mawrginalia, november-december 2012

Mawrginalia

• November/December 2012 •Mawrginalia [mawr-juh-ney-lee-uh]: Latin, plural noun. Notes, commentary

and similar material about or relating to The Bryn Mawr School.

Contents

REGULARS4 | FROM THE HEADMISTRESS

5 | REMAWRKS

6 | THIS MONTH IN PICTURES Girls’ Night Out; The Lion, the Witch and the Ward-robe; Winter Spirit Day; Thanksgiving Convocation

9 | TEACHERS’ CORNER

10 | MAWRTIAN MINUTES National Letter of Intent Signing; A Season of Giving; Bryn Mawr Annual Fund

23 | SENIOR VOICES: THE CLASS OF 2013

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION28 | MEET RACHEL RUBIN P’18, ‘21 President-Elect of the Parents’ Association

ALUMNAE29 | DRESSED TO THE NINES

29 | HAPPENINGS

29 | UPCOMING EVENTS

CONNECT WITH BRYN MAWR!

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facebook.com/BrynMawrSchool

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Editor’s Note: Your feedback is important to us. If you have any comments, or if there is a story you’d like to see in Mawrginalia, please email me!

Laurel M-O Weijer Assistant Director of Communications [email protected]

FEATURES 12 | SOUNDS OF THE SEASON BY CARLIE HRUBAN ’13 Bryn Mawr’s Upper School choral group Dayseye teams up with five other high school choirs to produce a 210-voice performance of Handel’s

“Messiah.”

14 | CELEBRATING OUR DIFFERENCES Twenty-three Bryn Mawr girls spend a Saturday learning about diversity, tolerance and how they can make a difference.

18 | EDUCATED GIRLS HAVE POWER Led by Ellie Knott ’13, students from Bryn Mawr and Roland Park Country School give their voices to 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, a crusader for girls’ education in Pakistan.

22 | MEET ME IN THE MIOCENE! Middle School students become science sleuths as they uncover and investigate ten million-year-old fossils.

ON THE COVER

Christine ’14 performs a piece of her own choreography at Thanksgiving Convocation, accompanied by the combined choirs from the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools.

14

Regulars

FROM THE HEADMISTRESS

Maureen E. WalshHeadmistress

“The description

of a successful college

applicant is an apt

definition of a Bryn Mawr

graduate.”

4 / Mawrginalia / November/December 2012

More than 98% of our seniors applied to college through some sort of “early” process this year, and that percentage has been inching up for the last few years. I note this number with some personal interest, as I have a son who is a junior in high school, and I, like many of you, think I can develop a good strat-egy for this process.

Already, however, I am using the wrong pronouns. “I want to have a good, reachable option for him in the early process,” or “I think Tom would do well in a smaller school with a solid campus life in a relatively rural setting.” Mean-while, Tom seems along for the ride, assuming that I will get it all figured out and squared away for him. While I can’t go in and take his SATs for him, I’m prepared to shoulder much of the responsibility because he’s our eldest child, I feel like I know the system really well, and I guess I don’t trust him to do it the way I think it should be done. It’s as if I cannot keep myself from over-manag-ing and running the show. Appalling or what?

I share this because our seniors are awaiting the early process results, and the nervousness and anticipation among the girls is matched by the heightened anxiety among their parents. We want their dreams to come true. We love them, we are proud of their accomplishments, and we crave the opportunity for those accomplishments to be validated by the college admission officers. It can be hard for us parents in this process, because we have so little influence on the college’s decisions.

Fortunately, recent conversations about what colleges want from their appli-cants validates exactly what our Director of College Counseling Patti Whalen has been saying for years. Colleges look for students who have lived a full and successful high school career. They want students who show evidence of pas-sion and accomplishment, can think and write critically and persuasively, care about their community and their world, and demonstrate that they can bring their best selves to their next adventures. We parents CAN influence this, and this description of a successful college applicant is an apt definition of our intentions for our Bryn Mawr graduates.

With fingers crossed that the admission angels will smile beneficently upon our seniors, we enter these challenging days ahead with the belief that we have done all we can as parents and teachers, and that the girls are in fact wonderful examples of students who have lived a full high school life. Mean-while, I will try to practice what I preach at home!

REMAWRKS

Pat NothsteinLower School Director

November/December 2012 / Mawrginalia / 5

“Throughout a girl’s

Bryn Mawr education, she will be

exposed to global

cultures.”

Early on the morning of December 7, nervous giggles echoed in the corridors of Centennial Hall, as our youngest Lower School girls waited excitedly to begin Bryn Mawr’s first winter concert of 2012. Outside, parents and grand-parents scurried up the hill to snatch a seat from which to enjoy the musical celebration. They were not disappointed—the audience was treated to the music of Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa, accompanied on xylophones, chimes, slide whistles and even a gong! Throughout December, each division takes its turn on stage to showcase their musical talents while paying homage to celebrations that depict the rich cultural backgrounds and religious values that are reflected in our student body, faculty and staff. What better way to acknowledge and support our diverse community than through the universal language of music.

Diversity of thought and belief is encouraged, respected and supported at Bryn Mawr. It speaks to who we are as a learning community; we take great pride in educating our students about different cultures, religious beliefs and customs. At no time was this more apparent to me than in the weeks follow-ing September 11, 2001. A Bryn Mawr parent told me how her daughter, then a freshman in college, amazed her newly-made friends with her knowledge of Islam to help dispel their fears in the wake of the attack on the United States. When they marveled at her knowledge, she responded matter-of-factly that she learned it from her Bryn Mawr classes and Muslim classmates.

Throughout a girl’s Bryn Mawr education, she will be exposed to global cul-tures in many ways. Recently, the parents of a first grader visited her class to share the story of Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights. The girls sat mesmerized as they heard the tale of Warrior Prince Rama’s search for his beautiful wife, Sita, who had been captured by an evil king. In the end, good prevailed, much to the delight of the class. In a recent lesson on countries in Africa, fourth-grade girls discovered that certain cultural behaviors can provide ideas about what a group values or thinks is important; for example, Ugandan families say a prayer before eating, indicating that religion is important to them. In fifth grade, girls come to appreciate the uniqueness of their classmates’ families during their “cultural sharing” period, as each girl has the opportunity to give a presentation about her family’s heritage, special traditions and celebrations.

At times, this season of celebrations does not seem so peaceful, with news from around the world reporting violent clashes between cultures and reli-gions. It is more important now than ever that our students are educated about the diverse cultures and religions that exist in our world, in order to promote understanding and peace. Our winter concerts are a great start!

PICTURES OF THE MONTH


This page, clockwise from top right: A Lower School girl enjoys Girls’ Night Out by getting her face painted. An Upper Schooler

and Lower Schooler team up at Girls’ Night Out to work on a crafts project. A Lower School girl gets a manicure from one of the Upper

School volunteers.

Bottom: A student takes a free-throw during the faculty-student basketball game on Winter Spirit Day. The students won, 16-14.

This page, clockwise from top left: Middle School students take part in the Gilman-Bryn Mawr play “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” The Masked Mawrtian (aka Mrs. Letras), gets ready to hit the court in the faculty-student basketball game on Winter Spirit Day. Ms. Steck takes it to the house! Upper School girls hang out at Spirit Day festivities.


Visit our Facebook page to see more great photos!

Every year, the four Bryn Mawr divisions

come together at Thanksgiving

Convocation to celebrate our

vibrant community of artists. Click

the pictures for videos!

Thanksgiving ConvoCaTion 2012


Photo: Nat Raum ’14



TEACHERS’ CORNEREach month we profile three teachers to give them a chance to share, in their own words, what brought them to Bryn Mawr, what their teaching philosophy is, and why they love working here.

Genie Arnot-Titus ‘93Lower School Art

Years at Bryn Mawr: 5Years Teaching: 11

Suzanne StevensMiddle School Math


Julie ClarkUpper School History


What brought you to Bryn Mawr?

I moved to Baltimore from New York City, where I was a classroom teacher for first and second grade. The first person I contacted was Peggy Bessent, to ask if she knew of anything in the area. She wrote back and said, “I know of something very close to home!” I had always wanted to be an art teacher, so it ended up being a great fit.

What is your teaching philosophy?

I believe that learning is a cooperative experience, and that everybody needs to participate in both the group and the individual experience of learning in the classroom. That way, it is not just the individual’s ideas that change and grow, but the entire knowledge-building community.

What is your favorite thing about working at Bryn Mawr?

I love being able to see the girls in many different contexts, and to teach much more than art in the art class. They are bringing in their own stories, and when we do a project they are always connecting that to their work. That gives me so much insight into who the girls are and what they care about. Also, I really like teaching in an all-girls school.


I needed a change. I was working in a school where I was told that I “cared too much,” so I realized that we had very different ideas about what was important! I found Bryn Mawr at a job fair, and as soon as I stepped onto campus, I knew that this would be a great place for me to grow. I’ve been here ever since.


I want the girls to gain a good understanding of math and logic, but I also want to help them develop as whole people. I want them to see that there is a bigger picture, that this is a journey, and that even if they are struggling now, things will get better. It’s about growth, it’s about grit, and it’s about making mistakes and realizing that that is okay.


I have very positive experiences with my students on a daily basis. They’re excited about math, and about learning in general. They’re fun and energetic, and it’s great being around them all day. I also love that I’m allowed to experiment and try new things, like flipping my classroom.


I was leaving my previous school, and looking for an environment that was much more academically challenging and had smaller classes. I also wanted more freedom with what I choose to teach, and Bryn Mawr fit all of those needs.


I want to feel like I am able to connect with the students, and to make a difference in their lives. I teach about very different topics—ancient cultures to ninth-graders, Baltimore history to seniors—but I always want to feel like I am connecting to the kids, and they are connecting to the material.


I love having the freedom to do what I want to do in the classroom. This is the hardest work I have ever done in my life—I could work 24 hours a day preparing for my classes! But knowing that I can come in every day and choose what I want to pursue with the students in class is wonderful. The colleagues here are incredible too—we push each other to be as good as we can be, and to get through as much material as possible.


On November 16, seniors Ellie Knott, Kate Snouffer and Molly Danko signed their National Letters of Intent to play Division I lacrosse in college. Knott and Danko will be headed to the University of Denver, while Snouffer will attend Georgetown University.

In addition to Knott, Snouffer and Danko, several other Bryn Mawr seniors will participate in athletics at their colleges of choice. Athletic Director Wendy Kridel said that she will recognize all of these student-athletes at the annual Athletic Recognition Ceremony, held in May.

Bryn Mawr currently has 55 alumnae playing sports at the collegiate level.

“It’s a testament to the type of student-athletes that we have, who give themselves both to the classroom and the athletic field, and are willing to take on this type of challenge in college,” Kridel said about the high number of Bryn Mawr graduates playing sports in college. “We are proud to have so many athletes who are dedicated to their sports.”


MAWRTIAN MINUTESNoteworthy news from around the school

National Letter of Intent Signing


A Season of Giving

The Annual Fund at The Bryn Mawr School

In this season of generosity, thanks and giving, please consider making a gift to Bryn Mawr’s Annual Fund. Your donation helps to support our inspirational teachers, and provides our students with an un-paralleled educational experience

To date, more than $900,000 has been committed to the Annual Fund for the 2012-13 school year. If you have already contributed, we thank you for your generosity!

Our goal for this year is $1,375,000 by May 31. Participation of any kind is important, and we encourage all members of our community to give! Every gift matters, no matter the size, and every gift is appreci-ated. Visit www.brynmawrschool.org/donate to give today.

Thank you for all that you do to advance Bryn Mawr’s mission!

This holiday season, Bryn Mawr girls have been in the giving spirit! Top left: Upper School students load donated supplies onto a bus bound for New York to aid in the relief process for Superstorm Sandy. Top right: The Upper School Food Drive was a great success! Left: Middle School students held a competition to see who could build the tallest tower using donated dry goods. Right: Food drive donations inundate the Lower School lobby.


Features


SOUNDS OF THE

SeasonThis winter, Bryn Mawr’s Upper School choral group Dayseye was lucky enough to be part of a performance of Handel’s “Messiah” in a combined chorus of over 200 high-schoolers from Notre Dame Preparatory, Roland Park Country School, Cal-vert Hall High School, Hereford High School and Loyola Blakefield High School, as well as Bryn Mawr. We began learning the music this fall during our regular Dayseye rehearsals. The style in which Handel writes, combined with the sheer amount of music there is to learn, has been one of the biggest challenges vocally that we’ve had to face all year. After learning the music for our alto and soprano parts, we attended three rehearsals in the evenings at Notre Dame Prep, where all six choirs were combined. These practices were trying at times, but eventually became incredibly rewarding. It was hard at first to put together all four parts, to merge the energies from different choirs whose members’ voices were not yet used to the flow and rhythm of the larger group. Yet after hours of work, when the piece finally came together, it brought new meaning to the words “Hallelujah Chorus.”

The final performance took place on Sunday, December 16 at 3:00 p.m. in Goucher College’s Kraushaar Auditorium. On the day of the performance, we ar-rived two hours early, did a quick run through, then waited outside the auditorium as the audience arrived. The energy was high, and the hallway was filled with chat-ter and the occasional harmonies of people practicing and warm-ing up. Dress for the event was formal, with boys wearing tightly-buttoned black tuxes and girls in long, elegant black dresses. When we walked onto the stage, the auditorium was full and the lights were bright. We sang bet-ter, clearer and louder than in any of our rehearsals, and Dr. Shirk’s solos rang beautifully throughout the hall.

by Carlie Hruban ’13

Left: Several members of Dayseye sing with the combined choir. Above: Dr. Alyson Shirk, Bryn Mawr’s Director of Music, was the featured soprano soloist.


CELEBRATING OUR

DifferencesTwenty-three Bryn Mawr girls spend a Saturday

learning about diversity, tolerance and how they can make a difference.

“Sometimes I have questioned my own

power...but the conference showed

me that we actually can make a change if we want to, and

if we dedicate ourselves to it, and

if we are passionate about what we are standing up for.”

-Tate Johnson ’13

s a ninth grader, Eloni Porcher ’13 wasn’t quite sure what to expect when she at-tended her first diversity conference. But, she says, “I thought it was really, really

cool. It made me much more interested in diversity awareness, so I started attend-ing more conferences.” Two years later, she began serving as a facilitator at the

conferences, helping her peers think through and talk about challenging topics related to diversity and self-awareness.

In early November, Porcher, along with 22 of her Bryn Mawr classmates, attended the Baltimore Student Diversity Leadership Conference, held

at neighboring Roland Park Country School. This annual conference, sponsored by the Association of Independent Maryland & DC Schools (AIMS), is entirely student-directed by facilitators like Porcher. For the 2012 conference, student leaders chose the theme of “One Love: Mov-ing From Generation Me to Generation We.” The goal of the confer-

ence, as defined by the student leaders, was to “rally attendees behind the idea of empathy for one another as an essential quality of a more just and humane world for all.” The Millenial generation, empha-sized the conference organizers, “carries the banner for global social transformation.”

For Tate Johnson ’13, another student facilitator, the November conference was one in a long line of diversity conferences that she has been involved with in her time at Bryn Mawr. The complexities of diver-

sity, she says, are what draw her to the topic. “It is complicated ground because there are touchy subjects within the whole topic, but what I love about it so much is that you have to talk about them,” Johnson says. “I think that our generation needs to address diversity and really try to make changes within our smaller society, because unless we talk about it, it won’t get done.”

The process of developing the conference work-shops was a hefty amount of work for Johnson, Porcher and the other student facilitators. Each team of students was drawn from the group of participating schools, and met several times be-forehand to plan the topics that would be covered. “We do a lot of research outside of the meetings,” Porcher says. Once workshop themes have been selected, “we watch videos, read articles, and study the topics that we are going to talk about at the conference.” The goal is for the facilitators to be well-versed in the many dimensions of each topic, so that they may lead an open and informa-tive discussion that welcomes the multitude of different viewpoints that conference participants bring.

Of course, Porcher notes, that does not necessarily mean that the conference discussions are without controversy. “My group was OneLove, and we were talking about relationships—same-sex rela-tionships, straight relationships, inter-faith relation-ships, and so on,” explains Porcher. “Basically, our

A


point was the importance of having a healthy relationship, no matter what kind you are in. As a facilitator, it was difficult to help people express their views when they got offended, which happened a lot.” She pauses. “But, I think that the conference taught us to accept other people’s views, and even if we don’t agree with them necessarily, to listen to them and try to understand where they are coming from.”

In addition to Porcher’s group “OneLove: Developing a Love of Self and Others,” the other workshop choices available were “Is it Just Me? Recognizing and Dealing with Everyday Prejudice;” “Generation WE: Power and Political Awareness for Our Generation;” “The Skin I’m In: A Close Look at Identity For-mation;” and “Aware-abic: Combatting Anti-Muslim Sentiment and Fostering Religious Freedom for All.”

As a first-time participant, Christine Wyatt ’14 says that she was happy to find that it was fairly easy to talk about difficult topics, even among a group of students that she did not know. “The conference, and the individual groups, were really productive in hearing other peoples’ perception of things,” Wyatt reflects. “It [the conference] puts you in an environment where you have to be open-minded to what someone else is saying, especially because you know that you are go-ing to want others to listen to what you have to say. It creates a safe environment that enables really awesome discussion. There is a lot of room for enlighten-ment.” Wyatt adds that she is excited to attend next year’s conference.

For Johnson and Porcher, this is their last year participating in the conference as Bryn Mawr students, but they are both quick to note that that does not mean they are finished with diversity projects and confer-ences—in fact, quite the opposite. “Diversity is something that I really want to bring into my career later in life, so wherever I go to college, I want to be involved [in a diversity group or conference],” Porcher says. “If it’s not there, I want to try to start something, to accommodate what’s lacking, and to spread awareness. I think that information is the best way to get people to change their perspectives.”

Wyatt nods in agreement, jumping in to add, “I think that a lot of the misunderstandings and conflicts be-tween groups of people come from a lack of awareness. On a social level, we need to acknowledge these problems, educate others, and raise awareness.”

And, Johnson points out, this goes beyond merely talking about topics specifically related to diversity. “Our generation is facing a lot of big issues,” she says earnestly. “We need to do something about them. Sometimes I have questioned my own power, because we are a part of a machine that runs regardless of anyone. But the conference showed me that we actually can make a change if we want to, and if we dedi-cate ourselves to it, and if we are passionate about what we are standing up for.”

Eloni Porcher ‘13 facilitates a group at the Baltimore Student Diversity Leadership Conference.

Educated Girls Have Power

LED BY ELLIE KNOTT ’13, STUDENTS

FROM BRYN MAWR AND ROLAND

PARK COUNTRY SCHOOL GIVE THEIR

VOICES TO 14-YEAR-OLD MALALA

YOUSAFZAI, A CRUSADER FOR

GIRLS’ EDUCATION IN PAKISTAN.

Brightly painted windows on the Katherine Van Bibber Gymnasium reflect the theme of the day >>


Brightly painted windows on the Katherine Van Bibber Gymnasium reflect the theme of the day >>

hen Ellie Knott ’13 first heard about the October 9 shooting of 14-year-

old Malala Yousafzai, she remembers feeling an immediate connection to the

young girl. “My Women’s History teacher at Roland Park, Eliza Mclaren, brought us an article on the shooting,” Knott recalls. “She said to us, ‘We are all Malala in a way. This could have been any of us—we just happened to grow up in a society where we are fortunate enough that we can voice our own opinions, while she cannot.’”The story of Yousafzai, a crusader for girls’ education targeted for assassination by the repressive Pakistani Taliban, stuck with Knott after that class, growing into a feeling of kinship. “Besides the distance between our homes and the differences in the societies we were brought up in, Malala and I are just two teenage girls looking to make our mark on the world,” she reflects.

It didn’t take long before that feeling of connection sparked an idea in Knott and the four other girls in her class, and what started out as a writing assignment for homework quickly became much more. “We decided that we wanted to do something else, something to really spread her mes-sage,” Knott says. They soon found out that their initial idea—to have a day in honor of Yousafzai—was not unique: the UN Special Envoy on Global Education, Gordon Brown, had declared Novem-ber 10 a day of action for Yousafzai and 32 million other girls who do not have access to education.

W

There was one problem: November 10 was a Satur-day. So, the group decided to host their Malala day on November 9 instead.With a plan in place, they began making arrange-ments—putting together a proposal, receiving approval from the Upper School administrations of both Bryn Mawr and Roland Park, and coming up with an official name for their initiative: Reds and Mawrtians for Malala, to reflect the collab-orative spirit of the endeav-or. The last, and most im-portant, step was enlisting

their classmates. With that in mind, the girls made a brief announcement one morning at convocation. The big response they got from this small action was a complete surprise. “I got a lot of really great feed-back from people about the announcement that we made,” Knott says. “They kept saying, ‘You should give a convocation on this!’ Someone must have gone to Ms. Budzik to ask if there was an open date, because soon after she came to me and said, ‘We want you to do this!’”


With only a small amount of time to pull some-thing together, Knott focused on the goal of helping her classmates better understand Yousafzai’s story and message, and what they could do to help. “We are so fortunate to live in a society where we are encouraged to voice our own opinions, and stand up for what we believe in,” Knott wrote in her convocation speech. “We believe in Malala, and as students in an all-girls school, we believe it is our duty to spread her story. Although Malala may never speak again, we have the ability to speak for her, and that is ex-actly what we plan to do.”

Despite a good deal of planning and prepara-tion, when Malala Day rolled around on November 9, Knott was quite nervous about whether any of her classmates would show up. “It was [scheduled for] fifth period on a Friday, and I thought, ‘Everyone is going to be gone, everyone is going to forget about it,’” Knott remembers.

However, quite the opposite happened, and, much to Knott’s delight, a large number of girls showed up to participate. “It was great!” she exclaims with a wide smile. “I was so amazed by the number of people that stayed.” Knott and Bryn Mawr classmate Aidan Lorch-Liebel ’13 set up in the Commons Room of the Howell Center with a letter writing forum and an area to make headbands to wear in support of Yousafzai. Throughout the day, girls could also go online to www.redsandmawrtiansformalala.com and sign the group’s pledge, which read, “As a mem-ber of the BMS/RPCS community, I recognize

the value of a girls’ education. I encourage girls around the world to feel empowered to receive an education. I call on all countries to provide safe access to education for girls. I condemn the attack on Malala Yousafzai. I will stand by her as she recovers and will continue to spread her message. Educated Girls Have Power.”

The list of signatures begins, “I am Maddie. I am Malala.” “I am Molly. I am Malala,” reads the next entry. “I am Libby. I am Malala.” To date,

more than 140 have signed the pledge.

Knott says that her favorite part of the day was having the chance to read the many let-ters that girls had wrote to Yousafzai dur-ing the event. “I was moved to tears,” she says of the kind senti-ments shared by her friends and class-

mates. “They were the nicest, most genuine let-ters I had ever read.”

With Malala Day behind her now, Knott is look-ing forward to her next project: supporting a petition that has been started by several inter-national luminaries to nominate Yousafzai for the Nobel Peace Prize. In the meantime, she reflects on what Yousafzai’s story has taught her. “I am so fortunate to go to an all-girls school, and just to go to school at all,” Knott remarks. “I’ve really grown to appreciate everything that Bryn Mawr has taught me, and it makes me want every girl to have the same opportunities that I do. I think that Malala stands for that, and the fact that she believes in that so strongly, and is willing to do anything for it—it’s incredibly inspiring.”

Upper School girls show off headbands (and a necklace) made in support of Yousafzai.


MEET ME IN THE MIOCENE!Middle School students become science sleuths as they

uncover and investigate ten million-year-old fossils

Most teenagers would probably not be too keen on spending a cold, wet Saturday in November on the beach. However, that is exactly where four Middle School girls found themselves on November 18. Far from lounging about, these students were hunting for new specimens to add to their growing collection. Their quar-ry: fossils dating from the Miocene period more than ten million years ago.

The fossil hunters were led by Middle School sci-ence teachers Ken Schopf and Becky Morris, who first ventured out to Calvert Cliffs, a state park lo-cated about two hours southeast of Baltimore, two years ago. The site is a magnet for amateur fossil hunters because of the rich trove of remnants that wash out of the cliffs.

“We went to Calvert Cliffs and brought back sedi-ment with fossils in it,” Schopf says. “We gave that to the students and they started working through it, finding the fossils and cleaning them up. Now they are at the stage where they are working to identify the fossils using manuscripts that detail the different kinds of organisms.”

The work is completely voluntary. Girls can come into Schopf’s room during their teacher appoint-ment period (TAP) to work on sorting and classify-ing the fossils. “It’s a little extra, fun activity to give them a feel for paleontology,” Schopf explains.

When the initial supply of supply of fossils began to wane, Schopf decided to take another trip out to Calvert Cliffs, this time with some students. “It

was cold!” eighth-grader Natasha ex-claims about the trip. ”But it was a lot of fun. We used colan-ders to shift through the sediment and found a lot of shark teeth and other kinds of fossils.”

So far, the group unanimously agrees that their favorite fossil is the turitella, a type of snail. The girls are excited to give details about the circular holes in the

snail’s shell. “They had a natural predator called the moon snail, which made holes, then invaded and took over the shell,” eighth-grader Christine explains. “It’s cool!”

Schopf says that he hopes that this optional activ-ity will give students some hands-on experience with paleontology, an area of science they may not experience otherwise, as well as foster inde-pendence and critical-thinking skills. “This project is pretty much student-motivated and student-di-rected,” Schopf says. “It’s neat to see them taking that initiative.”

Top: Middle School girls show of parts of their fossil collection. Below: Students work to identify the fossils.

SENIOR VOICES: THE CLASS OF 2013Each year, seniors have the opportunity to present issues that matter to them to their classmates. Most do this in the form of a Senior Convocation—a twenty-minute speech that can be on any topic. In every issue, we highlight excerpts from convocations given that month. Occasionally, we will also highlight other senior speeches given at special occasions, letting members of the Class of 2013 share, in their own words, what matters to them.

I was eight years old when it first hit me that my best friend, my hero, my angel—my mother—could be taken from me at any point, and not be there to see me grow up, to meet my kids, and to be the amazing grandmother I knew she would be. I fell to the ground, sobbing. My mother came down the hall and saw me crying. I did not want to upset her by telling her what I was thinking, but she always knew. She told me that she would do everything she could to always be there for me, and that if she wasn’t she would be with my family and me every day of our lives, watching over us.

On February 13, 2009, that reality came to be. My mother died that day, but she never left. What I have to share is not the story of my mother’s passing, but the story of her life.

My mother was born with the genetic lung disease Cystic Fibrosis. Growing up, I watched her struggle to fight off this monster every day. I prayed and prayed that she would beat this disease, and that CF would soon stand for “Cure Found.” She was my role model. I dedicate everything I do to my mom, and I want to dedicate my convocation to telling you how wonderful she was.

My mother was born on September 4, 1964. She was the youngest of four siblings, two of whom also had CF. Her sister passed away from CF at age eight, and her older brother with CF has been living for 13 years with a double lung transplant. My mom’s life was never normal. Some of her life-long daily events included taking six pills with each meal, because people with Cystic Fibrosis cannot digest fats; using a nebulizer to help break up the secretions in her chest; and having to worry about staying well because she had a weak immune system. She was mocked in middle and high school, constantly referred to as the “sick girl.” She went on to beat the odds by playing field hockey at Salisbury University while also fulfilling her goal of getting a nursing degree. She was voted homecoming queen her senior year of college. That, to me, sums up the kind of well-liked, wonderful person she was.

MOLLY DANKO


Regulars

I have countless memories of my mom that I will hold with me forever. One comes from mid-October 2008. My mom had been in the hospital for two weeks, and would stay for three more. As usual, though, she never let this get her down. When I went to visit her this particular day, she was waiting for me. ”Let’s go!” she exclaimed. She said that we were going shopping. I had a feeling this was not the best idea, but I knew how badly my mom wanted to get out of her room. She knew all of the secret halls and passageways in the hospital, having being a nurse there for ten years. She also knew as well as I did that she was not allowed to leave at any point without a doctor’s approval. But before I knew it, we had managed to get by the security guard and were out the back door. There we were, walking down East Monument Street while everyone stared at my mom as she pushed her I.V. pole.

On Halloween in fourth grade, my class was doing our work when someone knocked on the door. My teacher opened the door, and in walked my mom, dressed in a Calvert Lower School jumper and collared shirt, her hair in two pigtails with bows. She proceeded to introduce herself as “Dolly,” Molly’s twin sister. I can still see my classmates’ faces turning red with laughter. I remember feeling slightly guilty as I went from pretending to be embarrassed to laughing along with them.

When I was six years old, it was my turn to take home the class hamster. I was so excited to have it at my house. My sister, who was three, was playing with us, watching the hamster run around in its play ball. I looked away for a second, and just then my sister picked up the ball and chucked it across the room. The poor hamster passed out from the shock, and for a moment I thought it was dead. But my mom quickly found a small straw, which she used to connect their mouths and perform CPR on this little rodent. The hamster regained consciousness thanks to Super Mom, but I don’t think it was ever the same.

I will never forget movie nights with my mom, sitting on the floor with blankets and pillows, eating popcorn and crying or laughing together. I will never forget playing field hockey in the back yard with her on those beautiful fall days before watching football. I will never forget when she left my kindergarten class party to get mac and cheese, in the hopes of making one of my classmates, who had just gotten over leukemia, feel better. I will never forget our visits to Poppy and Donna in Florida, where we would look for shark teeth on the beach for hours at a time, making it a competition of who could find more. Every time I yelled, “I found one!” she would call me a stinker and say I wasn’t getting dinner. I will never

forget when she managed to convince her doctor that she was fine in order to get out of the hospital in time to watch my last Calvert field hockey game, even though she felt awful and ended up having to go back only a week later. I will never forget when my mom, Oma and I were walking around New York City and my mom saw a man on the street with his underwear hanging out. She exclaimed, “Excuse me, sir, your pants are falling down!” in that joking voice

of hers, obviously knowing that was the style he was going for. He chuckled back and told her, “You’re right!” as he pulled them up.

I will never forget the last time I said goodbye to my mom. It was February 1, 2009, and the Steelers were playing the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. We were watching it on T.V., and she was feeling awful and decided to go to the hospital. We walked her out to the car, and I remember a feeling of emptiness come across me as I stood with my sister and watched Mom leave. Although I hoped that she would come back within the next few weeks, as she always did, I think I knew in my heart that something was not right.

I was scheduled to play in a field hockey tournament at Disney World that week, and my dad, sister and I made the decision that it would be best if we still went,

”“MY MOM WOULD WANT NOTHING MORE THAN FOR ME TO BE MYSELF, SMILE, AND LIVE LIFE TO ITS FULLEST.


MOLLY DANKO, CON’T.

they were all so jealous. Shortly after you passed, my friends told me that I was lucky to have had the coolest, funniest, nicest, prettiest mom around. You taught me that it doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing, and just to be myself. You taught me the importance of being kind to everyone. You taught me to stand up for what I believe in, and that there are more important things in life than gossiping about people. You taught me to smile, and to treat every day like it is my last. I can never thank you enough for all of the lessons you taught me. If one day I can be even half the mom and person you were, I will be so happy. I know that one of your biggest fears was that we would forget you because we were so young, but I can assure you that this will never be the case. Not a day goes by when I am not thinking about you.

To my dad: you are amazing. You have done a better job fulfilling the role of two parents than I could ever imagine. You put Paul, Bridget and me before yourself in everything you do. You never miss a game or anything important to us. You are our biggest fan on and off the field.

I do not know where my family would be if we did not have the support of one another and our friends to get us through this. While I know my mom is still with me, it is never easy. The things that get me are that my mom never got to see me graduate from Calvert, or to meet my Bryn Mawr friends. She isn’t here to watch me get in to college, or to take pictures with after Gym Drill and before Prom. I will never see her on the sidelines cheering for me, or get one of her extremely hard hugs again. My mom won’t be there when I get married, or to meet my children. I work hard to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research, and I would do anything to prevent another family from going through what mine has. However, I know that if my mom were here, she would want nothing more than for me to be myself, smile, and live life to its fullest.

So Mom, I hope that I have made you proud, living today and every day in honor of you. I love you.

hoping it would be a good distraction. However, after arriving in Florida and not hearing back from Mom for three days, I was beginning to panic. An hour before my second game on Saturday morning, I freaked out. I ran to my dad and burst into tears. He tried to assure me that he had just talked to my brother Paul, and that my mom was only resting. After calling my brother, I played my game. When we got back into the hotel though, my dad came to tell us that Mom had been moved to the Intensive Care Unit. She was still conscious and with it, but the doctors wanted to keep an extra eye on her. We quickly decided to get the first flight home early the next day. When Dad and Bridget left the room, I began to cry hysterically. I had a feeling that I had never had before.

When we got home, my dad went straight over to see my mom. By now she was unconscious and on many machines to try and help her breathe more easily. On the night of February 12, we slept at our grandmother’s house. My dad came over early the next morning, his face red and blotchy. He told us that there was a chance that our mother would not make it, though the doctors were doing all that they could. He said that if we wanted to go see her, he would absolutely take us, but he did not think that we should have that be our final picture of our mother. We decided not to go, because we knew Mom would never have wanted us to see her like that.

For the next few hours, we waited, crying. Then, my dad came to tell us that her heart had stopped twice. If it stopped one more time, he said, they couldn’t restart it because her body was too weak. He stayed with us, right where Mom would have wanted him to be, until his phone rang. He returned moments later, looking startled and reaching out his arms for Paul, Bridget and me. He uttered the unthinkable. “Her heart just stopped again.“

There are no words to describe that moment. It is pure emptiness. But when that emptiness begins to fill, it is filled with the knowledge that my mom is here with me today, just like she is every day. So Mom, thank you. Thank you for remaining so much a part of me and never leaving my side. I remember sitting with my friends in middle school, talking about how much stuff we tell our moms. When I said that I told you everything, because you were my best friend,


I am scared of just about everything. I jump at loud noises, scream at faces around corners, and almost cry every time I see a scary movie commercial.

When I zone out, any sort of movement that catches me off guard has been known to cause a special type of panic. I’ve been thoroughly embarrassed when, in response to a simple pat on the shoulder or tap on the back, I’ve screamed my head off. My reactions could be chalked up to merely being skittish, but I think that my fear is just a little bit more. While the sudden movements of others cause instantaneous panic, my own imagination can be much more frightening.

For example, I was regularly running in Robert E. Lee Park over the summer when stories about individuals on the drug known as “bath salts” began dominating the headlines. For those of you lucky enough to avoid these gruesome accounts, they often included perfectly normal people devouring their neighbors, friends, and even strangers under the effects of the so-called “designer drug.” Being the logical person that I am, I feared that a person on bath salts was going to come rushing out of the bushes


at any moment, intent on feeding on my flesh. Every movement in my peripheral vision convinced me that a crazy person with a foaming mouth was about to burst through the trees and chase me through the woods. As I sprinted back towards my house, I imagined the horror movie they were going to make about my life, envisioning the camera waiting at the back of the starving creature as it waited in the leaves.

Even though I’ve never actually seen a horror movie, I’ve imagined plenty. The small glimpses of horror movies I’ve gotten have been more than enough to spark my imagination to the point where it can fill in the rest of the story. Once, I accidently saw the ad for a movie called “Sorority Row.” I was horrified, but I didn’t realize the extent of my fear until I got home. I couldn’t fall asleep with the lights off for about six months because I thought that the horrible axe-wielding sorority sister would find me and chop me into little pieces. Two springs ago, I was sitting with some friends in the Founders Circle, eating my delicious peanut butter and jelly lunch. We were chatting about movies, and someone expressed interest in finding out what “The Blair Witch Project” was about. Reading the brief Wikipedia synopsis in the May sun, I thought I was safe. I was wrong. Without ever having seen the movie, I was so freaked out that I couldn’t enter my basement or walk in the woods for months without being certain that I was about to die.

Like many people, I’m afraid of being home alone. I’m worried for a lot of the normal reasons: bad guys bursting in, a fire starting, slipping on the stairs. But not many seventeen-year-old girls say they’re still scared of monsters. These monsters can be the scary beasts of my five-year-old imagination, or simply a creepy feeling of an ominous figure watching me. In my basement, there’s a crawl space where I’m convinced the monsters live. When I’m home alone, I’m about 80% positive that, whatever the monsters are, they are going to come out and tear me to pieces. Luckily, when I was little, I figured out the perfect way to scare away monsters: singing. I don’t remember how I came up with this theory, only that I would run from the monsters singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” at the top of my lungs. At least so far, my method has worked.

I am really anxious around sharp objects. Unloading the dishwasher can be the scariest thing I do some days, especially if my family had steak the night before. In any given second, I’m worried that I might accidentally stab my sister, or that she might accidentally stab me. If she turns too fast, or I step somewhere she isn’t expecting, it would be ridiculously easy to send one of us to the emergency room. I can only imagine the awful guilt of rushing Bridget to the car and speeding down Charles Street, or my own shocked face as I look at the knife sticking out of my stomach.

CLAIRE MORTON

Razor blades are almost as terrifying as steak knives. A few years ago, I watched an episode of CSI where a crazy woman was secretly giving her coworkers blood thinners so she could take their jobs. The last image was a man shaving who accidentally cut his neck and bled to death on the floor. Ever since, I’ve been horrified that I’m going to cut the back of my knee while shaving and hit an artery. For some reason, in my nightmares I’ve lost the ability to cry out for my parents’ help or find a band-aid. My fears are very rarely logical, except for one: the dark.

I am really, really scared of the dark. Even though I should know every inch of my room, something about the click of the lamp brings a sense of uncertainty. I imagine a murderer emerging from the closet, knife glittering in the moonlight from the window, or a demonic figure slipping through the opening from the attic. In the dark, I can’t know my surroundings. I think that my fear simply boils down to a fear of the unknown. I’m afraid of what lurks in the dark, and, quite frankly, I’m also afraid of not knowing what’s hiding in my future.

I’m worried that I will grow up to have regrets. I’m so nervous about making a choice today and realizing next month, or next week, or tomorrow that it was entirely wrong. I change my mind on about a million small matters a day. When it seems like everything is constantly changing, I worry about making permanent decisions.

There is one permanent change that I have absolutely no say in: my death. I am deathly afraid of death. I remember sitting in the kitchen with my mom late one night, on the verge of tears. I was about ten years old and couldn’t catch my breath because I was petrified. I had been trying to go to sleep, and in the dark the fear of never waking up again grabbed me. It seems silly that I am so afraid of death, especially because I believe so strongly in an afterlife. Even so, I know that I am so very much not ready to give up what I have here.

I am afraid that I’m going to die before I get to become the person I want to be. I want to do so many things in my life, and it feels like there will never be enough time. I want to discover something that will change the world, write a children’s book, run a marathon, teach kindergarten, visit all seven continents, and so much more. I worry that I won’t have the time to do these things, and to figure out all the parts of myself.

I’m fearful not only of NOT discovering who I am, but of discovering exactly who I am and hating it. What if I am not, in fact, the person that I think I am? What if I’m not special, or good, or kind, like others tell me that me I am? What if deep in my heart is a dark pit of hatred and cruelty that I don’t know about? What if I’m not special? But then again, what if I am and I waste all of my potential? What if my true talent, the one I am meant to use to change the world, lies in some activity I haven’t tried?

All of these fears, I have come to know, are trivial. Maybe one day I will nick an artery while shaving; maybe there really will be a cannibal hiding in the bushes at Robert E. Lee, or maybe I’ll simply fall asleep and never wake up. The truth is that I just can’t know. But that’s also the beauty of it all. Definitive endings force us to realize the value of what we have. Without graduation, I doubt any of us would look back and say, “wow, high school really was awesome.” Without the last page of a great book, no one would be able to appreciate what happened in the story. Without the moments that shake us to our cores, I don’t think anyone would take the time to look back on their life and see all that they had done.

As humans, we get the unique chance to fit our infinite potential into a timed exercise. Not timed in the same way the SAT is timed. Not timed like the winding down clock of a soccer game or the stopwatch of a cross country race. Not even timed like this convocation. Our timed exercise is special, and frightening, because we don’t know the limit. We don’t know what lies ahead. More importantly, we don’t know when we’ll get there. There’s no calculating the halfway point of your life—trust me, I’ve tried. But the unknowns of life and death are what make existence exhilarating. The power of human beings is that we can and will react to these changes, no matter how scared we get.

”“THE UNKNOWNS OF LIFE AND DEATH ARE WHAT MAKE EXISTENCE SCARY, BUT EXHILARATING.


Celebrate Bryn Mawr traditions as the Spirit Bracelet marks its tenth year! Little School, grades K-12, special activity and athletic charms are available for purchase at the Bryn Mawrket or online at brynmawrket.com/charms.htm.

Parents Association

SPIRIT BRACELET


MEET RACHEL RUBIN P’18, ’21PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Q. What has your experience as a Bryn Mawr parent been like?

It’s been great. There is a wonderful sense of community here. The Lower School has a sense of intimacy and there’s a comfort in that. They want to develop and grow these independent young ladies, but there’s also a very warm environment there. There are a lot of wonderful traditions across the whole school, and I really like that.

Q. When did you get involved with the Parents’ Association?

I started as a Class Parent for both of my girls when they were in Lower School, then became the Middle School Chair-Elect last year when my older daughter moved to sixth grade. Joining the Parents’ Association is a great way to get involved and give back. Also, as the girls get older, Bryn Mawr does a great job of developing a sense of independence in them. As a parent, you want that, but it’s still nice to feel connected. Joining the Parents’ Association is a good way to have a sense of what’s going on.

Rachel Rubin P’18, ‘21 is the President-Elect of the Parents’ Association and the Middle School Chair. Here, she answers a few questions about why she got involved.

Q. What are some first steps you would recommend for parents interested in joining?

The website is a great place to start. If you go through the Parent Portal and to the Parents’ Association connection, there are lists of the numerous areas you can volunteer in. Volunteering is a great way to get your feet wet, and there are both small and big ways to start. It’s also good to contact Caroline Pinkin ([email protected]), who is wonderful, and will help you get involved in any way that you want to. She is the glue that holds the Parents’ Association together!

Q. How much time does serving with the Parents’ Association take?

It does take time, but it’s such a great thing to do. I have a full-time job, and I find that it is not difficult to balance both. No one should be intimidated by the time commitment—it’s not overwhelming at all.

Alumnae

UPCOMING EVENTS

DRESSED TO THE NINESALUMNAE DRESS SALE A HUGE SUCCESS!

Join the Bryn Mawr Alumnae Group on LinkedIn!

Do you have open positions at your company or business? Are you looking for a job in a particular field? Join the group, post positions and network with other alumnae. The more posts there are, the more useful it is! You can also read articles about what alumnae are up to as well. Click here to join.


Alumnae College ForumFriday, January 4, 201310:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

This event is for the Classes of 2009 – 2012. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Kathie Wachs at [email protected]!

HAPPENINGS Reid Norris Buckley ’80 hosted a gathering at her home in Annapolis for Bryn Mawr alumnae, as well as current Bryn Mawr parents, on Novem-ber 13, 2012. Many thanks to Reid for opening her home for this wonderful event!

It was great to see our youngest alumnae return to campus for Thanksgiving festivities (pictured at left). Click here for more photos!

Many Bryn Mawr alumnae converged on the home of Natalie Wexler ’72 for a DC-area reception recently. It was a wonderful setting for a great gathering! Click here for photos.

The Bryn Mawr Alumnae Asso-ciation hosted an evening of fun and fashion for the Class of 2013, selling recycled prom, graduation and just-for-fun dresses…all at bargain prices! Prizes, food and friends rounded out a wonderful evening. Thanks to the Alumnae Board for their hard work putting together this great event, and to all those who donated dresses. Check out more photos here.

THE BRYN MAWR SCHOOL109 W. Melrose Ave

Baltimore, MD 21210410-323-8800

www.brynmawrschool.org

mawrginalia, november-december 2012

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