THE TARTAN A MAGAZINE OF GLEN URQUHART SCHOOL
WINTER 2020
The Green Issue
C ontents
Contents Message from the Head of School ................................. 3 Of Note ............................................................................... 4 Green Works at GUS ......................................................... 6 Growing Food + Consciousness, One Seed at a Time ........................................................ 10 Then + Now: Educating for the Planet ............................ 13 Alumni Profiles Alex Levin ’03 ............................................................. 14 Eliza Loring ’97 .............................................................. 16 Bringing Back the Bees ................................................... 19 GUS Hosts 3rd Annual Nature Fair ............................... 20 Did You Know? ................................................................ 23
2019-2020 Board of Trustees George Balich P’92, ’96, President David Patch P’16, ’19, ’23, Vice President Trish Landgren P’17, ’24, Vice President Steve Todd P’20, ’24, Treasurer Lise Carrigg P’19, ’26, Co-Clerk Melanie D’Orio P’20, Co-Clerk Gretchen Forsyth P’25, ’27, Head of School, ex officio Jake Bartlett ’87, P’27 Andrew Brown P’21 Brooke Carroll P’17, ’20 Tamah French P’17, ’20, ’26 Phil Furse P’16, ’17, ’18 ’20 Kenneth Grant P’13, ’20 Lisa Kent P’23, ’26 Peter Mason Louis Somma ’88, P’23 Zara-Marie Spooner Alen Yen P’22 Kristin Brown P’19, ’22, ’26 Parents Association Representative Lynne Warren P’82, ’86, Life Trustee, Founder COVER Students work in the GUS Greenhouse
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THE TARTAN EDITOR Judith Klein P’95, ’00, ’04 DIRECTOR OF MARKETING + COMMUNICATIONS Whitney Buckley P’29 DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT Martha Delay P’19, ’21 DESIGN Whitney Buckley P’29 Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in The Tartan is accurate. Please direct any errors to wbuckley@gus.org. The Tartan is published for alumni, parents, and friends of Glen Urquhart School. Please send address changes and other communications to: Alumni relations, Office of Advancement Glen Urquhart School 74 Hart Street Beverly Farms, MA 01915 978-927-1064 x117 or mdelay@gus.org Glen Urquhart School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientaion, gender identity, pregnancy, disability, mental illness, military status, genetics or sex or any other classification protected under applicable law.
M essage from the H ead of S chool
Message from the Head of School Affirmations created by upper and lower school partners hang on the windows of the lower school building. These messages inspire and motivate us all to believe in our ability to do more and to be more than we think we can be. I can change the world is one that truly resonates today. Young people are finding their voices and bringing about change, here at GUS and beyond. One of the reasons GUS teachers love teaching here is that we believe deeply that we are doing the good work - delivering on our school’s mission and building strong individuals prepared to enter the world and handle the challenges of the future. We are working with our students to help them not only find their voices, but also to give them the tools to explore and pursue their interests. We believe in them and we are inspired by them. Our students give us hope. Upper school X-Block periods give students an opportunity to explore topics they’re deeply interested in. In line with this year’s theme of be the change, our students have chosen subjects related to environmental issues and the current political climate. Working to be the change here on campus and in the greater community, they have educated our neighbors about the impact of fertilizers on the bee population and have taught us all American Sign Language (ASL) in an effort to increase inclusivity on campus. We are proud of our students’ efforts and will continue to encourage them to follow their hearts and share their passions. In last year’s Evening with the Graduates speeches, a GUS rite of passage where graduating eighth graders share their stories and beliefs with an audience of their peers and parents, the theme of environmental activism was heard loud and clear. So loudly that it brought about changes in my own life. Reusable bags are now in my children’s lunch boxes and you can find reusable straws in my glove compartment. These may seem like small steps, but they are the result of the students’ voices in my head every time I am faced with making an environmentally responsible choice. Every day, I experience firsthand the power of our young people to bring about change. This first “green” issue of The Tartan is an example of the power of young people. Inspired by our students, past and present, we are committed to doing our part. We applaud the initiative and will continue to heed their call to action in any way we can. Trust and Go Forward,
Gretchen Forsyth P’25, ’27 Head of School 3
O f N ote
Of Note 20th Annual Wild Boar Classic Golf Tournament Alumni, past and current parents, and friends are invited to join us for the 20th Annual Wild Boar Classic Golf Tournament on Monday, October 5, 2020, at Essex County Club in Manchester, MA. Proceeds from the Wild Boar tournament support Glen Urquhart School’s hands-on, theme-based curriculum, our talented faculty, and our diversity and inclusion initiatives. The day begins at 11:00 a.m. with lunch and a noon shotgun start. Non-golfers are welcome to join for the awards ceremony and reception. To sponsor the event or to register, visit: gus.org/golf
GUSfest 2020: Fun Run, Party + Auction Join us on Saturday, May 2, 2020, for a day of GUS community events. Start the day off on the right foot with our annual Fun Run. The 2-mile course starts at 10:00 a.m. on campus. Then, lace up your dancing shoes for our ‘be the change’-inspired party and auction to support all things GUS. The party begins at 6:00 p.m. All are welcome! Learn more at gus.org/gusfest
Support for GUS Fund Continues to Grow! Your support of the GUS Fund has an immediate impact on our school each and every day. Over the past few years, we have witnessed increased participation among alumni and alumni parent families. We invite everyone who benefitted from a GUS education to be inspired participants and help maintain the GUS we all know and love. Support GUS today at: gus.org/giving
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O F N OT E
GUS Welcomes Outdoor Sculpture Man/Superman, an outdoor sculpture by Connecticut artist James Meyer, has found a temporary home outside the entrance to the upper school, thanks to the generosity of a former GUS family who rented the work for the school for the next year. Meyer’s piece was inspired by a favorite children’s story about a little boy who dearly wants one of the king’s puppies as a pet. In The Big Jump by Benjamin Elkin, the king proclaims that the boy can only have his dog if he can jump to the top of the palace. The boy tries but it is too high. One day, he sees the dog climbing up the palace, one jump at a time. The boy learns from the dog and tackles the mountain again, this time successfully, and is rewarded by the king for his wisdom and tenacity.
Carol Stewart Carol Stewart, beloved GUS teacher for more than 30 years, passed away on January 22, 2020. As a first grade teacher and academic support coordinator, Carol was a mentor to hundreds of children who benefitted from her kind, gentle, and wise guidance. She is survived by her two children, GUS grads Katie and Paul, and her husband, Peter. A celebration of life is planned for March 7 at 3 p.m. at First Church of Wenham.
Alumnus Visits Braemar, Scotland GUS alumnus Kerk Soursourian ’04, currently a graduate student at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, recently visited Braemar, Scotland, home of Braemar Castle and Highland Games - and inspiration for the name of the Braemar Building at Glen Urquhart!
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G reen W orks at G U S
Green Works at GUS 4th Grade Cleans Up the Beach Beach Clean Up has been part of the curriculum in the fourth grade for at least two decades. A natural correlate to the year’s theme, The Sea, the activity has grown and changed with the times.
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days, fourth grade teachers Laura Doyle and Kelly Zaval organize the beach trip in conjunction with Coastsweep, a statewide beach cleanup organized through the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management and part of the world’s largest volunteer effort for the ocean, Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. Students visit Dane Street Beach in Beverly where they collect a wide variety of debris and report their data to Coastsweep. They mail in their compiled data, explains Laura, which is used to find solutions for keeping trash out of the ocean. “One interesting change that we’ve noticed over the past four years of cleaning is that there are many more vaping cartridges which isn’t even listed as an item on the data collection form because we think it’s a ‘new’ kind of trash. There are always many, many cigarette butts - often the most common type of trash.” hese
Most of the trash collected gets thrown away, but there are some exceptions. For instance, there are numbers to call to report stranded animals or hazardous materials, Laura explains, and some fishing gear is given to Coastsweep for reuse. Collecting the trash is only part of the learning gained from the beach clean up. “We
talk about the danger of plastics, in particular, in the ocean,” says Laura. “We learn about single use plastic bags, microplastics, and the harm to marine life. We read about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We read about big projects in process to try to clean up the plastics in the ocean. However, we also talk about how every little bit helps.” The students also learn about the ramifications of other types of beach debris. “Sources of marine debris include people littering, trash blowing out of trash cans and cigarette butts washing into storm drains that connect to the ocean,” according to Coastsweep. “Marine debris is more than an eyesore; it can also directly harm sea life and humans. Seabirds, seals and other animals can be choked, starved or poisoned when they mistake debris for food, and wildlife can become entangled in nets, bags, ropes and other trash. Beachgoers may injure themselves on pieces of glass, wood or metal while swimming or walking on the sand. Debris also poses a threat to navigation—propellers can become jammed with fishing line, boats can be damaged by colliding with large pieces of debris, and plastic can clog cooling intakes. Because much of the trash collected each year comes from street litter, it is easily preventable by always using secure trash bins and recycling as much as possible.”
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G R E E N W O R KS AT G U S (C O N T ’ D.)
Dane Street Beach Clean-up In just one hour, fourth grade students collected and logged a number of items some you might expect, some more surprising! Data from the cleanup was shared with Massachusetts Coastsweep, as part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup.
64 cigarette butts 26 food wrappers 80 plastic pieces 31 plastic bottle caps 73 foam pieces 1 mini silver disco ball 1 plastic eyeball 1 car bumper part Home insulation Learn more: mass.gov/coastsweep
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“We want the kids to come away with an urgency to make a difference and figure out ways to clean up beaches and the ocean.” says Laura. “But we don’t want to terrify them or make them think the problem is insurmountable. It’s a balance. More specifically, we also use the data to practice data analysis with a few follow-up math activities. We tally the numbers, we make graphs, we discuss frequency, etc.”
Recycling Fourth and fifth grade classes team up to handle all the recycling for the Lower School. Before single stream recycling, the fourth grade collected cans, plastic, and glass, and fifth grade collected paper. With last year’s introduction of single stream collection, the classes combined forces. Now, twice a week, the students collect the recycling materials throughout the Lower School, including in offices, the teachers’ room, art rooms, as well as in Braemar and the Dance Studio. The students are divided into three teams (blue, yellow, green); the school is split into different zones; and the teams are each responsible for a different zone each week. Classes sometimes ask for additional recycling days because they have so much, encouraging more discussion about the need to be thoughtful about the overuse of materials. In the upper school, each homeroom is responsible for taking care of their classroom recycling. The teams, who try to reuse bags to collect as much as possible, unload all the recycling into the school’s recycling dumpster. It’s not easy being green! Education about recycling is shared across grades. At the beginning of the year, fourth and fifth graders are taught about items that can and cannot be recycled; they present that information to the entire student body. Then, in the spring, when fifth graders go to Chewonki in Maine for their annual outdoor education experience, they “do a lot of work around sustainability and how to create a sustainable environment,” according to fifth grade teacher Katie McCarthy. “Chewonki does a great job with that instruction.”
Third Grade Handles Composting GUS has been composting leftover food for nearly two decades, with Chris Doyle heading the operation for the past five years in third grade. He and co-teacher Karianna Brace work with Black Earth Compost, a full-service company out of Gloucester that collects food scraps, converts them to compost, and returns the product to customers and garden centers to improve growing soil.
G reen W orks at G U S (cont ’ d.)
Green Works at GUS (cont’d.)
Every day after lunch, the third grade students fetch the compost in each classroom and coffee area from pre-K through Grade 8 and dump the food scraps in a large compost bin outside. “The compost jobs switch weekly so that each student is in charge of one compost area for a week before they are assigned a new job the following week,” explains Karianna. “The students are also in charge of maintaining the buckets so if they look ‘gross’, they bring them back to the classroom to clean before returning to the rightful home. There’s an element of trust, sending students off by themselves across campus to take care of this important job for our community.” To understand the meaning of their work, the third graders visit Brick Ends Farm in Hamilton at the start of the year. There, they see how the compost is used to improve the soil quality for growing crops. The students also consider the questions: What is compost? Why is compost important? What can I compost? Later in the year, they focus on the sustainability aspect of composting - how it relates to the broader picture of their place in the ecosystem and ways they can give back to the earth for long-term sustainability. “The overall theme in third grade is Where am I going? so we like to think of compost as a means of thinking about ourselves in the context of the whole earth,” Karianna explains. “What is our role in keeping our food waste local and how can we responsibly return our waste to the earth?” The third grade made their own compost in the fall this year and periodically checks in on their compost containers. They also conducted some investigations to assess bean plant growth in various growing mediums, including in composted soil.
Karianna and Chris see composting as a natural stepping stone for further school-wide initiatives. Currently, the class grows and maintains the Medieval Garden on campus but they are considering new adventures including hydroponics, more gardening, perhaps planting more natives, and looking into pollinators. “It’s fun talking about this,” says Karianna. ”It gets us thinking more about where we’d like to see ourselves in the next couple of years.”
Here Comes the Sun: Solar at GUS Solar panels were installed on Braemar in 2014 as a gift from Tim and Emily Collins P’14, ’17. Since then, the panels have generated more than 326 MWh of electricity - the equivalent of 163,101 gallons of water, or 25,310 gallons of gasoline. GUS currently produces enough energy to provide all the electricity needed on campus - and to put some back into the grid for our neighbors, too.
Greening GUS Grounds Since 2017, the GUS campus has been pesticide and herbicide free. Our grounds team uses all natural organic fertilizer products that are safe, effective, and sustainable. This effort is important for the health and well being of our students who play on the grass and fields, as well as for the local wildlife and pollinators such as bees. Ever wonder why our driveway and parking lot are not paved? It’s not for financial reasons or even because we like the rural look! It’s because we sit on a watershed, and paving our driveways could result in runoff that would damage the ecology of the watershed. So, every time you hit a little bump in our road, remember the flora and fauna you are protecting! 9
G rowing F ood + C onsciousness , O ne S eed at a T ime
Growing Food + Consciousness, One Seed at a Time Since 2009, GUS upper school students have had the opportunity to learn about the problem of food insecurity and make a small contribution to its solution through the school’s partnership with The Food Project.
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he Food Project started in Lynn using land adjacent to an elementary school, according to Miriam Stason, Beverly and Wenham Food Project Farm Manager for the past three years. The purpose, according to The Food Project website, is to “grow food on our farms and sell it through neighborhood farmers markets and businesses. Knowing that affordability is a challenge in our neighborhoods, we focus on building models for selling
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fresh food that work for both farmers and for low-income customers.” About 13 years ago, as the Project expanded to the Trustees of Reservation site at Long Hill in Beverly, a vital need remained. They were in search of greenhouse space. “It is important to have a greenhouse or else you are buying seedlings which is expensive,” explains Stason. A connection was made and, in 2009, The Food Project partnered with GUS to
use half of the school’s newly renovated, 7,000-square-foot greenhouse to grow both food and social consciousness.
“I appreciate this kind of collaboration and the use of the greenhouse,” says Stason. “People don’t
“PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE HOW ESSENTIAL THE GREENHOUSE IS TO THE RUNNING OF THE FARM. IT A L L STA R T S H E R E.” “The Food Project brings together youth from across the North Shore to grow over 50,000 seedlings in the GUS greenhouse every year that are then planted on its North Shore farms,” according to the group’s website. “Each year, seedlings grown in this greenhouse provide over 65,000 servings of healthy vegetables that are sold, donated, and distributed to increase food access throughout the North Shore communities.” The Food Project also “leads workshops on planting and growing food and food justice, and co-hosts food system related films and other activities for both community members and GUS students in the greenhouse.
realize how essential it is to the running of the farm. It all starts here. And it’s a beautiful space. It’s fun to have the students come out to the farm. It is probably the first time many have come out to the farm, though some of them may have a CSA share.” How do GUS students get involved? The Food Project generally visits the sixth grade class, offers a seed project, and talks about plant biology. In the spring, the sixth graders plant some seeds in the greenhouse. In seventh grade, students visit The Food Project in May to help get the ground ready for planting and learn about food
G rowing F ood + C onsciousness , O ne S eed at a T ime
Growing Partners
2009:
GUS/TFP partnership established
50,000:
Seedlings sprouted each year in the GUS greenhouse.
65,000:
Servings of healthy veggies grown annually
LITTLE SPROUTS Seedlings planed by GUS students and The Food Project begin to sprout
in the GUS greenhouse.
insecurity. Integrated into the seventh grade activities with The Food Project is a full day with Social Studies teacher Chris Draper and her Family Simulation Unit. Seventh graders visit a grocery store and are challenged with buying nutritious food within a limited budget. The food is donated to Beverly Bootstraps after math teacher Maureen Twombly helps them weigh it and talk about how it will be distributed. “It is great to visit The Food Project first and help plant the seedlings and get the ground ready for the people who need food,” says upper school science teacher Emilie Cushing. “To see that all the resources are right
here in our community, all the organizations are right here for people to have access to healthy food.” Finally, in eighth grade, students go to Food Project sites in Beverly at Long Hill and in Wenham to harvest, help with other tasks, and learn more about healthy food. This year, the crop was kale, not carrots as last year. Stason notes that it is important that the students make the connection of where the food is going and is needed.
About The Food Project:
The Food Project believes that everyone has the right to fresh, healthy, affordable food. Their goal is to transform the food system into a more just, community-engaged model that supports food security for all while connecting diverse communities to each other and to the land.
“Some kids really love this experience,” says Emilie. “Some have never done anything like it before while others
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G rowing F ood + C onsciousness , O ne S eed at a T ime
“WORKING WITH CHRIS DRAPER HAS OPENED ME UP SO MUCH MORE TO HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES AND HOW I CAN I N C O R P O R AT E I T I N TO SCIEN CE T E ACHIN G.” have experience with gardening. They love that they are really doing something that helps others get food. They are passionate and like to help others.” Seventh grader Morgan Proops agrees. “I never knew that a class of 28 kids could make that colossal of an impact towards the living and prosperity of our community,” he says.
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Each spring, The Food Project is on campus every day with their seedlings, according to Emilie. “I would love to increase the involvement of GUS students in the process,” she says. “It completely ties in with what we teach. I would love to teach about nutrition. Is it a human right to have good nutrition? Working with Chris [Draper] has opened me up so much more to human rights issues and how I can incorporate it into science teaching.” Stason, too, is open to expanding the involvement of GUS students. She would like to talk about what the school’s needs are and when students might be able to do some harvesting.
She definitely sees room for more collaboration, though much of what The Food Project does is in the summer. The Project is now leasing a larger farm site on conservation land on Larch Row in Wenham that will be its only growing site on the North Shore. This is public land that people can walk through, and more educational programs will be offered there. Nonetheless, Stason confirms that The Food Project will continue to use the greenhouse at GUS for growing seedlings.
Learn more: thefoodproject.org
T hen + N ow: E ducating for the P lanet
Then + Now: Educating for the Planet Susan Coolidge P’91 Then: From very early on, the
We asked former GUS second grade teacher Susan Coolidge, parent of Kate Wolcott ’91, for her historical perspective on how our school has for decades prepared children to care for and about nature and the environment. Susan is also a former GUS trustee, the author of The Stories Trees Tell, and an educator at the Mass Audubon Joppa Flats Education Center.
students at GUS developed a love of Nature by spending time outside, both in free and guided exploration on the Nature Trail. The youngest students walk through the woods looking for things that amaze, puzzle, or delight them. After sharing their finds, the children look for connections between them: the dirt on one leaf could contain the sand from someone’s rock. The students’ observations and questions become the basis for further study. As the students age, the Nature trail explorations become more focused. A study of trees and photosynthesis lead to a Nature Trail tree ID book. In the past, the sugar maples on
the trail have been tapped and the sap boiled into syrup, and this may happen again. Invertebrates, amphibians, and birds are abundant and have all been the focus of student research. Water and carbon cycles are studied as well. As the students explore the different components of the Nature Trail, they become very familiar with every part of it. “That is my tree.” “I found a spotted salamander under that log.” “I wonder if the pH of the water in the stream has changed.” This sense of familiarity and ownership is the love of nature that the students develop at GUS. And this love is the foundation upon which stewardship grows.
Deborah Cramer P’95, ’98 We also asked Deborah Cramer, parent to Abby Greenbaum ’95 and Susannah Cramer-Greenbaum ’98, and a Visiting Scholar at MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative, what she believes is most essential that we teach our children today about environmentalism. Deborah is the author of Great Waters: An Atlantic Passage; Smithsonian Ocean: Our Water, Our World; and The Narrow Edge: A Tiny Bird, An Ancient Crab, and an Epic Journey. The Narrow Edge was named Best Book by the National Academy of Sciences and the Rachel Carson Book Award by the Society of Environmental Journalists.
Now: The most essential
things GUS can teach children about environmentalism are that we are each and all responsible to care for the earth into which we are born, and how to be stewards of its air, water and lands, and of the plants
and animals that dwell here with us. GUS can do this by: • inspiring children to love the earth • teaching children across the curriculum and in every grade the myriad, specific and glorious ways the earth
enabled human evolution, the rise and fall of civilizations, and the many ways the planet continues to sustain us (ways many adults never knew or have forgotten) • teaching children that just as we need the earth’s natural resources, now those
same resources need us to actively protect them • providing opportunities where children can help protect the natural world that sustains us • encouraging parents to model concrete actions of stewardship
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F rom S tudent to T eacher: A lex L evin ’0 3 R eturns to G U S
able green building, and the barriers to making aspects of green building available and affordable for lower-income housing. The energy in the environmental department was exciting and encouraging to me as a student. What did you do after college and before returning to GUS?
From Student to Teacher: Alex Levin ’03 Returns to GUS Alex Levin, GUS ’03, returned to campus this past fall as a new Grade 6 and 8 science teacher. He arrived full of fond memories of his time as a student and with fresh ideas in his new role as a GUS educator.
You majored in Environmental Studies at the University of Vermont. What encouraged you to pursue that line of study? What did you focus on within that field?
After college, I moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. For four years, I split time working in SLC during the winter months and Rockport, MA during the summertime. I spent four summers directing the youth sailing program at Sandy Bay Yacht Club in Rockport, working with an awesome team of sailors and outdoor enthusiasts/educators. From 2015-2017, I also coached the sailing team at Middlebury College, where we competed in 25-30 races during the academic year, traveling to Florida, California, and all New England states to compete against some of the strongest college sailors in the country. After leaving Middlebury, I enrolled in a Master’s in Education program through Lesley University. The program included student teaching at Berwick Academy in Maine, where I gained valuable classroom teaching experience from devoted, skilled, and dedicated middle school teachers. After I completed my Master’s in Ed, I
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t UVM, my primary area of education was Environmental Studies with a focus on Green Building and Community Design. I chose UVM because I knew the school had a strong environmental program and I wanted to learn about green building strategies and energy efficient building design. For my senior thesis, I researched common restrictions to afford-
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Levin, with members of upper school mountain bike club this fall.
F rom S tudent to T eacher: A lex L evin ’0 3 R eturns to G U S
remained at Berwick for another school year as a full time sabbatical sub, teaching fifth grade math and science, working with sixth graders in math, and also serving as a lacrosse coach and homeroom teacher. What drew you back to GUS? What do you find is the same as when you were a student here? What has changed? What is it like to be back? It is great to be back at GUS! A lot of familiar faces, and a lot of the same mantras and ideals stand tall today. I love the school’s commitment to place-based learning and outdoor education, as well as the thematic learning. The teachers are as incredible as I remember, allowing every student to find their niches and just ‘be themselves’. As a science teacher at GUS, how is environmental studies part of the curriculum? What are your goals in terms of teaching the students about the environment? The goal thus far has been to show students two sides of environmental studies: The world around us and all of its natural occurrences; and how our world is changing. I want to help students identify problems and then envision possible solutions to real world issues, especially those, such as climate change, that are discussed nearly every day. GUS students are encouraged to find their voices so the next step is to help guide them to realize that they do have the ability to make changes.
You integrate the theme of social justice into your science and environmental teaching. Can you explain how you do that? We use the ‘Design Thinking’ process for our science labs in sixth and eighth grades. This process involves five steps: Develop Empathy, Define (the problem), Ideate/Brainstorm, Prototype/Design, and Share/Test. It is a non-linear, cyclical process of coming up with solutions for real world problems for those in need. Thinking of others, especially those outside of our neighborhoods, helps develop empathy and helps us resonate with different populations of people, many of whom are also adolescents, before we can help out and design a solution. Do you have a favorite project or unit of study with your students? There are many! I am really excited about our eighth grade physics unit starting in January, as well as a student-designed unit on the impacts of climate change in the USA that we will start in March. I loved the sixth grade watershed unit, and look forward to the upcoming space exploration unit in February that will certainly provoke some of the students to think outside of the box. As always, I think it is important to incorporate hands-on “makers challenges” and tinkering with a variety of materials and technologies.
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E liza Loring ’ 97: C lothes for T he P lanet
Eliza Loring ’97: Clothes for The Planet One might say Eliza Loring entered the fashion industry reluctantly and, definitely, on her own terms. Some time after studying art and sustainability at New York University, Eliza was immersed in a creative project that involved fabric pieces, and she wanted to make sure the textiles she was using were good for the environment. So she started to do some research.
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hat she learned so greatly disturbed her that she stopped buying absolutely anything to wear. Then she began taking courses at The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) on subjects as diverse as natural dying, business practices, and the work of current designers.
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Eliza’s studies and research led to more surprising and upsetting discoveries. She learned that the fashion industry is responsible for ten percent of the world’s carbon emissions and 20 percent of the world’s wastewater. She learned that fake fur can sometimes be as dangerous and toxic to the environment as real fur because of the amount of water, energy, and chemicals necessary for production, as well as the conditions in the factories. She discovered that bamboo, often touted as a green alternative to other fabrics because it requires little water to grow, is actually a poor product, in terms of the environment, because of the amount of chemicals required to break it down into a fabric. As for cotton, organically grown cotton, while requiring more plants to produce the same amount of cotton as chemically grown cotton, reduces the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers that are dangerous and harmful to the soil and the workers. Though the fields may produce more cotton initially, in the long run, the land will be more productive with fewer chemicals and more crop rotation.
E liza Loring ’ 97: C lothes for T he P lanet
In other words, explains Eliza, “what is good for the environment is not necessarily intuitive.” It takes a lot of time, study, and commitment to figure out what clothing is actually good, or at least, not bad for the environment, she came to understand. On the supply side, Eliza also found that there are lots of people out there “making great clothes and struggling to stay in business.” She
years ago, she opened Ooloop with the goal of making it fun and easy for shoppers to buy sustainable clothing and make educated ethical consumer choices. Eliza sells clothes created according to the “highest standards of ethical production and the most sustainable materials available,” she explains. “At a time when the fashion industry is one of the dirtiest industries on the planet, OOLOOP
“AT A T I M E W H E N T H E FA S H I O N INDUSTRY IS ONE OF THE DIRTIEST I N D U S T R I E S O N T H E P L A N E T, O O L O O P E L E VAT E S D E S I G N E R S T H AT A R E T R A N S F O R M I N G T H E I N D U S T R Y.” thought she could help both the designers and the consumers by vetting products and then making those that are suitable from a variety of sources available in one place. To prepare, for more than three years, Eliza read books and articles and studied sources on the internet to determine what must be considered for a clothing product to be deemed sustainable and environmentally friendly, and whose designs meet those standards. Then, two
elevates designers that are transforming the industry. From stunning organic cotton dresses to bold recycled metal jewelry, chic alpaca sweaters to fun recycled fishing line bathing suits, sophisticated pants made from recycled ocean trash to leather scrap moto jackets, OOLOOP stocks garments that are inspired by sustainability, not restricted by it.” In addition to selling online at ooloop. co, Eliza also does pop-up stores in New York, where she lives, and trunk shows in the Greater Boston/North
Environmental Impacts of the Fashion Industry Accounts for 10% of the world’s annual carbon emissions. The largest polluter of clean water, creating 20% of annual global wastewater. Produces enough textiles to cover the state of California annually. Swapping a pair of organic cotton jeans for a chemially grown cotton pair saves a whopping 8,978 gallons of water. Every second, a truckload of textiles is dumped in a landfill.
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E liza Loring ’ 97: C lothes for T he P lanet
Shore area. Customers can also visit the studio in Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn, to shop in person. Eliza’s commitment goes beyond helping women and men buy fashionable clothes that are environmentally and ethically responsible. She has become a political activist, aiming to make changes in the fashion industry and its impact on the environment. She is determined to raise awareness that will prompt action. Already, she has shared a 15-page document she wrote about the impact of the fashion industry with US Representative Alexandria OcasiaCortez of New York, US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey of Massachusetts, US Senator Sheldon Whiteouse of Rhode Island, and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, all of whom have responded with interest. Eliza finds this encouraging since no US politicians have focused on this issue in the past. She points to the UK and Australia, countries that have enacted modern anti-slavery acts requiring the disclosure of steps taken to ensure that slavery and human trafficking are not taking place in businesses or supply chains. Currently, an estimated 127 billion dollars worth of clothing imported by G20 countries, that account for 80 percent of world trade, is touched by modern slavery annually in their supply chain. In Germany, the Development Minister unveiled the country’s new “Green Button” seal for sustainable textiles last September to ensure that consumers can purchase clothing that meets social and envi18
ronmental standards, including a minimum wage for textile workers, and a ban on child labor and the use of certain chemicals and air pollutants. Eliza is hoping for similar measures in the US. In addition, recognizing that sustainable clothing made by people earning living wages in safe factories will always cost more than cheaply made clothing, Eliza wants to press for
“WE NEED MOVEMENT GOVERNMENT WON’T DO IT
A CONSUMER BECAUSE THE AND BUSINESSES O N T H EI R OW N.”
lowering import duty charges on sustainable clothing to incentivize consumers and retailers. And though she is encouraged by the interest of the politicians she has contacted, Eliza believes, “We need a consumer movement because the government and businesses won’t do it on their own.” Eliza does not expect her customers or people outside of the fashion industry to get involved in her political work. She just hopes to educate her buyers about the impact of toxic processes and products and to encourage them to be environmentally conscientious consumers - and to have fun shopping for stylish clothes that keep our planet green. Learn more: ooloop.co
B ringing B ack the B ees
Bringing Back the Bees After witnessing the declining health of the GUS hives last year, the Class of 2019, as part of its class gift, donated funds to help revitalize the wellbeing of the bees. This fall, a group of upper school students created an X-block with the intention of getting information out to GUS and the greater community about what might be killing our bees. In coordination with upper school science teacher Emilie Cushing, they have researched the many contributing factors to declining bee health here at GUS and across the country. This spring, they look foward to rejuvinating the hives and bringing bees back to campus.
BEES X-BLOCK (L-R) Emilie Cushing, Lucy Lutton, Maggie Hauck, Nathaniel Flynn, Calvin Brown, Zach Doxee, Miya Yen, Michael Towne-Smith, Leo Bertone, Anna Leavitt, and Adeline Kontos.
Bee Gone Pesticides The horrible things happening to the bees and how we can help them Michael Towne-Smith ’21 + Miya Yen ’22 Bees are dying across the country. Bee populations are dying at a higher rate than ever before. Pesticides are causing Colony Collapse Disorder, meaning that hundreds of hives are, and have been, dying. While it may seem like a trivial matter, this is a very important issue. Without bees, we run the risk of losing tons of things we may take for granted. One of the main factors in the drop of bee populations are neonicotinoids, a type of pesticide. There are three types of neonicotinoids: imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam. Neonicotinoids are extremely harmful to bees, and sadly people use them often. Neonicotinoids are easy to produce and cheaper than other pesticides, so people are much more prone to buying and using them. These pesticides can linger in the soil for years, making them even more harmful. So, why is the dying population of bees affecting us? Well, bees are a keystone species of pollinators, which means they spread pollen between most flowering plants, and without bees, most of your everyday food wouldn’t exist. About one-half to two-thirds of shelves in grocery stores would be empty. Bees are a very important contributor to our lives, and unfortunately we are doing them more harm than help. You can help assist the bees by planting flowers and using a safer alternative to neonicotinoids, or perhaps no pesticides at all, in your backyard and in grassy and floral areas. 19
G U S H O S T S 3 R D A N N UA L N AT U R E FA I R
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G U S H osts 3 rd A nnual N ature Fair
GUS Hosts 3 Annual Nature Fair rd
Children and parents - upwards of 250 in all - delighted in tracking animal footprints, learning to make fire, building catapults, shooting bows and arrows, investigating the school’s nature trail, and making fairy houses during the third annual GUS Nature Fair on November 3.
G
uests also had the opportunity to mix bug repellents from essential oils, create seaweed prints, pet farm animals, touch sea creatures in a tank, and go ponding with nets, clear plastic tubs and magnifying glasses to find little creatures and organisms to observe. Is this any way to run an Open House? You bet it is! The brainchild of Director of Admission Kristie Gonzalez, the Nature Fair aims to take the place of traditional open houses and to engage families in the type of learning that GUS students experience every day. “People get to see how differently we use our campus from other schools,” she explains.
“Traditional open houses on the weekend don’t help us anymore and can be really boring,” explains Kristie. “What makes GUS special is the way we teach. We are not asking teachers to come up with something new to demonstrate but rather to pull something from their curriculum to share with visitors. Watching our teachers engaged with students and seeing how they teach is
with educational and environmental issues , such as Salem Soundwatch, Kestrel Adventures, Change is Simple, Cuvilly Earth Center, Mini Movers, North Shore Nursery School, Ipswich Wildlife Sanctuary PreSchool, Appleton Farms, and Essex Shipbuilding. Amy Crafton, a GUS parent who also does marketing, outreach and fundraising for
“AT N AT U R E FA I R , V I S I TO R S G E T T O R E A L LY S E E H O W O U R S C H O O L O P E R AT E S A N D TO I N T E R AC T W I T H T H E D I F F ER EN T PR O G R A M S.” so compelling. At Nature Fair, visitors get to really see how our school operates and to interact with the different programs.” Kristie seeks partners in the community, nonprofits involved
Nature Fair partner Change is Simple, sees the joint effort as a good match. “Change is Simple teaches kids about sustainability and the way they can take action to make positive changes to the planet. We
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G U S H osts 3 rd A nnual N ature Fair
bring tools into the classroom, and the students become the scientists and engineers. This is so similar to the way GUS teaches all the time.” This year, Change is Simple brought a Jeopardy game with questions about sustainability that made kids think about the issues; and a worm station that illustrated why soil is so important. “The older kids were interested in the game,” says Amy, “and the little kids liked to play in the soil!”
“KEEPING CURIOSITY ALIVE IS PART OF THE GUS M I S S I O N A N D T H AT C O M E S T H R O U G H W I T H T H E FA I R .” “It was fun as a parent too,” Amy recalls, noting watching her children happily hammering nails into wood. “Parents feel great about outdoor time and kids learning things. It was a great, funfilled event that appealed to a wide range of ages. Keeping curiosity alive is part of the GUS mission and that comes through with the fair.” Kristie concurs. “The event really brings the community together. It’s just as much for our own families as for local families in the area.” During a similar evening ‘Winterfest’ in January, visitors roasted marshmallows and engaged in group problem solving and challenges. Unfortunately, the weather did not allow for the use of the outdoor ice rink built last year by students in X Block. As with the fall Nature Fair, the winter event was an opportunity for visitors to engage in the kind of learning that goes on every day at GUS. Learn more: gus.org/naturefair
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D id you know ?
Did you know? The GUS upper school, which opened its doors in 2007, features a number of environmentallyfriendly features, including radiant heat, large windows that allow for abundant natural light, passive solar, and an air intake system that circulates fresh air in from the outside.
I SPY: CAN YOU SPOT ANY CURRENT GUS T E A C H E R S ? ( H I N T: WE FOUND 4!)
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n addition to giving our upper school students a dedicated space for learning, the new construction allowed for the expansion of the art studio, music room, and library in the lower school. The school was also awarded a Certificate of Achievement by The National Wildlife Federation for the school’s conscientious planning, landscaping, and sustainable gardening efforts, which support the wildlife habitat our campus sits on.
NOVEMBER 10, 2007 Students and faculty gather to celebrate the opening of the newly-constructed upper school building.
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Glen Urquhart School 74 Hart Street Beverly Farms, MA 01915 978-927-1064 • gus.org
Bee-ing the change. Students explore the GUS beehives with GUS parent Luke Fabbri P ’14, ’16 in the spring of 2014. GUS has maintained hives on campus since 2007.
