LabLifethe magazine for alumni, parents, and friends of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools Winter 2016/17 FALL 2016 in this issue In the Halls FEATURES DEPARTMENTS 20 Historic (Campus) 03 In the Halls Renovation 04 The Bookshelf City in a garden 26 Inaugural Parents 09 Sports Highlights Fund Drive Doubles 16 In the World LabLife Participation 17 Behind the Scenes 28 Travel with Purpose 18 Lab in Pictures 32 What Would 37 Throwback Dewey Do? 38 Alumni Notes Nursery and kindergarten students find 46 Alumni in Action plenty of nature to enjoy in Chicago FROM INTERIM DIRECTOR BETH A. HARRIS “The sense of enthusiasm from Wonder the start of the year has carried and through and we start 2017 with an energy that has only grown.” excitement Dear Friends, Street Books and student- > Our Fall Professional Lastly, Lab returned its run organizations; children Development day experiences formal response to the ISACS It continues to be a privilege exchanged in the realm of 10,000 asked faculty to consider their accreditation Visiting Team to help guide the Laboratory books during our annual Book role in creating and sustaining report, accepting all of the major Schools through what is already Swap; and the U-High chorale an inclusive school environment, ISACS recommendations. The a very rewarding year. The sense group, Bel Canto, gave a “pop- and enhance their comfort level thread connecting several of these of enthusiasm from the start up” concert which rang through and competence in addressing recommendations is that there is of the year has carried through the halls. differences between students and work to be done to bind together and we start 2017 with an themselves. a community that, while strong energy that has only grown. Our > Incredible people regularly and passionate about its School, Carrie Collin likes to take have found new places for It’s a longer walk now, but students and faculty have settled visit our Schools and make the > The October Parents Fund “These natural has been through a period of her nursery school class on nature play. Both Ms. Collin Ms. Randazzo also takes her into their classrooms and their experience of being a student— Drive, our newly inaugurated significant institutional change walking field trips around environments and Marie Randazzo enjoy classes to the Winter Garden focus has turned to the teaching or an adult—at Lab that much approach to the annual fund, that has affected its members’ the University campus. One taking their classes to the on the Midway across from and learning—in and outside the richer. So far this year, Lab has was a big success. Led by Co- fall, just north of Rockefeller bring about “Circle Garden”—the bowling the hospital. “It’s a different sense of belonging. classroom—that energizes all of welcomed a host of our amazing chairs Christie Henry and Chapel, they discovered “a incredible green in Jackson Park. The kind of space, with big trees all us. The school year has already alumni, UChicago professors, Michele Seidl with a group of 30 It is to these concerns that much tremendous buckeye tree,” grass, mowed very short clustered together, and a space brought with it an enormous and two MacArthur “Genius” volunteers, Lab doubled parent of our work this year has been says Ms. Collin. imaginative for bowling and croquet, is underneath to crawl in and amount of wonder and grant winners. participation to 50%. addressed and on which I believe “We gathered as many surrounded by perennials and out of,” she says. “This gives excitement. Here are just some there has already been substantial buckeyes as we could carry play,” says a low stone wall. rise to other kinds of play that > The student assemblies that > Also in October, we held two of the highlights: progress. We know that our and took them back to In gardens and other are more subversive: hiding take place in Gordon Parks major community-building Ms. Randazzo. success comes only with the full the classroom for various natural places, “the children in the forest, pretending to > Judd Hall has added Auditorium are remarkable: events: More than 500 people participation of our community, activities—math, art, science, can be really, truly free, be outlaws, or setting traps.” immeasurably to the life of at a recent Lower School participated in Lab’s Alumni Ms. Collin. “What a great parents, faculty, staff, alumni and sensory,” she says. “Plus, without a lot of rules and Other Midway favorites are the Schools. Just outside my assembly two students gave Weekend tours, discussion having a buckeye in your lesson.” behavioral limits,” says the Linné statue, which the children. office, I see the room formerly presentations on hobbies they panels, awards presentations, pocket is supposed to bring Since their first visits, the Ms. Randazzo. When the kids like to pretend is a stage, known as “Judd 126” (some enjoy. The fourth grader who and social events; And Lab you good luck.” Visiting area around the tree has been children first arrive at the and “The Horse Place,” the Thank you all for all you do of you will recall when it had codes games using Tynker had cordoned-off Kimbark Avenue the buckeye tree became an landscaped, “including the Circle Garden, “there’s a lot bronze statue of a Blanik for Lab. fixed theater seating!) getting clearly practiced his outstanding for a Board-hosted Family annual event for her. planting of a young buckeye of running and physical play. knight. put to great community use: presentation—the whole place Festival to celebrate the end of Then one year a strong tree,” says Ms. Collin. “It’s a But after being there for a At Botany Pond on the the Parents’ Association’s first- cracked up at his humor. construction and draw attention storm blew through. When lovely little park now.” The little while, they calm way UChicago campus, the children enjoy gathering sticks ever Holiday Book Fair was to the Parents Fund Drive. Ms. Collin took the children down. We find them in groups children pretend to fish or go Beth A. Harris and rocks, looking for insects, held in partnership with 57th to check on the buckeye tree, of three or four, just chatting on expeditions. “These natural they discovered it had been rolling down a small hill, and or pretending to be animals. environments bring about struck by lightning and half sitting in the grass talking. In natural environments, the incredible imaginative play,” LabLife, published three Editor Carrie Golus, AB’91, AM’93 Photography University of Chicago Volume 10, Number 2 of it was gone. The students When they walk past the park children get along better, even says Ms. Randazzo. “And any times a year, is written for Catherine Braendel, ’81 Ingrid Gonçalves, AB’08 Chris Kirzeder Laboratory Schools on their way to other places, 1362 E. 59th Street © 2017 by the University of worried that the tree would be though they have no toys.” time you feel like running, the University of Chicago Contributors Heather Preston Anne Ryan Chicago Laboratory Schools Laboratory Schools’ John Zich Chicago, IL 60637 Amy Braverman Puma Maureen Searcy removed, but it wasn’t. “We “they call out greetings to the Sometimes they bring nature you can. It’s a beautiful thing community of alumni, parents, Lab Notes Correspondents www.ucls.uchicago.edu Reproduction in whole or faculty, and staff. Sean Carr, AB’90 Design part, without permission of have watched over the past few buckeye tree.” journals and draw pictures to watch.” Janice Clark Dozens of diligent alumni Please send comments or the publisher, is prohibited. Interim Director Jeanie Chung agents updated contact information to years as the tree has recovered Since the move to Earl of something they want to Beth A. Harris Megan E. Doherty, AM’05, [email protected], Shapiro Hall, the NK teachers PhD’10 or call 773-702-0578. and continued to grow,” says remember. 02 LabLife Winter 2016/17 LabLife Winter 2016/17 03 THE BOOKSHELF InIn the the Halls Halls Recommended xxxEngineering growth reading New to town, Nicole Hood, director all-schools programs & partnerships, recommends Brian Doyle’s Second-grade classroom uses makerspace to build Chicago: A Novel structures for their garden rian Doyle’s self-indulgence, and a healthy Bus”; and Mr. Burns, a city—its diversity, its mix of recent work measure of self-discovery. In hard-bitten, old-school news old and new, both its history Chicago: A this unapologetic love letter editor for whom the narrator and possibility. Chicago, the Novel—a vaguely to the city, written from a works all spring to mind city, creates the real magic in magical-realist perspective many years later, in a vast canvas of quirky Doyle’s novel, and the reader quasi-memoir—is partly the narrator comes to view characters. But all of these are only has to try, just a little, an extended description those five seasons in Chicago outshined and overshadowed to believe. of the city at a particular as a time set apart from the by Edward, Mr. Pawlowsky’s moment in time (the late rest of his life, but a period canine companion, who 70s or early 80s), and vital to his understanding of performs superhuman feats Anyone who has part bildungsroman. In himself. of protection, counsels found themselves the novel, an unnamed The strengths of this individuals of various protagonist/narrator recalls novel are in the skillfully species, and studies Abraham swept up in the the 15 months that he drawn, fully fleshed-out Lincoln. And somehow, in headiness of a lived in Chicago, writing characters who inhabit this paean to the nostalgia of for a Catholic magazine, Chicago and the narrator’s young adulthood, all of these new environment immediately after graduating existence during his time in elements mostly work.