Focus Summer-Fall 2010

Focus Summer/Fall 2010

the american school foundation, a.c.

MOVING ON Good Luck, Class of 2010!

READING, WRITING & RESEARCH

Insights from an ASF Librarian

The IB PROFILE A Closer Look

ASF’s BRIGHT FUTURE A Big Thank You to Our Donors

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

contents

Summer/ Fall 2010

Student Voices 28/ The Flavor of Life by yayoi teramoto (‘10)

29/ El Hubiera No Existe by josé a. bermúdez (‘10)

Focus on education 30/ Q&A: Elaine Fong

02/ From the Executive Director

Wisdom from the Upper School librarian

06/ From the Editorial Board

32/ IB Profiles in Courage

07/ From the Board of Trustees

Why it’s good to be a risk-taker by kelly arthur garrett

08/ News and Events

34/ Measure for Measure

New faces, old friends, rising stars... (and other campus goings-on)

Metric vs. English

Departments & Divisions

family forum

by sloane starke

16/ Early Childhood Center

35/ Brave New World

Visited & Visiting

When kids research on-line

by jean rivard

by patty zamora

17/ Lower School

Institutional Advancement

Inquiring Minds by alicia ghirlanda de haslam

18/ Middle School

36/ The Annual Scholarship Drive & the Capital Campaign

They Stepped Up by jonathan chenier

38/ Thank You, Donors

19/ Upper School

Alumni

What We Saw by laura hurley and omar ugalde

20/ Athletics & Extended Learning Dance Memories A Season to Remember

22/ The Arts

40/ Get a Folklife!

ASF alumnni at the Smithsonian fair by santiago garfias turok (‘03)

41/ In Memoriam 42/ Milestones Births and marriages

Into the Woods by isaac richter (‘06)

23/ Parent Association

44/ Reunions Who got together... and who’s planning to

Realistic, Yet Surreal

46/ Class Notes

by paloma porraz

Keeping in touch with the ASF family, far and wide

Graduation 2010 24/ The Class of 2010 26/ Good Luck, Graduates

kids’ corner 48/ Life Cycle Lessons ECCers show their learning Focus 1

From the Executive Director Dear ASF Community, Another school year has ended at The American School Foundation, culminating in Stepping Up ceremonies and Commencement Exercises. Throughout the year, we have had a variety of activities that have allowed the community to come together, reflecting our exceptional learning environment both in and out of the classroom. We have been building on our traditions as we continue to grow.

The coming year will be a building year, building on academic traditions as we create and renovate spaces for improved educational opportunities.

In October, we will be breaking ground on our Wellness Center which will contain learning spaces and as well as a double gymnasium, allowing for growth in physical education and in our Athletics and Extended Learning program. In December, construction will begin on the long-anticipated Performing Arts Center, incorporating the Angeles Epinosa Yglesias Theater.

As an educational institution focused on continuous improvement, we begin the school year freshly accredited. Last year, we prepared for our Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) visit. The report from the visiting team provides the school with renewal of our stateside accreditation for the coming five years!

As every year at this time, changes and renewal abound on campus. Three members of our leadership team have departed –Director of Admission and Financial Aid Julie Hellmund and Director of Athletics and Extended Learning Kenneth Anderson, who are pursuing opportunities elsewhere, and Middle School House Dean Helen Campos, who has retired. Replacing them are new Director of Admission and Financial Aid Patsy Hubp (see page 14), new Director of Athletics and Extended Learning Robert Wilson (see page 10) and new Lower School House Dean Vail Hilbert, who has been with us several years now as a fourth grade teacher. We welcome them all to their new roles.

Speaking of renewal, we are hard at work preparing for the return of faculty, staff and ASF families and welcoming new stakeholders to our community.

Finally, I would like to call your attention to a historical development at ASF. On page 9, you will read about our new agreement with the Secretaría de Educación Pública. After months of hard work and discussion, we have achieved a very unusual agreement with the SEP which will give us more control of our calendar and curriculum, while protecting the validity of our students’ academic records in the eyes of the Mexican government.

Thank you for your support and commitment to ASF. Your involvement makes The American School what it is today – thank you for being part of it.

Sincerely,

Paul Williams Executive Director

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contributors ISAAC RICHTER (‘06) A recent graduate from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he majored in writing for film and television, Isaac has participated in several ASF productions as a student and alumnus. He played Amos in “Chicago” in April of 2006 and wrote the Broadway Tribute “Sing Sing Sing,” which was produced at ASF in May 2008. He took time out from his career as a writer, producer and reviewer to review the recent ASF production of “Into the Woods” in this issue (page 22).

ALICIA GHIRLANDA de HASLAM An IB Primary Years Programme support teacher at ASF since 2003, Alicia received her BA in ESL education in Argentina. As an IB consultant and site visitor, she is deeply involved with the concept of inquiry-based education, and writes about it informatively in this issue on page 16. “When we develop a strong inquiry-based science program, students can acquire the love and the basic notions of science,” Alicia says.

PALOMA PORRAZ FRASER An ASF parent and art curator at the Museo del Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso in Mexico City’s Historic Center, Paloma has been very active in promoting the arts at ASF. A year ago, she interviewed for Focus Matías Armendaris, the featured artist at the annual Art Fair.

In this issue, she interviews this year’s featured artist, Sharon Moon (page 23).

From the EDITORIAL BOARD

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elcome to a new school year and a new chance to learn, grow and contribute, each of us in our own ways. Around 160 recent ASF graduates are starting this academic year in spots around the globe, from Europe to Asia to the United States, Mexico and elsewhere. More and more students opt to take a gap year, so while many members of the Class of 2010 are walking into new classrooms this fall, others are traveling, working and volunteering before settling back into academic life. We wish them all the best and invite you to relive or live vicariously through their special day, with our graduation special on pages 24 through 29.

At the same time, we also welcome all our new students, teachers and staff members to ASF. We already consider you part of our community and we hope you will find Focus is just one of many ways to stay informed about the exciting things happening here.

As part of preparing this issue of Focus, I was fortunate to interview ASF alum and former teacher César Delgado who was on campus conducting research with our students as subjects. César is a passionate professor and his enthusiasm for improving teaching and learning is contagious.

On page 34, you will see how his research concerning the metric system and the English system aims to contribute to a better understanding of science and math education.

I want to draw your attention to a very special project undertaken by a group of last year’s fourth graders. Ms. Ruth Santiago’s class put together children’s books, following the process from start to sale, all benefiting the Annual Scholarship Drive. See their story on page 13. As we so often realize, we have a lot to learn from the ingenuity and generosity of some of our youngest students!

Focus

Focus

A magazine for ASF Alumni, Parents, Students, Faculty and Friends Summer/Fall 2010 Vol. IX | No. 2 | Mexico City Paul Williams, Executive Director Susan Olivo, Head of Early Childhood Center Evan Hunt, Head of Lower School Allen Jackson, Head of Middle School Amy Gallie, Head of Upper School Board of Trustees Rosa (Marentes) Pisinger (’87), Chair Cathy Austin (’78), 1st Vice Chair Carlos Williamson, 2nd Vice Chair Carla Ormsbee, Secretary Joan Liechty, Treasurer César Buenrostro (’85) Richard Campillo Murray Case Les DeGraffenreid Francisco Demesa Sebastián Fernández Fernando Franco Maria de Lourdes Galván Frances Huttanus Antonio Rallo Tito Vidaurri Martin Werner Editorial Board Adele Goldschmied, Cindy Tanaka (’91), Clementina Aguilar, Kenneth Andersen, Michele Beltran, Paul Williams, Xenia Castro (’96), José Segebre Juan de Jesús Breene Editorial Staff Sloane Starke, Editor-in-Chief & Chair of the Editorial Board Kelly Arthur Garrett, Editorial Consultant Daniela Graniel, Art Director José Luis Santa Cruz, Photography Staff Writers Kenneth Andersen, Leo Trias, José Segebre, Sloane Starke

Summer/Fall 2010

Finally, a big thank you to all our donors, whose names appear on pages 38-39. Without their support all year long, every year, ASF could not be what it is today — an outstanding academic institution with a diverse student body and a caring, involved community. Let me be one of the first to encourage you to support ASF financially in 2010-2011, whether or not you have done so in the past. Hundreds of scholarship students and the future of our campus depend on it!

THE AMERICAN SCHOOL FOUNDATION, A.C.

MOVING ON Good Luck, Class of 2010!

READING, WRITING & RESEARCH

Insights from an ASF Librarian

THE IB PROFILE A Closer Look

ASF’S BRIGHT FUTURE A Big Thank You to Our Donors

A magazine for alumni, parents, students, faculty & friends FOC_S10 portada.indd 1

On the cover: Graduation Celebration: The Class of 2010 moves on.

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7/28/10 9:10 AM

Sloane Starke, Head of Communications and the Focus Editorial Board

Alumni Relations alumni@asf.edu.mx Parent Association Aliki Elias, President Alma Rosa Rodríguez, Vice President Advertising Sales: 5227 4942 FOCUS es una publicación trimestral 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: 04-2008111212240200-102. Distribuido por The American School Foundation, A.C. Sur 136 #135, Col. Las Américas, México, D.F., C.P. 01120. Imprenta MG Impresores, José Morán #139, Col. Daniel Garza, C.P. 11830 México, D.F. Se prohibe la reproducción total o parcial de los textos de esta revista sin previa autorización escrita de The American School Foundation, A.C.

FROM THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

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elcome to the 2010-2011 school year! The American School Foundation, A.C. extends a very special welcome to the new families, students and faculty. Each of them will contribute something special to those of us who have been here for some time.

offer our students. These new facilities will ensure that ASF has the physical infrastructure to implement our educational programs. The importance of educating well-rounded individuals includes teaching them arts and health. For this reason, the Board is very pleased to be able to add these new facilities to our campus.

All new academic years are unique, and this one promises to be especially exciting. The most notable event will be the huge step forward we are taking with two key pieces of the Master Building Plan.

Because they believe in what we do —that is, educating caring global citizens— foundations and individuals have donated generously so we can build the Wellness Center and the Fine Arts Center.

Modernizing our facilities to offer students an education of academic excellence for the 21st century is one of the Board’s primary objectives. That is why we will continue to upgrade the school’s technological infrastructure. Our “old” campus is slowly but surely being brought up to date and this will have a tremendously positive impact on the quality of learning that students at ASF receive.

Armed with the best education, the students of today will go out into the world and make a difference tomorrow.

Both are very ambitious projects that will bring long-term benefits in the quality of the education we

Rosa (Marentes) Pisinger Chair of the ASF Board of Trustees

NEWS & EVENTS

Michelle Obama Comes to Visit U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama’s historic visit to Mexico City last April included events at the 7 de Enero elementary school and the prestigious Universidad Iberoamericana — both with ASF connections.

At the 7 de Enero school, located in a low-income neighborhood not far from the ASF campus, students danced and sang for Mrs. Obama, and a lucky few were chosen to speak to her. ASF has had a relationship with 7 de Enero since students and teacher volunteers in the Entrega community outreach program began four years ago to offer lessons in English, music, art and computer usage to 60 third graders.

At the Ibero, the First Lady spoke to a large audience that included hundreds of university and high school students. A delegation of ASF Upper School students (seen in an accompanying photo) were among the attendees. One of them was Will Dickson, 8 Focus

now a senior, who filed this report: Prior to her speech, Michelle Obama was received

by Mexico’s First Lady, Margarita Zavala, at the presidential residence of Los Pinos. From there, the two toured the nearby National Anthropology Museum, as Mrs. Obama was eager to get a sense of Mexico’s history, culture and art. After the visit to the 7 de Enero elementary school, Mrs. Obama headed for the Ibero to deliver her speech.

Students arrived early and there was excitement in the air as they anticipated the arrival of the U.S. First Lady. Her eloquent speech marked the kickoff of her international agenda aimed at promoting youth leadership around the world. She addressed the assembled youth directly, encouraging them to become leaders and find solutions to the great problems of our time.

Smooth Sailing Three ASF students successfully competed in the Olimpiada Juvenil Nacional, in sailing. Then-10th-grader Fernanda Bitar placed first for her age class in the laser category. Then-9th-grader María Echeverría came in 7th in her age group in the laser category and then-9th-grader Jerónimo Aguilar came in fifth in his age class in sailboarding. Congratulations!

María Echeverría.

Copyright 212BERLIN/La Maleta Mexicana

Condesa, Tacubaya and the Spanish Civil War

Fernanda Bitar.

Jerónimo Aguilar.

Though its days are numbered, the ASF Upper School Gym will live on as one of the backdrops for a new documentary on the Spanish Civil War. Directed by ASF mom Trisha Ziff, “La Maleta Mexicana” looks at the narrative revealed by 4,000 negatives from the Spanish Civil War recovered in 2008 in the nearby Condesa neighborhood. The negatives are from the photographic work of Robert Capa, Gerda Taro and David “Chim” Seymour.

The ASF connection is none other than basketball coach Alejandro Donado – a Spanish transplant to Mexico whose family members represented both sides of the Spanish Civil War. In the documentary, Alex speaks in Catalan, Spanish and English about his own story as his varsity and JV players listen, ask questions and see a fascinating new side of their coach. The film is scheduled for release in 2011.

A New SEP Agreement After more than a year of effort, ASF has achieved a special agreement with Mexico’s Education Secretariat (Secretaría de Educación Pública, or SEP). Under the agreement, ECC and Lower School students’ studies will be recognized by Mexican authorities, but the school will have more freedom to design its own program of study, hire teachers based on its own needs and requirements, create its own grading periods, report cards and calendar and teach in English and Spanish.

ASF Executive Director Paul Williams is quick to point out this does not mean ASF is abandoning the Spanish-language program. In fact, due to the timing of the agreement (finalized on June 16, 2010), there will be few or no visible changes for the 2010-2011 school year.

Few other schools in Mexico have agreements like the one ASF now has. Those that do, such as the Liceo Franco Mexicano, achieved it via bilateral agreements between nations.

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NEWS & EVENTS An ASF Welcome to Robert Wilson, the New Head of Athletics and Extended Learning

A Strong Exhibition The 5th Grade Exhibition is an annual tradition at ASF and a rite of passage for students as they make the transition from the International Baccalaureate’s Primary Years Programme (ECC through 5th grade) to the Middle Years Programme (6th grade through 10th grade). This year, students were given the central idea “How we express ourselves,” and then chose their own topic and did a class project based on that topic. 5-F students chose terrorism as their topic. Ana Werner, Ana Orvañanos and Gabby Mariello explain why: We chose terrorism in the PYP Exhibition because we wanted to challenge ourselves. From the beginning we knew it was a hard topic to link to the overall theme of expression. Terrorism links to the central idea (“People have the freedom to express themselves through different actions respecting everyone’s rights”) because terrorists have the freedom to express themselves but they don’t do it respecting everyone’s rights they do it in a negative way sometimes to achieve political or religious goals. We enjoyed researching terrorism because we got the chance to learn more about terrorism and expression. On exhibition day we had a really fun time. We had no problems speaking in front of people and explaining our research. Doing exhibition was a new experience for us and it helped us develop many skills.

A new face joins ASF’s leadership team for the 2010-2011 school year as Robert Wilson takes over as head of Athletics and Extended Learning. Mr. Wilson is an education and athletics veteran, with experience as a teacher, principal and athletic director. He has an undergraduate degree in government from Chapman University and a master’s in education administration and supervision from Arizona State University. His vast experience abroad includes having worked in schools in Malaysia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Syria and Qatar.

Mr. Wilson has also been known as Coach Wilson, having coached basketball for children and adults —even professional teams, including the Malaysian national team. With all his experience, Mr. Wilson says ASF’s extracurricular offerings are extraordinary. “I think the extent of sports and activities offered at ASF is very special,” he says. “It is evident to me that students, instructors and coaches are passionate and committed to a holistic approach.”

Young Samaritans This year, ECC children and their families collected 11 tons of toys, blankets, clothing and other items and donated them to the people of a marginalized community in the state of Oaxaca. The gifts were part of the ECC Community Service Project, which works in conjunction with a group of physician volunteers who perform surgeries in poor communities across the country.

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Appreciation, Memories and Milestones The annual Staff Appreciation Luncheon last spring went with a Mexican theme, in honor of the bicentennial of Mexican independence and the centennial of the Mexican Revolution. Faculty and staff were invited to wear traditional Mexican dress or use Mexican accessories, and the theme carried through the décor, food and entertainment. The high point of the celebration was a special address by Inventory Office Head Guadalupe Torroella, who has been at ASF since 1963. Here are some of the highlights of her talk: • In 1963, the school and its surroundings were very different. The ABC Hospital was not yet built. The kindergarten was within the main campus and the finance office was Superintendent Dr. Charles Patterson’s home. There there were 1,500 students enrolled in school. By 1967 there were 2,450.

• Because of this rapid growth, there was a need to expand the school’s facilities. Improvements included adding a third floor to the Lower School, the construction of the pool, the building of the ECC across the street and the remodel of the Middle School.

• When I began working, we used mostly manual calculators. Accounting was all done by hand. Just like the school has advanced during the years we also have improved and now have fully computerized systems.

• On January 12, 1967, it snowed in Mexico City —an unforgettable experience.

• The 1985 earthquake caused no damage to school facilities, but it was a sad event with terrible human loss. ASF subsidized and donated equipment to reconstruct the destroyed Alberto Correa elementary school.

Students joined the effort.

• Some important events in Mexico during my years at the school have inluded the opening of the Anthropology Museum, the inauguration of Estadio Azteca, the Olympic Games (after the terrible event in Tlatelolco), the opening of the first subway line and the 1970 World Cup. • In 1982, with the devaluation of the peso, inflation was so bad that we had to redo budgets and modify the monthly tuition. The student population notably decreased.

• In 1993 our currency became the “new” peso, with three fewer zeros.

It wasn’t until 1996 that it became the peso again. In 1994 the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed.

• During this time, I got married and had a son. He studied at ASF from Pre-Kinder through 12th grade. Because of his dedication and the support he received from school, he was able to get a scholarship to one of the best universities in the United States. After graduating with honors he is now back here working at the school.

Left to right: Elsita Villar (‘47), Alejandro Martínez (‘03), Guadalupe Torroella and Luis Martínez.

I am very proud to be part of The American School family.

Formal recognition at the Staff Appreciation Luncheon was given to the following faculty and staff members who celebrated milestones this year: 5 Years of Service: María Edna Barbee, Sandra Bautista, Lucienne Calderón, Sara Carter, Luis Arturo Colo, Elvia Domínguez, Isabel Arline Duque, Carine Jadot, Roberta Malagón, Patricia Susana Martin, Ana Lilia Montaño, Marcela Ochoa, Salma Padrelin, Óscar Pérez, Noah Randall, Elena Reyes, Alejandra Ruiz, Judith Salazar, Ana María Solorio, Miguel Ángel Soto, Velia

del Carmen Sotomayor, Steven Spencer, Roberto Walton II, Michelle Meredith Westholm, Mary Yonker 10 Years: Javier Corta, Rebecca Crutchfield, Diana Gerson. Twyla Jan Hanes, Cecilia Helling, Rubén Martínez, Laura Salazar, Renee Schlusselberg, Larry Tharp, Silvia Vázquez, María del Pilar Villaseñor

15 Years: Gisela Azoños, Maricela García, Anna Teresa Saúl, Debra Van Heest, Julie Hellmund, Claudia Ortega, Hugo Salcedo, Cristina Torralva, Ana Patricia Zamora, Silvia Núñez, Suzett Duarte 20 Years: Martha Martínez, Jolanta Nitoslawska, Dora María, Mary Louise Short, Patricia Tovar, María Teresa de Jesús

Díaz, Leticia Tapia, Verónica Falcón, Cynthia Ann Berry, Elva Solano, Rosa María del Carmen Montalvo 25 Years: Alfonso Rangel Retirement: Rebeca Pacheco, Gloria Elizabeth Shaw, J. Miguel Hernández, Helen Kane, Anna Teresa Saúl, Julie Hellmund

Focus 11

NEWS & EVENTS ASF’s Executive Director Takes ASOMEX Reins ASF Executive Director Paul Williams is taking on new responsibilities —as president of the Association of American Schools of Mexico (ASOMEX). In May, he was elected to a three-year term during which he will preside over meetings and represent ASOMEX on the Tri-Association board (the association of American Schools of Central America, Colombia, the Caribbean and Mexico).

ASF is a charter member of ASOMEX, which was founded in 1957. Mr. Williams says it’s an important organization because, “It gives a forum for educators to collaborate and also allows for athletics and academic opportunities for students.”

A Springtime Tradition Turn Off Your Screen Go Green Week is a springtime tradition at ASF, combining Screen Time Awareness Week and Earth Week. Last April, as luck would have it, this special week overlapped with other important happenings on campus, including standardized testing and the visit of an accreditation team from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). That’s why the Parent Association, which organizes Turn off Your Screen Go Green Week on campus, chose to schedule fewer activities and concentrate more on an awareness campaign.

The theme “Go Native ” encouraged ASF community members to learn about the local ecosystem, preserve cultural traditions and therefore enjoy life away from TVs, computers and other recreational screens. Some of the events that did take place included a bottle exchange (disposable plastic for a reusable water bottle), the annual Used Book Fair, mural painting, and a day at La Feria de Chapultepec. And in April 2011, we’ll do much more!

Teacher’s Day: Pasta Included The Parent Association showed its appreciation for ASF’s faculty and staff at the annual Teachers’ Day brunch, last May 21 in the US Gym. There was a generous pasta bar supplemented by all kinds of savory side dishes and desserts brought in by appreciative parents.

Staff and faculty were able to stop in (some more than once!) between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. to enjoy some good food and a moment of relaxation with their colleagues.

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Degrees from Afar On Friday, April 9th, 2010, 18 ASF faculty and staff received master’s degrees in multidisciplinary studies from Buffalo State College of the State University of New York. The staff members were able to earn their degrees while carrying out their teaching and administrative duties, thanks to a special ASF program that facilitates longdistance learning for professisonal development.

Executive Director Paul Williams, Director of Academic Affairs Juan de Jesús Breene and Program Coordinator for SUNY Buffalo Henry J. Nicols spoke at the ceremony, along with two of the graduates —Letty Zamora and Diego Zaragoza. Others receiving degrees were María Virginia Oviedo, Andrea Rosemary Amell, Siri Rebecca Berman, Kristen Dixie, Steve Spencer, Courtney Lane Harris, Solomon Jesse Rotstein, John Cristopher Wilt II, Katherine Lamberton, Ana María Solorio, Kristen Lynn Leutheuser, Omar Ugalde, Mariana Hernández, Leo Trias, Jonathan Glen Chenier and Martha Drury.

Books and Their Benefits A group of creative and caring fourth graders are making a difference for ASF scholarship students. Ms. Ruth Santiago’s classroom, 4-H, wrote their own children’s books, then organized a special event to sell them, with proceeds going to the Annual Scholarship Drive.

The students saw the book through from start to finish, getting into groups, planning their stories’ characters, conflicts and lessons, peer editing, illustrations and layout. Dad Alberto Bitar printed out the books.

“Making the book was a long process, but fun,” said student-author Alex Elias. “I learned how to publish a book. Sometimes it was hard, but worth it.”

The students of 4-H had an expert advisor in Ms. Santiago, who is a published writer in her country, the Philippines. She said she thought this project would combine her experience with the ASF Language Arts curriculum and the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme attitudes.

The books had titles like Liar Liar Mona and Trapped in a Video Game. Ms. Santiago says they showcased IB themes like enthusiasm, independence, cooperation and creativity, while teaching lessons about teamwork, bullying, sharing and playing fair.

At the book sale, the ultra-organized and prepared class provided refreshments and showed a PowerPoint presentation about their project. They also provided a free bookmark to anyone who bought one of their books, priced at 75 pesos each. In the end they raised more than 10,000 pesos to donate to scholarships.

“They were very proud of what they have accomplished,” Ms. Santiago said.

“Having donated a big amount of money to the school made them feel extra proud of themselves, too.”

Director of Academic Affairs Juan de Jesús Breene says this project was an example of what happens when teachers have freedom to design learning experiences. “Think about what kids learned along the way: project management, production schedules, book design, storyboards, creating a bio, working with an editorial team, marketing, publishing, sales, PR and dressing for a book signing,” he said. “Support a teacher who dreams big and expects much and you have a winning combination every time!”

A Rising Star She started gymnastics at ASF when she was just six, and now Karen Sacal is competing nationally and internationally. A 6th grader, Karen spent the summer training and competing with the USA Gymnastics organization in Florida.

That’s after she qualified for and competed in the Olimpiada Juvenil Nacional in May, representing the State of Mexico.

Focus 13

NEWS & EVENTS

Introducing Patsy Hubp, ASF’s New Director of Admission and Financial Aid

Teamwork, Effort... and Happy Endings The 2011 opera season at ASF was one of recurring themes – family, friendship, fairness and teamwork. Obnoxious bullies provided plenty of drama, but what’s a fourth grade opera without a happy ending?

These operas are an annual tradition that cap off the fourth grade year. Each class selects a theme, with teachers encouraging students to identify something that causes a problem (like bullying!) and is important to them. Students work for about six months during class time writing the script, composing the music and creating promotional materials, costumes and sets. Each student has at least one job —for example as an actor, make-up artist, public relations officer, etc.— and most have more than one.

Finally, each class stages multiple performances, with parents, teachers, peers and other cheering fans packing the Lower School Multipurpose Room.

The Director of Admission and Financial Aid is one of the first faces of ASF to future members of our community.

Starting in the 2010-2011 school year, it will be the face of Patsy Hubp. After a thorough selection process, Executive Director Paul Williams has named Ms. Hubp to the role, in an office where she had previously been working as an admission counselor. Mr. Williams cited her balance of administrative experience and her warm, welcoming personality as important factors in his decision.

Patsy worked in banking for many years before coming to ASF as a fulltime employee. She is also an ASF mom, with one son entering 6th grade and another entering 9th grade this year.

“Being a mom and a member of the ASF leadership team is a privilege and an honor that will give me an advantage in understanding various points of view while keeping an open mind,” Patsy said.

ASF has retained its accreditation from SACS, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, for another five years after an evaluation team of international educators spent several days on campus observing the school and interviewing students, teachers and other stakeholders. ASF staff volunteers had prepared a self-study to provide the evaluation team with information about the school’s teaching resources, governance, mission and other areas. The SACS accreditation report, issued in May, included required actions for the school to take, such as continued Board training and further alignment of the curriculum. These requirements are a common practice, since accreditation focuses on a commitment to continuing improvement.

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Cedars-Sinai at ASF Dr. Moise Danielpour, a prominent physician from Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles and one of the few surgeons performing in utero operations, spoke to ASF staff and parents last May 11 about children’s neurological disorders such as epilepsy. Dr. Danielpour, Cedars-Sinai’s director of pediatric neurosurgery, said brain tumors are becoming increasingly common in children. At the same time, he said, surgical techniques for treatment have grown more sophisticated, including for birth defects such as spina bifida.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center maintains an office in Mexico City serving those patients who wish to travel to the United States for medical care. The office also offers community health conferences.

Five Days in May Seventy-three students from the Class of 2014 spent five days in and around Washington D.C. last May for the annual 8th grade trip. Once again, ASF students proved to be exceptional ambassadors for the school as they experienced history and culture beyond the classroom and came back with memories to last a lifetime.

The experiential learning included a visit to colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, where costumed actors allowed our 8th graders to go back in time and talk shop with the blacksmith, hear the town crier share the news of the day, have a hearty meal at the tavern and even talk politics with Thomas Jefferson. There would also be stops in Jamestown and Mount Vernon.

In D.C., students visited the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington monument, the Smithsonian Museum, the Jefferson Memorial, and memorials for three wars —Vietnam, Korea and WWII— and more. A walking tour brought them to the gates of the White House, the Supreme Court and Congress. —Jonathan Chenier

Stepping Up With their faces full of hope and pride (and summer also on their minds), 177 5th graders became Middle Schoolers at the 2010 Stepping Up Ceremony last June 16. The ceremony marks the transition from 5th to 6th grade, and more important, from Lower School to Middle School. At the graduation-style event, parents and other loved ones cheered as the students filed in. Speeches from two students, Marina de la Sierra and Andrea Carasso, as well as from Head of Lower School Evan Hunt, focused on pride and keys to success. The students also performed musical presentations and received diplomas. (8th graders also stepped up to Upper School; see page 18.)

Focus 15

Divisions & Departments / Early Childhood center From the Head of School

AN ECC ABC As we head into a new school year, we also cherish the memories of the one just completed. I dedicate the following rhymes to all the KII and Pre-First students who have crossed over to Lower School to begin first grade. We will remember you all fondly!

A is for ART and the projects we do B’s for MS. BETTY and for BIRTHDAYS too C’s for the CHILDREN who we all hold so dear D’s for their DADS who we loved to see here E is for EXERCISE so fit we can stay F’s for FLAG HONORS and for our FOUNDERS DAY G is for GRANDPARENTS who came on their day H is for HOMEROOM MOMS, with their own special way I’s for the IMAGINATION we use J is for JEAN and the TEACHERS —Thank you!

K’s for the KITCHEN where the kids cook in style L is for LEARNERS and the PYP profile M is for MOTHER TONGUE and the MINI OLYMPICS N means NEVER give up, just stick with it!

O’s for the ONE HUNDRED DAYS that we numbered P is for PRE-K, with its hope unencumbered Q is for QUESTIONS we asked and we answered R’s for RECYCLING to free the planet from danger S is for SNACKS and the songs that we sang T is for TERES —she was there when it rang U’s for the donors, who proved so UNSELFISH V’s for the VOLUNTEER TEACHERS who helped us W reminds us our WATER is priceless X is that EXTRA ECC niceness Y’s for YOLANDA, Z for trips to the ZOO Now with a new school year coming, We can all start anew!

Susan Olivo Head of Early Childhood Center

16 Focus

Visited & Visiting An ASF staffer remembers being introduced to IB authorization and evaluation visits. Now she’s conducting them.

By Jean Rivard, ECC Academic Dean

I

t takes a whole community to be an International Baccalaureate school.

To start with, becoming an IB World School involves students, teachers, administrators and parents. Authorization is an intensive process that typically takes two or more years and includes site visits by an IB team. Once authorized, IB teams continue to make evaluation visits every three years.

I remember when ASF had its authorization visit for the Primary Years Programme (PYP). I was a teacher at the time and it was my first year at ASF, as well as with a PYP program. I understood that the visit would be important, but I still couldn’t quite figure out why there was so much fuss and nervous excitement months before the visit was even scheduled to take place.

When the day finally arrived, I only saw the visitors for a 10-minute meeting as a grade level teacher. All that work, tension and time invested for 10 minutes!

By the time we had the evaluation visit, I was an academic dean and more involved than I was with the authorization visit, not only with

the preparation but also with the evaluators when they came. It was interesting to see how much we had grown from the experience of actually being an IB school. The evaluation visit went smoothly.

Then came a new phase in my involvement.

The International Baccalureate recruits volunteers worldwide to make these authorization and evaluation visits. Starting in 2009, I participated in the process from the other side, after being chosen and trained to make these visits throughout the Americas, as well as participating in workshops for the PYP. It’s been a wonderful experience for me, and an opportunity to learn more about the curricular and administrative facets of the PYP. I have spoken with administrators, teachers, students and parents who are part of the IB world. The most important thing is that what I experience in these visits is brought back to ASF and used to benefit our entire school community.

And I always make it a point to spend more than 10 minutes with all of those who put in so much effort into making it successful.

Divisions & Departments / LOWER school

Inquiring Minds Want to Learn To Tell or Not to Tell, That is the Question.

By Alicia Ghirlanda de Haslam, Lower School PYP Support Teacher

“It’s not possible to become a good thinker and to be a lousy inquirer. Thoughts do not originate from answers but from questions.”

A

—Richard Pau

sking is in our nature. As they learn to speak, children absorb the world around them by forming questions.

A child starts with “What?” to identify the objects and events around him. Then, “Why?” to try to understand how the world works.

The great majority of advanced educational programs use inquiry as the main tool to build knowledge and achieve higher-level thinking.

Inquiry is a method that allows students to gain knowledge through their own natural curiosity. By asking questions themselves, they develop the ability to process information at an advanced level. The teacher’s responsibility is to guide these questions and facilitate higher understanding.

To achieve this, a teacher leads students through steps. For example, students are presented with a picture of a man in the desert, far away from civilization; he is naked and is holding a short straw. Apparently, he is dead.

There are two ways to find out what happened to him: you can tell the students or you can answer what they wish to know.

In both cases they learn the story. However, in the first scenario, since they haven’t built up their own thoughts, it will become just another forgettable story. On the other hand, if they lead themselves to discovery, the story turns into an adventure and they become part of it.

Here’s how the inquiry process works: At first, the teacher allows students to ask literal questions. These make reference to simple data appearing directly in the source. For example, “Is the man dead or alive?” Then, as understanding progresses, students start setting up exploratory questions, making reference to meanings, implications and interests that are beyond mere information. Example: “Why is he holding a straw?” Their curiosity won’t end there. They go on to ask process questions in order to solve and to analyze complex situations. Example: “What is the relationship between the straw in his hand and the fact that he is naked?”

Finally, and after some discussion and reflection, students begin to ask the so-called metacognitive questions that lead to their own understanding and make them responsible for their own learning without depending exclusively on the interpretation of the teacher (who is by now a mere spectator, listening to the discussion aroused in the classroom). Example: “Could he have been part of a crew of some sort of plane or balloon that was falling down, and he was forced to jump overboard after drawing straws?”

As this example shows, formulating questions is an effective way to clarify ideas, which are expressed through investigations, conversations and reflections. When students make these sorts of questions, they demonstrate that they are deeply and actively involved in their own learning and understanding of how the world works.

From the Head of School

WELLNESS AND COMMUNITY Each spring, we at the Lower School look at our existing program, determine which areas we’d like to improve and come up with a plan to accomplish this. For the school year now getting underway, we are focusing on student wellness, which covers issues that are non-academic in nature.

We will set aside 20 minutes at the beginning of each school day for teachers and students to talk about social and emotional issues. Topics for this “morning meeting” will fall under the following four categories: team-building, normsetting, planning and decision-making, and problem-solving. We hope that by engaging students and teaching them about these themes on a daily basis, they will be even more successful in their academic subjects.

In addition to working directly with students on a regular basis, we will encourage children, faculty and parents to work together to help strengthen our community. We will accomplish this through Back-to-School Night, the Parent Partnership, student conferences, assemblies and house activities. In each of these events we hope to get to know one another, to share what we know and have learned and to encourage one another to take pride in our school community.

By increasing dialogue and engagement, students will be able to connect better with one another. We are hopeful these initiatives will not only improve the students’ experience but also the experience of stakeholders here at ASF and in the Lower School.

Evan Hunt Head of Lower School Focus 17

Divisions & Departments / middle school From the Head of School

THE AWKWARD TRUTH I‘d like to start off the new school year by reiterating what I said at the awards ceremony at the end of the last school year. I urge all students to listen attentively for new truths, to stand up for what makes sense and to broadcast your thoughts bravely.

I also urge you to risk seeming unreasonable now and then. By that I mean you sometimes need to live with the discomfort of having made others think in ways they’re not used to. And you, too, should listen to and respect those whose thoughts may leave you feeling ill at ease.

George Bernard Shaw understood the importance of the seemingly unreasonable. “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself,” he once said. “Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

Hawthorne put it this way: “The world owes all its onward impulses to men ill at ease.”

This is not to say that the truth is always awkward. But truth — as Plato and Galileo learned —sometimes has an awkward way of announcing itself.

Truth can be inconvenient, and very unpopular. But that should be no bar to considering it on its own merits.

I hope you have been taught here, even driven, to think outside your comfort zone. Use this experience.

Be among the first to recognize wild originality, to recognize the power of your own surmises, awkard though they may be.

As individuals, you might not achieve what, say, Newton or Beethoven did.

But you can seek to bring the power of your minds to bear to do something, to create something, to influence someone in a way that has never happened before. As creators and implementers of thought, you can make a difference in the world.

18 Focus

Allen Jackson Head of Middle School

They Stepped Up Three years in Middle School culminate with a special ceremony marking the transition to Upper School. Last June, the 8th grade class moved on, and a number of students received special recognition.

Jonathan Chenier, Middle School Student Activities Coordinator

O

n Thursday, June 17th, the Class of 2014 celebrated the culmination of their Middle School years. The 8th graders, along with students, teachers, staff, family and friends, gathered for a formal ceremony to mark the occasion. This rite was followed by a lovely reception marking the end of a wonderful three years, and the attendees could feel the excitement of the new beginning that would soon follow.

The ceremony opened with a procession of staff, teachers and students. ASF Executive Director Paul Williams and Head of Middle School Allen Jackson shared words of wisdom with the class before students took the stage to receive their diplomas and awards. Salutatorian Mayte Lee and Valedictorian Edi Yaffe prepared inspiring speeches for their classmates, thanking the parents in particular for their support. Finally, students’ exited the ceremony, each lighting a candle of wisdom as they filed out.

Family members, special guests, several members of the Board of Trustees, staff and teachers witnessed the culminating event of a three-year period in the lives of these young men and women.

The Class of 2014 truly embodies the mission and vision of our institution and will surely continue its collective success throughout the next stage of these students’ academic careers. Awards bestowed upon the Class of 2014 included: • Presidential Awards (signed by U.S. President Barack Obama himself, as well as the U.S. Secretary of Education): 53 students earned the Presidential Achievement Award and 19 students earned the Presidential Award for Excellence • Valedictorian (Top cumulative GPA over the course of the Middle School career at ASF): Edi Yaffe • Salutatorian (Top cumulative GPA over the course of the Middle School career at ASF and/ or another school): Mayte Li • Citizenship Award: Johan Waller • Most Improved for Courage and Dedication to Academics: Jessica Espejo • Physical Education Award: Adriana Toro and Grant Zebley • American Legion: Allan Joshua Sorsby Fuentes and Andres Paciuc Dubovoy.

Divisions & Departments / upper school From the Head of School

WalkThroughs

What We Saw Two Upper School administrators spent time in classrooms observing the learning process. They liked what they saw.

Laura Hurley, academic dean: • I had the pleasure of observing an artistic work in progress and its final product as well. A particular student’s art piece caught my attention in a walk-through. The assignment was to create a ceramic piece based on the Palenque head model. While many students followed the imitation of the model in their pieces, one student worked on a self-portrait. There were two interesting elements in his piece: one, that it clearly resembled his eyes, ears, nose and the shape of his face. The second was the way the student included his own cultural background. On the head, he shaped a plain, yet beautiful, black Asian headdress. This student clearly went above and beyond the assignment. His creativity sprang freely, finding the motif a wonderful excuse to express freely his personal and cultural self.

• I saw students engaged in literary analysis where the teachers needed only to give a couple of key words to their students and they promptly responded with specific examples from the assigned works which they had clearly read. Recall of specific examples of characters, conflicts, plot, etc. built up to the analysis of themes, for example. In these classes I observed, as a rule, higher levels of thinking.

• I saw students engaged in learning and teachers explaining time and again in different ways —going back to recall concepts and applying them to the current lesson, always patiently and also with a constant positive reinforcement to students.

Omar Ugalde, dean of students: • At the beginning of the semester, I saw students in Art I draw their first lines. When I was invited back to the class at the end of the semester, I was astounded to note their progress in still-life drawing. Their skills and confidence were amazing.

• I saw students and teachers who learned how to grieve after we lost two of our students. After a period of initital shock, it was inspiring to see how students and teachers had learned to articulate their feelings and act as support for one another.

• I saw students who learned to solve problems in algebra by working with the teacher in meaningful, fun and creative ways. Being someone who has never been strong in math myself, I was suprised to see how easy the subject can be with a teacher who is willing to use real-life examples and make the abstract concrete.

During the last school year, an objective of the Upper School administration was to get out of our offices and into the classrooms. As administrators we tend to get bogged down with phone calls, e-mail and signature forms and forget what our purpose is: to be instructional leaders of a school.

So, for the past year, we have made a concentrated effort to visit classrooms, in the form of informal 10- to 15-minute “walk-throughs” and formal observations of 45 to 90 minutes.

We saw a great amount of action going on in the Upper School. We have seen students speaking, listening, performing, designing, creating, teaching and ultimately, learning. For the accompanying article, I asked two other members of the administrative team to share with you what they consider the highlights of their visits.

I’d also like to use this space to give my thoughts. What follows is just a tiny sample of the great work that goes on here in the Upper School.

• I saw a student – respectfully, but confidently – correct a teacher’s use of an equation on the board in class. I saw the teacher – thankfully and respectfully – correct his error and recalibrate the rest of the class activities.

• I saw groups of students standing on their desks reading passages from Macbeth in funny voices, finding humor and meaning in a 17th-century text.

• I saw a counselor lecture more than 20 students during two rounds of probation meetings. I saw her remind them to hand in homework, remind them of the importance of checking Blackboard, nag them about studying for finals and annoy them about handing in their “progress check-in sheets.” By the end of the year, 15 of them were officially off probation and are now re-enrolled for the current year.

Amy Gallie Head of Upper School

Focus 19

Divisions & Departments / Athletics & extendED learning

The Group: Mercedes Pino, Isabel Contreras, Regina Gonzalez,Isabela Rios, Maria Victoria Garcia, Ana Elizabeth Gonzalez, Alexandra Bracamontes, Nicole Ellstein, Anna Emilia Ortega, Camila Migoya, Sofia De La Torre, Gabriela Gutiérrez, Tiffany Doncato Lopes, María Elena Cardona, Agustina Patino

Dance Memories

I

n the past school year, a group of ASF girls from grades 4-7 worked very hard on a dance performance based on the theme “paparazzi” for the national competition “Intercolegial de Baile.” On May 17th, they performed with 15 other teams at the Teatro Julio Castillo, part of the Auditorio Nacional arts complex, in front of an audience of about 500 people. Dance instructor Leticia Verde (Ms. Leti) and dancers Gabriela Gutierrez (5th grade) and Mercedes Pino (6th grade) share some of their thoughts on the experience: Ms. Leti comments: “The entire process was incredible, including selecting the theme, the music, the costumes and choreography, and seeing the performance take form each day. The girls trained hard. To perform in front of such a

large audience, and to share the experience with the other groups of dancers, was also unforgettable. Thanks to the work of the group, we were able to get good results from the competition, and I hope that next year we can continue counting on the same support from everyone involved in the project.”

Gaby and Mechi comment, “With the help of our dance instructor Ms. Leti, we were able to choreograph a dance that lasted three minutes. We put a lot of effort into practicing this dance. Sometimes it was frustrating because it was hard for us to do a move correctly or time the right moment. We suggested the theme ‘paparazzi’ because it’s modern and original.

“Everybody in our group had a different feeling at the competition, although we all felt very

nervous because it was finally time to perform our dance we had been working on all year. We think we were also excited because we were going to show the public how hard we had worked on making and practicing this choreography.

“We learned that it isn’t all about the outfit and the way you look. It’s mostly about the effort and passion that we put into the dance and show. We also learned that when working well as a team you can accomplish new things and make new friends. When we had disagreements, we learned to discuss and vote for the best solution. We were proud of ourselves because it was our first time [participating in the competition] and we beat a group that had been competing for years. The Intercolegial was an unforgettable experience that will remain in our hearts forever.”

From the Director of Athletics & Extended Learning

HIGHLIGHTS I recently had the opportunity to present Athletics and Extended Learning highlights from this past school year to parent volunteers. Recounting these memorable moments, I realized that virtually all of them included one key thing: the audience.

Whether it be a packed home crowd, playing in Estadio Azteca or performing in one of Auditorio Nacional’s smaller theaters, ASF students were on some big stages this past year. Those moments are unforgettable, teach composure and wouldn’t be possible without highly involved parents and a highly involved school community. I want to thank the entire community for its passionate support.

Kenneth Andersen Outgoing Director of Extended Learning 20 Focus

Divisions & Departments / Athletics & extendED learning

A Season to Remember From the Coordinator

Changes

Atop ASOMEX A

fter winning Mexico City league championships the past three years, the girls varsity soccer team made history in 2010 by capturing their first ASOMEX title, in the 34th year of the tournament. In an impressive rise to the top, the girls improved their standing each of the past four years, finishing 5th, 3rd and 2nd respectively, until finally winning the championship. Captain Julia Zebudua reflects on the team’s hard-fought victory: “There are no words to describe what we felt as the referee blew the final whistle. It is a moment we will never forget. As the game ended, a feeling of relief and an incredibly powerful thrill overwhelmed all of us. We had finally won. We feel it was a very well deserved victory. We had put all our hearts into winning ASOMEX. Something that describes this team is that we never quit; we fight until the very last second. Not only did this victory bring us closer together, but we demonstrated that whatever we put our minds to we can accomplish. I am very happy to be this year’s captain.”

Showing Pride T

he boys varsity soccer team had a very successful 2010 season, coming within a penalty shot of a league championship on the hallowed field of Estadio Azteca. In the end, Coach Luis Colo and his team have much to be proud of, winning 13 games, with only two losses, and outscoring the opposition by an impressive 46 goals. Junior goalkeeper Clemente Dadoo comments on the season: “This season is one that will forever be remembered in all our hearts. First of all, it is one that we dedicated to our late teammate Ricardo Trejo, and every time we took the field we were thinking about him. Secondly, we had a great combination of skilled youth and senior leadership. Overall, we began playing amazing, but halfway through the season we lost a game to Cumbres that we had to win. This motivated us to work harder, and it paid off. We showed our pride by winning three elimination matches on penalty shots, but unfortunately, luck turned its head in Estadio Azteca.

Nevertheless, the memories won’t be forgotten.”

During the 20102011 academic school year there will be several major changes. We made these changes after much deliberation, convinced they will benefit our student-athletes and continue the growth and development of our programs.

We are taking steps to align our programs with the leagues in which we compete. Children who have not yet reached the junior varsity or varsity levels will now compete and practice based on the year they were born, as opposed to the grade they are in school. We feel this will give all children the opportunity to compete at appropriate levels for their improvement.

Another major change you will see is students born between 1996 and 1999 will now be practicing on a rotating A Day/B Day schedule, the same schedule most of them use during the Middle School day.

This will alow the children of that age to practice more than one activity at a time. Sports such as basketball, soccer, swimming, running and tennis will now be offered year-round, something that was impossible in the past.

We are very excited about these changes and feel they will open up a vast new range of possibilities for our student-athletes and encourage them to find something they love and will want to be a part of throughout their Upper School athletic careers.

Noah Randall Athletics Coordinator

Focus 21

Divisions & Departments / the arts

Into the Woods An ASF Drama Club production to remember.

By Isaac Richter (‘06)

I

From the Coordinator

Talent and Dedication Earlier this year, the ASF Drama Club presented Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” at the Zentrika Theater in Santa Fe. Drama teacher Rosana Cesarman coordinated the production and Canek Vazquez (’07) directed. Showing talent as well as dedication were: Antonieta Pereira, Allan Feder, Hector Serrano, Paul Burgess, Arturo Acevedo, Tiffany Rogers, Isabel Oliveres, Fernanda Mijares, Fredy Trueba, Sofia Sanchez, Giancarlo Bessa, Natalia Garcia Clark, Andrea Leon, Stephanie Vondell, Jenny Kim, Ander Gimenez, Diego Song, Isabel Raz and Lucia Serrano.

The music director was Carlos Vazquez (‘97). In the accompanying article, Isaac Richter (‘06) reviews the production.

Leo Trias Visual Arts Coordinator 22 Focus

nto the Woods combines several fairy tales into one story, with clever and painful twists. The show is entertaining, magical, scary, heartbreaking and highlights Sondheim’s brilliance and sick sense of humor.

Fredy Trueba leads as the Baker on a quest.

Trueba is charismatic, and we root for him, even when some of the things his character does are questionable. Trueba brings this simple but honest man to life. As his wife, Fernanda Mijares carries some impressive notes, and her comic timing is impeccable.

Allan Feder is perfect as Jack, the whiny boy who won’t part with his cow. Feder’s voice finds a higher pitch than usual and we see him trying not to disappoint his mother. We sympathize with Jack and part of this is the accomplishment of Isabel Oliveres, who plays Jack’s mother.

Cinderella is a role that fits Tiffany Rogers like a glove. She is dreamy, innocent, romantic, someone who longs to find something better.

Her arc consists of her realizing that the reality of her dreams is not what she expected.

Sofia Sanchez is given the awkward Sondheim version of Little Red Riding Hood, with uncomfortable sexual connotations in most of her scenes. Sanchez convincingly portrays the innocent girl finding her own path into womanhood, as well as her quest to get back onto the path laid out for her, which she may never find.

Hector Serrano shines as the Mysterious Old Man, in his voice and mannerisms, and the things he says are important for an understanding of what’s going on.

Antonieta Pereira as the Witch was perfectly cast. This is the woman who puts everything in motion. Pereira shines most when she sings, and she has some killer numbers such as “The Last Midnight.”

Finally, there are the two princes, one chasing after Cinderella and the other in love with Rapunzel, and of course the Witch always gets in the way. Paul Burgess and Arturo Acevedo play the princes, each displaying his own charm, but they both shine in the duet “Agony.”

Divisions & Departments / parent association

Realistic, Yet Surreal Artist of the Year Sharon Moon, whose work will be featured at the ASF Art Fair on November 6th, draws from photorealism but shuns depicting real life: “We have cameras for that.”

S

haron Moon (‘10), who attended ASF for 12 years before graduating in June, has been selected as the Artist of the Year for the upcoming Art Fair. Museo de San Ildefonso art curator Paloma Porraz recently chatted with Sharon about her art and plans for the future. Here are the highlights: Paloma Porraz: You have a an obvious command of drawing. How did you acquire that skill?

Sharon Moon: When I found out that a million things could be told only through facial expressions, I became very much focused on the technical aspects of drawing the face. Through repetitive practice, I slowly learned the details: proportion, form, shading, etc. And because I also believe that an artist must be technically capable before anything else, I placed a lot of importance on mastering the technical skills. But then I also realized that there is no point in drawing anything just the way it is in real life; we have cameras for that. So I started shifting backgrounds and incorporating some surreal qualities. That is how I reached my style: realistic, yet surreal.

PP: Who are your influences?

SM: I think my biggest influences were Chuck Close and Remedios Varo. I basically fell in love with photorealism and surrealism at the same time. I always try to illustrate my portraits in a very realistic way, but the background or surrounding atmosphere is often very fantasylike. From Chuck Close, a photorealistic artist, I learned the technical aspects of the human face —how different colors lie on certain parts of the face, for example. And from Remedios Varo, a surrealist, I learned how to distort reality and play with image.

From the President

Past & Future

PP: What kind of school training has been the most helpful?

SM: I would have to say that IB Visual Arts was the school course that was most influential. This course required something completely different from other art courses I have taken. Instead of specific assignments of what to do, we were given the freedom to choose our own theme, media and developmental process. Therefore, after two years of producing pieces that were directed by me from start to finish, at the end of the course I had a complete idea of what kind of an artist I am.

PP: What’s next for you?

SM: Working with expressing female beauty led me to want to go deeper into that area. I have decided to first try out fashion designing as a college major. I’m not completely sure if fashion design will absorb me as much as painting has, but I’m pretty confident it’s another field in art that will allow me to go deeper into my concept.

PP: Was there a family member who put you on the road to an art career?

SM: My mom was actually an Oriental Art major. However, over the years I found out that although we both love art, we love very different things about it. So style-wise, we don’t have much in common. But ever since I was little she was very supportive about my growing up to be an artist. She acknowledged that I had a distinct passion for it. Since about fifth or sixth grade I slowly started realizing that art was a field which I would like to dedicate myself to.

PP: What do you expect from college?

SM: I expect to experience a whole new world —especially because I’m making this major shift from fine arts to design. I believe that one of the biggest things I’ll get to learn is to transform my art and what I love into something functional.

It seems like just last month that I was welcoming all of you to the 2009-2010 academic year. Now I’m welcoming you to a new school year. This first year I’ve spent as PA president has been an incredible experience.

This past spring was a busy time for us. Our Turn Off Your Screen Go Green week this year focused mainly on awareness under the “Go Native” umbrella, urging students to learn about themselves and their native environment. We also introduced the “reduce your footprint” concept with a bottle exchange program on campus. In keeping with the reduce, reuse and recycle theme, we held our most successful annual used book sale, and began a new tradition of holding a garage sale simultaneously. To cap off the week, we went to La Feria de Chapultepec and spent an enjoyable day there.

In May we had our last “paseo,” which consisted of a fun morning in a trajinera in Xochimilco, serenaded by mariachis, and then a visit to the cathedral and market. Watch for these outings this year —they are great fun!

We also invited all faculty and staff to our traditional PA Teachers’ Day Brunch where everyone enjoyed a delicious pasta bar as well as an array of dishes supplied by our parents. As June wound down the semester, we were busy with the Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast, awards ceremonies, Stepping Up celebrations and of course the PA cocktail at Commencement.

As we look to the future, we have much to do. October features the English Book Fair, and of course save the date for the 41st Art Fair coming up on November 6th, when we’ll be presenting an incredible sculpture exhibit entitled “Contemporary Sculpture in Mexico 1990—2010.”

I look forward to a great year and I urge all of you to get involved in any of our many events. Be sure to attend our PA General Meetings!

Aliki Elias Parent Association President Focus 23

GRADUATING Arturo Miguel Acevedo Smith

Univ. of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts

Juan Carlos Franco González

Universidad Iberoamericana

Ángel Álvarez Magaña

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Lucía Fuentevilla Finny

Lynn University

Gabriela Alverde Ocampo

Universidad Iberoamericana

Patricio Galindo Chain

Gap semester in London, Universidad Iberoamericana

O

Cecilia Amigo

Universidad Iberoamericana

NanJing Gao

Baylor University

H

Diego Anchustegui Gil

Gap semester, Universidad Iberoamericana

Paulina García-Lascurain

Universidad Anáhuac

IB

Adriana Angelini

Parsons School of Design, Paris

Alejandro García-Velarde

Universidad Anáhuac

María Isabel Ávila

Gap year

Natalia Gaspar de Alba Weinberg

Universidad Iberoamericana

Gonzalo Azcárraga

Universidad Iberoamericana

Miguel Eduardo Gastélum

Purdue University

Diego Balbuena Morales

University of British Columbia

Regina Gayou

University of British Columbia

O

Alexandra Bárzana

Univ. Nacional Autónoma de México

Adolfo González

Suffolk University

O

Óscar Belmonte Segura

Universidad Iberoamericana

IB

Darío González-Arquieta Garza

The George Washington University

José Alejandro Bermúdez Maldonaldo

University of Pennsylvania

IB

María Cristina González

The George Washington University

O

Daniela Bernot

Gap year

O

Carlos Gotlib Micha

Universidad Iberoamericana

IB

Sergio Esteban Betancourt Arciniegas

University of Toronto

Jorge Guerra Schleske

Santa Clara University

O

María José Brito De León

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Anthony Guerrero Short

Northwestern University

H

Paul Burgess

Westminster College

O

Armen Gulesserian

7 months at Liaison College

O

Nabila Cárdenas Macías

Universidad Iberoamericana

O

Juan Carlos Gutiérrez Smallwood

Gap year

Inés Carrasco Scherer

King’s College London

Emilia Hamdan Matta

Universidad Iberoamericana

Renato Carregha

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Song I Han

Seoul National University

Christopher Carrión Zelinski

Southern Methodist University

Fernanda Haro De La Garza

Gap semester in Florence, Instituto Tecnológico

Claudia Castañeda Córdova

Gap semester, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Christine Castilla

School in California

Ximena Castro Martínez del Campo

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Marcos Cavassuto Ferrero O

IB, H, O IB

O

IB, H

IB, JS, O O

O H, JS, O O

H, JS, O

O

Autónomo de México Stephanie Harvey

Universidad Anáhuac

O

Paulina Herrera Chain

Universidad Iberoamericana

Bentley University

IB

Michelle Hojnicki

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Camila Cervantes Church

Universidad Iberoamericana

O

Richard Horbach

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

O

María Cristina Cervantes

Universidad Iberoamericana

O

Mónica Hurtado Dovarganes

Gap semester in Paris, Universidad Iberoamericana

IB

Andrew Colby

Purdue University

Finlay Jenkins

Staffordshire University

IB

Rodrigo Collada Domínguez

Universidad de Navarra

H, JS, O

Ye Eun Jeong

Carnegie Mellon University

IB

José Leopoldo Contreras

Tec de Monterrey, Campus Santa Fe

IB, H, O

María Kalach León

Gap year – working as a gardener

Catalina Cortés

Gap semester in Paris, Universidad Iberoamericana

Diego Kennedy Ballesteros

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

María Dadoo González

Universidad Iberoamericana

Go-Un Kim

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

O

Sofía Díaz Menció

University of Miami

Ji Soo Kim

School of Visual Arts

O

María Isabel Díaz Sordo

Universidad Iberoamericana

Eugenio Kovacs

Babson College

Sebastián Echegorri

Vancouver Film School

Joshua Kracer

SAE Institute of Technology - New York

Allan Feder Huymans

Universidad Iberoamericana

Joshua Kremer Chaput

Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne

Daniela Felgueres Nacach

Gap semester, Universidad Iberoamericana

O

Bryan Kryzda Méndez de León

University of Miami

Raúl Fernández Orendain

Gap semester in London, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

O

Jun Hyung Kwon

New York University

Rafael Fernández de Castro

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Robert Kyle Molina

Univ. Nacional Autónoma de México

María Clara Ferreira

Gap semester, University of Miami

Andrés Lacayo

Florida International University

Damián Flores Duarte

Tec de Monterrey, Campus Ciudad de México

Andrés Lachica Cervantes

Universidad Iberoamericana

O

O IB, O IB, O

O IB O

O

CLASS OF 2010 IB

Julia Lagos Vogt

Tec de Monterrey, Campus Santa Fe

Patricio Robleda Martínez

Universidad Iberoamericana

JS

Seung Cheol Lee

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Alejandra Rodríguez Randolph

Boston College

Pamela Limón

Gap semester

Tiffany Rogers

Oral Roberts University

H

Paola Loera

Georgetown University

Stephanie Romero

ACC

O

Luis Alberto López Castillo

Universidad Iberoamericana

Christopher Rubén Castillo

Undecided

O

Brian Lugo Grandez

Michigan State University

JS, O

Arturo Russek Ehrenwald

Gap year in Israel, Tec de Monterrey, Campus Santa Fe

IB

Sebastián Mancera Autrique

Stanford University

O

Marisol Saavedra Heredia

Universidad Anáhuac

Zita Marmolejo

Universidad Anáhuac

Maryam Saberi

Berklee College of Music

O

Alejandra Nicole Matta

Columbus College of Art and Design

Paola Salcedo

University of St. Andrews

O

Jorge Messianu

Universidad Iberoamericana

Gabriela Saltiel

Towson University

Namiko Mestre Tanabe

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Andrés Sanchez Ríos y Valles

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Diego Meza Croskey

Gap year - adventure hunting

Esther Sarfati

Gap semester - interning

Joshua Mines

SUNY Maritime College

IB

Jessica Schulte

Gap year - working in Africa

Alejandra Montalvo

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

IB, O

Emiliano Segura

Boston University

Luis Angel Montiel

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

IB, H, O

Daniel Jorge Serra

Claremont McKenna College

Seo Yoon (Sharon) Moon

Rhode Island School of Design

Alejandro Serrano

University of Miami

Álvaro Mora

The University of Tampa

Héctor Ignacio Serrano Treviño

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Dylan Mortensen

Seton Hall University

Alfredo Siman

Universidad Iberoamericana

Marie Murzeau

Loughborough University

Rachel Song

Cerritos College

Kimberly Ann Neidermire

Emmanuel College

Federico Tejado

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Ryuzo Augusto Nomachi Solís

Tec de Monterrey, Campus Santa Fe

Giuliana Tenerelli

University of Nottingham

Emi Ohara Kondo

Universidad Iberoamericana

Stephanie Yayoi Teramoto

Princeton University

Isabel Oliveres

University of Pennsylvania

Andrea Terminel

Studying art history and sustainable development

Mayte Orellana Tamez

University of Queensland

O

Catalina Thompson Piccaluga

Universidad de San Andrés

Álvaro Ortíz

Universidad Iberoamericana

O

Lillián Toro Ríos y Valles

Universidad Iberoamericana

Ryan Osegueda

Universidad Iberoamericana

Sophia Tremari Lombardo

Gap semester in Paris

María Antonieta Pereira

Syracuse University

Natalia Vargas

Boston University

Mercedes Leni Peterson

Universidad Anáhuac

O

Javier Vega Thompson

Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Peter Price

Royal Danish Navy

O

Jorge Velasco Azoños

Tec de Monterrey, Campus Santa Fe

H

Karina Primelles Urdaneta

Tec de Monterrey, Campus Santa Fe

O

Ana Velasco González

Pace University

IB

Paola Quintero Taylor

Istituto Marangoni, London

Lukas Vial Freeman

University of Denver

Noa Radosh

Gap year in Israel, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México

Halle Williams

Michigan State University

Rodrigo Rallo

University of California at San Diego

Sun A Woo

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

José Raz Guzmán Macedo

Gap year in France

O

Anuar Hamid Yahya Valdovimos

Art Center College of Design

Sofia Revueltas

Conservatorio Nacional de Música

O

Tanya Zapata Sutcliffe

Universidad Anáhuac

Rodrigo Reyes Izquierdo

AMBergh Institute

O

Frances Paige Zarkin

Gap semester, Centro de Estudios Superiores de San Ángel

O

Jimena Rico Díaz

Universidad Iberoamericana

Keyla Zavala Kryzda

Centro de Estudios Superiores de San Ángel

O

Juan Rión

Universidad Iberoamericana

Alfredo Rivera

Drew University

IB - IB Diploma Programme

H - Honor Society

Santiago Riviello Goya

Universidad Anáhuac

JS - Jenkins Scholarship

O - Old Timers

IB, O

IB

O IB, H O

IB

IB, H IB

IB, H

O

JS IB, H O

O IB IB, H, O JS, O

JS

[GRADUATION ‘10]

G

ood Luck, raduates!

26 Focus

O

n Saturday, June 5th, The American School Foundation bade farewell to yet another generation of global citizens. The Class of 2010 was joined by friends, teachers, administrators and relatives during their commencement ceremonies.

The mood was celebratory and joyous.

The graduates listened attentively to the welcoming advice and words of wisdom given by Head of Upper School Amy Gallie, ASF Executive Director Paul Williams and fellow alum and 1st Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Catharine Austin (’78).

Their peer and class valedictorian Yayoi Teramoto compared decision making and career choosing to whimsically deciding over ice cream flavors: “It’s OK to want to try all the flavors available before choosing a favorite, and perhaps having several favorites (see page 28).”

Focus 27

[STUDENT VOICES]

The Flavor of Life

By Yayoi Teramoto (‘10), Valedictorian

T

he word valedictorian has its etymological origin in the Latin “valedicere” and it means “to say goodbye.” As such, I would traditionally be expected to speak of our past experiences together, from first grade plays to the last day of school, as well as the bright years to come. Yet, I think most of you have heard this type of speech many times before and deep inside, you already know that after today, it truly is the end of our years as ASF students and the beginning of the rest of our lives, or, as our school’s motto says, we are now prepared to be “global citizens for a changing world.”

In the hot weather I know the last thing you want is to hear something you already expect, or even worse, the repetition of what you already know. So instead, I want to take this time to talk of something I know most of us want right now: ice cream.

I imagine that if I were not here this instant, I would be walking into the nearest ice cream shop and I would start reading the flavors and admiring their unique textures and colors. Strawberry, peach, banana, mango, triple chocolate… If you know me well, you know that I am a very indecisive person and never know what flavor to choose. This is why I absolutely love the fact that you can always get a small spoonful of every flavor until you find the right one.

Although it may not be as healthy as bananas, a well chosen and well enjoyed ice cream is very much like life. As you walk out of ASF, you will get to taste many different flavors of opportunities, careers and life paths. Whether you choose to go for a traditional favorite like vanilla medicine, chocolate engineering or strawberry law, you can also go for a less demanded flavor like hazelnut anthropological musicology, or even a flavor you invent yourself like bubblegum mathematical gastronomy. And if you do not know now, you can always go out into the world and taste a bit of every culture and every subject area until you fall in love with a flavor you can eat for the rest of your life.

At the end, you will have a bunch of spoons that once held the distinct flavors you chose to try or were coaxed by others to try. However, the flavor you choose, and the type of serving you choose, a cone or a cup, a single or a double, a regular ice cream or a milkshake, is absolutely yours.

Once you do, make sure to eat it slowly, savoring every spoonful and every flavor without letting even the smallest drop fall to the ground. This comes to show that rushing through life will only result in a few scoops to fall and some tears to be shed at the destruction of a perfectly delicious serving of this amazing human invention. In ice cream wisdom, take a moment to cool down and enjoy your friends and family!

I am sure that when you go out to eat ice cream with your friends you will taste a bit of what they chose out of curiosity. Likewise, make sure to take advantage of the million different flavors of personalities that you will meet. Seniors, I can proudly and honestly say I know a very unique combination of astonishing flavors. In our generation we have the orangeloving vanilla-flavored future doctor; the musician and amazing guitarist cookie dough; the Shakespeare competition first-place-winner mint chocolate; the fashionable, creative and always sweet lavender; the future “cajeta” businessman and engineer and the red fruits entrepreneur who promises to save our world with hydrogen fuel cells, among so many more including the amazing brownie, strawberry and mango.

28 Focus

Finally, the flavors of those who have helped us get this far thanks to their love for teaching, their patience and perseverance: our teachers, counselors and administrators. Chocolate flavor who in years before has helped the students cope first with English, then academics and now is in charge of Upper School, the lime-flavored academic advisor, the chocolate chip flavor thanks to whom we are all going to college and the cookies and cream flavor who terrorized all those who broke the rules, but whose heart is always set on helping the community around him. Last but not least, the chocolate-loving man who cares enough about us to send us numerous e-mails to keep us out of trouble and who practiced how to pronounce our names in front of a mirror for graduation. Look around, and I am sure you will find that all the teachers, in spite of their occasional meltdowns, have managed to keep it cool and in turn have changed our perspectives of the world, and more importantly have helped us grow and mature.

So leave ASF to learn, to experiment, to try and to explore; aim for the stars and do not limit yourself out of fear of what others may think. And at the end it all comes down to choosing the ice cream flavor that will make you happy for life.

Congratulations everyone, we can now graduate and proudly say that after many years at ASF we haven’t yet melted, and hopefully we never will.

El hubiera no existe

By José A. Bermúdez (‘10), Salutatorian

I

t is but human nature to regret certain actions in our lives — events, decisions and whatnot. But now, with this feeling of conclusion and the end, I have to say, “El hubiera no existe.” Every blink of an eye, every raindrop that falls, every leaf that touches the ground marks the passing of time: the eternal construction of the past, the shifting of the present, the consumption of the future. This is the inevitable cycle of life.

Say, high school has come to an end, the collective past has grown once again; decisions have been made, priorities have been chosen and there is nothing to be done… el hubiera no existe.

We are the craftsmen of our own future. Where we are headed, what we want to pursue, how we want to look back onto these years depends on the decisions we have made, the paths we have chosen. We owe much to our parents and friends who have helped us become what we are but in the end, you have decided who you are… consider this. Do not look back onto what you could have done or would have changed, but value that which has brought you to this day. Enjoy the fruit that time has borne and make the best of every step you have taken. Naturally, mistakes have been committed; errors have not been uncommon yet value these, understand them, comprehend them, as they are vital for what you are. For the better and for the worse, what is done is done. El hubiera no existe.

At this point, we have all attended The American School for at least a year.

And throughout this year and perhaps your past years you have had to make decisions, taken chances to see where you ended up. Maybe you ordered that greasy, grotesque egg, bacon and cheese bagel, served on a napkin wet with oil on the day you failed your math test. Or maybe you didn’t. Maybe you graffitied the walls of the tiendita with the names of your friends and their respective progenitors. Maybe you didn’t. Maybe you joined a sports team and gathered with your teammates from four to six every day for a group sweating rubbing session. And then again, maybe you did not. If you did it, great. If you did not, don’t regret. Seniors: today and forevermore “el hubiera no existe.”

Time is as close as we may ever be to infinity. With each second, the past grows and so while the present shifts the future becomes smaller. What you do, how you wake up today, how you plan to wake up tomorrow is done, think about it. But look not behind now, for the world is before you, the present is larger than life and it is in your hands. As the past watches, make the present worthwhile for the future that awaits. And as the future comes nearer we will grow old. When it has all been said and done, when you lie on your deathbed plump and happy, may you be satisfied with what you have become. May you be at peace with what you will leave behind.

For now, as Aristotle said, be not “guilty of all the good you did not do.”

Focus 29

[focus on education]

Q&A Elaine Fong

The head of the ASF Upper School Library is helping to usher in a new era of expanded services, where campus space meets cyberspace.

L

ike so many ASF teachers and administrators, Elaine Fong combines solid academic credentials with a rich international background. She received her master’s of library science in her native Canada, her master’s of education in England, served as head of library in a German school in Singapore and has participated in workshops in India, China and Australia.

Ms. Fong sat down recently with Focus editorial consultant and ASF parent Kelly Arthur Garrett in the Upper School Library to talk about school libraries, research and reading.

30 Focus

FOCUS: What makes for a good school library these days?

Elaine Fong: The measure of a school library’s appeal is usefulness. Is it useful in terms of kids’ pleasure reading, in getting them to read recreationally? And is it useful in terms of teachers teaching their curriculum?

If people say they never use the library because there’s nothing there for them, then my question has to be what can we do so that they will use it?

FOCUS: I’m looking around the library right now and it’s hard to imagine that anybody could think there’s “nothing” here for them.

EF: Well, a lot of what we do is promotion —telling people what we have, getting the information out. I get out there and show kids how to access what we offer, how to use the databases, how to get into the web site.

Still, the thing is, it’s not my library. It belongs to everybody, so I try to be as inclusive as possible when it comes to what’s in the library. For that I need input. I ask kids to tell me what they want me to buy. I don’t care how obscure it is; if they want to read it, I’ll buy it.

FOCUS: And you consult the teachers as well, I assume.

EF: Of course. I work with the teachers on curriculum, and I need their input on what goes in and what goes out. This year I was in charge of archiving the curriculum templates, so I have a good idea of what teachers are teaching. Based on that, I look for things to send to the teachers and I ask if they’ll be useful for the curriculum. If the answer’s yes, we buy it.

If it’s no, we don’t buy it. It’s really as simple as that.

FOCUS: So it’s a constant case of in with the new. Is it also out with the old?

EF: We have to weed the collection. Like I just found something the other day called “The United Nations Today,” printed in 1970. That’s got to go. It’s useless and it makes the library look bad. A lot of people have a problem throwing stuff away. But if it’s just taking up space, you have to be a little cutthroat about it.

FOCUS: You actually throw them away?

EF: There’s a book exchange outside the library. If anyone wants one of the books, it’s there to take. I figure that if it stays there for a month, then nobody wants it.

FOCUS: School libraries are obviously going through a period of transition. That makes them something of a mystery for a lot of people. Some fear that books are being crowded out by computers. Others hope so.

EF: You need both. It’s got to be integrated. For quality research, for example, you need books and scholarly articles to get that breadth and depth.

Sometimes they’re in electronic format and sometimes they’re not. So you need a virtual library to balance the print library.

FOCUS: What does virtual get you that print doesn’t?

EF: It saves space, for one thing. Compare how much space magazines take up, and how much space an electronic database takes up. I don’t have to store 3,000 periodicals going back 10 years. They’re on-line. Another advantage is that virtual is 24/7. You can be at home, in Cancún or in the library itself and access what we have. Access and space. As a librarian, you can’t ignore those two things.

FOCUS: Technology is an ally in that sense. But can’t it also be a distraction? Seems to me that in the time kids spend noodling around with electronic gadgets in a week, they could read War and Peace.

EF: Well, they’re not going away, so we have to think about how to integrate them into teaching. I want to get iPods in here for using the catalogs.

People don’t use the catalogs, so here’s where we can tie in very nicely with the new technology. You have this little toy — and boys and girls love their toys! —that you can use to access the catalog. We may not know how yet to harness the likes of Facebook and Twitter for teaching, but we have to think about it. I have a Facebook page where I talk about the books I’ve read. It’s public and the kids can go in and see it. Kids know how to use the new technology better than we do. They’re one step ahead of us, so why don’t we capitalize on that for learning purposes? It’s information consumption.

FOCUS: Isn’t there a risk that easier information consumption can lead to superficial research?

EF: There are different kinds of reading and research. You can look for quick information, but if you’re writing something that is academically rigorous, you have to go beyond Wikipedia and delve into scholarly articles. Kids come up to me and say something like, “I have to write 4,000 words on this stupid subject. Where am I going to find any information?”

I have no problem letting them start off with Google, or better yet Google Scholar, for an introduction to the subject. Google and Wikipedia can be good places to start, but they’re not good places to end.

FOCUS: Where should they end?

EF: One thing that’s always required in an extended essay is a variety of research, of quality sources. And it’s a challenge for students to discern what is quality information, what’s authoritative, what’s current, where the biases are. But we do have the resources for doing that available at the library. I don’t think you can tell kids to write 4,000 words with collegelevel academic rigor and then leave them completely on their own. So as a librarian, I’ll go in and help out a bit.

FOCUS: With so much material a click away, on-line research must make copying more tempting.

EF: It does. It’s called cut-and-paste burglary.

FOCUS: I know schools have implemented ingenious methods to detect student plagiarism. But aren’t there ways to tamp down the temptation before the fact?

EF: I think that’s where librarians come in. One way, as I mentioned, is for us to teach what high-quality information is and how to use it. The other is to teach citation. I just tell kids, you know what, if you’re going to copy, do it right —cite it! You’re not the first one who’s written about whatever your assignment is. If you want to quote some stuff, quote it. It shows that you’ve done the reading. It shows you know what’s out there. Now you have to show that you can cite where the information came from, and then show you’re aware of how to incorporate that information into your own ideas.

FOCUS: Are young people giving up reading?

EF: If there are books that have a high interest for them, they’ll read. I used to teach ESL kids, and they’d been reading for only a year when David Beckham’s biography came out and they all wanted to read it. I said, “go for it.”

Interest can motivate kids to read, and read beyond their level. You have to make books appealing to kids. And kids have to know there’s a difference between intensive reading —where you have a test on it tomorrow, or have to write a summary— and extensive reading, where you read whatever you want, and you don’t even have to finish the book if you don’t want to. And that’s a quagmire for teachers, because kids hate it when we make them read something. The books they dislike the most are the ones they’ve been forced to read.

Teachers are in both positions, promoting intensive and extensive reading.

FOCUS: What can parents do?

EF: There’s the saying that reading is not taught, it’s caught. As parents we have to model it. It’s just like everything else. How can you tell your kids to read and then you go turn on the TV? You’re holding your kids to a higher standard than you’re willing to have for yourself. Reading should be convenient. Research shows that when public libraries are closer to your house, when they stay open for longer hours and there are more books, kids read more. In the home, you have to make reading more accessible than the remote control.

Focus 31

[focus on education]

IB Profiles in Courage Why being an Inquirer and a Thinker matters.

By Kelly Arthur Garrett, ASF Parent

A

t some point in just about any discussion of the IB Learner Profile, an old saw will invariably come up: “Live it, don’t laminate it.” The point is a good one: Those 10 desired attributes listed in the profile (you know, the ones about being a risk-taker, an inquirer, a thinker and so on, as described in the box on the facing page) aren’t feel-good abstractions for us to hang on the wall and then forget. They’re meant to live and breathe in every nook and cranny of education at a school like ASF, influencing everything from curriculum to methodology to how teachers conduct their classes.

The problem is that for a lot of us —especially busy ASF parents and alumni from the pre-IB era— the anti-lamination plea has itself become an example of what it seeks to avoid. We run across the IB Learner Profile and nod our heads at its admirable tenets. And then when we’re reminded that the profile is not for nodding but for implementing, we nod our heads at that admirable statement and go along our merry way.

Maybe it’s in our nature to recognize the value in things without always embracing them. We do it all the time with exercise and reading the classics, don’t we?

But I think in the case of the Learner Profile, there’s another factor at work. It’s easy to see that “caring” and “principled” are good things for our kids to be. It’s not quite as readily apparent to us laypeople just what those qualities have to do with their education.

As it turns out, they have a lot to do with education, both in the broad sense (what kind of human beings are turned out after 12+ years of school) and the narrow one (how well they learn). Fortunately for their students, ASF teachers, counselors and administrators have no trouble linking the 10 IB Learner Profile attributes with the day-to-day effort of teaching young people. That’s what they do.

In fact, in this issue of Focus, profile qualities are referred to directly or indirectly in at least four articles, not counting this one. That’s how ingrained they are —unlaminated, if you will— in the way education takes place at ASF. So I thought it might be a good idea to take advantage of those openings to start a discussion among Focus readers about those profile qualities.

I’ll start off with a closer look at a few of the profile traits mentioned elsewhere in this issue.

If there’s enough interest, we can explore the rest in upcoming issues of Focus. I should make it clear at the outset that whatever comments I make here are my own, offered only as an ASF parent, not as an ASF spokesperson and certainly not as an expert of any kind.

THE ELEMENTS The 10 elements of the IB Profile —the ones you see in the box over there— have been called lots of things, including attributes, descriptors, ideals, values and qualities. Whatever you call them, in their aggregate they express the values of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program that came up with them. In the IB handbook, they are described as “a set of ideals that can inspire, motivate and focus the work of schools and teachers, uniting them in a common purpose.” Together, they serve as the IB “mission statement translated into a set of learning outcomes for the 21st century.” That IB mission statement has been summarized in various ways, including “to develop internationally minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.”

It would seem the height of churlishness to take exception to those lofty aims, though there are some who do just that, mostly those who are suspicious of anything international, or staunch traditionalists who are uncomfortable with modernization. A critical minority aside, ASF has embraced the IB philosophy. As an IB “World School,” it has adopted that organization’s Primary Years and Middle Years Programmes for the Early Childhood Center through grade 10 and offers an optional IB degree curriculum for grades 11 and 32 Focus

12. As such, it has incorporated the IB Learner Profile into the realization of its own mission, especially the part that encourages students “to love learning, live purposefully and to become responsible, contributing citizens of the world.”

When you ask around campus about the relevance of the IB Learner Profile to academic achievement, you get answers that usually fall under three categories. One is that it would be simply irresponsible for an institution that has charge of young people for half their waking lives on school days not to focus on building their character.

Another is that learning doesn’t take place in a vacuum; education isn’t the mere inputting of data, but rather a benign intervention (by teachers) in the lives of others (students) to improve those lives by facilitating learning. Without a mutual understanding of what shared values are in play, and the trust that such an understanding implies, teaching is really nothing more than tossing out information willy-nilly and hoping some of it sticks.

The third category is unashamedly practical. The profile is pedagogically sound. It works. Kids who are communicators, risk-takers, reflective, open-minded, inquirers, caring, etc. learn better. Period.

Other writers (and one interviewee) in this issue touch on those categories and several of the profile traits (see pages 16, 17, 18 and 30). We have room to look at two of them here.

INQUIRERS A good definition of a “bore” is “a person without curiosity.” Another might be “a person who is certain he already knows everything worth knowing.” By either definition, an incurious bore doesn’t feel the need to develop the skill of inquiry, which I always think of as curiosity in action. The IB profile agrees with me (imagine that!), describing inquirers as students who “develop their natural curiosity.” And every teacher knows that if a student’s curiosity is aroused, he or she will want to learn, will seek understanding, will inquire.

Encouraging young people to be inquirers puts as much responsibility on teachers as on their students. Creating a classroom atmosphere that provides plenty of opportunities for students to be genuine inquirers isn’t as easy as it sounds. And it used to be discouraged, which may be why Einstein, whose curiosity and inquisitiveness changed mankind’s conception of the universe, was not much of a student. “It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not entirely strangled the holy inquiry of curiosity,” he once said.

Seeing students as inquirers is not only encouraged at ASF, it’s the basis of the teaching method. Inquiry-based learning, described on page 17 by Alicia Ghirlanda de Haslam, the Lower School PYP support teacher, depends on questions —both the teachers’ and the students’— more than on answers. The idea is for students, under the teacher’s guidance, to seek out the information they need to learn the lesson —either by finding the right questions to ask or by doing research on their own. At ASF, then, being an inquirer is not only a desirable character trait, it’s a prerequisite to learning.

THINKERS This one sometimes raises an eyebrow, because a lot of us usually understand the word “thinking¨ only in its most general sense, like what the Scarecrow would do if he only had a brain. Of course that’s what you do in school! You think!

But to educators, there are many kinds of thinking —creative, logical, critical, among others. Each are separate skills, and you can’t count on any of them to develop automatically. An IB —and ASF— curriculum is designed to help students learn to reason for themselves. That sounds like an obvious thing to do, but there was a time when the accumulation of facts was the primary aim.

ASF now goes out of its way to encourage students to “exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively.” (Used to be in some schools you’d get yourself in trouble for daring to do such a thing.) Still, it’s not always easy. As Upper School head librarian Elaine Fong points out on page 30, finding information these days is child’s play.

But deciphering it, sifting out the useless, evaluating its quality, applying it —that is, thinking critically about it— is challenging. I for one am grateful that my boys are taught to think critically and creatively, as well as logically. In my school days, only the third was encouraged, the other two merely tolerated, and grudgingly at that.

IB learners strive to be: Inquirers They develop their natural curiosity.

They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning.

They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeable They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Thinkers They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicators They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

Principled They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

Open-minded They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

Caring They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

Risk-takers They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balanced They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

Reflective They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

Focus 33

[focus on education]

re for

asu

Me

measure

Are some of us paying a price for not growing up metric?

By Sloane Starke, Head of Communications

S

tudents at The American School Foundation seem to have a foot in two worlds in many senses —English and Spanish, United States and Mexico…

English and metric?

A former ASF student and teacher and current assistant professor at University of Texas set out to find out what our students know about measurement —and how that relates to science and math education.

ASF was just one school César Delgado (‘80) visited, but it was the only one outside the United States. After testing more than 120 students from grades 6 to 12 and interviewing 45 of them, Delgado said he was impressed with their high level of performance as well as their cooperation and good manners.

The standard interview consisted of four main questions. Student subjects were given cards with images and names of 10 objects, including an atom, a molecule, a virus, a red blood cell, 34 Focus

a mitochondrion, the head of a pin, a human, a mountain and Earth. They were asked to rank them according to size, estimate their relative and actual size and group them according to size.

The written test assessed students’ strategies for representing widely varying sizes along a scale.

Delgado says understanding scale is a key to learning. “Scale is prevalent in all areas of science and can help students connect knowledge,” he said.

Delgado’s hypothesis is that students raised on the metric system will perform better at tasks such as estimating the real sizes and relative sizes of these tiny objects, and will be more likely to resort to a powerful tool: logarithmic scales. The metric system is the standard in science education, but many students who grow up with the English system don’t use metric measurements anywhere outside the classroom. “If you just study units of measurement in an isolated context, it’s easy to compartmentalize that knowledge,” Delgado said.

“Measurement is covered in the first chapter of many textbooks, but is not emphasized afterwards,” Delgado pointed out. His study will test whether starting with the metric system, based on decimals, helps students to have a better understanding of number, size and the relationship between them.

The children of an American mom and a Mexican dad, César and his brothers all attended ASF. After graduation, he attended UCLA as an undergraduate, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering. He went on to obtain a Ph. D. in science education from the University of Michigan, where his dissertation also dealt with student perceptions of the size of objects too small to see with the human eye.

It’s not hard to see where Delgado’s passion lies. “Science in most places is taught as a series of facts,” he said. “Connections need to be emphasized more in the States and probably elsewhere as well.” His research aims to help do just that.

[family forum]

Brave New World You can help your kids do on-line research safely and efficiently without interfering with their independence.

But you have to know the territory.

By Patty Zamora (‘82), Curriculum Technology Integrationist

W

e’re living in insecure times when most of us wouldn’t allow our children outdoors under any circumstances without adult supervision. Letting them have conversations with strangers is out of the question. And we certainly wouldn’t allow them to go anywhere they want without us knowing about it. We’re not being overprotective; we’re doing what responsible parents need to do in the dangerous world in which we live.

So what do we do when our child tells us he or she needs to Google a topic for a school assignment?

We want to heed teachers’ advice to leave them on their own, to let students take responsibility for their own work. At the same time, we feel the responsibility to monitor their activity and protect them from unnecessary risk.

After all, in the digital world, they’ll be on their own in unkown places, with the possibility of talking to strangers, and subject to information and experience not appropriate for their age. Isn’t it just as important to know who your child is hanging out with in cyberspace, just as it is in the real world?

I’ve faced this situation countless times as an ASF parent, and I always find it highly convenient to apply the same parenting skills as I do in everyday life. That includes communication in the form of questions: “Who are you chatting with?” “Is this source reliable?”

Just as importantly, we need to become experts in a world that is more natural for them than for most of us. Today’s teens and tweens are known as digital natives (DNs). They grew up using technology as a means of communication and investigation, rather than adjusting to it as most of their parents did. They are more comfortable with the language of technology and using devices such as cell phones and computers than we digital immigrants (basically everybody over 28) will ever be.

As parents of digital natives, it is our duty to move into the new age of technology without looking back.

Only by understanding how our children are learning, processing information, speaking and writing can we be prepared to instruct them in the safest ways to use the Internet for fun or for study. If we’re to protect them from viruses, hackers, harassers, bullies and inappropriate material, we have to be familiar with the DN world.

If you are an ASF parent, you have a key advantage. The school libraries have a reliable and kidfriendly on-line database that is varied and extensive.

Students use it for school research all the time, safely and effectively. The problems begin when they use their (or your) home computer on their own. This shouldn’t have to happen, however, because the ASF on-line database is available to students 24/7 from any computer.

So I invite you to take a look, and use this resource to help your kids, and for your own benefit as well.

Simply visit community.asf.edu.mx, click “Add Content” and look for the ASF Libraries widget. You’ll find that the ASF On-Line Database is a formidable and secure homework helper.

Beyond Google We often use the verb “to Google” as almost a generic term for using a search engine. But your children and you may not be taking into account the wide range of search engines available, many of which may be safer and more appropriate for children. Here are some recommended ones: http://pacoelchato.com http://www.kidsclick.com http://www.askkids.com http://www.onekey.com http://www.allsafesites.com http://quinturakids.com http://www.gogooligans.com http://kids.yahoo.com

Focus 35

institutional advancement

A Silent Success O

ur 6th Annual Silent Auction was a great success. With more than 1,300 lots auctioned and more than 800 attendees, we raised more than 800,000 pesos. Thank you to all parents, alumni, faculty, staff and friends of ASF who supported the event by attending or donating. Mark your calendar for the next one —March 24, 2011!

Honoring Gordon Viberg

I

n appreciation of his longstanding loyalty to ASF, his commitment and his extraordinary leadership of the Capital Campaign, Gordon Viberg, former ASF parent and current campaign co-chair (pictured holding the sign, with Members of the Board of Trustees), had been recognized by naming a campus conference room in his honor.

Wine Tasting for Fundraising

I

n order to raise funds for the Annual Scholarship Drive, Mónica Sulaiman and Helga Mendoza (‘91) organized a wine tasting at El Estoril, with a special dinner served by the chef. ASF is thankful to Monte Xanic and the Hojel Family for their support in donating the wines and having the sommelier Matthieu Guerpillon direct this exquisite event.

The May 15 fundraiser was very successful, raising nearly 60,000 pesos.

36 Focus

Volunteer Breakfast O

n June 3rd the Parent Association and Institutional Advancement celebrated an annual tradition —the volunteer breakfast. It is thanks to all ASF volunteers, parents, alumni and friends of ASF that we are able to have such successful events, fundraisers and initiatives, not to mention such a committed community. The IA office thanks all of you who offered your time to make the 2009-2010 school year so successful.

The IA office would also like to thank the PA for making its annual donation to the Scholarship Drive. This year the donation was $300,000 pesos. And thanks to all the homeroom parents and Lower School classrooms (some of which are pictured here) who donated their proceeds from the year to the Annual Scholarship Drive: 1A, 1C, 2E, 2H, 3C, 3E, 3F, 4C, 4H, 5E. And finally, a special recognition to Ms. Ruth Santiago and her students for donating the proceeds from the books they wrote and sold to the Annual Scholarship Drive.

Fundraising with Finesse A

SF congratulates the winners of our second Bridge Tournament, held February 22, 2010 at Beth Israel Synagogue. They are: • 1st place, category A: Enrico Pagani and Moisés Ades • 1st place, category B: Ninfa Saad • 1st place, category C: Ivonne Massieu and Patty Suárez • ASF Cup: Favio Pisinger The tournament raised more than 20,000 pesos for scholarships. See you next year!

Focus 37

institutional advancement / ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP DRIVE

Thank you for supporting The American School Giving Program 2009-2010 COMPANIES Anonymous Chocolateria la Suiza Decoraciones Dupuis S.A. de C.V. Fundación Cultural Mexico-EUA Goldman Sachs Jumex KIO Networks Monte Xanic The Mary Street Jenkins Foundation ALUMNI Alumni Networking Night Anonymous Blasco Magaldi Priscila Adriana (‘93) Brito de Léon Marta Elda (‘07) Buenrostro Moreno César (‘85) Cameron Ray (‘70) Cruz Margaret (‘93) Danner Louise (‘56) De la Vega Connie (‘71) Foarde Craver Timothy (‘79) Furbeck Boltman Irma (‘52) Gómez Kraus Alejandra (‘97) González Aguade Manuel (‘84) Gwynn James (‘46) Haak Gilbert E. (‘42) Heisman Eileen R. Herrera de Espinosa Claudia (‘82) Hunter Barbara (‘53) Kolteniuk Ricardo (‘94) Kryzda McCarthy Kenneth (‘76) Lechner de Brooks Kathleen Niven (‘48) Lontos Hernández Joséph (‘02) Lorenzo Wojcik Laura (‘75) Méndez de Léon de Kryzda Karen (‘76) Meyer Rish Carlos (‘76) Miyasaki Hara María Karen (‘92) Murray Donald (‘55) Ortiz A.H. (‘47) Phillips Olmedo de José Irene (‘55) Rish Bitar Nayla (‘76) Saldaña Diana (‘05) Saldaña Stephanie (‘01) Schmidt Anne (‘40) Sopkin Calvo Stephanie (‘70) St. Aubin Stephanie (‘01) Steta H. Guillermo (‘42) Streun William (Bill) (‘58) Tarin Tomas Taylor Mary Kathyn (‘57) Tyler Todd (‘50) Vincze Zuckerman Deborah (‘91) PARENTS Abizaid Zapien José de Jesús Aboumrad Victor Aiza Hojel Family (‘86, ‘89) Álvarez Román (‘85) Anonymous Austin Cathy (‘78) Bastida Rivera Andrea Camacho Alanis Everardo (‘93) Case Murray and Claudia Castellanos Family Cervera Alonso Cielak Reyna (Diana) Cornett E. Virginia De la Garza y Ramírez Ricardo Adolfo Del Valle Perochena Family Duque González Family Elias Octenjak Jack and Aliki (‘85) Escudero de Mateos María Amaya

38 Focus

Fernández Cortina Sebastian Franco Bustillos Fernando Fraser Porraz Family Galván María Lourdes Garrett Kelly Arthur Gómez Alcala Alberto and Viviana Gómez-Obregón José Gutiérrez Ormsbee Family Ibarzabal Guerrero Humberto Rogelio Kim Ho Yon Lelo de Larrea Alfredo and Regina Loera Diez Family Lozano Panameño Family Méndez Sigal Family (‘87) Mendoza Klein Family (‘91) Moreno Luis Federico Nagame Tetsu Naranjo González Mauricio Olvera Liechty Family Orvañanos Corcuera Iñigo Parent Association Pilliod Charles Pisinger Marentes Family (‘84, ‘87) Popovits Rene and Veronica Ransanz Arias Arturo Razguzman Castro José Rion Echeverria Family Romo Nicolau Family (‘85) Solórzano Giardinelly Family Spinola Sevilla Ricardo Suchowiecky Samuel Sulaimán de la Rosa Family Sullivan Tom Valdés Acra Eduardo Valenzuela Pedro Vázquez López Tulio Ivan Velarde Montes Family (‘92) Vidaurri del Castillo Tito Óscar Villa Avila José Antonio Werner Martin Worozylski Ellstein Family (‘84, ‘85) STAFF & FACULTY Aguilar Clemen Aguirre Elisa Ajuria Alicia Alaniz José Carlos Alatorre Family Álvarez Nieto Nancy Anonymous Beltrán Elisa Beltrán Michele Berman Siri Berry Cindy Berteau Carmelita Betancourt Ashton Bilbao Itziar Bollinger Nancy Brown Connie (‘76) Bullington Kenneth Byrnes Jennifer Caballero Lilia Calderón Kim Campa Mónica Campos Helen Campos Karla (‘01) Cárdenas Gustavo Carrera Maru Castillo Betsy (‘70) Castro Xenia (‘96) Conron Kelly Cook Micah Cook Sarah

Couto Javier Crutchfield Rebecca Cummings Stephanie Davalos Leticia Davidson Ryan Dawson Kenneth De Ávila Adriana De Jesús Breene Juan De Léon Elda Delong Cynthia Delozier Shannon Devilbiss Daniel Diaz Veronica Donado Alejandro Drury Martha Dunford Bethany Escobar Adriana Espin Laura Espinosa María del Carmen Fernández Mendaro Isabel Ma. Fong Elaine Galán Yolanda Gallie Amy García Jeri García Maricela Gastélum Alejandro and Sharon Gerson Diana Ghirlanda Alicia Giral Manola Goldschmied Susana (‘91) González Olivia Gutiérrez María Eugenia Hernández Mariana Hernández Paulina Hernández Ponce Norma Alicia Honey Robin Hubp Patsy Hunt Evan Immink De Montes De Oca Fleur Jackson Allen Janota Wasik Thomas Milan Kang Helen Keeler Lisa Kelman Anna Lechuga Gaby Levy Babette Luce Meggan MacGregor De Amigo Cecilia Magallanes María José (‘03) Mankoch Tony Marlowe Timothy Martínez Alejandro (‘03) Matiella Carmen McGuire Kelly McLaren Ann Fran Miller Danielle Miller Tracy Morales Paty Nitoslawska Jolanta Noriega González María Amalia Ochoa Marcela Olguin María Olivo Susan Ornelas Cravioto Lourdes Oseguera Amy Parga Federico Patterson Patricia Pavón Carmen Pavón Daniela Penela Quintanilla Elisa del Carmen Pérez Sagra Phillips Leslie Piccaluga Memi

Prentoulis Chloe Ramírez Gabino Ramon Debbie Ramón Verdin Lorena Rencher Yvonne Rendon Mariana Reyes Alejandra Reyes Carrillo Family Rivard Jean Rivas Ordóñez Family Rogers Karina Rojas Mariceci Ruíz Veronica Salas Rocío Salazar Albornoz Alejandra Salcedo Hugo Saldaña Veronika Sassoon Joseph Fred Schell Jason Segura Quintanilla Luz Eugenia Shaw Gloria Siegal Anna Solorio Ana María Solórzano Virginia Somoza Ana Rosa Spencer Steve St. Aubin Mercedes Starke Sloane Tanaka Cindy (‘91) Tapia Araceli Tolumes Lorena Trautman Erin Ver Duin Megan Westholm Michelle Wheelwright Tess Thatcher Williams Paul Yonker Mary Zamora Patty (‘82) Zapiain Silvia Zaragoza Tejas Diego Zika Lindsay FRIENDS Anonymous Baker Allan Comunica Producciones Frame Maker Productions Grupo Alpha Simet Huttanus Frances Mateos Wilson Humberto Metro Producciones S.A. de C.V. Movie.com.mx Pérez Robert and Violet Vértigo Producciones GRANDPARENTS Adame Sagredo Family Anonymous Belmont Enrique Berentsen Roberto and Karen Blanco Von Thaden Bustamante Orgaz Jorge Bustos Olivares Luis Alejandro Camacho Everardo Cantú Félix and María Elena Carofino George and Dianne Chertorivski Isaac and Sara Cielak Daniel Craig Ortega David De Icaza Aneiros Carlos De Prado Sindo and Mariluz Delgado Victor and Raquel Diaque Martin-Moreno Family

Feher Guillermo Figueroa Michel Guillermo Franco Ricardo and Maricela Gabelas Cynthia Galewicz Wroblewska Julian Gamboa Fran Goldschmied Adele González Miguel and Lucero Guerrero José Luis and Sofía Hernández Gloria and Calderon Angelica Lelo de Larrea Alfredo and Regina Litchi Miguel and Linda López Brosnan Esteban Marcos Ordóñez Family McCoy Horacio Merino Genoveva Merino Guillermo and Flora Minkow Bernardo Neme Lara Family Ortega Amanda Perdomo Arturo and Yolanda Pérez Odriozola Family Prida Nelson and Nora Rivera Castañeda Family Rivera Pesquera Lynnette Marie Rubio Jorge and María Ruíz Fernandez Lorena Sandoval Buenrostro Rosa María Ivette Solorzano Francisco and Virginia Sotomayor Nuñez Velia del Carmen Tame Roberto Vázquez Carlos Vega Edwin and Araceli Velez Diaz-Covarrubias Family Vergara Torres Family Vieyra Lula Werner John and Nancy Woroszylski Myriam Zabicky Mely Zamora Aguayo Family STUDENTS ECC Elias Alejandro Lower School LS 5th Grade LS Room 1A LS Room 1C LS Room 2E LS Room 2H LS Room 3C LS Room 3E LS Room 3F LS Room 4C LS Room 4H Middle School ON BEHALF OF Álvarez de Silva Roman and Ana Sofía Brito de Léon María José Brito de Léon Marta Elda Bustamante Sofía Fernández David A. Hernández Ponce Rodrigo Alexander Jeffcott David (‘68) Jeffcott Linda (‘56) Jeffcott Robert (‘57) Kryzda McCarthy Kenneth (‘76) Quintanilla Roel Natalia Quintanilla Roel Valentina Santacruz José Luis Segebre JoséSulaimán Andrés Sulaimán Héctor Sulaimán Mónica MEMORIAL Checa Christian Frenkel Judith Kolteniuk Esther Michael Fred Peter Nasi Mireya Seifert Mike Shaw Martha Tello Manuel Viele Tony

SPECIAL EVENTS SPONSORS Golf Tournament ABC Hospital American Airlines Anonymous AON AT&T Beam Global Spirits & Wine Bosque Real Congresum El Paso Energy Four Seasons Resort Goldman Sachs Grupo Cever Grupo LM&S Grupo Presidente Hoteles Quinta Real JW Marriott Kaloni Science Center La cava de los amigos Opticas Devlyn Santander Scotiabank Seguros Atlas Tequila Herradura The Warranty Group Mexico Toyota Financial Services SILENT AUCTION ABC Hospital Achar Jakobsmeier Family Aleman Angelica All about the Girl Alma-Ha Anonymous Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso Arroz con Leche Arsuaga De Haro Family ASF Athletics Ayestaran Escalante Family Baby Cottons Bacardi Balanz Nutrition Center Bariatric Support Batiz García Family Bauer Sobol Family BB Mundo Bebé Momentum Bellinghausen Bello Antonio Biosphera Blanco Flores Family Bloom Bounce Bounty Bufete Quijano Calleja Dagmar Cambiando un destino Cannizzo Centellas Family Careyes Beach Resort Carral Ana Paula Carral José Carral Lorenza Casa Bell Casa Regia Casanova Family Casas Geo Cascade Cassereau Perezcano Family Cé de Casa Ceballos Guadalupe Centro Centro Optico Palmas Charabati Family Chep’s CIE Cleo-M Coach Colgate Palmolive Cornew Claudia Coronado Francisco Crown Paradise Cancun Daruma Davis Arakelian Family De Angoitia Legorreta Family De Gennaro Ambrosino Family De la Peña Abel De Winter De La Parra Family Decorr Arte Destino GPS

Devlyn Diageo Diseños Stepanenko Dreft Dupuis Edid Jaris Family Editorial Limusa El Lago de los Cisnes Elias Botton Family Escuela Nacional de Ajedrez Eucerin Expo China Ezquerro Sound System Fernández Yvette Flyckt Gail Fotogenika Fotosmile Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita Fraser Porraz Family Fundación Nextel Fundación Pfizer Fundación Xilitla Gashaball Gifan Gigaset Gocco Gómez Silvia González Family González Nava Rosa Goodyear Grossman Sandra Grupo Editorial Expansión Grupo Editorial Impresiones Aéreas Grupo Estoril Grupo Picacho Grupo Plan Grupo Presidente Guadiana Guerra Suárez Family Gutierrez Peñaloza Family Hacienda Uayamon Hakim Pamela Harumi Haynes & Boone SC Heiblum Hotel Marquis Hotel Quinta Real Hunan Ibarzabal Valladares Family Impulsa Capacitación Ejecutiva Islas Eduardo Jalili Ruth Jaso Johnson & Johnson José Cuervo Joyería Regina JW Marriott Ciudad de México Kaloni Science Center Karam José Miguel Ken Hair Studio Knova Kokuya Kuan Tai KUMON L’Atelier du Chocolat La Bodega de los Malazzo La Chuleta La Jollie Femme Spa La Maisonnette Las Brisas Las Morsas Las Nubes Lelo de la Rea Regina Lenom Libros Libros Libros Litoral Los Canarios Macario Jímenez Mani e Piedi Nail Spa Mantenimiento Donald Clean Manzanni Manzo Turegano Family Marinter Mariscal Laura Markova Nadine Marriott Vacation Club Mendonca Collese Family Mendoza Klein Family Merikansky Arie Mexico Desconocido

MG Impresores MGC Sevicios Turísticos MISHKA Moran Giselle Moreno Family Morett Gabriela Mota María Esther Narváez Monica Naviomar Nick San Sushi & Bar Nivea Nonno Núñez Gerardo and Malena Orvañanos Mara Paciuc Miguel Paraíso Golf Peniche Montelongo Family Peniche Montelongo Pedro Pérez del Villar Ana Paula Pérez Vargas Anacecilia Piccolo Mondo Piel Canela Pineda Covalin Piso 51 Prinsel Propiel Pujol Quaker State Quetzal Remede Spa St. Regis Res-in Ricalde Ruíz Massieu Family Richmond Gary Rihan Chris Rihan Family Rivera Family Roberto Cavalli Rodríguez Diego Rodríguez Duran Family Roshfrans Roy Azar Arquitectos RQ Banquetes Russel Marissa Russell Larry Sagaseta José Salinas Vergara Family San Angel Inn Sandoval Rosa María Santa Cruz José Luis Santo Tomás Scabal Schauff Cortez Family Seiersen Vázquez-Mellado Family Senses Sentron Siemens Sofía Sofía Solis Macias Family Souza Family Sport City Sport Fitness Spuntino Express Takos Takos Tanya Moss Tapetes Orientales Tasti D lite Tea Forte Tequila Herradura Tequila Los Azulejos Texas Ribs The Music Project The Palm Tide Unidos por la montaña Uriegas Graciela Vadillo & Co Vázquez Alejandra Velasco Mayte Viana Villas Akumal Villaseñor Pavla VIS WBC Weinberg Carla Werner Mercedes Woroszylski Alejandro Zepeda Javier Zevada Mari Tere Zichlin Azucena Ziennte Zilery’s Zuum Focus

39

alumni

Get a Folklife ASF alumni were important participants at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2010 in Washington D.C.

By Santiago Garfias Turok (‘03)

T

he Smithsonian Folklife Festival takes place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. every summer for two weeks overlapping the Fourth of July holiday. It was initiated in 1967 and every year a nation, region, state or theme is chosen to participate with its culture, traditions, heritage, music and food, to mention a few examples. As a free, outdoor festival, it draws a crowd every year of approximately one million visitors, who in a day can take with them a rewarding experience.

For the 44th festival, Mexico was invited as the guest of honor, adding to the celebrations of Mexico’s independence bicentennial and the revolution’s centennial. Artisans, musicians and dancers from all over the country were invited to participate in this cultural exchange —and ASF alumni played a big role as organizers. For example, Olivia Cadaval (‘61) acted as curator and director for the Mexico program and together with Mexican authorities put together an incredible display. And as part of the Mexican delegation, Marta “Debbie” Turok Wallace (‘70) and I were invited to act as facilitators and interpreters for the participants of Mexico.

During the two weeks visitors were delighted to see the Teneek from the Huasteca Potosina perform the ceremony in honor of the corn deity on the Palo Volantín, a ritual that consists of four voladores climbing and gliding down the palo. There were also culinary demonstrations like huasteca-style tamales and plenty of fine folk art available for purchase.

The Wixarika or Huichol communities performed various ceremonies during the festival and a most popular one was that of the cleansings.

Long lines would form in order for a marakame or shaman to extract any bad vibes or troubles that a person was experiencing. This was especially important since all three states where the Wixarika reside in Mexico were represented (Jalisco, Nayarit and Durango).

40 Focus

The Zapotec weavers from Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca demonstrated their expertise in this tradition that has been passed on for centuries by combing, spinning, dying and weaving wool during the festival. A pedal or colonial loom from their workshop was brought so everyone could be amazed at a process done entirely by hand.

Never to be left out, mezcal and tequila producers delighted more than one with the purity and taste of drinks that scream Mexico, with the agave cores, the copper alambique or still and the distinguished smell of wood from the barricas or barrels.

Music was everywhere to be found, from the Cardencheros de Sapoiriz, an a capella group from Lerdo, Durango, to the Mariachi Tradicional Los Tíos, representing Jalisco, where this beautiful tradition has been maintained for over 150 years. The rock group Hamac Caziim strive to inspire the youth in the Comcaac or Seri communities of Sonora by singing ritual songs in their native language. They certainly got more than one jumping and enjoying the music even when they could not understand the lyrics.

The Chinelos of Atlatlahucan, Morelos, a dance group joined by their local band, La Banda Morelos, is an ensemble that recreates dance parades from the early colonizers of Mexico. Their colorful outfits and energy brought more than a few to their feet every time they performed.

The Asian Pacific Americans (APAs): Local Lives, Global Ties, was a program directed by our own Arlene Reiniger (‘75), which showcased the lives of those who came to the United States, their cultural heritage and examined the strategies of adaptation.

For more information visit www.festival.si.edu, where a more complete biography is available for Olivia Cadaval and Arlene Reiniger.

alumni / in memoriam

Angela Florio’s Green Room “Hold hands, close your eyes, think on your role, pray, meditate, one minute of silence, breathe deeply... and I will pass the energy.”

Dear former ASF star, Remember those words, and those moments of silence before every performance? For 22 years, I shared those moments with my beloved students. Many of you have told me these stuck with you. Even after forgetting the lines we worked so hard to memorize, those words have remained in our memories.

As you know, The American School Foundation is preparing to break ground at the end of this year for a new Fine Arts Center, one worthy of the extraordinary talent in our community.

I join the ASF community and Executive Director Paul Williams in sharing excitement and anticipation for this new space. We hope you feel the same, because this is your chance to impact the lives of current and future drama students, giving them a place to stand together, hold hands and prepare for their own performances. The Angela Florio Green Room would be a way to make sure a memory of you and us remains for many years and performances to come.

You are my stars —star with me once again! For a donation of $500 dollars, you may place an engraved star on the green room’s wall. You may have your own star or share the donation with up to two other people.

You can give on-line www.asf.edu.mx/support or simply contact the Alumni Office at alumni@asf.edu.mx.

Sincerely, Angela Florio Retired Drama Teacher Executive Director I would like to thank: Ellis Joseph Toussieh Bigio (’63), Timothy Foarde (’79), John Kozuch (’79), Frank Meckel (’79), Manuel González Aguade (’84), Jason Grossman (’88) and Megan S. Smith (’88) for being stars once again as part of the Angela Florio Green Room and thinking about the future of ASF drama students and the rest of the ASF community.

ASF Alumni Bowl III ASF Alumni Bears vs. Alumni Gamos from CUM Saturday, August 28, 2010. Kick off at 12:00 p.m. at ASF’s Coach Colman Stadium. Trying to reinstate this tradition, ASF alumni are hosting the third Alumni Bowl in four years. This year’s event will be held against the CUM’s Gamos alumni. We are trying to make it a wholesome event, inviting alumni from many generations. There will be food and drinks to buy during the game. For more information please feel free to send an e-mail to Carlos Cohen (‘05) at cohenleon.carlos@hotmail.com or the ASF Alumni Office at alumni@asf.edu.mx. Let’s go Bears!

IN MEMORIAM...

• German Olagaray Palacios (‘42) German Olagaray Palacios passed away on May 27, 2010.

• Manuel VÍctor Montaño Pardo (‘54) Manuel Víctor Montaño Pardo (July 28, 1936 – February 3, 2010) was a Mexico City native who last resided in Falls Church, Virginia outside of Washington, D.C. He was an early 1950s graduate of the Mexico City school. He attended the ASF alumni 50th reunion in Texas a few years ago.On behalf of his loving family, and that of my own as a good friend, I am honored and delighted to inform you that Chacho peacefully departed this world and has embarked on an eternal travel itinerary in the perfect galaxy.

As we all know, Manuel lived for many of the best things in life —but particularly for exotic travel. And he continues to do so.

—Clifford Penn • Eduardo Monteverde (‘55) It is with great sadness that I share with you the recent loss of our dear brother and compañero Eduardo Monteverde, who died on June 25, 2010. I was fortunate enough to meet him at ASF and share a great friendship that lasted more than 50 years. We were both members of one of the strongest football teams at ASF in the seasons of 1954-55 as well as fraternity brothers (Gamma, Gamma, Gamma).

—Álvaro Rodríguez (‘54) * Mike Seifert Tolin (‘67)My brother Mike passed away due to a coronary complication in February 2010. Mike was a kind and gentle person and he had a great big heart full of love for family and friends, may he rest in peace.

—Tom Seifert (’65) ASF expresses its deepest condolences to the entire family, including Mike’s children Lee Ann (’01) and Michael John Seifert (’03), who work in the Lower School.

• John Wortman It is with great sadness that I communicate the death of Mr. John Wortman, a few weeks short of his 84th birthday, after a long battle with cancer. John Wortman, who died on May 18, was the financial director of ASF during the eighties. He worked through multiple capital campaigns at the school and was a former member of the Board of Trustees of ABC Hospital. At the time of his death, he continued to be active in the translation department of Ernst & Young. He is survived by his wife Stella, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchilden.

—David López León (‘88) • Thomas S. Waller Thomas Waller passed away July 26, 2009. He was co-president, with his wife Dorothy, of The American School Foundation PTA. Corky Cave (‘60) writes: “These men who took us to raise were giants of industry in many ways. Mr. Waller was wonderful to me when I dated his daughter, Dee-Dee in late 1957 and through the summer of 1958. I raised three daughters and I wasn’t near as nice to their boyfriends!

I spoke with Mr. Waller several times as an adult. I very much enjoyed his perspective on world affairs and international travel.”

Mr. Waller is survived by his wife Dorothy Lassiter Waller, his daughters Dorothy Waller Harris and Patricia Waller Barrier; grandchildren Gary Waller Harris and Patricia H. Bostwick; and great-grandchildren John C. and Magnolia W. Bostwick and the Barriers’ extended family members.

Focus 41

alumni / Milestones Priscilla Schroeder (‘03) is engaged to Luis Cervantes. They will be married in May 2011.

Melanie Hogan (‘03) married Xavier Fux on Saturday, June 26, 2010 in Tulum. In attendance at the Hogan-Fux wedding were many ASF alumni.

Stephen Albarran (‘03) is getting married to Anya Soldatenkova on November 6, 2010.

Ruth (Eklund) Deffley (‘96) and her husband Nicholas Deffley are parents to a new healthy baby boy, Caleb Matthew Deffley, born June 10 in Minneapolis.

Stephanie de St. Aubin (‘01) got married to Allan Baker on November 21, 2009 in Mexico City.

Maria Hank (‘99) is engaged to Marcelino Noval. They will get married in November 2010.

Jonathan Salomon (‘03) is engaged to Sharon Ovadia.

They will get married on October 23, 2010.

Lucy Beltran (‘99) got married to Jeff Miller on May 22, 2010 in New Orleans.

42 Focus

José Cortes (‘03) married María José Ricalde on June 5, 2010. They are moving to Chicago, as José will study his master’s at the University of Chicago. There were many ASF alumni in attendance.

Mauricio Atri (‘00) married Lorenza Amigo on April 24, 2010. Some of the ASF alumni attended the wedding.

What Are You Up To? Let Focus be your way of letting the ASF community know what’s been going on in your life after you moved on from the school. Send information to alumni@asf.edu.mx. Don’t forget to include a photo!

Karla Diaz (‘03) and José Antonio Torbay got married on May 29, 2010 in Caracas, Venezuela. The religious ceremony will take place in August on Playa del Secreto at the Riviera Maya.

Dominique Szostak (‘03) married Diego Yrivarren at “Jardín Cerritos” in Cuernavaca, Morelos on March 20, 2010.

Pablo Cervantez (‘00) married María Zebadua.

Manuela Ferry (‘98) would like to share the news of the birth of her baby girl.

Renata was born December 1, 2009.

Francisco Albisua (‘02) and Mónika Cárdenas got engaged on June 20, 2010.

Camila Diez Barroso (‘99) married Rodrigo Hutt on April 24, 2010 in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.

Focus 43

alumni / reunions

1970: Together by the Bay W

Bertha Martinez Plata de Allen, Rosemary Durazzo de Muñoz, Rosario Miranda de Martin, Jane Dabdoub de Bartlett, Lorna Baird de Coffield.

e had a Class of ‘70 mini-reunion in the San Francisco Bay area and it was great! Bertha Martinez Plata de Allen hadn’t seen us in years because we had lost contact. After 30 years we got back in touch thanks to Facebook! And there were some girls whom she hadn’t seen in more than 40 years. It felt like we never lost contact.

We had the best time walking through Chinatown and seeing memorable spots in San Francisco, like Lombard Street, Twin Peaks, Ocean Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf and so on.

We met in Emeryville and saw a little bit of Oakland, too. We visited Rockaway Beach and bought BBQ from Mr. Gorilla, a famous dive that has been featured on TV. For the Emeryville Fourth of July reunion, some spouses and Bertha’s mother joined us for dinner at P.F. Chang’s. After dinner, we gathered to enjoy the fireworks at San Francisco Bay. We had fun looking at our yearbook and updating Bertha about everyone we keep in touch with. July 5th is when we went to Rockaway Beach and then to my apartment where everyone met my twin sons. We also saw pictures from other reunions and more yearbooks that Rosemary so kindly brought with her. We all agreed that we have to see each other more often.

—Rosario Miranda de Martin (“Chayo”)

1975: Can’t Say No in Acapulco C

ompadres from the Class of ’75 spent an unforgettable weekend on the beach in Acapulco, celebrating our 35-year reunion. Dubbed the “ACA-Pachanga 2010,” the reunion took place at the fabulous Fairmont Pierre Marques resort, which provided the perfect atmosphere for a wonderful mix of spirited celebration and laid-back quality time to catch up with old friends.

We enjoyed luxuriously long desayunos in the morning and comidas in the afternoon, charlando y chismeando poolside and at the beach, with the World Cup on in the bar, and shopping excursions into town.

Thursday night, a hearty group of early arrivers braved Acapulco evening traffic to trek to La Quebrada, and made it just in time to catch the last cliff divers’ night show. The reunion kicked into full swing Friday with a “campeonato de chistes” in the afternoon and an oceanside taquiza.

Saturday night, the party got underway with a dinner dance at the Club Elcano Diamante, an absolutely stunning beachfront location that offered a bit of everything. We enjoyed an incredible open-air cena under a huge palapa, swapped stories at the bar and took moonlit strolls across the lawns to the beach. At midnight, we were treated to a spectacular beachside fireworks display, and then the entire class danced into the early morning hours. A magic moment happened when a group took the dance from the floor into the shallow end of the pool and was quickly joined by just about

44 Focus

everyone —pool dancing was born! We capped off the night with a tribute to our first reunion in 1995, as the entire group locked arms to sing “Hey Jude,” “Let it Be” and “You’ve Got a Friend.”

Huge thanks go out to the organizing committee. In the D.F., Lorena Brown, Irene Philips, Uri Mueller and John Santamaria performed miracles on a tight budget and created two enchanting events on the beach. These remarkable people have been the heart and soul of our reunions, and we are all in their debt for creating unforgettable memories over the past 15 years. Also, kudos to the reunion team in the north —Jorge Arzac, Susana Bancalari, Deena Berg, Debbie Brach, Mario Covo, Patrick Foarde, Matt O’Connell and Johanna Siegmann— who spent months planning and promoting the event in the States.

Heartfelt thanks fo to the veterans who attended: Carl Schmidt, Carlos Berriochoa, Chris Bacon, Jack Christopherson, Divo Milan, Laura Cohen, Laura Lorenzo, Leslie Goldfarb, Liz Treviño, Liz Wallace, Marty Goebel, Mauri Lampell, Michele McCreanor and Patty Dillon. It was a joy seeing you again. Chuly Lee and Chris Clark earned the medal of honor for coming the farthest —all the way from Shanghai. We also had first timers: Elizabeth Weidmer, Jim Murray and Gus Schiele. It is always special when classmates experience their first ASF reunion.

Many classmates made the effort, but had to cancel at the last minute: Mario Covo, Álvaro Castillo, Dan Swietlik, Diego López, Jill Cravens, Seth Freeman and Valeria Agostinone – we had a table set in their honor. We hope they felt the energy and know that they were deeply missed.

For everyone else de la generación del ’75 —never forget that you are part of something extraordinary. See you in five, or sooner!

Classmates, spouses and friends cap off the night with a rousing rendition of “You’ve Got a Friend.” Back row, left to right: Richard Humphreys, Carl Schmidt, Jim Murray, Becky Murray, John Santamaria, Johanna Siegmann, Liz Wallace Duarte, Martin Goebel, Leslie Goldfarb Silverstein, Bruno Calderon, Debby Brach, Deena Berg, Liz Treviño, Elsa Bancalari, Sheila Foarde, Patrick Foarde, Chuly Lee, Mauricio Lampell, Elizabeth Weidmer Mikhail, Chris Clark, Barb O’Connell. Front row, left to right: Michelle McCreanor Starkey, Liz Young, Jorge Arzac, Irene Philips, Jack Christopherson, Laura Lorenzo Wojcik, Lorena Brown, Susana Bancalari, Laura Cohen, Patty Dillon Allman, Gus Schiele, Divo Milan, Uriel Mueller. In front, left to right: Matt O’Connell, Chris Bacon.

Golden Days: ASF Centennial, Encore L

ast February, I received a call from Lilian Barta de Merlo (’62) inviting me to a luncheon at her place on May 22. I was happy to hear from her. We had been good friends and had worked together for The American School Alumni Association some 20 some years ago. Lilian was vice president and president of the Alumni Association, as well as the Gazette’s editor for many years. She has a beautiful voice and participated in all the musical events the ASAA sponsored. It turns out that she had found the video to “Golden Days,” a musical the Alumni Association put on during The American School’s Centennial Celebration, 22 years ago. The purpose of the get-together was to watch the video with everybody who participated in the production.

When I got to Lilian’s and Armando’s place I was overwhelmed by the beautiful tables in maroon and white, the “circle of friends” centerpieces and… the cast.

Everyone who has been to a class reunion knows the feeling of recognizing faces you haven’t seen in years and the warmth of that first hello hug.

After lunch, drinks and conversation, the video started. I remember going to the La Salle Theater then, June 24, 1988, and enjoying the show, even shedding some tears when Lester Beattie Jr. (’53) led the American School Song. Well, this time, I enjoyed it even more. We laughed watching John Gwynn (’52) and Johnny Carmona (’63), and sang along to every other performance. Then the American School Song came on and, once again, I got a knot in my throat. Back in 1988, toward the end of the show, Roberto Justus played “Auld Lang Syne” and the cast joined hands. At Lilian’s party, we did the same.

Those present at the reunion were: Héctor Arellano (‘59), Bibi Contreras (‘56), Adriana Sordo (‘65), Roberto (‘60) and Yolanda Justus, Stephie Kurian (‘62), Rosina Magaña (‘50), Armando Ortiz (’74), Denise Phinder (‘66), Phyllis Shoemaker (‘59), Missy Holden (‘59), Nancy Stich (‘73), Enrique Reyes (‘56), Elsita del Villar (‘47), Male Zamorano (‘57), Mariana Carmona (‘56), Johnny Carmona (‘63), Linda Litchi (‘57), Eloisa Pérez Vargas, Bertha Hidalgo (‘42), Álvaro Rodríguez (‘54), Gloria Vaca (‘56), Alfredo Noriega (’85) and Carolina Jules (‘63). Thank you, Lili!

—Anacecilia Perez Vargas (‘81)

Adriana Sordo (‘65), Enrique Reyes (‘56), Male Calvo de Zamorano (‘57)

The reunion brought together the cast and crew of “Golden Days.”

ASF ALUMNI NETWORKING NIGHT 2010 ASF celebrated our third annual Networking Night in the Bar Brick @ Brick Hotel. We are proud to host this kind of alumni gathering because of how special it is to be able to bring people from all classes, backgrounds, ages, professional experiences and walks of life under one roof. Not only did we enjoy some fine canapés and drinks, but we also got the opportunity to seize on alumni’s different involvements, jobs and causes —or simply make new friends. It was a great success with more than 100 attendees. We would like to thank Alejandro Toussier (‘96) for helping us host the event at the Brick.

David Karam (‘80), ASF Executive Director Paul Williams, Judith Mariscal (‘77), John Hogan (‘77).

Jorge Mustri (‘03), Melanie Hogan (‘03), Jennifer Hogan (‘05), Daniel Besquin (‘03).

Rodrigo Solis (‘87), Jennifer Nacif (‘86), César Buenrostro (‘85).

Kenneth Peterson (‘80), David Karam (‘80), Sergio Lopez (‘80).

Alejandro Toussier (‘96), Carlos Gonzalez (‘96).

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alumni / class notes

’48

Kathleen Niven Lechner writes: “It was an honor to have one of my paintings [shown here] included in my city’s spring brochure.

My first art classes were at The American School and I have been drawing and painting ever since. Also want to mention how much I enjoyed your magazine [Focus, Winter 2009/10] featuring Leonora Carrington, whose amazing work I have admired for years.

‘55/’56

Maria Kruttschnitt Johnston (‘55) and her husband Robert recently visited Louise Kruttschnitt Morad (‘56) and her husband James. Maria and Robert live in Dallas, Texas and have two sons and three granddaughters. Louise and James live in Washington D.C. and have two daughters and four grandsons.

Louise has traveled the world and held numerous art exhibits. Maria is working for the Foundation for the Education of Young Women (www.feyw.org), which a dear friend founded. It supports all-girls urban public schools in Texas.

‘58

John Christian writes: “On a stormy Saturday, last April, the poignant Viva Mexico! exhibit opened simultaneously with Bill Wittliff’s Vaquero: Genesis of the Texas Cowboy on the campus of Texas State University in San Marcos. Both exhibitions were sponsored and hosted by Texas State and by the Wittliff Southwestern and Mexican Photography Collection in celebration of Texas and Mexico’s 1810-2010 Commemoration.

The exhibitions ran through July 31st.

A very pleasant surprise was meeting and visiting with Ellie Stewart (‘50) as we were able to catch up on a little Mexico City news of the past. It was truly a great experience meeting her.

“There were some 100 photographs alone in theViva Mexico! exhibit made by some 40 photographers, most of them from Mexico, but also many from other nations. There were images by well-known artists such as Manuel Alvarez Bravo (considered as the grand master of Mexican photography, and whom I visited long ago at his home in Coyoacan), Nacho Lopez, Graciela Iturbide, Mariana Yampolsky, Maya Goded, Flor Garduño and Guillermo Kahlo,

46 Focus

Frida’s father. Others included Yolanda Andrade, Lola Alvarez Bravo, Héctor García, Antonio Turok and Lázaro Blanco (who may have taught photography at The American School circa 1968).

Photographers from other countries included Henri Cartier Bresson, Paul Strand, Keith Carter, Bill Wittliff, C.B. Waite, Tina Modotti, Edward Weston, Hugo Brehme (the gifted German photographer who later became a Mexican citizen and whose book, Picturesque Mexico, heavily influenced me in my early childhood in Mexico City) and many others.”

John Christian (‘58) pointing at his photograph. (Photo by Steve Schwartzman)

‘60

Corky Cave writes: “Through the magic of e-mail I caught up with Jimmy Mazal, a classmate from our AHS ‘60 class. I had moved away from the DF after our sophomore year, but had spent three years with my classmates. This year was our 50th anniversary and I am determined to see some of my old classmates. Jimmy was the first opportunity I had. I was going to be in Austin, Texas and he lives not too far from there in Boerne, Texas. Jimmy and wife Denise operate a wonderful toy store named the Eye & Ewe, which also offers a large selection of yarn, needlepoint, Czech glass and furniture.

The store is adjacent to their restaurant, The Little Gretel. His wife is the chef at the Little Gretel and has been joined in her endeavor by world-renowned chef Marcel Desaulniers, the former chef at The Trellis restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia and author of the book Death

By Chocolate. Jimmy and I enjoyed a wonderful lunch with awesome food and warm memories of friends and craziness past. I hated to leave, but Jimmy had to get back to the toy store and Denise back to the grill and I back to Austin.

Such a good day! I was also fortunate enough on this Texas trip to spend time with John Christian (’58) and with Bill Struen (’57) and his wife Gail.“

Missing: are Monty Skidmore and Steve Kean. Jimmy, Bob, Abbott and Mugs were 12 (I think), and the rest were 13.

Don’t know how old coaches John Niederhauser and Norm Borlaugh were.“

‘64

Marcelle Reiss Petzold writes: This photograph of the Class of 1964, which was taken between 1955 and 1956, has the names of the students on the back.

“Mexican Rural Police, ca. 1975” by John Christian

‘59

Vincent E. Palmeri, Jr. (beansnhay6@aol.com) writes: “We moved to Mexico City in 1946 and I attended the Garside School for a short time. I transferred to The American School and was there until 1951. Upon our return to the U.S. I attended local schools, then St. Mary’s High School in New Haven, Connecticut, graduating in 1959. I then went on to the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington where at least two other ASF alums were known to me. I graduated in 1963, entered the army as a lieutenant and served in Germany until 1965.

I remained in the Army Reserve for 30 years, retiring in 1993 as a full colonel.

Along the way I got my MBA and my civilian work has been in the field of financial management and facilities management.

I am pretty much retired and spend part of my time looking up old friends and acquaintances. I am pleased to say that we make it a point to get back to Mexico at least once or twice a year and while me falta práctica I still do pretty well. I would love to hear from anyone and everyone with whom I attended The American Scool. It just does not seem to have been that long ago.”

‘65 Corky Cave (‘60), Jimmy Mazal (‘60)

‘63

Phil McGuire writes: “This Azteca all-stars photograph was taken just before we left for McAllen to get our butts kicked by the Monterrey team that won the 1957 Little League World Series. The little guy on the end is Galdino Vasquez, a kid from the neighborhood who asked to try out whatever year it was tryouts were being held. They lent him a glove because he didn’t have one, and he not only got into the league but ended up an all star. We have been having an on-line discussion about how long a shower he took the first night we were in McAllen. Some say it was 45 minutes, others say he got in before we went out to have dinner, and was still there when we got back. The photograph was taken in front of the Lorettas’ house.

Jan Kirby writes from San Antonio: “Hi! Having taught Special Education for 23 years, I have been working as a volunteer at Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio. This place was created for me! It is an amazing place, the first park of its kind built for total accessibility by people with disabilities. There is no charge for a person with a disability. When I taught the Pre-School Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD), there was nothing available for all my students to participate in when we went on field trips. So it is a joy to work tat this park and watch the expressions and giggles! Please go to www.morganswonderland.com and look at the park.”

‘67

E.C. “Stan” Field writes: ¨I was going through my old books and found some ancient AHS publications. I took a few hours to scan one of them since I’d seen no mention of it recently. I decided to leave the hires scans up for those who want to look real close. They’re at: http://domesticdungeon.com/AHS/AHS_Creative_1966. html. It’s an interesting peek back at an exciting time.”

’59

‘80

Karen Rosen writes from San Diego: “I went to The American School from kindergarten to the 11th grade, when I moved to San Diego, where I have lived ever since. I received from San Diego State University a BA in both graphic design and Latin American literature, and contrary to Mr. Lapadat’s beliefs, I graduated Summa Cum Laude and received the Outstanding Student Award from the College of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures.

ASF is without doubt the very best school. The friends I made there, students and teachers, will have a special place in my heart forever and ever.

“I have three incredible daughters who are my greatest gifts. Tanya, 22, is a graphic design student at The Art Institute; Ilana, 19, is at FIDM in Los Angeles and works as an intern at Elle; Nikki, 16, is studying digital art media at Coronado High.

“After 10 years of study in different healing fields, I now teach self-help seminars for children, teenagers and adults, including emotional therapies, Reiki therapies, meditation and my new passion — Laughter Yoga! It combines laughter exercises with yogic breathing (Pranayama) to allow more oxygen to enter the body, making you feel more energetic and healthier as it rids harmful toxins from your body. I travel to Mexico City to teach about once a month. I can be contacted at Krosen77@aol.com or (619) 250-2080.”

’00

Juan José Solórzano finished his MBA at Chicago and Andrés Rodriguez finished his MBA at Georgetown University.

‘03

María Vidal is currently designing at Gashaball Mexican Toy Company whose primary goal is to promote Mexican design and creativity around the world, by innovating and revolutionizing from the brainstorming to the distribution of final products.

‘05

Carlos Cohen will be participating in the Firestone Indy Lights with Brooks Associates Racing and will later join Logan Racing for the IZOD Indy Car Series. For information on supporting the project feel free to contact Carlos via e-mail at cohenleon. carlos@hotmail.com.

‘08

Ana Sofia Guerra is studying Ecology & Evolution at Stanford University.

Are you in shape? Seize the summer and start training to run for a good cause this fall. ASF and ASDEPORTE will be hosting a 5K and 10K race on Oct. 24th, 2010, which means you still have time to train for the distance you wish to run. All proceeds will go towards the Annual Scholarship Drive. If you have any questions, please contact alumni@asf.edu.mx.

After 60 years in Mexico, Diana Zykofsky Anhalt (‘59) is relocating to the United States. She and her husband Mauricio (‘52) are settling in Atlanta, Georgia, to be close to their son, Ricardo (‘85). The Anhalts also have a daughter, Laura (‘86) who lives in New York.

During her years in Mexico, Diana has been an active member of the ASF community, first as a student and later as a parent, teacher, a member of the PTA, Foundation and Board and a tireless volunteer.

An author and journalist, she edited and wrote what was then known as the Focus/Enfoque newsletter, a precursor of the Focus magazine we know today.

Diana wrote the following poem to record her feelings for Mexico and dedicated it to the friends she leaves behind: To My Mover

by Diana Anhalt (For my Mexico City friends) You claim you can crate and ship anything: forty-one paintings, the piano, dining room table, headboard (king-sized), Persian carpets, the African sculpture of a family tree— carved from a single piece of ebony.

So, why not the rest of it?

That cargo of Mexican clouds, for example, the view from my window of six miniature flags flapping in the wind, sun rising behind the volcanoes ––they’re not on the invoice.

If you can’t deliver, who the hell will?

What will I do without bougainvillea, fruit stands, Spanish, mariachis, church bells, corny nineteenth century waltzes, and the no hay retorno signs?

Or those other fixtures of everyday life: Guadalupe virgins, rosaries and baby shoes, dangling from taxicab windshields, bald infants in headbands and Saturday dresses, or markets redolent of herbs to cure amnesia, cancer, heartbreak; sting of chili on my tongue, flavor of mole, wet season rainbows, scent of tortilla dough, mangos, dust, warring colors—fuchsia, chartreuse— abrazos, handshakes, casual kisses, an arm around my shoulder, my friends…

Focus 47

kids’ corner

Life Cycle Lessons In Room 4 we have been studying about living things.

We each picked a living thing that we wanted to know more about. We investigated the life cycle of that living thing and we chose a way to present our findings. We thought about all of the ways that we can share things we have learned. Here are a few examples.

I chose to make a Power Point presentation about turtles because I wanted to know how the turtles grow, and I wanted to learn how to read better.

-Diego Cortina

I chose to write a book about sunflowers because I found sunflowers in the other school.

I chose to write a book because I wanted a book about sunflowers. -Cayetano Grana

I chose to make a movie about turtles because I like movies. —Alexis 48 Focus