Laurel School's Highlights Magazine: Winter 2014

Highlights

A MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNAE, PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF LAUREL SCHOOL

Winter 2014 COVER STORY Forty Shades of Green: Laurel’s Literary Tour of the Emerald Isle

INSIDE Cultivating Resilience: Stories from Lyman and Butler to Around the World

PLUS Annual Report, Alumnae Weekend and Class News

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

- MARGARET MEAD

Your support makes Dream.Dare.Do. a reality for our girls.

THREE SIMPLE WORDS THAT MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. e Dream. Dare. Do. spirit makes great things happen at Laurel School.

And so does the Laurel Fund.

Making a gift to the Laurel Fund is the single most important way you can invest in Laurel School. Your participation supports the School’s highest priority - our girls (and a few lucky little boys) - and your generosity ensures the unrivaled educational experience they enjoy every day.

Share in the spirit and support the dreams and aspirations of each Laurel student by making your gift to the 2013-2014 Laurel Fund today.

Make your gift online at http://www.LaurelSchool.org/Giving For more information, please contact: Teri Howe Director of Annual Giving 216.455.3031 tHowe@LaurelSchool.org

LAUREL FUND 2013 - 2014

Dream.Dare.Do.

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In this Issue I Want Girls to Know ............................................... 4

Making a Difference...............................................21

A message from Ann V. Klotz

Eleanor Bold ’11 carries lessons learned at Laurel to help empower the people of Ecuador

Forty Shades of Green............................................. 6

An alumnae literary and historical journey to Ireland Facing History and Ourselves...................................10

Engaging educators in a shared experience of what it means to be human Girl Rising.............................................................12

One girl with courage is a revolution and a global movement for girls’ education that can drive change Commencement Speech 2013.................................14

Claire O’Donnell-McCarthy ’13 faces the unknown The Wandering Poet...............................................18

Naomi Shihab Nye inspires the Laurel community during a two-day visit

The Seventh Grade Dig...........................................24

Lessons in Resilience Where are all the Millenial Feminists?........................26

Hannah Weinberger ’09 searches for answers about feminism and gender equity among her peers Building a Foundation for Greatness.........................29

Science teacher Brian Carpenter instills a passion for learning and discovering new experiences Always a Laurel Girl............................................... 30

Alumnae Weekend 2013 in pictures Class News........................................................... 33 In Memoriam........................................................ 60 Legacy for Laurel.................................................105

2012-2013 Laurel School Annual Report.....................................................................................................65-104

HIGHLIGHTS WINTER 2014 1

PAGE HEADER

MISSION STATEMENT

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

HIGHLIGHTS WINTER 2014 HEAD OF SCHOOL Ann V. Klotz DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS Deborah Farquhar Jones EDITORS Caroline Kruse, Director of Community Relations Julie Donahue ’79, Director of Alumnae Relations CLASS NEWS EDITOR Maegan Ruhlman ’03, Alumnae Coordinator DESIGN AND LAYOUT Impel Creative PHOTOGRAPHY Julie Donahue, Stephen Crompton, Roger Mastroianni, Kimberly Torda PRESIDENT, ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION Martha Walter Royan ’71 CHAIR, BOARD OF TRUSTEES Kenneth C. Moore Highlights is published by Laurel School for alumnae, parents and friends.

Submit class news updates and address changes to the Development Office at 866.277.3182 or classnews@LaurelSchool.org.

Laurel School is an independent day school for girls, Kindergarten through Grade 12, with coeducational programs for three- and four-year-olds. 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.

CORE VALUES In a community of learners, Laurel girls are courageous, ethical and compassionate, ready for the complicated world they will inherit.

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Laurel Girls Aim High! Photo: circa 1930

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The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

—Eleanor Roosevelt HIGHLIGHTS WINTER 2014 3

A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL, ANN V. KLOTZ

I Want Girls to Know…

Women teaching girls. Girls teaching women. In her talk on Saturday evening of the Center for Research on Girls Symposium, Carol Gilligan, holding an audience of more than 200 rapt in the Multipurpose Room, tells the story of the Laurel-Harvard Study that she conducted with colleagues at Laurel from 1986 to 1990.

Clad in a tunic and leggings, her wonderful wild hair unbound, Carol mesmerizes me with her power, her courage. A quarter of a century ago, she encouraged girls and women to say what we see and to know what we know.

She listened to our girls’ voices and, with her researchers, recognized and valued those voices. Sitting next to Hattie, a participant in the study, I try to imagine all she might be feeling, reliving her girlhood in Carol’s story. I consider the power and value of all of our stories.

I swim in feelings, awed that Carol is here, that Laurel is the school in which she did such important work. I have the sense that this moment is without compare. Carol asks us the same questions she asked of teachers at Laurel 25 years ago, “For women teaching girls, what do you think it is important for girls to know?”

To know. Once, education was about acquiring knowledge. A liberal arts education still remains an enormous privilege, but today, school is much less about learning facts or events or content. Discernment has replaced acquisition. With the click of a button, we can discover much of what we want to know, but to manage that flood of information is a skill that requires sharp critical thinking, the ability to judge credibility, to assess bias. We go to school to learn to think, not to learn content, though. Certain content makes us feel in control, makes it easier for us to learn other concepts. Certain skills continue to feel non-negotiable and happen over time through practice. Knowing how to speak another language, for example, to find the poetry in mathematics, to bring a spirit of inquiry to science, to build an argument in history and to write a compelling essay in English—those accomplishments are valuable. And I am old-fashioned enough that I also want girls to know some poetry by heart to comfort them in difficult times.

So, then, as Headmistress, what else do I want our Laurel girls to know? The list, I find, is long.

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I want them to know that the mission of our school, to inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world, asks them to develop a clear inner compass, a sense of character and ethics as well as intellect.

I want them to know to trust their voices as sources of power and inspiration.

I want them to know about the components of resilience we are teaching through CRG: growth mindset, creativity, purpose, self-care and relationship and how these can sustain us.

I want them to know how to tolerate frustration.

I want them to know that being able to adapt, to be flexible, to collaborate, to change direction is more important than being right. But, I want them to know, too, that there are times when it’s important to take a stand, not to yield.

I want them to know the difference.

I want them to know that a truly well-bred woman speaks to everyone in the same tone of voice.

I want them to know the difference between want and need, the difference between their own aspirations and those that society expects of them.

Ann Klotz (left), is pictured with psychologist and author Carol Gilligan (center) and Lisa Damour, who is the director of the Center for Research on Girls at Laurel School. Gilligan was the keynote speaker during CRG’s biennial symposium.

I WANT GIRLS TO KNOW

and that we’ve gained too little ground in 50 years—too I want them to many women, with the same education and experience as know that risk men are paid less than those men. them to know that getting mad is not irreparable can be worthwhile; andI want that sometimes we have to get angry in order to bring about change. failure can teach I want them to know that they can make a difference if us. It is not the elected to office and that some of them MUST take that risk.

I want them to know that lots of good ideas come from poor decision daydreams and experiments; there are often multiple good solutions for complicated dilemmas. or the mistake I want them to know that education is the way out of that defines us; poverty and that education for girls is a critical global issue.

I want them to know about money. character is I want them to know how to do practical things—use power tools, change a tire, cope with technology—so that forged through they do not feel helpless, but I also want them to know there is no shame in calling a mechanic or a plumber or tech support. what we learn I want them to know their health matters, to be proactive from mistakes. about breast exams and pap smears and to encourage their

I want them to know that talk is cheap and that actions really do speak louder than words.

I want them to know empathy and that respect for all people is worth fighting for.

I want them to know their own education matters, that when they are struggling in a course, the struggle, itself, has value. Through struggle, we know persistence and, sometimes, satisfaction.

I want them to know how to dream big, to be bold, unafraid, daring, entrepreneurial.

I want them to know that risk can be worthwhile; failure can teach us. It is not the poor decision or the mistake that defines us; character is forged through what we learn from mistakes.

I want them to know the value of hard work and that sometimes you really do get points for showing up.

I want them to know that it’s not a weakness to ask for help or find more resources in order to persevere.

I want them to know that grades and GPA’s and SAT scores are not, ultimately, indicative of how smart they are, that they won’t always have to be good at things they don’t like; in their lives and careers, most of them will be able to focus on their strengths.

I want them to know that in their relationships—the ones they choose—they must not do all the emotional work; in real partnerships, that work is shared.

I want them to know that each of them is lovable.

I want each one of them to know that what she weighs and the size of her jeans is not nearly as important as the culture tries to make it seem.

I want them to know that we feel better, sometimes, when it’s not all about us, when we occupy ourselves on behalf of others—taking care of young children or pets or reading to the elderly or volunteering for an organization whose mission resonates, but I don’t want them to spend their lives caring for others without thinking about themselves.

I want them to know that feminism is not a dirty word, that equity is what so many of our own mothers fought for

friends and mothers to do the same.

I want them to know about how to restore themselves, how to take the time to do things that bring joy, solace: reading for pleasure, yoga, knitting, baking, keeping a journal, running.

I want them to know they are not alone, that this school can be a refuge long after they are graduated, that they are connected to women who went before them. Learning never ends.

I feel grateful to Carol Gilligan for inspiring me to consider all I want our girls to know. I am grateful, too, that her return to our school prompts me to re-read Meeting at the Crossroads, to question, to consider the patterns into which we all fall into and to feel brave enough to ask her questions to myself, to our teachers and to our girls. At Laurel, we do not have all the answers, but we are interested in the questions and in listening to the many voices we encourage to participate in the conversation.

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“The Lake Isle of Innisfree”

by William Butler Yeats

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made; Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

Forty Shades

of

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Green

BY JEANNE STEPHENS

ALUMNAE CONNECTIONS

same rich learning experience the students had.

And that included some homework! Those who were able to attended an evening course complete with syllabus and recommended reading. One night a month for the six months leading up to our departure in June, we met to discuss literature of the Irish Renaissance, beginning

Claudia Boatright

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his poem is a perennial favorite in the unit on Irish literature in my Senior English class. Moved by the history and literature, some students asked about doing their Senior Project in Ireland. Just a few months later, in May 2011, I accompanied sixteen Seniors to Galway, Sligo and Dublin.

Before and after that trip, many colleagues and young alumnae told me how much they wished they’d had an opportunity to experience a similar adventure. This got me thinking: what if I planned a trip solely for teachers, staff and alumnae? Would it fly? The answer is a resounding yes.

But it certainly would not have happened without the whole-hearted support of two individuals: Ann Klotz and an alumna who several years ago gave an anonymous and generous gift for faculty/staff summer travel to encourage life- and curriculum-enriching experiences. Ultimately sixteen current teachers and staff were able to travel with us, and as I’d hoped, our merry band of 40 travelers, ages 18 and up, represented current and retired faculty and staff, alumnae and parents of alumnae.

When I took the Seniors to Ireland, it was a capstone experience for them. Most of the group had studied Irish history and literature in my class, so they were eager for a pilgrimage to the land of William Butler Yeats and James Joyce. Ireland is a hauntingly beautiful country whose history is visible in its dramatic landscapes, pre-historic monuments, Celtic forts, ancient abbeys, Norman towers and Elizabethan castles. Viewing the land and the sites made history come alive and helped the students understand the forces—natural, cultural, religious, and political—that produced some of the greatest writers in the English language, whose work is intensely local yet universal in its ability to move us.

I wanted the 2013 trip to be another literary and historical journey, with the adults having the

The hearty group of Irish travelers await the ferry ride to Inishmore, the largest of the Aran Islands.

with Yeats’ romantic celebration of an Irish identity distinct from Britain. In addition to using Yeats’ work as a lens through which to view the turbulent years of the early twentieth century, we read political plays by Sean O’Casey and short stories by James Joyce. Travelers who lived far from Lyman Circle could visit the website I created with notes on Irish history and background on the writers and texts I suggested.

After each class, I posted my PowerPoint presentations and film clips, along with additional recommended reading and films.

Besides experiencing the pleasure of learning and talking with one another, those who were able to come to class had the opportunity to meet and establish friendships before we embarked on our trip. Older alumnae connected with teachers who had taught them and with young women who had recently graduated. They learned about Laurel in the present day. Parents whose daughters HIGHLIGHTS WINTER 2014 7

ALUMNAE CONNECTIONS

cruised Lough Gill and came within a stone’s throw of the Lake Isle of Innisfree.

One of my favorite moments was at our own Irish “ceili,” the Gaelic word for a social gathering celebrating music.

Marisa Green ’00 led her sisters, Rachel ’05 and Alex ’09, and Katie Norchi ’12 in a song she composed Senior year at Laurel to the Yeats poem As I watched our group form friendships, talk intently her “He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven.” Katie with one another about each day’s experiences, and sang “Down by the Salley Gardens,” a Yeats song she is preparing at the New England bask in the forty shades of green so far from home, Conservatory. Accompanied by music teacher I saw clearly how travel bolsters resilience.

Barb Lang on the tin whistle she had purchased at one of our many stops, we serenaded our tour director and bus driver with witty lyrics and this trip immeasurably strengthened ties. The bonding created by Marilyn Hopkins Langmack ’63 and her started in the classroom but accelerated once we reached husband, Chris, to the tune “Molly Malone.” The group Ireland and began to share experiences such as looking was on a roll at that point, and we went on to sing “Danny down at the choppy Atlantic Ocean from the 700-foot Boy” and then “Jerusalem,” a classic that Laurel alumnae Cliffs of Moher or hearing the poetry of Yeats recited as we

A typical misty day in the land of 40 shades of green 8 LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

Megan Weiskopf

graduated years ago returned to school and sat in the same classroom where I taught their girls. Bonds formed between the various constituent and age groups and between teachers and staff members who work in different parts of the building. Laurel prides itself on its sense of community,

Faculty emerita Claudia Boatright with some of her former students and other young alumnae

through travel encourages a sense of perspective that we can call on when we find ourselves frantically busy and stressed and preoccupied by our narrow daily existence. In “The Lake Isle of Innsifree,” Yeats proclaimed that even on the grey pavement of London, far away in time and space from his childhood summer home in his beloved county of Sligo, he could hear “in the deep heart’s core” the “lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore.” By exercising our imaginations, we 40 lucky travelers can recapture the exhilaration and soul-filling peacefulness of our sojourn in Ireland.

An educational trip showcases the kind of experiential learning that we strive to offer at Laurel, and it exemplifies the lifelong learning teachers hope to inspire. I feel so fortunate to have shared with 39 remarkable people a sense of wonder when we walked around Dun Aengus, a 3,000-year-old Celtic ring fort at the edge of a 300-foot cliff on the Aran island of Inishmore. I loved watching my new and old friends explore the lunar landscape and unique flora of the Burren on Ireland’s west coast. I never tired of

Claudia Boatright

have sung for generations. Sentiment reached its peak as we all stood and sang the Alma Mater. Few eyes were dry as a warm feeling of community enveloped us. If one goal was to bring alumnae, parents of alumnae and retired teachers back into the current community of Laurel, I can confidently assert that we achieved that goal.

Because of the 21st Century Athena study conducted by the Center for Research on Girls, we talk a lot at Laurel about the concept of resilience. Three of the components that make up resilience are purpose, relationships and self-care. As I watched our group form friendships, talk intently with one another about each day’s experiences, and bask in the forty shades of green so far from home, I saw clearly how travel bolsters resilience. For ten days, we escaped daily responsibilities and immersed ourselves in the joy of seeing an exquisitely beautiful country with historical sites that evoked reflection and introspection. Every single day we would take the time to be mindful of what we were Left: The Poulnabrone Dolmen, a portal tomb in the Burren, County Clare experiencing. We’d imagine what it would be like to be the Right: Bringing a little “Ohio” to Dun Aengus, a Bronze Age fort on Inishmore ancient inhabitants of Ireland who created extraordinary hearing exclamations over Connemara’s sueded mountains dotted with sheep. Over and over I saw a deep sense of contentment settle across our faces, and even now, months later, when two of us encounter one another, shared memories evoke smiles, and for a moment, it’s as if we’re back in Ireland. Rejuvenating and even transformative, a trip like ours reinforces the sense of community and love tombs to honor their dead or stone forts to protect the of learning that distinguish Laurel. I say, “A ligean ar é a living. As we toured the Famine Museum at Strokestown, dhéanamh arís!”—or as we say here—“Let’s do it again!” we were taken outside of ourselves to consider the lives of

Every single day we would take the time to be mindful of what we were experiencing.

those who perished of hunger or were put on coffin ships bound for North America. Studying history and literature

Upper School English teacher and Senior Class Dean Jeanne Stephens loves sharing her passion for Irish Literature.

HIGHLIGHTS WINTER 2014 9

Karen Moriarty

Claudia Boatright

FORTY SHADES OF GREEN

PAGE HEADER

Facing History

and Ourselves

I joined the faculty at Laurel in 2006, and in the summer after that year I attended my first Facing History and Ourselves seminar.

At the suggestion of my administrator and with the support of our then Chair of the Board, Anne Conway Juster ’80, I was invited to enroll in “The Holocaust and Human Behavior.”

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Roger Mastroianni

BY KIMBERLEY BUTLER, UPPER SCHOOL ENGLISH TEACHER ; COORDINATOR OF PERSPECTIVES

FEATURE STORY

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acing History and Ourselves is an organization that “combats racism, anti-Semitism and prejudice and nurtures democracy through educational programs worldwide” (www.facinghistory.org).

Like Laurel’s Perspectives: Power, Poverty and Privilege program, Facing History seminars make students and teachers aware of problematic inequities in our society and more importantly, teach us how to become active participants and agents of positive change. I knew what an incredible opportunity awaited me because I’d visited the website and browsed Facing History’s resources and collections, but I had absolutely no idea what an invaluable influence our work would have on my curricular development and my pedagogy; I had no idea what a profound effect that week would have on me as a human being.

When, on the third day, we were visited by a survivor named Joe Klein, I had an epiphany—I’d taken the day (and I am still taking the time to this day) to process his message, and I realized what mattered the most. Mr. Klein taught us about bravery, strength and resilience. About grief, forgiveness, and triumph. With tears, and even some humor, he taught us to embrace the single most important knowledge that we must ingrain in ourselves and engender in our students: what it means to be, and how to be, a human being. This is our job as teachers, as mentors, as parents, friends, and supporters of education.

At the end of the week, I reflected on my professional development. I had never been so exhausted, yet so energized, so elated, saddened, enlightened and even a little daunted by how much work we have to do to build and maintain the just societies our children so desire and deserve. I’d never been so hopeful, so angry, so clear in my thinking about the world and yet so confused about how we’ve become this world. I’d never felt so connected to other educators—from vastly different schools and communities, but all trying to achieve the same thing: enriching the lives and futures of our students for the better, while giving them the epic task of healing the world, and remembering to assign that duty with grace and empowerment. Facing History and Ourselves was never going to get rid of me. And, auspiciously, their Cleveland field office is 10 minutes from my house and directly on the route of my commute to school. It was meant to be.

So I returned to the classroom that fall, excited about the Facing History materials and practices that were fitting so seamlessly into my curriculum, thrilled that I could incorporate the ideas of equity and inclusion into units as disparate as ancient Greek plays and Victorian gothic novels.

My colleagues at Laurel and across Cleveland became ever more steadfast allies as we united in sharing resources, success stories and challenges.

Participating in that Facing History and Ourselves educator’s seminar was an intimate experience, as emotional as it was intellectual, and unique to the group attending; I feel the seminars are designed not only to provide us with essential ideas and tools for our teaching, but also to engage us educators in a shared experience, a communal discovery of what it means to be human.

How to be a human being. And, most importantly, the fact that this can be taught.

Now, six years, two more Facing History seminars and countless visits to the Cleveland office later, I think back to Mr. Joe Klein, and what he taught us. When I first started teaching 15 years ago I loved the sense of purpose and fulfillment that working with young people provides; but, it was through my experience with Facing History and Ourselves that my students have been finding and focusing their own resolute determination to be active participants —what Facing History calls Upstanders—in our collective goal to make a better world.

After seven years at Laurel, I find myself surrounded by colleagues and parents who share this collective goal in shaping our students’ world views by arming them with resilience, awareness, and empowerment. We are so fortunate to have this responsibility. When I remember my own experience as a student at Shaker Heights High School, I think of James Thornton, who taught me about theatre, art, music, and literature…but so much more. In honor of him, I ask you: do you remember a teacher who shaped the way you think about the world, who inspired you the most? What did she teach you? How did he do it? Think. Then, make it a goal to pass on what you learned, and be that influence for someone else. Teach.

I feel the seminars are designed not only to provide us with essential ideas and tools for our teaching, but also to engage us educators in a shared experience, a communal discovery of what it means to be human.

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REVIEW

GIRL RISING REVIEW BY CAROLINE VENIERO ’13

“One girl with courage is a revolution.”

What sounds like one of Laurel’s inspiring mission statements comes directly off the advertising material from one of the most popular new documentaries in the world: 10x10’s Girl Rising. The film, which Laurel sponsored at the 2013 Cleveland International Film Festival, holds a personal connection with the greater Laurel community. Girl Rising, directed by Richard Robbins, follows nine girls from across the globe as they try to overcome the odds and receive an education. The goal of the film centers on raising awareness about the issue of girls’ education.

The film itself is structured as follows: Girls from across the world were interviewed and eventually narrowed down to the nine shown. These nine girls quite literally come from all over the world, from Peru to Cambodia to India.

Each of the nine girls met with an author from her home country. The author then wrote a piece based on her girl’s experience. That piece provided the framework of the nine episodes presented. In between each piece, there is a brief transition that provides numbers and statistics about girls’ education worldwide. The facts are staggering. Girls’ education, the film reports, is one of the best investments available worldwide. A girl who is educated for an extra year past elementary school can earn approximately 20% more in her lifetime. She is also more likely to avoid early marriage. She is more likely to practice healthy habits that reduce the mortality of her children during the first years of life. She is more likely to educate her sons and daughters, providing a cycle of education worth fighting for. Now, while these stories are narrated by big names such as Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Selena Gomez, the stars of the movie are predominantly the girls themselves. Seven of the nine girls play themselves in moments that capture the 12 LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

difficulties they face while just trying to finish elementary or secondary school. Two girls, one of Egyptian and one of Afghani descent, could not portray themselves out of concern for their safety.

The film itself was incredibly riveting. The language in each story was absolutely beautiful. The cinematography and emotional connection were in perfect harmony. The film left the entire theater speechless at first. And then, all at once, the room was bursting with applause. But the movie’s merit does

Richard Robbins, director of Girl Rising, speaking to Upper School students in the Chapel

not simply come from its quality or the incredibly visceral connection it makes with the viewer. What makes this film truly outstanding is that it raises awareness, incites passion into the hearts and minds of viewers, and then concludes by showing what to do with that passion. After all, passion without action in some form achieves nothing and leaves girls of today no better off than before. Instead of inciting passion without action, the movie concludes by naming all of the philanthropic partners involved in the making of the film and how to donate to each of them. As the director reminded both Laurel students during his visit to our school and

moviegoers at the Cleveland film festival, the main obstacle to getting these girls the education they need is financial support. Lots of cultures, he mentioned, are open to the idea of educating their daughters, but find it difficult financially to educate both daughters and sons. It can be cultural influence that prevents girls from schooling, but, often, it is simply a lack of funds.

The film also concludes by suggesting that those viewers who can host a community, corporate, or campus screening. While hosting a viewing is quite an undertaking, the website (girlrising.com) provides lots of support and tips on how to have an effective screening that raises awareness for the cause and shows people how to best help girls all over the world.

As a proud supporter of both the film and the mission, Laurel has an obvious connection to Girl Rising. Think of our own mission statement that every Laurel girl can say by heart —“To inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world.” These words have resonated with students every passing year at Laurel. Quite honestly, though, bettering the world is a fairly

Sophie Schwartz ’13 made her directorial debut in the Cleveland International Film Festival The short film, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” was directed by Sophie and stars Charlotte Jones ’15. Several screenings of this movie about lost youth through a girl and her wardrobe took place at the Film Fest at Tower City Cinemas and a special screening was shown at the Akron-Summit County Public Library. Congratulations Sophie!

Charlotte Jones ’15

Emily Brett ’13, Addair Levine ’13, Ann Klotz, Richard Robbins, Sara Hollabaugh ’13 and Lindsey Majoros ’13

sizable endeavor. How does one actually achieve such meaningful change? Well, as it so happens, Girl Rising teaches us that each and every Laurel girl, past and present, does it every day. When we raise funds for girls in foreign countries, when we tutor inner city children, and when we educate ourselves we are empowering underprivileged girls and ourselves to fulfill our promises and better the world.

For more information on how to donate or how to host a private screening, visit girlrising.com.

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Photo credit: David Shoenfelt

COMMENCEMENT SPEECH

Good morning. Super-awesomecool classmates; patient; wise and understanding to a fault members of the faculty and staff; family members who both dread and celebrate our imminent departure, honored guests and trustees, I am humbled and quaking as I stand before you this morning as a representative of the class of 2013. And I have a few questions for you: know what is scary?

The unknown.

The unknown is why children find comfort in night-lights.

Because when everything goes dark, you can’t be 100% sure what is in your closet or under your bed. Then, over time we come to trust the fact that what we see before we turn off the lights is generally what is going to be there when we turn them back on. The unknown is why I thought I was going to puke the first time I came to Laurel as an enrolled student. There was this whole world that I didn’t understand, that I couldn’t trust.

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COMMENCEMENT SPEECH

A few months earlier, I had walked into Laurel, my meticulously planned outfit sticking out against a sea of plaid. About half the girls were a tiny bit too nice and the other half ignored me. I looked around, knowing I would enter this game late, if I started as a sophomore the following year. These girls could be my future classmates. I thought to myself , “Don’t mess this up, Claire.” I was scared out of my skin, not unlike this very moment. But when I look back on feeling intimidated, I realize the fear came because I saw the potential in this group of girls, and I was unable to open my mouth all day because I was awed by that potential.

That anxiety resurfaces now. Don’t worry; I am no longer seen as the new girl. Like any good colony—Vampires, Zombies, Laurel Girls—I am one of them now, and we are going to take over the world. No, the anxiety I feel now is familiar. Now, like then, I along with my classmates, am

thinking, “How will I fulfill my promise and better the world?” but—as happens most of the time—my thoughts were less eloquent. All I could think was, “What the heck am I gonna do with my life?” In fact, what will any of us sitting before you today, in our marshmallow ensembles of frosty white, DO? What we don’t want to do is waste our time.

While this question about “doing” resurfaces frequently I have many others. To be specific, I asked 28 questions of my classmates and the Upper School. Because 28 is the number of surveys that I created over the course of my three years at Laurel, often making use of my of go-to Google Doc habit.

I had the questions, and my classmates always seemed to have the answers. And, oh, how I love quantifiable data.

It is neater and cleaner than anything I could hope for in the real world. These questions and answers were easy. For example, 53% of my classmates voted for Western as the

We have all asked, and continue to ask lots of unanswerable “why” questions since we lost one of our beloved classmates. No one can offer a satisfactory answer.” about to be plunged into a new, unknown world—post Laurel! But I find comfort in this because this time it isn’t just me. It is all of us. This anxiety, however, is also mixed with excitement because that potential I saw in these girls will come to fruition in the next few decades, and I will get to watch my classmates be as awesome as I have always known they are.

Know what else is scary, though? Being told that you can achieve anything you set your mind to, in other words YET. Yes, if you are a Laurel girl, you know this word from pins, stickers, and song contest lyrics. Ms. Klotz has been ceaseless in her campaign. Of course, the scary part isn’t the encouragement; it is the implied effort that sits like a boulder, like an undone assignment left until midnight hours before it is due, an obstacle between you and what you want to achieve. As any of us can tell you, that can feel like a lot of pressure, even for our brains, which we know are more like muscles than like skeletons. (Don’t worry, I read those posters, Dr. Damour.)

For my Senior Project, I spent time in Washington, D.C. During a seminar, I was looking around at the adults, thinking about their careers, when I started to think about how I am going to plan the rest of my life. I started to do the math in my head. If I make the conservative estimate that I will live till 80, I think, “Well, I have 62 years left...” but that doesn’t sound like enough time. I would like to say that I was 16 LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

theme for winter formal last year. The ease with which these questions can be answered, I have learned, is the exception to the rule. Because there are some things that are qualitative, that numbers will never be able to express. Sometimes things break, sometimes things shatter.

We have all asked, and continue to ask lots of unanswerable “why” questions since we lost one of our beloved classmates.

No one can offer a satisfactory answer. What makes sense is our love for each other, our shared love for Jessica, and our appreciation for the strength this community—everyone in this room, everyone who loves us—offered as we learned to adapt to our new normal. We know this adjustment isn’t finished, but will continue. And while I know that remembering loss can bring forth difficult emotions, I did not think I could tell you about our class without bringing up an event that has shaped us as individuals and as a group.

But back to the questions. What makes us strong? Not Jessica’s absence but the ways in which we learned what is essential—not a grade on a particular test, not catty disagreements, not a single score of a single game. As a data lover, it both puzzles and pleases me that our collective sum is more than our individual parts. Hanging out in the Senior hallway, sorry faculty, we gravitated to similar locations each day, but we never hesitated to move closer to each other and, as the year ended, to spend time with everyone in the class.

Claire O’Donnell-McCarthy was the 2013 recipient of What makes us happy? Knowing that we have had time together in a school community that focused on that very growth mindset that YET is after—not just the mission, but the sense that we all have different goals, dreams, aspirations, but we thrive on helping each other attain those.

And that will continue after today’s ceremony concludes—with our class and with your classes.

In Washington, I asked the associate dean of the Foreign Service Institute how diplomats assimilate when they are posted to a new country. She explained that no matter who you are or in what profession, each person must take her happiness with her, whether this be held somewhere deep in your core, so that you can always use it, or, rather, held in a backpack so that wherever you go you stop and share your happiness with everyone. And when I look at all of my classmates who have made me so happy over the last three years I know that what makes each of us happy is like a finger print—no two people the same, not even Jess and Lisa. Some of us carry around old movies in those backpacks; others carry books, sports, the love of being outside, or the love of never having to go outside. Those are personal, individual. But there are collective moments, too, shared joy common to our Laurel experience: big/little sister challenge, chicken fajita day, clapping out teams headed for victory, winning Song Contest, the endless search for candy in every office, and Kindergarten girls giving each Senior a daisy.

As I began, I said two things were scary: the unknown and being told we can achieve anything we set our minds to. Despite this pressure and the anxiety these expectations can evoke, my classmates have shown me what it means to turn off the nightlight, face the dark, and trust.

Sophomore year, I ran for office thanking my class for making me feel so welcome. I am not running for anything today, but I am still awed by the potential I have come to know and love in my classmates, and I say once again to the Class of 2013, thank you. As we receive our diplomas, many of us may think we are not ready to graduate YET, but what has seemed a far off yet is now.

One deadline met. One obstacle surmounted— together… And that feels good. Thank you.

The John Thomson Scott Grant for Study in History and Government. Claire shadowed Pamela Bates, Class of 1984, at the State Department’s Transition Center of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI) in Arlington, Virginia, where Pamela teaches classes to Foreign Service students. Claire’s experience included attendance at classes and meetings, such as: • Country Data Analysis to learn how to calculate Real GDP and various growth rates • Elevator Briefing class for contact with high-level ambassadors • Meetings at the Department of Commerce in the Reagan Building with the U.S. Trade Center Office where they were hosting a delegation from the country of Georgia • A class in the POL-ECON department about a case study on supplying fighter jets to Poland • A video conference with Moscow’s entry-level Foreign Service Worker who was part of a team that handled the Human Rights and Religious Tolerance portfolio • A class called Integrating Gender and Awareness • A lecture by a representative from the Iran Policy Department about US priorities • A Public Diplomacy class with a full-time professor from George Washington University, with examples of different kinds of public diplomacy and various approaches.

• A meeting with the associate dean of FSI about how she measures the success of FSI and how it is able to adapt to changing environments at posts and the relationship between the State Department and the Department of Defense

The John Thomson Scott Award was established in memory of John T. Scott, Jr., father to three Laurel girls: Julie Scott Lovell, Jr. ’74, Katherine Marjorie Scott ’78 and Amy Scott Gilchrist ’81.

His studies of history and politics at University School, Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and his military service during World War II, fed a lifelong interest in American history and foreign policy that complemented his profession in the law. Established by his daughters, this endowment fund supports Laurel School students in their study of history and government, with the hope that such study will engender a dedication to the ideals of representative democracy.

The award is available to one or two Seniors who propose an independent project which involves travel to Washington, D.C., or to any state capitol with the specific intent to study politics and government.

HIGHLIGHTS WINTER 2014 17

EDUCATION

The

Wandering

Poet

Naomi Shihab Nye describes herself as a “wandering poet.”

She has spent 37 years traveling the country and the world to lead writing workshops and inspiring students of all ages.

Questions

“What Happened?”

iz past me the cars that wh e the life that is gon with the wind nce da at the waves th gently fall the leaves that that make the tiny pleasures

What’s delicious?

I really can’t describe.

My brain is dogged with

life an adventure

tomorrow’s thoughts. I

what happened?

minute.

fade away

can’t focus on this

the imagination what happened to the magic what happened to the wonders what happened to d with questions and the minds fille this life, a life what happened to

-Lauren Ellis (Grade 3)

t that goes too fas

-Daania Tahir (Grade 6)

I ask my mom what ’s for dinn er.

Can I go and play.

Luke, can you do m y homewor k for me.

T hat ’s w hat kind of gal I am.

-Ava Maslow ski

(Grade 3)

y n I make m “T hat’s whe terfly t as a bu t move swif of feelings My explosion ell hout my sh flow throug e to the courag when I ge t ell” open my sh

by Lane Howe -Excerpt of a poem “Muscle” (Grade 6) called

18 LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

THE WANDERING POET

N

ye was born to a Palestinian father and an American mother and grew up in St. Louis, Jerusalem, and San Antonio. Drawing on her Palestinian-American heritage, the cultural diversity of her home in Texas, and her experiences traveling in Asia, Europe, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America and the Middle East, Nye uses her writing to attest to our shared humanity.

Naomi Shihab Nye is the author and/or editor of more than 30 volumes. Her books of poetry include 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East, A Maze Me: Poems for Girls, Red Suitcase, Words Under the Words, Fuel, and You & Yours (a best-selling poetry book of 2006). She is also the author of Mint Snowball, Never in a Hurry, I’ ll Ask You Three Times, Are you Okay? Tales of Driving and Being Driven (essays); Habibi and Going Going (novels for

young readers); and Baby Radar and Sitti’s Secrets (picture books). Other works include eight prize-winning poetry anthologies for young readers, including Time You Let Me In, This Same Sky, The Space Between Our Footsteps: Poems & Paintings from the Middle East, and What Have You Lost? Her collection of poems for young adults entitled Honeybee won the 2008 Arab American Book Award in the Children’s/Young Adult category. Fall of 2011 saw the publication of two books, There Is No Long Distance Now (a collection of very short stories) and Transfer (poems).

Laurel School was honored to host Naomi Shihab Nye on April 15 and 16. During those two jam-packed days, she met with students, faculty, staff, alumnae, parents and friends of the Laurel community. Here are some impressions of her visit with us along with poems inspired by her workshops:

Magnificent

My Hairdo

My hairdo is not the same every day…

On Monday, I can wear my hair in rows of braids that are as straigh t as a cornfie ld On Wednesda y, I can wear my hair in po ny tails that allow me to fly like the wind.

On Friday, I can wear my hair in so ft curls or In a bun with a pink ribbon on it My hair is ve ry important to me Different ha irdo’s help sh ow my person ality They help me feel beau tif ul, strong And proud of who I am I love my hair

As I noticed a lit tle bluejay fly across the sky on a winter night like a streak across the sky, I wondered, why does each snowflake have different designs. A peacock flaring its magnificent feathers.

Everything is magnificent in its own way.

-Shivangi Sengupta (Grade 3)

It is always re ady to pu t up with me And anything that I can do to it What will you do with your hairdo today?

-Kai Logan (Grade

3)

HIGHLIGHTS WINTER 2014 19

THE WANDERING POET

W

e knew from the moment she arrived that this was going to be an exquisite two-day event. She had an air about her that said enjoy life, enjoy the little things and enjoy the uniqueness of everything. She showed a simple pleasure smelling and looking at daffodils since they don’t grow in Texas. This enthusiasm continued throughout her visit with each and every girl. She had the girls writing poetry with such ease. In one of her exercises she told the girls to first close their eyes for a minute or two. Then she had them open their eyes and write down in a sentence or two what they saw. The next line she had them write a detail pertaining to what they saw. She then had them end with asking a question. The poems the girls read out loud were amazing. The girls were so enthusiastic to read their poetry to her. It was like having the feeling of receiving an A+ on a paper that you worked on for an excruciating number of long hours. Our other favorite exercise was when she worked with the girls on how to write an ode. She made the girls laugh and have fun with things as simple as an avocado. She created an environment where writing and listening to poetry was fun and exciting. At her evening event one person said, “I don’t like poetry, but I’m glad I came. You don’t meet people like her every day,” and for the first time that individual picked up a poetry book and began to read.

Here is an example of an ode written during her workshop in honor of a Laurel experience:

I

love your school and my love is only deepening hour by hour!” This is how Naomi Shihab Nye greeted us when she came to visit! Gathered on the carpet by the bay windows in Lake Library with clip boards in hand, Third and Fourth Grade girls were rapt as the famous poet chatted and worked with them for an hour.

Ms. Nye began by asking the girls how they felt when they write—“Happy,” “Relaxed,” “Confident,” “Like I go into a whole other world”—were some of the instant replies. “But what if you don’t like what you wrote?” Naomi probed further—“I change it,” “You can make it into a draft”—two girls offered. Naomi shared that, often, she writes but will only keep one line from her original piece.

The group tossed around ways to get around “Writer’s Block”—drawing, brainstorming lists of descriptive words, taking a walk and looking out of the window at nature were some of the ideas shared. Ms. Nye told us that she likes to write questions to the world around her and challenged our girls to take a few moments to do the same. Next she asked us to think about four or five small things that we had

20 LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

Spot

A spot, A spot

Do I ge t a sp ot?

So swee t, S o exquisite The walk can go on for ex cruciating lon g miles “I walked 10 mi les to school in 5 feet of snow” My father us ed to say Bu t today Will I have to walk 10 miles?

Maybe in the middle, Maybe the last Yes, I got it!!!!

Sweet, Divine

I jump in exhil arating excit ement Yes!!!!

The last spot in

Car Circle

— Deva Walker, Pr e-Prim Primary School Libr ary and arian, Lake Library

noticed since we had woken up that morning, and finally to come up with an original simile or metaphor – in her mind “the heart of any poem.” Heads bowed, only the rustle of paper and scribbling of pencils could be heard as girls enthusiastically responded to each prompt. “It makes me so happy to know how much writing you do at this school,” Naomi exclaimed.

Girls were delighted to share some of their pieces and to ask questions about being a writer. We learned that Naomi was inspired by parents who read and sang songs to her from a young age and that at the age of six she discovered a love of the written word (although even in college she was still shy about calling herself a “writer”). Our guest reminded us all that we can write about things we know, but also what we are wondering about. When she asked if we can ever run out of things to write about, a resounding “No!” filled the room.

“It really is fun and easy to be a poet and visit Laurel,” Naomi grinned. “Thank you teachers for making reading and writing so delicious for your students!”

—Rebekah Klar, Director of the Primary School

Making a

Difference

Walking down the narrow path to village 235 of Ecuador, I could not help thinking back to Tanzania. The complete isolation and quiet coupled with lush and growing vegetation alongside the path was strangely familiar to me. The atmosphere was completely unlike anything in the States, and

BY ELEANOR BOLD ’11 yet I felt at home.

HIGHLIGHTS WINTER 2014  21

COMMUNITY

O

f course, I know the endless differences between Ecuador and Tanzania. They are not easily compared on paper and several classes have taught me why it is inappropriate to group two countries simply because they are both unlike America.

However, what is true is that it was my first trip to Tanzania that made it possible for me to be in Ecuador, and therefore a familiar lens for me to be viewing this new experience through.

Traveling to Olevolos, Tanzania, the summer after my Sophomore year at Laurel with former Upper School English teacher Dory Gannes launched a course that carried me through the rest of my time at Laurel.

As my first trip to a remote village in a developing country, Olevolos quickly changed the way I viewed my world and I struggled to justify the various inequalities.

When I began at Washington and Lee University (W&L) in the fall of 2011 I was thrilled to have the chance to take classes ranging from East Africa, to poverty, to morality.

22 LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

I wanted to better understand the culture of Tanzania, the root of poverty, and how the differences between the United States and developing countries came to be.

However, viewing these topics from an academic standpoint, I also began to question whether or not it’s actually right for Americans to be changing so much abroad. I had always understood Dory’s focus in education: the best way to help is to equip people with the skills and knowledge needed to chart their own futures. So, I focused on that area and my opportunity to put this understanding into action came when I discovered the General Development Initiative.

The General Development Initiative is a student run micro-finance corporation at W&L dedicated to economic empowerment for people who do not otherwise have access to loans. A more responsibility-driven form of aid, it teaches good business practice while also serving as a launch pad for new companies. I joined the GenDev team that year, and my experience in Tanzania is what gave them the confidence

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

that I knew what I was doing. I had seen a project grow from the ground up and become incredibly successful. I became more involved with GenDev, and at the end of our second semester, became the Chief Communications Officer.

Around that same time, we were approached with an opportunity to make our first direct loan.

Alicia Gheorghita runs an afterschool program and community center called Casa Victoria in Old Town Quito, Ecuador. She holds a strong position in the community and has seen huge success in her ventures.

Alicia’s father, Sixto, was the President of Ecuador in the 1990s. During his campaign, Alicia stumbled upon a small

village three hours north of the city. The village, called 235, is along a river that runs north to the ocean. They grow tomatoes, lemons, potatoes, and raise chicken. The land is incredibly fertile, and riverbanks next to the village are an ideal growing spot for pineapples.

Last summer, I was sent to represent GenDev in Ecuador to find out how we could help. Alicia’s longtime dream has been to open a café in the Casa Victoria to help support the program. The idea is to make it a volunteers’ café where individuals working in Quito could go to meet other volunteers and collaborate on projects or just enjoy each others’ company. I spent about two weeks with Alicia getting to know Casa Victoria and visiting other cafes in the city. She then took me out to 235.

The people in 235 were very enthused about the prospect of receiving a loan to revitalize their crops and they hope to install a coffee-processing plant in the near future. Another village close by had recently had great success growing coffee. The equipment needed to process coffee would require a huge endowment, but in the long run, the ideal situation would be for 235 to supply the coffee for a café at Casa Victoria.

GenDev has a limited budget and is dependent on Washington and Lee’s student Executive Committee for funds. However, we began building a relationship with 235 by providing a loan to cultivate pineapples, in hopes of one day being able to support the building of a coffee-processing plant.

The loan was made in January of 2013 and pineapples were planted in March. Lenin Pavon, a native of 235 currently attending university in Quito and living at Casa Victoria, has been our contact overseeing the project. If all goes well, we plan to continue loaning to 235 and ultimately help begin cultivating coffee and renovate Casa Victoria, to open a volunteers’ café.

Until then, GenDev is sponsoring a sophomore from W&L to spend a month at Casa Victoria this summer for a Spanish immersion internship. She will check on the pineapple project and help strengthen our support and relationship with Alicia and Lenin. We have also applied for nonprofit status and are seeking grants and other forms of financial support to begin new projects in the Dominican Republic, Mongolia, and Ghana.

GenDev has given me the chance to do what I love in a way that supports sustainability and responsibility. I will always have Tanzania to thank for starting me on that path, and the lesson I’ve learned—like patience when communicating and persistence to get things done—have been invaluable as I navigate my future beyond W&L.

I wanted to better understand the culture of Tanzania, the root of poverty, and how the differences between the United States and developing countries came to be.

HIGHLIGHTS WINTER 2014 23

e d a r G h t n e v e S e Th

BY KAREN REDMOND

DIG Lessons in Resilience

It was a risky venture. We knew it would be a Herculean effort and would require a level of planning above and beyond the norm. There were no guarantees. Still, we thought, wouldn’t this be really fun? Wouldn’t the girls love this? Isn’t integrated, applied learning the best way to teach?

T

he Seventh Grade team kept our collective fingers crossed as we forged ahead with preparations for an integrated month-long unit that would include a large-scale archaeological excavation on Laurel School’s Butler Campus during the fall of 2005. Eight years later, the Seventh Grade dig has become a benchmark experience for all Middle School students. English, math, science, social studies, world language, art, dance and music have been woven together to support experiential 21st-century 24 LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

learning. Looking back, I don’t think we realized the way this project would impact students’ resilience.

The Dig tugged at the limits of students’ comfort zones, physically, intellectually and emotionally. Girls walked moderate distances between classes in all kinds of weather, explored in the dirt, and collaborated with girls beyond their familiar circles. Each student faced her own strengths and weaknesses head on. Girls got dirty, and not just a little dirty. One particularly fastidious Seventh Grade

girl made the comment, “I realized getting dirty is not the end of the world because you can always wash your clothes.” The Seventh Grade Dig carried students away from four walls and fifty-minute class periods. A new student said, “I was kind of nervous about doing this whole thing because it was all new, but then I stayed open to everything and it ended up being really fun.” Excavation teams quickly found their stride in spite of chilly or wet conditions. One team noted, “We really did not like screening the dirt,

EXPERIENCE

but that was the only way to keep our excavation square organized so we could plot the artifacts, so we made up a screening song to make it fun.” All girls had to practice applying math skills and concepts to recover artifacts from the excavation grid. This was particularly challenging for many girls.

One student explained, “It helped me to find my square by being able to walk to the origin (datum) and count over to where I was working. Pretty soon I could measure without walking to the starting point.” Bee stings, scrapes, muddy knees, new concepts and skills in a school with no walls. Resilience is built in small and unexpected ways.

None of us expected the reactions to the perceived dangers of dirt and the outside world. “Excuse me, Ms. Redmond, but is this beaver mandible sterilized?” asked one girl as she gingerly lifted her find on the end of her trowel. I explained it was fairly clean, and her healthy body was loaded with successful defenses in the face of normal bacteria. She eyed the bone suspiciously as she placed it in an artifact bag. Two days later I watched this child reach to the edge of the fire pit to retrieve the hotdog that had slipped to the ground from her unsterilized stick, and plunk it directly into her mouth. Grubs, worms, toads and other dirt dwelling creatures were initially greeted by the fearful screams of excavators, and a few days later by smiles and close examination. It seemed that humor, hunger and curiosity were close allies of resilience.

This was especially true during lunch, which for a few years, was held in the

outdoor pavilion adjacent to Reid Lodge. Dining with wasps was a delicate matter, but there was no getting around it; the wasps had claimed the pavilion as home. Many girls ran away from their plates, swatting over their heads, and surrendering their food to the victorious insects. During the first week of the Dig, frustrated girls would cry out, “Can’t we just kill them?”

Upset girls took their cues from calmer classmates and by the second week, all girls were enjoying lunch and ignoring the wasps completely. Nature builds resilience, but so does failure.

The Dig offered a multitude of opportunities for girls to demonstrate their talents, but not everybody was immediately great at every activity. “I’m no good at excavating,” one student told me.

“How long have you been doing it?” I asked. “One hour,” the student replied. “You will improve with practice,” I said. I don’t know if she believed me, but she did get better.

The Dig schedule always included an enrichment period. This time was used for a number of activities such as dance, pottery reconstruction, or building atlatls. The atlatl, a precursor of the bow and arrow, consists of a long dart launched by a wooded thrower.

The entire contraption is held in one hand and launched at an unsuspecting animal. It basically extends the height and power of the hunter’s arm. We had the girls make these from dowels and wood purchased from the hardware store. Once sanded, decorated and lashed with feathers, girls practiced launching their darts to prepare for a good-natured competition. A few girls

were immediately very adept at this, but the majority needed a lot of practice to be better. This reality was particularly difficult for some girls to swallow. For some girls, this was the very first time they were not good at something right away. Nobody was allowed a pass on this. Girls felt sorry for themselves for a few minutes and then they had to pull it together and develop a strategy going forward.

Those that struggled took different approaches. Some allied themselves with the best throwers to learn tips, while others improved by practicing on their own. Taking risks and practicing unfamiliar activities build the skills necessary to overcome challenges.

It was always a little hard to come back to Lyman Circle after our time at the Butler Campus. Lyman Campus seemed a bit cramped at first and we had to adjust to being inside again. It was always nice to see girls pursuing friendships started while troweling together, and school life returned to the way it was before, with one notable exception. Something about this experience left a small imprint on each child. Girls were more confident and more patient with themselves and each other. Resilience is not extraordinary, but it takes time to build. Working in nature, as a group, and separated from familiar surroundings, our girls became more practiced in the art of resilience.

Karen Redmond, Middle School Science teacher, is now Technology Integration Coordinator at Laurel School HIGHLIGHTS WINTER 2014 25

FEATURE STORY

Where are all the

millennial feminists?

When CNN.com’s Living section editor asked me to write an editorial about the millennial generation during my internship two summer’s ago, to be included in coverage leading up to CNN Dialogues’ fall forum on the place of young adults in the workplace, I took the opportunity eagerly. As a millennial myself, I am an expert in “Generation Y” and everything to do with them by default.

BY HANNAH WEINBERGER ’09

26 LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

MILLENNIAL FEMINISTS

advances perceived as feminist gains only exist in legal Or so I thought. To my surprise, writing this piece documents (especially those pertaining to harassment) and unsettled security in what had been a keystone in my life. that people were deluding themselves if they thought the Given leeway to attack the piece from any angle, I considered what else I felt knowledgeable about. I began by glass ceiling had truly broken—it was only just starting to determining that I am also in fact a girl/woman/something crack. Some told me that they felt judged for choosing to wear bows in their hair; others wore bows to enhance caught unceremoniously between the two strata. I was freedoms they saw outlined by feminism. Some felt that also a person who had spent the summer balking at pieces maternity leave was discussing what women want and how much of it they fiscally absurd, while can or should have—fallout from a piece in The Atlantic others forecasted Magazine by Princeton University professor Anne-Marie upheavals in business Slaughter as well as Marissa Meyer’s hire at Yahoo—and models that would allow had noticed an unsettling trend. women the same job Not only were people disparaging women for their prospects as their male work-life balance choices, but the critics were mostly colleagues. women, each of whom thought the other was being a “bad feminist” for either spurning family life or taking Some felt that they advancements in the workplace for granted. If this was were feminists but that the corporate world I was entering, what did it even mean orienting around gender to be a feminist? What did my peers think? was less effective than pursuing humanist agendas, as I did.

Feminism had been an integral part of my subconscious But most upsettingly, some said they felt that they were rather than something I’d actively considered up to that feminists, but couldn’t call themselves that because the word point. I’d lived messages of female empowerment for 16 seemed dirtied. Some of the women telling me this were the years at Laurel, and even gave my Senior Speech about ones who’d initially told me that feminism is obsolete. sentiment surrounding the word “bitch.” In my youth, I didn’t realize it at the time, but I saw my gender as a I aspired to meet expectations set in flashy Gatorade limiting factor because I saw that boys do still have a leg up commercials with Mia Hamm, another UNC graduate— in many places despite what I was being told. I didn’t feel as anything men can do, I can do better, because I’d been proud to be a feminist anymore, because I didn’t want to be raised to know that I could. As I grew older, feminism judged as naive or angry or any of a host of belittling terms appeared a controversial word that, when wielded in more used to temper sentiments of the feminists who “overreacted.” conservative company, made me feel strong and dangerous. For someone with such a solid view of feminism—that it Feminism was the idea that enabled girls to feel valuable in was something that gives girls the same prospects as boys, and of themselves. However, I saw myself more as many of whom sadly still saw girls as passive figures in egalitarian, which meant cognitively eclipsing entrenched life—I realized I’d been indirectly viewing feminism and ideas about gender in order to become not a woman, but a myself, unconsciously, within the gendered system I was so human being self-determined upset about, and had detached and self-actualized. from an important part of How could I expertly convey It didn’t take much research for feminism because of that. I what feminism was to a global believed capability wasn’t a me to start challenging many conceptualizations I’d had about matter of gender, but I’d audience if neither my sources feminism as a movement. Some disassociated myself from young women told me initially many things deemed feminine, nor myself could even figure that we don’t need feminism because I’d internalized that anymore; we grew up being told out where the movement was? feminine things were bad or that we can do anything we want silly things that made me weak. and feel safe doing it. We saw laws put in place that support I found myself judging women who didn’t call themselves this such as Title IX and a host of sexual harassment feminists or who were feminists but maintained traditional resolutions. Further pursuing a feminist agenda, they said, roles in life—despite the fact that I wasn’t sure what it would only set women back. However, others told me that meant anymore—because it was too hard for me to believe HIGHLIGHTS WINTER 2014 27

MILLENNIAL FEMINISTS

that they chose certain life paths while aware of their other options.

How could I expertly convey what feminism was to a global audience if neither my sources nor myself could even figure out where the movement was?

The fact that I’d lost resiliency in my idea of feminism ended up being my godsend. I wasn’t the only one who was confused about feminism and gender equity. All of my sources agreed that humans of all genders should be equal, but there was little overlap in understandings of equality —and what it would take to get (or stay) there.

There has been some insecurity in feminism’s ability to continue affecting change, as the ideology’s umbrella encapsulates so many different viewpoints—how can a movement do anything without clear definition and a united front? But in my talks with feminist scholars, I realized that there has never really been a united front in feminism. Any change affected happens within small, concentrated areas of convergence in a large feminist Venn diagram, in those areas of consensus around which people of differing viewpoints feel comfortable agreeing.

Regardless, beliefs (and genders) of all types can find niches of comfort within the movement.

Rather than see discontinuity of thought as a burden, feminism’s strength could be that inclusiveness and the underlying message of that inclusiveness. It is a movement meant for those who are willing to challenge traditional ideas about hierarchies and live as though their gender is not a limiting factor, who pursue their interests and passions regardless of how they’d been framed previously in society.

Writing this story forced me to reinforce and become resilient in my personal ideology. Feminism appealed to me, but I hadn’t truly understood it before the summer. I realized that I’d believed in something because I liked the notion of it without clearly defining it for myself—I attached to it without making it my own. Now, I realize that I can have those egalitarian viewpoints I’d found appealing but can embrace them more fully as a feminist. Feminism is a human rights movement that supports people in their quests to become whomever they want to be, whatever that may be, as long as they aspire to what they decide is best for them —and to give others the space to do the same.

Hannah Weinberger ’09 graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she studied Mandarin Chinese and journalism. She recently returned to Cleveland to report for ideastream and produce content for QUEST, a national science media project funded by the NSF.

Full Circle:

Laurel Ring Stories After putting the final touches on the Class of 1970’s Class News submission at her office in Washington, DC, Anne Adams ’70 hopped on the Metro to head home. Imagine her surprise, and amusement, when she found herself standing next to a girl wearing a Laurel ring! Sara Bencic ’07 was also on her way home and equally excited to run into a fellow Laurel alumna. They both noted, when

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retelling the story to the Alumnae Office, that it was the first time either had met an alumna they did not already know due to the iconic ring. We certainly hope it won’t be the last! In case this wasn’t enough of a coincidence, when Sara returned home, she found her Alumnae Weekend invitation (featuring the Laurel Ring) waiting for her in her mailbox. Once a Laurel girl, always a Laurel girl!

FACULTY RECOGNITION

Building a

Foundation for Greatness

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n a ceremony at Laurel School, science teacher Brian Carpenter was honored by a representative from the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Alumni Association with the MIT Inspirational Teacher Award, which recognizes outstanding secondary school teachers who inspire in their students a love of learning, encourage them to pursue excellence, and give them the skills and enthusiasm they need to make a positive difference in the world. Mr. Carpenter was nominated for this award by Pauline Varley ’11, now a junior at MIT.

As part of her nomination statements, Pauline wrote the following thoughts about her time as a student in Mr. Carpenter’s class at Laurel: I don’t think you will ever know how much your mentorship changed me during high school. Before your class, science was vaguely interesting but mostly boring—I’ d only ever been exposed to inexplicable facts and step-by-step lab assignments that never made me think.

Your teaching, though, pushed me far beyond the limits of my intellectual comfort zone. You taught me far more than physics: you taught me how to learn and how to question and how to

Pauline Varley ’11 and Brian Carpenter

experiment and discover. I am endlessly grateful for the time you took out of your busy schedule to spend helping me explore new passions. I hope you know that I credit you with my application and acceptance to MIT—without you, I would never have found the passion I have for engineering. I cannot thank you enough for inspiring me to discover this part of myself.

Congratulations Mr. Carpenter!

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”

—Albert Einstein

Mr. Carpenter receiving his award from a representative from MIT

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Always

a Laurel Girl

Alumnae Weekend 2013 May 16-19, 2013 Celebrating classes ending in ’3 and ’8 and award recipients Sandy Buchanan ’74, Executive Director, Ohio Citizen Action, and Emily Johnson Jackle ’98, organic farmer 1

1. Distinguished Alumna Sandy Buchanan ’74 and Young Alumna of Distinction Emily Johnson Jackle ’98

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2. T he Class of ’93 celebrates its 20th: (Standing l to r) Julia Powell, Alice Kennedy, Sheila Fontanive, Oona Miller Hanson, Jenny Janke Streams and Kim Lannoch Linetsky (Seated l to r) Lynnette Jackson, Jennifer Willis, Holly Masterson and Asinna Puryear Bennett 3. T he Class of ’63 celebrates its 50th (Standing l to r) Marty Moatz Austin, Alice Van Aken Boelter, Izzy Maccracken Winn, Diane Dalton, Sandy Haseltine Esser, Bonnie Robishaw Kollen and Jane Wilson AuWerter (Seated l to r) Gracey Stoddard, Susan Levin, Margery Bletcher Colloff, Judith Knight McMillan and Lisa Dougan Kelly

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4. E mily Johnson Jackle ’98 and Kitty Fant Mitchell ’68 5. The Class of ’48 gathers for its 65th! (l to r) Ruth Good Miller, Lois Nook Sussen, Janet MacMahon Carll, Jennie Lyons Phillips and Nancy Breckenridge McCormack 30 LAURELSCHOOL.ORG

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ALUMNAE WEEKEND

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10 6. Also from 1963: (Standing l to r) Linda Harnett Philips, Diane Furrer Holzheimer, Susanne Martien Bagley, Carol Mone Schlesinger and Carrie Eilers White (Seated l to r) Marilyn Hopkins Langmack, Gail Carrithers McKinley, Louise Russell, Betsy Lamb Merriman and Mary Farrell 7. D istinguished Alumnae Committee Chair Nancy Mavec Spain ’69, honoree Sandy Buchanan ’74 and committee member Linda Goodman ’74 8. The Class of ’53 celebrates its 60th: (Standing l to r) Marilyn Merts Prasse and

Mary McGinness Schubert (Seated l to r) Susie Olson Reichert and Jane Pattie 9. The Class of ’03 celebrates an exceptional turnout for its 10th: (Back row l to r) Deirdre Corrigan, Jackie Janis, Sarah Sprague, Julie Chapman, Sara Ismail-Beigi Bartlett and Sandra Gliga (Middle row l to r) Sara Abdohallian Warner, Anne Misak, Sara McDowell, Eva Crawford, Kimmy Wilhelm and Anna DePalma (Front row l to r) Alison Lee Streif, Noor Almudallal, Katie Stephens Fagan, Laura Holmes, Maegan Ruhlman, Anne Seabright Bonowicz and Chelsea McQueen Williams

10. T he Class of ’58 gathers for its 55th: (Standing l to r) Keekee Minor, Pat Shepherd Crise and Ann Coulton Jordan (Seated l to r) Betsy Kaufman Sampliner, Chessie Kemp Bleick, Suzy Steck Foster, Lou Lampl Butz, Karen Perry and Marcia Weil Borowski 11. The Class of ’78 at its 35th: (Standing l to r) Amy Goodman Weller, Betsy Trefts and Wendy Richter (Seated l to r) Ann Gairing Zarate, Laura Samson and Heather Hazle Lambert

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ALUMNAE WEEKEND

13 12. C elebrating its 30th are members of the Class of ’83: (Standing l to r) Gail Griffiths Hardy, Leslie Birch Poche, Susan Mullady Baker and Jill Bayman Ochs (Seated l to r) Mhoire McGrath Cade, Elizabeth Buckley Lewis, April Hawkins, Holly Pae and Shirdena Twymon 12

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13. T he Class of ’88 celebrates its 25th: (Standing l to r) Evelyn Lafave McCarthy, Jill Korosec Elswick, Peggy Schroer Goodman, Rocky Chatmon Robinson, Susan Corradi Olmstead, Beth Embrescia, Jen Pildner Moloney and Denise Sanders Gallagher (Seated l to r) Lindsay Jeavons, Jen Beeson Gregory, Heidi Landis and Courtney Dalzell Neville 14. M embers of the Class of ’74 at the Distinguished Alumnae Dinner: (l to r) Lisle Merriman, Kristin Yost McChesney, Cynthia Fitz-Gerald Deupree, Julie Galambush, Sandy Buchanan, Jane Conway Barber, Betsy Hruby and Linda Goodman 15. K aren Perry ’58 and her niece, Wendy Richter ’78 16. C elebrating their 70th and 75th reunions respectively: Nancy Wykoff Sharp ’43 and Virginia Bishop Langmack ’38 17. T he Class of ’73 gathers for its 40th: (Standing l to r) Nanne Kirkhoff Olds, Janet Green Anthony-Clark, Kristy Judson and Patty Neiswander Alexander (Seated l to r) Julie Oldenburg Bramble, Carol Yeomans Horowitz, Pat Whittle and Tracy Andrews Verma

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