evan Fuhrer ’12, Will Kleeman ’13, and Connor Sebas- tian ’12. Mr. Kurt Cerny, song and dance teacher and descendant of Eastern European heritage, was also very interested in making this trip and together we discussed our hopes to encourage new growth and inde- This spring, Lower School Spanish pendence in our students through this experience. Shortly after our team teacher Debbie Osterhout facilitated was assembled, the students began attending weekly meetings to discuss, research, and prepare for a week-long integration into life in Romania. an exchange between the International Seventeen hours and three plane rides later, we arrived in Cluj on March School of Cluj, Romania, and the 15 and began our adventure. Our week included an overnight stay in Transylvania visiting both Peles Castle and the Castle of Dracula. We Academy. The following is a personal spent the majority of our time on ISC’s campus, observing and taking account of the life-changing experience. part in day-to-day activities. Mr. Cerny even had the opportunity to teach the waltz to a group of sixth and seventh graders. Also that week, we were all interviewed and filmed for a national television documen- tary on the changes in the Romanian educational system. While in Romania, Debbie Osterhout and her group visited ISC’s Happy Kids Kindergarten. Currently enrolled at ISC on two different campuses are 250 students, half the goods in Romania come at a high cost. In fact, a pair of Dockers® in of whom are in the pre-school and Kindergarten. The other 125 range Romania costs $150! It is no surprise then that shopping was high on the in age from six to 14 years, eighth grade being the highest grade enrolled groups’ to-do list. Our families spent hours looking and advising their for the 2007-08 school year. The Romania these children know is much visiting students about iPods® and digital cameras. I spent hours with different than the one their parents knew only a short time ago – no lon- Iulia at the teacher supply store buying books, materials, wall signs in ger are foods rationed in small amounts, nor are multiple families living English, and games for every age student at ISC. Even more time was spent in one small apartment.