Georgetown Days Magazine – Fall 2017

GEORGETOWN D

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RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM:

ENGAGING ACADEMICS, POSITIVE COMMUNITY AMPLIFYING LEARNING BY DEVELOPING THE WHOLE CHILD

22 SUMMERS OFF? 33

GDS FALL ATHLETICS MAKE SCHOOL HISTORY

FACULTY SUMMER LEARNING GROWTH MINDSET AND THE LIFE OF TEACHERS

to all of our staff and alumni writers for your contributions to the magazine. We welcome submissions from all Georgetown Day School community members.

THANK YOU

Please contact agrasheim@gds.org to learn more.

Alumni are encouraged to send their news with photos to alumni@gds.org for inclusion in the Georgetown Days magazine.

OUR MISSION DRIVES ALL THAT WE DO.

Georgetown Day School honors the integrity and worth of each individual within a diverse school community. GDS is dedicated to providing a supportive educational atmosphere in which teachers challenge the intellectual, creative, and physical abilities of our students, and foster strength of character and concern for others. From the earliest grades, we encourage our students to wonder, to inquire, and to be self-reliant, laying the foundation for a lifelong love of learning.

WINTER 2017/18 GEORGETOWN DAYS Head of School Russell Shaw Associate Head of School Kevin Barr Assistant Head of School for Equity and Social Impact Crissy Cáceres Assistant Head of School for Curriculum and Instruction Laura Yee

JASON PUTSCHE PHOTOGRAPHY

MAGAZINE STAFF Director of Communications Alison Grasheim Temporary Storyteller and New Media Associate Jamie Wylie Writer Travis Roberts Magazine Design Think

2017-18 GDS BOARD OF TRUSTEES Officers Jenny Abramson ’95, Chair Monica Dixon, Vice Chair David B. Smith, Treasurer Anu Tate, Secretary James W. Cooper, At Large Trustees Stephen Bailey Sid Bannerjee Jeffrey Blum Shawn Davis-Wilensky Lisa Fairfax Franklin Foer ’92 Betsy Keeley Rosemary Kilkenny Reid Liffmann Cathy MacNeil-Hollinger Pamela Reeves Michael Sachse ‘95 Erik Smulson ‘85 Ben Soto Brad Vogt Josh Wachs David Wellisch Phil West Laurie Wingate

CONTENTS ALUMNI BOARD 2017-18 Ava Jones ’02, Alumni Board President Nina Ritch ’95, Alumni Board Vice President Jason Campbell ’07 Jonathan Drobis ’98 Julia Fisher ’09 Hunter Fortney ’11 Jeff Goldberg ’94 Branden Isaac ’08 Tayo Jimoh ’10 Elena Lobo ’04 Mitch Malasky ’04 Denise Odell ’84 Stephanie Rosenthal ’98 Elizabeth Slobasky ’97

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FROM WHERE I STAND A Message from Head of School Russell Shaw

AROUND CAMPUS 3 In the Classroom 8 Beyond the Classroom 17 Arts & Performances 22 Athletics 26 Faculty 30 RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM: Amplifying Learning by Developing the Whole Child 33 SUMMERS OFF? Growth Mindset and the Life of Teachers

ALUMNI PROFILES 38 Jamie Raskin ’79 40 Ethan Slater ’10 42 ALL ALUMNI REUNION 2017 43 ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17

action right away, perhaps most memorably when a group of first graders organized a sit-in after the sand box on the Big Toy was moved without consulting its most frequent users.

Advocacy skills are studied and refined throughout a student’s time at GDS—through the seventh grade Power Project, eighth grade Hill Day, any number of High School clubs, activities and assemblies, all of which culminates in the powerful work being done in our High School Policy Institute.

JASON PUTSCHÉ PHOTOGRAPHY

While activism and advocacy are vital, so is conversation. In a national moment in which civil discourse is under existential threat, it is incumbent on us to teach GDS students not merely how to talk, but also how to listen. To this end, we carefully cultivate listening skills, beginning in Lower School Morning Meetings. Using the frame of Responsive Classroom (see article on page 30 for more on this), our youngest students practice engaging each other in dialogue. One might hear the following at a morning meeting in kindergarten (names have been changed):

Charlie: This weekend my family got a new dog. We’ve never

had a dog before. I’m excited. He jumps around a lot and barks but I’m really happy. Any questions or comments? Jennifer?

FROM WHERE I STAND Russell Shaw, Head of School

Last week at the end of a school day, I was visited by a third grader. He pulled up a chair to the conference table in my office, and, with his feet not reaching the floor, pitched me on an idea.

“Russell, I have something important to talk to you about,” he told me. “We’re planning a march called, ‘Ban the Bombs.’

We’re marching from the Capitol to the White House. Twelve of my friends are coming so far. I thought maybe you could come and bring some of your friends too.”

I told him I was interested and asked about the purpose of the march. “Well, you may have heard that there are these treaties that say that countries aren’t supposed to build nuclear bombs or use them? It seems like these are being pushed to the limit.

I mean, have you heard about the two Koreas? There’s a North Korea and a South Korea and one of them has a bomb and may use it on the other which seems like it would be terrible. Why would people do that? So, we think if we walk together and hold signs, maybe people will help to stop it.”

GDS activism is as old as the school itself. Students first learn about the power of protest when studying the Civil Rights Movement in first grade; sometimes they put that learning into 2

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Jennifer: I have a comment. I have a dog too!

Charlie: OK. Ben? Ben: I have a question. What is your dog’s name?

Charlie: His name is Malcolm. Ummm...Nina?

Nina: I have a question. How old is your dog?

Charlie: He’s just a puppy. Pablo?

Pablo: I have a comment. It sounds like you’re really happy about your dog! I’m glad.

While the above dialogue might not be much for the United Nations Security Council, it is nonetheless remarkable for a group of five-year-olds. Our youngest students facilitate conversations in which they talk and listen to each other, affirming each other’s unique experiences and perspectives.

Guided by their teachers, they learn the art of discourse, a skill which we work to develop through their time at GDS. One of our core responsibilities at GDS is to prepare students to be active and engaged citizens. Civic engagement means both advocating for one’s deeply held beliefs and engaging in meaningful conversations, even when (especially when) the person with whom one is conversing has a different view or perspective.

These conversations make us smarter, help us to forge coalitions, and form the bedrock of diverse and inclusive communities.

Around Campus IN THE CLASSROOM

IT ALL ADDS UP

4 GRADE MATH TACKLES DATA ORGANIZATION AND USE OF NUMBERS TH

In Jessica Ahn’s 4th grade math classes, students are taking the skills they’re developing and using them in a “performance task” that asks them to solve problems like creative business professionals. By the end of the unit, 4th graders have used mathematics to develop a persuasive, cost-efficient proposal for a play structure to be located on the new LMS campus, using their understanding of data collection, organization, display, and analysis.

Imagining themselves as members of the “Play Department Committee,” students have formed small “companies” to prepare research, data, and reports about their findings on the highest-quality and most cost-effective suggestions for pieces of playground equipment they would like included in the new structure. Their findings, complete with bar graphs, will be presented to their peers in class. Later, in their humanities classes, students will learn how to write persuasive letters to accompany their data, which they hope to present to Head of School Russell.

So how do students arrive at their conclusions? They do so by learning to strategically apply mathematical concepts and skills in order to develop their critical thinking. Students mastered using mean, median, mode, range, minimum, and maximums to analyze data, using graphs and charts to organize their findings and draw conclusions. They learned how graphs and data help them better understand information, and effective problem solving methods.

Jessica developed the unit during the in-house week-long Understanding By Design (UbD) course she participated in this summer. A few of the essential questions which were the driving matter behind UbD were:

• How can math be used to create models that help us interpret data and make predictions?

• How can data be expressed?

• How do graphs and data help us better understand the world in which we live?

“Developing the unit was a process in reverse,” Jessica said. “We started by establishing the end goals, the skills and topics we wanted the students to cover. From there, we developed activities that would be fun and help guide them to that understanding.”

While students understand that not all of their suggestions will be included in the final play structure, they have developed an appreciation for how much this equipment costs and how wonderful it feels to have their voices heard. They are excited with the possibility of making a tangible contribution to the betterment of their community.

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Around Campus IN THE CLASSROOM

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5TH GRADERS TAKE THEIR BIOS ON THE ROAD

nyone who has struggled getting tickets to Hamilton knows that watching history come to life through performance can be an informative and immersive experience. In Spring 2017, thenGDS fifth graders continued an annual tradition of combining history with performance. After thoroughly researching an important historical figure, writing a first person “Who Am I?” speech, and dressing up as their assigned person, students traveled from room-to-room throughout the school to present their findings to select classrooms and offices. The Traveling Biographies are always a huge hit, and everyone looks forward to visits from historical figures from Winston Churchill and Maria Tallchief to Malala Yousafzai and even Alexander Hamilton himself.

As fifth grade humanities teachers Reed Thompson and Judy Brown shared, the project hones research, note-taking, and organization skills, all within the context of a great historical performance. “There are a number of important skill-based aspects of this project that are perfect for fifth graders to tackle and develop their mastery over,” said Reed.

The process begins with lessons about biographies, taught by LMS librarians. Students

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have access to 200-plus books and take time in the library to browse through the database.

“The list of subjects is constantly evolving,” said Judy. “We collaborate with the librarians who work extra hard to expand our book collection and make sure that diverse options are available, so that many voices can be represented and heard.”

Fifth graders come to the project with some preconceived notions, “because most of our students have seen the oral presentations for several years,” said Judy. “Many come into the grade already knowing whom they want to portray.”

Reed agrees: “As they have watched the parade of 5th graders saunter through their classes over the years, and enjoyed the presentations, they always have certain preconceptions about what the project will be: some are VERY excited about it, others are VERY intimidated by it, but the majority end up triumphing over their concerns and realize that this project—when broken into manageable bite-sized chunks, is not such a monster, and ends up being a really fun and exciting experience.”

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LET IT GROW:

DIAGNOSING DISEASE

PHYSIOLOGY STUDENTS THINK LIKE DOCTORS AND DETECTIVES In Bill Wallace’s Physiology class this fall, 11th and 12th grade students partook in a unit focused on diagnosing disease, taking turns playing the part of patient and physician.

“It’s a physiology course, but it’s not the typical ‘here’s how the brain works, here’s how the heart works,’ sort of thing,” says Bill. “Every year I use a disease as a theme, and this year we’re studying aging and cancer, and how they’re related to each other. There are some core things that from year to year remain the same, although they’re applied to different diseases. At the beginning I show a documentary about the disease, so the kids can develop an empathy for it. This year we watched a documentary about progeria, which is a sped-up version of aging, called Life According to Sam; the filmmakers, Andrea and Sean Fine, are GDS parents, so they were able to come and talk about putting the documentary together, and what they learned from Sam Berns.”

Some classes seem to require perfection; one class at GDS demands failure. After an inspiring seminar at Stanford University, High School science teacher Bobby Asher worked with HS faculty members Seamus Burns, Will Ley, and Catherine Pearson to bring Play, Purpose, and Passion: An Introduction to Design Thinking to GDS. The class delivered a problem-solving formula that, according to Bobby, is built around “empathy, rapid prototyping, and constant communication.”

Design Thinking relies on iteration, where a series of prototypes are developed using client feedback at every stage of development. In other words, iteration relies on the ability to learn from failure, and Design Thinking means that a “perfect product” can’t be created the first time around. So when students decided to tackle the problem of nutritional scarcity in the DMV, their first idea wouldn’t be perfect—but it did set a solid foundation for a project that’s still unfolding today.

Students focused on learning how physicians diagnose diseases. Each student was assigned a disease, and asked to research its symptoms, causes, and nature. As they paired off and began to ask questions, the heart of the exercise became clear—it’s not about instantly “solving a problem,” and coming up with a correct diagnosis, but pursuing the chain of logic, and learning how to think from a scientific point of view. Nothing is taken for granted, and students understand the importance of asking the right questions and gathering data and evidence before making a conjecture about what ails their patient.

After this unit, the course delved further into the science of aging, talking about the epidemiology and pathology of it, what happens with genetics, and how cells react to the aging process, guaranteeing students receive multiple perspectives on the same disease.

“That gives them a chance to think, to bring all these things to bear on one particular disease. That’s one of the important things I want to try to achieve,” Bill notes. “The idea is that they research the disease with an emphasis on the thinking process, and not ‘did you get the right diagnosis?’ I wanted to keep emphasizing different types of evidence to look at, and then how do you use this evidence to come up with your final diagnosis.”

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THE GUARDIANS OF HISTORY

8th Grade Students Take on the Mantles of Museum Curators

GDS Garden Harvests Design Thinking Goals When Leigh Bianchi ’17, Dash Epstein ’17, Mai-Han Nguyen ’17, and Anna Calbos ’18, met with representatives from homeless service agency Friendship Place in fall 2016, they discovered that most of the organization’s donations were high-carb, with almost no produce. Leigh says that after the meeting, “our group eventually settled on the idea of a garden located at GDS that would grow produce to be donated to Friendship Place.” However, because this was a Design Thinking class, that idea wasn’t the end product, but the beginning of a process.

The students set their eyes on the Benjamin Cooper Memorial Park behind the High School—a large plot of land dedicated to the memory of a beloved former GDS student. But as students started investigating the space, they ran into a few problems: the plants in the park had already become a target for deer, rats, squirrels, and the occasional pedestrian. The workload was going to be intense over the summer, when students are generally travelling or have other commitments.

And the scale of the park seemed almost overwhelming. As the fall semester, and the class, drew to a close, there was a perfect opportunity to walk away from the process. But according to Leigh, “We all wanted to implement our idea even after the class finished.”

“What’s really amazing,” says Seamus, “is that something came out of this. Students secured funding, and actually

This summer, Assistant Head of School for Curriculum & Instruction Laura Yee led “Understanding by Design”­—an in-house professional development program—for a number of GDS teaching teams (see page 38 to learn more about that program), and the results are already on view throughout the school. Middle School History teachers Julia Blount, Jarred Jones, and Perry Degener worked together to design a new unit for their 8th grade students focused on developing students’ research skills.

Students were invited to imagine themselves as a group of curators, tasked by the Smithsonian to construct an exhibit on Pre-Colonial and Early Colonial America for the American History Museum. Each curator received a different speciality, chosen at random, representing the Mid-Atlantic (DE, NJ, NY, PA), Spanish (Florida & The West), New England (MA, RI, CT), or Southern (VA, MD, NC, SC, GA) regions. They were asked to delve into topic areas within each region, including economics, religion, slavery, and indigenous peoples.

Students began by reading articles on their region of study, then located a map or primary source that they believed best represented that area. The search for a reputable source served as an exercise in research methods and detective work.

Students were encouraged to look beyond the simple first page of a Google search, to consider where a source came

started planting things.” Instead of leaving the project as a fantasy, the students started an independent study and worked with classmates from Cori Coats’ Urban Landscape Design class to create prototype gardens adjacent to the Safeway parking lot, growing peppers, tomatoes, leafy greens, and herbs.

Those harvests came with new lessons about the best types of plants to grow, and the best techniques needed to do so.

As students saw the work that’s needed all year, they came up with the idea of inviting neighbors from retirement home Friendship Terrace, and students from Janney Elementary School to help create a truly multi-generational community project.

Each iteration of the project has brought on its own unique challenges and opportunities. “Running into a challenge is hard for kids at first, because they don’t know what they don’t know,” says Seamus. “They have to persevere.” And despite the graduation of most of the initial group’s members, the shifting nature of the project, and a timeline that’s likely longer than the group initially imagined, the garden continues to evolve. Today, High School faculty Cori Coats and C.A. Pilling are working with students to form a new club around the garden, to ensure its survival into the future. “The design process,” Seamus acknowledges, “can be slow. But we were patient and we let it grow.”

from, its reliability, and the proper way to cite it. These are skills that will carry them through high school, into college, and beyond.

Once that primary source was established, students were asked to justify their selection in writing, to explain why exactly that source should be included in the exhibit. Julia noted, “letting students lead the search for their sources gives them room to really branch out, and explore on their own.”

The next phase of the project came when each young curator had to present their findings in the form of a Google slide, which they summarized in a two-minute pitch to their classmates, who were standing in as the Smithsonian heads.

Students had sourced materials using resources as diverse as Britannica, Educational Technology Clearinghouse, and the Public Broadcast System website.

Confident in their research, each student clearly identified certain details in their picture or map, including symbolism that often reflected religious or political tensions in the area of their specialty. Questions from their classmates spurred vibrant discussion, and opened up pathways for topics that will be studied later on in the course. Perry noted that this work would help students develop better strategies when it comes time to write and research their next papers.

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FREED PHOTOGRAPHY

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2017!

O

n a beautiful June day, the Class of 2017 became the very first graduating class in Georgetown Day School history to wear caps and gowns.

The graduating seniors didn’t come to this decision lightly. They spent months holding in-school discussions, wrestling with the socioeconomic inequities and gender stereotypes associated with GDS traditional graduation attire: white dresses for women, dark suits for men. As Russell shared in his graduation speech: the late 1800’s, scholars began to wear caps and gowns as [In] a statement of equity. To quote one academic who has written on the history of caps and gowns: Wealthy aristocratic students graduating from an American university would dress the same as a scholarship student who owned only one suit. Because they were equals in academic terms, they would also be equal in their vesture. our decision to wear caps and gowns reflects your own desire to Y create an equitable experience for all of your class--to not create artificial distinctions based on gender or socioeconomics, but to graduate as a unified community.

Other highlights of the day included speeches from students Rohan Palacios ’17 and Savannah Wade ’17, faculty member Jon Sharp, and parent Pati Jinich, as well as performances from the GDS Chamber Choir (at right) and Capitol Art Ensemble.

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Around Campus

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

STUDENT SPEAKER R O H A N PA L A C I O S ’ 1 7 ( L E F T ) ...In my mind that’s what sets our education apart from any other school: public, private, or religious.

After four years at GDS, I’m not smarter than friends who went to Wilson or Sidwell. But I do feel as though I’ve gained a greater appreciation for the complexity of people. The world is going to ask us to compete and do everything we can to distinguish ourselves from the pack. It would be a waste of the education we got here, from each other, if life becomes a blind pursuit of our own interests.

PA R E N T S P E A K E R P AT I J I N I C H Born and raised in Mexico City, Patricia (Pati) Jinich is the host of the two-time Emmy and James Beard award-nominated PBS cooking and travel series Pati’s Mexican Table, currently in its sixth season. She is also the resident chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute, and an author of two cookbooks, Pati’s Mexican Table, and Mexican Today. She is the GDS parent (with husband Daniel) to three boys: Alan ‘17, Sami ‘20, and Juju ‘24.

In her graduation speech, Pati shared her journey from Mexico to where she is today--one that veered widely off the course she had first envisioned for herself. A two-year stay in America turned into a long-term one; a career in policy turned to cuisine. A decade into her culinary career, she shared four of the insights from her journey with the graduates:

STUDENT SPEAKER S AVA N N A H WA D E ’ 1 7 Whether it be a quality education or the support of a person in our grade, the fact of knowing that we are all believed in is a priceless gift. With this fact comes the power to believe in yourself and your own capabilities, and as we embark into whatever life we choose, know that you have limitless power to influence and change.

#1 There are still ingrained expectations that at the age of 18, you should know exactly who you are, what you’re good at, what

you want in life, and that you can draw a road map to get there, like building layers of a cake, and then you can cut into the cake and eat it…That if you change course, you’re wasting your time and are never going to get to that…place. Yet, along the way, you are bound to change. Embrace those sides of you that have yet to sprout, let them flourish when they show up. If you bottle them up, they will resurface later on.

# 2 It is not about suddenly finding your passion or unexpectedly becoming enlightened with your role in life and the world. I still wonder what is my next step, and now I know that that will continue to be the case. Your path gets built as you walk it, find the joy in the walk. With every new step, at every turn, there is a new set of possibilities that opens up.

#3 There is a certain advantage to jumping in blind. Of course, scanning your new landscape is essential. But unless your job is risk assessment, don’t overdo it. Doing too much research on what are the obstacles and risks for taking that step you are eager to take can freeze you in your tracks before you start your engine. Don’t tame your enthusiasm. Take the plunge. You will find out how cold that water is soon enough.

#4 Know which things are out of bounds for you. Know which things you are not willing to place on the negotiating table. They are

different for each one of us. Even if it seems that by giving them up you will have an incredible reward in the short term, even if it is a no brainer for everyone else—Will you be able to live with dignity without them? And here is the thing, those things that shouldn’t be compromised often happen to be the ones you are most embarrassed about, the ones you feel most vulnerable for, those you have had to work the hardest on. They may be, in the end, the things that will distinguish you and make you proud in the long run.

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WHAT’S NEXT,

CLASS 2017?

OF

BY GDS COLLEGE COUNSELING

When GDS students begin the college search process, many are undecided about their future—both in terms of what they want in a college experience as well as what they want to study. In the College Counseling Office, it is our privilege to guide them from the initial exploration through to their final enrollment choice. Our goal is that this process will mirror the mission of GDS, and encourage wonder, inquiry, and self-advocacy. It is a testament to our students’ sense of adventure and their open minds that their college choices reflect the diversity of their class in every sense of the word.

While many students headed off to college in September 2017, several chose to delay their college enrollment to pursue life-changing gap year experiences. From community engagement to travel to work, they are using their year off from school to gain new experiences and prepare for what lies ahead.

University of Colorado at Boulder - 1

Some students are arriving at college ready to study art or engineering, while many remain undecided, yet they are all curious about what awaits them beyond GDS. We could not be more proud of the Class of 2017!

California Institute of Technology - 1 Occidental College - 1 Pomona College - 1 University of California, Berkeley - 1 University of California, Los Angeles - 1 University of Redlands - 1

SOME FUN FACTS about Class of 2017 college admissions ›

The Class of 2017 matriculated at a wide array of schools across the country and internationally: Mid-Atlantic

West

31%

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Midwest

12%

New England

125 members

of the class of 2017

21% 10

26%

Scripps College - 2 Stanford University - 2 University of Southern California - 4

15% Southeast 1% Outside the US

King’s College, London (UK) - 1

As of September 2017, 124 members of the Class of 2017 have enrolled at the following colleges and universities:

Middlebury College - 1

Dartmouth College - 1 Bucknell University - 1 Dickinson College - 1 Muhlenburg College - 1 University of Pennsylvania - 3 Villanova University - 1

Bates College - 1 Bowdoin College - 1 Colby College - 1

Trinity College - 1 Yale University - 3

Kenyon College - 1 The College of Wooster - 1 Oberlin - 2

Macalester College - 1

Brown University - 4

University of Michigan - 7 University of Wisconsin, Madison - 6

Wellesley College - 1 Williams College - 1 Amherst College - 2 Harvard University - 2 Northeastern University - 2 Boston University - 3 Tufts University - 5

Bard College - 1 Barnard College - 1 Columbia University - 1 Hamilton College - 1 Hobart and William Smith Colleges - 1 Sarah Lawrence College - 1 The New School - 1 Fordham University - 2 New York University - 9

Northwestern University - 1 University of Chicago - 2

Earlham College - 1 Indiana University at Bloomington - 2 Washington University in St. Louis - 9

John Hopkins University - 1 Maryland Institute College of Art - 2 University of Maryland, College Park - 2

Georgetown University - 3 College of William and Mary - 1 James Madison University - 2 University of Virginia - 2 Davidson College - 2 Duke University - 1 Emory University - 1 Savannah College of Art & Design - 1

Tulane University - 3 Eckerd College - 1

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824 177

applications submitted to

153 Admitted to

of these colleges and universities

64

Enrolled at

different schools

150 Over

colleges and universities visit GDS each year

colleges and universities 11

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Around Campus

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

RISE UP, 8TH GRADE As the 8th grade graduation ceremony was about to begin on June 5, 2017, families and friends gathered in the gymnasium after looking at the wall of baby photos, and trying their best to match the chubby-cheeked babies to the young adults about to take part in the evening’s rite of passage. The soon-to-be rising 9th graders lined the hallway, leaning against lockers and peering into classrooms that would soon become middle school memories.

Middle School Principal Debby Previna warmly welcomed the crowd: “Today is not about talking about your future and the wonderful things you will accomplish. Today is about celebrating the awesome young people you have proven yourselves to be. It’s about giving thanks for the many ways that you are awesome, which we have had the privilege of seeing reflected in each of you.”

Debby then thanked every single student, describing to friends and families the specific ways each showed their generosity, intellectual curiosity, leadership skills, talents, creativity, sportsmanship, kindness, playfulness, imagination, commitment to academic excellence, confidence, citizenship skills, poise, authenticity, and selfadvocacy. “Thank you for giving us the pleasure of bearing witness to your power right now,” Debby concluded.

Class speakers included Aidan Banerjee ’21, who described school as a second home and a place that has shaped him and his grade, and Alexa Goldfarb ’21, who said, “Part of me can’t wait to leave and the other part never wants to.”

Maha Paul ’21 told her peers, “Everyone in the class of 2021 has changed my life in one way or another…so I stand here and say thank you to all of you for everything.”

Maya Fawaz ’21 shared, “We have to trust ourselves, we must leap without being so afraid, we must risk. Prove yourself to yourself, not others. You are good enough, smart enough, and strong enough. You don’t need other people’s validation; for you are already so valuable….That’s why I encourage all of you to look beyond all of it, and take the risk, trust yourself, and confidently step forward.”

Liana Smolover-Bord ’21 told her peers that, “ When you feel like time is going too fast and you want it to slow down, take a moment and remember what this school has allowed you to learn: You can’t stop time, but you can make it your own. We all have the ability to learn from the past, live in the moment, and shape our own futures.”

After the students were each called by name for their diplomas, the song “Feel This Moment” followed them out of the gymnasium as the audience clapped along, reflecting upon how on this warm June evening, students and faculty asked parents to live in the moment—a true challenge as they smiled at the baby pictures on the wall and wondered at how much they had all grown, and how fast it happened.

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GLADYS’S 100TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION In August, GDS’s third Head of School Gladys Stern celebrated her 100th birthday. More than 100 members of the GDS community celebrated with her in June—and it was truly the party of the century.

Gladys worked at GDS in a number of roles from 1954-1996, serving as Head of School for the final 21 years of her tenure. As Associate Head of School Kevin Barr shared at her celebration, “Gladys’s pearls of wisdom have only grown more luminescent over the years.”

We wish Gladys a very happy birthday, and thank her for the lasting impact she has made on this institution. Thank you to all who helped commemorate this special occasion!

Photo Credits: Jason Putsché Photography

GRANDPARENTS’ & SPECIAL FRIENDS’ DAY Photo Credits: Jason Putsché Photography

On May 12, hundreds of grandparents and special friends descended on the LMS campus for a day of intergenerational connections. One of GDS’s favorite days of the year, the celebration was marked by outstanding student performances, sharing of stories and experiences, and lots of love.

Mack Dixon ’21 (now a freshman at the High School and pictured above with his grandparents) said, “This year was so memorable because we knew it would be the last chance to participate.“ Very special thanks to our chairs Patty Abramson and Les Silverman, grandparents of Zoe ’26 and Ella ’28 (above, left).

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REPORTS FROM THE FIELD(TRIP):

6TH GRADERS GROW CLOSER AT VIRGINIA 4H CENTER For three days and two nights in September 2017, the entire 6th grade class ventured out to the 4H Center in Front Royal, Virginia, to strengthen their bonds as classmates and friends. They conquered the great outdoors through a multitude of activities including a ropes course, short courses in nature, archery, and hiking part of the Appalachian trail.

Sixth grade is an entry year at GDS, meaning this trip also serves the important purpose of helping new members of the class feel welcomed into the GDS community.

Through the outdoor activities and challenge courses, students forged new connections, learned to trust each other, tested their leadership skills, and gained new insights about the natural world. They began with teamwork challenges that would prepare them for the ropes course, with activities such as trust falls, spotting, and leading without sight. The trip also presented students with the chance to explore the responsibilities (and thrills) of building independence, by spending consecutive nights away from their home and family.

The 4H Center offers programs focusing on forest exploration, animal habitat study, ornithology, and stream ecology. Ornithology was a student favorite, as they learned to identify birds that are local to the region, understand the mechanics of flight, and answer the ageold question, “what type of bird can projectile vomit from 20 feet?” (Answer: Vultures! Yuck.)

In one Ecology activity, 6th graders visited a local stream, where they went on the hunt for macroinvertebrates and from there developed an understanding of how to classify them to decide if the stream is healthy, or moderately or severely polluted based on the types that are present. The 14

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activity provided students with a microcosmic example of how a larger body of water like the Chesapeake Bay Watershed functions.

Another hugely popular activity was the Discovery Hike over a portion of the Appalachian trail, where students learned about invasive vs. non-native species, the relationship between roots systems and branches, as well as famous hikers of the trail, such as Emma Rowena “Grandma” Gatewood, the first woman to hike the Appalachian Trail solo, and do it in one season.

And of course, there’s the part of the trip that elicits the most screams—the ropes courses! What might seem like thrill-seeking actually helps students recognize their roles as leaders, teammates, and individuals, using problem-solving skills and working together cooperatively as a team. Students began on the low ropes, tackling teamwork challenges on the ground, and figuring out how to navigate a web together. Later they moved on to the slightly more daunting climbing wall and high ropes, where students faced their fears and served as literal anchors for each other as belayers. (In climbing, it is the responsibility of the belayer to handle the rope, and be relied upon to stop a fall every time the need arises.)

During debriefing activities on Thursday morning, students partook in several reflections, including the creation of a mural, and talking through what feelings and experiences from this trip they would carry with them back to school. The 6th grade overnight was special for so many reasons, as it was a chance for students to build feelings of trust and connectedness, while having the experience of being together outside of the classroom!

On a perfectly sunny, almost unseasonably warm October 17—it was time for long-time GDS favorite, Country Market Day! The 48th annual fall fair was a massive success, with hundreds of students and their families turning out for an afternoon of delicious food, games, contests, crafts, and a scream-worthy haunted house. The crowd rocked out to incredible musicians as well, including local band 40 Miles Home, DJ Osiris (Andrew Mikhail ’23) and GDS parent James Cheeks. Attendees gathered early for Bottlemania, and families had tons of fun running the inflatable obstacle course, playing carnival games, and riding the Sand Storm spinning ride. Those who needed a break from the sun enjoyed a spacious layout of crafting tables inside, where kids decorated cookies, designed frisbees, and had their faces painted by talented artists. The event was a great day not only for students, but staff and their families as well, who enjoyed pie and donut eating contests, and the eagerly-anticipated raffle for an iPad. Thanks to co-chairs Alison Fellowes Comly and Victoria Quint for their leadership, as well as the hundreds of volunteers who made this awesome day possible.

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GRATITUDE RE-IMAGINED: THE THOUGHTFUL EVOLUTION OF AN ASSEMBLY This past summer, 2nd grade teacher Danny Stock, LS Drama Teacher Brooke Houghton, and LMS Music Teacher John Barnes were awarded summer curriculum development funding for their interest in deepening and evolving the Lower School Thanksgiving Assembly.

In re-imagining one of GDS’s biggest assemblies of the year, their goal was threefold: to align more firmly with the theme of gratitude, to foster more developmentally appropriate student engagement, and to ensure a more culturally current and relevant program. It was important to Danny, Brooke, and John that the assembly make the theme of gratitude more relatable and explicit for the young audience and participants, and to reinforce learning through accessible devices, including folks tales, poetry, songs, dance, art, and audiovisuals. For example, the assembly closed with the poem “I Walk in Beauty” (He Ne Yana), which is intended to inspire a sense of gratitude for the beauty and balance in the world and to create an awareness of being mindful of the world around us and our place in it.

The Gratitude Assembly was presented “in the round,” allowing the 2nd grade performers the ability to move freely throughout the audience, drawing them into the story. John and Brooke worked with smaller groups of students in their classes, helping them learn sections of the performance at a time, at a pace and in locations that are more intimate and comfortable. As students grew familiar with the piece, they came together in larger performance groups.

“The 2nd graders felt a real sense of excitement to be the first group to perform this new assembly,” Danny noted.

“They planned some surprises!”

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“

The assembly closed with the poem “I Walk in Beauty” (He Ne Yana), which is intended to inspire a sense of gratitude for the beauty and balance in the world and to create an awareness of being mindful of the world around us and our place in it.

”

Understanding that center stage can be an intimidating place to be at any age, the teachers went to great lengths to differentiate roles so that all 2nd graders could comfortably participate in the assembly. Very much in line with the GDS approach, students felt valued whether they preferred a speaking role, a silent acting role, or a stage management role.

One of our “GDS student will…” tenets states that a GDS student will "communicate clearly and powerfully."

Through these changes to the assembly program, students proudly illustrated our shared school commitments: lifelong learning, strength of character, a diverse community, and a concern for others.

Around Campus

ARTS AND PERFORMANCES

UNAPOLOGETICALLY HIMSELF NEA JAZZ MASTER LEE KONITZ HONORS GDS WITH A SET

On October 13, lovers of music and performance in the GDS community had the honor of seeing jazz legend Lee Konitz perform and speak about his career. With the band room filled to standing-room-only capacity, students, staff, and parents were given the opportunity to ask Lee questions, listen to his advice on how to hone their own skills, and experience an intimate hour-long set performed by Lee and fellow guest musicians bassist Jeremy Stratton and drummer George Schuller.

Lee is one of the most distinct alto saxophonists in jazz, performing a wide range of styles, including bebop and cool jazz. He famously participated in Miles Davis’ nonet (nine-person band) performances and recordings, including the seminal Birth of the Cool, and recorded with Lennie Tristano’s innovative sextet. His discography is massive and varied, touching various styles and collaborations with key players from all walks of the jazz world, including Dave Brubeck, Charles Mingus, Attila Zoller, and Gerry Mulligan. Lee is also a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship, the country’s highest honor for jazz artists.

Director of Jazz and Creative Instrumental Music Studies Brad Linde, who has been close friends with Lee (as well as a student of his) for over a decade, encouraged students to seize this remarkable opportunity to engage in conversation with the artistic trailblazer. “Lee has been the most important influence in my development as an improviser. He essentially gave me permission to be myself and to allow my music to be honest and vulnerable. Lee has unapologetically been himself for 70 years and continues to evolve as an artist.”

The afternoon culminated in students hosting a birthday party for Lee, who turned 90 years young on the day.

The next day, Lee performed at the Kennedy Center, an evening which was also attended by several members of the GDS community.

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MANGROVES IN THE SCIENCE HALLWAY

M A I - H A N N G U Y E N ’ 1 7 A C C E S S E S F A M I LY H I S T O R Y, GROWTH MINDSET FOR SENIOR QUEST MURAL When High School Art Department Chair Michelle Cobb proposed that Mai-Han Nguyen ‘17 paint a 12-foot-long mural in the High School science hallway in lieu of her plan of going camping, Mai-Han agreed right away. Michelle was looking for an artist to reflect the high quality of work GDS students are known for. With support from science department faculty and Michelle, Mai-Han created a senior quest with deep personal meaning, genuine educational connections, and a lasting legacy for the future environmental science major.

Her mangrove forest mural is done in a style that marries the contrast of Disney background scenery with the careful precision of well-known muralist Alexis Rockman.

theme throughout her time at the LMS and High School: “Mai-Han has to take more risks.” That critique, Mai-Han thinks, is what propelled her to create such a detailed and ambitious mural for her senior quest—that critique and her environmental science class.

Michelle knew that Mai-Han was the right fit for the job, but didn’t want to dictate how Mai-Han would approach her work.

In fact, Mai-Han’s appetite for risk was exactly why Michelle picked her for the task.

The mangroves stand starkly above the water, with complex networks of roots creating patterns of arcs and half-circles.

They are found along the Gulf Coast of the United States, but also throughout the world—including in Mai-Han’s ancestral country of Vietnam. The mural was the perfect opportunity to explore her cross-disciplinary love of art and environmental science—a career she plans to pursue in the future.

“Mai-Han is one of those students that has a strong voice; it’s very prominent,” said Michelle. “Her work is extremely imaginative, and she isn’t afraid to take risks. She’ll do things like using a lot of drips in her paintings, not knowing where the drips are going to go.”

“There’s a backstory to risks and me at GDS,” Mai-Han agreed. Annual teacher narratives have shared a common

“We spent a day or two speaking about the importance of mangroves in our ecosystem—including how they protect coastlines as well as the species that live there,” said Mai-Han. Taking a closer look at the Red-Rooted Saltwater Mangrove, she found that “there’s a certain kind of movement I wanted with them.”

The familial connection is an elemental part of Mai-Han’s work. “I think my grandfather was part of [my inspiration],” Mai-Han says, “because he actually went to war for America. I got the artist blood from him.”

JASON PUTSCHÉ PHOTOGRAPHY

JASON PUTSCHÉ PHOTOGRAPHY

JASON PUTSCHÉ PHOTOGRAPHY

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Around Campus

ARTS AND PERFORMANCES

Mai-Han adds color and detail to the base layer.

Because of his anti-Viet Cong views and actions, Mai-Han’s grandfather was imprisoned; while in jail, he found himself drawing in his cell. “Americans helped him come to this country, [where] he built his life and finances.

Perhaps because of the way he left his work behind, he didn’t want his granddaughter to follow in his footsteps.”

Mai-Han still remembers her grandfather’s pleas: “‘Whatever you do, don’t become an artist.’ It took me a while to convince him I could make something of a living,” she said. “He’s really supportive now that I got a full scholarship to Boston University School of Visual Arts. I’m never letting [him] live that down!”

Early digital sketch done on an iPad pro with annotations by the artist.

Despite Mai-Han’s recognition at GDS, her scholarship, and an illustration business, she doesn’t believe she was born a great artist. In a true GDS growth mindset approach, she believes that she gained her skills over time.

“Art isn’t something that you have to be good at in the beginning—people say they’re bad at art, but that is because they haven’t had lessons, and they’re comparing themselves to others. When I tell people I was ‘bad at art’ at the beginning, they don’t believe me.”

Mai-Han plans to return to GDS to finish the mural on her breaks from school.

Disney storyboards were used as a reference to create a dark and swampy atmosphere, while reference photos for the fish were suggested by the science department.

MARY POPPINS TAKES FLIGHT

GDS SPRING 2017 MUSICAL PRODUCTION The Georgetown Day Community was treated to a performance that could only be described as...wait for it...

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS, when students at the High School performed the Tony Award-winning musical Mary Poppins in spring 2017.

“Flying presents exciting challenges not only for actors, but also for designers and techs,” Laura says. “Costumes are designed to fit over heavy harnesses and have hidden accesses to attach wires. Sets are designed to keep flying lanes open and with take-off pads.”

One of the most jaw-dropping aspects of the production?

The fact that Nanny Poppins really did fly in to whisk Jane and Michael Banks away on a series of adventures! How did she do it? According to Director and HS Performing Arts Department Chair Laura Rosberg, with a little help from a company called Flying by Foy.

The students were given in-depth instruction from Foy to learn how to run the counter-weighted ropes that flew the actors playing Mary and Bert; stage managers learned how to fit, tighten, and test the harnesses. Students were incredibly careful, since the safety of their friends was suddenly very much in their hands! Everyone in the company of Mary Poppins played an important role, including the props, makeup, and costume team, who had to learn to catch actors almost in mid-air to execute wardrobe and scenic changes. The result was pure, highflying magic.

Flying by Foy is the most widely-renowned theatrical flying service in the world, having done everything from Broadway shows like Billy Elliot and Tarzan, to working with artists like Beyoncé, Stephen Colbert, and Lady Gaga for television appearances. Their incredible work was last on display at GDS in 2013, for the production of Peter Pan.

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Around Campus

ARTS AND PERFORMANCES

SCULPT UNTIL YOU SET THEM FREE

7 T H A N D 8 T H G R A D E C L AY B U S T S P R O J E C T For about 30 years, GDS students in 7th and 8th grade core arts have sculpted clay busts.

“We’ve had students sculpt presidents, rock stars, and athletes. One girl sculpted her grandmother. It’s usually a person they look up to. Sometimes students want to explore what it means to represent a totally new person,” said LMS art teacher Susan Mols. “Their work ends up as diverse as our student body itself.”

Students begin the project by first drawing from observation; this leads to a 3-D exploration of facial and body proportions. Students then take three basic forms—cylinder, oval, and rectangle—and begin manipulating them into the head, neck, and shoulders of their individual. Once this is complete, the students form, define, and refine facial features, and add hair, clothing, and other distinguishing features.

“This project allows students to develop insights about what sets people apart as individuals, and incorporate expressions of identity into their sculpture,” said Susan. “It’s an important touchstone in their time at GDS and a project that generations of students have done. At the end of the process, students feel challenged and proud of their accomplishments.”

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YOU’RE EITHER COMPETING OR YOU’RE NOT W O M E N ’ S VA R S I T Y V O L L E Y B A L L TA K E S I S L A B A N N E R

When GDS’s women’s volleyball team came to the court for the final game against Holton-Arms, there was a lot on the line. The two teams had split the last four games 2-2, and this deciding game would be played to 15 points, with the winner having to win by two.

GDS took an early setback, and the score settled 14-10, Holton-Arms in the lead. Quick playing won the serve back, and the score was 14-11. Another point by Holton-Arms would lose GDS the game, and the Division title. A fumbled serve would hand the game over as well. But when Laura Hutchins ’18 served, GDS won the point, and every point for five serves after. The final score was 16-14, and GDS was back on top.

In the 2016 season, the GDS volleyball team finished at the bottom in what looked like a setback. But not to GDS Athletic Director Kathy Hudson: “It was a blessing in disguise. We had the opportunity to go back up and win the banner.”

Victories like the one over Holton-Arms this season proved Kathy right, and left GDS the undefeated champions of the ISL A Division.

According to Coach Brandon Weist, Pete Carroll’s book Win Forever helped guide their comeback. “If you listen in on our huddles at practices or games, you’re pretty likely to hear the quote ‘You’re either competing or you’re not.’” says Brandon. “This group has embraced that idea and has fought in a way that is truly remarkable day-in and day-out.”

Student athletes demonstrated their dedication to the team by signing up for summer practices and coaching labs, for the first time in the team’s

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history. Besides that, they’ve also helped set goals for themselves and their teammates, in what Kathy calls an integral part of the rebuilding process.

“The kids need to buy into what our goals are going to be, and what expectation we’re going to set for the team,” says Kathy. She also points to the coaching staff and the ways they’ve put the students at the center. “We’ve got a great coaching staff here that works extremely hard for these kids.

Ultimately it’s about them having that interscholastic competitive experience in high school. There’s something special and unique about participating in a high school team. They represent GDS every single day they step out there, and there’s a lot of pride in that.”

GDS’s volleyball players can be especially proud of the way they’ve represented GDS after their comeback season, and next year holds great promise as well. “We are very optimistic about a strong incoming freshman class, who have gotten to watch our varsity team from the sideline and seem to share the same passion for the game,” says Brandon. “We will continue to ask our players and our coaches to always give 100% and to compete every single day, knowing that if we can do that, amazing things will happen.”

Around Campus AT H L ET I C S

M E N ’ S VA R S I T Y S O C C E R I S M AC C O - C H A M P I O N Quinn Killy celebrated his 18th season coaching at GDS this fall, having started out as a Junior Varsity coach, and taking the helm of the Men’s Varsity Soccer team about six years ago. He was joined this year by David Gillespie, who has been coaching the JV team for the last 12 years.

Prior to finishing the season as MAC co-champions, and making it to the finals of the DC State Tournament, the coaches reflected on what it meant to have a team with so many seniors, how they fulfilled personal and team goals for this season, and what they’ll do to continue to cultivate a squad which puts leadership, honesty, and respect at the center.

HOW DID YOU APPROACH THE SEASON THIS YEAR? QK: We had a pretty senior-heavy group, so we had a lot of experience on the team this year. We started the season with some pretty lofty goals, including competing for the Mid-Atlantic Conference (MAC) title, and the DC State Tournament.

As a coach, I had some of the same objectives I have every year—for instance, my goal as a coach was that I wanted the kids to get better! I wanted them to learn and to feel successful, and for us, often, that means winning. In the end, though, what I want most is for the kids to still love the game of soccer when they are 30 and come back for our big Thanksgiving alumni game.

DG: I think Quinn and I complement each other really well. Quinn is an incredible coach, who brings a lot of the technical aspect to it. I often serve as a second set of eyes on everything, giving him feedback on what I’m seeing. I also think it’s helpful for kids to have a second person to talk to, another voice.

QK: We really struggled with injuries and sickness this year. And our whole league was really competitive this year—every team. But for the team, the idea of working as a unit and putting it on the line for each other was a central rallying point. The team felt like they had the support of the whole community.

W H AT M A D E T H I S Y E A R ’ S S Q U A D PA R T I C U L A R LY S T R O N G ?

QK: The seniors have been playing together for a long time. I used to teach at our Middle School, and I’ve known these kids since they were young. Even our freshman this year (we had two freshman on Varsity)—I coached them in third grade. There’s a good number on our team who play outside of school, so they’ve got some competitive experience; they’ve got that sense of camaraderie.

W H E N Y O U S TA R T E D T H E S E A S O N , W E R E THERE ANY GOALS YOU WANTED TO S M A S H ? W H AT W I L L Y O U WA N T T O H AV E ACCOMPLISHED BY THE TIME IT’S OVER? DG: Beside the obvious goal to try to win the MAC, and win the state tournament, I think some overall goals—as we are going to graduate 13 members of the team this year—are to get the others in a position where they feel ready to take over next year. They’re going to be the leaders on the team in the future. We’re going to be counting on them to fill in the spots the seniors will vacate.

QK: After we make our teams, in our first week we have a team meeting, where we outline goals and expectations for each other, and also what we want to achieve. The way I approach this is, people set goals all the time, sometimes you reach them, sometimes you don’t. But what I say to them is, whether they reach that goal or not, they did everything that they could do to get there. If it’s keeping up with your schoolwork, whether it’s taking care of your body and getting enough sleep, whatever it is. So they can say at the end of the season, whether they’ve won the MAC tournament or whether they’ve won the DC State Tournament, “All Right. We did it, or we didn’t do it, but there’s nothing else we could have done. We just got beat, and that happens. I’m proud of what we tried to do. We gave it everything we could.”

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Women’s Varsity Soccer Wins Season

A N D M A K E S I T T O S E M I - F I N A L S I N D C S TAT E T O U R N A M E N T

The 2017-18 Varsity Women’s Soccer season was marked by strength, perseverance, and determination. GDS presented a powerful defense that led to an undefeated record within their division. The Holton-Arms match was particularly memorable, resulting in a 3-2 win within the last minutes of double overtime, which ultimately set the course for a winning season. GDS was victorious against the top four division teams, winning each game by one goal.

After a fantastic season in league play (9-2-0), the Hoppers clinched the ISL A banner.

As they moved into post-season games, the team successfully moved up to the semi-final round in the ISL Tournament.

Despite their amazing effort, GDS fell to their opponents after a round of penalty kicks. Following the banner win, the team advanced to the DC State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Soccer tournament.

Head Coach, Katie Redmond shared thoughts about this year’s determined team. “We set a goal at the beginning of the year to win the division and we have been a force from the beginning. We accomplished what we set out to do.”

The team was also incredibly focused, with a strong freshman class that really stepped up. Marleigh Ausbrooks ‘21, who received the Most Improved player award, was one of three players from the team named to the All ISL team.

Katie enthused, “We had a solid defense, a skilled midfield, and an offense that finished shots.” The midfield was led

by All ISL selection, Sophie Schiff ‘20, who “outworked

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the opponents and gained possession for GDS to start the offense.” Powerhouse defender, Margaux Ameer ‘19 made her presence known each and every time she was on the field.

Katie stated, “when Margaux is playing we feel confident that the other team will be shut down. She’s everywhere.

She’s such a good leader in our defensive line.” She was also named to the All ISL team.

The long hours of practice helped unify the squad. Katie praised her team, “Soccer can be a game of luck sometimes, but this team won because they really put it all together, played through adversity and made the best of what been given to them. They really did this. They were mentally and physically tough and better than a lot of the teams out there.

I was really proud of them this year.”

The Women’s Varsity Soccer team made it to the semifinal round of the DC State tournament to round out their phenomenal 2017-18 season.

Several GDS Varsity Women’s Soccer players were recognized for their outstanding achievements this season. The DC Soccer State AllStars nominations included: Margaux Ameer ‘19 and Sophie Schiff ‘20. A fond farewell and best wishes to our graduating seniors: Anna Calbos ’18, Evan LaFleur ‘18, Maite Lopez ‘18 and Paige Sonoda ‘18. GDS is proud of the hard work, enthusiasm and focus displayed by our young women both on and off the field. With the grit they showed from the start of the season, it’s no surprise that the season was a winning one.

Around Campus AT H L ET I C S

GOLF TEAM SCORES BIG AT M A C CHAMPIONSHIPS Congratulations to the Varsity Golf team for finishing in 4th place at the MAC Championships at Bretton Woods! Will Klein ’19 shot a 77 and tied for 4th place. Teammate Jeremy Margolis ’21 shot an 80 and tied for 7th place. Both players were named to the All-MAC Team, a huge honor! Sam Harris ’20 shot a 92 and Eric Margolis ’19 shot 95 for a team score of 344.

SPORTS SATURDAY 2017 GDS sports were the order of the day on a hot and sunny Sports Saturday.

The stands were packed with cheering friends, fans, and family eager to see the teams in action.

The Junior Varsity squads for both men’s and women’s soccer started the day off in thrilling matches against Maret and Stone Ridge, respectively.

The young athletes demonstrated once again the power and the potential that they have demonstrated all season.

The Women’s Varsity Soccer took the field to huge cheers from the bleachers. The team has an excellent balance of offensive and defensive strength, and the team left nothing on the field after a grueling game.

In the gym, both JV and Varsity Volleyball battled it out in their respective matches against Stone Ridge, a formidable opponent in the league. After falling behind one game, the Varsity squad came roaring back—playing strongly, communicating clearly, and working as a unit—to claim victory.

For the final match of the day, Men’s Varsity Soccer took the field against one of their greatest rivals, Maret. Led by a strong, senior-heavy squad, the team fought fiercely through the entire match, putting up a solid offensive game. They played with heart, humility, and the sportsmanlike grace that embodies the entirety of GDS athletics. An amazing day was had by everyone in attendance, with all credit going to the hardworking coaches and players.

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One of the things that can be difficult about working in administration is the feeling that you become a bit more separate from the kids than when you’re a classroom teacher.

I remind myself that the impact I have can be a greater one in this role, because I’m getting to work so intimately with all of the adults, who then also work with all of the kids. If I can keep that perspective and stay connected in the little ways— like joining First Friday and visiting clubs, and doing activities that keep me connected to individual kids—getting to care for the institution at a different level has its own rewards.

GDS WELCOMES

KATIE GIBSON A S N E W H I G H S C H O O L P R I N C I PA L

Following a national search, Katie Gibson was selected as the new High School Principal, taking on a mantle of leadership during an exciting time of evolution for the school. During the interview process, Katie met with faculty, administrators, parents, and students, who praised her thoughtful listening, well-informed answers, sense of humor, and depth of experience.

Katie has held a wide range of roles in independent schools, including teacher, grade dean, and member of the equity task force at Packer Collegiate in Brooklyn, New York; dean of students at the Ross School in East Hampton, New York; and high school principal at the Ranney School in New Jersey. She is a graduate of New York University, and holds an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Columbia University’s Teachers College.

What drew you to GDS? I think there’s an intangible quality when you walk in the doors here, where you can feel in your heart that this is a good place. And I was certainly looking to find a place where I could be surrounded by really authentic people in the community who are able to fully be themselves in every way. A focus on social justice and inclusion was an important component that I was looking for as well. I think GDS is a place where students are shown that their voices matter. There’s obviously incredible academics, and the arts, and other aspects that are remarkable, but those points were truly what set GDS apart from other institutions for me.

What inspires your work?

I love working with adolescents. I’ve worked with all different age groups in my career, and there’s something about where they are developmentally that is so rich, and offers so many profound opportunities for real growth; I love getting to partake in those conversations, ask questions, and push people’s thinking deeper. Being a part of shaping young people’s identities and helping them fully step into themselves is a powerful thing to be able to do every day. It inspires and brings me joy.

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You mentioned in your welcome letter that it was important to you to be part of a diverse community. With a school as diverse as ours— racially, culturally, and socioeconomically—how do you hope to help students cultivate an understanding of themselves within the larger scope of the world?

Having spent most of my life in diverse communities that is something I value deeply. If I’m going to work in a school, I want it to be a school that I think is representative of the world. It is both harder and easier to jump into real conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion when you’re in a truly diverse community.

Easier in that I think you have access to, an interest in, and a commitment to, educating each other, and digging in where people need to be more thoughtful or to learn something new. Because we have such a diverse population, and we are at times digging so much into all of that, it gets raw. You’re not having surface-level conversations. You’re not checking a box. You’re opening up, and being a community that can hold all of that, name it as something that is valuable, and keep people feeling emotionally safe throughout it, can be challenging. It’s more important than ever that we provide kids with safe spaces where they can talk about their differences. So how do we provide spaces where kids can talk across differences without anyone at the table feeling put down? If we aren’t setting up our students to be able to go out into the world and build bridges amongst people who think or see differently than they do, we are doing them a real disservice.

You started out as a professional contemporary dancer in New York City. How has your performance experience shaped you as an educator?

A lot of the work that I did when I was performing was incredibly collaborative. There were different voices stepping up, trying ideas out, and when working in a creative process like that, ego goes away. We figured out how to weave all these different ideas together into something that becomes a beautiful tapestry. A lot of it is about figuring out the elements that go into creating, but also being comfortable with letting things change and grow. Those skills are about communication, problem solving, and collaboration, and they are deeply embedded in the creative arts and in a lot of ways have influenced the kind of leader I am.

Any questions I didn’t ask that you wish I had? Anything else we should know about you?

I really value being part of this school community, not only in this position, but as a parent. I love having this dual role of getting to see firsthand how great this school is, but also where it can grow. I’m so, so excited about being here, and want to do so much listening, learning, and understanding of what GDS is all about from the people who have already been here before me. There are so many incredible opportunities for me to engage with the community that way this year.

G E O R G E T O W N D AY S C H O O L SCHOOL STORE

SHOP ADULTS. YOUTH. BABIES.

4530 MacArthur Boulevard |Â www.GDS.org/SchoolStore

GEORGETOWN DAYS WINTER 2017/18

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Around Campus FA C U L T Y

READING BEYOND GENDER LMS Librarians Work to Encourage Boys to Consider Books with Female Protagonists

BY RHONA CAMPBELL Two years ago, the LMS Librarians at GDS read about a disturbing reality: most girls will read books about boys, but few boys will ever choose titles featuring girls…and the adults in their lives affirm their choices. Was this true at GDS? Kay, Lisa, and I researched. GDS LMS Library statistics showed a consistent pattern of boys eschewing titles featuring a girl or woman on the cover. Teachers and parents rejected read-alouds with girl characters, assured that “the boys won’t like them.” When recommending books to each other, boys denigrated “girl” books. The three of us even started catching ourselves making biased suggestions to boys during browsing time, as per our training: we have been taught that boys are more reluctant readers, so let’s pander to what we’ve been told they want.

Supporting boys in the belief that it’s somehow abnormal or a drag to read about girls perpetuates the idea that males do not need to be aware of females’ internal lives.

We know from our equity work around promoting diverse books that when students read about characters with identities different than their own, they gain empathy.

Yet adults stop short of encouraging boys to read books that feature girls. Could it be that experiencing girls’ lives through their point of view in literature could help interrupt objectification of women later in life? Could this be a developmental touchpoint for young men’s understanding

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of “consent”? Moreover, what price do boys pay for encountering social stigma when displaying interest in socalled “feminine” tropes? And what message do girls get when the most-talked-about titles are always about boys?

To disrupt this pattern, we started collaborating with our Lower Middle School faculty.

Here are a few results: • A second grade class now exclusively reads books about girls during lunchtime.

• We presented some tools to teachers to help them counter the instinct to offer only “boy” books to male readers.

• Traveling Biography choices for the 2017 fifth grade class saw more boys interested in portraying women than ever before.

• One seventh grade advisory is using read-alouds to solve the problem of boys not wanting to play sports with girls during recess.

• We presented a workshop called “What Boys Read” at the 2017 Association of Independent Maryland and District Columbia Schools (AIMS) Technology conference.

We know from our equity work around promoting diverse books that when students read about characters with identities different than their own, they gain empathy.

HERE ARE SOME THINGS PARENTS CAN DO: • When given a booklist, let your children choose for themselves. Notice patterns.

Comment on them.

• Encourage reading a book’s description instead of judging its contents by the cover.

Be aware of how marketing panders to stereotypes.

• Avoid discouraging your boy from reading a book just because it’s pink and bedazzled.

Interrupt the cycle.

• Be deliberate when choosing family read-alouds, and discuss gender roles in them as

you go.

• Love action/adventure? There are plenty of newer titles featuring girl heroines.

• Talk to your LMS Librarians. We’re happy to help!

GEORGETOWN DAYS WINTER 2017/18

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RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM

ENGAGING ACADEMICS, POSITIVE COMMUNITY Amplifying Learning by Developing the Whole Child Georgetown Day School is one of a number of elementary and middle schools in the region that has integrated the Responsive Classroom model into its curricula, while also retaining certain aspects that are uniquely important to, and reflective of, the values within the GDS community.

Responsive Classroom (RC) is a method of teaching (developed by the Center for Responsive Schools in Massachusetts) emphasizing academic and emotional growth that takes place within a safe and trusted school community. The approaches of RC focus on building and strengthening the connections between academic success and social-emotional learning, and has been found in numerous studies to result in greater achievement in math and reading, as well as an improved school environment.

Jason Putsché Photography

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Jason Putsché Photography

“

When they come in the doors, they’re acknowledged and celebrated.

”

BEING SEEN AND KNOWN

GDS has taken a unique approach to Responsive Classroom, in that it utilizes the aspects of RC that benefit our student body, and expands upon practices that may feel less than wholly inclusive.

Laura Yee, Assistant Head of School for Curriculum & Instruction, put it best. “Feeling seen and known is the foundation teachers must create to ensure that each child can take intellectual risks in their classes.

For instance, at GDS, we align our RC work to our philosophy that individual identity formation should not ignore skin color; rather, an essential component of affirming students’ whole selves includes creating authentic opportunities to accurately and positively recognize the skin we’re in. This is one reason why our students excel—they are fully seen and can truly feel safe as they engage in all the challenges that our school provides.”

Kindergarten homeroom teacher Angela Sandford agreed that GDS’s approach to RC allows us to know the whole child. “Take something as simple as maintaining eye contact with the teacher. At GDS, we recognize that in some cultures, or families, this eye contact may be considered rude. As teachers, it’s an important part of our job to pay attention, and we want to know if this is something students don’t do in their families. This lets a child know they don’t have to leave behind their authentic self. When they come in the doors, they’re acknowledged and celebrated.”

RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM IN DEVELOPMENT

The premise of Responsive Classroom is deceptively simple: to be successful in school and beyond, students must learn a set of social and emotional competencies— cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self control—and a set of educational competencies— academic mindset, perseverance, learning strategies, and academic behaviors. This is done by adhering to certain classroom practices and strategies, and understanding four key aspects of an RC Classroom.

Academic Engagement: Teachers create

active, challenging, and purposeful learning tasks.

Positive Community: Teachers nurture a sense of belonging and individual significance, so students feel comfortable taking risks.

Management: Teachers create a calm and orderly environment that allows students to focus on learning.

Developmental Awareness: Teachers use

their understanding of child development to create a learning environment that is appropriate.

LMS Music Teacher Heather Phillips has taught

extensively in a strictly Responsive Classroom, and taken several courses on RC. Through her experience and study, she says, “I found that there were aspects of the approach that worked only for homeroom teachers.

However, there are so many great things about the Responsive Classroom approach that we are able to use as is, and others that need modification. Responsive classroom works best when teachers are consistent and all of the pieces come together.”

Heather shared her knowledge and experience with her colleagues at the recent GDS U, an ongoing series of short courses focusing on professional enrichment for the GDS faculty. To help the teachers walk a mile in their students’ shoes, Heather began the GDS U course with a Morning Meeting (an important RC activity), in order to let everyone experience what their students experience in the beginning of the day, and also to build a community within the session.

“We watched a few video clips to introduce everyone to Responsive Classroom, and talked about how it aligns with the mission of our school. From there we talked about how to modify aspects of Morning Meeting for our own individual setting and ways we can build community in our classrooms,” said Heather. “My colleagues seemed to enjoy the time to brainstorm ways to incorporate more community building into their own classrooms and were asking questions and collaborating across subject areas.”

Luisa Myavec, LS Math Teacher, said that building a shared understanding of RC across the Lower and Middle School divisions benefits students—and the entire school community. “More than anything, I think RC gives teachers the opportunity to think deeply about what we are doing in our classrooms and why we are doing those things. By dedicating time to align our language and procedures within the LS, we have all been thinking more deeply about why we do what we do. Ultimately, I believe this will help build consistency within the LS teachers’ messages to students.”

THE LANGUAGE OF RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM

Words are powerful, and the thoughtful use of language in RC is a cornerstone of what makes the method special. “RC is very specific about the language teachers use, and teachers at GDS have been working really hard on that,” says Angela. “Instead of students motivated by being in favor with their teachers, they have the intrinsic motivation of ‘I’m doing what helps contribute to this community as a learner.’ It’s hard. We, the teachers, are learning to speak and help direct in a new way as well.”

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“

Students are empowered with language that allows them to engage their teachers and peers by creating a more even footing.

”

From his classroom experience, 4th grade teacher Jay Tucker notes, “Responsive Classroom’s use of language helps me convey what I expect from my students, in a way that puts ownership in their hands. It’s not just saying ‘you need to sit down,’ it’s saying ‘I notice that scientists are getting their materials together and preparing for class.’ It guides a student towards thinking ‘what do I need to do to get myself together?’ rather than just be told what to do.”

In her Kindergarten, Angela says she doesn’t have to dictate activities or behaviors that are expected. “It gives kids independence, autonomy, and a sense that ‘I can function as an individual, and still be part of this community.’”

RESPONSIVE CLASSROOM IN PRACTICE

In addition to language, GDS has enthusiastically adopted several other shared practices that Responsive Classroom promotes, including Morning Meetings for grades K-6, Responsive Advisory Meetings for the Middle School, Interactive Modeling, and Teacher Language, which is considered a shared practice for grades K-8. These practices look to establish a solid foundation of teaching procedures, as well as classroom behaviors and engagement.

As Bryan Williams, 5th grade teacher and Math specialist puts it, “There is a hierarchy that already exists in a classroom, and RC gives all of those in the classroom a chance to change it. Students are empowered with language that allows them to engage their teachers and peers by creating a more even footing. This changing power dynamic can allow for greater opportunities for connections and trust as the year presses on.”

Jay adds, “We work together to figure out how we cultivate a classroom culture through the rules that students develop, decide, and write. It comes in a very intentional order; it’s very collaborative.” It is a Responsive Classroom practice to have students establish their own classroom expectations based on individual goals, in order to lay the foundation for a productive and cooperative year. Students establish rules in order to grow towards functioning independently, while maintaining and abiding by the needs of the community.

Teachers are very aware and appreciative of the positive behaviors and habits that RC promotes amongst the students, inside of the classroom and out. Through inclusive language, behavior, and activities, students become independent, autonomous, community members who care deeply for each other, and are comfortable enough to take risks that help them grow.

In Bryan’s experience, “I have had a chance (over my 16year career) to develop language and practices that have helped me create a psychologically safe environment where kids can thrive, make connections with their peers, and excel at a pace that they are comfortable with.”

By placing a spotlight on building these connections, and helping to honor the whole child, the implementation of Responsive Classroom at Georgetown Day continues to yield results in the LMS that reflect positive emotional, social, and academic growth amongst our students.

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S

S R E M M SU ? oFF he t d n a t e s d n Growth Mi hers Life of Teac

ee

By Laura Y

On a warm June day at the Lower/Middle School campus, faculty and students swarm around the field in their last hurrah before summer break. Music blasts from the sport court and community members watch as students try their hands at tug-of-war against faculty by grade level. Somehow, the PK/K class maintains its annual undefeated streak, and once the eighth graders complete their match, students depart for their summers. At the High School, students experience a different end to their year after final exams and then, for seniors, Senior Quest and their celebratory graduation. As an adult community, we say goodbye to the year and our former students, knowing that when we see them next, many changes will have occurred.

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Little do students know, however, that while their school year concludes, the community of adults who joyously welcome them each fall almost immediately begins preparing for the next year.

In no way is this preparation more apparent to me than when I examine the multitude of summer experiences in which faculty and staff engage in the few months between each academic year. In my experience at GDS, the age-old adage of teachers having “summers off� does not ring true.

While faculty engaged in more than 30 professional learning experiences this summer, below are just a few that teams of faculty attended together, many of them provided directly by experts embedded at GDS. Here are some of the ways teachers continued to learn over the summer and how these experiences will directly impact our students.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Unpacking Biases and Exploring Our Engagement Because of our history, at GDS we recognize the important role individual identities and experiences play in developing our capacities as well as our biases.

These biases can contribute to an inequitable education for some students; this requires us to continually engage in critical self-reflection to reveal these biases and to also attend to them in our daily work.

SEED To continue empowering teachers in their practice as social justice educators, GDS has required that all members of our adult community engage in equity work through the Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED) project. During the school year, our Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offers this year-long course for a selected cohort, on both campuses, ten times a year for three hours. Led by trained members of

our own faculty, participants examine social identifiers and their own lived experiences to unpack biases that affect schooling for our students. This past summer, we also offered a unique week-long course for those faculty who cannot attend during the year. Fourteen faculty and staff engaged in this course, Myself and My Journey, examining their biases and personal stories and learning how to minimize actions related to these biases.

Participants included faculty from the Office of Advancement, library, arts, technology, and math departments from across the school.

Student Impact: Whether through communications, direct teaching, or engaging families; interacting with faculty, students, and families with a heightened level of awareness provides avenues for more authentic engagement in all aspects of our school. The more culturally conscious each individual is within a community, the more inclusive and accessible student learning can be for all students.

We’re lucky to have in-house specialists who can lead their professional peers on journeys that expand their teaching. This year’s GDSU also builds on expertise within the GDS family, as all faculty members either take a course, or lead one as a Fellow.

Classes offered this term include: Anxiety and the Classroom with Meryl Heyliger and Gabrielle Holder Universal Design for Learning with Eric Friedenson

NAIS’s Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI) Once again this summer, members of the leadership teams within our community attended the National Association of Independent Schools’ Diversity Leadership Institute, where our Head of School for Equity and Social Impact, Crissy Cáceres, serves as a faculty member each summer. During this week-long residential Institute with school leaders from various independent schools nationwide, our leadership team examined intercultural conflict, dynamics of privilege and power, intercultural communication, and other aspects of equity-centered leadership. For these reasons, all department chairs, Grade Level Deans (HS) and Grade Level Coordinators (LMS) must engage in this experience during their leadership tenure.

Student Impact: As department chairs, Deans, and Grade Level Coordinators lead their teams across the school, bringing a lens of diversity plays a critical role.

After attending this past summer, High School history teacher and 9th grade dean Abe Pachikara reflects, “DLI was life-changing and inspirational; it showed me the role diversity plays in leadership in a way that I never thought about before.” As a school founded on principles of inclusion and equity along various identity lines, our commitment to developing culturally conscious and competent leadership continues through our team’s ongoing engagement in DLI and other diversity leadership experiences.

Understanding and Supporting Executive Function Skills presented by Kim Palombo, who recently blogged on this topic: https://hoppereffect.gds.org/ executive-function-looks-like-support/ Equity and Access in the Classroom: Ensuring for Equitable Participation with Laura Yee Using Formative Assessments to Nurture a Growth Mindset and Inform Instruction presented by Jana Rupp, whose blog on this topic recently appeared: https://hoppereffect.gds.org/growthmindset-nurtured-mastery-basedassessment/

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Curriculum Development

Supporting Student Wellness through Social Curriculum

Summer is the perfect chance to take time to innovate curriculum. Without the demands of daily teaching, faculty members can dive deeply into their lesson plans for the coming year, taking into account recent research, best practices, and experiences from the past year. As a school dedicated to innovative learning experiences, we remain committed to providing the time and space for teachers to take their subject matter to the next level.

Each year, more research explicitly identifies students’ connection with their teachers and other school adults as a factor in their attendance and achievement.

GDS continually reflects upon how to connect with students in deeper and more authentic ways. It is with that goal in mind that a team of three Middle School faculty—Oveta WillieJenkins, Charles Edwards, and Perry Degener—attended the Stanley King Counseling Institute. At this Institute they engaged with counselors and other educators in active listening, a process that directed their focus towards speakers’ lived experiences and away from the almost automatic tendency to want to convey personal resonances with those experiences. Perry Degener (MS History and Advisor) reflects, “Although I often drift back into previous bad habits, my time at the Institute has made me mindful of trying to catch myself when I have just interrupted a student or teaching colleague with my own commentary or ‘me-too’ echoes.”

Student Impact: As advisors in the Middle School, Oveta, Charles, and Perry’s skills have expanded to build more authentic relationships with their students. As Oveta reflected upon this experience, she shared, “The Stanley King experience affirmed what we at GDS focus on for building community and respect for all...telling our personal stories. It was evident from the material presented, presentations, and small group work that diversity of one’s life experiences leads to community connections. Students that have supportive and positive relationships with their teachers have higher levels of achievement. Personal connections with students begin with being open to sharing a part of yourself, which means being vulnerable. Sharing one’s story is a reciprocal activity that results in a sincere trustful student-teacher relationship.”

As these three teachers engage in evolving the MS advisory program with their colleagues, their learning will play a critical role in ensuring that the program’s structure and substance focuses on relationship-building, deep listening and connecting with students.

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Understanding by Design During a week-long in-house workshop, 17 Lower and Middle School teachers revised and created new units designed to assess student knowledge and understanding through authentic, project-based assessments. This design approach, Understanding by Design, provides a framework for teachers to think of their teaching using research-based best practices for learning that ensure lessons are designed to support each child’s understanding of learning goals.

Student Impact: Already this fall, students in the Lower and Middle Schools engaged in project-based learning, including the 4th grade playground project (see page 3), in which students used their data collection, analysis, and interpretation, as well as creativity and persuasive writing skills, to design and propose a new playground structure for the new LMS building. In eighth grade history, students learned their Pre-Colonial and Colonial U.S. History, and then applied their understandings to an imaginary authentic learning task: to curate a museum exhibit at the Smithsonian that highlights different groups present in Colonial North America and describe their various goals during this period (see page 7).

GDS Writers’ Retreat GDS is committed to affirming students’ identities and experiences as well as providing opportunities for students to understand those different from themselves. We strive to provide as many “windows” and “mirrors” as we can. When students do not see themselves in their school curricula, they can feel devalued, causing them to disengage from learning.

For all students, books that provide examples of experiences different from their own help develop empathy and an embrace of diversity. In our early grades, there is an ongoing challenge in finding age-appropriate books that include a diversity of experiences, particularly books with characters from non-dominant backgrounds and identities.

The Writers’ Retreat for Teachers—developed and led by former GDS first grade teacher and current Author-inResidence, Paula Young Shelton—invited teachers to develop books that filled this resource gap for their students. During this course, four teachers brainstormed curricular needs and engaged in a writing process with Paula to create manuscripts for publication and use in their classrooms.

Student Impact: In four early childhood classrooms this year, students will directly benefit from reading teacher-created books with diverse “windows.” Teachers wrote books about pre-adolescent girls who navigate their identities as African American and Latina in a middle-class suburban environment; a kindergartener navigating a typical day while encountering gender stereotypes; an African American girl who learns to love her hair in all its many configurations; and two Black boys—one the only child of a successful single dad and the other a child from a big Caribbean family—exploring their differences through playdates.

Innovating Geometry for Authentic Problem-Solving

number of textbooks (to scale) that can be stored on it; 4) a “metro project,” where students construct a model cross section to scale of the Tenleytown Metro Station that includes the train and turnstile platforms; and 5) the “planter project” where students design and print a planter to be sold in a plant sale. Through these innovative projects, students will be using their understanding of volume, trigonometry, pythagorean theorem, properties of triangles, spatial visualization, creating and using a scale, and the properties of solids, circles, and polygons.

These project-based assessments of learning align with what we know is best practice for learning: acquiring information, making meaning of that information, and transferring those understandings to authentic, novel tasks.

Expanding the Learning Opportunities While our faculty certainly finds time to recharge and enjoy their summers, their time away spent learning and growing is often critical to their ability to return to school, energized and ready to take on a new school year.

At GDS, we stress the importance of professional development that not only supports teachers in expanding their classroom practice, but also provides them with an opportunity to put what they learn to immediate use. As an independent school, GDS can be nimble in response to research-based trends. Our students benefit from from their teachers’ summer learning experiences because their own learning opportunities are expanded.

In the High School, math teacher Beth Stafford partnered with Innovative Programs Coordinator, Sheamus Burns to completely redesign the Geometry Extended course to shift the focus from proofs to authentic problem- and project-based student discovery. Sheamus and Beth assessed the previous program’s curriculum, then determined critical knowledge, skills, and understanding students would need to have. They then designed five central projects that all simulate authentic problems designed to support students’ discovery-based learning.

These projects include: 1) a “sculpture project,” where students design and print a geometric sculpture after researching local DC sculptures; 2) a “cake project,” where students must identify all possible cross sections of a cube (and also cone, sphere, and pyramid), in the context of cake cutting; 3) a “bookshelf project” where students design and build a model bookshelf using balsa wood that optimizes the

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ALUMNI PROFILES

GDS alumnus Congressman Jamie Raskin ’79 represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is the Vice-Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and serves two Judiciary subcommittees: the Subcommittee on the Constitution Civil Justice; and the Subcommittee Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigation. He also serves on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Committee on House Administration.

on and on

the In

at He

the

Jamie Raskin ’79

addition, Congressman Raskin has been a professor of constitutional law American University for over 25 years. is the author of the best-selling Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court versus the American People and highly-acclaimed We the Students: Supreme Court Cases For and About America’s Students.

*What activities did you participate in at GDS? How did your time here help pave the path of your inspiring career?

I played soccer and remember scoring a “hat trick”—three goals—at an away game at Maret my junior year. We had a big homecoming dance at school that weekend after the hat trick—those were my glory days! Playing on teams, I learned that competition is important to bring out our best individual efforts, but community is even more important, and community and competition should always go together. (I was also on the math team but the less said about that, the better.)

I participated in theater, but there were some seriously talented actors in school like my friend Damian Young, who was later in the movie Goodfellas. Damian is an acting genius. We also had Anna Bergman, who has an exceptional stage presence, and a remarkable singing voice. There was so much amazing talent at the school.

But I’d say the thing I did at GDS that most nudged me towards my future was helping to create the Student-Staff Council.

I wrote its Constitution. The teacher charged with working on it, a dazzling History teacher named Bill Young, asked me to draft the first version, and I went to the library and sat there for hours working on it. I kept thinking about James Madison, and Ben Franklin, and the Philadelphia Convention, having these splendid delusions of grandeur. And we passed them around and wrote the rules. There were only two or three pages in the whole SSC Constitution, but what a thrill! I didn’t exactly become a Founder of the country, but I did become a constitutional law professor, and I serve on the House Judiciary Committee. I’ve never surrendered the romantic idea that law can promote democratic participation and wellbeing while protecting freedom and the rights of the people. And I learned at GDS how to do politics in a way where you can disagree with people about particular policies, but still feel those basic underlying bonds of affection and solidarity that constitute a community.

GDS gave us the sense that we could learn about the history of slavery, racism, and Jim Crow, we could learn about the history of second-class citizenship of women, we could learn about these terrible injuries of our past, but we could transcend them all and remake America.

Part of the transcendence was in the learning process, looking honestly at our past and not papering over the grimmer realities of history, and part of it was in the kind of community we could create amongst ourselves at school—open, inviting, non-judgmental, diverse, appreciative and filled with wonder.

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GEORGETOWN DAYS WINTER 2017/18

*Are there any teachers/class experiences that left a lasting impression?

Kevin Barr was my 9th grade English teacher and he taught us everything—Shakespeare, Homer, Faulkner, all of the writers who shaped our imaginations. Kevin made English cool as hell because he was so cool. I blame Kevin for making me absolutely fanatical about language, meaning, grammar, syntax, and spelling. I’m about as politically progressive a Congressperson as you’re going to find in 2017, but you’re not going to find a more conservative person in public life than me when it comes to language, education, and critical thought. If you really love humanity, you have to treat the humanities with reverence and attention.

*You are currently a member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice; did your education at GDS help lay the groundwork for your passionate commitment to defending these rights and issues?

Of course. When I first got into politics a decade ago, I was running for the Maryland State Senate as an underdog against a 32-year incumbent who was president pro tempore of the Senate. At my kickoff announcement, I laid out everything I wanted to do: pass marriage equality, abolish the death penalty, ban military-style assault weapons and pass the toughest gun safety law in America, restore voting rights to former prisoners, dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and protect civil rights and liberties.

And this woman came up to me and said, “Jamie, great speech, but one thing—take out all that stuff in there about gay marriage because it’s never going to happen and you know it’s never going to happen and even the gay candidates don’t talk about it. And it makes you sound really extreme, like you’re not in the political center.”

And I swallowed hard, but I replied, “I really want to thank you for telling me that because it makes me realize it is not my ambition to be in the political center, which blows around with the wind. It’s my ambition to be in the moral center, to find what’s right the best that we can and then bring the political center to us. That’s why I call myself a progressive.”

We had an amazing class with a teacher named Mike Kirchberg called “Power.” It launched me into a lifetime of thinking about the problem of power, how you control it and channel it, how you generate it and share it, how you divide it up and make it work for people. The Founders of America understood that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, as Lord Acton put it. And so they wanted to devise a system where power was rooted in the people and their representatives in Congress, but then divided up among different branches of government to check “ambition against ambition,” as Madison put it.

My most enduring lessons probably came in my French and Spanish classes. I became a lifelong Francophile and got to teach law and politics at Sciences-Po [in Paris] before I went into politics. I only wish that I had started Spanish earlier but, believe me, if you’re thinking about a career in American politics, learn Spanish. The GDS language program is awesome.

And I think I absorbed that philosophy at a very young age, from my family, my teachers, my friends, my school, this whole wonderful community we live in. Start with what’s right first and then work your way out from there. One day I hope we’ll get everything done in Washington that I campaigned on for Congress, from common-sense gun safety measures to a massive infrastructure plan to serious reorientation of all our federal policies and our budget in order to deal with the accelerating crises of climate change and the challenges of these times.

GDS has always been a super-supportive community for its alumni, just like its students, and I can’t think of a single person in the GDS community who didn’t help me out when I asked for help. And I needed a lot of help—my primary was the most expensive in U.S. history, with more than $20 million spent and most not by me. We were outspent 9 to 1 and a staggering 50 to 1 on TV. But we ran a powerful grassroots campaign and a lot of GDS people came to my aid. There were dozens of awesome student interns, way too numerous to name. I’m forever grateful to these people.

GEORGETOWN DAYS WINTER 2017/18

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SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS PICTURED (L-R): ETHAN SLATER AS “SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS”, LILLI COOPER AS “SANDY CHEEKS”

Ethan Slater ’10 made his Broadway debut in November as the titular hero of the much celebrated SpongeBob SquarePants!

Musical. The show, directed by Tina Landau, and featuring music from Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, The Flaming Lips, Cyndi Lauper, and John Legend, rests squarely (bad pun) on the shoulders of its leading man, who is primed to show the Great White Way exactly what he can do.

*What activities did you participate in at GDS? How did your time here help pave the path of your career?

I was involved in a number of extracurricular activities at GDS, but mainly wrestling, theater (fall and spring), a cappella, and choir. All of them had (at least) one thing in common: they taught me to have high expectations for myself—and to meet those expectations. Whether it was the hard workouts on the wrestling team, or putting on a production with student-built turntables, GDS expects a lot, and gets a lot in return. I could go on and on about how GDS prepared me for my professional life, but it all starts there.

*Are there any teachers/class experiences that left a lasting impression?

So many. Just to name a few, Laura Rosberg and Jim Mahady’s classes in directing and acting, respectively. I never would have dreamed of being a professional actor if it weren’t for them (and some of my classmates).

They helped us put on ambitious productions like Elizabeth Rex, Amadeus, The Producers and more. I say “helped us” because they really entrusted students with a lot of responsibility: building and designing the sets (along with Will Ley), costumes, lights, props, producing, and tackling challenging roles. Their attitude that we were capable and creative taught me as much as any classroom lesson.

One more! Senior year I had Thu Nguyen for English. The books we read were challenging, and sometimes dense, but she treated us like adults, while always having our backs. I remember reading Paradise Lost—it was undecipherable! We all came in the next day, tail between our legs, eighty percent of us having quit before finishing the assigned section. But she had planned

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GEORGETOWN DAYS WINTER 2017/18

Joan Marcus, 2016

ALUMNI PROFILES

Ethan Slater ’10

for this. We spent the class time breaking down the first five or so pages, line by line, seeing how and why Milton wrote the way he did. And she reassigned the same section for the next class period. What sticks with me about this lesson is that Paradise Lost went from being unimaginable literature, to one of my favorite books we read that year. It’s a lesson that I have revisited any time a situation, academic or other, has got me stumped.

But of course, I had incredible teachers through and through, from Bill George to Bill Wallace, Sue and Bruce and Suzie, C.A. and Bobby. I also have many teachers to whom I owe an apology. My senior year I shared four classes with my good friend Lilly Jay ’10, during which we spent far too much time comparing notes and chatting. So for that, I am sorry! But you should know, it paid off! Just this past summer, we got engaged and I have GDS to thank for being the place I first got to know and fall in love with my future wife.

*You have masterfully taken a well-known character, and made him uniquely your own. How did your education at GDS prepare you to approach this task?

Oddly enough, it was my non-theatrical education that came into play the earliest—wrestling. The show is incredibly physical, and many of the acrobatics and physical things that I do in the show I learned through wrestling training: the discipline, the stamina, the room for improvement.

The process of working on the SpongeBob Musical has been undeniably special. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Tina Landau, a director whom I have always admired, and whose process is imbued with exploration and creativity. Working with her has been reminiscent of being a student of teachers who provide guidance, but who are also excited to learn with you. GDS treats students like capable learners, which in turn makes us feel like capable learners. So as daunting as it was to take on a character as ubiquitous as SpongeBob when I was just 19, I knew (and learned along the way) that it was going to be a learning process helmed by a brilliant director, and that with her help I could figure it out.

Break a leg, Ethan! We’re all cheering for you! SpongeBob SquarePants! began Broadway performances on November 6, 2017 and is scheduled to run through May 27, 2018 at the Palace Theatre.

ONCE A HOPPER, ALWAYS A HOPPER. Those words ring especially true to those who are members of the GDS Alumni Faculty and Staff Association (AFSA). The group was started by former faculty and staff members who left Georgetown Day School, but wanted to remain part of the community, and to engage with the school. It serves as an opportunity to celebrate the connections made at GDS and to know those with whom they may have not previously worked, but share a common bond.

Members of AFSA are often found at the All Alumni Reunion Weekend, attending art shows, and cheering loudly for theater and dance performances. They lend support to important GDS community events, and have even returned to the halls of the school as tutors, or to substitute teach. The group also holds regular meetings and get-togethers as a way to get to know one another in a different capacity.

“Why is AFSA important to the community? Being a GDSer is to hold membership in a very special community, and no matter where individuals go after GDS, each remains in that community. It’s a forever thing,” said Paul Levy, AFSA member and former HS principal. “AFSA is GDS’s way of recognizing that those who served the school community in whatever capacity and length of time. It is a way for the institution to affirm its appreciation for past service and for current students and employees to understand that the community that is so revered today was built on the work of those who came before them. GDS is a dynamic place. Each in his or her time has a different set of experiences. But what makes us a community is that we believe in the mission of the school and support its core values.”

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Save the Date CLASS OF 1982

CLASS OF 1987

JASON PUTSCHÉ PHOTOGRAPHY

CLASS OF 1997

CLASS OF 2002

CLASS OF 2007

ONCE UPON A TIME

ALL ALUMNI REUNION 2017

Nearly 350 alumni, faculty, and friends joined us!

Nearly 350 alumni, faculty, and friends from 19 states, the District and four countries came together April 28-29, 2017 to reconnect and celebrate.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR 2017 ALL ALUMNI REUNION ALUMNI BOARD COMMITTEE:

Celebrations for those classes ending in 2 and 7 started the weekend, with gatherings at alumni homes, as well as “keeping it in the family” by gathering at GDS-owned venues.

The Class of ‘97 threw it back old-school style with an outdoor keg party, where over 60 alums from their class attended!

AND REUNION CLASS CHAIRS:

The weekend continued with a tour of the High School led by current students and a presentation by Kevin Barr, highlighting what’s next in the campus unification project and a brief update on the state of the school. Saturday afternoon, the heat was on and faculty, staff and alums came out to challenge each other in a spirited game of kickball!

The weekend concluded with the All Class Reunion Party. The Library was transformed, mood lighting, DJ, photo booth and all, where they enjoyed amazing food and had the opportunity to connect further and see their former teachers. Nineteen faculty members, both past and present attended the party that evening.

You won’t want to miss this year’s party April 13-14, 2018! All Alumni Reunion Weekend truly is for ALL alumni!

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GEORGETOWN DAYS WINTER 2017/18

Jason Campbell ’97, Ava Jones ’01, Liz Levine ’01, Liz Slobasky ’97, and Rachel Yavinsky ’01 1977 Alice Randall, Jonathan Schooler and Deebie Symmes 1982 Adam Sexton, Lisa Simone Cleveland, and Michael Ward 1987 Cristina Murphy Griffth, Melanie Nix, and Scott Steever 1992 Frank Foer, Marc Glosserman, Tamara Wilds Lawson, and David Schneider 1987 Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz, Liz Slobasky, Kristen Sullivan, Annie Vinik, and Marnie Weinstein 2002 Grant Braswell, Asher Gelman, Ava Jones, and Liz Levine 2007 Jason Campbell, Batya Feldman, Emily Alpern Fisch, Greg Golding, Moji Jimoh, Christina Whatley, and Mickey Wiener 2012 Caitlin de Lisser-Ellen, Molly Roberts, Aleck Silva-Pinto, and Lukas Thimm Interested in volunteering as Reunion Class Chair? Contact Nataki Corneille, Director of Alumni Programs at alumni@GDS.org.

4530 MacArthur Boulevard, NW Washington, DC 20007-4297

JASON PUTSCHE PHOTOGRAPHY

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