FOCUS Spring 2014

Focus the american school foundation, a.c

spring 2014

The Spirit of the ASF Community

A magazine for alumni, parents, students, faculty & friends

Contents

Spring 2014 02From the Executive Director 02Contributors 03From the Editor 04From the Board of Trustees 06News & Events Introducing some of our writers

Blocks, fairs, camps, limits and other things you’ll find on campus

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FEATURES

BILL RICHARDSON A Q&A with the former governor of New Mexico and an avid supporter of ASF.

THE FLIPPED CLASROOM Your front-row seat to an innovative yet simple teaching technique that is getting great results at ASF.

By Sloane starke

STUDENT VOICES

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GAMMA: MORE THAN A CLUB The Gamma president shares with readers the exciting innovations that have transformed Gamma from a school club to an institution. By LUCÍA OCEJA

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INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT

Bill Richardson’s fundraising help, a plaque for the Upper School green building, a donated piano, and more.

Alumni

29The Ride of a Lifetime

An ASF alumna tells us about her participation in the world’s longest charity bike ride and an activity she considers more important than graduating on time.

By STEPHANIE ROMERO (’10)

30ASF Talks 31Class Notes 32Milestones 32In Memoriam

An event of ideas, inspiration and networking

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A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY A look at the success of ASF’s financial aid program and the school’s priceless volunteer spirit, and an ASF alumna who exemplifies both. By SHARMILA SACHDEV

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kids’ corner

LEARNING TO HELP The “Encuentros Médicos” community service project teaches ECC students the value of helping others.

On the cover: Bill Richardson with ASF students Photo by Álvar Martínez

from the executive director

| contributors

With each new issue of Focus, I’m reminded of the rich array of educational experiences that ASF students enjoy, as well as the equally rich variety of activities

and involvement opportunities that make our extended community so vibrant and strong.

I’m also struck by how virtually every topic addressed in Focus reflects the values and principles that guide us as we carry out the school’s mission. That’s certainly the case in this issue, starting with its online format.

By digitalizing one issue per year, we use no paper to print the magazine, burn no fuel to deliver it, and demonstrate ASF’s commitment to sustainability and protecting the environment. You’ll find numerous examples of this high priority in the pages ahead, including the unveiling of the special plaque we received for meeting the LEED “green building” certification criteria with the remodeling of the Upper School building.

Another top-priority effort in recent years has been the expansion of the financial aid program. It’s no secret that the entire student body benefits from the diversity that the program helps bring about. Marissa Russell (’92), whom you’ll be reading about in this issue of Focus, is a shining example of how the program nurtures our community. One of the earliest financial aid students, Marissa went on to graduate, become an ASF mother and active PA member and, in the true pay-it-forward spirit, serve as a volunteer in the campaigns to raise funds for the scholarship program. Of course, there are countless other former scholarship students who have demonstrated the value of financial aid at ASF, but I think you’ll find Marissa’s story inspiring.

Former New Mexico governor and U.S. presidential pre-candidate Bill Richardson visited our school earlier this year, speaking to students and parents on issues concerning international relations and generously helping to raise money for the ASF scholarship fund. Though never an ASF student, Governor Richardson’s family strongly supported the school and young Bill spent a lot of time on the ASF campus, especially on the baseball field, as he was growing up in Mexico City. He found time during his visit to grant an exclusive interview to Focus, and as you read his comments you’ll notice the ASF values he exemplifies, such as community, generosity, international perspective, U.S.-Mexico friendship and bilingualism. I’m sure you’ll find more.

At the end of the day, what matters most at ASF is what takes place in the classroom. One role of Focus is to explain to the community at large some of the educational strategies our dedicated teachers use, and in this issue the magazine provides us with a front-row seat in some “flipped classrooms,” where the relationship between homework and in-class learning are modified with fascinating results.

Whether you’re an alumnus or alumna, parent, student, teacher, staff member or friend of the school, I’m sure you’ll agree that the amount of enriching activity at ASF is impressive for one institution. I’m grateful to the Focus staff for bringing so much of it to the community with this and every issue.

Paul Williams Executive Director

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Sloane Starke (“The Flipped Classroom,” page 20) After six years as editorin-chief of Focus in her capacity as communications coordinator, Sloane is moving on to a faculty position at the school, but not before contributing several articles to this the final issue of Focus under her editorial leadership. Start with her farewell editor’s letter on page 3, and then enjoy her interview with Bill Richardson on page 16, in which the former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and governor of New Mexico reminisces about his memories of The American School and his childhood in Mexico City.

Finally, Sloane edifies Focus readers with a fascinating and illuminating article describing an educational innovation known as the “flipped classroom,” which a growing number of ASF teachers are using with excellent results.

Sharmila Sachdev (“A Little Goes a Long Way,” page 22) An educator, speech language specialist, ASF parent and former Lower School employee, Sharmila is a frequent feature writer for Focus. For her piece in this issue, she interviewed ASF alumna Marissa Russell (’92). “It was a pleasure to speak at length with Marissa,” Sharmila says.” Her passion for giving back to ASF as a volunteer and advocate for the financial aid program is truly heartfelt. She’s one of those people who strive to work for the greater good, while staying grounded and humble. What a great example she sets!”

Lucía Ocejo (’14) (“Gamma: More Then a Club,” page 25) Lucía is an ASF senior who was born and raised in Mexico City and will graduate as an old-timer in June. She serves as president of Gamma, an ASF club with a long and proud history. Gamma currently offers educational opportunities to young students from neighborhoods near The American School. Under her leadership, and with the participation of Gamma Vice President Juan Pablo Luna, secretary Patricia Garza and the entire club membership, Gamma has undergone a number of structural and procedural improvements recently that are the subject of Lucía’s essay on the Student Voices page in this issue of Focus. ”I wrote this article with the purpose of informing people about Gamma’s success in becoming more of an institution than just a school club,” she says.

from the editor

FOCUS A magazine for ASF Alumni, Parents, Students, Faculty & Friends Spring 2014 Vol. XIII | No. 1 | Mexico City Paul Williams Executive Director Susan Olivo Head of Early Childhood Center Tara Fitzgerald Head of Lower School Rebecca Crutchfield Head of Middle School Amy Gallie Head of Upper School Robert Wilson Head of Athletics & Extended Learning

Dear Focus Readers, It is with great nostalgia that I write my last editor’s letter for Focus. After six years as editor-in-chief (and another year editing the alumni section), I have moved on to a new opportunity as a faculty member in ASF’s Upper School.

While I am excited and delighted to be working directly with students, I continue to feel proud of the work the Focus team and I have shared with you over the course of the past 17 issues. It has been a distinct pleasure to share the good news of ASF with its community members, whether they be parents, teachers, students or alumni on the other side of the world.

Some of my favorite experiences as the editor of Focus have been the interviews I have been privileged to conduct while preparing each issue, from the former president of the National Association of Independent Schools, who truly impressed me with his revolutionary ideas on education, to an ASF mom whose nonprofit was on its way to becoming the Mexican version of Public Citizen, to the remarkable young thinkers, athletes and artists who make up our student body. For this my farewell issue, I interviewed former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson during his recent visit to ASF. You can read the interview starting on page 16.

Aside from this letter, one of my last acts as the editor of Focus was to write the article you’ll find on page 20, about flipped learning on the ASF campus. It was quite the crash course on technological trends in education, and a great way to bridge my transition from the administrative side of things to the front lines – that is, the classroom.

In addition, I’d like to draw your attention to the profile of Marissa Russell (‘92) on page 22, where she tells us about the role ASF’s financial aid program has played in her life, and how it benefits our whole school and beyond. Once again, I am reminded that we can all feel proud of being part of this generous community.

Thanks to all who have read Focus over the past six years and especially to those who have contributed in one way or another. Watch this space to meet the person who will continue with this gratifying work.

Sloane Starke Outgoing Editor-in-Chief

Board of Trustees Rosa Pisinger (’87), Chair Thurston F. Hamer (’81), 1st Vice Chair Jeffrey Scott McElfresh, 2nd Vice Chair Carla Ormsbee, Secretary Joan Liechty, Treasurer Catharine Austin (’78) Aliki Botton de Elías (’85) César Buenrostro (’85) Sebastián Fernández Steve Finley Fernando Franco Fernando Gutiérrez Ochoa Frances Huttanus Antonio Rallo John Santa Maria Otazúa (’78) Editorial Staff Violeta Ayala, Director of Communications Sloane Starke, Editor-in-Chief Kelly Arthur Garrett, Editorial Consultant Daniela Graniel, Art Director Álvar Martínez, Photography Alumni Relations María Vidal (’03) alumni@asf.edu.mx Parent Association Adriana Ramos, President Marissa Russell (’92), Vice President Advertising Sales: 5227 4942 FOCUS es una publicación cuatrimestral editada por The American School Foundation, A.C., Sur 136 #135, Col. Las Américas, México, D.F., C.P. 01120. Editora Responsable: Sloane Alexandria Starke. Derechos de Autor: Licitud de Título y de Contenido 16220. Reserva de Derecho: 04-2008-111212240200102. Distribuido por The American School Foundation, A.C. Sur 136 #135, Col. Las Américas, México, D.F., C.P. 01120. Se prohibe la reproducción total o parcial de los textos de esta revista sin previa autorización escrita de The American School Foundation, A.C.

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from the board of trustees

The goals that guide The American School Foundation’s strategic plan are presented in the Vision Statement. Those goals, which exist to ensure that the school fulfills its mission for many years to come, are the following:

• • • • •

An inclusive community made up of a caring and diverse student body Academic excellence Talented teachers and leadership Modern infrastructure Sound financials

To accomplish these goals, the Board of Trustees works hand-in-hand with the administration, along with volunteers, within committees. I would like to present, through this letter, the highlights of this 2013-14 school year’s accomplishments.

The Buildings and Grounds Committee, chaired by César Buenrostro, executed the third phase of the Ángeles Espinosa Yglesias Fine Arts Center, and the building now includes cutting edge music and visual arts classrooms and labs. Environmental sustainability is mandated, so LEED certification for the Fine Arts Center and the Jenkins Foundation Wellness Center is in process. The next steps, according to the Master Building Plan, will be the remodeling of the Lower School and the Early Childhood Center. Those projects are in the planning stages.

The Institutional Advancement Committee, chaired by Frances Huttanus, has worked tirelessly organizing events that bring the community together and raise funds to accomplish some of the more ambitious projects. These events bring together students, parents, faculty, alumni and friends of the school.

The Governance Committee, chaired by Carla Ormsbee, has worked on implementing amendments to the ASF by-laws as approved at last year’s Foundation meeting. Based on feedback from the Board’s annual self-evaluation process, this committee has recommended changes to promote continuous improvement and best practices.

The Technology Committee, chaired by Antonio Rallo, expanded the wireless network, improving connectivity for community members. To enhance communication throughout the community, new public and community websites were launched.

All of this would not be possible without sound financials. The Finance Committee, chaired by Joan Liechty, has maintained the school in a healthy financial position. This has allowed the school to invest in improved academic programs, execute campus renovations, implement technology, attract and retain faculty and recruit students who will increase the community’s diversity.

As you can see, much work has been done to improve the institution during its 126th year of continuous operation. I would like to thank the Trustees, the administration and all the selfless volunteers, ASF’s greatest assets, who make the school what it is today. It is truly an honor to be serving with them.

Rosa Marentes de Pisinger (’87) Chair of the ASF Board of Trustees 4 | spring 2014

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News EVENTS

GrandparentS & Grandfriends Day

T

he annual Grandparents and Grandfriends Day at the Early Childhood Center took place just before Valentine’s Day, and as always it was a heartwarming day of cross-generational bonding. Click here for a quick video of the event. Meanwhile, we’ll let the photographs tell the story.

The day started off with a friendly gathering of grandparents and grandfriends in the FAC.

Then it was across the street to the ECC.

The tile wall provided an opportunity to contribute to the scholarship fund and other projects vital to ASF’s future.

The older generation participated in student activities.

The most important part of the day was the opportunity for bonding between the generations.

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Founders Day, 2014 The American School Foundation honors its history every year by celebrating Founders Day on February 22, the anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone in 1922 (that is, 2-22-22) of the school’s first permanent building, the predecessor to the current campus.

This year, with the 22nd falling on a Saturday, the Founders Day ceremonies took place on Friday, February 21. As always, the highlight was the awards given out to students and other community members who were judged most exemplary of ASF values.

Fittingly, the awards are named after the founders who did so much in the past to create the school and ensure its development over the last 126 years. The winners are seen here in a group photo. They are: • Sakurako Yamanaka, winner of the Lamm Award for promoting culture. Lewis Lamm was an architect and ASF benefactor who donated the design for the 1922 school.

Left to right: Edi Yaffe, Sharon Mustri, Jessica Lozano, Sakurako Yamanaka, Andrea • Edi Yaffe, winner of the Files Award for initiative. Bessie Obregón, Ana María Solorio, Allegra Duque, Alma Rosa Escobedo de Rodríguez.

Files was the first instructor at the school, teaching kindergarten from 1888.

• Sharon Mustri, winner of the Clifton award for promoting a love of learning. Edna Clifton was a dedicated American School elementary teacher from 1919 to 1945.

• Jessica Lozano, winner of the Cain Award for promoting diversity. H. Cain was a longtime ASF superintendent who achieved for the school’s course of study recognition by the Mexican education authorities.

• Allegra Duque, winner of the Orrin Award for promoting community. E.W. Orrin donated the land for the 1922 campus.

• Andrea Obregón, winner of the Cummings Award for promoting leadership. C. Cummings was the Board president who guided the school through difficult times in the first two decades of the 20th century.

• The entire ECC, winner of both the Wright Award for promoting generosity and the Davis Award for pomoting risktaking. S. Bolling Wright served the school from 1919 until his death in 1975, John Davis started the school in a room in his home in 1888, and served as president 1894-1896.

• Alma Rosa Escobedo de Rodríguez, winner of the special Parent Award.

• Ana María Solorio, winner of the Faculty Award.

ASF’s Mentoring Committee organized another fascinating Saturday trip in January, this time to see the monarch butterflies in Valle de Bravo. Faculty, staff and their families were invited to take part, and about 80 of them did just that —from bus supervisors and their families to teachers, both new and veteran.

“It was very challenging — getting up to the butterfly sanctuary isn’t so simple!” said Sandra Romo from Human Capital, of the 45-minute hike. “We came back down happy, with a few slips and spills, but it was all part of the experience.”

After seeing the butterflies, the group ate at a nearby restaurant, and then visited the town of Valle de Bravo before heading back to Mexico City.

Photos courtesy of Laura García

The Butterflies of Valle de Bravo

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News & EVENTS | Early childhood center

The Hollow Blocks are Here On a sunny morning at the ECC Founder’s Day celebration on Friday, February 21, carts loaded with hollow blocks were wheeled out on the Turtle Patio in their rainbow-colored covers. Much excitement was evident as the blocks were uncovered and K3 children from Room 1 shared the names of the different-shaped blocks with their friends.

Kristal Rice, who had a similar blocks program in her former school in New York, gave her fellow ECC teachers and TAs a workshop on their role in the blocks program, the importance of rules, and the value of blocks as educational tools.

That value is summed up nicely by the late educator Elisabeth S. Hirsch in The Block Book: “The pleasure of blocks involves the whole person — muscles and senses, intellect and emotion, individual growth and social interaction.

Learning results from the imaginative activity, from the need to pose and solve problems.”

“Everyone in the ECC is thrilled with the new hollow blocks,” said Susan Olivo, head of ECC. “What we hope to see in the future is a strong partnership between children and teachers as the hollow blocks experience evolves. By providing time, space, and materials to expand the children’s perspective through direct experiences and play, who knows where their creativity and imagination will take them? The ECC kids proudly hold their new hollow blocks as teacher Kristal Rice looks on. possibilities are endless!”

Hockey Time The Hockey Exhibit in the ECC has been a valuable special activity for Pre-First students for more than two decades. The final one took place on March 27, and as always it helped the youngsters not only to develop teamwork, gross motor and sportsmanship skills, but also to enhance their emotional intelligence.

Taking place outside the classroom, the hockey activity, organized by ECC PE teacher Luis Colo, gave them a chance to learn new vocabulary, spatial awareness and self-management.

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News & EVENTS | lower school

iPads, Glogging and Ask Three For The Joys (and Learning) of 4th Grade Camps In a world dominated by Xbox and Wii, spending time outdoors is more important than ever for Lower School students. And there is no better way for children to experience the wonders of nature than through outdoor camps.

The Oaxaca and Valle de Bravo 4th grade camps this school year were full of fun songs, ingenious arts and crafts and exciting games that left kids asking for more. And there were tons of opportunities that allowed them to explore Mexico’s countryside. In addition, students were able to investigate the Zapotec and Mixtec immigration stories. They also learned about the spectacular journey of the Monarch butterflies from Canada to Mexico and back.

The kids had the chance to interact positively with the local residents as they listened to their stories. They also had a one-of-a-kind experience in trying some scrumptuous chapulines (grasshoppers) in Oaxaca.

Without the digital distractions, these 4th graders found a way to acquire new skills, enrich their knowledge, make new friends and better choices, and appreciate living life in the slow lane. Camps are definitely essential to fill the gaps in modern kids’ lives.

much of the semester, the 4F classroom in the Lower School has been busy glogging. A glog is a graphics blog. It’s an interactive multimedia image that may look like a poster, but if so, it’s a poster that talks, streams videos and makes use of Internet content. And readers can interact with the content.

Glogs allow students to show their ability to think and understand in many different ways other than straightforward writing. In this case, students were glogging their own biography, along with that of the pioneering environmental author Rachel Carson.

This project has been a great use of the Lower School’s Bring Your Own Device approach, which often means planning activities for different devices, mobile platforms and browsers, geared toward students of all ages and capabilities. It also turned out to be a good lesson in the ASF digital citizenship requirement of being a self-motivated tech learner and a problem solver.

When the iPads at first refused to work with the Blog process, Tracey Bryan and Carlos Guerrero from the Center for Teaching Excellence got involved in the problem-solving process.

But it was the students who learned that technology is not a “show-me-how” class.

The students (and their parents) applied the Ask Three, Then Me concept. That means first researching the question on your own — by asking a teammate, finding a video tutorial on the Internet, googling the problem, or otherwise seeking the solution yourself. — Keith Allen Beebe , 4th grade teacher

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News & EVENTS | middle school

MS Model United Nations in New York The Model United Nations Conference on the ASF campus is the biggest MUN activity in terms of student participation, but it is not the only one. Many ASF students choose to become more involved with the MUN experience, through classes, organized activities and special trips. Here is a group photo from a voluntary trip that Middle School students took to participate in an international MUN conference in New York, site of the headquarters of the real United Nations.

Making It Happen Nine Middle School students and two from the Upper School represented ASF attended the 2014 Global Issues Network (GIN) conference in March, which took place at the Carol Morgan School, and international school in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic.

The theme of the conference was “Make it Happen,” and the ASF students shared with other international students some of the things they make happen. For example, the US group explained the work that the Gamma Club does in enhancing the education of non-ASF students in the local community.

Middle School students discussed their work with local orphanages and the lessons they give on sustainability to younger students in the Lower School.

“All the student participants represented ASF well and plan to continue their hard work and volunteerism throughout their time here at ASF,” said Suzanne Blum Grundyson, MS student activities specialist, who along with teacher Chris Muller organized the trip and accompanied the students.

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News & EVENTS | UPPER school

The 2014 Personal Project Fair Tenth graders spend months working on their Personal Project, an MYP-mandated activity that gives students the opportunity to explore a topic they feel passionate about, create a project based on that exploration and then present it to the ASF community at the annual Personal Project Fair.

This year’s fair took place on Friday, February 7. The selection of photos here gives an idea of the variety, creativity and hard work that the Personal Project involves.

The 2014 Model United Nations Conference This year’s ASF MUN conference took place on Wednesday and Thursday, February 26 and 27. Probably no other on-campus event so precisely reflects that part of the ASF mission that seeks to educate global citizens for a changing world. Before the sessions took place in various locations throughout the Upper School, in which students represent nations as delegates to the UN, the opening ceremonies were held in the Lower School Multipurpose Room. These photos capture the spirit of the event.

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News & EVENTS | parent association

A Special Visit to a Special Place Lola José Phillips (’82) facilitated a very special visit for Parent Association members to the Museo Dolores Olmedo Patiño in January.

About 30 parents were received personally by Lola’s mother, Irene Phillips Olmedo, daughter of the museum’s namesake. The PA members were allowed in before official museum hours, and divided into two groups for special guided tours.

At the time, the museum was hosting the special exhibit “Obras maestras del Museo de l’Orangerie,” a display that included works by Matisse, Picasso, Renoir and others. The group also visited the part of the museum which was Dolores Olmedo’s home, with her furniture, photos and other personal effects collected from all over the world.

The Parent Association sponsors monthly cultural visits for parents who are interested in participating.

Books donated by ASF community members to help raise money for the school fill a lot of space on the Lower School blacktop.

Among its many benefits, the Spanish Book Fair attracts young people to reading.

Once you start choosing books at the Used Book Fair, it’s hard to stop.

A Fair Number of Books The PA followed up its successful English Book Fair from last October with two more book fairs in March and April. The Spanish Book Fair March 10-14 took place in the Lower School Multipurpose Room and offered a Spanish-language version of the same low prices, convenience and opportunity to help the school as the English Book Fair.

As it does every year, the Used Book Fair (March 31 to April 4) offered a huge selection of books donated by ASF community members, including some true finds.

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News & EVENTS | Athletics & extended learning

Another ASOMEX Championship!

Extended Learning classes are held twice a week for one hour after the school day. During the last week of classes in each semester, parents are invited to an ‘Open Class,’ where they can see what their children have been working on all semester. Here are what some of those classes look like.

A big Well Done to the ASF varsity soccer teams for excellent performances at the ASOMEX competition in Puebla in February, which included the third ASOMEX title in five years for the girls varsity.

Both teams came to Puebla hungry for a title, after each advancing to the finals last year but coming up just short – and both were coming off recent successes. The girls had won the Total Gol League Championship for the second consecutive year, while the boys won the Copa Amistad III in Quito, Ecuador in October 2013.

The boys played some excellent soccer throughout the ASOMEX tournament and it was clear that they were among the best teams in the tournament. Playing rival Puebla for a place in the final, the boys went up 2-0 but were unfortunate in the closing minute when Puebla tied the game and won in penalties. But the seniors can be proud of a successful season and the returning players will be motivated to win the tournament next year.

The girls played with confidence, energy and a great team spirit in the big games against Querétaro, Monterrey and Puebla.

The final was a tense game against a hard-working Monterrey side, with chances to score few and far between. Monterrey took the lead midway through the first half, but ASF scored a lastminute equalizer and went on to win 5-4 on penalties, sending players and parents into wild celebrations.

Tennis, anyone?

Tennis is taking off at ASF. Making use of the Jenkins Foundation Wellness Center rooftop tennis courts, more than 75 students from all levels are improving their skills, heightening their game awareness and developing enthusiasm for the sport. They are taking advantage of a coaching staff of highly accomplished professionals. Here’s a glimpse of the staff: Gerardo Morones, Head of Tennis: Coach Morones represented Mexico in the Davis Cup and has been ranked as high as No. 5 nationally. He played on the ATP tour and represented Mexico in the Central American and Pan American Games. Continuing to compete internationally, he is the No. 1 player in the nation in the 35+ category.

Lorena Arias, assistant coach: Coach Arias played Division 1 tennis for Washington State University from 2004 to 2008. She was a member of the Mexican Federation Cup Team from 2005 to 2008 and represented México in three World University Games (Korea ’03, Turkey ’05, Thailand ’07). She has played professionally on the WTA pro circuit in the United States.

Tomás Suárez: Coach Suárez started his coaching career at the International Tennis Club in 1976 as an assistant coach for the Mexican Davis Cup player Roberto Chávez. He has taken more than 20 international courses which include strength and conditioning, basic motor skills development, high performance tennis, sport psychology and the mini-tennis play-and-stay program, among others. spring 2014 | 13

News & EVENTS | people

Left: Robert and Lisa MacKenzie during their interview with Focus.

Down: Robert MacKenzie addresses ASF teachers and parents.

Setting Limits It’s hard for a lot of teachers and parents. But it doesn’t have to be.

Lower School and ECC teachers had a special professional development opportunity in January, when family therapist, educational psychologist and staff development trainer Robert MacKenzie, and co-presenter Lisa MacKenzie, an educator, came to talk about their book, Setting Limits in the Classroom, and their overall system for what they call “democratic” limit-setting. The MacKenzies sat down with Focus for a brief Q&A about kids, parents, teachers and limits.

Focus: Why is limit-setting so hard for some people?

Robert MacKenzie: I think it begins in the home. Parents or teachers who grew up in permissive environments where there was lots of repeating, reminding, tuning out, arguing, debating, challenging and defying — and no listening or communication or problem-solving — I think they are handicapped because of the lack of tools in their toolkit. Same way with the other extreme, those who learned yelling and taking away favorite toys and privileges, or hitting or insulting or intimidating or threatening. They use all the power tactics and don’t do well out in the world.

Lisa MacKenzie: Teachers or parents seem to fear limit-setting because their kids may throw a fit. They’re thinking, “Oh, I don’t want to upset him, I don’t want him to feel any frustration,” instead of realizing that he’s got to feel frustration. We all do. We’re all not happy when we don’t get our own way.

Focus: Is there anything different about teaching these principles in another country and culture?

Robert MacKenzie: The underlying value system of the culture is what you have to work within. But limit-setting is fundamental; it transcends religious belief systems and political belief systems. Everybody can relate to it, because it’s really just a matter of living within rules that work for us. You can do it in an autocratic system, where the rules are dictated to you and you have no freedom or choice or control, or in a permissive system where there are no rules; there’s anarchy and we trample each other because we’re looking out for ourselves. Alternatively, though, we can do it in a way that I call the democratic approach, where we have freedom and choice within clearly defined limits that apply to everybody.

Focus: Lower School required parents to come to your workshops. Why was it important to include parents?

Lisa MacKenzie: Having both is ideal. This way parents know how the message is going to be delivered in school. It will help them deliver the message in the same way at home. It’s important that everybody’s on the same page.

Robert MacKenzie: When you get parent support and parent buy-in, and they realize that you’re not trying to punish their kid, and you’re not just another permissive person who wants to lecture them into submission, but that you’re really trying to empower their kids to make good, responsible choices, and to be healthy, productive, empowered people — then the parents come on board.

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News & EVENTS | community service

The Toy Drive As it does every year, the ASF community put smiles on the faces of more than a thousand children — the result of the months-long toy drive for the benefit of our neighbors.

ASF families brightened the day of more than 1,200 children in January, when the items collected in the annual ASF Toy Drive were handed out shortly after Dia de Reyes. As is tradition, ASF teamed up with Delegación Álvaro Obregón, the local government, to spread cheer among needy families.

Toys were handed out at a nearby park, where around 1,800 adults and children showed up.

Although there weren’t quite enough toys for everyone, no children went away empty-handed; all received snacks and some other small gifts. Clementina Aguilar, certification specialist and organizer of this school tradition, said she was pleased with the ASF community’s response this year.

Some students who participated wrote reflections afterwards. Here are two excerpts: Valeria Fonseca, grade 3: “Mabe you have not had the chance to go to the Toy Drive (delivery), so close your eyes and just imagine how it would feel to see all those smiles and happy children come to you! And next year we want to see a lot more smiles.”

Alinka Cervantes, grade 8: “I think the Toy Drive is important because ASF students need to help our own community. It also helps us learn to share and give to others. I especially like working with the younger kids from ASF because we can pass on the leadership that we have received. Adults help us, we help those who are younger. It is like a chain reaction.”

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FEATURE

Q&A: Bill Richardson

“Don’t put your finger up in the wind. Take a stand. Voters and others will respect you more if you take that stand.”

When former New Mexico Governor and U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson visited The American School Foundation in February to speak to students and parents, it was a homecoming of sorts. Though never actually enrolled as a student at ASF, he spent a lot of time on campus during his childhood, living in Mexico City until the age of 12.

Gov. Richardson was generous with his time during his visit, including sitting down with then-ASF Communications Coordinator Sloane Starke for an exclusive interview for Focus. Following are his comments.

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Focus: Tell us about your time in Mexico as a child.

Bill Richardson: I lived in Mexico my first 12 years, although I was born in Pasadena, California. While I didn’t attend The American School, I spent a lot of time there, playing baseball on the baseball field. I took my college boards at The American School. I used to attend all the Fourth of July events at The American School. At the time, growing up in the 60s, The American School was the center of the American colony. I had girlfriends at The American School, I played baseball there, social events happened there.

My father was very active.

Focus: What schools did you go to here?

BR: I attended a school called the Pan American Workshop, a bilingual school.

Then I went to the Crocker School, and then at 12 I was sent to boarding school at Middlesex School in Massachusetts. But when I was a teenager, I would continue my visits to The American School to play baseball, to socialize. My father was very involved in raising funds for the (ABC) hospital. Even though I am not an alumnus, I am a virtual alumnus.

Focus: What is the value of having an international education?

BR: One of the reasons I believe The American School concept is successful is because it promotes multiculturalism, it promotes diversity. They give scholarships to a number of students. The fact that there are now more Mexican students than Americans at The American School — it’s healthy. It shows a strong Mexican bilingual presence.

What I said to the students in addressing them is that they already have an advantage over other students because of their language skills and their cultural skills. They know two cultures. So if they go into diplomacy or politics or government or literature, they already have an advantage because of that biculturalism and the fact that they know two languages. They’ll be able to negotiate better.

The fact that the school has, for instance, a great program to send United Nations students from the school to The Hague, or to the United States for exchange programs, I think it’s an enormous asset.

Focus: What was the value of that time you spent living out of the U.S. at a young age?

BR: It was an asset for me when I became a diplomat, a congressman, a governor.

The fact that I spoke different languages —I spoke Spanish and a little French— helped me with France and with the Africans. When I negotiated with Fidel Castro and (Hugo) Chávez and others, I’d speak Spanish. That was as asset, the fact that we could communicate culturally.

Focus: How do you see the relationship between Mexico and the United States compared with years past, or when you were here as a child?

BR: When I was here, the relationship was not a terribly healthy one. Mexico was considered an unequal, third-world country. It was submissive. Today, Mexico is an equal partner. What the new president of Mexico has done with his energy, political and telecom reforms is making Mexico the most exciting country in the world on so many fronts. Now the relationship is not just a narcotics relation. It’s a relationship based on trade with Canada and Mexico. It’s an energy

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FEATURE

relationship. It’s an immigration relationship. It’s a foreign policy relationship.

Both countries are members of the G-20.

There are so many other dimensions than just the violence, the Plan Mérida relationship. And I think that’s very healthy. I see a nation of equals. And that’s a change I’ve seen since I lived here.

Focus: In your address to students, you encouraged them to think about a career in diplomacy. What do you think their role could be in the future of that U.S.-Mexico relationship?

BR: I believe they can and should consider being diplomats in the Mexican foreign service. They should consider being international finance specialists, trade specialists, teachers. I especially encourage more women to get into foreign policy and international affairs. Their bicultural and multicultural education would be an incredible asset. They’d have a head start over an American or Mexican student that only knew one language and one culture.

18 | spring 2014

Focus: What other skills do you think the students need to become leaders in the U.S.Mexico relationship?

BR: I think it’s very important that they not forget technology. Technology in Mexico is advancing very rapidly. I think there’s going to be a lot of room for specialists in the energy area, especially with this new energy reform. There will be need for more Mexican engineers who know about issues like shale gas and deep-sea drilling, and the new technologies in energy. Those are the two more immediate areas.

But my main message to the students is to know both languages well. Know technology. Know culture. You have to have cultural sensitivity to succeed in a negotiation. You have to know history, you have to know music, you have to know social studies. You can’t just be a technocrat.

Focus: One thing I imagine must be tough in public service is balancing personal relationships

with what you think is right.

Like when you endorsed Barack Obama, I know relationship-wise that was difficult. How do you handle that?

BR: Sometimes in politics, you’ve got to make choices, and there is a political cost.

My relationship with Bill Clinton has been adversely affected by my endorsing Obama over Hillary. That’s the consequence. Sometimes you have to take a stand. I always tell students: Don’t put your finger up in the wind. Take a stand.

Voters and others will respect you more if you take that stand.

Focus: Any other advice you would offer our students and our alumni?

BR: I think it’s important that they be good alumni, that they contribute to the school when they leave, that they make reunions. One of the things you lose when you go into the world is your roots and your ties. As you get older you’ll find out how valuable they are.

FEATURE

The Flipped Classroom

What happens when students do homework on a topic before they’re introduced to it in class?

In many cases, they learn better.

A

BY Sloane Starke, Outgoing ASF Communications Coordinator

trend in education in recent years has turned the traditional classroom on its head. The “flipped classroom” doesn’t involve antigravity desks, but it does represent an important shift in how we view teaching and learning. More and more ASF teachers are flipping their classrooms, and what now may be a novel approach may soon be the expected order.

In the conventional classroom, the teacher introduces concepts in a lecture format, and homework is a way to reinforce learning, measure understanding and/or go deeper into the concepts. By contrast, with flipped instruction students are assigned videos (perhaps even lectures by professors half a world away), readings or other materials for homework which typically introduces a concept or concepts. Then class time is devoted to working directly with students and taking the concept further, whether through group work, debates, experiments or other activities facilitated by the teacher.

The creation and growth of the online Khan Academy was another important factor. A year before Bergmann and Sams’ innovation, Salman Khan founded the Khan Academy website — a tool many teachers now use in flipping instruction.

The site houses video tutorials, practice problems and more, and is often used by teachers and students to complement traditional in-class learning.

Many such resources are available online, and teachers who flip instruction make their own videos and materials as well, providing students the chance to go at their own pace at home, and use classroom time as effectively as possible.

ASF Digital Literacy Coach Tracey Bryan sums up the approach as follows: “Instead of saying, ‘Here’s my 20-minute lesson, go home and do it,’ I’m saying, ‘Here’s my 20-minute lesson at home — watch it, come back and I’ll answer your questions.’ So they do the homework part at school.”

A Brief History of Flipping

The idea of flipping goes beyond redefining what’s done in class versus what’s done at home. In fact, a key element is that the information presented should be accessible at any time, according to ASF Digital Literacy Coach Patty Zamora (‘82). “Let’s say a student with special needs is having a hard time grasping the concept in an auditory way,” she says, referring to the traditional in-class lecture.

“This way (with flipping) he can go back to

How did the idea of flipping get started?

Two Colorado high school teachers Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams are generally credited with being the pioneers.

They started flipping instruction back in 2007 when they learned how to record PowerPoint presentations with audio, and started posting their lessons online for students who had missed class — or anyone who happened to see them.

20 | spring 2014

The Advantages of Flipping

that material and he can use it to come up with the product or the assignment.”

According to Bryan and Zamora, flipping can be useful in any subject — from math, where students can see concepts presented in a variety of different ways in order find one that makes sense to them, to social studies, where students can read and research a historical event, for example, and come to class prepared for a teacher-moderated debate.

Flipping at ASF

Flipped classrooms can be found at almost all levels at ASF, and in all subject areas.

Lower School teacher Dave Rueb challenges himself and his students by flipping their math lessons. He makes his own videos, which he posts on a private channel on YouTube, and also assigns other instructional videos depending on the students’ needs.

“There are certain math subjects like algorithms where you just want the students to see a process and mimic that or internalize that,” he said, which makes those subjects ideal for a homework video lesson. Then, classroom time can be used more effectively.

“With my kids who do really well independently, or are already ahead, I can send them off to do some kind of project, and I can spend time with my small group of five or six who really need that direct instruction,” he said. “It eliminates a lot of distractions that come with a big group, and they can ask the questions they want. And I don’t waste my upper-level students’ time, which I think they appreciate.”

A few classrooms away, Lower School music teacher Olivia Maekawa posts video and audio recordings online to help students learn and practice their music for homework, whether singing or playing the recorder.

She said she can tell when her first and second grade singing students have been practicing at home. “They really learn the songs,” Maekawa said. “When they came to class, it’s just like rehearsing what they already know.”

Left page below: Lower School music teacher Olivia Maekawa posts video and audio recordings online for her young students to practice their music before class: “When they came to class, it’s just like rehearsing what they already know.” On this page left: Lower School teacher Dave Rueb: “The idea of flipped instruction is that the student comes to class with some experience with a concept, so we can have a conversation. It makes things less one-sided.” Right: José Carlos Alaniz, Upper School biology teacher: “When I ask them to do something at home first..., they come back and say, ‘Yes, I know it, I understand it,’ and then we can move forward more easily.”

In Middle School, math and science teacher Patricia García is an enthusiastic proponent of flipping instruction. She started it last school year while taking graduate classes in education and technology.

“Especially in science, it really helps, because they can do the learning at their own pace, and use the tools and resources that best fit them,” García said. She posts videos and readings for homework on her class website, asking students to tweet some fact they learned, and be prepared for some activity and in-class discussion.

Sometimes they even make videos and post them online to help students in other schools learn.

She says flipping motivates students and helps them learn critical thinking skills, rather than being spoon fed information. “They learn to analyze, summarize and evaluate information,” she says.

In Upper School, where students can be assigned an even heavier homework load, several teachers flip some or all of their instruction.

José Carlos Alaniz, a science teacher, likes to assign vocabulary words for students to learn and videos for them to analyze for homework prior to delving into a new area.

“When I ask them to do something at home first, they do it at their own pace and they can even Google things,” he says.

When they come back, they say, ‘Yes, I know it, I understand it,’ and then we can move forward more easily.”

“Mr. Alaniz’s class is different from other science classes because he teaches in a different manner,” freshman Cristina Rodero says. “He doesn’t just give you notes and PowerPoints about a subject. It was a little weird at first, but then you get used to it.”

James Kitchin teaches humanities in English in the Upper School, where he

does as little in-class lecturing as possible.

“When I started doing this a couple of years ago, I didn’t know it was called ‘flipping the classroom,’ he says. “It was just good teaching.

“Instead of giving information in class and reinforcing it at home, you’re getting the information at home — which in this technological age is easy to do. In class, we’re more focused on skills like helping you work with the information that you already found for yourself. There are a lot of different ways to do it, and in some subjects it’s significantly easier. I don’t have to make videos.”

One example of an in-class activity would be to get into groups and choose the five most impactful policies covered in the text students read for homework.

Alonso Iturbe, one of Kitchin’s students, says his teacher’s way of doing things has helped him learn.

“History has always been one of my least favorite subjects, since I am particularly unskilled at raw memorization of dates and historic events,” Alonso says.

“However, with the discussions in class, I understand the importance of these events, which takes a lot of pressure off the actual memorization and places emphasis on the significance of the event itself.”

The Importance of Homework

For flipping to work, it’s even more important than usual for students to do their homework, because the next in-class activity or discussion depends largely on them.

“You can tell right away who did it and who didn’t,” García said. “The students who didn’t (do the homework) are quiet, They’re lost. But I think the next time, when they go home, they say, ‘I want to be part of the discussion.’”

Says senior Juan Riestra, a student in Kitchin’s Model United Nations class, “If you don’t bring your homework, you’re not only getting a bad grade in homework, but also in participation.” Technology, or course, plays a huge role in the flipped classroom, but it can be a double-edged sword. Dogs might not eat homework anymore, but technical difficulties do exist. “‘My printer didn’t work’ or ‘My computer was down,’” Alaniz says he has heard.

There is also a learning curve for those who are asked, for example, to turn in their homework through the class website, rather than emailing it in. “We have to go through a little bit more training,” he said.

An Innovation With Staying Power

Learning curves aside, all of the ASF teachers interviewed for this article said they planned to use flipped instruction throughout their careers, because of the benefits for the students and the class dynamic.

“I think the purpose of flipping a class is to give students responsibility for their own learning,” García says. “They should be aware of how they learn, and the whole process of learning. They become more active learners. Instead of sitting and receiving all this information, they participate.”

Rueb concluded, “The idea of flipped instruction is that the student (comes to class with) some experience with a concept, so we can have a conversation. It makes things less one-sided. The student already knows he or she is making mistakes in a certain area. I can come and immediately assess what the student is struggling with and we can go straight to that.”

Alaniz agrees. “Most of the time they come with questions,” he says. “‘I got that, but I don’t get this,’ and I say, ‘OK, that’s what we are going to learn today!’” spring 2014 | 21

FEATURE

A Little Goes a Long Way

Marissa Russell (’92) is a shining example of a proud former financial aid recipient who went on to promote the ASF values of volunteerism, generosity and diversity inside and outside the school. And there are many more just like her.

M

arissa Russell is no stranger to hard work. An ASF alumna and busy mother of two ASF students (in the Early Childhood Center and Lower School), she is a tireless volunteer for the school, an active member of the Parent Association and an ECC coordinator. She is a natural at juggling her daily activities and obligations.

Much of Marissa’s volunteer work is with the Office of Institutional Advancement, the primary fundraising and community-building arm of The American School Foundation. She has helped plan and coordinate a number of fundraising events. No job is too big or small for her.

For the last five years she has been part of the team that coordinates the Annual Fund Drive, which raises money for special projects in all the school’s divisions, as well as for scholarships. This is an especially fitting effort on her part, because without the ASF financial aid program, Marissa Russell might never have graduated from ASF, and the school might have missed out on a cherished parent, alumna and volunteer.

Not surprisingly, then, Marissa is an avid supporter of the scholarship program and the fundraising activities needed to keep it alive and growing. She also strongly believes that being a financial aid student is a high honor.

“In Mexico, there can be a stigma about receiving financial aid,” she says.

“I didn’t feel that way at all. I was grateful that I was able to receive it for the years that I needed it.”

She is not alone. Families of about 13 percent of the ASF student body receive financial aid in the form of tuition subsidies, and the goal is to increase that number to 20 percent within a decade.

The program is administered by the Office of Admission and Financial Aid to help make an ASF education available to qualified students whose families might not otherwise be able to afford it.

The program also helps increase ASF’s highly valued diversity — not just 22 | spring 2014

BY Sharmila Sachdev, ASF Parent

in ethnic and socioeconomic terms but also in terms of “pursuits.” Financial aid helps ASF attract new students displaying a variety of talents and propensities, be they in the arts, academics, athletics, community service or entrepreneurship.

Marissa Russell’s story could be exhibit A of how financial aid helps not only the recipient and her family, but also the school, its student body and the community at large. It’s no wonder that she considers the aid to have been an honor, Like all financial aid students, she had concrete proof that the school wanted her.

American Roots, Mexican Home

Born to American parents, Larry and Nadine Russell, and raised in Mexico City, Marissa began attending ASF in 1978. But she wasn’t the only Russell on campus.

Her father, illustrious musician and music teacher Larry Russell, had started working for the school as a music teacher in 1976, two years prior to Marissa’s entrance.

What was it like to have a larger-than-life parent work at the school you attend?

“I thought it was really cool that he was here at ASF while I was a student”, says Marissa. “You have a record following you with a father like that at the same school as you. I knew I was on the radar tracking system of the school because my dad was well known and knew I had to do well here as a student.”

Larry Russell hadn’t always pursued his professional life in Mexico City. Born in 1931 and raised in Connecticut, he studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

He became a respected jazz musician and played for well-known big band leaders, including Stan Kenton, Louis Prima and Buddy Rich. He also accompanied famous singers, including Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Carmen McRae. After spending time visiting Mexico, he fell in love with the country and he and Nadine eventually made it their home. At ASF, Larry was instrumental in opening

up band classes (originally offered only to high school students) to the Middle School and Lower School levels. “So I had the opportunity to play in a band when I was in the LS,” Marissa recalls. “I played the clarinet and my father was my teacher. It was an invaluable experience.”

Course Change

The economic crisis hit Mexico in the early 80s and by 1986, there were cutbacks at ASF. The music program was eliminated. It was heartbreaking for Marissa’s father to leave ASF. He has been teaching private classes and pursuing his own career as a jazz musician ever since.

He is still active at 82.

With her father gone from the school, Marissa was no longer able to receive the employee family tuition discount, while at the same time the family income became more limited and unstable. “With my dad now a freelance musician and my mom a freelance photographer, the monthly income could vary quite a bit,” Marissa says.

Additionally, the school had been forced to raise the tuition rate because of the crisis. A real possibility existed that Marissa would have to leave ASF. She was not alone in that predicament. There was a lot of student attrition, and one of the students who was also in jeopardy of having to change schools was Alfonso Rendón, Marissa’s future husband.

And so it was that in 1986, sixth-grader Marissa Russell was one of the first recipients of financial aid through the new ASF program, which was and is entirely needs-based. She was a living example of one of the early goals of financial aid at ASF — to prevent existing students from having to leave the school for economic reasons.

“I’m very grateful for what the support did for me,” she says. “The scholarship helped me strive to be the best I could be and really appreciate the education I was receiving. It was not an easy time for my family.”

“The scholarship helped me strive to be the best I could be.�

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FEATURE

Setting an Example

“I was really into sports. I have a competitive spirit and being on a team was a great honor.”

24 | spring 2014

Marissa continued to excel both academically and athletically. “I was really into sports,” she says. “I played basketball, softball, soccer, and I was on the track team. I have a competitive spirit and being on a team was a great honor.”

In fact, she received Best Athlete Award for her graduating class. She was also the English-language valedictorian for her Middle School class and then vice president of the Honor Society.

“Things have changed a bit for me”, says Marissa, “Now I am a happy volunteer at ASF and go to the gym to work out.”

She and her husband both being proud alumni and old-timers, the only natural choice for their children’s education was ASF. Son Antonio is in the second grade, Andre in K2.

After graduating from Universidad Anáhuac del Norte with a degree in communications, Marissa went on to complete a certification in film production at the New York Film Academy. “This was my professional love, to be involved with film production,” she says.

She worked as production assistant at a production house called García Bross, which was involved in making commercials. She also worked on U.S. movies such as “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Mask of Zorro.”

“I even got to dance with Antonio Banderas as stand-in, because Catherine Zeta-Jones couldn’t come out of her trailer,” she says.

Marissa left the movie business for health reasons. She has had epilepsy since she was a student at ASF. Her condition is not severe, but the long nights required of production workers were too much.

Just as she was a model financial aid student, Marissa is open and honest about her health issue. “Mexico still has a way to go in terms of support groups for this disorder,” she says. “I’ve found it comforting to reach out to personal friends when I come across someone who also has epilepsy.”

These days, she’s involved in a number of charity projects. Two of them are “Cambia un destino” (“Change a Destiny”), an adoption agency for stray dogs, and “Construyendo Mexico,” (“Building Mexico”), in which architects help construction workers from economically challenged areas learn primary education skills such as math and reading.

Giving Back

Marissa is passionate about supporting the scholarship program that did so much for her as a student. “I’m involved in helping create awareness and organizing fundraising events for the program,” she says. “I felt it was my way of giving back.”

The funds for the financial aid program come from donors, both from individuals and corporations, as well as through various kinds of foundations.

Many of the donations come through fundraising events, both recurring and onetime-only. Some of those events are the Art Fair, the Piggy Bank Drive, the Silent Auction, Grandparents and Grandfriends Day, and special events such as the recent visit by former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

Marissa takes an active role in encouraging individuals in the community to contribute. It’s a constant challenge.

“A lot people have a stigma about donating because they feel they can’t be big donors,” she says. “But donating doesn’t require a lot of money. One, two, or three hundred pesos from each ASF family, annually, would help to generate a generous financial aid fund.”

Marissa’s words resonate: “By helping others, we help ourselves. When you donate, you’re not only helping the children who will receive aid. You’re helping all ASF students by making their education more diverse.”

Another recent recognition of the key role that financial aid plays at ASF was the October, 2013 ceremony honoring three outstanding ASF scholarship students — Paulina Watson, a sophomore who placed 14th in the Junior World Swimming Championships; Seung Lee, a senior who received a PriceWaterhouseCoopers scholarship; and Camil Gómez Díaz Barreiro, a senior who made the National Honor Society.

You can view the video highlights of the recognition ceremony by clicking here: Marissa Russell’s final thoughts: “The world is not a bubble. Children need to see diversity. A diverse student body will help students see people for who they are, not their colors, religion or socio-economic status. Without this diversity, many students take that bubble mentality into university life and adulthood. As ASF community members, we should all be grounded and realize that everyone has something to bring to the table.”

STUDENT VOICES

Gamma: More Than a Club

BY Lucía Ocejo (’14), ASF Senior

T

he Gamma Cub is a studentrun, self-sustaining community service club with the primary goal of providing education to underprivileged children in the nearby community. It has long been one of the more active clubs at ASF, but lately it has implemented changes — such as student IDs, contact lists, registration forms, regular informational meetings with parents and the adoption of a Gamma Club Handbook — that has taken it from being just another club to a working organization that is strongly dedicated to its cause and devoted to achieving its goals.

But the club’s immediate goal of helping the community near The American School Foundation remains the same.

From its earliest days, Gamma has focused on the kids’ well-being and the quality of education they receive. Now, with the new professional approach and more appropriate class material, the club is proud to say that around 90 kids visit the ASF facilities weekly under Gamma’s guidance.

Gamma provides extracurricular education through formal classes taught by ASF high school students. Appropriate class material is available and the classes are taught on the ASF campus. They are not for credit, but they provide a tremendous service by helping to fill in the educational gaps of the Mexican public schools.

But Gamma has expanded to be much more than a club that teaches kids. It has become a bridge between ASF and its surrounding community. Some examples of what we do in that regard would be a posada in December, a Día del Niño celebration in April and an end-of-the-year taquiza, with parents invited.

Gamma’s recent improvements have resulted in new achievements, including making an international impact. Its invitation to the GIN Conference in the Dominican Republic this year gave Gamma an opportunity to make itself known at the international level. We’re hoping this exposure will inspire students from other schools and countries to start a Gamma Club of their own.

For the future, Gamma seeks to maintain its current momentum and make sure its success is ongoing — that is, not dependent on the current membership. That is one of the reasons the Gamma Club Handbook has been created — to set standards of quality for future generations, and provide an instruction manual for maintaining those standards.

Gamma has been one of the most influential clubs at school and strives to maintain its involvement. Its new organization has allowed it to become more of an institution rather than a simple high school club. It has benefited kids from the community and their parents, as well as ASF students. And it has created a welcoming environment where anyone can join and become part of the Gamma family.

Lucía Ocejo is an ASF senior and president of the Gamma Club. Along with Gamma Vice President Juan Pablo Luna and secretary Patricia Garza, she is envolved with all the club’s decisions, as well as its administration.

spring 2014 | 25

institutional advancement

Governor Bill Richardson Visits ASF

F

ormer U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, energy secretary and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson spoke at the ASF campus in February, which he visited often as a boy growing up in Mexico City. He talked to some 300 Upper School students in the morning, and in the evening addressed a packed Ángeles Espinosa Yglesias Fine Arts Center.

The evening event was a fundraiser for the school, with proceeds of 621,302 pesos donated to the Annual Scholarship Fund.

“This was a wonderful day for ASF,” said ASF Executive Director Paul Williams. “We were able to share Governor Richardson’s knowledge and insight with our students and our community, helping them to enhance their standing as global citizens. At the same time, we raised money to support the school’s Endowment Fund for financial aid,” Social studies teacher James Kitchin introduced Richardson, going over the highlights of the former governor’s long and distinguished career. Kitchin said he first learned about Richardson before the 2008 U.S. presidential election campaign, in which Richardson was a candidate for the Democratic nomination eventually won by Barack Obama. Kitchin said, “I quickly grew to respect Governor Richardson and I can honestly say that he was my top pick for president in that election cycle.”

With the ASF MUN conference just around the corner, Richardson spoke to students about the role of the United Nations in the world.

26 | spring 2014

“The UN doesn’t manage itself as well as it should — they go over budget,” Richardson said. “But when there’s a crisis anywhere in the world, the UN is always there to send peacekeeping troops,” He gave an insider’s account of power struggles within the UN, concluding that some countries such as Germany, India and Italy should be given a bigger voice After listening to his anecdotes and advice, a few of the students had the chance to ask questions at the end.

Richardson’s final words to the students encouraged them to consider a career in diplomacy, as bilingual, bicultural world citizens. After his speech, Richardson met the members of the MUN class, who gave him a gift and posed for a group picture.

In the evening, Richardson spoke to a mostly older audience of more than 400, this time focusing on his most recent book, How to Sweet-Talk a Shark, a collection of advice and personal experiences from his years as a high-stakes international negotiator. Supporting his points with colorful anecdotes, Richardson said that preparation, establishing a personal connection, using a sense of humor and being persistent are keys to working through any negotiation.

After his speech, Richardson took questions from the audience on everything from the legalization of drugs to the JFK assassination, and then signed books for guests.

Earlier in the day, the former governor granted an exclusive interview to Focus, which you can read on page 16.

LEED Plaque Unveiled

O

n January 16, ASF leaders past and present proudly unveiled a new plaque in the hallway of the Upper School, marking that building’s certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program.

Board of Trustees Chair Rosa Marentes de Pisinger (’87) acknowledged the Trustees from previous years for their vision and planning.

“The Board had the vision of an improved school for the students who would attend the institution not only for one generation, but for many to come,” she said, describing how former Trustee Richard Katzmann calculated the average size of students from ECC to Upper School and compared Former Trustee Karen Stephens and Chair of the Board of that to the size of their learning spaces, realizing that Upper School students Trustees Rosa Pisinger (’87) unveil the LEED plaque. were the largest but had the least amount of space. “[Fellow former Trustee] Ms. Karen Stephens and Mr. Katzmann brought before the Board a serious discussion about what schools should look like in order to prepare students for the 21st century.”

Ultimately, that meant not only enlarging learning spaces but making them more sustainable.

“ASF required a building that would be healthier and safer for all who worked in it, that would teach the students to care for the planet, by conserving energy, water and other resources,” Ms. Pisinger said.

LEED certification is not the only prestigious recognition earned by the Upper School and adjoining Sheila Rafferty Ahumada Administrative Building.

“We are particularly proud about the Eco CIHAC award (received in 2012), because it was a recognition from thenPresident Felipe Calderón and only three buildings were recognized, including ours,” said Executive Director Paul Williams.

ASF was the first school in Latin America to earn LEED certification for one of its buildings, and the Board has committed to LEED compliance for all new buildings on campus from the construction of the Upper School forward.

“Thus, ASF continues demonstrating that after 125 years, it stays true to its vision and philosophy,” Mr. Williams said.

institutional advancement

Coca-Cola Support Makes Our Campus More Sustainable

T

wo plaques unveiled February 13 at The American School Foundation show how the school and its supporters are joining forces to make the campus and the community greener. The Fundación Coca-Cola Greenhouse in the Middle School and the Fundación Coca-Cola Recycling Center near the Upper Field are two projects that happened thanks to the generous support of their namesake.

Company representatives joined students and school leaders to unveil the plaques and see both facilities.

“Please make the most of these two projects and learn as much as you can,” President of Coca-Cola de México Francisco Crespo urged the students during the first ceremony.

John Santa Maria (’78), ASF Trustee and Coca-Cola FEMSA General Director said, “In Coca-Cola FEMSA we maintain a proactive culture for the care of our planet, always looking to reduce our impact to a minimum through different initiatives. We participate in an active way with our communities in core areas such as water and energy use and waste and recycle management”.

The students and some faculty members, in turn, gave the visitors from Coca-Cola a full guided tour of the greenhouse, showing them everything from the experiments they are doing to their composting worms.

“I think it’s a great thing that our school is becoming more sustainable,” said Natalie Velarde, a Middle School student and member of the Greenhouse Council.

Later, the group headed up to the new recycling center, near the parking lot exit to Calle Florencio Miranda, where they saw how the different recyclables, from plastic to Tetra Paks, are stored until they can be transported off campus.

“Trying to get the whole community to think beyond themselves, about the quality of the environment where we live, has been a constant effort,” José Carlos Alaniz, Upper School teacher and head of the Sustainability Committee, said. “We’ve been one of the pioneer schools in Mexico City, trying to make changes in the environmental education program.”

The Coca-Cola and FEMSA representatives say they are making changes, too. “Bottles now are made of 40% recycled material, and we want to make that 100%,” Mr. Santa Maria said.

Alan Jaet and Family Contribute to the ASF Arts with the Donation of a Piano

A

SF Performing Arts received a very meaningful contribution on April 3 — a beautiful baby grand piano donated by Alan Jaet and his family for the purpose of strengthening the Performing Arts program and further developing the talent of students who are passionate about this instrument.

During the unveiling of the plaque on April 3, the ceremony had the participation of the Upper School Jazz Band lead by Dr. Deborah Lawrence, and the performance of two students: Middle School 6th grader Alberto Aguilar and from Upper School’s 11th grade Do Hee Kim, who amazed the attendees with extraordinary piano performances from their repertoires.

“Since we are a non-profit foundation, we rely on the kind donations of the ASF community to keep growing and developing all of our programs,” said Chair of the Board of Rosa Pisinger, Chair of the Board of Trustees, the Jaet Family and Executive Trustees Rosa Pisinger (’87). “We are very grateful for the Director Paul Williams. donation of this beautiful piano that will surely bring new opportunities to the performing arts in our school.”

Executive Director Paul Williams and Director of Institutional Advancement Alejandra Naranjo were also present at the unveiling.

What inspired Alan Jaet and his family to donate the instrument? “Last year when I saw the fourth Grade Operas, where my daughter Madison participated, I saw that the school was trying to get a piano,” Mr. Jaet said. “I had a brand new baby grand piano so I talked about it with my children and we decided to donate it to ASF.” Madison is in 5th grade, Abraham Daniel in 8th grade and Sidney Ellen in 10th grade.

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alumni | profile

The Ride of a Lifetime

Stephanie Romero (’10) has plans that exemplify ASF values such as charity, volunteerism and caring. In what might be called an ‘auto-profile,’ she reveals them here in her own words.

BY Stephanie Romero (’10)

W

e all strive to be better human beings, to care for others and to make this world a better place.

That’s why I decided to delay getting my degree in advertising from the University of Texas, Austin for one semester. I needed the time to take part in the activities of an organization called Texas 4000 for Cancer.

In the summer of 2015, I and 97 others will be embarking on a 70-day bicycle journey from Austin, Texas to Anchorage, Alaska.

That’s more than twice the distance of the Tour de France, and is said to be the longest annual charity bike ride there is.

The trip is more than just riding across America (and part of Canada). It’s about connecting with, improving and inspiring all those who have been touched by cancer in one way or another.

Throughout our journey, we will be stopping in communities, presenting cancer awareness programs to educate people on prevention and early detection.

I initially joined Texas 4000 because my grandmother is a lymphoma survivor, my grandfather had prostate cancer until he died at the age of 90, my father gave us a cancer scare in 2010, and my best friend’s father passed away from brain cancer during our freshman year of high school. We all have a cancer story. It may be indirect, or it may be so close that it haunts our lives.

Bur as I’ve become more and more involved with Texas 4000 for Cancer, my reasons for riding have evolved. Yes, I ride for my grandparents, my father and my best friend’s dad. But I also ride for the hundreds of people I have met since I became a Texas 4000 rider.

I ride for my friend Priscilla who just a few months ago was declared a cancer survivor.

I ride for my new friend Jason — 23 years old like Priscilla — who felt comfortable enough to share with me that he was a skin cancer survivor.

I ride for my best friend Amorita, whose uncle and mother both suffered from cancer. Amorita was part of the 2013 Texas 4000 team but broke her elbow in Portland and wasn’t able to finish the ride. I will be dedicating all my miles from Portland to Anchorage to her.

Most important, I ride so that my nephew Sebastian, who is 2 months old, will never know what cancer is.

There are logistics involved in a ride like this one. Besides planning our routes, the riders are responsible for finding host families and securing sponsors who can help by buying the bikes and with other expenses. We couldn’t do this without them.

Charity is crucial for winning the fight against cancer. We commit as riders to raising $4,500 to support cancer research and survivorship programs. (If you are able to make a monetary contribution to support our cause, please visit www.t4ksteph. wix.com/t4ksteph. I also encourage you to visit www.texas4000. org for more information, or to contact me directly at t4ksteph@ gmail.com).

Some might call me young and naive, but I refuse to sit on my couch and wait for things to change. I still don’t know what life will bring when I graduate, or when I come back from this journey. I do know it won’t involve me being constricted to a desk.

I also know that big paychecks and luxurious cars are not the definition of success. Success to me will come the day I make it to Alaska, because if I can ride a bike for 4,500 miles, I can do anything in life.

I was once asked who my hero is. The answer today is that I don’t have one hero. I have 97 of them.

When I was still at ASF, I never thought that my life would involve biking from Texas to Alaska. But as one very wise T4K rider once said, “Don’t let this journey be the best thing you do in life.”

Our team faces obstacles ahead, but families with cancer suffer greater obstacles every day. We want to make a difference, but we know that without support from people like you, our efforts will be fruitless. Any amount you can donate will be greatly appreciated. No donation is too small.

I’ll leave you with a summary of what motivates us in Texas 4000 for Cancer: “We ride for those fighting cancer. We ride in memory of those lost to cancer. We ride for those caring for loved ones suffering with cancer. We ride to a future without cancer. We ride because we are greater than cancer.” spring 2014 | 29

alumni | events

ASF Talks, an Event Full of Ideas, Inspiration and Networking

The first of what promises to be an ongoing series of ASF Talks took place at the Ángeles Espinosa Yglesias Fine Arts Center on February 27 bringing members of the ASF community and others together to share ideas, inform and be informed, and network.

I

Featuring the ideas of of some talented and successful ASF alumni and an enthusiastic audience that participated in the exchange of ideas, the first edition of ASF Talks was moderated by John Farrell (center), an ASF parent who is director of YouTube Latin America.

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nspired by TED Talks, the ASF version assembled a selection of ASF alumni and other community members from a range of pursuits who are experts in their fields — which included ecology, education, entertainment, technology, tourism and citizen participation. Each gave a nine-minute presentation that explored what they do, how they do it, and the contributions they make to the ASF goal of educating global citizens for a changing world.

John Farrell, director of YouTube Latin America and an ASF parent, was the keynote speaker.

Among the alumni presenters were Gary Alazraki (’96), director of one of Mexico’s most successful box office hits, Nosotros Los Nobles, and Daniela Escalante (’02), a technology journalist with “Primero Noticias,” the Televisa news program anchored by Carlos Loret de Mola.

All of the alumni speakers emphasized the role of innovation and creativity in their work. They also acknowledged the role of their studies at The American School Foundation in providing them a foundation of knowledge and skills that helped them attain success.

The event, organized and sponsored by ASF alumni, also featured a complete art exhibition, wine and food tasting, music and a stage production.

“This is a very exciting night because it reflects ASF’s philosophy in a very tangible way,” said Executive Director Paul Williams. “I always say that our alumni are the ones who carry our mission to the world and demonstrate that we continue to be true to the vision that our founders had 126 years ago”, Mauricio Quintana, president of the Alumni Council, added: “Tonight we are opening the doors of our beloved school for people who are not alumni because we know that in one way or another you are also part of the ASF community.”

alumni | class notes

’04

’70

Memo Rojas reminds members of the Class of 2004 that your 10-year reunion is right around the corner, on June 28, 2014. “Don’t miss it,” Memo says. “It will be great.” Contact alumni@asf. edu.mx for more information

The date has been set for the Class of 1970’s 45-year reunion. It will be October 9-11, 2015 in New Orleans, with early-arrival activities scheduled for October 8.

ASF alumni from other class years who live in Louisiana are welcome to take part. All who are interested can contact alumni@asf.edu.mx

’74

Alumni from the Class of 1974 have voted to hold the 40-year class reunion in San Diego, California on the weekend of June 27-29, 2014. The weather will be beautiful and you can fly to either San Diego or Tijuana to attend. For more information write to ahs1974mx@ gmail.com or contact any of these alumni: Alicia Solis at aliciasoliskitsu@ gmail.com or Vivian Lampell at vlampell@gmail.com or Eli Jinich at ejinich@aol.com or Nancy Warner at nancy@irvineworldtrade.com

’02

Teaching Mia — “a relentless journey of self-exploration, healing and maturity, with a lot of romance, wit and humor” — is the debut novel of M.C. Roman, who most of us know better as ASF alumna Carolina Undurraga. The book is in English, with a Spanish translation on the way. For more information, go to https://www.amazon.com/author/ mcroman and http://about.me/ mcroman

Where Are You? If you ever attended ASF, we’re looking for you! Please update your information by sending an e-mail to alumni@asf.edu. mx right away. We want to keep you up to date on all the ASF news as well as informed about upcoming alumni events. Keep in touch!

asf.edu.mx

Attention All ASF Alumni!

Career Day, which takes place in October, is one of the most prestigious alumni events on the ASF calendar. That’s because it gives you a chance to inform and inspire current ASF students about the profession you have chosen to pursue. If you would like to share your career knowledge with Upper School kids, helping them decide what to study, please contact alumni@asf.edu.mx. spring 2014 | 31

alumni | milestones / IN MEMORIAM

Saskia Niño de Rivera (’06) marrried Manuel Antonio López San Martín.

Where they met: Manuel’s radio program. When they met: During the 2012 section campaign. How they met: The moment their eyes met they fell in love. It was just a matter of days, some Facebook entries and finding some excuses before they got together.

Nine months later they were engaged..

Proposal site: The radio station where they met. Proposal dinner: On the radio station rooftop with live classical music and strewn flower petals.

Proposal gift: A gorgeous ring and a certified NASA star. Honeymoon: The Four Seasons Resort in the Maldives for a week, and then a cruise to Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, and finally Cancún.

Current whereabouts: He’s a reporter and television host for Proyecto 40 and Canal del Congreso, as well as a newspaper and magazine writer.

She’s president of the Reinserta un Mexicano A.C. Foundation, which helps integrate people from the penitentiary system back into society, and works on prevention programs for young people.

Kenichi Ishizaki (’01) and Kristin Barrett are engaged.

Kenichi tells us how it happened: “I surprised Kristin as she came back from work. Waiting behind the door, I was wearing a full suit and a tie. A chimney fire was going. I had candles, flowers, the ring and a short speech ready to go. She didn’t even let me finish before saying yes. We have been together for almost six years and we live in Chicago. Kristin is half-American and halfChinese, and I am half-Mexican half-Japanese. We are looking forward to a very multicultural family.”

Benjamin Vargas (’00) and Carla Parra are proud to announce the birth of Lucas Santiago Vargas, born on November 1, 2013, in Miami, Florida.

Living in Miami with Mexican (from Benjamín) and Venezuelan (from Carla) blood this baby is a Latino sensation!

Erika Shapiro (’91) and partner Rebecca Shapiro are beyond thrilled with the arrival of Mario Dylan Shapiro, born on November 12, 2013. Although the first weeks were somewhat a crazy ride for the new moms, they sure are a happy family. Congratulations!

In memoriam Ian Cuttler Sala (’90) The American School Foundation community mourns the tragic death of Ian Cuttler, one of the school’s most admired and beloved alumni. Ian was a Grammy-winning art director and award-winning photographer. He was killed in an automobile accident on February 25, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. ASF extends its condolences to Ian’s family and many friends.

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Gerardo Rubio (’03) Gerardo Rubio passed away November 13, 2013 in Mexico City.

A friend remembers: “Gerry was characterized by his unique soul, positive attitude, and sublime personality. He leaves behind an immortal presence that will always be felt by all of us who had the honor of knowing him.”

kids’ corner

Learning to Help For the past 15 years, an ECC community service project called “Encuentros Médicos” has been accepting donations from ASF children and taking them to indigenous populations in the states of Veracruz, Chiapas and Oaxaca.

The goal has always been to involve students, families and staff in helping out a community where there is a great need.

This year the project took a new direction, and has “adopted” a low-income community near Valle de Bravo in the State of Mexico called San Miguel Xoltepec. The ECC students’ donations of food, toys, books, school supplies and clothing for the children in that community are ongoing through May. Thanks to the involvement of four ASF moms — Ana Paula Alanis, Sara de Angotia de Miranda, Maru Cortina de Balcarcel and Ana Valentina Casasus — the ECC is working hand-in-hand with two foundations. One is called Construyendo, which has helped build houses, a school and a library for this community. The other is ”Mi Súper Ayuda,” which collects food and nonperishable items for donation.

This edition of Kids Corner is dedicated to the ECC students who are learning to care about others. These photos show their involvement with the collection process, and are accompanied by comments from the adult volunteers involved about what the project means to the ECC children.

empathy. Bringing ays been to promote “The objective has alw also teaches s itie mun com ous igen in donations for the ind titude, and gra ce, ran tole , sion pas our students about com .” community responsibility ging in dents have been brin s their self“Since October the stu efit ben ng givi s Thi n. childre contributing donations for needy with es com t tha ing belong esteem and sense of d.” to a community in nee g altruism by teachers are modelin “ECC parents and ic about what iast hus ent are we . If supporting this project , children will ant ort imp it’s why lain we are doing, and exp issue they can do ger and poverty is an understand that hun something about.” dents the start teaching our stu “It’s never too early to at a young age lved invo g ttin Ge . vice value of community ser common good.” tern of advancing the can set a lifelong pat

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