HRS Magazine, Spring 2020: The Lifelong Learning Issue

H EAD -ROYCE S CHOOL

B E YO N D T H E T E S T

MOVING AWAY FROM APs A U T H O R A N G I E T H O M A S S AY S ,

“PERFECT KEEPS YOU FROM PURPOSE.” HISTORY COMES ALIVE THANKS TO OUR 6 TH G R A D E R S

T HE LIFELONG LE A R N ING ISSU E | SPRING 2020

MAGAZINE

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FEATUR ES

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Lifelong Learning

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A LUMNI NOTES & PROFILES

ANGIE THOMAS AT HEAD-ROYCE

“I’m here to tell you that you do have value,” said Angie Thomas, during her inspiring talk for the 17th installment of the NIA Speaker of Color Series.

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Julie Kim-Beal Nichole LeFebvre PHOTOGRAPHY

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Dani Moseley Richard Wheeler

Life @ HRS

CREATIVE DIRECTION + DESIGN Con Todo

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PRINTING Solstice Press

Letter from Crystal M. Land, Head of School

VISIT US ONLINE! Discover more about our mission and activities at headroyce.org.

@HeadRoyceSchool

@HeadRoyce

Head-Royce School Magazine is a bi-annual publication for alumni, families, and friends of Head-Royce. Changes of address may be sent to communications@headroyce.org.

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Happenings

Letter from the Alumni President

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Where Are They Now?

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Alumni Events

Alumni Profile: Alykhan Boolani ’02

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Getting to Know our Director of Equity and Inclusion, Johára Tucker

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Beyond the APs

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Scorpions. An ancient Canaanite wall. Desert heat. Archaeologist Jill Katz '86 tells all about her excavation of Tell es-Safi/Gath.

Jennifer Beeson

Robohawks Take on the World

Gone Fishin’ 4th Graders Raise Trout in the Classroom

JILL KATZ '86

EDITORS

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Alumni Notes

In Memoriam

Online Courses Cultivate Global Skills

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FLASHBACK Our archival photos let you time-travel back to 1970.

6th Graders Re-enact Ancient Trade

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ROCKET POWER 9th graders in Chris Harper’s physics class test, adjust, and re-test their balloon rockets.

UNDER WRAPS To fully understand Ancient Egyptian mummification, 2nd graders in Zach Bernard and Chris Dunlap’s classes enacted the ritual on a favorite stuffed animal from home­­—wrapping the animal and tucking jewels inside its bandages.

BUILDING RESILIENCE Led by Lower School Counselor Rosemary Durousseau, 4th graders in Sue Moon, Ciara Coleman, and Sarah Cherney’s classes play a game called Lava Crossing. The game requires patience, problem-solving, and nonverbal communication, as the students work together to cross an imaginary lava river.

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THE AGE OF REASON Students in Laura Krier’s Honors History 11 course discuss enlightenment philosophers.

FREEDOM OF SPEECH 6th graders in Carol Montgomery’s English class learn about the first amendment.

RISKING IT ALL In Multivariable Calculus, Kuzey S. ‘20 talks to teacher Shahana Sarkar about his book report on John Allen Paulos, who argued that people become risk-averse when seeking gains, but choose risky options to avoid loss.

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FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL

HRS AT HOME Thank you to our smart, adaptable Head-Royce students and alumni, who are logging in to their classes, giving virtual presentations, and offering e-alumni events, like Chicago Cubs’ Nico Hoerner ’15, talking all about Major League Baseball.

Dear HRS Community, When we began planning this issue of Head-Royce Magazine, themed around lifelong learning, we had no idea how drastically school and life were about to change because of the global pandemic. As we’ve shifted to distance learning, I’ve been in awe of our students, families, teachers, and professional staff who continually reimagine creative ways to engage, from students video-chatting about organic chemistry or Magritte paintings en français, to our garden teacher sharing green juice recipes and videos of our school chickens eating the leftover pulp.

In these pages, you’ll get an in-depth look at the teaching and learning happening at Head-Royce, both on campus before we moved to shelter in place, and now at home, thanks to our hardworking, ever-flexible community.

I hope these pages can be a source of comfort in these unprecedented times and a reminder that social connection, in person or over video chat, keeps us feeling happy, healthy, and calm.

One of the true highlights of knowing decades of alumni is this connection, watching as they move into the adult world, settle in various parts of the country and world, and thrive in a wide range of careers. What links all

of our former students is the critical, nimble minds they developed here at HeadRoyce. Most recently, in early March I spent time with Padma Rama ’97, the featured speaker at our Washington, D.C. Alumni Reception.

Padma is the Capitol Hill Broadcast Producer and Reporter for the Associated Press, and, at the reception, she shared her unique perspective on working in our nation’s capital, reporting on breaking news from the Senate and House, and her recent experience covering the Impeachment hearings, and now, Covid-19.

Padma also invited me to join her on Capitol Hill for an hour to see her in action as a reporter and producer of the daily news. While we patiently waited––along with a bank of camera operators––outside of the Democratic Caucus room for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, I asked Padma about her career arc from her beginnings as a CNN producer and digital reporter to her time as a writer and editor at NPR. org to her most recent assignment with the Associated Press. Padma is one of the few women who shoots footage as well as collects, writes, and edits news––a creatively satisfying position she credits to the guidance of experienced journalists who mentored her along the way. According to Padma, work on Capitol Hill involves a lot of anticipation and flexibility: waiting to see what stories will rise to the top of the 24/7 news cycle (and that day it was the emerging news of the virus spreading to the United States), while also remaining open to change and aware of the important stories that deserve space.

In between our chatting and touring, Padma was able to quickly record a

quote from Madame Speaker Pelosi and confer with fellow reporters on the status of developing stories. I asked Padma directly about the long-term value of a Head-Royce education. She noted the excellent critical thinking skills and writing training she received from her English teachers, including retired teacher Barry Barankin. I couldn’t help but notice that Padma’s strengths and talents reflect the noted “Four Cs” from our Strategic Plan: Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Communication, and Creativity.

The “Four Cs” resound throughout this issue, too, from our skilled robotics team, the Robohawks, who worked together to qualify for the VEX Robotics World Championship to our 6th graders who learned about Ancient Mesopotamia and Persia in a creative role-playing game, to the Lower School students raising trout and learning biology and environmental science along the way. Every parent who’s working a full-time job from home, while managing homeschool and cooking and social activities, not to mention illnesses and anxiety around health, must feel (beyond tired!) especially collaborative and creative these days.

We will return to campus––perhaps a little more grateful than before and more aware of how lucky we are to gather together daily, to learn from one another. Please enjoy the issue, and if you have any stories you want to share about the teaching and learning happening in your home, know that my door is always open!

Sincerely,

CRYSTAL M. LAND HEAD OF SCHOOL

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STAYING ENGAGED Upper Schoolers on the Community Engagement Board split up leadership duties for their upcoming projects.

SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS! Middle and Upper School students sing and act in the spring musical Fiddler on the Roof.

The dress rehearsal, pictured here, was a bright spot for our whole community before we had to close the campus to keep safe from the coronavirus.

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STAYING ENGAGED Congratulations to the Upper School Science Bowl Team for taking third place in their first-ever competition, the Sandia National Laboratory’s Regional Science Bowl. Pictured here are Arjun K. ’22, Mehdi H. ’22 (Captain), Vivek J. ’21, Sam H. ’22, and Sam D. ’22.

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YEAR OF THE RAT Middle School students enjoy delicious food and practice calligraphy at the Lunar New Year celebration, hosted by the Asian Parents’ Network.

FRESH AIR Whether they’re jump roping, playing on the Big Toy, or shooting hoops, Lower Schoolers start the day with outdoor play.

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PINNED Artemisia M. ’21 pins her opponent in the 2020 NCS/OS Girls Wrestling Championship tournament. She went on to win first place in her class!

TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE Head-Royce alumna and artist Karla Wozniak ’96 critiques the work of Honors and AP Studio Art students in Ann Murphy’s classes.

PURRFECT PERFORMANCE Chris Dunlap’s 2nd grade class performs their play, One Blind Cat, for their parents, guardians, and friends.

RHYTHM & BLUES The Upper School Jazz Messengers welcome the 1,000-person crowd to Angie Thomas’s lecture.

STITCHED TOGETHER After reading Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry in Debbie Lehmann and Alexis Wright’s English classes, each 7th grader designed a panel for this quilt, which tells the fictional story of the Logan family and celebrates realworld historical leaders.

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WE WON’T GROW UP! Middle Schoolers in Phillip Harris and Kathleen Ray’s musical theater class practice a number from Peter Pan: The Musical.

NO MORE EMPTY BOWLS

CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 2020

In March, all Lower Schoolers painted bowls for the Alameda County Community Food Bank’s Empty Bowl Project. At the fundraiser, attendees enjoy “a delicious soup dinner and take home a hand-painted bowl.” The event raises awareness and funds for the hungry.

Faculty and professional staff cooked alongside the Class of 2020, making the annual Senior Dinner another delicious and memorable night. We are grateful we were able to gather for a shared meal before the campus closure.

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As a K–12 School, we spend our days with students,

“In talking with other ‘Women and Leadership’ conference participants, I was impressed by the breadth of experience in the room.

focused on passing on knowledge and developing young minds. We want

The conference theme was ‘Tell Your Story, Claim Your Power, Chart Your Course’ and the most meaningful moment was when my small group had a chance to share the life experience that has shaped us personally and professionally and what that has meant for our leadership journeys during a storytelling exercise, led by Crystal Land and Cheryl Ting.”

each and every person who walks through our halls to understand that

Tatiana Gordon, Interim Director of Annual Giving

learning doesn’t stop when school’s out, and that the brain, like a muscle, grows stronger when stretched.

How better to encourage students to practice an open, growing mind, than to admit that we, as educators, are still learning? We can model the growth mindset by showing students, through our actions, that our intelligence, talents, and abilities are not fixed.

We asked the Professional Community about the ways they challenge themselves to grow.

Here’s what they said:

Economics

Dr. Carol Dweck, the psychologist who researched and developed the implicit theory of intelligence––the belief of whether or not intelligence or abilities can change––urged educators to teach a growth mindset in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Dr. Dweck writes, “We want to empower students to be motivated to grow their brains, and that’s done by stretching, by being passionate about something, by learning new things, by welcoming things that are hard, by seeing a period of confusion as a period that’s going to create new neurons.”

n o i t a c u d E l a Glob “I have just completed my Master's Degree in English at the Bread Loaf School of English, a graduate program at Middlebury College.

A course I took last summer titled ‘Holding Place: Longform Writing about Landscape’ enabled me to spend my summer researching Oakland deeply. I am using my research to develop our Global Education programming, and am using the pedagogy of the course to enrich my use of project-based learning. Working on the graduate level invigorates my teaching, positions me to teach in both the History and English departments, and supports my abilities to collaborate across disciplines.”

Laura Krier, US History Teacher and Global Education Coordinator

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“My summer Professional Development revolved around reading economics books and lesson plans, including a free online textbook that had many collaborators from all over the world to prepare to teach a new economics course.

From PBLWorks (Buck Institute for Education) I found resources that laid out five units of learning economics through projects. These units focus on answering the basic economic questions, markets, supply and demand, competition, trade, and fiscal and monetary policy. Students have gained a great deal of insight into how the world of economics operates. For the rest of the year, we are going to focus on personal finance and will look at budgets, taxes, and insurance. My hope is to give them some sense of how to be actual, functioning adults (although I’m still working on that for myself).”

Daniel Guzmán, Department Chair and US Teacher of Math and Computer Science

On the Cross-Racial Dialogue Group run by California Teacher Development Collective (CATDC): “The format of our sessions has provided excellent content information (vocabulary, theory, research, and anecdotal examples) as well as a structured format for listening, dialoguing, and reflecting. The most profound impact for me is that I am more mindful to check myself and my identity markers before I enter a space with students or adults and strive to lead with a growth mindset. Additionally,

I take time to reflect alone and with others about the racial impact, both positive and negative, that I have as I move throughout the many spaces on campus.”

Leslie Powell, Assistant Lower School Head

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“I am thrilled to start my fourth summer at Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English, a five-summer Master’s program. Beyond building empathy for my students (yes, I too have to write papers!)

I am also able to set intentional learning goals, expand my own content knowledge, and exchange best practices with other educators in my program. Each summer, I learn, unlearn, and relearn. I have been able to engage in place-based, experience-based courses: I attended plays in London, Oxford, and Stratford-uponAvon for my Shakespeare course, and interviewed local farmers in rural Vermont for my Almanac course.

This summer I look forward to taking “Antiracist Writing Pedagogies” a course which will allow me to try out, hone, and apply a variety of antiracist teaching approaches to my current curricula.”

Tory Mathieson, US English Teacher

Educational Leadership

Intentional oals Learning G

“I’ve recently begun my Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership at Cal State East Bay, which this semester includes courses on school budgeting and also analyzing school data through the lens of equity.

This is my 17th year teaching, and recently I’ve felt my professional interests expand outside the scope of the classroom, particularly in the areas of teacher mentoring and curriculum development. The administration at Head-Royce has been wonderfully supportive and has helped me in this journey by providing leadership opportunities at School and additional Professional Development experiences.”

Zach Bernard, 2nd Grade Teacher and the Anna Head Distinguished Chair for Teaching Excellence

“We’re all looking forward to attending The Phonics Institute at Teachers College (Columbia University) this summer.

Head-Royce recently made the decision to adopt their phonics program and will implement it beginning next year.

LEARNING IS MY GOAL

I’D SPEND MORE TIME AND WORK HARDER

I CAN GET SMARTER

EFFORT MAKES ME STRONGER

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HIGHER ACHIEVEMENT

A GROWTH MINDSET DRIVES MOTIVATION AND ACHIEVEMENT

Blackwell, Trzesniewski & Dweck (2007) Child Development

Teaching literacy is a huge part of our jobs as kindergarten and first-grade teachers and, given that our students come from a range of preschools, the spectrum of their development is wide. This program will enable us to teach a structured phonics program and provide us with the curriculum to meet our students where they are and support them in their language arts growth. This program includes a variety of activities to introduce and practice concepts from direct instruction to small group work and games. Teaching the whole child and delivering instruction in multiple ways, enables all students to access the information.”

Jennifer Phillips and Rasheeda Turner, Kindergarten Teachers, and Emily Esguerra, 1st Grade Teacher

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S K W A H N O B EO D O L R TAK R O W

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What made you most proud this year?

“We document our progress in a notebook, so a lot of the time we do recaps of our previous tournaments to see what else needs to be done.”

“Robotics is a very slow process that takes hundreds of hours,” says Phillip C. ’20. “Everyday we make a small or large change, taking inspiration from our intuition or other robots that we’ve seen in competition, and then we test that change. Robotics is this process repeated hundreds of times. Luckily for me, time moves very quickly when I’m in the robotics room.”

The VEX Robotics World Championship isn’t only a face-off among the year’s best-designed robots, it’s also the launch of the next big challenge. Head-Royce’s robotics teams, united under the name the Robohawks, earned their place at the World Championship this April. While coronavirus sadly stalled the competition, we won’t let it halt the muchdeserved celebration. To congratulate the team, we asked them about their year-long process.

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As soon as VEX unveils the new challenge at Worlds, the Robohawks get to work “deliberating designs and communicating with their teammates about the best approach,” says one of the coaches and a parent, Kishore Parwani. The game-based engineering challenge might ask students to design and build robots that can navigate around walls, shoot balls, or stack blocks. The students must program the robot to operate autonomously–– without a human controlling it––as well as learn to drive it through the course.

“Robotics is a great hands-on experience in practical engineering and computer science,” says another coach and parent Phil Chin. “How do you shoot a ball and hit a target? What are the pros and cons of using a catapult or a flywheel or a puncher? How do we make the ball fly further? Or increase its accuracy?

We are not building mathematical models, but rather learning these concepts through trial and error.”

Each Head-Royce team consists of three to four members. “Our philosophy is that we are one team with multiple robots,” says Kishore.

“We keep the groups small to ensure each member has something to do.”

“Although almost everyone is in a computer science class,” says Elaine J. ’20, “some prefer to code much more than others,” and aside from programming, there’s plenty of work to be done, from the design and testing to the building and driving.

“Each person learns all of the roles on the team so that if one member is not there, another teammate can step in and fulfill that role,” says Jack C. ’22. This tactic combines deep knowledge with flexibility.

At a typical meeting, the teams “check and make sure all of the hardware is good to go,” says Malena C. ’22, and then they practice driving and programming.

Beyond STEM skills, the students also learn “problem solving, sportsmanship, small team collaboration, strategizing across teams, and communicating with students and adults from other

schools,” says Coach Phil Chin. “The lessons they learn from competitive robotics are also life lessons.”

“When I joined the team, I wanted to be the kid who knew everything, and so I was afraid to take risks,” admits Arun P. ’21. “However, I learned that failure gives me the opportunity to learn and grow as a person. If I made a mistake, I would not be laughed at or thought less of. The robotics community always helped me learn from my mistakes.”

Congratulations to the HeadRoyce Robohawks for their high skill scores throughout the season and qualifying for the 2020 VEX Robotics World Championship!

“There was one tournament this year that I was especially proud of. We were not performing well that whole day, but still made the elimination rounds. We ended up facing another Head-Royce robotics team in the round of 16. It’s always fun to face our own team because of the friendly competition. Everyone, including ourselves, was expecting my team to lose because the other Head-Royce team was better than us.

We ended up playing super well and beat them, then went on to make it to semi-finals.”

ELAINE J. ’20

“I’m most proud that we had the foresight to leave room for upgrades to our robot early in the season, removing the need for the usual pre-states rebuild.”

CHRISTOPHER T. ’21

“I am most proud of the code for this year’s robot. The teams on the Robohawks really prioritized efficiency this year, as the task itself was complicated and required a lot of focus and skill. The use of various sensors and automated methods made our robots more efficient, eliminating the possibility for human error.”

ARUN P. ’21

“Last year, we didn’t make it to the World Championship. This year, we did.

Even though it was canceled because of coronavirus, this was an incredible achievement. Seeing everything on our team come together, from the programming to the driving to the strategy to all the components of the robot, was really amazing. Although our robot, with its harsh metal lines and jagged plexiglass cuts, is ugly, at the Bakersfield tournament I thought that the robot, with its crisp efficiency, was a really beautiful machine.”

PHILLIP C. ’20

H I STORY

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“During the game I noticed that time limits really influence how 6th graders make decisions. For example, in the second run of Empire, we only played for one day and during that day multiple wars and conquests happened in just one block. Whenever the end of the game came around, the 6th graders would start to help each other out in order to make sure they could all win if possible.”

Dhruva S. ’24, who helped Ian Walters and Will Adams design and run Empire

of the simulation that accurately reflected the Ancient Mesopotamian world is the way that Persians had to trade with Mesopotamians. The Persians had to give the Mesopotamians good deals to earn their cooperation,” writes Dylan B. ’26. “The satraps, the royal advisors, the empress, and the sovereigns also reflected actual positions that existed in Mesopotamia.”

At first glance, the busy 6th grade history class seems to be acting out a play. Students, clustered in small groups, wear funny accessories: velvet capes and squat hats, or orange cones hung from their ears. One student holds a giant papier-mâché hand taped to a broom handle.

Another is busy running blue painter’s tape from the leg of one desk to another.

Look a little closer, listen in, and you’ll understand that these groups represent the cities of Ecbatana, Pasargadae, and Persepolis in Ancient Persia, and citystates in Mesopotamia.

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The students, serious and determined, are discussing how to preserve their natural resources and whether they might welcome or rebel against incoming Persian rule. The costumes represent city-state pride. The tape? Each strip is a newly built trade road, an alliance formed.

Teachers Will Adams and Ian Walters created Empire: A Game of Survival in the Ancient World after touring Projectbased Learning schools in the Pacific Northwest and interviewing teachers about longform projects. Project-based Learning (PBL), according to Edutopia, is a student-centered pedagogy that involves active exploration of realworld problems and challenges.

“Anna Rossi at Oregon Episcopal School helped create a year-long unit in the 8th grade, all focused on an individually designed project,” says Will Adams. “The whole first semester of the class asked questions of envisioning and developing ideas. The second semester was for execution.”

“The engagement she got out of her students was amazing,” says Ian

Walters. “We also read a paper about a teacher who gamified his entire classroom.” The teacher, John Hunter, gave a TED Talk and is the subject of the documentary World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements. Through his United Nations-style gamebased pedagogy, his students create solutions for real-world issues like hunger, war, and climate change.

The two teachers also discussed assessment styles and what developmentally matches a 6th grader. “At the beginning of the year, they’re still quite young,” says Ian, “and they don’t necessarily have a lot of practice reviewing for a massive, classic test. We’d seen so much more engagement around activities in 6th grade. Clearly there’s something about that style of learning that’s better, for this age group, than traditional assessments.” After the game, each student wrote a two-to three-page reflection about their city-state’s advantages, strategies, and outcomes.

Observing the game in action, it’s clear that these students now possess deep historical knowledge. “One aspect

“Moving forward, the hope is that they remain focused on analyzing the systems they are in,” says Ian, “and that even with very conflicting objectives, groups of people can connect around values. Hopefully, they’ll take that into future collaboration.”

Thanks to the game, the students also more fully understand the importance of acting in accordance with their values. “A big piece of history at this school is how well you work collaboratively,” says Will, “how you navigate different groups of your peers, and still stay true to yourself.”

“Even if we have different personal experiences, we might be able to connect powerfully based on our values,” says Ian. “That’s a big part of the advising curriculum and we’ve woven it into the history class.” Both classes studied a variety of ancient world leaders and, from their actions, derived their values. “Ancient Persia, the focus of the Empire game, had really interesting, complex values.

They thought about human rights and how to provide for all of their people.”

“Our city’s values were security, stability, and cooperation,” says Dylan B., ’26, who played on a Persian team. “I think cooperation was our most impactful value because it made and broke our game. For example, the reason our Mesopotamian city-state rebelled was that we didn’t lower the empire tax out of greed. But at the end of the game, we were able to trade our resources with them to build a monument.”

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At Carney Connections, an E&I conference, Johára Tucker presents her research on recruitment and retention of faculty of color.

she says. “We ask people to look at their classrooms, their advisory groups, and the different ways they present in this community. How does their antibias goal reflect a willingness to grow or change or address issues around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)?”

In her role as Director of Equity and Inclusion, Johára Tucker hopes to “connect practice with our academic ethos.” She’s here to hold our community––students, teaching faculty, and professional staff––to the high standards we set forth in our mission of scholarship, diversity, and citizenship.

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“Equity and Inclusion work is central to academic achievement,” says Johára.

“As we look at our student demographic, who we’re teaching, we’re seeing more diversity in our classrooms. That pushes us to question our lens and think about how we can be better educators.”

Teaching for equity and social justice is never and should never be one size fits all, especially at a K-12 school. “I’m always reading,” she says. “Staying on-trend. I want to be able to help teachers, whether that’s sending them a chapter or a full book to read. I want to be a resource.” Johára’s work involves collaborating with faculty to ensure their syllabi are inclusive and inviting courageous conversations. Sometimes

this means that Johára “looks through a syllabus with a fine-tooth comb” and, with the teacher, discusses blind spots and potential pitfalls. “Here are some ways that I’m concerned this might go down in your class,” she might say, or “What are the best ways I can support you and the students during this unit?”

She then has one-on-one conversations with faculty about how they can best address identity, intersectionality, and other issues in the classroom.

Johára asked our entire Professional Community to set anti-bias goals this year, as an acknowledgment that each person is at a different place in their social justice journey and has work to do alone. “We now have a framework,”

She also advises faculty and staff about Professional Development opportunities and facilitates an Equity & Inclusion (E&I) book group, urging everyone to keep thinking, learning, and growing. “The book group gives adults a way to have conversations they otherwise might not have. We think about the issues that come up not only in the book but in our own community,” says Johára. “These aren’t conversations we can have at a full, 265-person Professional Community meeting, but with ten to twelve people, we can and we do.” One of the year’s book groups discussed Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give, a book that confronts racism and police brutality and is set partially in a private school. Before the author visited Head-Royce, Johára hosted a Professional Community book group and parent and guardian book group, devoting her time and energy to guiding conversations on white fragility, microaggressions, privileged narratives, and the difference between allies and accomplices. “Next year’s book groups will have an application focus,” Tucker says. “They’ll fall under the E&I umbrella, but they’ll be about how to address issues in the classroom and our community.”

All of this work benefits our diverse student population, who will, hopefully, continue to feel more seen, understood, and held to high academic standards.

Johára Tucker also joins our community with a specialty in the retention of faculty of color. For the past ten years, she has been busy conducting a study on the recruitment and retention of faculty of color. “I’ve asked teachers, staff, and administration questions like, ‘Why did you stay?’ ‘Why did you leave?’” says Johára. “The statistics are real. The stories are real. Faculty of color have a much shorter tenure at independent schools than their majority peers, on average 3.5 years versus 5 years.” With Tucker’s insights, schools can work to close that gap. She regularly presents her findings to heads of schools and recruiting organizations like Carney, Sandoe & Associates.

A high point in Johára’s E&I work came at her former school, The Cambridge School of Weston (CSW), when she implemented a social justice requirement for graduation.

“We collected the data, and a dedicated committee worked with teachers, department chairs, and other administrators to develop the requirement for graduation.”

CSW’s curriculum already included strong classes with an E&I focus, but those were “largely housed in the humanities,” says Johára, “like LBGTQ Literature.” The graduation requirement breathed new energy into the faculty’s

curricular planning. “By the time the graduate requirement was rolled out, each and every academic discipline offered social justice courses.”

With an integrated curriculum, the approach to equity and inclusion can take many forms: a class on microeconomics could combine women’s studies and math; a class on environmental science can weave in the study and discussion of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Collaborating across disciplines to design social justice courses, “shifted the school culture, from performing the work to making an all-in academic commitment,” says Johára, “and we were able to ensure the students graduated with an understanding of social justice.”

Johára intends to guide our teaching faculty through the inspection of the current curriculum and, down the line, the creation of new courses. Before that work can begin, she feels she needs to learn more about the beliefs and passions of the community, so that there can be genuine support and engagement. During her first year at Head-Royce, she’s continuing to “have conversations and visit classes,” all while “noticing what we’re doing and researching what might take us to the next level.” Johára continues to connect the dots for our community, shifting conversations into action.

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There is a clear trend among selective colleges to take high school AP courses with a grain of salt. While most selective colleges currently give credit for specific AP exam results, the bar is progressively being raised. Many will cap the number of credits a student can use towards their college graduation requirements. For example, the Ivy League universities MIT and Stanford generally offer credit for fives (5) only and only in the math, science, or language fields; not to be used towards their intended major. In a majority of cases, universities allow students to use Subject Test scores or to take placement exams once they arrive on campus, so an AP exam may be completely unnecessary. Since each college has their own policies regarding AP credit, they are generally hard to predict for a specific student prior to our College Counseling process. Some colleges weight AP classes similar to Honors classes when calculating GPA. However, an increasing majority provide no additional weighting.

Head-Royce’s educational philosophy is rooted in academic excellence and an earnest desire to do what is in the best interest of our students. For nearly a decade, the faculty and administration have questioned the merits of Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

While these courses were designed to establish a national standard, they also limit our faculty’s ability to provide the in-depth, rigorous coursework that best suits our students and aligns with the professional insights of our faculty.

After careful research and deliberation, and with the full support of the Board of Trustees, the School decided to move away from the constraints of the AP curriculum, allowing the space for our faculty to design more engaging offerings for our students that better facilitate subject mastery and honor

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our goals of academic excellence, creativity, collaboration, and depth.

We sat down with Upper School Head Carl Thiermann to learn more about what this shift means for students at Head-Royce.

WHY OFFER THE EXAMINATIONS BUT NOT THE CLASSES? We recognize that some students will want to take these tests. If colleges continue to offer credit or placement advantages, we will provide AP tests, allowing those who wish to take a particular exam the ability to do so, while not requiring it. In this way, the exam can function as an additional incentive for motivated students, but not as the primary aim of the course. Since many of our most advanced courses will continue to prepare students effectively for AP tests, we will offer this opportunity.

WHAT ARE THE RECENT TRENDS AMONG SELECTIVE COLLEGES OFFERING CREDIT FOR AP COURSES?

WHAT IMPACT COULD THIS DECISION HAVE ON MY CHILD’S GPA FOR THE UC SYSTEM? The UCs cap the number of Honors or AP level courses computed into an applicant’s GPA to eight semesters or four year-long courses. The UC GPA is comprised of grades received in the 10th and 11th grades only. All HRS students will continue to take three year-long UC approved Honors courses (English 11, History 11, and Chemistry). In addition, most students will take Honors Precalculus or an Honors designated language course.

We anticipate transitioning our current AP courses to an Honors designation (for example, we will add an Honors Biology course in place of AP Bio in 11th grade). Again, the UC system treats Honors courses as equivalent to APs.

none has reconsidered this decision.

Many Bay Area independent schools have also chosen to break beyond the limitations of AP courses, including Lick-Wilmerding, Crystal Springs Uplands School, Marin Academy, and Castilleja School.

WON’T STUDENTS STILL NEED TO TAKE STANDARDIZED TESTS? Almost all of our students will continue to take either the SAT or ACT exam, and we will ask faculty to place greater emphasis on preparing students for the SAT Subject Tests, which can prove the same level of mastery as an AP examination. We will offer strategic testing advice, partner with outside experts like Compass testing, and provide personalized guidance for every applicant. We know it is our responsibility to provide support wherever it is needed.

WHY MAKE A CHANGE NOW TO THIS SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM? HOW WOULD HEAD-ROYCE FACULTY IMPROVE UPON AP CURRICULUM? Very few educators would call the AP exams a forward-looking measurement of academic competencies. They are traditional, standardized exams that serve a purpose of establishing a national standard. In contrast, HeadRoyce’s Strategic Plan aims to surpass that standard by embracing a broader definition of what constitutes advanced, higher-level study with such courses as Neurobiology, Quantitative Analysis (Chemistry), and Engineering. Although the current AP program promotes critical thinking, in most courses there is limited opportunity for collaboration, intensive problem solving, or innovation.

Very few APs in their current form, with the exception of the lab sciences, include experiential learning.

IS HEAD-ROYCE ALONE IN THIS DECISION?

WHAT POLICIES OF THE COLLEGE BOARD CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR THINKING?

We are not alone in this conviction.

Of the over 60 highly competitive independent schools that have separated from the AP curriculum,

Nationally, the AP program is frequently criticized as an obstacle for college-oriented high schools to develop a culture of balance and

well-being. Several AP courses have a well-earned reputation for a reliance on memorization, recitation of facts, and excessive homework. Over the last decade, Head-Royce has been placing restrictions on access to AP courses, suggesting a limit on the number of AP classes taken in a single year. Despite criticism that AP courses fuel unhealthy attitudes and behaviors, the College Board has not made serious efforts at reform. We are prepared to prove that Head-Royce faculty’s courses are mission-based, nuanced, and responsive to student needs without sacrificing rigor.

WHAT IS YOUR STRATEGIC THINKING IN FAVOR OF THIS DECISION? By shedding the constraints of the AP courses, we look forward to advancing beyond them. We are confident in the pedagogical expertise of our teachers to craft courses that will be as rigorous as those that make up the Advanced Placement curricula. Because the AP tests often cover a large body of content, they tend to gloss over topics that could be explored in greater depth. In trying to cover so much material, the scope of the AP curriculum skimps on the time required to develop the critical thinking skills that make

students not just knowledgeable, but able to generate knowledge.

WHAT WILL THE ROLLOUT FOR THIS PROGRAMMATIC CHANGE LOOK LIKE? This shift will not affect our current high school students. Beginning with the Class of 2024, we will strategically replace AP courses with advanced courses aligned to our educational philosophy. While we will continue to administer AP exams for students who choose to take them, our faculty will no longer “teach to a test.” This phased, four-year transition will allow time for faculty to thoughtfully re-design courses, which will be submitted to the University of California for Honors designation.

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said, “You are a writer and I look forward to reading what you write.”

One student boldly asked, “What’s your biggest regret?”

Thomas replied, “I wish I had not let fear control my life. The thing I was afraid to do, was the thing I was supposed to do. I can’t control what people think.

All I can do is control my actions.”

NIA Committee Members: Kathrina Weekes, Krystal McLear, Vangeria Harvey, Ayana Curry, Darice Bridges, Ciara Coleman

In a powerful story, early on in her lecture, Angie Thomas recounted seeing a photograph of Emmett Till in Jet Magazine when she was six years old. She couldn’t understand the brutal image and thought it was horror movie makeup.

“What’s this?” she asked her mother.

“Not what, baby,” her mother said. “Who.” The memory returned to her in 2009, when Thomas was in college at a small, private school, ten minutes up the road from her childhood home. Oscar Grant was shot and killed by a police officer and, while she was reeling

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from the tragedy, some of her white classmates tried to justify the officer’s actions. She felt she was straddling two worlds. “After Oscar, I wrote a short story with Khalil and Starr,” she said.

“Writing was my way of being heard.”

Khalil and Starr didn’t go away. Rather, their story grew and became Angie Thomas’s moving, wildly successful debut novel The Hate U Give. The book has spent the past three years on the New York Times bestseller list and was made into a movie starring Amandla Stenberg in 2018.

“I still remember how hard it was to speak up in school,” said Angie Thomas. “It never seemed like anybody cared what I thought. I’m here to tell you that you do have value.”

Angie Thomas’s lecture marked the 17th installment of the NIA Speaker

of Color Series, an annual event that celebrates Black History Month. NIA was established in 2003 when four Head-Royce mothers met to discuss how they could contribute to and support the three tenets of the HeadRoyce mission: scholarship, diversity, and citizenship. They decided to launch an annual lecture, one that would be open to the Head-Royce and greater Oakland community. NIA remains steadfast to its tradition and commitment to celebrating Black History Month with voices of power,

engagement, and change. Past NIA speakers include Anthony Robles, Glenn Singleton, and Roberta Flack.

These founding NIA members also established the NIA Endowed Scholarship Fund to support the tuition for students of color at Head-Royce.

Today the Fund has grown to over $250,000 and is part of the School’s $5.9 Million annual scholarship budget, which helps ensure that students of all backgrounds have access to attending Head-Royce. All proceeds from Angie Thomas ticket sales supported the NIA Endowed Scholarship Fund.

When it was time for the audience Q & A, Angie Thomas was generous and thoughtful. Only students—many of them Middle School-aged—lined up to ask questions and Thomas listened carefully to each student. One question even prompted Thomas to ask, “Are you a writer?” The student squirmed and shrugged. “If you write at all,” Thomas

A twelve-year-old Head-Royce student asked if Angie ever struggled with perfectionism and if so, if she had any advice on how to stop being so hard on herself.

“Being a writer, perfectionism is hard to battle,” said Thomas, but she said that she tries to remind herself that “perfect keeps you from purpose.” Many heads in the audience started nodding— especially from the NIA committee. NIA, after all, is the Swahili word for purpose.

“Find your voice,” Thomas reminded the students, before leaving the stage.

Angie Thomas met Upper School students from the Black Student Union and Diversity Council, and Middle School students in the Justice League and Students of Color Alliance.

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4th Graders Raise Trout in the Classroom

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Rainbow Trout call Oakland home. Just up the road from Head-Royce, at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park, you can visit the historical landmark plaque that commemorates the identification of the species in 1855 by Dr. W.P. Gibbons. Once plentiful in our rivers, the species is now rare and at-risk.

According to the Friends of Sausal Creek, Oakland has “limited habitats supporting rainbow trout” and they’re “especially vulnerable to pollutants either dumped directly into the creek or entering through the storm drain system.”

This isn’t news to the 4th graders in Barry Turner’s class. They understand our local watershed and are actively working to reverse the pollution and overfishing of this native species.

They’re raising trout––and, along the way, are learning biology, environmental science, and how to protect aquatic life.

at Sausal Creek,” says Barry. “So students tell me what they remember from 2nd grade.” The continuity helps cement students’ understanding of environmental science and stewardship.

“Year after year, students are most excited about naming the fish and releasing them,” says Barry. “They love watching them swim off.” It’s a Avery S. ’27 says goodbye to a trout at last year’s release in Lake Temescal.

eggs off. Our sponsor Stuart comes in Barry Turner started the Trout in the once a week and reads a story to the Classroom program in 2005, before he students, bringing various types of began teaching at Head-Royce. “It’s a supplies, like flies and fishing rods.” program I’ve put together myself, using the Next Generation Science Standards When Stuart walks through the door, (NGSS),” says Barry. For 4th graders, “the kids are so excited,” says Barry. “He’s the NGSS include an understanding of an older gentleman and he’s retired. earth’s materials and systems, including He’s got stories and he’s got that how rainfall shapes the land and grandpa sense of humor.” Barry has affects living organisms. “We look at the worked with him for the past ten years. importance of the watershed, here in The students learn the life stages Oakland, and how, when pollutants leak of trout: Egg, Alevin, Fry, Fingerling, into our water, that’s connected to the Juvenile, and Adult. After about a population of fish and other aquatic life.” week, the fish eggs begin hatching.

“We are sponsored by Grizzlypeak Fly “They don’t hatch like chicken.

Fishermen’s,” says Barry. “They build They unfold like a butterfly,” says the aquarium for us and drop the Barry. “It’s called ‘unbuttoning.’”

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Once “unbuttoned,” trout enter the Alevin stage when they feed off of a large yolk sac. “They’re these big giant red bellies, which force them to the bottom of the tank,” says Barry. During the Alevin stage, the tanks appear empty. The tiny trout hide in the gravel.

“At this point, we’re looking for the swim up time,” says Barry. “Once that sack disappears, they’re able to swim up through the different levels of the tank.”

Along the way, the students monitor the tank’s water quality, learn trout anatomy, discuss the water cycle, and locate streams in Oakland––some they’ve already visited. “Ms. Dunlap runs a really good watershed project

satisfying end to the lesson, that, sadly, students will miss this year. Distance Learning “has really made me think about technology,” says Barry. “It’s a challenge. I’m not a person who uses a lot of technology and a lot of my teaching is hands-on.” He plans to attach a live-stream camera to the tank, and, when the fish have reached the Fingerling stage, he’ll use

a Go-Pro to document their release.

Students will still name the trout they’ve raised. “In the past, we’ve had Sunny, Starlight, Sinker, for some reason they like the letter S.” Barry won’t be alone at the creek, either.

His daughter will help him release the trout. “She fishes with me,” says Barry, “so she’s very excited.”

ONLINE COURSES C U LT I VAT E GLOBAL SKILLS

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In Medical Problem Solving, the students receive a “new patient” each week. “Then you begin your research and try to identify if your hypotheses for the causes of certain symptoms are accurate,” says Yoska G. ’21. “After collecting all of your research, you present it in a slide show, to simulate a grand rounds session. Then you finish your grand rounds with a video where you address the patient directly and explain to them what their diagnosis is and whatever their short and long treatment options are.”

Another student in Medical Problem

As a founding member of

awake? And what’s reasonable to ask?”

the Global Online Academy

For many Head-Royce students, it can be a challenge to find time for their partner work. “It’s a big executive functioning skill,” says Karen Bradley. “They have to plan ahead and prioritize. It’s also a very tangible, real-life skill, and the students see its value right away.”

(GOA), Head-Royce has offered online courses to Upper School students since 2011. Students who enroll in GOA classes collaborate with peers from a range of independent schools, from Catlin Gabel and Dalton to the American School in Japan and King’s Academy in Jordan.

The program’s international scope is more than a selling point, it’s a learning tool. “One of the orientation exercises is a time zone puzzle,” says GOA Coordinator and Upper School teacher Karen Bradley. “They give an imaginary scenario: You have a meeting with two other people. One’s in Beijing and another’s in Canada, on the East Coast. When are you all going to be

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Students also learn to develop relationships with new teachers they won’t meet in person––a skill for college and beyond, in our globally-networked world. “I tell them that putting money in the relationship bank upfront is super important,” says Karen Bradley. “They don’t know you face-to-face, so if you don’t have much communication with them, and then you have a problem, it’s more likely they’ll assume laziness or disorganization––rather than, ‘Wow this student has ten other things going on.’”

GOA allows us to expand the Upper School course catalog to include the languages Arabic and Japanese, and more specialized classes like

Architecture, Bioethics, and Positive Psychology. Many classes are interdisciplinary, like Global Health, 9/11 in a Global Context, and Prisons and Criminal Law. The courses are all taught by faculty affiliated with member institutions, independent schools with similar academic standards as Head-Royce, and each course is capped at 18 students.

Solving, Sidney S. ’21, says: “One of the projects we’ve been working on is around treatments for breast cancer.

Recently, a study came out that said for women with mild breast cancer, chemotherapy might not be the best option. So, together my whole class made a website. My group has a page that explains the options and who fits the criteria for the secondary treatment.”

This real-world content is a key component of GOA’s teaching philosophy. GOA is a competencybased school, and in every class, students must demonstrate growth

in specific areas, from “curate and create content relevant to real-world issues” to “take responsibility for your learning and that of others.”

Reflecting on what she has learned, Yoska says, “Doctors have to be extremely cautious and also clear when delivering information their patients. They have to give a lot of thought to how they conduct themselves and what words they use because even the most subtle changes in how they conduct themselves could cause the patient to worry.”

As Karen Bradley explains, “The competency approach is a way of switching students’ mindsets from “What grade am I getting in this class?” to “What am I learning?” As there are almost no tests, GOA assessment is almost entirely project-based and often collaborative. “By nature, the minimum bar is very reachable, and then the sky’s the limit. It again shifts the focus.

The students who like their classes the most are often the ones who go beyond the minimum, and their engagement, even excitement, grows accordingly.”

In these online courses, students must learn how to self-motivate beyond the punishment of a bad grade––instilling in them independence and a deep sense of curiosity.

GOA teachers use real-world case studies, so while students are following their passions or curiosities, they’re also getting a taste of the professional world. Upper School students interested in becoming doctors can try their hand at diagnostics and developing a calm, kind bedside manner in Medical Problem Solving.

“I had heard stories of people who’d dreamed of becoming doctors, only to find out that they hated it in med school,” says Yoska G. ‘21. “I used GOA’s Medical Problem Solving courses to help me determine if I could handle the medical field and also enjoy the process.”

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ALUMNI

ALUMNI

A LUMNI PR ESI DE N T LET TE R

It has been a great honor working with the School on your behalf.

“The movies: it’s just like that,” Dr. Jill Katz ’86 jokes. A Clinical Assistant Professor of Archaeology at Yeshiva University, Dr. Katz studied archaeology within an anthropological context at Harvard and then earned her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania.

“People who’ve seen Indiana Jones think archaeology is dangerous,” she says. “It’s not really. We excavate in a safe way. They also think if they go on a dig, they’re going to find this one incredible thing. Truth is you never know what you’re going to find.”

Dear Fellow Alumni, It is with great pride and gratitude that I write this final letter to you as Alumni Council President.

It has been a real pleasure to have served you as a member of the Alumni Council for the past five years, the last three as President. I also would like to thank the members of the Alumni Council who have given their time and talent to give back to the School and strengthen the alumni program.

Over these years, I’ve witnessed firsthand the incredible energy, connection, and community within our alumni family. I’ve seen a willingness to help each other as well as current students. I’ve seen the strong bonds that remain between classmates––many times, decades after graduation––and your desire to stay connected with the School that has helped shape who we are today.

Shortly after the publication of this magazine issue, the alumni council will elect a new President who will preside for a two-year term, and along with that, assume their ex officio seat on the Board of Trustees. I know that this person will continue the great work of the council, engaging alumni in programs that fulfill the mission of

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the School, while also strengthening the ties within our community.

Head-Royce is in its 133rd year and the 86th year with an alumni council.

As the school continues to evolve and strives to meet the demands of what a 21st Century education entails, I am confident that the alumni will continue to support that mission.

As my parting wish, I ask each of you to continue working with our students on their I-search and senior projects, continue to offer relevant internships, continue to share your experiences, advice, and stories, and continue your generous

A LUMNI PROFI LE

history of philanthropic support.

It has been a great honor working with the School on your behalf.

With deepest gratitude,

JASON LANGKAMMERER ’88 ALUMNI COUNCIL PRESIDENT AND TRUSTEE

Dr. Katz’s “most incredible discovery” is a fine example of the field’s unpredictability. While excavating an area in Tell es-Safi, Israel––which was once Gath, the Biblical hometown of Goliath––she planned to unearth plant and animal specimens. “Philistines were migrants who came to the coastal area around the year 1200 and established five main cities and many smaller communities. One question was: When Philistines came as migrants did they bring with them plants and animals that became part of the local flora and fauna?” The seeds and bones she found would tell that story.

“After about a week, it became clear that I instead found a much-older Canaanite wall––a massive city wall,” says Dr. Katz. “The section goes on for 20-30 meters, is three meters wide, and has buttresses.” Because of the surprising discovery, the questions changed. “It gave me a chance to use my anthropology and talk about the rise of the state. What’s the message that the state makes when they build a city wall? Who are they defending themselves against?”

Along with teaching, Dr. Katz is a Field Director of the Tell es-Safi/Gath excavation, a research project led by

JILL KATZ ’86

CLINICAL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ARCHAEOLOGY AT YESHIVA UNIVERSITY

Bar-Ilan University. Being part of a longterm excavation has allowed Dr. Katz to watch the changes in her field. “I’m a generalist, a field archaeologist, and now we have so many specialists we didn’t have 25 years ago: an archaeobotanist, a DNA expert, a zoologist, a geologist,” she says. “We have someone who studies paleomagnetism. We have people who do materials science.

They work very slowly and ask very specific questions, whereas we field archaeologists want to do things in an expansive way. We’re interested in the big picture. We learn a lot from them.”

Since 2004, Dr. Katz has brought her Yeshiva students to the Tell es-Safi/ Gath excavation each summer. “It’s a unique experience and affords them the chance to do primary research,” she says. “You want everyone to have fun, but we take very seriously the excavation component. We make it clear why they’re doing what they’re doing, and put it in context, informally throughout the days, and, in the evenings before dinner, we have formal lectures. We call it a field school.”

At the dig, the most common find is pottery, which the students learn to dig up, wash, and then analyze.

DR. KATZ stands alongside a

Over the summer, “you see a transformation with the students,” says Dr. Katz. “They begin volunteering for nasty tasks––removing tools out of a container that’s 120 degrees or figuring out what to do with 30 scorpions that just ran by.” She admits that the last task might sound a little dangerous. “I tell my students, if they find 25 scorpions during the season, they get an ice cream party.”

For any readers likewise interested in archaeology, Dr. Katz says, “you’re all invited to come dig!”

3,200-year-old mud-brick wall that she and her team excavated at Tell es-Safi/ Gath in Israel (2019).

trip to Greece I took in high school.”

In between her sophomore and junior years at Head-Royce, she traveled around Greece for a month with a student group led by teacher Barney Howard. “On that trip, we went to the archaeological sites: Athens, Olympia, Mycenae,” she says, and it’s the first time she realized she “liked archaeology more than the average person.”

If you ever find yourself in Israel in July or just day-dreaming about playing Indiana Jones, reach out to Dr. Jill Katz ’86 (jckatz@yu.edu). “We’ve been excavating the site for over twenty years and we’re only 1% finished. The more the merrier,” she says. “We’re always looking for volunteers.”

Above all, Dr. Katz hopes her students will form lasting memories. “Most don’t forget their experience,” she says, “like I still remember fondly the

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ALUMNI

ALUMNI

A LUMNI EV E N TS

PARENTS OF ALUMNI VALENTINE’S CARE PACKAGE STUFFING PARTY February 4, 2020 Head-Royce School

Oakland Oakland

HOLIDAY PARTY December 19, 2019 The Golden Squirrel

YOUNG ALUMNI HAPPY HOUR November 29, 2019 The Golden Squirrel

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ALUMNI

ALUMNI

BACK FROM COLLEGE LUNCH January 9, 2020 Head-Royce School

HOLIDAY PROGRAM PRE-RECEPTION December 20, 2019 Head-Royce School

Was hington D.C. ALUMNI RECEPTION February 25, 2020 St. Anslem

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ALUMNI

ALUMNI

A LUMNI PROFI LE

ALYKHAN BOOLANI ’02

PRINCIPAL OF LIFE ACADEMY OF HEALTH AND BIOSCIENCE

e l ib is v e d a m e v o l is Wor k

“I don’t want to dictate mindsets to students,” he says. “I want them to be able to access knowledge themselves.”

As an administrator, Alykhan is making this happen through “collective efficacy,” a term Stanford Psychologist Albert Bandura coined after observing that “when educators believe in their combined ability to influence student outcomes, there are significantly higher levels of academic achievement” (Bandura, 1993). “In all of the research around public education, collective efficacy is the number one factor in learning,” says Alykhan.

“Work is love made visible,” says Alykhan Boolani ’02, quoting Khalil Gibran. “That idea is at the center of my approach as an educator. Teaching is a work of love.” As Principal of Life Academy of Health and Bioscience, a public 6–12 school here in Oakland, Alykhan has turned this philosophy into action. He recently returned to Head-Royce to speak about his work at the Upper School assembly, where he reminded current students about the skills they might take for granted, like literacy and critical thinking.

At his school, he says, “love looks like having students reading at a high level and being able to engage with the world on their own.”

When he began his career, teaching math at East Oakland School of the Arts (EOSA), he set out to be a social justice educator. “I thought I was going to bring all of this information in and create access to it.” As he logged more years in the classroom and then earned his Master’s in Organizational Leadership at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College, his model shifted.

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To motivate his colleagues, Alykhan must be “equal parts inspiring and organized.” He believes that “collective efficacy comes from getting into a room with a group of educators, taking the time to build a schoolwide vision, and then translating that vision across each year.”

Together the teaching faculty–– informed by their students’ and parents’ dreams––define the profile of a Life Academy graduate. “What kind of reader, writer, thinker, and speaker are they?” Alykhan asks. “So then, let’s go back to 6th grade, and let’s map, over time, how we organize our skills and our teachers, so students aren’t jumping from silo to silo, learning some skills zero times or three times.” The faculty also maps out the school’s social and cultural experiences. “What texts are we using to work with a population that is 100% students of color?”

Alykhan asks. “How do we ensure students are learning a sense of self?”

Inspiring intellectual curiosity and academic achievement is only part of what Alykhan means when he says, “teaching is a work of love.” “Education can be about family-making,” he says.

“A major reason why students come to school is their relationships and I’ve learned to value them deeply,” Alykhan says. “They drive you. You drive them.”

Alykhan’s focus on love has proven to be wildly effective. In 2011, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) honored him with the Teacher of the Year Award, in 2012, he was Head-Royce’s Outstanding Young Alumnus of the Year, and Life Academy has the highest UC and CSU acceptance rate of any high school in Oakland with recent graduates attending universities like Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Smith College. Four of Alykhan’s former students, after college, realized they wanted to teach.

“And I hired them,” he says. “They range from being our restorative justice coordinator to our math teacher to our English teacher. It’s amazing to watch someone who you’ve known since she was fifteen, sixteen, stand in front of a group of kids and teach the same math that you taught her.”

Reminiscing about his former students provided a moment of happiness in an otherwise anxiety-riddled time.

“I’m worried about our kids’ access to food, counseling services, and all of the benefits kids get on a daily basis at school,” says Alykhan. “Oakland is in a financial crisis and because of Covid-19, we canceled a few of our key fundraisers this year.”

Life Academy counts on donations to support the continuation of programs, such as trips to “Yosemite, Pt. Reyes, and Humbolt that foster life experiences every kid in Oakland deserves regardless of race or social class.” Alykhan would welcome questions about donations or careers in education and he can be reached via email at alykhan.boolani@ousd.org.

V ER A KER EKES Head-Royce Upper School Math Teacher from 1976-1996

W H E R E A R E T H E Y NOW ?

A much beloved and respected teacher, Vera Kerekes retired in 1996 after teaching Upper School math for twenty years. She initially contemplated retirement when she moved from her home of 34 years in Orinda to Danville. Vera was almost sure of her decision when then-Head of School Paul Chapman offered her a year of unpaid leave to think about her decision, a testament to her value. In the end, she decided retirement was the way to go, joining her husband, Zebi, who had retired two years earlier.

However, teaching didn’t completely leave Vera’s system after HeadRoyce. She taught part-time at Holy Names University––math to teaching credential students and calculus to adult business students. When Vera realized how much the job cut into her travel plans, she fully retired. She soon began getting more involved in community activities, through her local Senior and Newcomers Clubs.

She volunteered as a tutor in afterschool programs for elementary school children, cooked for the homeless, and joined the local hiking and bridge clubs.

Vera and Zebi continue to travel extensively through Europe, Asia, and South America, frequently with the Orinda Hiking Club and Overseas Adventure Travels. Vera regularly visits her birthplace of Hungary, where two years ago she attended her university’s 60th class reunion.

She did not complete her studies there––she graduated from UC Berkeley––but she was still warmly welcomed by many former classmates.

Vera’s most valued activity has been spending time with her three grandchildren. Her oldest grandson,

VERA KEREKES , in the black coat, pauses while out walking with her daughter Julie and son-in-law Tom.

Vera is especially proud of her three grandchildren.

Pictured here is her oldest, Emery, on the cello.

Emery, is a junior at Yale, and his brother, Weston, will be starting there in the Fall. Grandaughter Klara is in middle school. Even though her grandchildren live in Santa Monica and Toronto, Vera and Zebi make it a point to see them frequently. Grandparenting is the best, she says, and she strongly recommends it to everybody.

Vera stays in touch with many of her former Head-Royce colleagues. She and Judy Kennedy walk every Monday in Lafayette, and she walks with the retired Head-Royce Professional Community group every couple of months. Vera also enjoys attending alumni functions at Head-Royce.

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ALUMNI

ALUMNI

A LUMNI NOTES

LIBBY RULE WALKER ’56 I have been volunteering with refugees through my Unitarian Universalist congregation and at Friendship Village, the senior community in Tempe, Arizona where I have lived for the past four years.

We also travel with my retired kids to escape our hot summers. My classmates will appreciate what I call my “short” picture with two of my four grandchildren. I’m six feet tall.

ake m r e v e ’ll u o y ds The best frien s you make in are the friend hig h school.

MARK SCHNEIDER ’00 Mark shared a photo from Super Tuesday where he spent the morning with three of his friends from the class of 2000––Andy Argyris, Bryan Graves, and Andrew Snow––and presidential candidate Joe Biden, who made an unexpected visit to the Buttercup Diner in Jack London Square. After this photo was taken Biden told the group, “The best friends you’ll ever make are the friends you make in high school.” Biden also signed his copy of the Constitution, which he shared

Mark Schneider ’00 shared his copy of the Constitution, newly signed by Joe Biden.

with his Honors US History class.

BEN ROSENBERG ’02 My wife, Sarah, and I welcomed our first child, Ezra, in January 2019. In addition, we

SUSAN FRATIS PENNY ’56

moved back to the Bay Area in August 2019, as I took a tenure-track professorship in

I had a challenging 2019 and was hospitalized for six months

marketing and following her own creativity by doing collages.

and in a catatonic state for four months. My son and

My son has been with the same company for 30 years, 5 in

social psychology at Dominican University

daughter-in-law visited me every day and I am still touched

New York City. He married Vicki 23 years ago at Sea Ranch

of California in San Rafael. We are thrilled

by their devotion. My daughter-in-law diligently visited many

and they have two boys, who are 21 and 18. They still call 27

to be back!

assisted living residences should I wake up, and on July 4, I

Wawona home, the house Jim and Angela were raised in. We

did, with no memory of the past year.

have been on that block since my graduation from Heads in 1956.

I moved into Magnolia at Millbrae and have a wonderful onebedroom apartment complete with a full kitchen and washer

Other than having a little trouble walking, I am alert and

and dryer. People here are happy and friendly and there are

healthy and blessed by a full and fulfilling life with a

many activities. For the first time in my life, I have taken up

wonderful family. I hope to be at our 65th reunion.

painting––acrylic on canvas.

MADELINE NELSON ’08

I have been self-publishing on Amazon and several of my

Theresa Nelson and Barney Smits report that their daughter

books are available for very little cost. The cover illustrations

Madeline is training to be an archaeologist, and spent last

are by my daughter Mary Angela, now getting back into media

summer excavating in Greece.

JACKSON BARNETT ’13 Jackson Barnett is pursuing his M.D. at UCSF Medical School. Here’s a photo from the UCSF White Coat ceremony in August 2019.

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Join us for a celebration 2x the size and 2x as fun!

Schedule of Events

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Outstanding Young Alumna of the Year Award presentation to Olivia Lucas ’14

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Lunch with the Senior Class of 2021

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Tours of classes in session

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Celebrating Reunions for Class Years Ending in 0 & 5 AND 1 & 6

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SATURDAY, APRIL 24 Nina Auslander Meehan ’96

Distinguished Alumna of the Year Founder and Executive Director, Bay Area Children’s Theatre

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70th Reunion Luncheon for the Classes of 1950 & 1951

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Community engagement project with students and faculty, benefiting Rebuilding Together Oakland

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Campus tours (including the new South Campus, formerly the Josiah Royce School

Olivia Lucas ’14

for Boys)

Outstanding Young Alumna of the Year

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Social Impact Partnership Coordinator, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

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Dance performance by the student dance group FADE ‘Then & Now’ interactive panel discussion with faculty and students

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Upper School varsity athletics game

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Outdoor cocktail reception

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Reunion Dinner

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Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award presentation to Nina Auslander Meehan ’96

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Class Reunion photos taken

Would you would like to volunteer to help with your reunion?

Please contact Director of Alumni Relations & Events, Julie Kim-Beal: jkimbeal@headroyce.org or 510-228-1591

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We are grateful to the ESTATE OF KATHARINE IRWIN for the recent bequest of $250,000 in support of the School. To learn more about how to include Head-Royce in your estate plans, please contact the Advancement Office.

KATHARINE HYDE IRWIN ’44 Katharine Hyde

Mary Colby McKey

Irwin, broadcasting

died on Sunday,

pioneer, genealogy

November 11, 2018

enthusiast, and dog

in Missoula,

lover, passed away

Montana at the age

peacefully with her

of 88. Born on June 4,

friends at Windsor

1930 in San

Manor in Glendale, California, on May 3,

Francisco to Ruth Hunter Colby and

2019.

Henry Vrooman Colby, she grew up in

Born on November 9, 1926, she was

IN

the daughter of Frederic Earl Irwin

Memoriam

and Mary Kathryn Hyde Irwin and a native of Indiana. She moved to the Bay Area in the 1930s, where she attended Anna Head School and UC Berkeley. She started her career in the broadcasting industry at KNBC radio in San Francisco and worked there in the newsroom until she moved to Southern California to work for CBS. She worked as administrator in the

ROBERTA LOUISE DEVELBISS CORDS ’43

where she lived, raised three sons, and had many beloved friends.

Roberta “Bobbie” was born in Berkeley, California on September 6, 1925 and died peacefully at her home in Walnut Creek on February 13, 2020 at the age of 94. She was the only daughter of Charles Dudley DeVelbiss (born in Columbus, MS) and Cecilia Roberta VanBokkelen (born in Brooklyn, NY).

Bobbie attended the Anna Head School for Girls in Berkeley, the Dominican Convent in San Rafael, Piedmont High School, and Stephens College in Missouri. As a child, Bobbie spent summers in Columbus with her father’s family and friends, riding horses and enjoying the south. She worked for many years, beginning in 1968 as a realtor in Piedmont

In 1975 she married Charles (Charlie) Cords whom she had known since high school in Piedmont. After she and Charlie were married, Bobbie admitted to having had a crush on him even during high school, though they were in different grades. Their years together were the happiest years of their lives, she often said. They belonged to the Claremont Country Club in Oakland where Bobbie was an avid golfer and won several Women’s Club Championships and where she and Charlie enjoyed lifelong friendships.

Charlie predeceased Bobbie in 2005.

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Bobbie is survived by three loving sons and their families from her first

marriage to William Bishop Forman: William B. Forman, Jr. of Fairfax, James Dudley Forman of Santa Barbara, and George Robert Forman of Palo Alto. She is survived by two loving step daughters and their families from her second marriage to Charlie Cords: Carolyn Ann Tuite of San Bruno and Virginia Sayre Larson of Aliso.

MARY COLBY MCKEY ’47

Berkeley, and at a family home in Inverness, California, as well as spending many summer s in Henryville, Pennsylvania. Mary graduated from the Anna Head School in Berkeley and received her BA in 1951 from Smith College, majoring in theatre. In 1955 she married Miles Robert McKey, from whom she was subsequently divorced.

They moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts and then to Lexington, Massachusetts.

For many years Mary was employed as the toy librarian for Community Coordinated Care for Children (4C) of Florida. In addition, she taught Spanish to staff at daycare centers. Mary was a member of the University Unitarian Universalist Society in East Orlando. She had a long-time interest in spirituality and metaphysics, including involvement with the Association for Research and Enlightenment. Mary was preceded in death by her brother, David Colby, and her sister, Marjorie Wening. Her oldest son, Miles Thomas McKey, died in 2004.

Survivors include her son, Andrew Colby McKey (Marcia Ely), of Brooklyn, New York, grandsons Jeremy Ely McKey and Miles Samuel McKey, and her daughter, Emily Rachel McKey (Scott Caldwell), of Missoula, Montana, and grandsons Jonathan Burrell Delight and Jacob McKey Delight.

newsroom for CBS for 34 years, retiring

In 1967 the family moved to Winter

in January 1985. After retirement, she

Park, Florida, where Mary lived until

became an active volunteer for Pacific

moving to Montana in 2018. Her

Nancy was born on

Pioneer Broadcasters and the Southern

interests included the environment

February 24, 1935

California Genealogical Society and

and outdoor activities. Growing up,

and passed away on

Family Research Library in Burbank.

she participated in many Sierra Club

Saturday, December

She will be remembered fondly and

High Trips. In Florida she was active

28, 2019. At six, she

her benevolence will be appreciated by

with the Friends of the Wekiva River

moved with her

families nationwide.

and the Florida Audubon Society.

Katharine was an only child and her mother passed away when she was an infant. Growing up during the Depression, she lived with relatives in Memphis until her father became established in the Bay area. She lived a full life and had a good career behind the scenes in the radio and television industry. She never married. Always young for her age, she learned to use computers after retiring and was an indispensable volunteer for many nonprofit organizations.

NANCY MCNERNEY FLEMING ’53

family to Albany,

She was involved with local civic

California, where she attended school

organizations, including the League

and graduated from Anna Head High

of Women Voters and served on the

School with the Class of 1953. Nancy

City of Winter Park’s Environmental

was a resident of Oregon.

Review Board. She developed a serious interest in photography, particularly of the outdoors. Mary traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and India. She made repeated trips to Spain and acquired a love of the Spanish language and culture, which led to her earning a second BA, in Spanish, from the University of Central Florida in 1981.

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IN

Memoriam

HOPE CUNARD HALLENBECK CHANDLER ’57 Hope Chandler died peacefully at home early Christmas morning, 2019, at the age of 80 in the company of her loved ones. Hope was born in Albany, New York, to Harold and Myra Hallenbeck. The family moved to California in the early 1950s. Hope attended the Anna Head School for Girls in Berkeley, and graduated from UCLA in 1963 with a BA in Spanish, where she was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. After graduation she began her lifelong career at Hughes Aircraft Company, where she was a technical editor for nearly thirty years and met her husband, Jim Chandler. Hope and Jim were married for eleven years until his death in 1987. Hope loved fine food, travel, and music. She was a gourmet

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cook with a truly remarkable library of

Miller, Caroline Miller, and James Miller;

working for Planned Parenthood in

of San Joaquin County for over 40 years.

A sophomore attending Lighthouse

cookbooks, a “foodie” before the term

three great-grandchildren; and her dear

Sacramento. In 2002, she married Jene

With the League, Rosie was involved on

Charter High School in Oakland, Najiyya

was invented, and she delighted in

friend and companion of 21 years, Barry

Rong, the love of her life. Together, they

quite a number of projects, from

participated in Heads Up from 2015

hosting themed dinners for her wide

Forman.

traveled to Europe and Alaska, and

health-related issues to getting students

to 2018. She was loved for her spirit,

group of friends. After her retirement,

spent countless hours simply enjoying

more involved in our electoral process.

energy, and smile that could light up a

Hope travelled extensively in Europe,

each other’s company. For some, having

Rosie is survived by her husband, Jene

room. She was a talented student and

a loving husband and working in the

Rong, his children, Jonathan and

performer, and was an amazing friend

health field, helping others on a daily

Marianne, and her cousin Sam Frankel,

and sister. Our community is truly feeling her loss.

Asia, South America, and elsewhere, documenting every moment

ROSETTA SUE CROOM BACHAND ’63

photographically and collecting

Born on July 26, 1946,

basis, would be enough, but not for our

his wife Mary Lou, and their sons, Jessi

elephants for her home gallery. Back in

Rosetta “Rosie”

Rosie. It was in her DNA to do more.

and Ruben.

Los Angeles, Hope was frequently found

Bachand passed on

Rosie was determined to make this

at Disney Hall or Royce Hall enjoying

February 1, 2020.

world a better place, particularly for

the symphony as well as smaller

Rosie was born in

those who were less fortunate, and for

musical performances. She adored

Brooklyn, New York,

those who battled addiction issues.

Boston Terriers and fondly remembered

raised in El Cerrito,

Many RN and NP students were

Heads Up alumna

HEADS UP ALUMNA NAJIYYA ALKHALIFA ’18

her own Boston, Mr. Gus. She also loved

California, and lived for the past 45

fortunate to learn from Rosie, and they

Najiyya Al-Khalifa

writing personal letters, notes, and

years in Stanislaus County and San

continue her legacy of caring today.

’18 passed away

cards with her Mont Blanc pen in her

Joaquin County, most of that time living

Rosie stayed involved, for over 30 years,

suddenly on January

distinctive rounded handwriting. She is

in Stockton. A graduate of the Anna

through Central United Methodist

19, 2020. Najiyya is

survived by the children of her late

Head School in Berkeley, Rosie went on

Church of Stockton. With United

survied by her

husband: Dawn (Earle) Miller, Mona

to become an RN in the mid seventies,

Methodist Women, Rosie helped to start

Guthrie, and René Chandler;

before continuing her education and

and support recovery programs not just

Khalifa and Ghaimah Walls, and her

grandchildren Yochanan (Yishai)

becoming a Nurse Practitioner. In this

in the Central Valley, but as far away as

siblings, Rumaysa, Sanaa, and

Kabaker, Matthew Guthrie, Rachel

capacity she spent a number of years

Kentucky. Additionally, Rosie was a

Muhammad.

parents Abdul-Haqq

member of the League of Women Voters

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IN

Memoriam

ALUMNI

THREE GENERATIONS OF HEADS

Anne Duhring Cooper ’37 poses with her mother Ruth Duhring ’13 and daughter Susan Cooper Rusch ’77 on a family trip to Disneyland in 1965.

operettas and plays––Gilbert and Sullivan productions her favorite.

ANN E DUH R I NG COO P ER

Branson, Hamlin, and Harker were among the schools that Anna Head athletes competed against. From basketball (who can forget that the first-ever women’s basketball game played anywhere, ever was between UC Berkeley and Miss Head’s School in 1892) to volleyball, tennis, baseball, riding, swimming, ice skating, and field hockey, Anna Head students were very active outside the classroom and Anne played volleyball.

’37

It’s rather fitting that Anne Duhring Cooper was born in 1920, the same year the 19th amendment passed, granting American women the right to vote. At the age of 96, three years before her passing, she was proud to cast her vote for the first female presidential candidate and was looking forward to voting again in 2020.

To say that Anne witnessed much during her 99 years is an understatement. She was born before the stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression, when air travel was in its infancy, the Model T owned the roads, and the Golden Gate was not yet spanned by a bridge. The construction of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge did not start until 1933, either, which meant that riding the ferry was the

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only practical means of getting to San Francisco on a regular basis.

Both bridges were built during the years that Anne attended the Anna Head School for Girls. In those days, Mary E. Wilson was headmistress and proprietor. Attending Anna Head was a Duhring family tradition as her mother, Ruth Kinkead Duhring was a member of the Class of 1913 and Anne’s daughter, Susan Cooper Rusch graduated in 1977.

Speaking with Anne about her years at Anna Head was to learn about a bygone era; it was another time, so different from now. And yet in many ways, the School’s core remains the same. Anne talked about the high standards of the School and the focus on academics. It was a place for young women to gain an exceptional education, but also to build other skills and gain confidence.

In keeping with the original intent of the School when it was founded in 1887, Anne would eventually go on to attend the University of California at Berkeley, where she doublemajored in English and history.

Anne’s classes in the 1930s included English, History, French, and a math curriculum that advanced through Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus. Students also studied Physics and Chemistry. All academic classes were held in the morning, with a recess at 11 a.m. that consisted of a snack of bouillon and milk. Lunch was at 1 p.m. and signaled the end of classes and the start of activities.

Anne was particularly active in many offerings, including aNods & Becks, sports, the Glee Club, and theater. She performed in many of the School’s

School wasn’t always just academic classes and sports. Two to three times a year, the School held dances and each student could invite her own date. There was a strict protocol as to how these chosen swains were to greet Ms. Mary E. Wilson in the receiving line. Each guest introduced his date by saying, “Ms. Wilson, may I present…” Then wraps were removed, coat-checked in the upstairs balcony of the Chapel building and dancing would commence, to the music of a live band of course. The students traded and filled their dance cards in the weeks leading up to the event.

Anne attended UC Berkeley as a member of the Class of 1941. After leading the Nods & Becks staff as Editorin-Chief, Anne thrived in Berkeley’s journalism program and became an Associate Editor of the Daily Californian.

At Cal, she met her future husband, John Cooper. In addition to becoming an accomplished attorney, Municipal Court and Superior Court Judge, John also rowed on Cal’s crew team alongside legendary actor Gregory Peck (then known as Eldred Peck).

Anne and John’s long courtship included him asking permission to walk Anne home after her shift as a night editor at the Daily Californian.

By the time Anne and John graduated, WWII was raging across Europe and it would not be long before the United States entered the fray. They were married on February 16, 1943, a mere six weeks after John’s New Year’s Eve proposal, so they could travel together to New York, where he had been assigned as an instructor at the Naval Navigation School. For most of the war, Anne worked at the War Information Office in San Francisco, aiding the wartime communications efforts and John served in the Pacific on the USS Cleveland.

After the war, both John and Anne moved into a more settled domestic existence, he as a lawyer and she as a stay-at-home mother and community volunteer. Anne was extremely active with many East Bay organizations: The Junior League of Oakland, Alta Bates Hospital, the Oakland Museum, the famed Town & Gown Club in Berkeley, the Berkeley Tennis Club, and the Junior Center for the Arts. She also served as a board member for the Berkeley Red Cross, and as a trustee at Head-Royce School from 1966–1980.

As a trustee, Anne was directly involved in some of the most significant times of transition for the School, from helping the community settle into the new Oakland campus to our beginnings as a non-profit. Those years also saw the opening of the boys’ school and then the combination, into the co-educational Head-Royce we are today. She also served as the President of the HRS Parents’ Association, the Class of 1937 Reunion Agent, Class Chair, and was active on the Alumni Council well into the 1980s. She was honored with the Distinguished Alumna of the Year award in 1978 and the Founders Award in 2007.

Anne was kind and gracious, and she possessed an incredibly witty mind, which she used in her work helping myriad local clubs and organizations.

Friends of Anne have told her family that Anne, “was the most intelligent person we’ve ever known.”

Anne Duhring Cooper ’37 passed away peacefully on September 29, 2019 at the age of 99. She didn’t wish for an official obituary or a memorial service; she told her kids that she had outlived all of her friends anyway. In celebration of her life, her family chartered a boat, motored out past the Golden Gate Bridge, and scattered her ashes in the waters of the vast Pacific Ocean––a fitting tribute to a woman who, born before the bridge ever existed, was able to see and witness so much in her lifetime.

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FL A SH B ACK TO 1970

HRS @ HOME DISTANCE LEARNING

Head-Royce School

Over the past two months, we’ve been challenged to think outside the walls of the traditional classroom. From the very first days of Distance Learning, we’ve watched in awe, as our community joined together, sharing ideas and resources, proving that a Head-Royce education doesn’t stop when campus closes. In this uncertain, anxiety-filled time, we remain grateful that we have each other to lean on: for knowledge, compassion, and support.

The Class of 1970 poses in front of “senior house.” Their Nods & Becks quote reads:

Thank you

for helping us become #HRSatHome

“I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance

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than I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn.”

For resources and more:

Henry David Thoreau

www.headroyce.org/about-us/distance-learning

Head-Royce School 4315 Lincoln Avenue Oakland, CA 94602 address service requested

“A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.” ­— H E L E N K E L L E R