mawrginalia, september 2012

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

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

Mawrginalia

Regulars

4 FROM THE HEADMISTRESS

5 REMAWRKS

6 THIS MONTH IN PICTURES Senior Class Fundrais-er, 11th Grade Retreat, Field Hockey Celebrates Ms. Budzik’s Birthday and a Visiting School Head

7 TEACHERS’ CORNER

8 MAWRTIAN MINUTES • More than 17% of the Class of 2013 Recognized for

Academic Excellence• 2011-2012 Report on Giving Released• MS Science Program Undergoes a Metamorphosis

20 SENIOR VOICES: THE CLASS OF 2013

2 / Mawrginalia / September 2012

Alumnae

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10 Summer Stories

Contents

25 MEET MEAGHAN WALSH KNAUB ’89 P’22 President of the Alumnae Board

25 FUN FACTS, ETC.

Parents’ Association

24 MEET MONICA TUCKER P’16, ‘19President of the Parents’ Association

Features

10 SUMMER STORIES From the lab to the class-room to the African outdoors, Bryn Mawr girls were busy this summer!

14 MORE THAN A GAME Director of Athletics Wendy Kridel and Varsity Basketball Coach Mimi Wal-ters participate in a sports camp for Native American children.

15 A SUMMER OF TEACHING AND LEARNING Bryn Mawr’s inaugural summer courses and Summer Teaching Institute prove to be very successful.

16 DREAMS OF HUMANKIND Special guest artists ArcheDream for Humankind present a unique black light experience.

18 SHE’S A KEEPER Bryn Mawr Assistant Athletic Director and Varsity Soccer Coach Tina Steck is inducted into the Towson Athletics Hall of Fame.

Editor’s Note: You may notice that the look of Mawrginalia had changed quite a bit since last school year. We hope that you like it! Design is an evolutionary process, so you can expect to see more changes in the future. 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, Asst. Dir. of [email protected]

16 Dreams of Humankind

A

Regulars

FROM THE HEADMISTRESS


Maureen E. WalshHeadmistress

t the end of the summer, I was intrigued by the incongruence of two important events: the death of astronaut Neil Armstrong and the fall from grace of cyclist Lance Armstrong. During our opening faculty meeting in August, I spoke with our teachers about the competing interests and values of these two renowned Armstrongs. Of course, we have our very own renowned Armstrong, veteran faculty member

and alumna Mary Armstrong Shoemaker ’69, about whom I could write another column.

As you know, Lance Armstrong chose to withdraw his challenge to the charges that he had consistently used banned performance-enhancing drugs or procedures, charges brought by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Dur-ing his career, Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France titles, the most celebrated of all the international cycle races. Adding to his cycling achievements is his work as a cancer survivor to raise money and awareness for cancer treatment through his Livestrong Foundation.

New York sportswriter George Vecsey writes that, in some ways, the doping issue is so widespread in competi-tive cycling that Armstrong retains his “greatest of his time” title because, if everyone who competes is drugged, then the playing field is even. Moreover, writes Vecsey, “For seven straight years, he beat everybody up the mountains and through the long valleys and around the frantic circuits of the time trials of the only race that mattered to him and his master plan. Win the Tour, and you gain immortality.”

What about this need for immortality, for the fame, or for the inner competi-tive drive that couldn’t be tamed?

In comparison, we’ve been able to revisit the accomplishments of Neil Armstrong, who captained Apollo 11 in 1969. Armstrong guided the lunar module by hand-piloting the descent to the lunar surface, landing at Tran-quility Base, and subsequently becoming the first human to step onto the moon’s surface. President John F. Kennedy had issued the challenge in 1961 to “put a man on the moon and return him safely to earth before the decade is out.” And, by the way, the latter part of that challenge—to return safely to earth—was as tantalizingly dangerous and complicated as their arrival.

Historians have noted that Neil Armstrong was selected to captain the mission because, among other traits and skills, he was brilliant, courageous, sturdy and reliable. He learned to fly an airplane before he was old enough for a driver’s license. He felt that the attention he received after the successful Apollo mission was unnecessary, and consistently saw his role as a part of an incredible team that achieved the lunar landing.

In a 2005 interview on “60 Minutes,” Armstrong said, “I think one should be judged not for the moment of fireworks, but for the ledger of our daily lives.” Of course, the very American inclination for competition and success can be found in stories about both men. But Neil Armstrong’s inherent sense of humility and duty reminded me that, within our daily lives, these homely but inherently decent and important traits need to find a way to rest comfortably with our aspirations. What I said to our teachers, in conclusion, was this: How should we be measured as teachers? Not for the moments of brilliance, or the one or two great accomplishments, not for the sprinting finish, but instead for the long haul, the relatively even-keeled course of our lives as teachers, and by the ledger of our daily work with our students.

I

September 2012 / Mawrginalia / 5

REMAWRKS

Jennifer Galambos, Ed. D.Upper School Director

first shared the following comments at Upper School Parents Night this month, and I am delighted to share them here with the broader Bryn Mawr community as well.

Like millions of people around the world, I was transfixed by the Olympics coverage this summer. What I noticed more than I ever have previously, however, were the parents of the athletes. Whether they were sitting nervously in the stands, rocking side to side as they watched their offspring compete, or were consoling with hugs and smiles if a competition did not go as planned, parents’ roles as cheerleader, confidant, chief sup-porter, and car pool driver were on full display at the Olympics.

Supporting, guiding, cheerleading, and carpooling, however, are not limited to the parents of Olympic athletes. Indeed, Bryn Mawr parents, and parents around the world are doing an equally difficult job of raising their own children. For most parents, the art of raising a child is a long marathon, some might even say more like a multi-sport triathlon, with uphill climbs, downhill sprints, and lots of long miles in the middle. Most will not emerge with a medal around their necks, indeed there are few medals at all for great parenting. The medal is more often metaphoric and only achieved after decades of supporting and hoping that one is doing the right thing. Do I let her work out her friendship issues by herself? Do I let her handle her aca-demic life on her own? Should we ever let her drive a car? There are a myriad of decisions, compromises and choices to be made in the course of raising a child.

In my work as a school administrator I have come to believe that balance is the key, and it is something to strive for on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis. Looking for the glint in your daughter’s eyes that she is growing more responsible, more independent, and hopefully more communicative with each step, and that her skills, be they academic, artistic, athletic, musical or theatri-cal are growing as well. It takes recognition that there will be periods of time where the growth is far less noticeable and then there will be bursts where you will see it before your very eyes.

In an era where the terms “tiger mom” and “helicopter parent” are used to describe overzealous adults in hot pursuit of success for their young off-spring, I prefer Stanford University professor Carol Dweck’s term “authoritative parenting” because it refers to a more balanced style. Authoritative parents are neither overzealous nor pas-sive. In her August 5, 2012 article in the New York Times, Madeline Levine, author of Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success, notes that “the happiest, most successful children have parents who do not do for them what they are capable of doing; and their parents do not do things for them that satisfy their own needs rather than the needs of the child.” Levine further asserts that “one of the most important things we do for our children is to present them with a version of adult life that is appealing and worth striving for.” She believes that it is imperative that parents be “reliable, available and consistent.”

As the Olympics came to a close in mid-August, so too went the up-close and personal stories of the many Olympians and their families. But the intensity of the moment, and the art of raising a child, be it an Olympian or not, will not soon be forgotten.

We look forward to partnering with you to help your daughters achieve whatever goals she has set her sights on—whether or not there is a gold medal at the finish line. Our goal as educators is to help your daughters become confident explorers of their own potential. Upon graduation, your daughters will leave Bryn Mawr with a sense of who they are, and how to go about creating and continually reinventing the lives that they want.

PICTURES OF THE MONTH

Regulars


The Senior Class Fundraiser was incredibly successful, with students raising enough money that they chose to give $2,400 away! Here, SGA President Melda Gurakar (left) presents checks for $1,200 each to the All School SGA fund and the Haiti Relief project.

Above: Juniors bond at the 11th grade retreat.

Below: The varsity field hockey team celebrates Ms. Budzik’s birthday with balloons and a tiara! The team is having a great sea-son, currently holding a 9-1 record.


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.

Peter Crawley, the head of St. Hilda’s School in Australia, enjoyed a lunch with Headmis-tress Maureen Walsh as well as former ex-change students who have visited St. Hil-da’s. Currently, two girls from St. Hilda’s are on exchange at Bryn Mawr (front row).

What brought you to Bryn Mawr?It has a great reputation, of course, and I was looking for something closer to home. My wife works at an inde-pendent school (RPCS), so she pushed me to consider it. I had also previously worked with Julie Clark and Dave Al-exander.

What is your teaching philosophy?I want students to have experiences that they might not otherwise have or seek out. We do projects and field trips to encourage them to see and do things that they wouldn’t otherwise.

What is your favorite thing about working at Bryn Mawr?I love the kids, I love the people who I work with, and I love my job. I don’t get tired of teaching U.S. History. I also love the track and cross country kids I work with every day. It’s a nice bal-ance, having the fun and energy level of sixth-graders and then having the maturity and competitive nature of the Upper School girls.

Jim LancasterMS History Years at Bryn Mawr: 4 Years Teaching: 14

Eliza AdamsLittle School Years at Bryn Mawr: 10Years Teaching: 12

What brought you to Bryn Mawr?I was working at a small preschool, but I really wanted to work at a larger school. I visited this campus, and just fell in love with the people that work here and the kids. I also like that this is a larger community, and very diverse.

What is your teaching philosophy?I just come in with a positive attitude and have fun with the children. I try to meet them where they are, in terms of their development, and find out what their interests are. But, it really is all about just keeping them smiling and happy!

What is your favorite thing about working at Bryn Mawr?The children. I love working with the young ages—their minds are so open to learning, and they are excited about starting school. I’ve also developed a lot of close relationships not only with-in the Little School but also with col-leagues in other divisions. That’s hard to find, and it is really nice to have.

Peter MetsopoulosUS English Years at Bryn Mawr: 10Years Teaching: 10

What brought you to Bryn Mawr?We moved to Baltimore for my wife’s M.A. program. I had been working in post-production for television, but al-ways liked the idea of being a teacher. Once we moved here, it became pos-sible to do that. I felt immediately at home at Bryn Mawr.

What is your teaching philosophy?I want to understand where the stu-dents are and help them to under-stand that there are structured steps to getting to the meaning of a text. When it works, I can see their eyes light up, and I feel like I’ve done my job.

What is your favorite thing about working at Bryn Mawr?Besides the obvious—the students are incredibly self-driven and looking for intellectual challenges—I feel that as a teacher I am consistently engaged in conversations about the craft of teach-ing, and how it can be done more ef-fectively. Teaching should be a joy for both teacher and student, and if it is not that, we need to step back and re-think what we’re doing.

MAWRTIAN MINUTESNoteworthy news from around the school

Regulars


More than 17% of the Class of 2013 Recognized for Academic Excellence

More than 17% of the Class of 2013 has received commendation from the National Merit Corporation and the College Board based on their outstanding standardized test scores.

Ten students—Rebekah Broh-Kahn, Eliza-beth Cahn, Melda Gurakar, Carolyn Hru-ban, Caroline Joy, Katherine Liu, Aidan Lorch-Leibel, Claire Morton, Lucy Roland and Emily Zarenba—were named National Merit Commended Scholars. To achieve this honor, these students scored in the top 50,000 of the approximately 1.5 million PSAT/NMSQT test-takers nationwide.

Elizabeth Shaya and Sophie Ranen were honored as National Hispanic Scholars. To receive this award, a student must be of Hispanic descent and score in the top 5,000 of the approximately 124,000 Hispanic

students nationwide taking the PSAT/NMSQT. Instituted by the College Board in 1983, the goal of the National Hispanic Scholars program is to identify outstanding Hispanic high school students and to share information about these academically well-prepared students with sub-scribing colleges and universities.

Finally, Chinyere Amanze was selected as a National Achievement Semifinalist. This aca-demic competition, which also falls under the aegis of the National Merit Corporation, was established in 1964 to provide recognition for outstanding African American high school students. To qualify as a semifinalist, Amanze scored in the top 1% of African American stu-dents taking the PSAT/NMSQT.

Congratulations to all recognized students on their achievements!

2011-2012 Report on Giving Released

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and Headmistress Maureen E. Walsh, we extend our sin-cere thanks to the 2,024 donors who contributed $1,324,085 to the Annual Fund, and nearly $2,778,000 in overall support of Bryn Mawr students and teachers last year.

To view the 2011-2012 Report on Giving, please click here. The username is community and the password is owlgate.

The 2012-2013 Annual Fund goal is $1,385,000. All members of the community are encouraged to make a gift. Your support is what makes Bryn Mawr thrive, and every gift makes a difference! Make your contribution online today: www.brynmawrschool.org/donate.

http://reportongiving.brynmawrschool.org

www.brynmawrschool.org/donate


Middle School Science Program Undergoes a Metamorphosis

During the last school year, the Middle School science program began to undergo several changes as the sci-ence faculty started to reevaluate the curriculum that had been in place for quite a few years. “We had several meetings and retreats during the last school year,” says Ken Schopf, the department coordinator. “Then, over the summer, we were able to finalize the changes.”

Schopf says that the goal of the revisions was to imple-ment recommendations that the National Science Teach-ers Association had made based on research showing how students best learn science, and also to implement new technology, now that the Middle School has a 1-to-1 laptop program. “In a nutshell, we’ve tried to go from a ‘layer-cake’ model, where you have a single scientific discipline per grade, to a more integrated, thematic ap-proach,” says Schopf.

In the old curriculum, the sixth grade learned about Earth Science, the seventh grade took Life Science, and the eighth grade addressed Physical Science. Now, the courses are designed to focus on themes. The sixth grade course centers around cycles of all kinds, and incorporates material from Earth Science, Life Science and other areas. The sev-enth grade class is based on the theme of form and function, with students observing how the two are related in the Life Sciences, in engineering, and in other disciplines. The eighth grade course, Applied Physical Science (APS), revolves around chemistry, physics, experiments that cannot be replicated (“historical sciences”), and engineering. Schopf notes that APS could also stand for ‘Approaching Problems with Science,’ because, he says, “what we’re really trying to do in the eighth grade is show students that they can approach any problem with science.”

For students, Schopf says, the changes will allow them to be exposed to a wider range of topics, and to investigate more topics that are relevant to their lives and the world they experience. “The new curriculum allows you to address some interesting questions in a different way,” Schopf says. “We want to stress to students that scientists don’t just think a single scientific discipline in isola-tion. A lot of the most interesting science these days is at the intersection of multiple disciplines.”

Grade Highlights

Sixth Grade: Students work to contribute to citizen science projects, like last year’s “Building a Better Baltimore,” and draw connections between the classroom content and the wider world.

Seventh Grade: Students take on engineering challenges in several of the units, designing proj-ects based on the knowledge they have acquired in class. There will be a focus on how size, par-ticularly surface area and volume, relates to functionality.

Eighth Grade: Students will participate in an MIT/Office of Naval Research-designed program called SeaPerch, where students design remotely-operated underwater vehicles.


Features

SUMMER STORIES From the lab to the classroom to the African outdoors, Bryn Mawr girls were busythis summer! Here are just a few of the amazing stories our students have to tell.

Karen Chen ’13 and Zoe Bilis ’13

We spent four weeks this summer at the Johns Hopkins Radiation Oncology Laboratory under Dr. Deweese. We primarily learned about prostate cancer tumors and the biomedical technologies they research in the lab to create new oncology treatments for patients. We worked with lab animals, and the primary project we helped with was testing the cytotoxicity of a new drug and its effects on prostate cancer tumor cells. This drug was developed at Johns Hopkins and its purpose is to maximize cancer cell necrosis when combined with radiation. Our job was to narrow the concentration range of the drug

Charlotte Skolasky ’17 (with Adia cullors ’17)

This summer I went to the Center for Talented Youth (CTY) summer pro-gram at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, a three-week-long edu-cational camp. I participated in the “Crafting the Essay” class, but there were many other classes offered that focused on math, science, and history. My class was on writing personal and academic essays, with an emphasis on the revision process. Throughout the three weeks we were there, I wrote and revised four essays. The reason that I decided to attend CTY this summer was because my friend Adia Cullors, also a Bryn Mawr student, told me about the great time that she had in previous summers.

At CTY, I learned so much not only about writing, but also about risk-taking. When I first arrived at CTY I was nervous, but my resident assistant and the other girls in my hall were so understanding and support-ive that I soon found my place in our group. I also learned about making friends, and that the easiest way to do it is to walk up to someone and start a conversation.

My favorite part of my experience at CTY was how close my hall and I got. In the three weeks we were there we became like a family, walking to meals together, joking around, and sharing our highs and lows of the day during hall meeting. Becoming so attached to a group of people that I couldn’t imagine what life was like before I met them, and how difficult it would be without them, was definitely the highlight.


From the lab to the classroom to the African outdoors, Bryn Mawr girls were busythis summer! Here are just a few of the amazing stories our students have to tell.

so that, without killing too many healthy cells, it weakened the tumor cells enough that when irradiated, the tumor would shrink. We both got involved with this project through Ms. Wilson in the Bryn Mawr science department. We really enjoyed being able to apply our chemistry and biology knowledge to real world problems. It’s so different when you can apply what you learn outside of the classroom, and we both got a better understanding of some concepts that were previously hard to grasp. It was a really great experience!

Kanika Kamal ’13

Over the summer I worked in a microbiology lab at the Uni-versity of Maryland School of Pharmacy. I found out about this opportunity through my Biology teacher, Ms. Wilson. I had never worked in a lab before, so this was a new ex-perience for me that had me both nervous and excited.

In my time at the lab I worked with a pathogen called Pseu-domonas Aeruginosa. This

pathogen mostly affects patients with Cystic Fibrosis, cancer and severe burns. Pseudomonas depletes the victim’s iron supply and uses it to thrive, greatly affecting the person plagued with this pathogen. I got to do various experiments in my time there, like making bacterial cultures, using a PCR machine, and changing the acidity of solutions Besides learning all of the proper lab techniques, I also learned another valuable skill from this lab work: patience. Doing experiments requires a lot of patience be-cause after creating cultures they have to sit for as long as 24 hours before you can do anything with them. A big part of research is setting up and then waiting and simply observing. When I first came to the lab, I did not realize how much waiting the process actually required, but great things require a lot of hard work, time, and dedication. This is the exactly what I saw at the lab.

My time at the University of Maryland this summer was unlike any experience I had had before. I got to be an active part of the research, show off my scientific skills, and feel like a team member in the quest for a cure for patients. It was an opportunity that I am glad I took advantage of. Hopefully in the future I can do more lab work!


Danielle Hogarth ’14

This summer I went to Jacmel, Haiti to run a soc-cer clinic with my parents, my two younger sisters, and some of my teammates from my club team. Our clinic allowed local kids to come and play soccer for a few hours a day with donated equip-ment. We brought balls, shin guards, cleats, and jerseys for the kids to use. The clinic ran for ten days, and the kids loved every second of it. Most of these kids were also not receiving a lot of food, so we brought them sandwiches and water from the place that we were staying. Almost all of the kids showed up without shoes to play because they could not afford them. The field was rocky and gravelly, like nothing I have ever seen in the United States. They were playing with flat balls, or with coconuts from the street because they could not afford balls like we use.

This experience opened my eyes to things that I had never seen before. My dad is originally from Haiti, so I have heard stories about it, but I had never been. This was a great opportunity for me to see the country and experience the Haitian culture. At the tail end of the trip, we visited some

of my dad’s relatives, and saw not only Jacmel (a poorer and more urban part of Haiti), but also Fermathe (a wealthier and more mountainous re-gion). This trip taught me to appreciate all of the opportunities that I am able to have and all of the things that my parents do for me. I want to travel in the future and see places that are not necessarily considered “vacation areas” because I know that I would learn a lot from those trips.

It was very sad seeing the faces of the children as we left each day, but the smiles on their faces at the end when we were able to give them all of the equipment that we had brought with us was so rewarding. The best part about the trip was seeing how happy the kids were when they were playing soccer.

I came up with the idea of running a soccer clinic for my community service project, and did this because I wanted to give back to others some of what soccer has given me. The different people that I met, the places that I saw, and the kids that I played with all changed me, and I will never for-get this trip.


Nia ’14 and Zena ’16 Ebrahim

We were in Harar, Ethiopia, walking down a rocky dirt road to meet 15 or-phans who we would be spending time with for the next ten days. Although we were organized and had a complete plan of what to do with the children, we were both worried about this be-ing a waste of their time, and not being worth 50 hours of their summer vaca-tion. We soon learned that we were ab-solutely wrong, and the time we spent together changed all of our lives.

Our objective for the first day was to just get to know each other. At first, the kids were shy and hesitant to partici-pate, but they quickly opened up and accepted us as part of their family. We handed each of them name tags and asked them to write their names. They wrote in Amharic, so we went around and helped each of them also write their names in English. One three-year-old girl in particular, Amina, had trou-ble copying her name onto her name tag. I gently placed my hand on her tiny one and carefully guided her crayon. That moment was an amazing one—in-describable in words. Her glossy, dark eyes looked up at me and instantly in them, I saw hope and love.

Over the next couple of days, we grew amazingly close. We had a soccer tour-nament, played water balloon games, made jewelry, drew, colored, painted, danced, shouted, smiled and laughed. We took a field trip to one of Harar’s

only playgrounds, which many of them had never visited. We went to get ice-cream and pizza, which most of them had never tried. Seeing their smiles, true smiles, perma-nently left a mark on our hearts. We blew bubbles and laughed as the little boys and girls tried to catch them. We held hands and sang songs, and once again we were little kids, enjoying life to its fullest. I am proud to say that we have them to thank for that.

One morning I was devastated that I was too sick to get out of bed and meet up with my orphan friends. I was so attached to them that it was hard for me to imagine not be-ing able to see them that day. To my surprise, immediately upon hearing the news that both Nia and I were sick, the orphans walked all the way over to our house to make sure we were okay. That moment when I heard they were at my house to check on us, I couldn’t help but cry tears of joy. I loved those kids and I knew they loved us too. We were more than two American girls who came to help them out of pity. We were part of their family; we were their sisters.

The last day was the hardest. Saying goodbye is always hard. We had a party at the oldest orphans’ house. Every-one pitched in to decorate the house with balloons, ban-ners, sparkles and more. We played music, danced and cel-ebrated with cake, sodas, chocolates, jellybeans and tons of other junk food. Even though we dreaded it, the day had to come to an end. It was not easy at all. One orphan started crying, then we did, then everyone else. No one was without tears, and we hugged as if we were glued to-gether. No one could let go.

Although we are back in America now, not a day has passed that we haven’t thought of them. However, we are comfort-ed by the fact that one day we will meet again. They made that promise and so did we.


Shortly after the end of the Bryn Mawr school year, Athletics Director Wendy Kridel and Var-sity Basketball Coach Mimi Walters traveled to the Arizona desert to participate in a sports camp. This was no ordinary sports camp, however. Known as NativeVision, this camp caters to Ameri-can Indian children of all ages. The program began fifteen years ago as a collaboration between the Johns Hopkins Native American Studies Program and the National Football League Players Association, and soon added other partners such as U.S. Lacrosse. “The need was there for this specific segment of the population,” says Kridel, who became involved through U.S. Lacrosse.

During the three-day camp, more than 600 Native American kids of all ages participate in one of the many sports offered at the camp. More than just a chance for kids to gain sports skills, the camp seeks to “cultivate the core strengths, values and positive relationships for American Indian youth that will make them resilient to the prevailing risks and help them transition to healthy, pro-ductive and fulfilling adulthood,” according to its website.

As a newcomer to the camp, Walters said that she was extremely impressed by the kids who took part. “Their willingness to learn was so encouraging,” she remarked. “They have an understand-ing of teamwork that I don’t see every day.” Walters said that she had been hoping to get involved with a program like NativeVision for several years, and found it a very rewarding experience. One young man in particular stuck with her. “He was a very good basketball player, but in one of the breakout sessions, I watched him struggle to put words around what he could envision for himself in the future. It was so different from the reaction I get from most students at Bryn Mawr. I was moved by the idea that we were there to help him try to have his own vision for the future.”

Kridel said that what keeps her coming back to the camp year after year is the knowledge that she can make a noticeable difference in the kids’ lives. “The goal of the camp is to get the kids to identify with the coaches, and to help them think, ‘hey, sports might be a way to get me out of some of the bad situations in my life,’”she explains. “There’s a lot of hugs...there are probably more hugs than lacrosse balls that get thrown around. But that’s what they need.”

MORE THAN A GAME Two Bryn Mawr coaches travel to Arizona to work with Native American athletes


&A Summer of Learning

This summer, Bryn Mawr began offering four new classes to students: Nature’s Laboratory: Mapping the Local Ecosystem; Beyond Eu-clidean Geometry; Art & Gender; and Presi-dential Elections: The Road to the White House. Taught by Bryn Mawr faculty, these unique classes were open to Bryn Mawr Up-per School students as well as students from other area schools, and offered participants the chance to delve into a topic and explore areas of intellectual interest not offered dur-ing the regular academic year.

Program director Jason George said that it was a wonderful inaugural year, with 31 stu-dents total taking part across the four class-es. “The students were really engaged,” said Joanne Cho, who taught the Presidential Elections course. “They were taking the class

because they really wanted to.”

Kyemah Clark ’15, who participated in the Presidential Elections course, said that she chose the class because she wanted “to base my own political views and opinions on a good foundation of knowledge about poli-tics rather than just listening to how others feel about politics.” Clark called the course “incredibly fun.”

George looks forward to the return of the summer courses next year, with a new array of offerings to choose from. “We will contin-ue to cover different areas—art, English, his-tory, science, and so on,” George said. “We want to give every department a chance to offer a course.”

Bryn Mawr hosted its first-annual U.S. Histo-ry Teaching Institute this summer from June 25-29. Seventeen public and independent school teachers took part. Most were from the Baltimore-Washington area, but some came from as far as Texas and Rhode Island. Each day, a series of three 90-minute presen-tations were given to participants by college and university faculty to help build content knowledge in key areas of United States his-tory. Highlights included presentations on new research in Colonial America by James Henretta, a widely-respected expert in the field and the main author of the textbook America’s History, used in the Bryn Mawr U.S. History courses. Teachers also took part in a series of late afternoon sessions focusing on pedagogy and teaching resources, with pre-sentations from representatives of the Mary-land Historical Society and other institutes. Next year’s institute will take place from June 24-28, 2013, with presenters including

Carol Berkin, a nationally-recognized expert on women’s history in the colonial and early republic periods, and Rebecca Edwards of Vassar College, an authority on the late nine-teenth century and one of the lead authors of the America’s History textbook.

As part of the Summer Teaching Institute, Bryn Mawr also held two programs for new and early career independent school teach-ers. Faculty from Bryn Mawr, Calvert School, Jemicy School, and Perkiomen School par-ticipated in either an online course or in-per-son course. Both courses provided teachers with opportunities to read about and discuss a wide variety of topics related to indepen-dent school teaching, with a particular focus on the challenges and opportunities facing independent schools in the twenty-first cen-tury. Bryn Mawr looks forward to continuing both courses next year.

Teaching

Bryn Mawr hosts first summer classes and Teaching Institute


Dreams of Humankindby Charlotte Lynch ‘14; ed. by Laurel Weijer

OOn Wednesday, September 19, the Bryn Mawr community was privileged to receive a visit from special guest artists ArcheDream for Humankind, who performed their show “Deep Blue” in addition to hosting a workshop for seventh- and eighth-graders. An internationally touring performance group, ArcheDream uses black lights, masks, and puppets to create universally understandable shows about the creation of the universe, the world and human society.

ArcheDream was introduced to Bryn Mawr by Upper School Art teacher Patricia Tamariz, and their visit was orchestrated by Director of the Arts Michael Robinson. “My goal was to bring in guest artists who could appeal to all ages, and who also offered something a little different than what you might see at another performance in Baltimore,” said Robinson.

Upper School Arts Council also played a big role in facilitating ArcheDream’s visit. Arts Coun-cil members helped with promotion, ticket sales, and setting up the performance for Upper School convocation on the morning of the 19th.

Seventh- and eighth-grade students experiment with the ArcheDream masks during a workshop.


“ArcheDream can bring this all over the world because everyone can relate to it, because it is the essence of humanity,” said Laura Hawes ’14, a member of Arts Council who was able to at-tend the performances during convocation and in the evening. “I think it was a great event be-cause it brought a lot of different people to the theater, as we had a nice mix of students, faculty, and people who had never been to our campus.”

The show took place in the dark and with com-plete silence, except for some mood-setting mu-sic and the stunning black lights that enabled the actors to either move unseen or to be the cen-ter of attention on the stage. The black lights al-lowed figures to move across the stage as though they were invisible, creating the image of floating objects and flying people, and essentially, giving life to inanimate objects. Throughout the course of the show, there were flying butterflies, swim-ming fish, a glowing city, a floating person, the sun and the moon, and a growing flower. The performers’ ability to create life-like motions to animate the objects was especially impressive. The movements of the animals, such as a fish or a butterfly, were depicted so perfectly that it was easy to forget there was a person behind the movement. Much as a magician never reveals his secrets, the audience never fully understood how these convincing movements were executed, as

it was nearly impossible to see the person mov-ing the object.

One of the most incredible aspects about the group is that there are only five performers. For a viewer watching the show, the actors were indistinguishable from one another; even the characters they depicted became asexual. The show contained multiple characters and props, all moving around each other so intricately that one did not notice that there were never more than five figures on stage. After the convocation show, the performers explained to students that the themes and stories they depicted were of the spirits and elements of the earth. The opening story was of a Shaman and Mother Earth while the rest of the short stories conveyed earth, air, water, fire and spirits.

As they relayed during convocation, ArcheDream is regularly contacted by the reality television show “America’s Got Talent” about the pos-sibility of performing for millions on television. This really shows how special it was to experi-ence their performance in Centennial Hall. All in all, the event was a success, and brought a truly great performance to the Bryn Mawr community.

ArcheDream cast members pose with members of Arts Council after convocation.


Steck, Bryn Mawr’s new Assistant Director of Ath-letics who is also in her sixth year as Bryn Mawr’s Varsity Soccer Coach, got an early start with the sport. “I think I asked for a ball when I was two,” she laughs. She has now played soccer for 28 years, by her count.

And what a 28 years it has been. A Maryland native, Steck honed her goalie skills at Balti-more’s Mercy High School before matriculating at Towson University. “I wanted to go somewhere where I believed that I would play for four years,” she says of her choice to attend Towson. “I asked myself where I could go that I could make an im-

pact, step on the field, play, and enjoy the game that I’ve been playing for so long.”

She did indeed receive the starting nod right from the beginning of her years as a Towson Tiger, and quickly became an integral member of the team. The stats were impressive: during her career, she started all 76 games and allowed only 88 goals, for a career Goals Against Average of 1.16. She set a school record of 12 shutouts in her freshman year alone, including in a semi-final tournament win over Boston University. She was named the America East Rookie of the Week twice in 1997. Voted the Tigers’ Most Valuable Player twice,

IIn 1997 as Tina Steck began her college soccer career at Towson University, the freshman goalie would likely not have predicted that scarcely a decade after finishing her college degree she would return to Towson to receive a distinct honor: induction into the Towson Athletics Hall of Fame.

SHE’S A KEEPER


she also received the honor of being Towson University’s Senior Female Athlete of the Year in 2001. National accolades included being named to the all-tournament team at the America East Champion-ship in her freshman year, as well as earning first team American East all-league notice in her senior year. According to the Towson website, she owns “nearly every goalkeeping record at her alma mater.”

All of these accolades are impressive, and certainly speak to why she was chosen for induction into the Hall of Fame. What is perhaps more impressive, however, is Steck’s modesty about this recognition, and her emphasis on the impact that others have had on her career. Talking candidly in her acceptance speech about the guilt she initially felt at being singled out for the honor, Steck reflected that, over time, “I came to realize that while I am fortunate to be the recipient of this distinction, the actual privi-lege and meaning lies in the opportunity to represent those others who have impacted my journey in

life and throughout my collegiate career.” Indeed, when asked what the highlight of her Towson career was, Steck says that it was having the opportunity to play with her younger sister, who was an outside mid-fielder for the Tigers.

The importance of the team aspect of soccer is something that Steck works to instill in her players at Bryn Mawr as well. Under her guidance, the varsity soccer team has achieved an incredible “three-peat,” winning the IAAM B Conference Championship for three years running. This year, the team will face a challenge as they move into the A Conference, where the competition is sure to be stiff. But, Steck says, they will weather the challenge if they stick together, and make the most of what each player has to offer. “When I’m coaching, I always try to convey that everyone has a value,” she says. Likewise, she sees motivation as a critical part of the game, something that she learned from one of her coaches at Towson. “I tell my athletes all the time that the game is 90% mental, and only 10% skill and athleti-cism. While you need to have that 10% in order to be successful, if you don’t have that 90%, it’s going to be very difficult.”

Opposite: Steck makes a save during her career at Towson. Below: Steck receives her Hall of Fame Award. Photo credit: Brendan Cavanaugh, Towson University. “ ”Soccer is 90%

mental, and only 10% skill and athleticism. While you need to have that 10% in order to be successful, if you don’t have that 90%, it’s going to be very difficult.SHE’S A KEEPER


Regulars

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.

Melda Gurakar

Melda Gurakar is the 2012-13 President of the Student Gov-ernment Association (SGA). Each year, the SGA president welcomes students on the first day of school with a short speech. This is what Melda shared with her classmates at Opening Convocation.

It is a commonly known fact that sports are not my specialty. I am the perpetual bench warmer, the constant water boy, the player who hears “You’ll play soon!”...when we have a ten-point lead. I would have thought I could find at least one sport to succeed at by now, but no, I’ve tried them all, ranging from little league softball, soccer and basketball to volleyball, crew, gymnastics, ice hockey, tennis and golf. And even though every time I start a new sport I’m convinced that this time, this is my sport—unfortunately, no, it never is.

Surprisingly though, I have gained much more than just emo-tional wounds from my athletic inadequacies. I’ve learned patience, how to not allow myself to get frustrated over a mistake, the importance of being on a team, how to work with others, and the pleasure of being a small part of a larger entity. I’ve learned much more from sitting on the sidelines than I ever would have otherwise.

Now for how my woeful athletic history relates to today’s first day of school. I’d like to share with you all the most impor-

tant lesson I learned from sitting on the sidelines these past 12 years: that we can learn from every-thing around us. We don’t just come to Bryn Mawr almost every day to learn from books. We come


to learn from our friends, our teachers, our class-mates, and from this powerful community. We come here to learn to transform ourselves into confident young women who lead considered and consequential lives. We come to learn how

You don’t have to be the loudest

voice in class or the star of the play to

learn life’s most important lessons.

ellie knott

Last May, standing right here in Centennial Hall, I faced a very daunting and unwelcome task. I paced back and forth, hunched over the front of this very stage, completely and utterly baffled. I felt lost, unprepared, and uneasy as I stared down at the life-altering decision that lay in front of me. Every attempt to clear my mind was met with an array of uncollected thoughts that couldn’t be erased. Why is this happening to me? I thought to myself. I’m not ready for this type of commitment, I can’t just pick, it’s not like that! My heart began to race as I felt a shadow come over me. I spun around on my heels a bit too aggressively, bringing me eye to eye with Mr. Waters. He looked at me and I looked at him, a blank stare on my face, worry and anxiety in my eyes. He spoke, his tone ominous and daunting as he waved that stupid, stupid red marker in front of my face. “Just choose, Ellie.”

Yup, you guessed it, convocation dates. That one day every spring where the soon to be—but not yet—seniors eagerly file into the front section of seats and wait for their names to be called so that they can decide the fate of their fifteen minutes of fame on this stage. True to form, I arrived to this special occa-sion late and deeply confused as to why everyone was so excited to be in class meeting today. As I sank into my seat and turned to face two of my fellow classmates, they both stared at me, wide eyed and

to be resilient in the face of complexity, ambiguity and change. We come to become more passionate about the topics we already love. And that’s what sets us Bryn Mawr girls apart. We have an unquench-able thirst for learning that keeps us from ever fully satisfying our intellectual curiosity. That’s literally Bryn Mawr’s mission. To reveal to us the beauty, delights and demands of learning.

So now I ask you—yeah you, right there with the green skirt and white polo! Yeah, you!—to chal-

lenge yourself to learn even more this upcoming year. Renew your sense of curiosity and question-ing. Spend an extra couple of minutes to ponder an idea that you found intriguing in class. De-bate a philosophical question with your friends

at lunch. Keep in mind, you do not have to be the loud-est voice in class, the star of the play, or the starting play-er on the field to learn life’s most important lessons. Be-cause like me, you may just discover that in some cases the sidelines are not too shabby of a place to be.

And to my seniors: there is not another group of people in the world whom I would rather embark on this year’s journey with. Let’s lead the way to a great year, whether it be from the forefront or the sidelines.


eager. “So, what date are you gonna pick Ellie?”

Of course, I responded with an oblivious, “Date for what?” They both looked back at me surprise. Their expressions said it all, before the words could even leave their lips. I thought to myself, THAT was the email I deleted?!

What could have caused me to forget this monu-mental moment I’m not quite sure, but it might have something to do with the fact that, well, for starters, the 36 MG of Concerta that’s supposed to keep my brain in order didn’t quite make it into my body that morning. Or it could have been that I spent the entire day wondering how bizarre it is that the cure for a disorder that causes its victims to forget everything is a min-iscule pill that has to be remembered every single day. Regardless of what really happened, It proba-bly stemmed from the fact that I honestly didn’t even know it was a Thursday.

You’re probably wonder-ing right now what my

I spent so much time searching for who

I was, expecting that the

discovery would lead to my eternal happiness, when in

reality the key to my happiness

was in my very own hands.

lanky blonde sitting in the back corner of the classroom. While most of the other girls were learning that 2+2=4, I was learning that 2+pencil dropped on the floor, fuzzy pink hair tie, fly buzz-ing, phone ringing, pen clicking...

This is the story of my life with ADD. I promise, this will be short, because honestly if I talk too long I’ll have to stop for a few seconds, then ask,“Where was I going with this again?” So, if you’re tired or bored or hate the sound of my voice, please, don’t feel obligated to pay atten-tion. I can assure you that I’ll only take in about 50% of the announcements and speeches you all make, no offense.

convocation is about. Well, I would love to tell you, and wow you with my uncanny wit and wis-dom. But, I can’t. I forget.

Cats. Cats sleep 16 to 18 hours a day. I barely slept last night. I haven’t had a dream in forever. The last dream I had, I actually ran a marathon. Great, I forgot my tennis shoes for P.E. Wait, I’m a senior, I don’t take P.E. anymore. I don’t take Spanish anymore either. It became pretty obvious when I waltzed into Spanish sophomore year and said “Bonjour” that the language thing wasn’t quite for me. And no, unfortunately I was not kidding.

Welcome to “Ellie’s world,” as those who are closest to me nicknamed the part of my body known to most of you as the brain. My brain got this loving pet name at a very young age, when Mrs. Doupnik, my first grade math teacher, real-ized that something was, well, “off” about the

Attention Deficit Disor-der, otherwise known as “ADD,” is a biological condition that is charac-terized by poor attention and distractibility and/or hyperactive and impulsive behaviors. This disorder can be diagnosed at any age, and can affect people in many different ways—but no, you do not have ADD if you easily give in

to the temptation to check Facebook when you should be studying for the exam you’ll be taking in three hours. Besides meeting the criteria of a diagnostic test given by your doctor, you have ADD if you are locked in a room with nothing but your class notes, you have an exam in three hours, and yet, somehow, you manage to spend those three hours doing anything BUT studying, no matter how hard you try.

A day in my brain could be more easily described this way. My brain has an information “body-guard,” as I like to call it. He’s a short fat man who sits on my shoulder. Anytime someone tells me something remotely important, “Wayne” (as I like to call him) reaches into my ear and pulls that little envelope of info out before it has any chance of making it to my brain.

Also inside my brain rests a little woman who I


have adoringly named “info Issie.” Issie wears fragile round glasses atop her enormous nose, and she is much like an overbearing mother. She absolutely hates letting her little “info-kiddies” out into the real world. No matter how hard anyone tries to help them escape, it is usually a lost cause. “Ellie, what did you do this weekend?” Come on Issie, help me out here, it’s an easy one. Ugh, why is this taking so long?! “What’d I do this weekend…” I usually repeat people’s questions on days when Issie is giving me a hard time. I’ve developed this as a sort of stall tactic until she releases the info I need, since it’s not usually (okay, really never) in a timely manner.

Through my journey from childhood to adolescence, a huge part of discovering who I am has had to do with my connection to this disorder, and how it causes my brain to be one big “disorder” all the time. I never learned to appreciate this strange quirk of mine until very recently, and here’s why. From the minute we walk through the doors to the Upper School, we as students are constantly bombarded with the daunting task of discovering who we truly are. Actually, if I had a nickel for every time someone said to my awkward freshman self, “Enjoy high school, Ellie, it’s all about discovering who you are!” I would probably be a very rich woman. I spent hours and hours beating myself up over the fact that I didn’t fit the cookie-cutter mold that I so strongly believed I was expected to conform to. I didn’t understand why I was so forgetful, or why I wasn’t good at physics. When I barely passed chemistry, and constantly struggled to remember proofs for geometry, I began to lose hope. I honestly thought that there wasn’t any more soul searching to be done. I thought Ellie Knott had fallen somewhere off the map, and was really never meant to be found.

Defeated and lost, it wasn’t until an early Wednesday morning last winter that I realized where my problem really lay. My mother has always posted quotations that she finds amusing or uplifting on our kitchen cabinets. This particular week, she was hung up on a quote by John Lennon. This is what it said:

That day, I realized that I had it wrong the whole time. Maybe I wasn’t the next Einstein, but I was the next Ellie Knott. Actually I’m the only Ellie Knott, and regardless of the fact that I will eternally and for-ever be a space cadet, I have things to share with this world. I don’t have to conform to the mold I felt pressure to fit. I spent so much time searching for who I was, expecting that the discovery would lead to my eternal happiness, when in reality the key to my happiness was in my very own hands. All I had to do was decide to stick it in the door!

So this is my ode to my ADD, the greatest thing to ever happen to me. Everyone’s got one, a quirk of some sort, and mine just so happens to leave me with a memory that’s quite short. One day it occurred to me, that my spaciness wasn’t so bad, you see. I Learned to embrace it—that’s just me! I certainly hope that if I taught you something today, it is that quirks and oddities are always okay. Appreciate yourself for who you are, and definitely don’t go looking too far. I certainly was much closer then I thought, quite the contrary of what I had been taught. So do yourself a favor, and stick your key in the door. I promise you’ll find just who you’re looking for.

“When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life.”


Parents’ Association

Meet Monica tucker P’16, ’19President of the Parents’ association

Monica Tucker P’16, ‘19 is the new president of the Parents’ Associa-tion. Here, she answers a few questions about why she got involved.

Why did you choose Bryn Mawr?We wanted the most academically challenging environment for our girls that they could handle, and everything else about the program seemed very balanced as well.

When did you get involved with the Parents’ Association?I started volunteering when my first daughter, Molly, was in pre-first. When the girls were in the Lower School, I was asked to be the recording secretary for the executive board, which gave me exposure to the leadership of the Association.

What made you want to take on the role of President?I wanted to give back to the school. I think that one of the things that makes Bryn Mawr so special is how committed the administration, the faculty, the students themselves, and the alumnae are to this school, and to the education of girls in general. I thought that this was a good opportunity for me to give back, because my daughters are really thriving here.

What are some upcoming initiatives and activities that the Parents’ Association is taking on?One of our main goals is to support the new division heads, Jennifer Galambos in the Up-per School and Amanda Macomber in the Middle School. We are also working to support the integration of technology, which seems to be going very smoothly. We have Parent Socials coming up in October, and of course we have Spirit Day and Founders Day coming up next week.

What opportunities are there for parents who haven’t been involved before or are new to the school to take part?Two of the biggest events are the Bazaar and Faculty and Staff Appreciation, both of which can always use more people. Volunteering your time for the Prom—whether it’s the pre-prom or the After Prom activity—is a good way to meet Upper School parents, and to see what’s going on in the Upper School. That’s something that parents with children in any divi-sion can participate in.

I really encourage anyone who wants to get involved to go to the website and fill out the form. There are always opportunities to get involved.

http://www.brynmawrschool.org/page.aspx?pid=789


Alumnae

MeaGhan Walsh knaub ’89 P’22President of the aluMnae board

What was your experience like at Bryn Mawr, and what is it like being on the parent side now?For me, it was a great experience. I became a stronger person, without even realizing it. When I got to college, I was extremely pre-pared—over-prepared! As a parent, it’s fun seeing how many of the

> Fun Facts:• 54 current Bryn Mawr students (including 8

Little Schoolers!) have mothers and/or grand-mothers who are Bryn Mawr alumnae.

• 34 faculty members have children at Bryn Mawr, including the Little School.

> Like us on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/BrynMawrAlumnae

> Submit and read Class Notes! www.brynmawrschool.org/connect

> Did you move recently? Have a new email address? Let us know! Update your profile online at www.brynmawrschool.org/connect --> “update my profile” or email [email protected] with your new contact information.

traditions are still in place. It’s very familiar to me, and that’s a nice feeling.

When and why did you get involved with the Alumnae Board?I was approached by a classmate in 2007 and asked if I was interested. It sounded like fun, and I thought this might be a nice opportunity to get involved in the community. I have to say, it has been a lot of fun. I love meeting so many different generations of alumnae.

What are some upcoming Board initiatives and activities?One of the most exciting things that we’re going to try to accomplish this year is a used prom dress and graduation dress sale. We’re hoping to have this event in either December or January. (Ed. note: stay tuned for more information!) We also have playdates for alumnae and their children, as well as museum trips, which are great. There are several happy hours and networking events coming up too. One of our largest continuing initiatives this year is the community service program “Serve Where You Are, Bryn Mawr” which has been very successful.

What are some ways for alumnae to get involved?Of course, they can attend any of these events! They can also help out at the phonathon, which takes place in October. And we are always looking for more people who are interested in joining the board, or who have ideas for events. They can contact either me or Kathie Guben Wachs ’90, the Alumnae Coordinator ([email protected]).

etcetera

THE BRYN MAWR SCHOOL109 W. Melrose Ave

Baltimore, MD 21210410-323-8800

www.brynmawrschool.org

Cover photo: Upper School girls hang out by the Owl Gate during a free period.

http://www.brynmawrschool.org

mawrginalia, september 2012

Documents

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