Laurel School's Highlights Magazine: Spring 2022

Highlights

A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNAE, PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF LAUREL SCHOOL

inside SPRING 2022

The Arts in Primary

Middle School Robotics Team

Junior Ring Chapel

Alumnae Entrepreneurship

team ‘‘The Science Sisters’’: (left to right)

Bravo ’26, Sophia Novak ’28, Violet Vitale ’28, Ruby Floyd ’28, Leah Stephany ’26, Frances Farmery ’28 and Claire Witalec ’28

MISSION STATEMENT

To inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world.

Highlights |

SPRING 2022

HEAD OF SCHOOL Ann V. Klotz

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Maegan Ruhlman Cross '03

EDITOR Sarah Hibshman Miller ’98

ALUMNAE EDITOR Julie Donahue ’79

DESIGN AND LAYOUT Laurel School

PHOTOGRAPHY Kimberly Dailey, Downie Photography, LLC, Neal McDaniel

PRESIDENT, ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION

Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97

CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Megan Lum Mehalko ’83

Highlights is published by Laurel School for alumnae, parents and friends.

Submit address changes to the Development Office at 216.455.3096 or bGreen@LaurelSchool.org

Laurel School is an independent day school for girls, Kindergarten through Grade 12, with coeducational programs for 18 months–PreKindergarten. We are proud to be an inclusive and equitable school community, and we actively seek a diverse student body and faculty without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, handicap or disability or sexual orientation.

LAUREL VALUES STATEMENT:

Committed to building a just and inclusive world, Laurel girls are courageous, creative, ethical and compassionate.

LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

CTHE MANY DEFINITIONS OF COMMUNITY

ommunity. Often the first word used to describe our school, Laurel has long been known for its powerful sense of community—a term that is hard to put into words. Is our community our students and faculty?

Our parents and alumnae? Is it the beautiful Lyman and Butler Campuses, our culture of care? Our traditions that connect one generation to another?

It is our mission and values, our many points of view and perspectives, our spirit of innovation balanced with our love of tradition. Certainly, the pandemic has challenged our notions of community. During the early months of the pandemic, as we migrated to Laurel School@Home, we missed being in the same place at the same time. Physical distance and masking help keep us safe, but those protocols don’t make it easy to gather or even to recognize one another in the corridors. Nonetheless, in our parent, faculty and staff, and student survey undertaken last spring in preparation for the School’s next strategic plan, the word community surfaced at the top of every list as one of Laurel’s greatest strengths.

Now, though we are all back in school, we have yet to resume our all-school assemblies—I look forward to when we can see the whole school assembled together in the Tippit Gym! For the first time in the school’s history, we have four grade levels based at the Butler Campus. How can we continue to cherish the palpable sense of community that defines Laurel even as we continue to live with COVID?

I undertook an informal survey of Upper School students on the second floor one recent afternoon. When I asked an array of Seniors and Sophomores to define community, Laurel-style, they offered the following answers: a deeper sense of connection than a superficial relationship; family; the word we use

to shorthand what we love about Laurel; finding a way to come back together even when we fracture; sisterhood; inviting; bonds that connect us; school and learning; kindness.

I love these responses. The words and phrases students offered demonstrate the culture we strive to foster at Laurel. Our work with Laurel’s Center for Research on Girls (LCRG) reminds us that strong relationships are an important aspect of resilience. When students know they are seen, respected and valued, known well by adults and peers, they often do better in school. While academic excellence is the cornerstone of a Laurel education, what we now understand is that ineffable qualities such as community can make achievement more accessible. Happy girls do better in school.

Our commitment to connection remains strong, despite masks. At summer’s end, as school began, we hosted a number of outdoor gatherings: a welcome for new families, a Black family gathering, grade-level retreats, class parties on the playground, and a Trunk or Treat a few weeks before Halloween. Our Laurel School Parents Association hosted a family movie night at Butler that offered families a wonderful way to be together. We know our parents, like our students, are hungry to meet one another and spend time together,

A MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL ANN V. KLOTZ

so they valued our in-person curriculum nights. Though we limited those to one parent or guardian per child, connecting with teachers in person and meeting other parents was a terrific opportunity to build relationships–relationships are, as we know, at the heart of community.

As the temperatures dropped and first Delta and then Omicron arrived, we returned again to more virtual structures: affinity groups for students and parents organized by interest and Senior Speeches Zoomed into classrooms and viewed by Advisory groups. We have relied on our evolving protocols to keep our community safe, and our students have been magnificent—masking, maintaining physical distance, eating in designated spaces, handwashing and staying home when ill! Now, a high percentage of the Laurel community is vaccinated. We know our protocols work and we are glad for the extra layer of protection vaccines provide.

A Laurel mantra, created as a result of the pandemic, is “Don’t take risks that put others at risk.” A thoughtfully reimagined Junior Chapel in November allowed parents to attend and the rest

of the Upper School to watch on Zoom in Advisory groups. We even found a way to produce our beloved Song Contest, after a year’s hiatus, and to share it with parents and alums. Live theater returned to Laurel this fall with Twelfth Night cast members using rapid tests to be sure they were COVID-free before taking off their masks on stage. In the January 2022 Middle School production, Project: Brave, girls did perform masked.

Buddies and Big/Little Sisters have resumed, connecting students across grade levels. A snowshoeing party at Butler brought Fifth and Sixth Graders together on a snowy day in January.

In a curious way, a number of alumnae have benefited from Zoom and are gathering in meaningful ways that do not require travel to Cleveland. Though we love welcoming them in person, we are delighted by the host of new opportunities they have devised to gather since March 2020: class conversations, book groups, panels sponsored by the Alumnae Association on entrepreneurship, flower arranging, self-care, real estate, cooking, and antiracism. Last spring, in honor of our 125th

anniversary, we invited the “Dormies” to Zoom to share their reminiscences. (Perhaps some of you did not know that Laurel offered a boarding component up until 1974!) More recently the Distinguished Alumnae Committee gathered via Zoom for its deliberations, allowing us to include alums from a wide geographical range!

Our notions of community have evolved during the global pandemic and from the school’s founding. We know we are a stronger, better community because we are not all the same; we celebrate the wide variety of opinions shared in the school. We know complex world problems are better grappled with and solved when people offer multiple points of view—and we believe in building that skill starting when children are very young. We are more than a group gathered to learn and to teach. Our students wear their uniforms proudly, glad to cheer on their teammates at athletic contests or on stage. We do not take for granted what it means to be members of a school united by a mission and values statement that is well understood and that guides our work each day. L

THE MANY DEFINITIONS OF COMMUNITY

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE A RTS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

By Sarah Hibshman Miller ‘98

At Laurel School we believe the arts are an essential part of the curriculum. From expression through dance, music and visual art, the lessons learned are innumerable. Collaboration leads to creativity, small differences can make big impacts, and most importantly, there are several paths to take to “problem-solve” in art. There is no one right answer and expression leads to personal success on many levels.

“The arts provide a chance for girls to explore their own creative side, a chance to show their feelings and express what they are learning through dance, music and visual art. The arts give girls an outlet to get excited.” said Bella Patel, Director of Laurel’s Grades K-2.

Art is the act of creating. In Kindergarten through Second Grade, that manifests itself naturally as games and imagination play. Music, dance and drama at this age use the tendencies that students are doing outside of the classroom. Teachers are adept at leveraging the style of creation, and synthesizing it into organized learning.

The performing and visual arts curriculums are designed to be exploratory and a jumping-off point to further develop each discipline. The learning tools gained through the arts help develop and reinforce learning benchmarks being taught in traditional classrooms settings.

“It is a great way to sneak in learning in a ‘fun’ way”, said Joel McDaniel, K-2 and Upper School Music Teacher. “For instance, the First Grade curriculum revolves around the study of ‘Musical Superheroes’, which celebrates musicians across genres and time while students design their own superheroes and compose short musical phrases to produce their own unique superpowers.”

Visual arts are key to developing early skills that weave into so many different aspects of learning. “Visual art builds observational, fine motor, and beginning critical-thinking and engineering skills while fostering experimentation and resilience in an atmosphere of joy and curiosity,” said Catherine Butler, Visual Arts Department Chair and Teacher. “As students learn how to mix colors, fold and cut paper, create symmetry, draw faces, create sculptures, and explore other media they hone their fine motor skills and become comfortable with experimenting and exploration.”

It is natural to tie visual art into traditional classroom learning. In January for instance, Kindergarten students wrapped up their annual classroom study of Antarctica and this tied in perfectly to a visual arts project where they created clay penguins and drew other research animals, which adorned the Primary halls for all to enjoy. Taking that classroom curriculum and turning it into a way of expression allows for a deeper understanding of the material and provides one more avenue of learning.

Additional examples include First Grade students creating

neighborhood scrolls to tie in with their studies of community, which included their house, and places important to their lives —all placed at relative distances along the scroll.

Visual art is also a great way to teach and reinforce inclusivity. Ms. Butler states that, “As students learn about artists of different races, cultures and backgrounds—with a particular focus on women artists, they begin to see the world through the lens of inclusivity and curiosity.”

“We tie class learning into all aspects of art, and dance is no exception.” said Ida Porris, Performing Arts Chair and Pre-Primary and Primary dance teacher. “For instance, each February First Grade works on the ‘Color Dance’, which draws from Dr. Seuss’s ManyColoredDays and works of classical, jazz and contemporary music to allow students to explore and create original choreography. Students incorporate and respond to each of the drawings and works of music focusing on the idea of form, time, space and energy.”

Dance is an important element of art that Laurel values greatly. Mrs. Porris goes on to say that, “In dance, students are thinking about form, like beginning-middle-end structures, similar to the construction of sentences and paragraphs. Dance uses notation to create sequences, visual, and written representations of movement. We often link dance directly into poetry and books by connecting movement to words.”

Mr. McDaniel adds that, “Music literacy reinforces reading skills like reading from left to right and spatial tracking. Music notation and rhythm are comparable to early math skills. Rhythm introduces fractions, graphic mapping, and interpretation of graphic representations. Kindergartners work hard in music to tackle phonemic awareness by breaking down syllables and words. Many of these concepts are introduced early in the

performing arts curriculum and provide a transference point for students once the classroom curriculum is being taught.”

“The performing arts at Laurel are collaborative across disciplines which is a huge advantage to student learning,” continued Mrs. Patel. “Dance, music, and theater are constantly intersecting to reinforce concepts and allow students to immerse themselves further in learning and exploration at a young age. In fact, art in Kindergarten through Second Grade lays the foundation for future arts exploration out at Butler for Grades 3-5 and on into Middle School.”

Laurel also frequently brings in guest performing artists to advance what has been learned in the classroom. Students are exposed to diverse professional artists from around the greater Cleveland area. This helps to illustrate what a working performing artist looks like and reinforces the curriculum already taught in their classes. Guest artists have included Multi-abled artists, Laurel Alumnae, and professional performers.

In many schools the arts are considered a luxury. It is not automatically part of the curriculum for all. But arts are actually fundamental in development from early childhood through adolescence. Outside of academic skill reinforcement and development, the arts work to develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Collaborative activities work to strengthen language and verbal skills through multimodal expression and communication of the creative process. The arts naturally produce differentiated instruction, challenging students of all abilities and skill levels to practice and hone their individual skills. Moreover, early study skills, stress management, and high-stakes testing are developed through learning how to rehearse for and perform during recitals and performances. L

THE A RTS PLAY A VITAL ROLE DURING THE PANDEMIC

When the COVID pandemic hit and Laurel transitioned to School@Home, our faculty remained committed to tying art into remote learning. For many of our students, art of all kinds provided creative forms of expression and still allowed for collaboration and connection with fellow students.

“The arts really tie into the social/emotional aspect of learning and this was never more true than during COVID when traditional play was not really an option,” said Mrs. Patel. “Our arts curriculum allowed for student collaboration—even over Zoom, and more time for play. The arts really work toward developing soft skills; working together and communicating.”

One positive change to have come from incorporating art throughout the pandemic was a shift in scheduling. Students now have dance, visual art and music twice a year for extended amounts of time. These intensive blocks allow teachers and students to focus deeply on skills during the first round and performance during the second round. This change has proven to be successful in allowing students more consistent time to study and understand materials and techniques, and to then apply those skills to performing or showcasing their work.”

The Madwomen of 1960 Gather on Zoom

by Holly Worthen ‘60 and Mary Kay Vaughan ‘60 on behalf of the Class

In the Spring of 2020, when the Pandemic turned the world upside down, Laurel canceled its upcoming in-person Alumnae Weekend and organized a virtual gathering for each reunion class. On May 16, 2020, the Class of 1960 met virtually to celebrate its 60th Reunion. The desire to continue the conversation led to five more Zoom gatherings over the summer before the class landed on a regular biweekly schedule, a commitment it has kept since that fall. Over the course of the last 22 months, the classmates have explored the young girls they were and more importantly, the wise women they have become—all through the lens of a shared girlhood and a connection, rediscovered after decades, that thanks to intentional cultivation and care has bloomed into a deep and remarkable bond. We asked them to share their story.

Laurel’s Class of 1960 is part of the last generation born during World War II. After the war, peace was good to our families. We were from middle- and upper-class white Protestant families, destined for college and raising a family. Among us were two Catholics and one Jew: that was the extent of our diversity. We learned Latin, French, music, US and European history, English literature, drama, and art. We played tennis and field hockey, wearing bloomers. We learned very little science. We were not expected to go to law, business or medical school. We were well prepared for Cold War America and the 1950s—for us, a Eurocentric, white, suburban and gender limited world.

However, we graduated into the 1960s: a different war and the protests against it; the civil rights movement along with assassinations and burning cities; the Beatles, the women’s movement and birth control.

A couple of Fridays ago one of us said, “The sixties were absolutely exhilarating, an opportunity to break boundaries and blinders, to try to put into practice ideals of peace, justice and equality we learned at Laurel.” Then another classmate said, “The sixties were scary. They were as scary as today.”

Being on the cusp of major change is not easy.

ALUMNAE SPOTLIGHT

Holly Worthen

Mary VaughanKay

Who we are

Sixty-one of us graduated in June 1960. Fourteen sadly have since died and 13 have not responded to emails or letters the last two years. Of the remaining 34, about 17 show up regularly every-other Friday afternoon, thanks to the Laurel Zoom account, with a steady core group of 12 to 14 attending. Our conversations move quickly and last one hour. Some of us miss out because we live in distant time zones, but everyone can read the emails that go back and forth between Zooms. Only five have asked to be taken off the email list. Remarkably, given that we range politically from Trump supporters to moderate Republicans to centrist Democrats to socialists, we stuck together through the 2020 election and January 6. One of us pointed out how these challenges have drawn us together: “Those of us who have joined our Zoom discussions appreciate the knowledge and better understanding we have gotten from people who view things differently.”

We are writing this while the Glasgow Summit on climate change is taking place; commenting on how little progress was made, one of us said, “We are getting so sinful, I don’t know how long God will let it go on.”

How we started

Our first Class of ’60 virtual gathering, organized in May 2020 by the Alumnae Office, was crowded with overlapping greetings. We decided to meet again, write our stories down and share them. Phase I would cover the years from graduation through the end of the Vietnam War; Phase II was from 1975 to 9/11; Phase III brought us up to the present. Nothing was off-limits.

One of us wrote, “I believe that during this past year and a half I have spent more time trying to put my true thoughts and feelings into words than ever before and have shared those thoughts more accurately with each of you than I have ever done before with any other one

person.” We discussed things we would never have shared as girls or even young women. As one of us noted, we were not a close class back then.

There must be something about being nearly 80 that loosens the tongue. If some of us have stayed away from these Zooms out of fear that they would be competitive, the opposite is the case. Everything is seen in deep perspective: deaths, divorces, mental illness, problems with children—and the happy stuff, too. Topics for writing spun out of our conversations: what the government owes us, the ongoing COVID pandemic, dementia, what creates a sense of place, our work lives, our ten-year plans (that means being 90!), religion, what is a good death, how we each became aware of racism, and varieties of creativity. Sometimes one of us presents a work of art or an important object. Zoom makes this possible. Not everyone writes, but we now have an archive of hundreds of pages.

The Class of 1960

Despite its limitations, our Laurel preparation evidently had its strengths: we may have been naïve, eager, idealistic, recklessly open hearted, but we were somehow confident enough to dive into the waves of social and cultural change and keep swimming.

One thing you can say about our lives is that they took a crooked path. Looking back, one of us said, “We were a transitional generation of women.” Most of us have balanced family life with work, paid or volunteer. Those who pursued professions usually entered fields historically penetrated by American women such as education, nursing, social work, and the arts, but often pushed the limits that existed at the time. Some braved entry into the fiercely male private business sector and confronted discrimination as did those in the more “female” professions. In 1960, the women’s movement hadn’t reached girls like us. One of us who became a nurse had to quit work when her pregnant tummy made it so she couldn’t button her uniform. That became a metaphor for the way our lives as young women pushed up against barriers we hadn’t seen coming. We hit these barriers and fought them, so that the next wave of young women could really knock them down.

Beloved teachers

Two teachers especially have come up in our conversations. One was Janet Moore, who taught art on the third floor

in the studio with white walls and steep skylights. Maybe one reason so many— eight or nine of us—found work in the arts was because in her studio, we actually made things—built them out of clay or paper, string or wood. Her exams were a set-up for joyful efforts. She said that an exam should be your opportunity to do your best, so she put Edith Piaf on the record player and served strawberries and whipped cream while we painted enormous still lifes.

The other was our classmate Cathleen McCollom’s mother, Miriam, who taught dance and directed the Senior play. Presciently, she chose Jean Giraudoux’s La Folle de Chaillot (The Madwoman of Chaillot), about a trio of nutty French old lady aristocrats who, with the help of some riff-raff led by a Ragpicker, defeat an attempt by some millionaires to drill for oil near the Eiffel Tower and destroy Paris. From this play we adopted the name for our Zooms: Madwomen. The classmate who played “La Folle” is one of our steady participants.

Being 79 or 80

As “elderly ladies,” as one of us insists on putting it, we face a set of body-related challenges, that are not the sex, drugs, pregnancy type of our early days, but things that involve x-rays, walkers and eyedrops. When one of us says she runs three miles a day, no one doubts her, but no one attempts to compete with her either. We’ve got one classmate who

can stand on her head, another who can perform a yoga move called “The Swan,” one who goes ballroom dancing and one who can sail a fishing boat. Several of us are still working or volunteering. It’s pretty impressive.

But we share an awareness of what is coming, for the planet in general and for ourselves. One of us has a mother who is 103. Another has a partner, a man who was the love of her life, who is slowly descending into Alzheimer’s. She told us how she invited some of his old friends over for dinner, suddenly found herself looking at him through their eyes, and got a reality check about how far down the road he had gone. We listen but then we all talk about it together.

The answers to the question, “How are you doing?” can range from travel plans to surgeries. We don’t pretend.

There is a sense in the group that our gathering will go on indefinitely. So far, we haven’t skipped a one, not even on Christmas Eve, when many of us who said they couldn’t make it turned up anyway. Intimacy, at our age, turns out to be pretty simple: One of us said, “Everyone has a need to belong, to be appreciated, to feel happy, and to laugh. I always feel better after our Zooms than I did before.” There is a lot of talk about the disintegration of community in our society. We created a community out of a long-ago shared experience. It is an exciting one.

ALUMNAE SPOTLIGHT

FIRST LEGO League Inspires Middle School Students to Excel in Programming & Innovation

Laurel has always put a heavy emphasis on STEMrelated curriculum and has worked hard over the years to provide a bevy of offerings that empower students to embrace learning and to thrive in science and math.

So it came as no surprise when in 2018, four Sixth Graders came together with an interest to learn more about robotics. Their passion in this space, along with the excitement and drive of Sarah McKeown, Middle School Computer Science Teacher and Instructional Design and Innovation Specialist, led to the launch of Laurel’s FIRST LEGO League (FLL) team. The group affectionately refers to themselves as The Science Sisters. This small but mighty team was dedicated to the Battlebots Competition, a local robotics competition open to Fourth-Eighth Graders.

“I had heard about FIRST LEGO League but I knew it would be a huge commitment for the kids,” said Mrs. McKeown. “The truth is—I knew these kids were ready, capable, and up for the challenge. I reached out to their families and explained the program and we hit the ground running!”

That first team ignited a passion for robotics and saw huge success in competition, including a win in the Core Values category, which led to competition at Districts and then at States. The success of the FIRST LEGO League team has continued, garnering interest from new Middle School students. Now in its fourth year, The Science Sisters are still learning, growing, competing and having a blast!

FIRST LEGO League’s Core Values:

DISCOVERY: We explore new skills and ideas.

INNOVATION: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.

IMPACT: We apply what we learn to improve our world.

INCLUSION: We respect each other and embrace our differences.

TEAMWORK: We are stronger when we work together.

FUN: We enjoy and celebrate what we do!

What Makes a Successful Robotics Team?

Since its launch, Laurel’s Middle School Robotics Team members have all worked together as a team to achieve success. Mrs. McKeown commented that, “Teams are most successful when they focus on FIRST’s core values, which are the foundation of FLL. The judges always want students to put the core values at the center of everything they do and they look for ways in which teams exemplify these values.”

Core values aside, teams that work well together and complement one another’s strengths typically shine. In fact, teamwork is a major coal for the group. “Working together on a team with varying personalities can be tricky,” said Mrs. McKeown. “I love to watch teams handle varying opinions and ideas while still operating out of gracious professionalism.”

Gracious Professionalism—a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the values of others, and respects individuals and the community, is another key component of FLL competitions. The term comes directly from their vision and mission, something Mrs. McKeown works hard to instill in the girls she works with.

Laurel girls are no strangers to understanding the importance of resilience in everything they do and robotics is no different. Teams must be resilient when they program their robot on the Robot Game Table. There are so many variables that could go wrong when programming. The process takes a great deal of trial and error, and perseverance. “These are valuable skills and life lessons they will carry with them,” Mrs. McKeown said. “Robotics just allows the team to hone these skills and prepare to take on future challenges.”

New Year, New Theme

Each year the FLL is presented with a different theme. “We have had themes of space, cities, sports, and now cargo,” said Mrs. McKeown. “The goal is to take real-world problems and create a real-world solution.”

This year the main objective is to identify a specific problem related to making the transportation journey of products better. Our focus is specifically on how a package gets into the home of a person with disabilities or for a person who might live alone and require assistance with a heavy or awkwardly-shaped package. In the Fall the team met virtually with iBOT by Mobius Mobility to learn more about their unique wheelchair technology, which enables wheelchair bound people to have increased mobility on stairs and uneven terrain.

The team took what they learned from iBOT and developed a similar product that would allow people to move packages up and down stairs with ease. While it is iBOT inspired, the team made tweaks to the design so the package could sit on the base of the Smart Cart and somehow be strapped in for security.

“In order to create our prototype, we needed to understand the mechanics that went into the original iBOT,” said Mrs. McKeown. “We reached out to Mobius Mobility who was very excited to work with us and very responsive. We had a Zoom meeting where we were able to see the iBot in action and learn all about the mechanics. Their guidance really helped our team press ahead with our own innovative ideas.”

The guidance from iBOT coupled with the team's own ingenuity and perseverance led to some fantastic results at the Regional Competition, which took place virtually in January 2022. In fact, The Science Sisters took an impressive 1st place award for the best innovative project in the competition. For the robot game the team was asked to program missions to be completed on the mission table and the team took 4th place out of 24 teams! Their hard work earned them a spot at the District Tournament where they won the Core Values award, which focuses on keeping discovery, impact, fun, innovation, inclusion, and teamwork at the center of all they do. The team also scored big on the mission table, advancing them to the State competition. The State competition was the end of the Sisters’ journey this year but we look forward to what this young Middle School team will bring in the future.

Once a Science Sister, Always a Science Sister

“First Lego League has been super fun so far. I have learned more about programming and have had lots of time to bond with the other members of the team. We all have become really good friends.” — Sophia Novak ‘28

“FIRST LEGO League is an amazing experience, encouraging girls to express their interest in STEM and Robots. But it is not just a robot...it is a collection of LEGO bricks that make up the mind of a brilliant piece of machinery.” —Ruby

Floyd ‘28

“This season is my first season on the team. We have had a lot of fun and interesting experiences as a team this year! We were able to meet with Mobius Mobility, the company that makes iBot, since their technology has similar wheel mechanics to our project. That experience was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot from it! Learning to program was also a lot of fun.”

—Claire Witalec ‘28

The Science Sisters L

The Science Sisters have an undeniable bond. Their passion for robotics and programming is evident in the amount of time—both inside and outside of school—that they put in to succeed. “This group is so special because they have created a family-like atmosphere,” said Mrs. McKeown. “Once you are a Science Sister, you are always a Science Sister. The students who started the team have now graduated into Ninth Grade and VEX Robotics. But, in keeping with the family dynamic, they are now the 'elders' who support the team and come back to help current members. This group makes everyone feel welcome and makes everyone feel like they belong. They are a really special group. They are very passionate about robotics and care deeply about their work and one another.”

“I have been doing FIRST LEGO League since Sixth Grade, and it is such an incredible experience. One of the things I love is that it is not just programming a robot. The competition pushes you to be creative and think about the world in entirely new ways. We have to work together as a team to solve problems and come up with innovative solutions.”

—Leah Marie Stephany ‘26

“I have been part of FIRST LEGO League since I was in Sixth Grade and this year is my last year eligible for the competition. It has really helped me grow as a person in many different ways and I have had many great experiences on the team. It has taught me teamwork, creativity, professional speaking skills, and so much more. I hope that even more students will get to have the same incredible opportunities I have had participating in FLL.”

—Amelia Bravo ‘26

Junior Chapel

As in each past November, its year’s Junior Class gathered in the gym for a special assembly held in their honor. Class members vote on which faculty member they would like to give a special address about their class. This year the Class of 2023 selected Lisa Lauria, Upper School mathematics teacher and Eleventh Grade Level Leader. Below are excerpts from her speech, which beautifully captured the essence of this remarkable class.

Ihave had the privilege of teaching many of you as Ninth and Tenth Graders and have gotten to know many of you as your Grade Level Leader these past three months. You are a group of students who are caring, compassionate and genuinely supportive of each other, as you navigate both the challenges and the joys of being a Junior in high school during a global pandemic.

When you entered the Upper School in the fall of 2019 as Ninth Graders, Laurel, the field of education, and the world looked very different. You were adapting to high school and all the expectations that come with it as well as adjusting to new schedules, friends, and opportunities. Many of you participated in the Halloween Costume Contest, bonding with your big sisters, and looking forward to the second quarter of your Ninth-Grade year. You were beginning to feel more comfortable in the Upper School. You successfully completed your first and possibly last set of mid-term exams, which were frightening for many of you. You experienced your first Winter Concert where you joined in with the rest of the students in the Upper School and sang traditional songs such as "Let There Be Peace on Earth", "Somewhere in My Memory", and the "Alma Mater" Your class performed songs from the Generations

of Music at your first Class Song Contest, with this very gym filled to capacity with alumnae and faculty cheering you on. Socializing with your friends, attending school dances, stressing over grades, assessments and participating in extracurricular activities such as athletics, Speech and Debate, theater and clubs filled your days. You didn’t even mind it that much when Ms. Hacala and I constantly reminded you to be quiet in the hallway outside M222, the “quiet study hall”, then where students gathered to study or take assessments.

March 12, 2020, was the last day of “normal school” at Laurel due to the Coronavirus pandemic. We left for Spring Break hoping to return to school in three or four weeks, adopting School@Home strategies and truly believing it was a temporary change in our daily lives of teaching and learning. Little did we know how very different the future would be.

Fast forward to today, November 18, 2021. The day that the Laurel community officially recognizes you as “Upper Classwomen” and future leaders of the school. Here we are in the Tippit Gym, gathered as a class with family and friends joining us in-person while others are streaming this very ceremony. Today we get to celebrate how special, amazing, unique,

and resilient the Class of 2023 is. You are a group of young people who are MORE than resilient. Let me explain what I mean. According to the MerriamWebster Dictionary, “resilience is defined as an ability to recover from or adjust to misfortune or change.”

You began your Sophomore year of high school learning remotely from home or in a designated classroom here at school because the pandemic was still rampant and necessary precautions were called for. I remember wondering and worrying how we all would adapt to this way of teaching and learning, and how we all would manage. As a natural “worrier,” I was concerned about so many things that sometimes I just wanted to cry. Things were not perfect, but your class adjusted. You masked up, maintained social distancing, cleaned your spaces and did your best to maintain your friendships, and most importantly, of course, your studies. Some of you really enjoyed learning in your pajamas, while others needed to be in school with a set routine. I recall meeting many of you for the first time on Zoom and being surprised how tall or short you were when I finally met you in person. Truthfully, your optimism in those computer classrooms is what buoyed me and other faculty and staff here at Laurel to keep doing our jobs.

Your desire to learn and maintain a sense of normalcy inspired me both personally and professionally. THAT is resilience! You adjusted to change and did so with a sense of purpose and optimism and it was contagious! We all looked forward to the 2021-2022 school year.

As you began your Junior year this

polite, and enthusiastic, and you share a deep sense of community. Your teachers and I think you are determined, inclusive, passionate, reliable, perseverant, deep thinking, hardworking, and so very, very talented. Albert Einstein once said, “Not everything that can be counted, counts, and not everything that counts

Truthfully, your optimism in those computer classrooms is what buoyed me and other faculty and staff here at Laurel to keep doing our jobs. Your desire to learn and maintain a sense of normalcy inspired me both personally and professionally.

past fall, the school experience was normalized a bit more. We returned to traditions like the fall dance, the Halloween Costume contest, competitive sports, field trips and desks that were now three feet apart instead of six. Even though some of your classmates and teachers left Laurel, you were energized by beginning the school year “normally,” welcoming new faculty and classmates warmly and openly. You were determined to have a fantastic Junior Year, and you are well on your way to doing so. As a class you have identified yourselves as energetic, bold, funny, tight-knit, helpful,

can be counted.” You have rearranged the priorities we all thought were so dire and important and reinforced those that matter most, community and belonging, by being a caring, compassionate group of students who truly do want to better the world.

THAT is resilience! Maybe the dictionary should redefine resilience as Laurel School’s Class of 2023.

I look forward to what you will do as future leaders of this community, our country and the world. THANK YOU!

L

YEARS

ADVENTURE AWAITS...

Adventure Girls

HAPPY TENTH ANNIVERSARY, ADVENTURE GIRLS!

Happy 10th anniversary to Adventure Girls, an after-school program started in 2012 by Shannon Lukz, (Fourth Grade teacher), and Chuck Allen, (Physical Education Teacher), for Laurel girls in Grades 3-7. What began as a program to increase fitness, promote outdoor exploration and activity, and encourage risk-taking, has become a favorite for Laurel girls. Although it appears to be all fun and games, Adventure Girls builds on the importance of resilience as girls develop. The goal of each adventure is to push girls to take risks and to build the skills needed to deal with whatever life might throw at them—whether in the classroom or outside of Laurel. Adventure Girls also focuses on fostering relationships across grade levels and offers the opportunity for older participants to build leadership skills that will serve them well down the road.

From tackling the 16-element Project Adventure Course at the Butler Campus to snowshoeing and even rock climbing, Laurel girls have thoroughly enjoyed 10 years of adventure! Here’s to many more fun adventures ahead!

L

Adventure Girls

YEARS

Risk, Resilience, Reward:

A VIRTUAL SERIES ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP LED BY LAUREL ALUMNAE EXPERTS

This school year the Alumnae Association proudly offered a four-part virtual series featuring inspirational stories and advice from trailblazing Laurel alumnae entrepreneurs. Motivated by the number of alums who have dreamed and dared to start their own businesses, the goals for the series were twofold: to highlight, for other alumnae and students, the paths taken by these role models and to encourage female entrepreneurship.

The pandemic made the topic even more timely with side hustles on the rise and millions of women leaving traditional jobs to find other ways to advance their careers. An important takeaway from the series is that developing an entrepreneurial mindset can benefit anyone, not just those thinking of starting their own business.

Here are 10 other top tips we learned from our presenters:

1. Entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviors (such as curiosity, creativity and resilience) aren’t necessarily inherent, but they can be developed. Cultivate them now, so that when an opportunity arrives, you will be ready.

2. Develop a passion for solving problems. However, don’t try to sell a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist—listen to what your customers’ pressure points are.

3. The most successful entrepreneurs don’t actually have, on average, better ideas, they just have many more. So it’s important to be good at failing, managing the downside of risk and learning from mistakes until you find what works.

4. Acknowledge that fear around doing something new is normal. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. You get to choose whether or not you’ll let fear/discomfort stop you or simply come along for the ride.

5. Know your why; it can keep you going when progress feels tough.

6. Build relationships with other entrepreneurs. The best way to connect with investors is through other founders of companies, especially those who have already made money for the investors.

7. Start raising money before you need it, as the process can often take 6-9 months after an introduction to an investor. Raising capital is like dating—investors want to see if an entrepreneur is loyal, reliable and hits the milestones they have in place before supporting them.

8. Be intentional about building relationships. Go about every interaction genuinely—if you’re passionate about what you are doing, you can express that to others without “overselling.” Remember, you are always planting seeds and never know when you will harvest the crops.

9. People generally want to help others, so don't be afraid to reach out. The answer will always be “no” if you don’t ask.

10. And finally, get out there, even if you don’t feel ready yet!

Did you miss any of the events? Watch the recordings under Past Events at alumlc.org/LaurelSchool. Click “register” and then “join event.”

• Is Entrepreneurship For You?

• Mindset: How to Think Like an Entrepreneur

• The Finances of Entrepreneurship

• Networking

THANK YOU TO THE PRESENTERS OF Risk, Resilience, Reward

(Lefttorightbyrow)

Lyn Butler ’68 | Founder and CEO of Still Standing

Cynthia Benjamin ’81 | Co-Founder and CEO of Together Senior Health

Elizabeth Bernier Lamont ’84 | Founder and CEO of Salient Care LLC

Neeti Sundaresh ’95 | Co-Founder of Granovsky & Sundaresh PLLC

Carey Jaros ’96 | CEO of GOJO Industries

Suzy Hile Niemann’97 | Founder of Kenmore Consulting

Maia Hunt-Ledford Rucker ’97 | President of the Laurel School Alumnae Association

Ann Auletta Konkoly ’99 | Founder of Authentic Koaching

Nichelle McCall Browne ’01 | Founder of Bold Startups

Jamie Taylor ’02 | Founder of the Black Golf Directory and JT Mobile Training

Noelle Bonner ’06 | CEO and Principal of Bonner Communications and Founder of TheNOBO

Mitali Rakhit ’08 | Co-Founder and CEO of GUARDARA

Dorothy Illson Hollabaugh ’09 | Founder of Needle’s Eye Media

Alison Leddy ’11 | Founder and CEO of Bust A Move

Olivia Wenzel ’20 | Founder and CEO of AltruTec

LAUREL INK

Unstoppable:ForgingaPathto MotherhoodintheEarlyDaysofIVF

A Memoir by Ellen Weir Casey ’67

River Grove Press/Greenleaf Book Group (Available on Amazon)

Unstoppable is a first-hand account of a patient’s experience as she entered an in vitro fertilization program in 1982. As the mother of one of the first in vitro babies, Ellen Weir Casey shares her very personal story of perseverance in achieving her dream of motherhood. As she states in her Author’s note:

“I believe women today should know the stories of the women who went before them, not so very long ago. These were pioneering women who startled convention by questioning authority, who did their own research, made their own decisions, talked about difficult, taboo subjects, and paved the way for you, the brave, independent-thinking, goal-driven females whom we so respect and value today.” Ellen credits much of her success in life to Laurel “where it was engrained in me to always believe in myself and make my own decisions.”

We love to hear from alumnae authors who are publishing new books. Please contact alumnae@LaurelSchool.org

BILL & LYNN ONDREY GRUBER ‘73

LYNN ONDREY GRUBER ’73 RECALLS, WITH APPRECIATION AND GRATITUDE, HER LAUREL SCHOOL EXPERIENCE.

“LAUREL CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF MY LIFE,” SHE SAID.

Coming from a mostly blue-collar community with little economic, religious, or racial diversity, Lynn credits Laurel for opening her eyes to new ideas, life options and career paths. She came to Laurel in Ninth Grade thanks in large part to a scholarship grant from a generous donor. Living in Brecksville, Lynn was able to go home on the weekends, but happily remained a “dormie” with soon-to-be lifelong best friend Paula Hedges Bell ’73 during the week.

Her Laurel education helped widen her perspective on the world as she enjoyed a broad range of classes like Mrs. Hines’ art history class, Ms. Lackner’s Spanish class, and Mr. Upton’s world religion class. Thoughtful and engaged teachers helped inquisitive young women like Lynn and her classmates push their boundaries and expand their world of possibilities. Now, Lynn and her husband, Bill, want to give back and help make a life changing Laurel education possible for others.

The Grubers recently established The Ondrey Gruber Family Giving Fund in “honor of Lynn’s sister, Sharon Ondrey, an English teacher and an amazing soul, who died too young of breast cancer.”

Specifically, they wish to provide an opportunity to Latina girls who might consider Laurel, as a way to also honor their own children whom they adopted from Colombia and all the children and young adults in Cleveland’s Latino community with whom they have worked for more than 30 years.

Lynn and Bill made this generous decision to help as Laurel works to “develop in each girl the analytical, intellectual and moral tools they’ll need to wisely make their many decisions ahead...to live a meaningful, productive and happy life.” And, while the lucky recipients may no longer have the need to “sneak stuff past Timber, the housemother,” as Lynn and Paula tried and tried (unsuccessfully, she notes!), may they find the similar joy and happiness dancing, singing, and living amongst “these dear walls.”

We are deeply grateful to Lynn and Bill for their thoughtful generosity in support of the next generation of Laurel girls! Thanks to devoted alumnae like Lynn, and those who came before, Laurel continues to provide a strong foundation upon which girls build their bright futures.

LEGACY FOR LAUREL

ELAINE “LAINIE” GRASSELLI HADDEN ‘49

Vivacious and visionary, Laine Grasselli Hadden was a force to be reckoned with and known throughout Cleveland for her intelligence, quick wit, and captivating public speaking ability. Lainie was often thought of as Cleveland’s premiere lobbyist. As a prominent civic leader and philanthropist, Lainie never stopped working for the causes she held dear as evidenced by the number of leadership positions she held over her lifetime.

In addition to serving on the boards of Case Western Reserve University and The United Way of Greater Cleveland, she served as President of the Hanna Perkins School, the Cleveland Center of Research and Child Development, The Junior League of Cleveland, Inc., and Playhouse Square Association. Perhaps most notably, Lainie was instrumental in the revitalization of Playhouse Square Center—without Lainie, there would be no State, Ohio or Palace Theaters today.

To Laurel’s great good fortune, the school held a special place in Lainie’s heart, and she was a dedicated and generous alumna. In 1986, Lainie received Laurel’s Distinguished Alumna Award for her outstanding and influential work in the volunteer sector.

Lainie loved her time at Laurel and cherished the friendships she made both as a student and later through her volunteer service. When Lainie passed away in September 2019, her great generosity to Laurel continued with a Legacy for Laurel estate gift that supported not only the annual Laurel Fund, but also the Laurel Cares Fund, which helped current Laurel families impacted during the pandemic who needed unexpected tuition assistance. A portion of her bequest also was directed to capital projects to enhance “these dear walls” that Lainie cherished.

Membership in Legacy for Laurel is extended to all alumnae, parents, parents of alumnae, faculty and friends who make a provision in their estate plans to benefit the School.

For more information about joining Legacy for Laurel contact Maegan Ruhlman Cross ‘03, Director of Development, at mCross@LaurelSchool.org or 216.455.3031.