On Campus: Volume 2, 2020/2021

With both graduations in the same week, we were elated that the school pandemic regulations had relaxed enough to have both classes and their immediate families on campus for their celebrations. Yes, we were still masked, very aware of social distancing, and still provided live streaming for those who could not be

on campus, but the fact that parents could get out of their cars and be on campus for the ceremonies felt as if we had won the lottery, which definitely added even more gaiety to the events. See page 13 for more details about kindergarten graduation and pages 16-19 for eighth grade graduation.

Crane excels at giving students numerous opportunities to direct their own learning throughout their K-8 experience. In both fifth and eighth grade, students were challenged to create an artwork that best reflects an aspect of their authentic selves at these key culminating moments of their elementary years. Artists were encouraged to fully engage with the creative process and take time to intentionally reflect and respond to their pieces as their ideas

Both eighth and fifth graders explored mask making for one of their final pieces. In addition, fifth graders created a mixed media collage about their dreams, and eighth graders learned to use value and color to transform a simple outline into a fully realized self-portrait in pencil and/or mixed media. Creating these final pieces gave students an opportunity to pause and step away from all that

A YEAR OF IMAGINATION AND CREATIVITY

A school is a complex entity, serving so many purposes within the community, and as a result, Crane can be described in so many different ways. It is a safe haven for kids to try new things, and a place to fail and to take risks. For many, it is a home away from home. It is a physical place with grass and trees that smells delightful on a sunny day. It is a place to frolic and laugh allowing friendships to grow, and it is a place with a powerful sense of community. When I close my eyes and think about our school, I see teachers arriving early excited about the day’s lessons, then families dropping off their children with love and hugs, and of course, there is that unique blend of adults, little kids and adolescents all inhabiting the same campus.

But that was the past, and this year was very different. This was a year of screens, handwashing stations, masks over those beautiful smiles, and teachers constantly repeating the spacing expectation of “six feet please” over and over again to their students. Yes, we stayed safe and healthy, but it was different. Then the vaccine was quickly and widely distributed, and we watched Santa Barbara’s COVID statistics drop and drop and now finally, a slow return to normalcy.

In some ways this year felt like a layer of fresh concrete over the beautiful Crane garden. We sealed off many of our old Crane ways. But, just as the concrete will eventually crack and wear allowing tiny seeds to break through that crust, the Crane we know and love continued to exist, overcoming those COVID obstacles with experiential learning and a sense of community being allowed to creep back into our campus.

As one example of many, our fifth graders who normally fly to Boston for an end-of-year trip, participated instead in a “virtual” trip to Boston that was surprisingly fun and powerful. They reenacted some of the very same activities that the kids would encounter in Sturbridge Village, such as churning butter and attempting recipes used by the original settlers. Instead of physically walking the Freedom Trail they traveled it virtually. To complete the week, instead of

venturing into Fenway Park, the students emulated a live Fenway experience by playing baseball on the Crane fields and consuming an unhealthy number of hotdogs! It was a long and exhausting year, and I was amazed that so many of our teachers had the energy and will to make these amazing experiences happen.

And Mrs. Cope, our intrepid librarian, refused to allow our joyful collection of books in the Brittingham Library to lie dormant. She devised a beautiful system offering private visits to the library for individual Crane families, as well as her professional services of making personalized book recommendations appropriate for those particular students. And since the library was being used as a super-sized 2nd grade classroom this year, she had to take her services on the road. Traci Cope would often be found in a large sun hat, pulling a wagon full of books, going to each grade. She even had a mobile microphone and speaker so no child would miss a word through her mask, as she often read aloud to a group of enthralled students stretched out on a grassy lawn.

Even our Spring Benefit evoked signs of the old Crane, despite the fact that it was taking place over Zoom. It was short, it was digital, but it was surprisingly fun and Cranelike. Watching the delightful video of the students completing class projects, playing, interacting, and thriving on campus, despite standing apart and wearing masks, showed us all that life goes on.

I feel as though flowers are beginning to bloom through those cracks now. I will admit that I have given a hug or two recently, and it brings me such joy to think of our Crane events and gatherings returning. It just goes to show that no matter what, you simply cannot keep the experiential out of Crane –it just has a way of slowly creeping back in, along with those familiar hugs and smiles.

Joel Weiss Head of School

This year it became clear that we would be unable to host our traditional Grandparents’ Tea on campus as we have done for so many years. Instead, we turned to a virtual event where our five student council members (Thomas Bilek, Kiy Berry, Pierce Dowling, Zadin Stephens, and Linn Wallmark) led the grandparents on a thorough tour through campus where happy, healthy, and engaged students of all ages were seen in class, on the sports fields, working on projects, but most importantly, having fun! The silver lining to this alternative was the number of time zones and locations represented that morning.

Isabella Knezevic ’17 • February 26, 2021

Hi my name is Isabella Knezevic, but while at Crane, I was known as Bella. I attended Crane for 9 years and I would be what you call a lifer – someone who was a student at Crane from Kindergarten to Grade 8. I know that seems like a long time, but it didn't feel like it as Crane made those nine years feel like one seamless experience.

I am now a senior in high school at St Michaels University School in Canada. I remember how I felt on that first day of high school orientation where I experienced a mixture of fear and excitement. The fear came from my worries that this new school would not match up to Crane and that it would not meet the same level of community and family that Crane had given me. It's something that I valued so much! The excitement was from the unknown, but that's something that I quickly remembered that Crane already taught me how to handle. That "positivity" is something that I'll always carry with me. The beautiful thing about it is that it doesn't weigh anything so it's easy to carry. Crane taught me that!

St. Michaels University School is a boarding school on the island of Victoria in British Columbia and I love it. In my first year, I was happy to discover that SMUS was actually quite similar to Crane, not so much physically, but more in the sense that both of these schools value and prioritize two important things, family and community. At SMUS, I live in a boarding house, and I have lived in the same house for four years with a mixture of students. It is somewhat similar to the Family system at Crane and how you remain in the same family from grade to grade.

Thanksgivings at Crane were always one of my favorite times of the year. I remember running from class to find which table my family was seated at and which color balloon we were assigned. It was always so exciting to see the parents serving the food, and I remember being ecstatic to figure out that my mom was serving my table. Being able to bond with the other grades and other students over a delicious meal with beautiful decorations is something I am grateful for because I never understood how much effort actually went into producing that

event. Now I get to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving, but I have to admit it is not the same because it's never as grand as the Thanksgivings we had at Crane.

Another skill that Crane taught me was the importance of independence and I have been able to practice this skill on a daily basis. I am lucky to be able to travel on my own and experience boarding school in a different country, but my first time traveling without my parents was on the fifth grade Boston trip. Looking back, I had no reason to be nervous, but the idea of leaving my parents for a week was terrifying. This trip was my first step to discovering my love for travel and pushing me out of my comfort zone. Crane offered so many opportunities to broaden my cultural perspectives and to practice independence, like the trips to Catalina, Yosemite, and Peru. Since then, I have embarked on many more trips and they all have been service-based experiences. Since graduating from Crane, I have been lucky to travel to Tanzania, Cambodia, Singapore, Ecuador, and Mexico. I can thank Crane for inspiring a large part of my love for traveling and helping others because there were continuous service, education, and travel opportunities for students to partake in. Just like Crane, my current high school promotes public speaking. But, unlike many of my new classmates, I wasn’t even fazed by the idea of speaking in front of a crowd because I had already had many public speaking experiences such as QED, the Slam Poetry Competition, Spring Musicals, and the 8th grade Current Events presentation. From kindergarten, Crane taught us to be comfortable on the stage or speaking in front of our peers. With the skill set I developed and learned from my Crane teachers, I have been able to participate in all types of performances with ease and speak about topics that I am passionate about. Public speaking is definitely a skill that Crane teaches well!

Crane always encouraged athleticism and I participated in sports every term. Going into high school I was excited to try out these various sports, but at a more competitive level, and I happily ended up committing to the rowing team for all of my 4 years at SMUS. After training very hard, I was thrilled to end up winning a national medal in my first year and then again in my second year. Today, I continue to train hard and have hopes for winning another national medal before graduating. And now, rowing has become one of my favorite activities!

Crane left a positive impact on my life and gave me skills and memories that will last forever. Even recently, in my literary studies class, we were discussing the importance of education and I had this very topic as a chance to reflect on my time at Crane and at SMUS, and I realize how lucky I've been.

Crane will forever be a place I am immensely proud of and grateful for! Thank you.

The monthly Virtual Visits were begun as a way to create community between families during the pandemic. Coming together for an hour-long entertainment session accompanied by a fun snack on a Friday evening in the comfort of one’s own home dressed in jammies or sweats ended up being a roaring success . . . so much so that we will continue to host these events throughout the 2021-22 school year.

Here is a recap: (images at bottom, left-right)

October

Storyteller: Diane Ferlatte

Special snack: ingredients for s’mores

November

UCSB Student: Mackenzie Wade, The Wonderful World of Bugs

Special snack: edible bugs

December

Crane Music Teacher: Konrad Kono, Holiday Songs from Around the World

Special snack: decorate own holiday cookies

January

Storyteller: Jim Cogan

Special snack: due to being remote for that week, we provided the recipe for baked apples

February

Valentine card making for Meals on Wheels accompanied by Crane staffulty entertainment

Special snack: Valentine treats

March

Stor yteller: Michael Katz

Special snack: gelato

April

Oakland based music/dance troupe Alphabet Rockers

Special snack: homemade granola and Blender’s smoothies

May

Storyteller: Olga Loya

Special snacks: prepared by our “Latina and Crane” families

IN MEMORIAM

25, 2021

Traditionally our annual past parent social event is held at a local winery. Not wanting to cancel due to the pandemic, we hosted a wine tasting virtually through Onyx Winery in Paso Robles.

Though a more intimate gathering than usual, everyone in attendance was happy to “see” one another and visit, even if it was via Zoom! Wine tasting kits and Debbie’s famous desserts were made available to our guests to enjoy that evening.

Kellam de Forest ’40 11/1928 – 1/2021

Kellam began his education at Crane in 1932 as a second grader. He had some great memories of the school remembering his favorite teacher, Mr. Lejeune, the daily hot lunch, field trips, and the many plays in which he performed – Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, Don Quixote, and Alice in Wonderland. He was the only 8th grader in 1940 and so there was no Crane graduation before he headed off to Thacher. However, Kellam did come back to our June 2018 graduation ceremony to finally receive his Crane diploma.

A Yale graduate and a long career in historical research for a consulting firm to Hollywood films, Kellam returned to Santa Barbara in 1992 where he became an active member of the Pearl Chase Society, the Citizens Planning Association and an unmistakable figure as one of the city’s preservationists seen frequently participating in many Historic Landmarks Commission meetings until his death.

Sebastian Hallig ’13 1/1999 – 4/2021

Sebastian and his twin sister, Soleil, came to Crane in fifth grade. It did not take long for the teachers to figure out that Sebastian was, as one teacher noted, “a people-person extraordinaire; one with an enormous heart.” He took advantage of many opportunities – performing arts, various sports – predominantly soccer and volleyball, service learning, and most importantly the cultivation of some long-term friendships.

Sadly, Sebastian’s life was cut short this year. Bob Ingersoll, a retired Crane faculty member, represented the school at the memorial with these words: “what Sebastian left behind were some vibrant and intense threads of his love for life, fearlessness, charm, and gentle wildness with all of us.”

100 DAYS OF SCHOOL

QUINCEAÑERA

Crane was very excited to celebrate posthumously Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s birthday by hosting a special virtual event thanks to a new third grader.

Many thanks to the grandmother of Adelaide Polidori, Oscar winner Freida Lee Mock arranged for Crane families to screen her latest documentary,  Ruth — Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Words during a mid-March weekend. The following Monday, March 15, which would have been RGB’s 88th birthday, Freida offered an hour-long question and answer session about her work in creating the film.

Thanks to moderator Erika Sellin, Crane’s Technical Theater Director, those of us in the Zoom audience learned so much about both how the film came to be and how it was made.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Celebrated

Lower School Culminations

Experiential Education Still at Crane’s Heart

Lower School culminations might have looked a bit different, the project “helpers” might have been staffulty members rather than parents, and there may have been no physical field trip involved – either locally or across the states as in the case of the fifth graders, but a majority of each grade’s experiential units did indeed happen with a few tweaks here and there. Below is one chosen culmination by each grade so the reader can get a sense of what the students experienced:

KINDERGARTEN: Excerpts from autobiographies

FIRST GRADE: Rainforest Researchers

FOURTH GRADE: Eureka! A Gold Rush Jamboree!

Fifth Grade Boston "Trip"

Due to the fact that our regularly scheduled trip to Boston was cancelled, the teachers decided to bring some signature elements from that trip to our students with a week of handson activities that gave them a sense of what we typically learn and experience on our travels to the East Coast.

Tuesday

We started with a virtual trip on the Freedom Trail to visit historic sites related to the American Revolution. Students followed along using a street map that was provided. They then learned the history of a favorite game, Nine Men's Morris, and made their own game boards. Serious competitions ensued!

Wednesday

Mrs. Cope led a library class introducing Henry David Thoreau and his time at Walden Pond. She shared a slideshow with maps and images that gave students an opportunity to see this special place. During the following two periods, Fifth Graders went on a walk to the Ennisbrook trail where they had an opportunity to do some nature journaling and reflect on famous quotes from Thoreau.

Thursday

When students visit Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum highlighting life in the 1700s, they cook a meal from scratch.  We challenged them to do the same in the Crane kitchen. They churned butter, chopped vegetables for a salad, made homemade dressing, mashed potatoes, roasted corn, and baked cupcakes for dessert. (We bought the rotisserie chickens from the store, but that will be our little secret!)

Friday

A highlight of the Boston experience is to go to a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. To recreate this special event, we dedicated our last two periods of the week to baseball.  Students had a "ballpark" snack that included hot dogs, lemonade, and Cracker Jacks and then played a lively baseball game with cohorts competing against each other to catch fly balls and score runs.

EGGS ON MARS?

On April 19, a helicopter rose from the surface of another planet in our solar system. To most fifth graders, this feat of engineering appeared ordinary. This misconception became the seed of an investigation which culminated in the annual fifth grade Egg Drop Challenge. What are the obstacles engineers face when planning a mission to Mars?

We have all seen images of the entire solar system encompassed on a single paper page. This distorted model leads to dozens of student misconceptions as they then think traveling to and colonizing Mars is a simple task. When the children calculated our solar system to scale, they found that if Earth had a diameter of 11 centimeters in our classroom, Mars would measure six centimeters and would be on Hixon Road. The Sun would fill the science lab and would be at Summerland Inn. Travel time, planet position, and communication are just a few of the hurdles engineers must overcome.

Acting as aeronautical engineers, student teams designed missions to answer their questions about what they’d need to know to prepare for a future on Mars. After determining under which of NASA’s four goals their mission would fall (to determine if life ever arose, characterize its past and present climate, understand its geology, or prepare for human exploration), they built a simulated spacecraft. Their craft had to carry the necessary equipment to gather their data while also staying within the given budget, power, and mass constraints. It was more challenging than they imagined! Then, depending on the reliability of the chosen rocket, the spacecraft would only launch if a roll of the die was in their favor. Scan the QR Code to see one group’s launch.

How can a speeding capsule be slowed enough to land safely in Mars’ thin atmosphere? One method is with a parachute. But, how do they work? What is the best diameter, suspension line length, and material for the job? We made and tested models in class to find out and analyzed the speeds in meters per second.

Students embellished their raw “egg-stronauts” and placed them in uniquely designed capsules suspended under parachutes built using data they collected. Ingenuity and creativity were on full display as this nail-biting event finally began. Like the engineers at JPL and NASA, we held our breath as each craft launched from high atop the art building. Congratulations to our egg-ceptional fifth graders! Scan the QR code to experience the event.

Christine Bouma Lower School Science Teacher

QR CODE: EGG LAUNCH QR CODE: MARS BOUND SIMULATION

UPPER SCHOOL: FUN FRIDAY ACTIVITIES

Unlike any other year, Covid-safe social distancing meant that Lower School and Upper School students did not cross paths. With the Upper School being housed in the Oak Tree Quad, it was important to give them their own identity while at the same time providing them with more voice and choice while focusing on their social and emotional well-being and of course, school pride! This became the work of our newly appointed Grade Level Deans, Alexa Hughes, Anne Fierberg, and Lucy Lombardi. While all sorts of activities were planned and executed, below is just a sampling of the Fun Fridays they enjoyed:

Donna Brown Third Grade Teacher

This year’s Spring Benefit looked different from any of those in the past. Part pre-recorded, part live, and just over an hour in length, this year we included more pieces than the last, such as sponsorship (parent and corporate), an online auction including premium experiences, a Staffulty raffle, and a paddle raise. All monies donated have been allocated to the acquisition of four vehicles to replace our current 17-year old SUVs so that come fall our students can go on field trips, play after school sports on other campuses, and recommit to non-profits in the greater community.

The key component of our event was a 20-minute video produced by two parents – Paul Westmacott and Bino Marsetti. With the help of the Development Committee, Crane: Behind the Screens was born . . . the video hit just the right tone utilizing eight seventh and eighth grade students as interviewers and camera crew. It gave parents, who have not been able to enter the campus all year long, a chance to see behind laptop and iPad screens, masks, and plexiglass shields. It was a real opportunity for parents to view students following protocols while witnessing healthy, happy youngsters learning and growing amongst friends.

QR

Camera Crew: Porter Murray Daisy Pidduck

Ian Sheshunoff

Lila Westmacott

Interviewers: Ruby Campbell Tristan Maigret

Silvie Marsetti

Phoebe Siegel

Scenes from Crane:Behind the Screens

CODE: Behind the Screens video

Even the pandemic could not prevent the kindergarten tradition of memorizing and presenting a poem in front of an audience at their 2021 graduation. Some were short, some were longer, some were original works, some from favorite children’s poet, Shel Silverstein, and some were childhood favorites. Given free choice, there was definitely a variety of material. Receiving their diplomas from Ms. Sandell and Mr. Weiss concluded the ceremony and then Kindergarten families were off for their own festivities with their newly graduated and soon-to-be first graders!

Whitney Blood Curdling Story

Valentina Sparkling Crystals

Vivi Psalm 23, Children's Bible

Noah Now We Are Six

Ben Nina Poem

Forrest Dragon Kingdom

Gavin Snowball

Briana The Colors

Tide Kindergarten Valen Hug o'War

Camden Shell Teeth

Harrison Hoist the Colors

Henry Tree House

Sydney When I Grow Up

Adam My School

Addison Summer, Summer

Zuri

The Little Noodle

Bennett Names

Peter

Depending on the school, our 2017 graduates had an array of high school experiences during the pandemic. Most importantly, they have graduated, been accepted to a college or university, and are looking forward to the fall.

Congratulations Class of 2017 and be sure to come back and visit us!

Luca Cevaer-Corey

Attended: Santa Barbara High School

Attending: Lehigh University (IDEAS program)

Distinguished Dons Award AP Scholar with Distinction SBHS Alumni Association Scholarship

Matthew Cunningham

Attended: Bishop Garcia Diego High School Attending: Chapman University

William Deardorff

Attended: Cate School Attending: University of Southern California 12 Varsity Letters Beach Soule Award

Arwyn Drew

Attended: San Marcos High School Attending: Santa Barbara City College

Nafisah Fathima

Attended: Laguna Blanca School Attending: Santa Barbara City College Cal Grant Award

Daisy Finefrock

Attended: Laguna Blanca School

Attending: University of St. Andrews (Scotland) Creative Writing Award Editor Laguna’s US Magazine MB&T Scholarship from Scholarship Fund of SB

Annie Gabler

Attended: Laguna Blanca School Attending: New York University

St. John Gerrity

Attended: Laguna Blanca School Attending: New York University

Isabelle Goebel

Attended: Santa Barbara High School Attending: UC Berkeley AP Scholar with Distinction National Honor Society (Vice President) 4-year varsity basketball player

Jack Hughes

Attended: San Marcos High School

Attending: UC Berkeley (Management, Entrepreneurship, Technology (M.E.T)

Jasper Johnson

Attended: Santa Barbara High School Attending: Santa Clara University

Catherine Kim

Attended: Lakefield College School (Ontario, Canada) Attending: University of Arizona School of Acting & Musical Theatre

Bella Knezevic

Attended: St. Michael’s University School (Victoria BC, Canada) Attending: University College London (UK)

Bea Lujan

Attended: Laguna Blanca School Attending: University of San Diego Outstanding Athlete Presidential Scholarship

Sophie Massey

Attended: Nordhoff High School Attending: New York University Tisch School of the Arts (Drama)

Dan Miller

Attended: Newbury Park High School Attending: University of Puget Sound Dean Scholarship

Brooke Moore

Attended: San Marcos – mid-year graduate Attending: Santa Barbara City College All Channel League Honorable Mention (indoor volleyball)

Max Moore

Attended: The Thacher School Attending: Auburn University Honors College Presidential Scholar

Daniel Panadero

Attended: Cate School Attending: Occidental College Varsity Baseball Captains’ Award

Aida Pouye

Attended: Cate School Attending: Santa Barbara City College

Victoria Reynoso

Attended: Santa Barbara High School

Attending: University of Southern California’s Annenburg School Communication/Journalism

Benedetta Rickmers

Attended: Haileybury (England) Attending: King’s College (UK)

Caden Rogers

Attended: The Thacher School Attending: Claremont McKenna College

Keith Ryan

Attended: Redwood High School Attending: Harvard University

Max Sheldon

Attended: San Marcos High School Attending: University of Washington (Seattle)

Makena Shlens

Attended: San Marcos High School Attending: Berklee College of Music

Taylor Smith

Attended: Laguna Blanca School Attending: School of the Art Institute of Chicago Elena D’Agostina Art Award

Alessa Somer

Attended: Dos Pueblos High School Attending: Williams College Trailblazer Award SB Scholar Athlete of the Year (tennis)

Kate Spaulding

Attended: Laguna Blanca School Attending: Lewis & Clark College Bridgman Spanish Award

Phoebe Stein

Attended: Laguna Blanca School Attending: Wesleyan College Editor Laguna’s US Magazine Varsity Tennis Team Captain

Monica Stoney

Attended: The Thacher School Attending: New York University

Sierra Strickland

Attended: The Webb Schools

Attending: Southern Methodist University

Class of 2017

Finnegan Walker

Attended: Laguna Blanca School

Attending: University of Southern California

Outstanding Athlete

Robert Williams

Attended: Santa Barbara High School

Attending: Santa Barbara City College

Zane Zemeckis

Attended: Laguna Blanca School

Attending: American University in Paris

Roderick Zhu

Attended: Laguna Blanca School

Attending: University of California, Santa Barbara

Will graduate from high school

Spring 2022/College Fall 2022

Royce Blevins

Noah Silverberg

Each spring, we celebrate the Crane alumni who are graduating from high school by gathering together before they head off to their various college/universities or gap year adventures. Last year the event was virtual for the Class of 2016 with the promise that we would invite them on campus in person as soon as we could.

With Governor Newsom opening up California on June 15, we held the reunions for the Classes of 2016 and 2017 on June 17.

class of 2016 reunion

class of 2017 reunion

* K-8 Crane "Lifer"

GiGi Abed* Kiy Barry Uri Beltran

Thomas Bilek* Henry Bouma Ava Brilman Alexandra Calderon*

Ruby Campbell Clementine Conway Olivia de Ponce Serena de Ponce Pierce Dowling * Jacob Gabbay Kylee Greene *

Fafi Guerrand-Hermés Citaly Hernandez Nieto Milla Hirsch

Caroline Horton Josue Iventura Caroline Kenny* Vivi Klentner*

Liam Knezevic* Milton Lopez Silvie Marsetti Eli Meisel* Porter Murray Sam Narva* Nate Newlove

Isabel Rochel* Natalie Schweitzer Ethan Somer Zadin Stephens Matt Stoney* Linn Wallmark Ben White

The Crane faculty and staff are very proud of the accomplishments of the eighth grade class of 2021 and wish them the best of luck in their high school adventures.

Bishop Diego High School

Vivi Klentner

Isabel Rochel

Boston University Academy

Ava Brilman

Carpinteria High School

Citlaly Hernandez Nieto

Josue Iventura

Cate School

Uriel Beltran

Henry Bouma

Alexandra Calderon

Jacob Gabbay

Kylee Greene

Fafi Guerrand-Hermes

Nate Newlove

Zadin Stephens

Ben White

Episcopal School (VA)

GiGi Abed

Laguna Blanca School

Olivia de Ponce

Serena de Ponce

Milla Hirsch

Caroline Kenny

Liam Knezevic

Milton Lopez

Eli Meisel

Sam Narva

Natalie Schweitzer

Ethan Somer

Midland School

Ruby Campbell

San Marcos High School

Clementine Conway

Santa Barbara High School

Silvie Marsetti

The Thacher School

Thomas Bilek Pierce Dowling Matt Stoney Linn Wallmark

Westlake High School

Caroline Horton

Gap Year

Kiy Barry Porter Murray

Awards

Headmaster’s Prize

description Awarded to the student who, through leadership, participation, and consideration of others, has served best as an example for us all recipient Linn Wallmark

Amiability Award

description Awarded to the student who showed the greatest cooperation with congeniality toward all recipient Kiy Barry

Art Cup

description Given for exellence in studio art or design that consistently highlights original thought and creativity recipient Porter Murray

Dan McCaslin History Cup

description Given in honor of retired teacher Dan McCaslin to the student that demonstrates outstanding effort, achievement, curiosity, and consistent participation in the study and discussion of history recipient Kiy Barry Serena de Ponce

David Echols Math Cup

description Given in honor of former Crane teacher David Echols to the student with outstanding performance in mathematics recipients Kiy Barry Henry Bouma

Design & Engineering Award

description Given to recognize the student whose designs have exhibited social consciousness, outstanding skill in fabrication, and technical innovation recipient Pierce Dowling Drama Cup description Awarded for outstanding participation and memorable performance on the stage recipient Ruby Campbell Kylee Greene

Julia Brown English Cup

description Given in honor of former English teacher Julia Brown to the student who has demonstrated the highest achievement and greatest love of learning English recipient Natalie Schweitzer

Lejeune Teaching Fellowship

Class

description An annual award for an inspirational teacher recipient Konrad Kono Music Teacher

Lejeune Language Award (Spanish Cup)

description Given in memory of founding Head of School Arnold Lejeune for outstanding achievement, effort, and enthusiasm in the study of the Spanish language and culture recipient Kylee Greene Milton Lopez

Library Award

description Given to the student who shows a voracious appetite for books and reading, who uses the library resources well, and is an avid participant in the summer reading program recipient Pierce Dowling

Music Cup

description Awarded for diligent study and accomplishment in the realm of music recipient Eli Meisel Nate Newlove

Nagle Community Service Award

description Awarded in memory of Frank Nagle, to the student who showed outstanding enthusiasm in community service recipient Alexandra Calderon Rose Bowl

description Given in honor of former Crane teacher Cathy Rose, to an unmistakably unconventional eighth grader recipient Matt Stoney Science Cup description Awarded to the student who most closely embodies, through outstanding effort and achievement, the popular sentiment at Crane that “science is everywhere” recipient Serena de Ponce

Sheila Davidson Cup

description Given in honor of former Crane Coach Sheila Davidson, to the athlete who best exemplifies commitment, teamwork, passion, and sportsmanship recipient Ruby Campbell Jacob Gabbay

&Congratulations Graduates

Class of 2021 Awards

Sports Cup

description Awarded for outstanding performance and participation in athletics

recipients Vivi Klentner

Sam Narva

Talia S. Klein Award

description Given to the student who, in the opinion of the faculty, has been an unassuming force for good recipient Kylee Greene

Natalie Schweitzer

Technical Theater Award

description Given to the student who has excelled in the mastery of all electronic systems used in the theater

recipients Fafi Guerrand-Hermès

Silvie Marsetti

Tower

Achievement

Award

description Awarded to the student who showed greatest academic improvement through effort and application

recipient Isabel Rochel

Writing Award

description Given to a student who has demonstrated significant interest in continual excellence in writing

recipient Milla Hirsch

Award Recipients (left-right)

Kiy Barry

Amiability Award

Dan McCaslin History Cup

David Echols Math Cup

Henry Bouma

David Echols Math Cup

Alexandra Calderon

Nagle Community Service Award

Ruby Campbell

Drama Cup

Sheila Davidson Cup

Serena de Ponce

Science Cup

Dan McCaslin History Cup

Pierce Dowling

Design & Engineering Award

Library Award

Jacob Gabbay

Sheila Davidson Cup

Kylee Greene

Drama Cup

Lejeune Language Award

Talia S. Klein Award

Fafi Guerrand-Hermès

Technical Theater Award

Milla Hirsch Writing Cup

Vivi Klentner

Sports Cup

Milton Lopez Lejeune Language Award

Silvie Marsetti

Technical Theater Award

Eli Meisel

Music Cup

Porter Murray Art Cup

Sam Narva Sports Cup

Nate Newlove Music Cup

Isabelle Rochel

Tower Achievement Award

Natalie Schweitzer

Julia Brown English Cup

Talia S. Klein Award

Rose Bowl

Linn Wallmark

Headmaster’s Prize

Konrad Kono

Lejeune Teaching Fellowship

& Award Recipients!

Matt Stoney

Leslie Crane ’61 Rugg and her husband found their way back to Santa Barbara. An avid bird lover, she spent her pandemic time involved at the Santa Barbara Bird Sanctuary quickly becoming a member of the board of trustees, then president of the board which coincidentally led her to mentoring two Crane 7th grader’s QED projects introducing them to the world of parrots.

Sam Cross ’97 was a virtual guest speaker at Crane thanks to his former classmate, and current history teacher Louis Caron ’97 . He was kind enough to spend a Friday afternoon in January answering 4th-8th grade students’ questions about social justice. Sam currently lives in Iowa where he is an assistant public defender.

Christy Kovacs ’97 , Santa Barbara High School ’01; UC Berkeley ’05, moved to Oakland after college and co-founded a paleo muffin company, Muffin Revolution, that sells almond-based, date-sweetened muffins to local cafés, grocery stores, and the California and Southwest Regions of Whole Foods in the frozen section. Christy's commercial kitchen was down the hall from Baron Baking (making New York-style bagels), and she quickly fell head-over-heels for the owner, Dan Graf, whose bagels have been featured in the New York Times and Wired Magazine. The breakfast foods duo were married on October 26, 2019 and they welcomed their baby boy, Zev Kovacs Graf, into the world on Christmas Eve, 2020.

Julian Sanders ’98 , Bishop Diego High School ’02, Denver University ’06, and his wife Katherine Sanders were the proud owners of a beautiful café in downtown Santa Barbara until the pandemic forced them to close. Now, Julian, a certified sommelier and hospitality veteran, can be found tending bar at Caruso’s restaurant at the Rosewood Miramar Hotel. After years of globe trotting together, Julian and Katherine have found themselves enjoying the slower pace of Santa Barbara life raising chickens, tending to their garden, and watching their 2-year old, Norah Frances, blossom. They welcomed their second daughter, Alma Louise, on June 19, 2021.

Garland Reiter ’00 and Kasey Lundquist welcomed 7.2 pound baby Willow into the world on March 30, 2021. Older brother Remi is already smitten with his new baby sister.

Lily Bixler ’01 Clausen and husband David welcomed their fourth child this spring. After a beautiful birth where David caught baby Lucy and “Pop” (Pat Bixler) cut the cord, they are adjusting to a bustling life as a family of six. Lucy is lovely in every way and they couldn't adore her more. She's toughening up quickly in a house with three older brothers and already learning important lessons in the art of fort building, potion making, and LEGO construction. Their family lives in Seattle and spends weekends on Whidbey Island, where they are neighbors with former Crane teachers Nancy Carey and Connie Ennis. Lily feels so lucky that her kids get to go crabbing and tidepooling with her Crane "aunties" and play in their beautiful yards.

Will Robinson ’01 , Highland Park High School, Dallas ’05; Dickinson College ’09; Georgetown University ’14, returned to the “Golden State” in 2014 and set down roots in the Bay Area with his wife, Natalie Kevranian, and now with his newborn son, James. Since graduating, Will has pursued a career in education. Although he began in the classroom as a Spanish teacher, he has progressed into administration and is now the Middle School Director at St. Matthew's Episcopal Day School in San Mateo. Will visits Santa Barbara often, and when in town, is always sure to drive down San Leandro Lane to see what's happening at Crane.

Grace Williams ’06 Miller , Cate School ’10; Franklin & Marshall College ’14, and Kevin Miller married in September 2018, and are living near Portland, Oregon. Grace works in sales for a software company, and Kevin is a structural design engineer. They have recently welcomed a baby boy into their family —Wesley Benjamin Miller was born on May 22, 2021. He is happy and healthy, and Grace and Kevin are enjoying working from home and spending time with their son.

Alessandra Tacconelli ’11 met John Brontsema in 2013 when they were both attending Santa Barbara High School. Having dated for 8 years, Alessandra and John were married on December 5, 2020 in San Juan Capistrano at Franciscan Gardens. Crane classmate Juliana Ozur and Liana Tacconelli ’13 (Alessandra’s sister and maid of honor) were in attendance. Alessandra is an event and wedding planner and John is a recently retired professional baseball player now beginning a career as a financial advisor. They recently became a family of three with the addition of Bear, a mini golden doodle. They now reside in Orange County.

Liana Tacconelli ’13 graduated summa cum laude from Lipscomb University in Nashville with a degree in mechanical engineering on June 1. She is now working as an energy engineer at CMTA, one of the top 25 engineering firms in the United States.

A sampling of how 2016 graduates spent their pandemic year:

I took a gap year and ended up staying in SB working at a farm cart, baking a lot, and going on hikes. I look forward to starting my freshman year at Yale in the fall.

– Natasha Weiss

I took a gap year that I originally planned to spend interning somewhere and traveling, but I wound up staying in SB, taking classes at SBCC, and working for Pacifica Beauty. I look forward to starting my freshman year at Northeastern University in the fall.

– Xiaxia Taylor

I just completed my freshman year at Stanford where I spent half the year at home and the other half off campus with friends. I am studying biology on the pre-med track and film studies. I am looking forward to beginning in-person classes in the fall.

– Dylan MacFarlane

My classes at Tulane were a mix of online, hybrid, and live. In the classroom, the desks were socially distanced which made it Covid safe! My favorite classes were Ancient Jewish Civilization and Songwriting for Audience! Something I love about New Orleans is all the incredible restaurants.

– Zoe Silverberg

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT Lily Eakin ’09

Covid was a wild year. I am happy to say it was full of mostly highs. I was pleasantly surprised midway through last year to find that a song I had written was picked up to be performed in a Disney show. It is the biggest feature I have received –the funny part is the song wasn’t even finished! It was an interesting lesson to learn and experience – that even a song that I’m not in love with can find an incredible home. Really, my favorite experience during Covid was participating in virtual songwriting lessons with Upper School Crane students. I was so impressed by their active listening and learning. It was incredibly rewarding to have them all volunteer their lyrics and voices since songwriting is such a vulnerable pursuit. They surpassed any expectations I had entering a virtual songwriting room. I hope they continue to write, because they’re very good at it. I am always here to help! I have been lucky enough to be very busy giving singing, songwriting, and piano lessons virtually. Now that live music is back, I’ll be talent buying/ talent scouting and putting on shows!

I completed my freshman year at Northwestern where I lived in an off-campus apartment and took most of my classes remotely.

– Lily Pieramici

I’m finishing up my first quarter on campus at Santa Clara University after the rest of the year was spent online. I’m excited for my first year with in-person classes starting in the fall.

– Paige Levinson

This year I stayed in Santa Barbara and took classes at Santa Barbara City College. I also worked as a nanny for a local family. This fall I will be attending Pepperdine and am excited to start my sophomore year there. I will be majoring in theater arts with an emphasis in production and design.

– Katie Ohrn

I spent this Covid year studying real estate in the fall and over the winter I worked as a ski instructor in Aspen teaching 3 to 6 year-olds. While in Aspen, I lived with two Class of 2015 graduates, Jack Deardorff and Oliver Heyer. I will be spending my 8th summer on Orcas Island, WA as an assistant counselor at Four Winds Westward Ho Camp before beginning my freshman year at USC.

– Tommy Brittingham

We have set aside Friday, October 1st for Ms. Fore to be presented to the community at large; be sure to stay tuned for details. In the meantime, please join us in congratulating her on this award, which to quote the Cronshaws...

We believe Ms. Fore deserves the 2021 Cronshaw Family Award, because she follows the values of Crane, which is committed to sustaining a diverse and inclusive community, where each student is respected and valued. A diversity of voices and backgrounds enriches the Crane educational experience by encouraging a variety of thought, social awareness, and a creative exchange of ideas.

Kate Pincus-Whitney ’08

Santa Barbara High School ’12; Sarah Lawrence ’16; Rhode Island School of Design MFA ’20

Just over nine months after her first solo show, “Feast in the Neon Jungle”, which debuted her boisterous table scape paintings in New York City at Fredericks and Freiser, Kate will mount her first European solo show at GNYP Gallery in Berlin, Germany in September. Kate will be showcasing her newest series of paintings titled, “Paradise a la Carte”. The show will include over 15 acrylic and poly color works ranging in size, from her maximalist large scale canvas to smaller quiet intimate vignettes.

Through these new works, Kate examines the duality of the sacred and profane through food. She probes relationship to place and identity, exploring and celebrating the object identity of things and the vibrancy of matter that surrounds us.

Kate is currently living and working in Los Angeles, and is being represented by Fredericks and Freiser in New York. (And it may come as no surprise that her mom, artist Laurie Pincus, was her first art teacher as well as a teacher to Crane students from 2004-2013.)

The 8th grade capstone project dovetailed seamlessly with online learning this year. We began our Architecture unit with an internet exploration for a need, somewhere in the world, of an architectural solution. This included the real current issues of how to design something that would help mitigate the effects of climate change, environmental and political displacement, and even how to reimagine a city where people could live and work in the same architectural space during a pandemic.

Using the Engineering Design Process, students brainstormed ideas and discussed some of the more innovative places that they had visited and what criteria made that location special. Then they researched locations, environmental conditions, building materials, cultural standards and structural limitations. They sketched ideas and then drew up to-scale plans and elevations by hand. The last step was to create a fully rendered, three-dimensional, digital model in Sketchup.

(top clockwise) Home from Repurposed Grain Silos by Natalie Schweitzer, Self-Sustained Home for People Displaced in the Syrian Refugee Crisis by GiGi Abed, Mobile Tiny Home by Clementine Conway, Passive Home in Arizona by Henry Bouma, Floating Home by Serena DePonce

During the final months of the school year, we began a new Musical Instrument Unit. Students learned about the science of music and sound, and how instruments can be engineered based on these concepts. Using their newfound knowledge, the 6th graders designed their own musical instruments in the Design and Engineering Center. We received a diverse array of creative submissions, from kalimba thumb pianos to a box cajon to a ukulele.

In 7th Grade we made the transition back to in-person learning! This was joyfully realized with our annual team-building project “The Thrower” where students were challenged to build the most powerful, accurate and far-flinging mechanism that uses the least amount of materials!

Students also had the opportunity to create the 7th grade capstone project, The Light Sculpture. Here we can see a more urban side to Crane as the students learn the finer techniques of spray painting to get a perfect, mirror finish for their bases.

What a wild year for 6th Grade Engineering! Because we started the year off remote, we had to reimagine what project-based learning could look like for students learning at home. We kicked off the year with an emphasis in CAD (Computer Aided Design) and incorporated it into a new Biomimicry Unit. Students were tasked with coming up with a viable solution to mitigate climate change by using nature as inspiration. We had wonderful and creative submissions, such as a factory that converts its

own food waste into methane gas, which can then be used to help power the factory (a circular economy as found in nature). Pictured are a solar stove made with ultra-efficient solar cells inspired by the microscopic solar-capturing circles on butterfly wings.

Starting off the second semester, students designed “draw bots” using Adobe Illustrator, used a laser cutter to cut them out, and soldered a working electrical circuit with an eccentric motor. Markers were placed in the holes on the bots and they created wacky and fun designs when turned on!

Fifth Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Editor’s note: Crane alumnus and longtime afterschool coach Anthony Prieto ’73 was chosen as the Interim Lower School PE teacher for Suzanne Rossi during her spring sabbatical.

As we were unable to gather for our usual grades 3-5 interschool track meet, we adopted a “show must go on” mentality and held an in-house track meet from April 19-23 for Lower School students to participate in the following events:

• standing long jump

• softball throw

• 60 yard low hurdles

Thanks to all of the core classroom teachers, as well as specialists, who cooperated in adjusting schedules to make this event unforgettable to students and teachers alike!

We had only a few weeks to "prep" for the events in PE, but what I witnessed was mind-boggling. Every student began to compete and

push their own limits a little farther than I had ever seen them do in our regular PE class. Working with young minds in athletics, I preach two simple ideas: focus and effort.

The individual performances were amazing. To see students jump as far as they ever had, throw as far as they've ever thrown, and to run as fast as they've ever run, really touched me to the core!

But, those student athletes didn't stop there! With relay events held last, it was evident that focus and effort were 100% present as every single student in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade ran faster and with more determination than I have every seen. Classmates cheered them on every step of the way!

My hope is that they will remember to put those two simple fundamentals into their homework as well!

Anthony Prieto ’73 Interim LS PE Teacher

Basketball (Lila Foster – 7th Grade)

Crane sports were done differently this year. During a typical year, upper schoolers have the option to participate in an after-school sports program almost every month. Starting in September, the sea sons begin and students are split into teams. This year, Ms. Willis tried really hard to make sure that upper schoolers got a chance to do the activities that we love, so during the month of May, we did one-week sports. Basically, all of the sports were broken down into one week. During that week, we would have a practice on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. My favorite week was basketball. During basketball week, not only did we do a lot of drills and scrimmages after school, but we also spent our P.E. time playing basketball. Even though not a lot of my friends signed up, I had a lot of fun. We did tons of fun drills and scrimmages. I learned a lot about strategies and variations on the game. Although it was not by any means a stan dard school year, we still found a way to get off the sidelines and onto the court.

only for a few days, we fit in a lot of hard work and fun. Throughout the week we practiced different sets of skills needed to play soccer through drills. From practicing shooting the ball to passing with a partner, everyone worked hard and improved in just a few days. On the last day of practice we put everything we learned together dur ing the week and played a game with teams made up of all the up per schoolers who came to practice. Even though it was only a short week, after-school soccer was not only great teamwork and skills practice, but also so much fun.

Flag Football (Beckett Arthurs – 7th Grade)

At the beginning of flag football week, we started off throwing the footballs back and forth and playing three flags up. Then we began drills, and after drills we played games. It was fun to play with the whole Upper School, from sixth grade to eighth grade. The field was 80 yards long, and most of the games were pretty fair. The coaches were Ms. Willis, Ms. Fierberg, Mr. Hartnett, and Coach Anthony, and they did a great coaching job. I learned a lot from playing with most of the Upper School. Even though this season was only three days, it was really fun to hang out with all the flag football players. The coaches helped many of the players with critiques and inspira tion, and I am very thankful for the experience.

Soccer (Natalie Schweitzer – 8th Grade)

Despite how COVID-19 limited the activities we could take part in this year, Crane was still able to do a week of each after-school sport. Sports are a big part of the Crane experience, so I was thrilled when I was able to participate in after-school soccer. Though practice was

Volleyball (Milton Lopez – 8th Grade)

Playing volleyball during the pandemic was very interesting. We were not able to play against other schools, and we only had a oneweek season. Even though these reasons made the experience not ideal, it was still great because we were able to play volleyball and had games with each other.  We also had the time and opportunity to hang out with other grade levels.  Ms. Willis, Mr. Hartnett, Ms. Fierberg, and Coach Anthony made it so that we were able to enjoy volleyball to its fullest even during the pandemic.  My favorite part of it all were the drills that helped me get better at volleyball and be able to beat the rest of my family when playing at home.  It was also really fun because everyone actually tried and gave it their best.  I also really enjoyed playing a full-on game with even teams.  Overall, I really enjoyed volleyball week more than any other week of sports.  I would really like to thank all of the teachers that were able to make it possible for all of us.

briefly tell how you ended up at Crane

My return to Crane began with a chance encounter with Debbie Williams (who taught my daughter whilst at Crane). During our conversation, she told me there was a Fourth Grade position opening up for the upcoming year. As I’d been a Crane parent a number of years before, I already knew and loved the school, so it felt right to circle back. Two generations of my family had already attended Crane, and a third generation would concurrently attend  once I was employed, so I felt my roots were deeply embedded in this community. Experiential teaching has always been at the heart of how I teach best, and Crane was the perfect place to continue to grow my teaching practices.  I knew Crane appreciated authentic experiences and lessons tied to relevant, real world scenarios, so I saw teaching there as an opportunity to expand my curriculum and create intriguing and engaging projects for my students.

what is the one thing you are most proud of accomplishing and/or bringing to Crane?

I am proud to have created a warm and thought-provoking environment for my students. Historical simulations came alive within my classroom as well as in the outdoor spaces of our school. For instance, during our studies about American explorers, magic happened when students would spot a cairn of rocks signifying a nearby hidden cache full of a trapper’s provisions and pelts! And while studying the Gold Rush, we searched the nearby creek for gold nuggets and panned for gold as well!  During various units of study, we would have music, storytelling, dancing, and cooking outdoors. We cooked everything from cornbread and biscuits in a Dutch oven, to stew over the campfire. I feel these will be experiences my students will remember for a long time!

Our Spring Study Weeks are among my absolute favorite memories. This is experiential learning at its very best. Combining all areas of the curriculum into one theme along with multi-age groups of children is incredibly profound and completely engages children of all ages. Transforming my classroom into various environments was incredibly fun. During various Study Weeks the class became everything from the inside of a space station, to Arches National Park, and a Bedouin camp in the Sahara. It was always thrilling to see the delight and wonder on the children’s faces upon entering.

what is your favorite place on campus and why?

The garden, with its various thematic sections, as a teaching space is sublime. With its cornucopia of scents and the sounds, from flowers and trees, to birds and insects, it inspires students to be thoughtful and be in touch with nature. Every season brings forth new blossoms, fruit, and a riot of color. The garden was a wonderful venue for contemplative writing, sketching, and a place to share our work and culminating activities such as the Mountain Man Rendezvous. The garden is simply bursting with an assortment of flora and fauna and there are endless lessons to be learned within its peaceful boundaries. I hope the garden program will grow and that all its lessons will continue to enchant children for generations to come.

What is your hope for Crane going forward?

I hope that Crane will continue to encourage and expand its tradition of experiential learning in all the areas of the curriculum. I also know and expect that Crane will continue  its progress towards creating an even more culturally diverse community. My hope is that our remarkable traditions before Covid, such as the Thanksgiving Feast, Spring Studies, and Spotlights will once again enrich our lives. Finally, to my students I say this: my hope for you is to eventually find purpose in your lives, to do what you absolutely love, pay attention, persevere no matter what, and know that the little kindnesses matter. The greatest achievement and best decision of my life was to become a teacher. You, my students, have given me unimaginable joy and brought purpose to my life.

if you had to choose just one favorite Crane memory to share what would it be?

fourth grade alice in wonderland kindergarten THE VERY BUSY SPIDER

second grade the great race

I MADONNARI

Between the Upper School students participating in Fun Friday chalk painting and offering Lower School students the chance to put their skills to work at home, we are thrilled to showcase the following entries! !

1795 San Leandro Lane Santa Barbara, CA 93108 www.craneschool.org

CAMPUSOn

Academic Year 2020/21 • Volume Two CRANE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

I Madonnari 2021

Non Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Santa Barbara, CA Permit No. 430

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Jill Levinson President

Jim Copus ’92 Vice President

Rick Banks ’62 Treasurer Christina Stoney Secretary

Jen Abed Tamar Adegbile Andrea Alfano Stephen Blass Kevin Brine Beth Collins

Will Freeland ’00 Paul Gauthier Cyndee Howard Robert Ingersoll Clay Murdy ’93 Sarah Muzzy Guille Gil Reynoso Allan Rogers

Erin Eberhardt Spence Carrie Towbes

Board Advisor Melissa White

Honorary Lifetime Trustee Scott C. Brittingham

SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHER Teresa Pietsch

COPY EDITOR Rhoda Lauten

EDITOR Debbie Williams DESIGN & PRODUCTION Lorie Bacon