Voyager 2010

KENT PLACE SCHOOL

Voyager WINTER 2010

Teaching and Learning in a Multicultural World

By Gayle Allen, Associate Head

Changing Times, Changing Schools We live in a country shaped by the immigrant experience, one that continues to define our nation’s history, culture and politics. Over the years, as increasingly diverse voices have entered the political dialogue in greater numbers, educators have had to rethink curricular approaches. Over time, school curricula have begun to include previously disfranchised groups and to address differences in race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, age and socioeconomic status.This article provides an overview of the history of multicultural education and its ever-increasing importance as a framework for teaching and learning, a framework Kent Place School prioritizes for its students.

Multicultural educational approaches to teaching and learning grew out of the civil rights movement that began in the 1960s and expanded in scope in the 1970s. Capitalizing on these changes, corporations in the 1980s and 1990s extended their marketing in order to target diverse populations within and outside of the U.S. Many also communicated their commitment to hiring diverse candidates in the workplace.

Later, partnerships between business, education and community leaders encouraged schools to prepare students to work with diverse colleagues and employers in the U.S. and abroad, a trend that census data continues to confirm today.

A Brief History In 1959, a group assembled in Washington, D.C., to demonstrate support for the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. the Board of Education, which outlawed racial segregation in public schools. Martin Luther King, Jr., attended the demonstration and urged each student to “Commit yourself to the noble struggle for human rights.” Although by 1959 five years had passed since the Supreme Court’s decision, the African-American experience in U.S. schools had essentially remained unchanged. This situation fueled the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

Other civil rights struggles were playing out during the 1970s. As disfranchised groups around the country were communicating their frustrations, while also sharing their visions for equity, African-Americans protested their lack of civil rights, women continued to challenge employment, income and educational inequities.The feminist movement had begun. Gays, lesbians, the elderly and persons with disabilities began to demand rights previously denied to them.

Given the central role that schools play in society, educators began to grapple with these issues in classrooms. It would have been difficult for many teachers and students to listen to and, in some instances, participate in, the civil rights movement without discussing and analyzing these experiences in the classroom.

In the 1980s researchers and educators began to publish articles, books and curricular materials on multicultural themes to support classroom teachers.Their work has resulted in what is known today as the field of multicultural education. Educators, such as James A. Banks, professor of diversity studies and director of the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington, Seattle, Christine Sleeter, professor emerita of professional studies at the University of California, Monterey Bay, and Sonia Nieto, professor emerita of language, literacy and culture at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, to name a few, laid the foundation for the field to become what it is today.These educators’ approaches were, as Paul Gorski writes in an essay, A Brief History of Multicultural Education,“grounded in the ideal of equal educational opportunity and a connection between school transformation and social change.”

Primary School creations dry during a hair celebration activity.

Multiculturalism in the Workplace Over time, corporations have increasingly responded to these diverse and continually emerging markets at home and abroad.With increased momentum in the 1990s, a number of businesses began to showcase the financial commitments they were making to hiring diversity directors and diverse employees, and to building and expanding programs centered on diversity.

This movement continues to increase in intensity and sophistication, as evidenced in an extensive advertising supplement included in the September 13, 2009, issue of The NewYork Times Magazine. In it, corporate advertisers highlight connections between diversity, multi-cultural education, global awareness and communication with surprising depth and seriousness of purpose.This lengthy supplement begins with a focus on “leadership in diversity and inclusion” and discusses the impact of the election of a multiracial U.S. president on corporate hiring and marketing.

Following this introduction, the supplement showcases human resource and diversity directors from companies such as Marsh & McLennan Companies, Hewitt Associates, Booz Allen Hamilton, American Airlines,The NewYork Times Company and Dell. In addition, the advertisers provide evidence of corporate commitments to diversity along with the advantages that have resulted from doing so. (continued on page 2)

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Preparing Students for the Multicultural Workplace As businesses give priority to serving diverse markets, educators have recognized that partnerships with businesses can aid them in rethinking educational approaches. Because one of the goals of schools is to prepare students for future employment, educators realize that business leaders can offer a perspective to inform teaching and learning. In 2002, Ken Kay and Diny Golder-Dardis formed The Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

The original partnership included collaborations with leaders from organizations such as AOL,Time Warner Foundation, Apple, Dell, Microsoft and the National Education Association. Its mission has been to “serve as a catalyst to position 21st-century skills at the center of U.S. K-12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders.”

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills focuses on helping educators address the gap between “the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in 21st century communities and workplaces.” They advocate teaching concepts such as global awareness, communication and collaboration with diverse groups.The Partnership contends that as students gain global awareness, they should be able to a) understand and address global issues, b) learn from and work collaboratively with “individuals representing diverse cultures, religions and lifestyles in a spirit of mutual respect and open dialogue in personal, work and community contexts,” and c) “understand other nations and cultures, including the use of non-English languages.”

Students must develop and strengthen interpersonal skills to achieve global awareness.The Partnership for 21st Century Skills therefore emphasizes the importance of students learning how to “develop, implement and communicate new ideas effectively,” to “be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives” and to “incorporate group input and feedback” into their work. Simultaneously, students will need to “communicate effectively in diverse environments” (including multi-lingual) and to “demonstrate [the] ability to work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams.”

Tony Wagner, co-director of the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and former senior advisor to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in his book, The Global Achievement Gap (2008), draws on the work of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills and businesses across the U.S. in his own work with educators around the world. He, too, emphasizes the need for students to gain skill in global awareness, collaboration and communication with people from around the world. He asks,“Don’t our high school graduates really need to know how to understand another culture or religion, rather than just speak a few phrases of a second language or travel to another country on a study-abroad program for school credit?”

Wagner contends that students should not only take courses that center on the history, language and culture associated with different populations, but that they should gain skill in “how to find and make sense of important information about other cultures.” He sees the acquisition of these skills as of prime importance for students in their role as citizens of the world, as future leaders and, ultimately, as prospective employees operating within fields that extend beyond the local and the nation to the global.Wagner refers to this set of skills as “collaboration across networks and leading by influence.”

Olivia Kim, pictured with her mother Michelle, shows her class a Korean dress called a “hanbok” during the annual First Grade Heritage Lunch.

Eighth graders Victoria Sanzo, Katherine Naylor and Nisha Sambamurthy work together on a project for their technology elective.

Running the (Census) Numbers at Home The latest census data confirms how necessary it is for U.S. educators to infuse multicultural education throughout all aspects of the curriculum.

In May 2008, the U.S. Census Bureau published the article “U.S. Hispanic Population Surpasses 45 Million Now 15 Percent of Total.” Hispanics remain the largest U.S. minority group at 45 million, followed by blacks (single race or multiracial) at 40.7 million in 2007, Asians at 15.2 million, American Indians and Alaska Natives at 4.5 million, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders at 1 million and whites (single race and not of Hispanic origin) at 199.1 million.

Currently, the Hispanic population is growing at the fastest rate (3.3 percent increase between July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007), followed by Asians (2.9 percent increase during this same period).The white population grew by 0.3 percent during this same period.While the nation’s minority population reached 102.5 million in 2007 (34 percent of the total population), four states, Hawaii, New Mexico, California and Texas, and the District of Columbia have become majority-minority (more than 50 percent of their population is made up of people other than single-race non-Hispanic whites). (continued on page 3)

Third grade Spanish students, together with Middle and Upper Schoolers celebrate Hispanic Heritage month by presenting flags and learning about the geography, music and art of Latin America and Spain.

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Bringing it Back to Kent Place School Considering the increase in cultural diversity and the growing emphasis on workplace multiculturalism, independent schools have an incredible opportunity to take the lead in this important work.

Independent schools pride themselves on building safe and caring communities. As independent school alumnus and MAVIN foundation founder Matt Kelley asserts,“multiracial and transracially adopted youth are the fastestgrowing racial/ethnic group at independent schools.” Likewise, Kevin Jennings, founder and former director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), states that “families headed by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) parents were over five times as likely to choose an independent school for their children than were parents at large” and they are “more likely to be multicultural, and issues of diversity are important to them.” It would be hard to imagine that independent school educators would not want to provide inclusive and affirming experiences for all children and families in their schools. Building such communities, however, requires that we ensure that each member of the community feels a sense of belonging, as well as a connection to others within the community.When schools make a

commitment to multicultural education, they are one step further along in building such a community.

Kent Place School has made that commitment.The school’s commitment to sponsoring multicultural organizations, such as the Black Cultural Association (BCA), Diversity Council, Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) and Roots, to providing a rich curriculum, to offering trips abroad, to hiring a diversity director and to evaluating its hiring practices and programs on an ongoing basis are just some of the ways this commitment shines through. As a school, we recognize that, as Jacqueline Jordan Irvine, Charles Howard Candler Professor of Urban Education in the Division of Educational Studies at Emory University, contends,“A culturally relevant pedagogy builds on the premise that learning may differ across cultures, and teachers can enhance students’ success by acquiring knowledge of their cultural backgrounds and translating this knowledge into instructional practice.”

Learn more about the specifics of Kent Place School’s commitment to multicultural education in the articles that follow. Read each one with the understanding that this is a work in process.While this is where Kent Place is right now, the school will continue to place this work at the forefront of what it does and to build on this work in meaningful ways that are informed by all members of our ever-evolving school community. 

Global Perspectives Day Brings All Corners of the Globe to KPS In October, Kent Place celebrated its seventh annual Global Perspectives Day with the ongoing theme,“Envision, Embrace, Empower.” The day began with a traditional Morning Meeting before breaking for performances, presentations and small group sessions.

Students explored Native American culture and traditions with a presentation

by Lawrence (Larry) Ahenakew (Chippewa-Cree from Montana and Cree from Saskatchewan) and Mary Akenahew (Cherokee from Tennessee and Piscataway from Maryland), both active members of the American Indian Community House, a non-profit organization serving the health, social service and cultural needs of Native Americans residing in New York City.

Explorers Denis Belliveau and Francis O’Donnell gave a presentation to students on their global travels and showed their Emmy-nominated documentary, In the Footsteps of Marco Polo, in which they followed Marco Polo’s route through Afghanistan and 20 other countries, traveling over 33,000 miles, entirely by land and sea. Glen Weber and the Japanese drum-ming ensemble, based at the NJ School of Percussion, demonstrated taiko zoku, a style of percussion used in the Japanese musical tradition.They per-formed six pieces and spoke to students about the ancient Japanese art form.

Said senior Suzanne Brown, “My favorite part of the day was the presentation on Marco Polo. It was just two guys from New York who had an idea and followed through with it. It just shows that if you want something enough and are willing to go the distance, you can make anything happen. I think it’s important to have Global Perspectives Day because we can all get so wrapped up in our own lives, our work and our problems that we forget everything that is going on outside our own bubbles. I think everyone learns a lot from this day, and I know that I walked away from it feeling inspired.”

Primary School students Kaitlyn and Kiley Parker, Elsie and Evelyn Shi and Sophia Gilbert represents China in the Roots Fashion Show.

Ninth graders Paxton Higgins and Madeline Ketley with eighth grader Ashley Gapusan represent Mexico and Spain in the Roots Fashion Show.

In addition to the large presentations, each Middle and Upper School girl attended small group sessions facilitated by members of Kent Place faculty and staff on 16 varied topics, including the art of Chinese brush painting, Ireland’s civil and religious history, microfinance, and global sports and games.

Later in the afternoon the student organization Roots sponsored a fashion show for the entire school.The event showcased clothing and traditional costumes representing over 25 countries.

“I think that the fashion show was a well-rounded cultural representation and celebration of the diversity that we have in the Kent Place community. It showed appreciation for the differences on campus and was a favorite part of my day,” remarked senior Megan Coy, president of Roots. (continued on page 4)

Students perform taiko zoku, a style of percussion in the Japanese musical tradition with a Japanese drumming ensemble based at the NJ School of Percussion.

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(continued from page 3) The Primary School also participated in Global Perspectives Day activities by preparing care packages to send abroad as cultural exchange with students in the Dominican Republic.

Students in Grades 1 through 5 rotated through various workshops and activities. Songs performed and games played were captured on film and sent with the care packages. Pre-Kindergarten students listened to the story, Bread Bread Bread, from Ann Morris's “Around the World” Series.The book shares stories and pictures of people all over the world eating different breads, illustrating how even though some things are the same, they can also be quite different. After the story, the children sampled their own breads from around the world, as parents and teachers brought in breads traditionally eaten in France, Colombia, Greece and Israel, among others.

Global Perspectives Day was created to help Kent Place students build and sustain a bridge between diverse experiences and cultures. In giving the students a day to immerse themselves in the perspectives of a vastly varied group of people, Kent Place hopes to provide them with meaningful exploration and understanding of the views of others. 

DID YOU KNOW...

Lawrence (Larry) Ahenakew performs in the Great Room for Upper School students.

KPS has global partnerships in the Dominican Republic,Tanzania and South Korea.

Mary Akenahew, along with Larry, are members of the American Indian Community House.

Music Teacher Cheryl Brass shows students the T’yrung rhythms that accompany the Korean Mask Dance Drama.

Members of the Dance Ensemble teach workshop participants excerpts from the dance “Jai Ho,” which was choreographed by Aditi Memani ’09.

Director of Diversity Michael Buensuceso teaches a workshop on the art of Thai cooking.

DID YOU KNOW...

The Global Service Learning Team raised more than $12,000 at a photography exhibit and sale to support the group’s initiatives which include reducing costs for all student trips; funding projects and maintaining a fund to sustain global service learning in the future at KPS. Students learn about the art of Chinese brush painting.

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Second grader Sonia Parmar represents India in the Fashion Show.

primary school

Little People, Big World: Exploring Multicultural Education in the Primary School By Dr. Sergio Alati, Director of the Primary School Today’s world is faced with rapid technological and societal change, which has profoundly impacted the ways in which schools talk about the educational goals for young children.Technology and mechanisms for connecting across the world in seconds have helped to strengthen the integrity and authenticity of multicultural curricula. More than ever, educators possess many exciting opportunities to create global experiences that help prepare students for leadership and foster creativity, inquiry, and thinking skills.

On the Primary level, multicultural concepts are woven into the curricula using a variety of games, media, technology and activities, such as learning through dance, playing games from around the world, singing songs in different languages, cooking and eating different ethnic foods, and acting out authentic stories. This Pre-K students Hudson Honeker and Elizabeth Blundin sample different breads from around the world. approach encourages students to learn actively and engage in a variety of rich resources. Students of all ages can be seen exploring other cultures by collecting articles, researching and analyzing information digitally, reading relevant pictures, books, records and poems, writing from different perspectives, performing plays and making maps of cultures’ origins.Teachers have opportunities to highlight or strengthen their multicultural curriculum through technology resources such as Google Images, where a second grade class that is studying Kenya can be seen admiring authentic pictures of clothing, environmental surroundings, homes, stores, and much, much more.

taught as a separate subject… as it points out that many groups are still on the margin of society,” (Aldridge and Calhoun, 2000), this new diversity course offering is only one of many approaches to how multiculturalism lives and breathes in the Primary School.

Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Porto Plata, Dominican Republic, on a professional development excursion to create a Primary School partnership. I was fortunate to work for a short time in a school called “Integración Juvenil,” a K-8 school whose mission is to eliminate the presence of homeKindergarteners Bronwyn Terry and Rachel Bear share their puppet drawings with Dr. Alati. lessness amongst children in the city of Porto Plata.This school provides temporary shelter and food for children and ultimately returns them to homes or places them with families as a precursor for providing them with an education. It was amazing to get to know the students of this school and to experience firsthand their enthusiasm, spirit and sense of curiosity about Kent Place.

In the Primary School, we believe that self-awareness is germane to the development of a multicultural outlook in young people.Throughout each student’s journey as a learner, we work with students to explore their own heritage even as they explore others’. Morning Meeting and classroom time are parts of the day that find students participating in activities that build self-awareness, self-esteem, interpersonal communication skills and group dynamics. Students analyze their personal culture, family history or community.

An essential focus in the Primary School is on “celebrations” with young children, as “the essence of multiculturalism, the undergirding concept of multicultural education, is the ability to celebrate with the other in a manner that transcends all barriers and brings about a unity in diversity.” (Rosado, 2008). First graders celebrate Heritage Lunch and fifth grade students attend Diversity class, where they write poems that speak to their own identity. Inclusive language and respect for all cultures, gender perspectives and backgrounds make learning a richer experience for all students.

Last year, we conducted a survey to learn parents’ perspectives on the Primary School program. One area of positive feedback was in regard to our participation in multicultural activities such as First Grade Heritage Day, Kaleidoscopes and Global Perspectives Day. First Grade Heritage Day is a time for families to bring in foods and share stories that they identify with their heritage. Kaleidoscopes is an affinity group for students who self-identify as children of color [see page 6 for story about Kaleidoscopes]. In this group, faculty and students engage in meaningful activities such as celebrating different hair types and skin tones, and sharing cultural, ethnic and religious traditions. Children celebrate difference and connect with others who also identify as children of color. Last year the Primary School participated in Global Perspectives Day as a way of celebrating what it means to live in a diverse world. Future themes for this day will be planned to more deeply explore culture, traditions, heritage and celebrations of distinct groups.

This year, Michael Buensuceso, our director of diversity, began teaching a fifth grade diversity course that allows students to delve into the idea of experiencing an event from multiple perspectives. Students write about their own uniqueness using a variety of written methodologies. Students read about the same event from different writers’ perspectives and analyze the importance of knowing how to interpret subjective writing. Girls explore the notion of how to build and maintain trust and respect within a community.

Students evaluate and build upon their own definitions and understandings of diversity and further explore what it means to live in a global society.

Although research indicates that “[m]ulticultural education should not be

First graders and their families participate in the annual class Heritage Lunch.

In working with the students, faculty, administration and board members at this school, it became apparent that there was a mutual interest in connecting our schools so that our students could become globally connected and internationally educated through authentic dialogue about young children’s interests, routines and traditions. As a result, we have begun a fourth grade pen pal relationship between the co-ed students of Integración Juvenil and the girls who take fourth grade Spanish at Kent Place. In the spring, it is our hope to send our Global Perspectives Day video and writing package to this school and to, in turn, receive a similar project that highlights their students’ school experience. Our girls eagerly await the opportunity to see what lies in store!

It is my hope that this type of international partnership with all of our students and amongst students abroad will continue to grow.

In the long term, our approach to multicultural education is part of our school’s larger mission to prepare students to be effective global citizens who are culturally educated and internationally focused within a pluralistic and democratic society.  References Aldridge, J. & Calhoun, C. (2000). 15 misconceptions about multicultural education. Focus on Elementary, 12(3), Spring 2000.

Rosado, C. (2008).What makes a school multicultural? Department of Urban Studies, http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/papers/caleb/multicultural.html

DID YOU KNOW...

At this year's First Grade Heritage Festival, foods from more than 14 countries were enjoyed by first graders and their parents.

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Celebrating Our Identity Through Kaleidoscopes

By Dora Gragg, Primary School Spanish Teacher Kaleidoscopes is an affinity group for Primary School students who self-identify as children of color.This affinity group provides an opportunity for students of color and those who share their interest, to explore their ethnic or cultural identity.The mission of Kaleidoscopes is to build a sense of appreciation, joy and pride of their cultures and to support the students to find connections, support and voice. Our activities focus on helping the girls to celebrate diversity, building their unique strengths, positive self-esteem and promoting an open dialogue in a comfortable space.

Dr. Bindia Puri, mother of fifth and seventh graders Simran and Astha, visits with Kaleidoscopes members to share Diwali traditions.

The girls in the group really enjoyed it and wanted to share their experience with the rest of the Primary School.We were able to do this by incorporating this into an all-school Global Perspectives Day experience. During this past December, in attending my third People of Color Conference in Denver, I acted as a facilitator and helped lead the Latina/Hispanic adult and student/ adult affinity group. I had the pleasure of attending this conference with six Upper School students and six faculty members, two of which were from the Primary School: Mrs. Crudo, Butterfly Kindergarten Teacher, and Dr. Alati, our Primary School Director.

“Our activities focus on helping the girls to celebrate diversity...”

The group shares about the different cultures they represent.

Once a month, the students of Kaleidoscopes, along with a number of faculty and staff sponsors, meet after school to engage in activities that give the children the opportunity to celebrate differences and identify with other children. Some of our activities include making kaleidoscopes, playing games from around the world, attending an African music concert and celebrating interfaith month (back in October) to introduce different faiths represented in our community. In another Kaleidoscopes meeting, we read a book about a multi-racial family and took a look at our skin colors and the different shades that we all have.Then students replicated their skin color by using many colors, realizing that their skin tone is made up of many colors and shades, not just one color.

In 2008, I participated with other Kent Place colleagues and Upper School students in the People of Color Conference in New Orleans. One of the workshops,“Hair – It’s All Good,” was about celebrating the uniqueness of children of color and supporting their self-esteem.The connection to our work in Kaleidoscopes was clear, and I immediately began to see many ways to share what I had learned and experienced during this workshop with the Kent Place community. As a follow-up, in one of our monthly meetings, we read a book called I Love My Hair by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley.We discussed what we liked most about our hair and concluded by making collages with pictures of different types of hair and creating a large poster.

Third grader Madison Hobbs plays a traditional game/chant from Puerto Rico.

Talking about our differences in a fun way, like about our hair as an example, is a great way to initiate open dialogue, one of the core missions of Kaleidoscopes.We found that this activity resonated with the students.

During Global Perspectives Day, we read and shared some pictures from the book Hair (Around the World), by Kate Petty. Each girl made her own paper head using different kinds of colored paper, forming the hair into different shapes, lengths and textures.We then made a big mural displaying our paper heads.The girls wrote poems and thoughts about their hair. One of the favorite follow-up activities was a game called “Guess Whose Hair,” in which students had to guess from photographs which hair belongs to which KPS faculty and staff member’s head.

Third grader Taylor Sharperson decorates a mask.

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The formation of Kaleidoscopes in fall 2007 was one step in the school’s efforts to support healthy identity development for students of color.

This group has evolved since it first began and will continue to do so, as it looks to support and strengthen the Kent Place Primary School community. I am honored to be part of the Kaleidoscopes group in the Primary School. It is truly a wonderful and inspirational experience for me as an educator to see the girls connect and celebrate their unique identities, and I look forward to all that is in store as this group continues its important work. 

middle school

Building Bridges, Making Connections

By Dr. Karen Rezach, Director of the Middle School/Director of the Ethics Institute Multicultural education has its historical roots in the civil rights movements of various groups during the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, educators across the nation have developed programs that help students understand and relate to cultural, ethnic and other forms of diversity, including religion, language, gender, age, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and mental and physical differences. Developing programs and integrating multiculturalism into existing curricula are no longer the main challenges; instead, trying to find ways to teach multiculturalism in a manner that is meaningful without being indoctrinating, real without being the fulfillment of yet another requirement, are the authentic challenges faced by educators.

The second developmental change that must be taken into consideration when developing a Middle School multicultural education program is the ability to make connections. One of the major pedagogical objectives for the Middle School is to help students make connections between the things that they have learned in the past and what they are learning in the present; connections between history and the present day, connections between content areas, and between their life experiences and what happens in the multicultural world around them.

WHAT IS

…

As we consider multicultural education for middle school students, we are faced with even greater obstacles.The challenge to develop an awareness of, and appreciation for, multiculturalism has its unique challenges for the Middle School community, since conformity and peer pressure are the hallmarks of life for students this age. How does one teach “difference” to an age group for which the goal is to fit in and to look and act the same?

When educating pre-adolescent girls about the importance of difference and diversity, it is difficult to measure whether or not the impact is meaningful or lasting. Can students at this age really comprehend difference and diversity in a way that aligns their understand- Middle Schoolers proudly show off their Mehndi designs in a workshop facilitated by seniors Amber Rashid, Zayba Abdulla and Maryam Khan. ing of self within a larger world, allows them to be empathic to those who are not part of To answer these needs, the the majority culture, and prepares them for life in a global society?

Middle School responds On a practical level, multicultural education in the Middle School must with a variety of programs. bridge the gap that exists between the Primary School, where children are Discussion groups, assemblies, discovering the magnificence of the diverse and the vibrant world in which speakers and advisory groups they live, and the Upper School, where students are engaging in critical give the MS girl the opportuand thoughtful conversations on issues of diversity and social justice.The nity to engage in conversation goal of multicultural education in the Middle School, however, is to enable around multicultural issues students to identify with the life of “the other.” At some point along the and events.The actual multijourney between Primary and Upper School, Middle School students need cultural material embedded in to discover that they are autonomous beings within a larger world.They are the curriculum addresses not also intimately connected to the rest of humanity not only in terms of adding only the subject area, but also to its diverse richness, but also in terms of the impact that each of them has gives students the tools and on the way life is experienced by others and themselves. language to have conversaMiddle School English teacher Kathie Hone and seventh tions around difference that grader Amber Williams participate in a workshop on Multicultural education in the Middle School community can be defined are not debates but dialogues, international poetry by selecting fabrics to express their as helping students to become aware of the relationship between self and interpretations of selected poetry. and not judgmental but the greater community – the impact that the self has on the world outside respectful. Girls are given the and the impact that the world has on them as individuals. In order to be opportunity to identify traits and issues they may have in common with successful in accomplishing this educational objective, any worthwhile multithe “other,” and to think about ways they would live and respond if in cultural education program must be closely aligned with the developmental “the other’s” situation. Students are, in this way, developing empathy and needs of the age group.The first of these is the MS student’s emerging being given the skills to engage in conversations about difference and autonomy. Middle school students are beginning to understand themselves sameness in a multicultural world and the challenges that may come as as individuals, separate from the parents/caregivers who have defined them a result. For a Middle School student, the opportunity to put her self in and their experiences for most of their lives. Understandably, they are not the place of another and to help discover the connection between that yet able to function alone without the support of the family structure; person’s experience and her own, is the first step in educating our girls therefore, the peer group takes on significant importance. to become educated, well-rounded, empathetic leaders of tomorrow. 

the Diversity Forum?

The Diversity Forum provides a setting for open dialogue, growth and exploration of diversity topics for faculty and staff.

Topics are generally decided upon by the Diversity Forum planning committee that meets regularly to bring recent articles, books and research to the table that can be discussed. Each forum begins with a review of and agreement to conversation norms, which are general rules of engagement and group discussion guidelines. Throughout the session, participants share thoughts and feelings on ways they are personally and professionally impacted. Each forum concludes with a discussion on ideas and resources on ways to better support all students and continue to build a multicultural environment.

“It’s really easy to think,‘I’m not a prejudiced person. I don’t need to go to a meeting,’ but that’s way too simple. The fact is, as faculty members, we’re role models, listeners, observers and sometimes champions of what’s right.We need to be as well informed, sensitive and well trained as possible to be fully present for our students as they navigate very complex diversity-related issues.”

Last year, the Diversity Forum examined the impact of socioeconomic status by exploring selected chapters from the book Class Matters by correspondents of The NewYork Times.

– Carol Gordon, Dean of Students

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Cultural Navigators: How Do Seventh Graders Connect To The World?

By Christine Clemens, Middle School History Teacher The classroom door opens and someone who resembles Mrs. Clemens appears wearing a T-shirt and hat decorated with pictures and labels related to chocolate. She introduces herself as a visitor from the island nation of Coco Loco and begins to tell the story of an island where the entire culture revolves around chocolate, a dictator named Baby Ruth, a god called Hershey and a holiday celebrating Reese’s Peace Day. So begins the seventh grade history course entitled World Cultures and Geography.

Our mission in Middle School history and geography is to provide students with the knowledge and tools to understand the meaning of culture and learn about the essential social, political, economic and religious patterns around which all societies are organized. In the alternate world of the culture of Coco Loco, I deconstruct a wildly foreign-sounding culture so that students can see how anthropological concepts work in a theoretical setting and then apply the concepts to their own culture. An assignment follows that requires each student to choose her own theme and create an island culture that combines the geography skills of drawing a map of the island and the language arts skill of writing a narrative that describes its indigenous cultural patterns.

An interactive approach to learning about multiculturalism is the focus of this course. As we navigate the globe learning about Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, the content and the activities of the class revolve around essential questions. How am I connected to the world? How does my own culture influence the way I look at the world? What are the universal similarities that bind cultures together? How do cultures evolve, migrate and survive?

What shapes a worldview?

One day might find us using a bag of multicolor jellybeans and a glass of water and food coloring as we talk about the concept of cultural mosaics and melting pots. Another day we will be diagramming our place in space – the narrow strip of biosphere that is shared by humans of all colors and creeds – in order to understand that ethnocentrism, xenophobia and stereotyping coupled with limited resources of our tiny habitable areas often leads to racism. A unit on the United Nations and a study of the beliefs and practices of the major world religions gives depth to our learning and shows how major movements can have profound effects on our daily lives and intimately held beliefs. Dedicated discussion of current events clarifies for the students how small and interconnected the world has

Seventh graders Claire Hagerstrom, Alexandra Aronson, Mary Spellman and Astha Puri display their island projects.

become, how we need each other to survive and that cultural understanding is essential.

The deep understanding we nurture in Middle School students changes them, the way they see themselves and the way they understand other people.Their reflections on the course are revealing. Said Emily Jeffries, “At the beginning of the year, I thought the United States culture was better than places like Africa, the Middle East and India. I assumed this because I thought we were a more advanced nation… I have learned that no cultures are better than others because they are too different to compare… and all cultures are advanced in different ways.”

“This class,” says Charlotte Moore,“has given me not only a wider perspective of the world but a desire to help. I now want to be part of the programs around the world for community service.” And finally, says Kate Uhlman,“I am glad that I can learn to be a citizen of the Earth. It is imperative that the young generation knows history so we do not repeat our mistakes.”

Life on the island of Coco Loco is a fantasy that is both sweet and simple; real world landscapes that include war, genocide, famine and natural disasters are much more sobering.The seventh graders become informed navigators who recognize the importance of having a global perspective, being openminded and understanding as they “walk in others’ shoes” in their own neighborhoods and abroad.The crucial lesson to be learned is that the survival of our “world culture” depends on treating both the planet and the species with respect and dignity. 

Exploring Self and Culture through Literature: Looking Through a Multicultural Lens

By Erin Hennessy, Middle School English Teacher Why is fitting in so important to Middle School students? What happens when a member of a group thinks differently from her peers? Does suffering adversity make you stronger? Only three questions among many, these topics are all addressed in Middle School English classes at Kent Place. In our approach to multicultural education, we use essential questions to examine big ideas within the novels we read. Using character discussions as an introduction, students analyze events and characters from different perspectives.

They soon come to reflect on their own experiences in writing and share their observations in safe spaces using conversation rules, guidelines for honest and meaningful communication. Students take ownership of social and civic responsibility, even within the school community. Mirroring the developmental stage of Middle School students, much of this work focuses on the topic of identity development in the characters we read about.

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Seventh graders Sara Ramaswamy, Elizabeth Fountain, Emily Cicchino and Mary Spellman discuss character traits from The Outsiders with Ms. Hennessy.

three questions begins the conversation: Where does prejudice come from? What makes one person prejudiced and another not? Is it possible to overcome prejudice? Seventh graders then move to studying the language of prejudice and how words are used to dehumanize people.

When students read Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata and The Giver by Lois Lowry in sixth grade, they focus on the relationships between individual and community. One guiding question they address is, How do community or society norms affect character and behavior both negatively and positively? Students work through examples of discrimination and acceptance and later think through the impact of conforming to norms or breaking from them when they write societal rules for creating their own utopias in a later assignment.

A return to greater self-reflection occurs in eighth grade.The overarching question becomes,Who am I in relation to the groups I am a part of?

Students consider identity formation through careful readings of comingof-age stories ATree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith and The Diary of Anne Frank. Students engage in a survey of their own family history and read narratives about ethnic groups of the early 20th century to understand their own cultural legacies.They then tackle more challenging questions via a reading of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: What stands in the way of your success?Who am I when my family is at odds with who I want to be?

The seventh grade curriculum builds on these ideas through our reading of The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. Pictures accompany our study of the novel to invite students into an examination of stereotypes and popularity.

When students read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, in-depth discussions, projects and writing assignments directly address issues of race, class, age, family status, education and language. A “silent discussion” around

Through critical analysis in lessons such as these, we aim to prepare students who value cultural differences and democratic principles for their roles in a pluralistic society. Multicultural education in Middle School English classes places students at the center of the learning process with a new lens to consider the causes and effects of cultural assumptions and beliefs. 

upper school

Starting the Conversation: Talking About the Differences We Share

By Elizabeth Woodall, Director of the Upper School The Upper School continues to grow in its embrace of multicultural education and in its ability to put the philosophy behind multicultural education into action.We believe that a multicultural approach needs to cross all divisions, all curricula, all activities – the very way we live our lives at Kent Place.We do not look at multicultural education as a finite goal but rather as a journey that keeps us asking questions as we work to build awareness and understanding of our individual selves, of each other, of the community and of the world.

The Upper School has evolved since we started our multicultural initiative.

Beyond the traditional representations of heroes and holidays, we are now engaging in conversations about cultural competency. The English Department takes up many issues head on in Black and Blue and The Books They Told You Not to Read, with waiting lists for class enrollment. In Decision, Consequence and Remembrance, the History Department engages students in analyzing global issues and their impact on the world, a shift away from the United States-centered focus.The girls now do more than acknowledge differences in the world, they are asking questions, having challenging conversations and empowering all community members to identify and point out where conversations should take place when assumptions about issues of diversity are made.There is a growing comfort to openly have these conversations rather than avoid them.

Faculty members now receive training to better integrate multicultural concepts in their work with other faculty members and with students. Five Upper School teachers have gone through extensive training with the director of diversity, including workshops on how to facilitate personal reflection among students, forging understanding of cultural competencies and learning various methods of facilitation. Small groups of students, like our Diversity Council, have also worked with the director of diversity to build their facilitation skills.

We are building a model in which faculty train faculty, who can then train students, so that we can build more student-to-student conversations. If we build a common language among all the people in the community, using the conversation norms that we have in place, we can then create a place where we truly cherish difference as a theme that brings us together.

GSA co-president and senior Sara Firkser helps finalize plans for the annual film night.

The Upper School began this journey over 10 years ago with rethinking the curriculum.

We revised English and history book lists to include titles and authors that reflected the race and culture of the students present at that time. For other courses, we identified different ethnic and cultural names that could be used as examples. And we focused on heroes and holidays Junior Mary Jennings performs “Jai Ho” with the Dance Ensemble during Black History Month. from last year’s Evening of Dance.

The conversations that arose were more about meeting a need, and we made great progress in setting a foundation for what we could do to celebrate inclusiveness at Kent Place.

With our intentional effort to make all of our community members more aware of differences and how to navigate them, we can continue to build competent, confident, contributing leaders to our world. I envision a Kent Place where all of this is an active part of our daily lives, regardless of courses being taught, where we use service learning to broaden our horizons, and where there is continuous self-reflection by all members of the community of the impact of their words and actions versus their intent regarding race, culture, religion, socioeconomic status, gender identity and sexual identity.

We are on our way. 

Now, events and presentations have been created to supplement our in-class studies. Mardi Gras and Cinco de Mayo have become big events for all the students to explore the historical and cultural origins of the holidays. Many assemblies are now held to promote awareness of the contributions of the African Diaspora to the growth of the United States – a presentation on Madame C.J.Walker, a gathering of significant inventions made by members of the diaspora, and reflections on Martin Luther King, Jr. Multicultural clubs give students a forum to bring concepts of diversity into their social lives.The Black Cultural Association, a student-run organization, began over 30 years ago and has led the way for clubs like Roots, which focuses primarily on religious awareness, Spanish Club, which explores various Spanish-speaking cultures and traditions, and even the Gay-Straight Alliance, which after a journey from being a nameless group to being called Project 10, now honors their overt purpose with the national sponsoring organization’s name. Students initiated these organizations to fill their own needs, the needs of the school and, as importantly, to help faculty and students talk openly about difference.

A pivotal change in the way we have begun to talk and question more has come with the Made in Africa course offered by Sue Goss in the Art Department (see pg. 11). Not only does it address assumptions about what is considered art, but it also presents varying traditions of African cultures and how they impact the global society. By talking more openly about race and culture, as a community we are becoming more comfortable with the anxiety that comes with talking about religion, socioeconomic status, gender identity and sexual identity.

Upper School Art Teacher Sue Goss shows students how to do traditional Chinese brush painting.

DID YOU KNOW...

The Ethics Institute at Kent Place hosted a conversation with parents and students about celebrating religious holidays/traditions in a non-sectarian school.

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Textual Identity: Multicultural Education in Upper School English

By Eleanor Lear, Upper School English Teacher The multicultural goals I set for my students are threefold.

Students should be able to…

critical reading skills to artifacts of contemporary culture serve to meet all three of my goals.

1) See themselves in the curricular texts, images and topics and to be able to imagine themselves as citizens of a world with diverse cultures;

Other classes, tenth grade British Literature, for example, present different course-design challenges in terms of demonstrating a variety of literary voices and perspectives from a place and time.The curriculum of the class by nature represents a relatively homogenous group. Currently, half of the texts in the curriculum were written before 1800 by three of the most famous “dead white men” in Western literature: Chaucer, Milton and Shakespeare.

2) Examine the power structures or hierarchies that tend to form in diverse communities, ones that are enabled by underrepresentation of certain groups; 3) Transfer the critical reading skills developed in class to the world at large:What social or political messages are embedded in the movies,TV shows, images and sound bytes that surround them?

How do language and symbols empower some and put others at a disadvantage?

There are many reasons to continue teaching these texts. Aside from the benefits of reading the writing of three authors who, together, coined and brought into popular usage thousands of the words, phrases and metaphors we use in our day-to-day communications, there is the benefit of discussing the universal themes the texts explore and the essential questions that apply to people across religions, races and socioeconomic statuses:What makes a person evil?

Are we subjects of predestination or masters of our own free will?

In some classes, the texts make these goals easier to accomplish than in others. In Black and Blue: Examining Racial Stereotypes in But also essential to the American Cultural Forms, discussion of these texts the multicultural work is are questions relating to inherent in the very long power structures that course title. Students read put certain groups at novels and poetry of a disadvantage:Where the Harlem Renaissance, do women, the impoverincluding Passing by Nella ished and the illiterate Larson.They watch docufit in to a caste system mentaries such as Eye of the topped by a monarchy Storm, a 1970 segment for and a small group of ABC News in which a third educated, male religious grade teacher, in response leaders? How do these to the assassination of influential authors either Martin Luther King, Jr., reinforce or question the attempts to teach her white, social positions of underChristian students about represented groups? discrimination by dividing I am always looking for them into blue-eyed and ways to address the brown-eyed groups and Mrs. Lear helps seniors Rachel Landau and Mia Rutherford find YouTube clips of Louis Armstrong performing "Black and Blue" to discuss the class goals more directly. giving each group preferlyrics and connection to the title of the course.

It is a rewarding but ence on one of two challenging pursuit to search for British works that reflect a diverse cross consecutive days (fascinating!).They read excerpts from Of Plymouth section of the population and meet the standard of strong literary merit Plantation and narratives of captivity from the early 1700s to examine how set by Jane Austen and George Orwell – mostly because the works must the language in popular literature changes in response to and in creation of also be appropriate for perusal by 15-year-olds. Until the books in the a growing hierarchy in the first century of the country’s colonization. And curriculum indeed provide images in which each student can see herself, students do “artifact presentations” in which they examine artifacts of I will continue to use supplemental texts as well as interpretation and contemporary American society (songs, images, articles, etc.) for subtextual extension activities to invite students to imagine their roles in society values and messages. Inclusion of texts by African-American and American and examine the biases of the texts with which they interact.  Indian authors, explicit discussion of implicit racial messages and extension of

Our Multicultural Past: History in the Upper School

By Vanessa Giles Sheehan, Upper School History Teacher Multicultural education, once regarded as an elective course of study, is now indispensible as a part of all subjects in the preparation of responsible global citizens.Within the Upper School history curriculum at Kent Place, opportunities abound for deepening our perspectives on other cultures, other lands and others’ stories.

Using primary sources to highlight a distinctly global worldview, the ninth grade world history curriculum views seminal historic events from multiple perspectives, offering students a richer and more nuanced understanding of history.When examining the European arrival in Asia, Africa and the Americas from the point of view of both the Europeans and the native peoples, our freshmen are encouraged to discuss the question: Does point of view impact how a history is remembered and recounted? Clearly, it does.

In later grades, in-class simulations, research projects and field trips complement the close study of United States history undertaken by our tenth and eleventh grade students.The Assimilation Project (completed by juniors studying United States History II), is designed to help students achieve a Seniors Lisa Kretsge, Charlotte Steele and Emily Churchill talk to Mrs. Giles Sheehan about course content for Decision, Consequence and Remembrance.

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(continued on page 11)

(continued from page 10) greater understanding of our own complex shared immigrant experience.

It serves as an example of how we study multiple perspectives within our own country and community to promote a greater understanding of what it means to be an “American.” A scheduled tour of the Lower East Side Tenement Museum (New York City) provides students a realistic point of reference as they investigate and compare their own families’ assimilation experience(s) with those faced by many 19th-century immigrants.

Says senior Nikki Whang,“We spend much of our education learning about history from our perspective and about our past.While this is important, it is also interesting to learn about different cultures and other countries’ histories.”

As students progress, the questions posed become more nuanced, the issues more complex. One of the department’s new senior electives, Decision, Consequence and Remembrance, provides students an opportunity to examine the use (or misuse) of power in the context of world leaders whose fateful decisions still engender heated debate.The first half of the course begins with a close reading and group discussion of Machiavelli’s The Prince, from which the students create a rubric to assist them in their evaluation of several world leaders of the 20th and 21st centuries. As part of this evaluation, students are asked to examine various decisions made by select

world leaders – from Eamon De Valera’s acceptance of limited home rule in Ireland to Mao Tse-Tung’s Cultural Revolution in China – both in the context of the time period in which these decisions were made as well as in the context of contemporary society.

Upon return from winter break, the seniors embark on the second half of the course, which focuses on two tragic realities of the modern world: genocide and ethnic cleansing. Using the Holocaust as a baseline to evaluate several “debated” genocides, students read survivor stories as well as accounts of the perpetrators of violence in order to understand these events from multiple perspectives.Throughout the year, the seniors will examine how we remember – as individuals, a community and a country – and how this impacts what is remembered.

Reflecting on the new course, senior Charlotte Steele remarks,“To me, this class really goes hand-in-hand with everything we are taught at Kent Place about becoming open minded and broadening our global perspectives every day. It has not only shown me different leadership styles and painted a picture of why the world is the way it is, but it has reinforced the school’s philosophy: leadership is what changes the world for the better or for worse.”

As we prepare citizens for a globalized world, recognizing multiple perspectives becomes more immediate and indispensible. Students of the History Department have the opportunity to explore these perspectives. 

DID YOU KNOW...

The Primary School third grade Spanish class and Middle School and Upper School Spanish students celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month together in the Great Room. Each class presented something related to countries in Latin America and Spain.

Window on the World

By Sue Goss, Upper School Art Teacher

“What do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France.When will we also teach them what they are?” – Pablo Casals The Fine Arts Department at Kent Place School shares a fundamental belief which permeates our class work from primary through the upper grades: learning the value of the world’s diverse visual landscape is essential to understanding the people of other lands. As the world shrinks, our ability to interact successfully with a wide range of cultural experiences, from the sublime to the quirky, becomes ever more important.The great thing about art is that neither sublime nor quirky is anything new.

Dabs of color: some are pure, some muddied, some vibrant, some pastel, some obvious, a few quite a surprise.The trick in painting is to try combinations until you find your own palette.

Perhaps the process of developing the palette can be applied to life-long learning as well.

Kente cloth from Ghana Sometimes what seems patently obvious has underlying layers.When the students in our class Made in Africa learn about kente cloth from Ghana, for instance, they look at its traditional purpose, construction, symbolism and method of attire – but they also examine its importance within the Civil Rights movement and the African National Pride movement, the symbolism of wearing the cloth (from Nelson Mandela to Bill Clinton to the streets of Newark) and the distillation of its meaning through mass production.

Senior Kenya Graham, a student in Made in Africa, notes,“We find crosscultural links in the class, like in the clothing, jewelry and body art.” Fellow senior Cassidy Higgins puts it this way:“We learn about aspects of other cultures we wouldn’t have known otherwise, like the meanings behind artifacts, and what is considered art. In Africa, for instance, the things we install in museums and call art are actually part of their everyday lives and rituals.They don’t consider it art. It’s all supposed to look the same and be consistent.The large heads represent wisdom, so the proportion isn’t supposed to be what we’re familiar with.”

Sometimes changing perspective requires changing the lens.When I ask students to tell me how to draw a tree, the typical response I get is “start with the trunk, add symmetrical branches, fill in with smaller ones… and don’t forget the knot-hole!” I’m sure you can picture that quintessential tree even now.Then I tell them to switch lenses and try an Asian approach to drawing. Start with the smallest branch and work inwards, until finally you

form the trunk. Suddenly the tree becomes individualized and comes to life. Fresh perspectives can eliminate dead wood, as most of us well know.

We can all picture a work of Impressionistic art. It’s such a staple in our aesthetic diet that we forget it was once avant-garde, that it was derided, ridiculed and considered an insult to godliness and intelligent life.

Lesser known is that this particular French revolution was inspired by, Asanti paramount chief in traditional garb among other things, Japanese wood block prints. The “Great Wave off Kanagawa,” by the 19th century artist Hokusai, created its own tsunami on European shores.The tilted perspective and flattened color we recognize in much American art of today had its genesis in the humble Japanese print.

Students are constantly amazed at the similarities between our own modern art and the art of earlier civilizations. A favorite exercise is to view two images projected side by side: Brancusi’s “Mademoiselle Pogany,” for example, alongside a Cycladic figure. Both objects are highly polished carved marble reductions of the human form to basic shapes – but their origins are a thousand miles and 4,000 years apart. Classroom references to works of art purposefully wind their way through other times and places, often relying on a student’s own unfamiliarity with a culture to spark interest and generate fresh ideas, to realize that human need and expression transcend geography, the division of nations and the inevitability of time.

In a similar way, our off-campus engagements are designed to help students experience art beyond the ordinary. A typical excursion for both the AP Art History and the AP Portfolio classes was to the Guggenheim Museum to study the impact of Asian art and philosophy on American art of the late 19th century, early modern and postwar avant-garde periods.The recent World Language/Art History trip to Paris offered students the study of Near Eastern, Japanese and African influences on European art.

On and off campus, we actively engage our students in the understanding and appreciation of other cultural perspectives. Our reward is that our students, your daughters, find themselves awash in the fluid, porous world of the art of all nations, and they love it. 

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Students in Action...

Black Cultural Association (BCA)

Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA)

In 2007, the BCA celebrated its 35th year at Kent Place. Open to all students, it’s a club in which students discuss the issues facing not only African-Americans but the African Diaspora around the world and how those issues relate to student life.We also provide a safe space for students of color to discuss any issues they face at school. For the past several years, BCA has facilitated discussion forums, school assemblies and social gatherings for the KPS community and other invited school participants.

The Kent Place Gay-Straight Alliance strives to create a community accepting of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual or any alternative sexual orientation, gender or affectional preference.To raise awareness in the community, the GSA plans events, encourages conversation and provides a safe space for all peoples identifying as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) that will inspire tolerance and ultimately acceptance of non-traditional peoples of all varieties, extending to other categories of diversity such as race, religion and creed. GSA hosts several regular events throughout the year, including a movie night and a forum featuring guest speakers and a panel discussion.

Student leaders have also participated in workshops hosted by the New Jersey GSA Forum, which brings in leaders from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Gay and Lesbian Student Education Network (GLSEN) to speak to attendees.

2009-2010 BCA members

Diversity Council

2009-2010 GSA members

Diversity Council’s goals are to welcome all types of people to the KPS community, increase equity and provide a venue for those who seek an affiliation group to express themselves comfortably. Students on the Diversity Council have participated in a conference or have completed formal training such as the Student Diversity Leadership Conference, part of NAIS’ People of Color Conference, or Lead for Diversity, a weeklong summer conference sponsored by the American Conference on Diversity.

Members are often called upon to share their expertise with faculty, parents and the surrounding community.

Roots Roots is a diverse group of students knowledgeable and interested in promoting greater cultural awareness at Kent Place. Its primary goal is to update the school community on religious and cultural celebrations.

Information is regularly posted and sent to faculty and students detailing the most recent holidays, their origins, purpose and meaning, duration and how they are recognized or celebrated. Roots has brought a broader understanding of multiculturalism to everyone in the Kent Place community.

On Global Perspectives Day, Roots organized a cultural fashion show where Primary, Middle and Upper School students modeled traditional clothing representing over 25 countries.

2009-2010 Roots members

2009-2010 Diversity Council members

DID YOU KNOW...

Last year's Gay-Straight Alliance film night brought over 150 students from area schools to Kent Place.

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Adult Learning Programs

KENT PLACE SCHOOL The Adult Learning Institute is entering its second year at Kent Place School.

Last summer, the Institute sponsored workshops developed solely for educators.Workshops spanned from offerings for current and prospective department chairs to primary school math teachers.The goal for this year’s Institute is to expand offerings not only for educators but also for adults interested in gaining new skills and participating in new learning experiences.We are currently in the planning stage for this year’s Institute offerings and plan to provide more details about them in the near future. www.kentplace.org/about_adultlearning.cfm

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In Their Own Words: Lead For Diversity Congratulations, your Diversity Council application was reviewed and you have finally been accepted.The only stipulation is that you must venture into the Pocono Mountains with a hundred strangers sans phone, iPod and Internet for a weeklong session of Lead For Diversity (LFD).To most students, this may seem like a nightmare; yet as soon as you arrive, literally as soon as you arrive, the anxiety is replaced with an unbearably pleasant curiosity for what the next week will entail.

For a week, LFD transforms the Pocono Environmental Education Center into a sanctuary in which counselors and students, as peers, engage in presentations, performances, discussions and activities that probe the interactions between prejudice and identity. There is no subject left unturned, and no emotion un-evoked.You realize things about yourself and about others that were hidden.

Three Kent Place students embarked on a journey to LFD during the 2009 summer session. Here, they share accounts of their own experiences. 

“I attended Session 1 of Lead for Diversity this past July, before the start of my senior year. LFD can be described as,“something between ridiculous and sublime”; it has to be the single-most exhilarating, demanding and, above all else, rewarding experience of my life. Especially with college looming on the horizon, LFD was a necessary evaluation of my self-identity.

It’s sad that not everyone can attend LFD, but if the opportunity presents itself, seize it – apply and go!”

“Lead For Diversity was, in my opinion, the opportunity of a lifetime – the lessons learned, the people I met, and the warmth that I felt was incredibly apparent.The friends I made and the experiences that I had will stay with me and never leave the interlocking pieces of my heart. I could express myself without ever feeling constricted by any preconceived notions of my peers.All and all I never felt so alive.

LFD equals life.”

“There isn’t a topic that isn’t touched; race, sexual orientation, ability status, body image, sexism and much more is covered.

Lead for Diversity is not a place where you play the blame-game, or where you get to have a pity party. It is a place where you discuss the issues of diversity with others who feel just as strongly as you do about this very delicate and personal subject. It is a place where we try and start the wheels that need to be turned towards change.”

– Alicia Whavers ’10

– Candice Charles ’12

– Sara Javed ’10

DID YOU KNOW...

KPS is offering a Global Service Learning Trip to Tanzania,Africa, during spring break 2010. Students will spend valuable time with the Tanzanian people, engaging in community service projects to assist the Faraja Primary School and its students with physical disabilities.

Students will also have the opportunity to learn about the Tanzanian and Maasai culture, history and language, take a safari tour of the Ngorongoro Crater Park, visit the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro and learn about the ecosystem and wildlife of the Serengeti region.

A Message on Multicultural Education at KPS Sue Bosland, Head of School Leadership is at the heart of the Kent Place School mission. Each girl and young woman is encouraged to find her own unique voice, work collaboratively with peers and teachers, actively listen to and respect others, value difference and consider multiple perspectives.

Global learning includes the multitude of educational opportunities that exist within and beyond the school’s campus. From community service to interdisciplinary courses, the interconnectedness of each student with the rest of the world’s population is undeniable and opens limitless possibilities for learning and leadership. Through global travel and Internet connectivity our students can reach out to others, immerse themselves in different places and environments and gain authentic understanding of the diversity of cultures, ethnicities and landscapes across the globe.

The 21st century has ushered in an exciting time for schools – including the accessibility of world citizenship for students and teachers as they explore and discover in enriched and expanded learning environments.

At Home At School: Why We Chose Kent Place

activities, including an all-family social gathering, for which families expressed a desire.We encourage families and alumnae to participate in the PoCC’s activities and volunteer their skills and passions towards moving the goals of the group forward.

By Nyieta Charlot P18, Parents of Children of Color Co-Chair

When people we know learn about our daughter’s attendance at KPS, they wonder why we would send her to a predominately white independent allgirls school – asking if the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. I usually answer that first one must find the right fit for their child, and we are sure that Kent Place is the right place for Anjolie. Also, we were concerned with the social aspects of the situation. Our family decided to take this leap of faith because we felt that KPS was doing enough of the things that were important to us to move forward.What we have found while here is an administration willing to listen to our concerns about curriculum, diversity of students and faculty, and teachers who have enveloped Anjolie in a cocoon of love and concern while challenging her to do her best while being sensitive to her personality and background.

While seeking an educational home for our daughter Anjolie, we found Kent Place School.We sought a place that would provide a strong educational footing as well as accept her for who she is and support her growth. As a person of African descent, I also wanted a place where my viewpoints were welcomed and my family could become a part of the community.

Since my family’s arrival at KPS, we have participated in the meetings and activities of the Parents of Children of Color group (PoCC). I have served as the co-chair for the past two academic years – an experience that has connected me to the administration and other families in fruitful ways.The PoCC supports families of children of color – to serve as a resource-sharing instrument, a voice to the administration, a social connector across divisions and as advocates for the needs and concerns of our daughters.The PoCC endeavors as well to bring to the entire community events of value, such as the author visit by Jennifer Baszile last spring.This year we are planning new

Our roots in the African-American and Caribbean experience are strong, and we carry those sensibilities with us. We teach our children to respect themselves, their heritage and to push themselves to excel academically as well as becoming a positive force in the world. We feel that KPS aids us in accomplishing these goals. 

Page 13

?

A ?

&

Q

with Michael Buensuceso

Director of Diversity Michael Buensuceso at a Kaleidoscopes meeting.

What is your educational background?

businesses, educational institutions and non-profit organizations throughout New Jersey. As their consultant, my work with clients was limited and short term.That said, I enjoy being a part of a community and being able to see through initiatives that are implemented. Oftentimes, the work creates more questions and inspires further conversation. I have the benefit of being able to support and be an active part of those dialogues long after the initial conversation.

I have a BS in business administration with a major in accounting from the University of Rhode Island and an MS in social work from Columbia University.

What is your primary responsibility as the Director of Diversity?

I serve the faculty, staff and students of all three divisions of Kent Place School.

My job is to institute multicultural education and diversity initiatives to help increase the level of cultural competency.

Why did you choose to work at Kent Place?

As a volunteer for Anytown/Lead For Diversity, a weeklong summer peer leadership program, I had the benefit of working with Kent Place participants and their school-based advisors. I had always found Kent Place’s representatives insightful and engaging around issues of diversity and social justice.That feeling was reinforced during my interview days here when I had the opportunity to interact with the greater Kent Place community, faculty, staff, students and parents. I was impressed by their ability to articulate their strengths around the issue and their courage to admit where they needed work.To create a full-time position to help to manage, create and initiate diversity tasks on campus speaks volumes on the organizational commitment.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

In my prior role as vice president of programs for the American Conference on Diversity, I was responsible for managing several diversity initiatives in

What has impressed you most about Kent Place students?

Kent Place students have a unique ability to engage in insightful conversation.

They are intelligent and able to communicate clearly both verbally and in written forms.They ask challenging questions and are not hesitant in sharing their opinion, but also open to modify their thoughts based on what they are hearing and learning.

What was the last book you read?

Kent Place would be happy to know that two out of the three books were work related. Outliers:The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell and Self-theories:Their Role in Motivation, Personality and Development

by Carol Dweck. For pleasure, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling.

What’s an interesting fact about you that your students wouldn’t know?

My family was formerly in the restaurant business,Thai cuisine. I learned how to cook and oftentimes filled in for the chef. I still prepare Thai food, but now purely for pleasure.

DID YOU KNOW...

There is a fifth grade diversity course taught by Director of Diversity Michael Buensuceso. Students expand their understanding of diversity and further explore concepts of identity, self and others through reading, writing and discussion.

June 14 through August 13 NEW FOR THE SUMMER OF 2010!

Summer Explorations is offering exciting summer “academies” that provide girls and boys, Grades 2 through 11, the opportunity to focus on a specialized area of interest through dynamic weeklong programs. These exciting programs will be overseen by outstanding Kent Place faculty and staffed by outside professionals, as needed, to best suit our campers. Campers will spend the week engaged in high-level instruction in their interest area. Each week will conclude with an event for family and friends to highlight the work done by their children.

Please visit www.kentplace.org/summer.cfm for more information, or call (908) 273-0900, ext. 297.

OPEN HOUSE: Saturday • March 6, 2010 • 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. • Field House GROUP TOURS: Tuesdays • April 13, May 11, 2010 • 4:30 p.m. • Field House

summer explorations

CHEC K New IT OUT! Acad Summ emy e Prog r for G ram rades 2–1

2010 AT KENT PLACE

June Fun Summer Express Summer Start-up Pre-K Camp Junior Camp Day Camp Passport Program Excel Creative Arts Workshop Counselor-in-Training Afternoon Sports Success for Girls Extended Care Summer Academy

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News & Views Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting Opens New Academic Center with Upper School Science Center Named for Head of School On Wednesday, October 28, on the occasion of the formal ribbon cutting ceremony to open the new Academic Center, and in the presence of faculty, staff, parents, alumnae and friends, John Chrystal, president of the Board of Trustees, announced to a very surprised and humbled Head of School Sue Bosland, that the Science Center of the new building was being named in her honor. In addition to the Science Center, the new state-of-the-art Academic Center houses a music center, academic offices, classrooms, student lounges, labs and a great room. Renovation of the existing Upper School Building to become the new Middle School is currently underway with a scheduled opening of fall 2010. 

President of the Board of Trustees John C. Chrystal and Head of School Susan C. Bosland

Emily L. Meschter ’60, Honorary Chair

Maureen Black Ogden ’46

Vice President of the Board Beverly B. Mills with Vice President of the Board and Chair of the Campaign, Michael K. Bird

Former Board Presidents Lynn Daeschler Magrane ’70 and Neale X. Trangucci with Sue Bosland and John Chrystal

Seniors Carlisle Uhlman, Rachel Uhlman and Daniela Quintanilla listen to classmate Zayba Abdulla speak to the crowd.

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Step back into the 1960s and join us for

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SPRING FLING

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Saturday, April 24, 2010

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KPS Field House 6:30 – 11:00 p.m.

“About 10 years ago the plans for this building and the renovation of the former Upper School were just beginning to be shaped. One person, more than anyone else, has provided the inspiration, the leadership and the vision for this. She has devoted her life to girls’ education and has been a teacher, a division director, a head of school and, at times, all three. To this day, despite all the demands on her time, she still cannot escape her desire to jump back into a science classroom. She has been willing to challenge the status quo, has exhibited the leadership to keep Kent Place School at the forefront of girls’ education and kept Kent Place true to its mission.With immediate effect and in recognition of her dedication to Kent Place School and her role in this project, the Kent Place School Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the following.”

Upper School Science Center Named in honor of Susan Collins Bosland 2009 – John Chrystal, President of the Board of Trustees

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Nonpublic Teacher of the Year

15TH ANNUAL

Girls’ Leadership Institute AUGUST 2-6, 2010 KENT PLACE SCHOOL • SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY

Mrs. Mascioli with her fifth grade class.

The New Jersey Council for American Private Education (NJ CAPE) named fourth grade teacher Susan Mascioli New Jersey’s 2009 Nonpublic School Teacher of the Year. She was honored by the New Jersey Department of Education at a ceremony in Trenton in the fall. Mascioli has taught for 14 years, six of them at Kent Place, primarily in fourth grade. She earned a BA in elementary education and a BA in English from Hofstra University. She also holds a MA in reading from Montclair State University.

“Teaching is a group effort, and having a supportive team of knowledgeable and insightful colleagues is the key to any teacher’s success,” says Mrs. Mascioli.

She describes her greatest satisfaction as “watching my students achieve a broader sense of personal and academic confidence by the end of each school year.” Mascioli strives to have students take ownership of their learning and to recognize that there are no limits to what they can accomplish.

In addition to teaching, she has led many community projects both at Kent Place and also outside the school community, including the Holiday Pajama Drive for women’s shelters in Newark and Irvington.

“When you walk into Mrs. Mascioli’s classroom, you cannot help but to feel inspired by her energetic presence, her sense of creativity and her engaging teaching style. She knows just how to motivate each student and does not accept less than each child’s best potential,” noted Dr. Sergio Alati, Director of the Primary School.

Kent Place has had three teachers recognized by NJ CAPE in the past five years, two as Teacher of the Year and one as the runner up.This award also carries additional significance because almost one out of every six students in New Jersey is educated in a nonpublic school, a significantly higher percentage than in the nation as a whole. 

For more information on GLI visit www.kentplace.org or call (908) 273-0900, ext. 297.

DID YOU KNOW...

For the past two years, the Diversity Hiring Taskforce has held a diversity recruitment event on campus for educators to learn more about the school's diversity initiatives.

We Need Your Input!

Speakers Series 2011

The Speakers Series lecture, a much-anticipated event for Kent Place School and the local community, will now be held every other year. It is by far the largest event of its kind in the local secondary school arena, and past speakers have included Dr. Susan Love, novelist Anna Quindlen, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, astronaut Dr. Sally Ride, financial expert Suze Orman, architect Maya Lin, journalist Robin Roberts, marine biologist Sylvia Earle, paleoanthropologist Louise Leakey, actress Sonia Manzano and founder of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Ambassador Nancy Brinker.

If you have a connection to a female who is renowned in her field and/or you would like to submit a suggestion for Speakers Series 2011, please e-mail kpsnews@kentplace.org.

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H AV E A V I S I O N TA K E R I S K S M A K E D E C I S I O N S G E T O R G A N I Z E D R E S O LV E C O N F L I C T S S E T G O A L S

Susan Mascioli is New Jersey’s

EPA Recognizes Kent Place Among Top Green Power Purchasers in Nation The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Kent Place on campus.The environmental benefit of this purchase has the estimated School is on the new Top 20 K-12 Schools list of the largest green power equivalent to planting 630 acres of trees and 1.6 million saved driving miles purchasers among primary and secondary schools nationwide. Kent Place per year and is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power more purchases more than 1 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually than 100 average American homes annually.” from Community Energy – enough green “These schools get an A plus for their efforts power to meet 69 percent of the school’s Green power is electricity that is generated to reduce their carbon footprint,” said Gina overall purchased electricity use. from environmentally preferable renewable McCarthy, the EPA’s assistant administrator for air resources such as wind, solar, geothermal, The Top 20 K-12 Schools list is one of 10 Top and radiation. “By using green power, Kent Place biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro.These Partner lists that the EPA releases quarterly, School is teaching by example how to be green.” resources generate electricity with a net highlighting some of America’s largest green This purchase also qualifies Kent Place zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions power purchasers. At press time, Kent Place School for the EPA’s Green Power Leadership ranks 10th on the EPA’s Top 20 K-12 Schools while offering a superior environmental Club, a distinction given to organizations List. The EPA’s Green Power Partnership profile compared to traditional power genthat have significantly exceeded the EPA’s works with more than 1,100 organizations to eration sources. Green power purchases also minimum purchase requirements. Green facilitate voluntary purchase of green power support the development of new renewable Power Leadership Club members must to reduce the environmental impacts of energy generation sources nationwide. purchase ten times the partnership’s conventional electricity use. minimum requirement organization-wide.

“This is a huge honor, and we are proud to be recognized by the EPA In addition to the EPA’s announcement and Kent Place students’ proactive for our environmental stewardship,” says Head of School Sue Bosland. greening efforts, which include recycling and composting, construction efforts “Purchasing green power helps our school become more sustainable, while on campus recently yielded another accolade.The new academic center also sending a message to others that supporting clean sources of energy is building was designated a LEED Silver-certified structure. LEED stands for a sound business decision and an important choice in reducing climate risk.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Planned with regard to It’s also a great lesson for our students on how we can reduce pollution in water- and energy-reducing systems and constructed with high-recycled our air and support the development of clean energy sources.” content and renewable materials, LEED certified structures significantly Operations Manager James Palmieri adds,“Kent Place purchases enough reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment wind energy to offset 100 percent of our new academic center’s electricity and its occupants.  usage, as well as a large percentage of energy usage from existing buildings

DID YOU KNOW...

The Kent Place Diversity Council participated in a student exchange program, focusing on gender, with an all-boys school in Newark, NJ, last year.The program promoted a way for students to experience a day in the life of students from different area schools.

Fall Season Highlights Upper School Academic Achievements 2009-2010 Advanced Placement Scholars National Scholar Neena Bitritto-Garg ’09, Elizabeth Chrystal ’09 AP Scholar with Distinction Alexandra Alpaugh ’09, Courtney Alpaugh ’09, Neena Bitritto-Garg ’09, Cassidy Bommer ’09,Alexandra Brierley ’09, Ellen Chiu ’09, Elizabeth Chrystal ’09, Emily Ciavarella ’09, Marie Nicole Coscolluela ’09, Katharine Cummins ’09, Jenny Ellis ’09, Sarah Gadsden ’09, Holly Goodman ’09, Amanda Grywalski ’09, Alexandra Hariri ’09, Hilary Hugin ’09, Elizabeth Jones ’09, Hannah Kaplan ’09, Catherine Kishel ’09, Donna Leung ’09, Alexandra McDonald ’09, Jessica Myers ’09, Kristen Olwell ’09, Caroline Roberts ’09, Julia Sann ’09, Katherine Sheridan ’09, Corey Szumski ’09,Torrie Williams ’09, Katharine Zeigler ’09 AP Scholar with Honor Marissa Guthrie ’09, Caroline Kingsbery ’09, Ingrid Olivia Norrmén-Smith ’09, Ednah Nwafor ’09, Jacqueline O’Neill ’09, Jessica Palmer ’09, Cecelie Pikus ’09, Daniela Quintanilla ’10, Amber Rashid ’10, Lindsey Robertson ’09, Amy Tourgee ’10

“We are very proud of the success our students find in Kent Place’s academic program and pleased that they are receiving this outside recognition for their hard work and commitment to learning.”

AP Scholars Sophia Agathis ’09, Melanie Appleby ’10,Allison Beeman ’09, Carolyn Bradley ’09, Suzanne Brown ’10, Callie Deddens ’10, Geena DeRose ’10, Hilary Devaney ’10, Alexa Dragoumis ’10, Anna Dugan ’10, Allison Goldberg ’09, Kathryn Hargrave-Kerns ’09, Ashley Hughes ’10, Marisa Immormino ’10, Sara Javed ’10, Samantha Jones ’09, Caroline Klinger ’10, Lisa Kretsge ’10, Sarah Lynott ’09, Megan Malloy ’10, Claire Marsden ’10, Rebecca McCarthy ’10, Meredith Mitnick ’10,Tara Nicola ’10,Theresa O’Reilly ’09, Sarah Remshifski ’10,Vanessa Rendon-Vasquez ’09, Emma Rogers ’09, Andrea Ruda ’09, Emily Sannini ’10, Logan Shanney ’09, Jacqueline Taylor ’10, Caitlin Wraith ’10, Allison Youngdahl ’10

2010 National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Students Callie Deddens ’10, Sara Firkser ’10, Dana Ludwig ’10, Claire Marsden ’10, Mary Millard ’10, Jacqueline Taylor ’10, Nicole Whang ’10, Caitlin Wraith ’10, Allison Youngdahl ’10

2010 Edward J. Bloustein Distinguished Scholars Geena De Rose ’10, Marisa Immormino ’10,Tara Nicola ’10, Amy Tourgee ’10, Nicole Whang ’10, Caitlin Wraith ’10, Allison Youngdahl ’10

– Elizabeth Woodall, Director of the Upper School

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Voyager

Professional Development & Discovery A Journey to South Korea Excerpted Blog from Sue Bosland, Head of School and Elizabeth Woodall, Director of the Upper School

On October 12, 2009, Head of School Susan Bosland and Director of the Upper School Elizabeth Woodall, together with a representative from Drew University, traveled to South Korea to establish a student teacher exchange program with Wonju Girls’ High School in Wonju, South Korea. Representatives from Wonju Girls’ High School, the assistant principal and the chair of the English Department, had visited Kent Place School last January to begin the process of initiating the school partnership.

Mrs. Bosland and Mrs. Woodall set up a blog so that the Kent Place community could participate in their journey. The following are trip highlights from their blog.

Tuesday, June Monday, October 18, 2007 13, 2009 Sun Village We’ve Arrived!

After landing in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, we immediately drove to Wonju Girls' High School – our sister school in Wonju, South Korea. As we approached the school, we spotted a banner flying over the road welcoming Kent Place School to Wonju! The principal of the high school greeted us with many other teachers and escorted us to a formal welcoming ceremony and a gift-giving exchange. We had a tour of the school – from a PE class (badminton) to an English class (they were transcribing lyrics to an American song) – we even met a world champion archer (15 years old) who gave us a demonstration on the rooftop archery range. We had a traditional Korean feast for lunch. After all of our good-byes and plans for starting the student and teacher exchange, we headed north to Mount Sorak National Park. The breath-taking scenery included multiple mountain ranges and a beautiful shoreline along the East Sea (Sea of Japan on maps.) After taking a cable car up the mountain and climbing to the top, we finished our first full day in South Korea excited AND exhausted!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 In Transit

So far, we’ve cumulatively been in transit for 24 hours since we left Summit – either on a plane or in a car. Three of those hours today were riding along the coast and the highway back from the northeast to the more central Seoul.

We left the sunny clear skies of Mt. Sorak to a rainy satellite of Seoul and the famous Korean Folk Village. Dating back to Joseon Dynasty, the village of over 260 buildings is a testament to the former president of Korea who wanted to make sure that the culture and history of the nation is not forgotten as the world changes. We walked through, looking at the various types of architecture from the time period, seeing the incredibly advanced technology (can you say radiant heat flooring?!) and trying to identify the many plants and trees. Both of us remain awed at the art form it is to grow rice. It is actually hard to describe the feeling and energy of this place and the amazing respect that the Koreans have for their history and for sharing it with the world.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009 Building Relationships

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Today started with another formal introduction to the educational system of Korea. We met with President Kwangia Rhee of Seoul Women’s University. As a member of its first graduating class and now multi-termed president, she has put the university on the educational map, even though, at 8,000 students, it is one of the smallest of the region.

With a mission that includes leadership, service learning and character development, we immediately felt at ease and excited at the prospects of building a relationship with the school. A huge surprise of the day was finding out that they run the area’s premier primary school – visited by educational leaders of the world. At the entrance to the school stands a huge rock with the Korean symbols for faith, hope and love, as these are the guideposts for the school. We literally had to step into pink booties to maintain the cleanliness of the floors, as they have radiant heating so the children and teachers wear either slippers or socks around during the day. There are so many details to share and so many similarities with our Primary School. What an affirmation!

Thursday, October 15, 2009 Stepping Back in Time

The changing of the royal guards greeted us as we entered the palace gates.

The largest of five palaces in Seoul, Gyeongbokgung Palace, is extensive – even though only 35 percent remains of the original compound. Tall buildings and mountains frame the ancient structures – providing a modern context, as well as a link to the past with nature ever present in the vistas. As seen in one of our photos, we could not resist taking a step back in time ourselves.

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Friday, October 16, 2009 Jeju Island

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All is well, and the flight was great. Peter, our new guide, met us after luggage gathering. He took us straight to a Korean History Museum, where we were able to look at a topographical map of Jeju, the volcanic island. It was the perfect start to give us context for the visit. We took a good hike up the mountainside to see “dragon rock,” volcanic rock on the island, which allowed us to get up close to another treasure of Jeju – their horses. The juxtaposition of the ocean and the mountains is still breathtaking. At this point, we also saw the amazing women divers. These unbelievable women, not so young, don wet suit pants, grab hold of a buoy, a basin-shaped net, a spear and a knife and swim out to sea to catch abalone. They can be out in the water for eight hours a day before coming in and setting up mini-restaurants and wholesale booths with their bounty.

Watching them surface and dive again was truly mesmerizing.

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Friday, October 16, 2009 Taking It All In!

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We meandered through the fields of mandarin oranges – ending up at the largest Buddhist temple in Asia! Sixteen thousand little Buddhas lined the walls of the temple, and colorful lanterns filled the ceilings throughout the main structure. The dragon, as well as the fish, the turtle and the duck, is an important part of the Korean culture. This particular temple also incorporated elephants throughout its landscape. Next, we headed to Cheonjiyeon Falls – one of the few waterfalls on the island. Due to the porous volcanic rock, most water just gets absorbed and never lasts on the surface long enough to cascade as a waterfall. Flowers are in full bloom, ducks are swimming along the river and the climate is much more tropical than Seoul.

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Want to read more? Visit their blog at http://kpssouthkorea.blogspot.com

The Star 2009

Mira Korber ’11

Maya Hinton-Smith ’10

The STAR 2009

Megan Malloy ’10

Aya Tsuruta ’13

Israa Saber ’13

Chair of the Music Department and Director of The STAR Edel Thomas gave a few remarks after the performance.

Suzanne Brown ’10 and Callie Deddens ’10

Chamber Singers with the Upper School Chorus

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Upper School Fall Play Catholic School Girls

by Casey Kurtti Catholic School Girls, presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., and directed

by Drama Department Chair Bob Pridham, is a warmhearted hit comedy of growing up Catholic in the Sixties.This March, the Upper School will perform London’s comedy/mystery/thriller sensation Daisy Pulls It Off, and the Middle School will present the musical, Once Upon a Mattress, in May. Full Cast

Lizzy Miggins ’11

Koby Omansky ’12

Alicia Whavers ’10 and Emma Forstenhausler ’13

Chelsea Frankel ’10, Alicia Whavers ’10 and Abrina Hyatt ’11

Chelsea Frankel ’10

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Abrina Hyatt ’11

Koby Omansky ’12

Chelsea Frankel ’10 and Katja Yacker ’13

Emma Forstenhausler ’13, Samantha Narciso ’13, Koby Omansky ’12 and Katja Yacker ’13

Samantha Narciso ’13

Grandparents and Special Friends Day & Primary Book Fair

Nursery student Trey Maultsby with his grandparents Jo and Pat Palumbo

Fifth grader Allaistar Regan with grandmother Eleanor Roth

Kindergartener Pilar Torres with her grandfather Roger Thomas

Fourth grader Reshma Kopparapu with special friend Shashi Sagar

Guest author and illustrator Judith Caseley met with first and second graders.

The Dance Ensemble performed “Fragments of an Angel” for students, faculty, grandparents and special friends at the Thanksgiving Assembly.

Fourth grader Tess Ostroff with grandparents Myra and Stanley Ostroff

Pre-Kindergartener Hudson Honeker with grandmother Mary Hennessy

First grader Olivia Kim with grandmother Sandra Kaminski

First grader Kaitlyn Parker with grandmother Carol Pepitone

The Primary School Book Fair celebrated with the theme, “Destination Book Fair.”

Pre-K student Caroline McGinley with grandfathers Jim McGinley and Joe Lavelle

Fourth grader Anjolie Charlot with great-grandmother Elizabeth Welch

First grader Nina Fazio with grandmother Lenore Fazio and guest Uncle Dean Graffeo

Pre-Kindergartener Ella Zander with her grandparents Sandy and Peter Idstein

Fifth grader Chloe Colaluca with grandparents Ed and Dotti Gleniewicz

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WINTER 2010

Voyager Kent Place School 42 Norwood Avenue Summit, NJ 07902-0308 www.kentplace.org

Congratulations!

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education honored KPS in the CASE District II Accolades Awards program with an Honorable Mention for our 2009 academic newsletter Voyager!

Voyager Credits Editor Rachel Naggar

Professional Photography Alex Cena (US play and STAR) Shelley Kusnetz (Ribbon Ceremony)

Comments about Voyager should be directed to the editor at (908) 273-0900, ext. 217 or naggarr@kentplace.org.

Contributors Gayle Allen Michael Buensuceso Ryan LaMountain Kim Greene Walker

Design Abbie Moore Design Printing Graphic Concepts

Printed with 100% Renewable Energy and Vegetable/Soy based Inks