2011 Fall BBQ & PotluckSpecial mahalo to: Tropical Vibrations, Rob Decker, Starbucks, Kawamata Farms,

Kekela Farms, and Cyrus Mead.

October/November 2011

Waimea Town Market at Parker School Saturday mornings from 9 am to 1 pm

Stay informed by checking the Parker School website regularly

at www.parkerschool.net.

Na Mea Hou is published August through June by the

Advancement Office of Parker School.

Advancement Director: Jennifer Schack

Advancement Associate: Vickie Frogley

Marketing Associate: Holly Weigle

Please e-mail articles, photos, class notes or event notices to

hweigle@parkerschool.net. News about students and submissions

from students are especially welcome.

You may choose to receive Na Mea Hou by e-mail. Submit

your request to hweigle@parkerschool.net

Ahualoa FarmAlaska Wild SalmonBaron von App Wood ArtBig Island FruitsiclesClarissa Passos ArtDownes Grounds Coffee Farm Hawaii White Mountain FarmHawaiian B Natural Farms Hawaiian Homegrown WoolHawaiian MaidenHonomu JamsIsland Herbal Island Thyme*Kaloli Landscape Kekela FarmsMai Bacon

Manowaiopae Hmstd FarmMi RanchitoParker School FlowersPeaceful Living Ctr Massage Poppas' OrchidsR & R GourmetRevolusunSandwich Isle Bread Sunrise Farm Sweet NutsTabouliTea HawaiiTrue Hawaiian BlueWoods Catering* Part-time Buy fresh cut flowers at Waimea Town Market

and support Parker School.

Parker Senior Kieran Najita a National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalist

Parker School is pleased to announce that senior Kieran Najita has been selected as a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist.Najita was notified this month that he is one of 16,000 national semi-finalists out

of the 50,000 highest scorers of the approximately 1.5 million high school students who take the PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test) each year. If Najita advances to finalist standing, in March he will find out if he is one of the approximately 8,300 winners of a National Merit Scholarship Award. The awards range from a $2500 lump sum scholarship, to corporate-sponsored and college-sponsored scholarships. Last year, three out of the five National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists from the

Big Island were Parker students. All three advanced to the finals and two out of the three were selected as Merit Scholarship Award winners. About his accomplishment, Najita said, “It's a big relief to have something like this going for me. I'm looking at some pretty competitive, pretty expensive schools, so it's nice to have something like this that could help pay for school, both as a flat lump sum and as something I can use towards getting other scholarships.” Najita, whose parents both teach English at Parker, has been a student at the school since 2005. He said he will most likely study film in college. About Najita and his accomplishment, Parker School headmaster Dr. Carl Sturges said, “He’s intellectually a very advanced student, he’s done really well with the debate team, and he’s a very creative thinker. We’re very proud of him.”

PARKER REPEATS RECEIPT OF ARTS EXCELLENCE AWARD

This past summer, Parker School was notified that it has been

selected to receive a 2011 Arts Excellence Award.

"This is the third time Parker has received this award in the last 4 years from the Hawaii Arts

Alliance, a state organization and member of the Kennedy Center

Alliance for Arts Education network," said fine arts director

Maren Oom.

According to the Hawai'i Arts Alliance, "This award is given to schools and their community of

students, administrators, teachers, and parents because exemplary

work in the arts and arts-integrated curriculum has been proven at the

middle school level."

This fall, a representative from the Hawai'i Arts Alliance will be visiting Parker School to present

the award, so stay tuned for photos and more news about this exciting

achievement.

SAVE A TREE GO PAPERLESS

Opt to receive Na Mea Hou: The Latest News from Parker

School only by email. Contact the Advancement Office with

your request at advancement@parkerschool.net.

Parker's new year begins with annual camp out traditionParker Middle and Upper Schoolers launched the new 2011-2012 school year with their annual camp out tradition. On August 17, middle school students pitched their tents for an overnight stay at the Kohala Ranch polo field, and the high schoolers set up at the Waiki’i Ranch polo grounds. Students and their faculty chaperones enjoyed hiking, orientation games and contests, and on the way back to campus the next day, some beach time.

FFoundation for the

uture

Jenna Gerdsen - Class of 2010

Alumni Corner

Parker School is pleased to announce that it has received a $50,000 grant from the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation. Headmaster Carl Sturges received word of the award in mid-September. This generous, one-time gift was made in honor of John C. Baldwin of Maui and his connection to Parker School, and will be used solely for the creation of the new centralized Parker Lower School Library and Media Resource Center. An existing building on Parker’s campus will be renovated and equipped to include 1,000 square feet of learning space, 1,500 books, 20 laptop computers, an interactive SMART Board, and K-5 computer learning software. The new center will be specifically dedicated for use by students in grades K-5, and will offer multiple learning centers and child-sized, child-friendly furniture, shelving, resources and decor. The library will add significantly to the current individual classroom libraries. “A Media Resource Center will allow us to have the opportunity to house all of our library books, computers and a SMART Board. It will give us a place to hold meetings to collaborate and allow the students to have a place where they may access the many resources we are fortunate to have. I am so grateful that we have received such great support and know that we will make good use of the resource center,” said kindergarten teacher Jackie Sills. About the new center, first grade teacher Christian Ingalls said, “What a wonderful gift for our students!” Parker School’s Foundation for the Future two-year comprehensive campaign was launched in the fall of 2010 with the goal of raising $500,000 for the Annual Fund for Education and three major facilities improvements: a regulation-sized soccer field (which is nearly complete); upgrades to the historical theatre; and the Lower School Library and Media Resource Center as well as the Middle and Upper School Media Resource Center. The Lower School Library and Media Resource Center will be completed in the summer of 2012, and Parker School wishes to express its profound gratitude to the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation and Alfred L. Castle, its Executive Director and Treasurer. Headmaster Carl Sturges said, “This generous grant allows us to turn our dream of a truly pleasurable, kid-centered library and media center into a reality for our lower school students. I can’t wait to get started on it!”

Foundation For the Future The Foundation for the Future Campaign has nearly reached its goal of $500,000 through the support of our generous ‘ohana. The notification of two grant awards this fall have us within $100,000 of our goal. We are well on our way to reaching $500,000 and making the upper/middle school media studio, lower school library and resource center and theatre improvements a reality. The soccer field, completed this fall is scheduled for a blessing ceremony on November 30 at 1:30 just prior to the first home game of the season. We hope to see all our ‘ohana members attend this wonderful occasion. To ensure the success of the campaign our fundraising efforts continue. We will be holding our annual phone-a-thon on November 10 and hope you join us in supporting this important campaign. Please contact Jennifer Schack at 885-8309 or jschack@parkerschool.net with any questions or to make a gift to the campaign.

Parker School receives $50K grant

Highlights of her tennis season at the University of Puget Sound: "I started my season in Oct. in a regional tournament that included every player in the North Western Conference. I beat the number 9 seed and finished in the top 16. I began the season playing in the number 3 singles spot and was eventually moved up to the number 2 singles spot for the end of the season."

Erica Warkus, class of 2008 will be travelling with Project Medishare to Haiti over Thanksgiving to help establish a permanent trauma/critical care facility, at Bernard Mevs, a small hospital in Port au Prince. This center will be the only such facility on the island. Erica is working to raise $10,000 in support of this effort. Erica is currently a senior at Arizona State University studying conservation biology and ecological sustainability. Her ultimate goal is to return to Hawaii to work for the preservation of our beautiful islands.

Erika Warkus - Class of 2008

Briana Boche - Class of 2011 Briana is a first-year student at Muhlenberg College. She already has a work/study in the Performing Arts Center assisting with marketing and graphic design. Currently she is interviewing the creative staff of the first musical production of their season, Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along," and writing a press release. She is volunteering with a local senior day care center. Muhlenberg College was just voted #1 in the Princeton Review for the best Theatre Department of a Liberal Arts College.

Congrats to...Oma Lawrence ('02) and Brad Knox who were married in September.Kehau Kashnig ('06) and Jon Martinez are engaged to be married in November.

Parker School's athletic teams are off to a great start!

The girls volleyball team is playing an awesome game. Thanks to the hard work of coach Ehitu Keeling and assistant coach Dawn Aiona the girls are training hard and coming together as a team.

The cross country teams are working very hard on their training and hope to continue on to state championships again this year. The boys varsity team placed 6th at Kamehameha on Sept. 10th, led by Paul Gregg and Jesse Tarnas who placed 12th and 19th respectively out of 94 runners. They placed 8th at Waiakea on Sept. 24th, again led by Paul Gregg and Jesse Tarnas who placed 7th and 10th respectively out of 217 runners. The BIIF Championships will be held on October 22 at Kamehameha School in Hilo at 2 pm. The HHSAA State Championships will be held on October 29th in Maui.

The middle and lower school cross country training is going very well. Thanks to coaches John Blossom and Nicole Vedelli for showing a high level of commitment to the health and fitness of our students. The middle school cross country team had their first meet at Waimea Middle School on Sept. 24th. In the girls race, Kiana Ward placed 2nd and Alissa Mullin placed 12th out of 38 runners. The boys ran a solid race led by Chris Whitfield who placed 15th, followed by Hunter Weigle who placed 19th and Parker Hale who placed 30th out of 42 runners. Their next meet is on October 8th at Kamehameha School at 9 am. The lower school cross country team will compete at Parker School on October 20th at 3:00 pm. Come cheer on our little bulls.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Michael McCullough, Scott Nair, Ed Brown, Billy Pleuss and Eric Sills who worked with the students to install the irrigation on the soccer field. They spent the weekend of Sept. 15th and 16th working on the field. I would like to thank all of the students who came out to help: Tyler McCullough, Jesse Tarnas, Jesse Burns, Allen Bond, Kosuke Kume, Shotaro Kume, Gian De Antonio, Cody Brown, CJ Brown, Paul Gregg, Taylyn Boyette, Marie Jobes and Alex Guske. None of this could have been done without the wonderful moms who provided lunch for the volunteers, Sharon Nair and Sally McCullough. Thank you all so very much.

Boys head soccer coach Billy Pleuss has invited all the high school boys soccer players to come out on Mondays from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm to get in shape and play soccer in preparation for a successful season. If your student is interested in joining, please come out to the Parker Ranch soccer field.

The Heneghan 5k/1k Fun Run will be held on Sunday, November 6th. Registration begins at 6:45 am, the 1k keiki race begins at 7:30 am, the 5k race begin at 8 am. Fun and fitness for the whole family; childcare will be provided for keiki 1k runners while parents and older kids run the 5k race. Food and refreshments will be provided after the race for all participants. Advance entry fee is $30 for adults, $20 for students and $15 for keiki, and includes t-shirt, food, refreshments and an opportunity to support Parker School Athletics. Sign up your family of 4 or more for $75 family fee. Registration forms will be available soon at www.parkerschool.net.

Join the Athletics Booster Club and support our athletes.

Volleyball 10/1/11 - Parker @ Kanu 3pm10/4/11 – Chr. Liberty @ Parker 6pm10/6/11 – St Joe’s @ Parker 6pm10/7/11 – Konawaena @ Parker 6pm10/11/11 – Parker @ Ka’u 6pm10/12/11 – Kohala @ Parker 6pm

Cross Country

10/8/11 Kamehameha 2:30pm10/22/11 BIIFS CHAMPIONSHIPS @ Kamehameha 2pm.10/29/11 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS in Maui 9am

from the desk of the Athletic director

Boys cross country team placed 6th at Kamehameha on Sept. 10th.

Kiana Ward placed 2nd at Waimea Middle School on Sept. 24th.

Students working on the soccer field irrigation.

Parker School celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month The Parker School Spanish department is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th. All students in grades K through 12 currently taking Spanish will explore and analyze topics directly related to Latinos in the United States and their contributions. Lower school students are learning about famous Latino stars, musicians and traditional Hispanic rhymes and games. They are also learning about Latino children and communities around the United States. In collaboration with the art department, lower school students will make traditional Latino instruments. Middle school students are learning the geography of Spanish-speaking countries and tracing Hispanic history in the Americas with a time line. They are also researching influential Latinos and their contributions in the United States with in-class presentations

to follow. Upper school students are exploring the achievements of Latinos in the United States and discussing issues of tourism, immigration and indigenous cultures throughout the month. We would like to invite parents from our community to share their experiences about Hispanic heritage with our students. If you are interested, please contact Katie Callender at kcallender@parkerschool.net, or Melissa Lunchick at mlunchick@parkerschool.net.

PANIOLOS VISIT PARKER SCHOOL

On September 20, Parker School kindergarten and first grade classes enjoyed a visit from Parker Ranch cowboys and a horse named Chicken. Cowboy Keoki Woods and Parker Ranch land manager Brandi Beaudet taught the students about being a cowboy, herding cattle and caring for a horse. On the lower school field, Woods and Chicken demonstrated for the young students some of the tricks and maneuvers cowboys' horses can do. Kindergarten teacher Jackie "Kumu Jackie" Sills said, "Keoki has visited Parker Lower School for the last seven years. It is a great way for the school and ranch to stay connected. We are thankful for their willingness to share." This month the kindergarteners are learning about animals and first graders are studying the Wild West, so this visit was an especially meaningful treat. Beaudet, who delighted the students by giving them balloons, stickers and pencils, said, "As always, we too enjoy meeting with the children andsharing a bit of what we are about and what we do. We look forward to the next opportunity to visit."

Photo captions: (top) Parker Ranch cowboy Keoki Woods and his horse "Chicken" showcase some skills for Parker School kindergarteners and first graders.(above) Kindergarteners and first graders with cowboy Keoki Woods and his horse, "Chicken."(direct left) Middle school student Zoe Mercer places a country on the South American map.(top left) Second graders sing a song together.(bottom left) First graders showing off their 'Los colores' coloring books.

Nate Biondi and Parker Hale work together to place a country on the South American map.

Parker School PTSO Students, teachers and parents all benefit from programs and activities supported by PTSO. The upcoming Heneghan Fun Run and the recent Fall BBQ are examples. PTSO also helps fund Make a Difference Day and ArtStart, as well as provides lunches and monthly treats for teachers and staff. PTSO raises funds throughout the year by selling Parker School logo wear. PTSO also runs the Book Swap at the end of the school year when families sell back used text books and purchase discounted books for the next school year. A very important source of PTSO revenue is membership dues. Last year 75% of Parker School families participated in PTSO. So far this year it's 72%. That translates to 142 out of 197 possible memberships. Each one of those memberships are appreciated. We are looking to increase our numbers to equal or exceed last year.

If you haven’t joined PTSO yet, please consider supporting your child’s school through your membership. You can contact the business office at 885-6803 or jgrace@parkerschool.net to charge your account.

Please enjoy some complimentary coffee at our next meeting at Solimene’s Espresso Bar at 8:15 am on Friday, October 21st. You will find links to surveys, meeting minutes and agendas on Friday’s Webflash and at www.facebook.com/ParkerSchoolPTSO. Please reach us at PTSO@parkerschool.net.

With Aloha,Robin MullinPTSO President 2011/2012

Reading Is Out of This World!

www.scholastic.com/bookfairs© 2011 Scholastic Inc. 9505 • 61032

Reading Is Out of This World!

www.scholastic.com/bookfairs© 2011 Scholastic Inc. 9505 • 61032

October 25 - 27

7:15-8:30 am &2:00-4:00 pm

Parker Lower SchoolOhana Room

Join us Family NightOctober 26th 2:30 -5:15 pm

October 25 - 27

7:15-8:30 am &2:00-4:00 pm

Parker Lower SchoolOhana Room

Join us Family NightOctober 26th 2:30 -5:15 pm

Interested in your child learning to play a string instrument and develop an appreciation for classical music? Parker School is pleased to announce a new after school Instrumental Music Program for grades 3 and up, in collaboration with the Orchestra of the Hawaiian Islands. Instrumental offerings will include violin, viola, cello, bass, classical guitar, recorder, piano, and harp. In-school presentations are planned for Monday, October 3rd at the lower school and during Middle School Family Meeting on Tuesday, October 4th. These presentations feature a guitar and cello duo and give students exposure to chamber music. A chamber music concert presented by the Orchestra of the Hawaiian Islands will be given on November 6th with proceeds going towards the purchase of string instruments. Students interested in participating in after school lessons will be matched with an instrument for use during the program. Please contact Jennifer Schack at 885-8309 or jschack@parkerschool.net if you have questions or need additional information.

Announcing Parker School's Instrumental Music

Program

2011-2012 PTSO Executive Committee

STUDENT LIFEProduction is now underway on the latest show from Parker School's esteemed theatre troupe, the Dramatiques. Auditions were held on Thursday and Friday, August 25th and 26th for their new fall

comedy: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of the Black Forest, which

takes a humorous spin on the classic Grimm's fairytale. The cast ranges from 6th to 12th grade, representing a diverse section of Parker's population. Enthusiasm was high during auditions, as the show's entertaining and funny cast of characters instantly came to life in the hands of Parker's actors. On Thursday, students read scenes cold from the script to get a feel for the characters and to

audition for their favorite parts. Then, on Friday, Ms. Oom

had the actors perform “line drills,” in which a

group of actors lines up and

each person reads every

character in the

scene. The diverse cast includes exchange student Anastasiya Polishchuk, who landed the role of Hoot, the owl. She was surprised by the way auditions worked at Parker. She noted that the actors were ready to play their characters from the very first minute. Veteran Dramatiques member Jesse Tarnas, who has been with the program since his 6th grade year, said "I'm excited for the show. I think it will be a great learning experience for the new 6th graders and entertaining for the entire community." The play focuses on the adventures of Snow White (played by junior Olivia Armandroff), who is sent into The Black Forest by her evil stepmother Queen Bella (senior Desiree Ashley) and her servant Dim Witty (freshman Maia Tarnas). There, she ends up living with seven dwarfs, who have different personality traits than the dwarves from the famous Disney film, while the queen plots to kill her.

KIERAN NAJITAClass of 2012

Parker School Dramatiques presents

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

of the Black ForestOct 14 and 15 at 7pm

Oct. 16 at 2pm

Dramatiques Fall 2011 cast and crew.

OCTOBER 6 & 7: All School Parent/Teacher Conferences No School for Students

OCTOBER 21: Make a Difference Day

OCTOBER 28: Upper School Retreat/ Middle School Unity Day

NOVEMBER 6: George Heneghan Fun Run

NOVEMBER 19: Admissions Open House

NOVEMBER 24: School-wide 'Ohana Feast (early dismissal)

DECEMBER 10: Fairways & Friends Golf Tournament

October: Matt Biondi, Nalani Safranca, Christian Ingalls, Tanya Everts, Jacqueline Caputo

November: Lynn Jardine, John Blossom, Tina Doherty, Lisa Hummel

Dates to Remember:

October 6 & 7▪ All School Parent/Teacher Conferences NO SCHOOLOctober 10▪ Discoverer's Day - NO SCHOOLOctober 14-16▪ Dramatiques Fall ProductionOctober 25-27▪ Book Fair at the Lower SchoolOctober 28▪ Upper School Retreat Day▪ Middle School Unity DayOctober 21▪ Make a Difference DayNovember 6▪ Heneghan Fun RunNovember 9 & 10▪ Upper/Middle School FinalsNovember 11▪ 1st Trimester Break Day - NO SCHOOLNovember 19▪ Admissions Open HouseNovember 23▪ School-wide 'Ohana Feast EARLY DISMISSALNovember 24 & 25▪ Thanksgiving Break - NO SCHOOLDecember 3▪ Waimea Twilight ParadeDecember 10▪ Fairways & Friends Golf TournamentDecember 15▪ All School Winter ConcertDecember 19▪ Winter Break Begins School Resumes Jan. 9

For details check the Parker School calendar and announcements at www.parkerschool.net.

Announcements

Address Service Requested

Parker School’s 9th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament

at Beautiful Hualalai

Saturday, December 10, 201112:30 p.m. shotgun start

Fairways & Friends

Tell a friend -

Parker School's Admissions Open House is on Saturday, November 19 from 9 am to 11 am.