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NEWS FROM CAMPUS
Hilltop NEWS FROM CAMPUS
CLASSROOM What’s Going On in This Graph?
Math students learn graphical literacy
Math teacher Beth Gilmartin is often thinking about how to deliver information that goes beyond mathematical equations, often bringing the world to the doorstep of her classroom in Fitch. “One of the key ideas is teaching 21st-century skills and thinking about graphical literacy,” she says. “The truth is not all the kids are going to use a quadratic formula in their lives, but being able to look at graphs and interpret them is really important.”
To help prepare her students, Gilmartin’s Algebra I class participated in The New York Times’ weekly feature, “What’s Going On in This Graph?”
In February, the class examined “World Cities’ Air Pollution” graphs that show the air quality for 12 major cities from November 2018 to November 2019. Prompts such as “What do you notice?” and “What do you wonder?” encouraged the students to analyze the information and share their comments online, where discussions are moderated by teachers, industry professionals, and a collaborator from the American Statistical Association.
Gilmartin says that the students took particular note of air pollution spikes in Delhi, India, and San Francisco, California. Correlating the cities and the dates, they were able to piece together a larger picture of how life on the planet impacts air pollution. They took note of a crop-burning cycle in India’s capital and the impact of wildfires on air pollution in San Francisco. “This is teaching kids ways of getting stories. It’s not just about math, but also about social science to some degree,” says Gilmartin. “They’re learning good quantitative reasoning.”
Each week, The Times circles back to share insights from the student conversations and reflections. On February 25, the paper’s website cited Teegan Duffy ’24, who crafted her own headline to capture the story of the air pollution graphs: “Air Pollution, the Silent Killer.”
“Everyone is going to have to read and interpret graphs,” says Gilmartin. “The skills we’re developing can be used in all sorts of applications in the real world.” K
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Scott Domingos:
Arthur Day Welch Chair of Mathematics Girls JV Hockey Coach Math Team Coach Domingos lives in Brewster House with his wife, Keilah, and children Luca and Emerson.
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT Scott Domingos
Scott Domingos is usually game for anything. Hoping to lift the spirits of students learning from home last spring, he gleefully strapped on a pink unicorn helmet and hurled himself from a toddler trampoline and into a neighboring pine tree while on camera. It may not be the austere image you expect from the chair of the mathematics department, but it’s highly effective in engaging students.
Domingos’ approachability, combined with a drive to make math both accessible and challenging, has made him a fan favorite on The Hilltop. This year, he was selected as the Baccalaureate speaker—for the second time since arriving in 2018 from Brewster Academy. Today, after 25 years of teaching, he leads a team of math educators who are finding innovative ways to bring their subject matter to life.
Students are offered three levels of Algebra II and Pre-Calculus. “We spend a lot of time looking at data to know how to place kids when they arrive at KUA, so that they are challenged but not overwhelmed,” he says. “Kids need to be supported and encouraged.”
Students can access one-on-one help with teachers or peers through the Math Tutor Center. Math competitions have also become a popular campus activity. This year, 12 students competed online against students from high schools across the country through Math Madness. The team competes on weekends and trains using practice problems. Next year, the team will benefit from the return of its distance learners and compete against other New England prep schools through the Math League.
Helping kids find joy and spark a competitive spirit is working. This year more than 100 students participated in the Mathematical Association of America’s American Mathematics Competition exam. Three students were invited to move forward to the American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME), with one competing in the U.S. Mathematical Olympiad, the top invitational competition for high-scoring AIME participants.
Outside of math, Domingos can be found at Akerstrom Arena with his other team—the girls JV hockey team. “The team is a blast,” he says. K
Hilltop
NEWS FROM CAMPUS
College admissions process complicated by COVID.
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS Finding the Right “Fit”
Demystifying the college admission process for students and parents has been a perennial challenge for the College Advising Office. This year, the crystal ball was particularly cloudy.
On the heels of the “Varsity Blues” scandal, which brought increased scrutiny to the college admission process, COVID-19 threw major hurdles in front of high school seniors eager to identify and gain acceptance into their preferred colleges and universities.
“We first began seeing COVID’s impact on college admissions in Spring 2020 with changes to the SAT and ACT. Colleges began going test optional, which was welcome news for some applicants but caused confusion and some stress for many,” says Gunnar Olson, director of college advising.
College admission added pressure and anxiety to an already challenging and uncertain year for KUA seniors. Just as colleges received record applications, so, too, did KUA students submit increased numbers of applications. More students landed on waiting lists than ever before. And although KUA students were admitted into a terrific range of schools, most seniors were unable to visit campuses to make informed decisions. In the spring, the College Advising Office conducted trips to open campuses within a four-hour radius.
“Throughout this process, the College Advising Office works with students and families to determine what colleges and universities are the right ‘fit,’ which is a multidimensional concept and can vary from student to student,” says Olson. “Factors can include location, academics, scholarship, athletic opportunities, and the general feel of the school. When students decide
COLLEGE BOUND
Jesang Yim ’21 of Seoul, South Korea, in front of Baker Hall on the Dartmouth College campus. Yim will study engineering at Dartmouth in the fall.
where to matriculate, the concept of fit is more important than how difficult it is for a student to gain admission.”
Of the 111 students in the Class of 2021, 101 received offers of admission. Some students elected an alternative path after graduation, such as junior hockey and military service.
“It is too early to tell what next year will look like or if colleges will continue their test-optional policies,” says Olson, who works with two additional college advisors on campus. “We are following along closely and are ready to help the students of the Class of 2022 as they continue down this path.” K
a student to gain admission.” —GUNNAR OLSON, DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE ADVISING
The Class of 2021
584
Applications submitted
111
Virtual college visits hosted by KUA
207
Institutions admitted KUA students
72
Institutions where the Class of 2021 is enrolling College Destinations
* indicates multiple students enrolling Adelphi University Bard College Berklee College of Music Boston College Boston University * Brandeis University California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo) Central European University Chapman University Clarkson University Clemson University Colgate University Columbia University Connecticut College * Dartmouth College Emerson College Endicott College * Harvard University Haverford College Illinois College Ithaca College Kenyon College Lehigh University Massachusetts Institute of Technology * Merrimack College New York University * Niagara University Northeastern University * Norwich University Oberlin College Ohio Wesleyan University Otterbein University Pace University Pitzer College Providence College Purdue University Quinnipiac University Regis College Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rhodes College Roanoke College * Rochester Institute of Technology Sacred Heart University Saint Michael's College Skidmore College Smith College Southern Methodist University St. Lawrence University * Syracuse University * The College of Wooster The Ohio State University Trinity College * Union College * University of California (Berkeley) University of California (Davis) University of California (San Diego) * University of California (Santa Barbara) * University of Chicago University of Colorado Boulder University of Denver University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Massachusetts (Lowell) * University of New Hampshire University of San Francisco * University of South Carolina University of Utah * University of Virginia University of Wisconsin (Madison) * Utica College * Vassar College Washington University in St Louis Western Washington University
FACULTY RETIREMENT Kit Creeger P’09
Faculty member ends on high note.
After 33 years on The Hilltop, Kit Creeger P’09 retired at the close of the 2020-21 academic year. Creeger first joined KUA as music director and coordinator of performing arts, and he focused on creating a program suitable for a brand new Flickinger Arts Center.
During his 22 years of teaching, he served as arts department chair and enjoyed his involvement in an active and dynamic arts environment. Creeger conducted 25 musicals and 50 department concerts and led many Coffee Houses and Singer’s Nights through the years. He also wrote original choral pieces for graduations and baccalaureates that are still used today.
Creeger recalls fondly all the students who worked in the music program and the digital recording studio he built, producing original albums with individuals and bands. “I had so many rich encounters with students through the years,” he says.
For the past 11 years, Creeger served as associate director of marketing and communications, wearing many hats such as photographer, videographer, webmaster, portal manager, and livestream manager. A Meriden resident, Creeger will continue to play gigs with fellow KUA faculty in Dr. Tom’s Band and coach youth ski racing. K
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NEWS FROM CAMPUS
OBJECT LESSON “Big Shoes to Fill”
“I had a pretty good year as all-school president,” reflects Ian Gagnon ’10. “I wanted some way to pass that wisdom on to the next generation.” So began a tradition of passing down a beautiful leatherbound notebook filled with the entries of student leaders who came before.
The change from a single president to co-presidents took place in spring 2013, when election frontrunners Marc Maggiore’14 and Victoria Pipas ’14 were elected to share the presidential responsibilities, thus eliminating the vice president role. To mark this occasion, in addition to the journal, then All-School President Ian Gregory-Davis ’13 passed down some “big shoes to fill”: a pair of orange, size 11, patent leather dress shoes.
Each spring, at the final All School Meeting, the departing co-presidents pass down their student leadership responsibilities, along with the shoes and journal, to the incoming co-presidents at the Handover Ceremony.
This year, departing Co-President Hanna Wiczek ’21 charged the community to “continue having uncomfortable conversations, seek to empathize with and understand other people’s perspectives, and treasure your time at KUA. It won’t be too long before it will feel too short.”
As for her advice to the incoming co-presidents, only they will have the privilege of opening the journal and reading those words. K
—HANNA WICZEK ’21 ALL SCHOOL CO-PRESIDENT
TAKING IT TO THE STREET
Nearly 150 students, faculty, staff, and parents joined the Meriden Congregational Church’s Black Lives Matter Vigil on a Wednesday afternoon in a show of support for fellow community members.
Hilltop
NEWS FROM CAMPUS
ADMISSIONS Beyond the Hilltop
Seniors proudly display their next stop after KUA.
1. Nick Bernardo ’21 will play hockey with the Maine Nordiques before starting Brown University.
2. Tess Boden ’21 will major in legal studies and public policy at the University of Denver.
3. Gunnar Wood ’21 will major in premed and play lacrosse at Vassar College.
4. Emily Homma ’21 will major in business at the University of California, Davis.
5. Kylie Mellon ’21 will major in psychological and brain sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
6. Emily Pariseau ’21 will major in political science and play soccer at Ithaca College.
7. Luke Ricci ’21 will major in mechanical engineering at Clarkson University.
8. Dayi’on Thompson ’21 will major in sports management and play basketball at Utica College.
9. Nathaly Tlaseca Verde ’21 will major in political science with double minors in French and conflict studies at Colgate University.
10. Hank Withington ’21 enlisted in the U.S. Army Airborne Infantry.
19
Trailblazers are enrolling at an institution that has not enrolled a KUA student from the previous five graduating classes.
1 2
“I always wanted to go to a large research university where I can study across a variety of fields. UC Davis provides a great opportunity for students to expand their interest in learning due to its quarter system.” —EMILY HOMMA ’21
3 4 5
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NEWS FROM CAMPUS
HEALTH CENTER “Light at the End of the Tunnel”
824
COVID-19 vaccines administered by the Tracy Health Center
What a difference a year makes. Just 12 months after the closure of campus due to COVID-19, students, faculty, and staff received COVID-19 vaccinations through on-campus clinics hosted by the Tracy Health Center.
As a designated point-of-distribution site for the COVID-19 vaccine, KUA secured vaccines for all employees in March. The team, along with parent volunteers from the medical community, administered 824 vaccines through its on-site clinics. Later in the spring, KUA received doses of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, allowing all students aged 16 and older to receive their vaccination without leaving campus.
The vaccinations came after a year of following health and safety protocols and restricting access to campus. Each week, every member of the community participated in COVID-19 pool sample testing, eagerly anticipating the results, with negative tests signaling athletic teams’ ability to compete in interscholastic athletics. By the end of the academic year in May, KUA administered more than 9,950 COVID tests—with a positivity rate of less than 1/10 of 1 percent. K
VACCINE CLINIC
(Left to right) Andrea Brown P’24, Reed Brozen P’24, Stephanie Schell P’21, RoAnne Rogerson P’17, Director of Health Services Melissa Underhill P’20, and Assistant Director of Health Services Anastasia Hale administered vaccines to KUA employees, including Chief Operating Officer Hunter Ulf P’05, ’09 (right).
—MELISSA UNDERHILL P’20, DIRECTOR OF HEALTH SERVICES
Hilltop
NEWS FROM CAMPUS
COMMENCEMENT A Day to Remember
The strength of the Kimball Union Academy community was on full display on May 22, 2021, as the graduates from the Class of 2021 processed down Chellis Road from Munro House to Main Street before taking a final turn toward Pope Field. Awaiting their arrival, in socially distanced 8-by-8-foot personal, painted “boxes,” were the families of the graduates—some who had not seen one another since winter break. Yet these final moments together, the culmination of a year unlike any other, were treasured by all.
“Your legacy of resilience is unquestioned,” said Head of School Tyler Lewis. “When others hesitated—you persevered, you trusted and supported each other and along with the faculty, your family and friends—we relish this opportunity to celebrate you here today. Quite honestly, we asked more of you than we have of any class that we can recall.”
Many of the traditional KUA events held in honor of the senior class moved forward, albeit with a twist to comply with COVID-19 protocols. Seniors enjoyed three off-campus days for senior week where they enjoyed movies, games, and recreational events. The Awards Ceremony and Baccalaureate service moved outdoors, in what may become a new tradition on The Hilltop.
“Change is necessary for growth,” Valedictorian Emma McGonigle ’21 told graduates, faculty, and guests. “We must lean into the discomfort of unfamiliarity in order to evolve.” K
112
8-by-8-foot viewing squares created for 308 guests
570
KUA face masks ordered for attendees
1,386
Steps each graduate took from Munro House to Pope Field during the procession
2
Graduates selecting Crocs as their graduation day footwear
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Cardboard cutouts stood in place for distance learners unable to attend the ceremony
