January 1791 Letter

J a n u a ry 2 0 1 2

BERWICK A C A D E M Y

1791 L e t t e r

Martin Luther King, Jr. Assembly

1791 Letter ~ January 2012

1

MESSAGE F R O M

Throwing

away a

Head

of

School’s

education

A lot is changing in my life. With girl number three headed my way in June, this feels like the understatement of the century. A few things happened over winter break that reminded me that this was, in fact, my new reality. Most notably, I celebrated my last family holiday in the home of my childhood.

Now that my parents have fully retired and have been drawn to warmer places, our house in suburban Boston will likely be sold this spring. I have been a bit perplexed by the emotional paralysis exhibited by my parents surrounding this decision (warm sounds pretty good to me), and in many ways I have been happily surprised to learn of their deep sense of nostalgia associated with that physical space. A few weeks ago my mom dropped about twenty boxes of papers, books, and photos from my childhood closet on my doorstep at the Hayes House, formally closing my last personal chapter of my youth.

On the day after New Year’s, I found a rare empty house, so I forced myself to tackle these boxes, which had been resting in the garage for a few weeks. The vast majority of the materials were the notebooks, papers, and projects from my late years of high school, four years of college, and my semester abroad in England. Scattered amongst these were the expected photos, newspaper clippings, trophies, journals, and letters that accompany this stretch of time for everyone, I would assume. It was simultaneously the most intimate and personal collection of 2

Greg Schneider

Head of School

things and the most mundane physical tokens of my education that one could imagine.

Let me begin with a few relevant disclaimers. This is not my attempt to share too much information about the drama of my twenties; I will try to spare you those details. You are, however, being granted a window into my deep, but appropriate, marital divides. Amy, to her credit, is what I would call an extreme minimalist. She loathes clutter and attaches relatively little emotion to…well, junk. I, on the other hand, suffer just a bit from holding onto ripped T-Shirts, knick knacks, trophies, and newspaper articles on account of their connection to a memory or person. I tend to fear that without the piece of paper or object, the related memories will simply slip away. What proof will I have that I mattered? And so, with this backdrop, I turned my attention to the task of sorting through my education on New Year’s Day.

I entered the project with a pit in my stomach, but perhaps what was most revealing was to reflect back upon what was easy to discard and what was not. I began in the realm of College English classes, which I consider my passion, trying to read what kinds of grades my professors were giving me for my refined prose at that time. After reading a few comments that I didn’t like, I found myself loosen up and begin tossing notebooks and folders with surprising ease. I had moments of reverie in reading the lists of books and assignments, particularly those of my favorites: Forester, Joyce, Wolff, Conrad, Greene, Bowen, etc. While I couldn’t remember every plot line, I 1791 Letter ~ January 2012

could remember being swept away into the characters and their commentary on the human condition. The volume of my own notes and notebooks was staggering – the proof that I had done the work. I found myself drifting back to the extraordinary number of hours I spent in Frost library at Amherst College, grinding through Xeroxed readers and editing papers on my spiffy first generation Macintosh PowerBook.

As point of grounding, remember that email was invented during my junior year. I even found a few floppy disks strewn throughout the boxes but didn’t dare try to unlock their hidden words of wisdom.

Perhaps the most painful of the English boxes was my senior thesis – a rather sad attempt at a novel given my creative writing concentration. There was correspondence with my advisor, most of which bemoaned the fact that I didn’t think it was very good. I read a few pages of my thesis and concluded rather quickly that I was still right.

However, there remains a part of me that hopes to one day write a book and lead a writer’s life for a while – the isolation of which would be quite different from the extroversion required of my current position. So the copies of my thesis made it to a shelf in my library, and the other detritus of my English major went to the garbage.

The next group of boxes addressed economics - my second major; this gave me a bit more pause than expected. A quick flip through my scribbles about the Lagrangian multiplier and the hieroglyphics of econometrics brought back a few shivers. And yet I was struck by how much of the concepts learned in that

BERWICK A C A D E M Y major I use with considerable regularity in my current role – price elasticity, markets, dynamics of human choice, demand, etc. Ironically, this had been the major I had undertaken mostly to keep my dad happy at the time. While clearly a proud parent now, he had a few initial reservations about my dreams of being a high school English teacher at the time. In fact, he had convinced me that what I really wanted to be as a freshman was a computer programmer.

A year of coursework later, along with a failed attempt to write a Monopoly program in Pascal, I decided there had to be another way. Economics was much more palatable and engaging, but most of this all went in the trash in the end – only the textbooks survived.

The dry, frigid, economic textbooks made it to the preservation shelf and virtually all of the real work I did – notes, the papers, the problem sets, went right to the trash. I am quite sure those textbooks will never be opened again until someone is forced to clear out my belongings.

There was a series of things that I simply could not discard. All of the photos avoided the dump – I flipped through a few and thought I needed to put them in a place where no one else would see them. Seeing these images of college made me feel old but glad that such a period had in fact occurred – other than the scruffy lamb chops and ridiculous mullet haircut I had adopted during my senior year for some unknown reason. The one series of notebooks that I could not bring myself to discard came from my jazz improvisation classes. As I flipped through explanations of the diminished and half-diminished scales, I actually thought this was something I might continue to use.

Perhaps most emotional of all

were the football materials – programs, videos, trophies, pictures, newspaper clippings. They all were placed in a closet as well, as it was simply too painful to let them go. Ironically, I almost quit playing football after my junior year in college for a number of reasons. I will spare you the gory details. Having stuck with it and achieved some level of success somehow feels significant, even to this day. There were just so many people able to produce good grades in the library – many far more gifted than I as intellectuals. One framed letter from this box made me smile cynically: a letter from the Amherst College president, congratulating me on winning a number of national scholar athlete awards during my senior year. While it should be a proud letter, I remember it as the opposite.

Later that senior year, I was invited to a dinner at the president’s house before my graduation. When I tried to thank him that spring for having written such a thoughtful letter, he stared at me blankly. I concluded that he had never written the letter.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was flipping through the journals, the letters, and mementoes of the various relationships I was in during that period of time. I tried to sift through some of them, thinking that it all might rekindle some warm and fuzzy sense of nostalgia and sentimentality. After perusing a few pages, they too went to the dump. For some reason, I concluded some of those memories and emotions were better left undisturbed.

When I flopped back on the couch, knowing that my wife would be proud of the thirteen trash bags that I had discarded, I was left to contemplate what my education really meant – in fact, what it really was. As someone who spends his days obsessing about 1791 Letter ~ January 2012

1791 Letter

curriculum, the purpose of education, the value of education – it was a bit of a scary proposition to have just sent 90% of what I considered to be my education to the transfer station. Still, I was able to conclude that a few things really did matter to me. Keep in mind, I am not trying to espouse that these points are the same for everyone; it was just one Head of School’s attempt to sort through the pride, nostalgia, and sadness that seemed to wash over me at the time.

I cared most about the areas where I had demonstrated persistence.

Football, jazz theory, the thesis (in a more twisted way), all represented moments where I had seen a difficult project through to completion. The experience of cataloguing readers and notebooks reminded me of just how hard it can be to survive twenty years of education in competitive environments.

Related to this feeling about persistence was some acknowledgement that I had survived, and thrived, alongside some very talented people. My father warned me when I headed off to college that so many of my peers would care less about what I valued and would be better at it than I was. His message, when one moved past the classic Schneider veneer, was something about showing up and outworking people mattered more than natural intelligence. I sat on the couch thinking that it had been a little bit of both for me – I had demonstrated some grit during my education, but I had also been willing to put myself into environments with others who were far more talented than I. They made me better.

Another revelation was the fact that my education offered me incredible exposure. Courses opened continued on pg 10...

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Peter Saliba - Upper School Director

Upper School News One of the things I appreciate about Berwick is the partnership with our parents. I have worked with other schools that do not share the same depth of relationship, and it makes all the difference in the world. Although the vast majority of parent feedback I get is positive, I also receive constructive feedback that has helped to improve the experiences of our students. Over my five years, I’ve seen a number of changes and initiatives that have come from our parent body that have helped shape the Upper School.

Academically, parents have asked for more opportunities for academic support and curricular enhancement.

This resulted in the hiring of an Academic Support Coordinator (Sarah Ross), the creation of a peer tutoring system (students helping students), and a recasting of how we approach our academic reporting (all students get unofficial grades) at the mid-point of the trimester. Additionally, the change to a trimester calendar has allowed greater numbers of students to take electives (new additions include courses such as Forensics, Evolutionary Biology, and Business Math) and to manage their course loads better throughout the academic year.

After our all-school field trip to Boston last academic year, a group of parents suggested that we consider another approach to such an experience. There was a groundswell of support to have a day of service that was embraced by both the students and faculty. Over the course of the summer 4

and fall, Mary Towey and Mary Pat Dolan put together an incredibly powerful day of “Serving the Seacoast.�

On the Monday before Thanksgiving, all of our students spread out in our greater community and provided a day of service to those in need. It was a fantastic moment for the Upper School and the Seacoast.

On the social front, a new initiative piloted this year was our Freshmen Foundations seminar in response to suggestions about transitioning all students to the Upper School. Study skills, social adjustment, and physical health were some of the topics that Kim Kryder (School Counselor) and Sarah Ross addressed with all of our ninth grade students.

On Tuesday, January 31, I will be hosting the Upper School parent forum on the third floor of Fogg. Many of the ideas mentioned above came from this event and although I know that all of our lives are incredibly busy, I hope you can make time to attend.

At this night you can not only meet other parents, but hear what is on their minds and have a chance to hear a bit about where the Upper School is and where it is going.

The agenda for the evening will be coordinated by our Berwick Parents Community and will be included in my weekly on Friday, January 27. While I spend the majority of my time immersed in the life of the students and faculty at school, I relish the opportunity to see our parents and explore ideas to make Berwick even better. This is your 1791 Letter ~ January 2012

chance to be involved and I hope to see you there!

Rosemary Zurawel - Middle School Director

Middle School News January is a time of new beginnings, but in school lives, it makes a mid-point when each student and teacher has equal time in the past and the future.

While we sit on this pivot point, we are reminded by the arrival of the new year that this is the time to make plans for living better lives. As with many diets and exercise programs, the strong resolve can have a short life. For those who make academic resolutions, the daily reminders of classes, assessments, and work are harder to escape than avoiding the gym by driving home another way or promising to eat two apples tomorrow in exchange for a brownie today.

Students and teachers share so much of their lives with one another, that the efforts to begin anew seem pretty common. For students, “I’ll study more and get my homework complete and delivered on time,” is ubiquitous.

For me, the promise looks something like, “I will find creative ways to help students learn new grammar. I’ll try to talk less. I will choose my own attitude each day.”

Of my resolutions, the last one is the most critical to each aspect of the day, month, and year. It works for children as well as for adults, and is one of the essential practices from the books, Fish, and Fish Sticks. Both are tiny books written about the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, where workers and tourists alike are having fun. Here are the four principles:

o Choose - to make today a great day. o Play - Be serious about your work without taking yourself too seriously at work. o Be there - Don’t let distractions destroy the quality which is present in each moment. o Find someone who needs a helping hand, a word of support, or a good earand make their day!

A card above my desk reminds me of the Pike Place Fish Market and the four principles. The students and teachers in the Middle School are not the Fortune 500 company executives for whom these fish stories have been written. Nonetheless, I can think of no more important people in my life who deserve to live most of their waking hours in an environment where these principles are practiced (on most days).

As a parent of an adolescent a decade ago, I was more likely to chant these four principles at times of stressful interactions. The “pushpull” of adolescent deserves some sort of serenity mantra in order for the parents to survive. On one particularly contentious morning that had a bad hair day, anxiety about a test, some social angst, and just plain irritability from less than ideal sleep, I was smiling as I drove into school listening to an unusually long harangue about how mean and lacking I was as a parent. I acknowledged (using my transactional analysis approach), “It sounds like you’re pretty irritated today.”

I 1791 Letter ~ January 2012

smiled and waited. The reply, to my surprise, “Mom, you’re choosing your own attitude again, aren’t you?” To say that the accusation diffused both the anger and tension in the car is an understatement. We dissolved in laughter.

When I was in graduate school, I had a professor of philosophy who brought in a “mindfulness” bell that was handed to a different member of the seminar each week. The responsibility of the holder of the bell was to ring it at a moment when it appeared that the seminar was losing focus. As the single chime faded, we all stopped and breathed deeply for what seemed like a minute, and then resumed the discussion. Ultimately, I have long sought a “mindfulness” bell, but noticed that my daughter now owns a brass bowl that she acquired that serves to call her to mindful meditation. This bowl is used in Buddhist meditations, and the sweet sound always brings me back to center.

It is this centering of the mind that lies at the heart of balance, a core value of Berwick Academy. Balance requires concentration and practice. It is demanding of constant readjustment.

And as is true with any life skill, there is no wrong or right way to achieve it.

It is a work in progress. As the new half of our school year unfolds, I send you my wish for balance in the months ahead.

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Joel Hawes - Lower School Director

Lower School News A collaborative effort between Berwick Academy and the University of New England, The Teaching Institute supports master’s degree candidates studying elementary and middle level education.

Graduate-level interns work with Berwick mentor teachers in assisting and leading classroom preparations and instruction for successive one-semester sessions on Monday through Thursday of each school week. The interns also take graduate level courses over two bookend summers, and on Wednesday afternoons, and throughout the day on Fridays during their program year.

Interns are placed in two different Lower and/or Middle School classroom settings for the year. In December, we bid farewell to Ms. Kalyn Sullivan and thanked her for her wonderful work with Mrs. Amy Criswell and their second grade class.

Kalyn has moved to the Middle School for the second semester of her graduate program. As we start the second half of The Teaching Institute year, we are excited to welcome Ms. Luna Serrano and Ms. Kate Remsberg to our division. Ms. Serrano will be working with Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Lynch in our Kindergarten classroom and Ms. Remsberg will be working with Mrs. Hedges in our first grade classroom; I included their bios in a January 6 Lower School Weekly. As always, I appreciate the talent and enthusiasm that the interns bring to our program.

From January through May, I teach the Math Methods course to the interns over a two-hour stretch 6

on Friday mornings. Helping them develop the confidence and background knowledge to teach such an important subject area to elementary and middle level students consistently proves to be a meaningful experience. Yet, it also proves to be a worthwhile professional development opportunity. In varied ways, the professional development piece is just as important for our Lower School mentor teachers who, yearly, open their classrooms to the promise of professional discourse inherent in the mentor-intern partnership.

Whether by way of The Teaching Institute or other means, I appreciate the varied professional development experiences that occur in the Lower School, as professional growth is such an important component of a teacher’s life.

Professional development connects with our Lower School promise of faculty members growing and stretching consistent with the manner and approach which we would ask of our students. I value the formal and informal means by which the faculty and I continue to grow in our instructional and organizational endeavors. In fact, our faculty group will be highlighting professional development experiences during our upcoming January and February faculty meetings. We have strategically allotted agenda space for faculty to report out on the various school visits, conference participation and research opportunities that have helped shape their individual growth and our collective development during the summer and into the school year.

We will learn about faculty members who have embarked on school 1791 Letter ~ January 2012

accreditation visits at New England independent schools. We will hear from faculty who have attended recent technology conferences.

We will gain new information from a faculty member who attended a learning and the brain conference, and we will learn from faculty who have participated in recent grade-level workshops. More importantly we will concentrate on how new ideas can help shape and refine our program and likewise, how educational comparisons can further validate the work we are doing in the Lower School.

Typically, our faculty meetings occur every other Wednesday afternoon. We certainly have a great deal to discuss including the abovementioned Teaching Institute and professional development practices.

We will also focus heavily on discussions surrounding the February 13 Unified Arts Week, the March 8 Lower School production and ongoing Lower School connections ranging from curriculum mapping to homeroom/unified arts integrations to our social-emotional curriculum. Whether in one-on-one discussions or full-faculty approaches, teachers working collegially and collaboratively always proves to be the most meaningful form of group professional development as we continue our central purpose of ensuring a community centered on an optimal learning environment for our pre-Kindergarten through fourth grade students.

Rob Quinn - Athletic Director

Rafferty sets Berwick Academy all-time scoring record

With his 24-point effort in Berwick Academy’s 60-32 win over Landmark on Wednesday night, senior guard Harry Rafferty became the School’s all-time leading scorer.

Rafferty broke the record of 1,394, set

by John Fagan in 2003, at the 13:35 mark of the second half. The School record now is 1,404 points, which Rafferty will look to increase as the season progresses. The School will recognize Rafferty’s achievement by having his name added to a plaque with the School’s other 1,000-point scorers. Rafferty is the reigning Eastern Independent League MVP. “He has been nothing short (of an MVP),” his coach Rory Early said. “He represents the league with class and character.”

Congratulations Harry!

Wright hits 100 points for BA Girls Hockey

Anna Wright scored her 100th point on December 10 during a 3-3 tie in a game against the New Hampshire Avalanche during the Charlie Holt Tournament hosted by Berwick.

Wright scored her 100th career point with an unassisted goal, her team’s second of the game. An imposing presence on the ice, Wright stands 5-foot-11 and has developed her game tremendously in her six seasons on the Bulldogs girls varsity hockey program.

“She’s definitely a physical presence on the ice because of her size,” Berwick coach Pat McNulty said. “She’s very intimidating. She has a cannon for a shot and once opposing players see it, they just get out of her way.”

Congratulations Anna!

Athletics News

Boys Varsity Hockey Team makes the holidays special for a family

The Boys Varsity Hockey team earned a big “thank you” from the New Hampshire Catholic Charities over the holidays for donating gifts for a family suffering from the current economic downturn. Each player was involved in shopping then delivering the gifts. Coach Lathrop donated the gifts to the parents. This was the third year in a row that the team participated in this community service event. The staff at the Rochester office of the NH Catholic Charities was very grateful.

This was a proud moment for our student-athletes and we congratulate the team for their efforts.

• Boys lacrosse helmets: The varsity team is wearing black helmets with blue visors. These are not mandatory for all levels. If you are buying a new helmet you should consider buying one with these colors.

AD Rob Quinn will be placing orders for helmets by the first of February.

There are several models of Cascade helmets we can purchase at competitive pricing.

Pep Rally January 27 at 3:00 p.m.

Included in the line-up are team introductions, dance performances, and a faculty/staff vs. students basketball game. Food will be available during this event. There will be no early bus, and there will be a late bus that leaves at 5:30 p.m. This will be our third year with the new pep rally format, being held at the end of the academic day rather than during the school day.

This schedule shift helps us capture the energy from the pep rally and carry it over to a game that all of our students, K-12, can attend together and enjoy the atmosphere. We have seen a great response from our students from all three divisions about the new pep rally schedule.

• Baseball bats: Standards are regulated in our leagues. The varsity team now uses aluminum bats in all games. Middle School players may use composite bats that meet certain standards. Bats that are 30 inches or longer must have a length to weight differential no greater than three. For example; a bat that is 31 inches cannot weigh less than 28 ounces. Bats that are 30 inches or less cannot have a differential more than five.

• Girls’ lacrosse goggles: There are many styles and makes. There will be a limited number available in the bookstore. When you buy goggles, make sure they are ATSM certified for lacrosse.

Eye on Spring

Spring sports are only six weeks away. Coaches should be getting important information to players by the beginning of February.

1791 Letter ~ January 2012

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Deloris White - Fine Arts Director

The Arts are for a Lifetime Winterfest 2012

Berwick’s annual Winterfest will be held on Friday, January 20, at 7:00 p.m. in the Patricia Baldwin Whipple Arts Center. The performance is dedicated to our most advanced student performers who were selected through a rigorous audition process.

This year, 62 auditions were scheduled over two days to accommodate 93 students in grades one through twelve requesting auditions. These students auditioned as soloists, in duets, and as trios, or in small ensembles, exhibiting enthusiasm, excitement, commitment and a dedication to their chosen performing art. Berwick’s performing arts students continue to raise the standards. This level of dedication and responsibility makes the final selection of the performers for the annual concert extremely challenging.

Again this year, selected work from visual art students K - 12 will be presented in the annual Winterfest Art Exhibit hung in the arts center lobby.

Please mark this date on your calendar; it is a wonderful event devoted to the arts. The admission is free and seating is on a first come first served basis.

The snow date is planned for Sunday, January 22 at 2:30 p.m.

Arts News

jazz choir, and was one of four high school jazz piano students in the state chosen by audition to participate in the festival.

Maine District One High School Honors Music Festival

On January 27-28, 13 Upper School musicians will participate in the Maine District One Honors Music Festival at Noble High School. All students were chosen by audition.

Rebecca Rubin and Stephanie Storey will sing in the treble choir; Cat Connors, Olivia Berger, and Matthew Butcher will sing in the mixed chorus; Nathan Anderson and Chloe Schmir will play in the concert band; Noah Landis will play in the jazz band; and Clayton Jacques, Hersh Bhargava, Hirsh Agarwal, Sarah Yanofsky, and Brennan Santaniello will play in the orchestra. The festival concert begins at 3:00 p.m. at Noble High School on Saturday, January 28, and all are welcome to attend.

York County Junior High Honors Music Festival

On February 3-4, several of our Middle School students will participate in the York County Junior High Honors Music Festival held in Old Orchard Beach. Indigo Milne, Emily Barbour, Jessica Hebert, Lily Reed, and Sahana Heiderscheidt will participate in the orchestra.

MUSIC Jazz Allstate Festival

Noah Landis represented Berwick Academy in the Maine Jazz Allstate Festival, January 5-7, 2012.

He performed as the pianist for the 8

Middle School Music Festival

The York County Jr. High Music Festival will take place on February 3 and 4, 2012, beginning with sectional rehearsals on Friday and Saturday and concluding with a 1791 Letter ~ January 2012

massed concert at 3:00 on Saturday afternoon. These band, chorus, and orchestra students will perform at Loranger Middle School in Old Orchard Beach.

The students nominated this year include: Claire Breger-Belsky, flute; Emma Hambright, clarinet; Sarah Bryn, clarinet (all 8th grade); and Emma Sattler, flute, grade seven. Choir student nominated: Zoe Spearman. Orchestra students: Emily Barbour, Lily Reed, Jessica Hebert, Indigo Milne, Sarah Khan, and Sahana Heiderscheidt.

The festival concert will take place at 4:30 p.m. at Old Orchard Beach High School on Saturday, February 4, and all are welcome to attend.

VISUAL ART Stage Craft

Upper School students are busy creating and constructing sets for Damn Yankees. This group of 17 enthusiastic set designers is working after school each day, researching, designing, drawing, painting, carving, sawing, and creating the magical world inspired by this production.

Off The Hilltop

We are also anxiously awaiting the news from the National Scholastic Art Competition entries. This year, 14 Upper School artists along with one grade eight artist submitted 23 separate works representing a variety of twoand three-dimensional media. Please watch for the results in the February 1791. The regional award winners will continued on pg 10...

BPC Notes - from the BPC Board Members

Parent Community News

January is always an exciting time of year – a new year filled with much optimism. I feel it’s apropos that this January marks the one-year anniversary of the “creation” of the BPC, or Berwick Parent Community. As some of you may know, the Berwick Parent Community was transitioned from the Berwick Academy Parents Association (BAPA) at this time last year, making it an auxiliary of the Academy, rather than a stand-alone non-profit. This transition has allowed us to better align our fundraising and volunteer activities with Berwick’s strategic goals. We have seen great success with this new model, and are continuing to grow and shift along the way. With tremendous support from our wonderful board members, we have become a stronger and more important player in providing financial and volunteer support to the School and our students.

Coordinator. These are wonderful positions to consider if you’re interested in joining the board and wanting to get more involved.

By virtue of being a parent of a student at Berwick Academy, you are automatically considered a member of BPC. We welcome all parents to our general meetings (found listed in the Berwick Calendar) and we are always looking for volunteers to help in classrooms, all aspects of the Community Benefit, the BPC Garden, divisional productions, and within our board to name a few. In the coming weeks, a volunteer survey will be distributed to all parents. Feel free to fill this out to express your interest in lending a hand, and don’t hesitate to contact me with inquiries regarding possible positions on the board. We are currently looking to fill three positions on the BPC Board for next year – LS Coordinator, MS Coordinator and US

Sincerely, Lesli Friel President Berwick Parent Community m.friel@comcast.net

Most importantly, we hope you will plan to join us for our biggest fundraiser of the year, the Berwick Academy Community Benefit that is planned for Saturday, April 28 at The Red Barn at The Outlook in South Berwick. If you’re interested in helping with the planning of this event, join us at our next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 24 at 8:30 a.m. in the Commons Lounge. More information will be sent home this month regarding this exciting event. Be sure to mark your calendars and join us on this celebratory evening.

Wishing all of you a happy and healthy 2012.

Fan, Follow Connect!

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Become a fan to see daily updates, photos, videos, and more. www.facebook.com/ berwickacademy

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Connect, reconnect, and engage with Berwick Academy alumni, parents, and friends. www.linkedin.com Search for Berwick Academy under Groups

1791 Letter ~ January 2012

9

Head of School News...cont. from pg 3

my mind up to some great art, literature, and ways of thinking that I had not known before – and much of it moved me. Some might refer to this as a sense of “learning for learning’s sake.” There were times along the way in that dungeon of a library when I was completely lost in the pages of a novel – not on account of wanting a particular grade. All of this contributed to finding my own way and concluding what mattered to me and not to my parents, mentors, or friends. I found an intellectual identity and curiosity throughout my education that has sustained me in important ways.

Finally, there was some element of belonging that mattered deeply to me my education, which was mostly about relationships. While there was relatively little I could recall about content, I could recall people who changed me in important ways.

The images and names in the pages I sifted through brought this to light for me in powerful ways. Perhaps even more importantly was a sense that I had actually mattered to the communities I had been privileged to join.

My exercise in garbage management was not only about my education; it was about my life. They were one in the same for such a large period of my life, which I think we all need to remember. Educators, or at least the good ones, are in the business of developing people….not simply their minds. As much as I loved every school I attended, I am glad that my life feels more grounded and less fragmented, somehow. And that really is the point, after all – to move our lives forward from education to some deeper sense of meaning and purpose.

At some point the evidence, the notes, and the syllabi become irrelevant – as they should. All the proof one needs about the value of an education exists in the lives we choose to lead 10

thereafter.

I couldn’t help but think a bit about the community I have joined now – the one where my daughter has now begun her education. In many ways, I do think these notions of persistence, exposure, and belonging are the central goals I have for her. I have never been a member of a community that made me feel so confident that this will, in fact, be her reality. And I suppose my education helped get me here; I am very lucky indeed.

While I am relieved that the bulk of my education now sits at the bottom of a dumpster in South Berwick, I also feel fulfilled and assured that the work was worth it. In part I know this is true on account of the moments of pain and sentiment that were associated with doing my New Year’s cleaning. But I have new chapters, images, and newspaper clipping now – and I like them even more. I hope that your children might experience the same pit in their stomach when they are confronted with throwing their education over the edge at some point in the future. I am convinced it is a good thing. ****** Parent Forums – Just a reminder that BPC will be sponsoring a parent forum in each division over the coming weeks.

This is a great environment to have a dialogue with the Administration about progress on changes and gleaning feedback about improvements for the future. Please check your calendars and come join us if you are interested.

Upper School Director Search – As you may have read in the weeklies, I am pleased to announce that we have four outstanding finalists for our Upper School Director Search. Parents from any division are invited to email cbriggs@berwickacademy.org if you are interested in attending the parent forums with these candidates so that we can add your input to the ultimate 1791 Letter ~ January 2012

hiring decision. We hope to announce our new Upper School Director in early February.

Pep Rally – In recent years, we have worked hard to make the upcoming Pep Rally a fun, lively, PK-12 event that focuses on school spirit and concludes with a large number of students attending varsity games in the gym. I look forward to seeing a great deal of school spirit on January 27!

Enrollment Contracts – Enrollment contracts will be mailed to current families during the last week of January, and we will expect to hear back regarding re-enrollment by February 17. We expect there will be increasing demand for places in the Upper grades this year, so we would ask families to please return these contracts promptly or be in touch with Director of Admission Kate Auger-Campbell regarding any questions or concerns.

Arts News...cont. from pg 8

be notified by Scholastic Arts and the list of winners will be posted on the website www.artandwriting.org on January 30.

Gallery 5

Art teachers Raegan Russell and Deloris White had work selected by jury to be included in the Gallery 5 Maine Art Educators Exhibit from January 13 through March 9. Gallery 5 is located at 49 Lisbon Street in Lewiston, ME. An opening reception will be held on Friday, January 13, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

THEATER

Damn Yankees will be presented by the Berwick Academy Upper School Drama Department on Friday and Saturday, February 24-25, 2012 in the Patricia Baldwin Whipple Arts Center. The musical comedy features music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, and the script

by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, based on Wallop’s novel, The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant.

This modern retelling of the Faust legend, relates the story of what a frustrated baseball fan is willing to do to see his team win. “You’ve Gotta Have Heart,” “Whatever Lola Wants,” “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO,” “Who’s Got the Pain?,” “Two Lost Souls,” and “Those Were the Good Old Days,” are just a few of the major numbers from this Broadway show that showcases the genius of legendary choreographer Bob Fosse.

Damn Yankees is under the artistic direction of LizAnne Platt, with musical direction by Seth Hurd ’90, who will also direct the “Bulldogs” Orchestra. Sasha Randall Malone and Christine Bessette are choreographing and staging the musical numbers. Polly Davie is designing costumes, Raegan Russell is in charge of set design, and Brad Fletcher will handle props and backstage. To order tickets, please use the form on page 15.

Berwick Academy Upper School presents

Damn Yankees Friday and Saturday, February 24-25 2012 Whipple Arts Center The musical comedy features music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, and the script by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, based on Wallop’s novel, The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant.

This modern retelling of the Faust legend, relates the story of what a frustrated baseball fan is willing to do to see his team win. “You’ve Gotta Have Heart,” Whatever Lola Wants,” “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo.,” “Who’s Got the Pain?,” “Two Lost Souls,” and “Those Were the Good Old Days,” are just a few of the major numbers from this Broadway show that showcases the genius of legendary choreographer Bob Fosse.

Damn Yankees is under the artistic direction of Liz-Anne Platt, with musical direction by Seth Hurd ’90, who will also direct the “Bulldogs” Orchestra. Sasha Randall Malone and Christine Bessette are choreographing and staging the musical numbers. Polly Davie is designing costumes, Raegan Russell is in charge of set design, and Brad Fletcher will handle props and backstage. To order tickets, please use the form in this newsletter.

1791 Letter ~ January 2012

11

Cindy Briggs - School Counselor

Since we have entered the height of the college admissions response time, I thought it would be appropriate to re-run this article on failure and disappointment. My hope is that it will be helpful to more than just senior parents who are waiting with bated breath (along with their son/ daughter) for the “fat” admissions envelope. As you can see, I tried to apply these principles far before I entered the college admission process as a parent. In fact, I still apply them today as my sons experience break-ups, poor test grades, or other disappointing life events. I hope you find it helpful!

Failure and Disappointment: What is the Most Helpful Thing a Parent Can Do? As many of you know, I frequently draw upon a personal experience to formulate a topic or theme for my 1791 Letter.

This month is no different.

The experience I will share took place at my younger son’s first swim meet of the season in November. WARNING!!!

He will be furious if he finds out that I shared this, so please if you choose to continue to read this column you are sworn to “parental secrecy”! The experience occurred during my son’s 100-yard freestyle event.

It was incredible! He took off like a bullet from the blocks and swam faster than I’ve even seen him swim. He even got his best time. He had already broken a minute in this event, but his new goal was to get under 56 seconds. Believe it or not, he touched the wall at 55.64 seconds. A look of elation spread across his face when he peered up at the results board to see what he had done. He quickly jumped out of the water and went to warm down in the adjacent lanes. I was thrilled as I watched him

We l l n e s s N e w s

walk over to his coach after warming down to discuss his accomplishment. I expected to see high fives and smiles, but instead I witnessed his coach shaking his head from side to side, and utter disappointment wash over my son’s face. What I found out just minutes later from my sobbing son was that he had false started. He had jumped the gun according to three officials. As so astutely stated by a fifteen year old, “I’ve never moved so quickly from feeling happy to sad in my whole life.” What was I to do?

What could I possibly say to make him feel better? So many thoughts and questions were whirling in my parent head.

Failures and disappointments – we’ve all experienced them and our children will experience many before they reach adulthood. Some will be small, like false starting in a swim race. Others will be larger or even monumental, like not getting into a first choice college. Small or large, at the moment disappointment occurs it feels like the world is about to end. So, what is a parent to do? What is the best way to assist them in moving forward from a disappointment or failure? What is our role in our children’s disappointments and/or failures? Does anything good come out of these difficult experiences?

Why are some kids better at handling disappointment than others? These were the questions that I was grappling with that day and continued to whirl in my head over the next month.

Let me try and relieve my whirling head by answering some of these questions. First and foremost,

parents do have an important role is assisting their children with disappointment or failures. Probably the most essential part of this role is allowing them to experience it.

Interestingly, the word failure has recently become taboo in the childrearing world. In fact, some childcare manuals warn against exposing your child to failure because it can harm their self-esteem. I am not a proponent of this theory. I believe that disappointments and failures are a normal and necessary part of life. Children need to know that it is O.K. to make a mistake and that not everything in life is always going to go their way. Failures and mistakes are great learning tools for their future.

My worry is (and I include myself in this group) that because parents have become so involved, maybe even overinvolved with their children’s school, sports, and social lives, their failures and disappointments have become ours too. We need to be cognizant of this and make every attempt to manage our own disappointment and not add it to the disappointment that our kids are already feeling. We also need to realize that our disappointment over something might be greater than our child’s disappointment. According to our own college counselors, sometimes Berwick parents have a harder time dealing with a college rejection then their children.

Children are great observers and closely watch how their own parents deal with their own failures and mistakes. If we manage our mistakes through self-deprecating comments like “How could I be so stupid?”, I can continued on pg 14...

12

1791 Letter ~ January 2012

Rachel Saliba - School Archivist

(BA Christmas Card from 1967)

A FAMILY LEGACY When Nicholas Isaak ’63 started his first day at Berwick Academy in 1961, he could not have known the impact that he and his family would have on the everyday life of students today. Many people know that Nicholas’ daughterin-law, Maria Isaak is a faculty member at BA and his grandson Ben is a fifth grader in the Middle School. Few people know, however, that Nicholas’ father, Nicholas Isaak, Sr. was the principal architect who created the 1964 overall campus plan that included returning the 1791 House to campus and designing the Commons dining hall and student union.

While Nicholas was a student, the boarding program was relatively new and the facilities were being adapted to meet the needs of the boarders. He and his classmates ate all of their meals in the cafeteria in the basement of Burleigh-Davidson (see photo). This arrangement was not popular as an April 1961 Trustee report concluded “ . . . the food service is close to minimum in adequacy and is substandard in appeal and variety.”

Archives News (p. 182 BOT minutes 1961) The Trustees turned to Nicholas Isaak, Sr. and his firm Koehler & Isaak Architects for help.

In the original 1964 Campus Master Plan Elevation rendering

by Nick Isaak, Sr., the plan shows the location of the 1791 House and the dining hall as well as some of the additional aspects of the Board of Trustees’ $2 million Master Plan. This included new science and languages buildings; two new 50-student dorms; a student activities center with a theater and a place for band/orchestra; an artificial ice hockey rink with a roof; squash courts; an infirmary; and a chapel. Unfortunately, the Trustees were unable to raise all of the funds necessary to complete the entire Master Plan, but they were able to build the Commons and purchase and return the 1791 House for approximately $275,000.

Under Nick Isaak’s plan, the original BA schoolhouse was returned to campus for the 175th Anniversary of the School in 1966 and became the oldest framed schoolhouse still in use in America.

The 1791 House was originally located where Fogg stands today. It was sold and moved in 1828 to make room for a bigger academic building that could accommodate more students.

1791 Letter ~ January 2012

Koehler & Isaak Architects won the Award of Merit from the New England Architects Association in 1967 for their design of the Commons and their “use of natural terrain and complementing existing campus architecture.” It was built to serve 350 people with 38 rectangular tables - enough room for faculty and their families as well as visiting teams, receptions, meetings, activities, banquets. A student activities room was put on the ground floor.

The Isaak legacy lives on today. It is hard to imagine the BA Campus without the Commons Dining Hall or the 1791 House. If you were unable to see the Nicholas Isaak ’63 art exhibit this fall, be sure to visit Maria Isaak’s classroom to see one of his earlier works that the School purchased in 1966. You may also be lucky enough to see how his art lives on in the music that Maria conjures out of our children. Berwick is fortunate to have the Isaak family legacy continue.

(1961 – BD Cafeteria)

continued on pg 14...

13

Wellness News...cont. from pg 12

guarantee that our kids will do the same. Instead parents need to practice and verbalize solution-based thinking, such as “How can assure that I will do better on this task in the future?”

Children with parents who do this will eventually do it for themselves and learn and grow from their mistakes.

So how should a parent respond to a failure or disappointment?

This can be tricky particularly with adolescents because we know, they “can see through everything.” They are masters at picking up on the slightest hint of frustration, disappointment, or any other emotion we are trying to keep in check. Sometimes it is best just to stay quiet at first. I’ve learned this the hard way. Both of my sons can sight numerous examples of me trying to make things better, but ultimately making them worse because of my incessant chatter. I’ve learned over time that if I leave “air space” they will eventually talk about how the failure feels. I’ve also witnessed my younger son “bouncing back” much more quickly from a disappointing swim if he doesn’t interact with me, but with his peers instead.

Once my sons open the door to talk about a failure or disappointment, I try my best to be empathic and assist them in figuring out how to move forward. I try not to make excuses or rationalize their failure but instead remind them that they will survive and probably become a stronger person because of it.

her book by describing something called “a mindset.” She breaks this concept down into two distinct components. The first “a fixed mindset” is one in which an individual believes that their qualities are carved in stone and never changing. The second, “a growth mindset” is based on the belief that an individual possesses basic qualities that they can cultivate and change through effort. Dweck believes that a child or adolescent who believes that he/she can continue to grow and change is probably going to handle failure and disappointment much better than those who believe that a failure defines them. I would highly recommend this book. It provides not only a fascinating new way to look at achievement and success, but more importantly, it examines the role that parents play in the development of a child’s mindset. Let me end by sharing a quote by a famous athlete who Dweck discusses in her book. Can you guess what type of mindset he possesses?

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan Sincerely, Cindy Briggs Archives News...cont. from pg 13

(Returning the 1791 House to campus, January 18, 1966)

Why are some kids better at dealing with disappointment than others? There are probably a myriad of answers to this question, but one area I would like to focus on is how a child views him/herself. My thinking comes directly from a new book that I recently read entitled Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D. Dr. Dweck presents a new theory on achievement and success in 14

1791 Letter ~ January 2012

(Commons construction fall 1965)

The Berwick Academy Upper School presents

Damn Yankees Friday February 24 and Saturday February 25 7:00 p.m.

Whipple Arts Center

Ticket Order Form

• Reservations required – seats are assigned on a first-come basis.

• Tickets must be pre-paid - please include cash or check payable to Berwick Academy.

• Tickets are NOT mailed. Tickets will be held at the theatre and may be picked up one hour prior to the performance.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Name:______________________________

Number of student tickets at $4.00 each Number of adult tickets at $7.00 each Total number of tickets

Saturday, February 25, 2012

_____ _____ _____

Cost ______ Cost ______ Total ______

Name:_______________________________

Number of student tickets at $4.00 each Number of adult tickets at $7.00 each Total number of tickets

_____ _____ _____

Cost ______ Cost ______ Total ______

Please return to: Louise Rouleau, Registrar Berwick Academy 31 Academy Street South Berwick, ME 03908 Please call Ms. Rouleau at 207-384-2164 ext. 2500 with any questions.

1791 Letter ~ January 2012

15

Jedd Whitlock - Director of Advancement

Alumni and Development News Dear Berwick Community, I am so pleased to report that the Annual Fund is making strong progress. To date, we have raised over $520,000 and are 80% of the way toward our goal of $650,000 by June 30. Parent participation remains steady and on pace with last year. However, we do have some work to do to reach our goal of 72% participation. Please remember that participation is our number one goal. All gifts, regardless of amount, impact the student experience in important ways and send a powerful message of support to our faculty, students, and the Seacoast community. Thank you, as always, for your support!

It is noteworthy to mention that alumni Annual Fund participation continues to climb. In addition to asking our alumni to give back to their alma mater, we are trying to provide a robust networking medium for our alumni. Parents indeed sacrifice much to invest in a child’s education at Berwick, but I also think that families are investing in a network when their children attend BA. Once graduates leave the Hilltop, it is important for them to remember that a valuable network is available to them as they search for internships, informational interviews, and careers. Recently, we have made a push for our alumni to join Berwick Academy’s LinkedIn Group. While we are still formalizing the program, our hope is that alumni will find this an easy way to connect with other professionals from our community. I am pleased to report that the Berwick Academy LinkedIn Group has reached 234 members.

Current parents and parents of alumni would also add incredible value to this LinkedIn Group. If you haven’t already done so, please consider joining. We envision that this group will likely result in some valuable discussion, job postings, and ideas for those searching for new opportunities. Looking for new opportunities can take a long time, particularly in today’s economy. We hope that this entire community will stay connected through LinkedIn and enable professional conversations to evolve from there. We will have more to come on this effort, but, in the meantime, take a look at the BA LinkedIn Group or please contact me with any questions.

Thank you again for all your support!

Best,

16

Jedd Whitlock

1791 Letter ~ January 2012