Parker Magazine, Issue No. 22

“IF A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, WHAT IS THE VALUE OF A VIDEO?”

parker FILM SCHOOL PAGE 8

IN THIS ISSUE: Announcing Parker’s 12th Head of

School • 2 Brothers, 2 Alumni, 1 Fascinating Concept, 1 Progressive Company • Tell Us a Story! • Life Skills, a Middle School Essential • Student & Faculty reflections on Upper School Interim • Putting a New Focus on Math in Lower School

Spring 2011 Issue No. 22 parker SPR I NG 2011

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Letter from the Editor Dear Parker Community, It’s no secret that education transforms lives. We expect that the Parker educational journey will instill characteristics such as passion, curiosity, imagination, and creativity, allowing our students to seek full lives during and after their years at Francis Parker School. Our goal is that wherever their lives take them, our alumni will have the tools they need for personal and professional success. Our objective is that Parker students and alumni will “pay it forward,” and impact the lives of their fellow citizens for the better.

The Francis Parker School Vision Statement was first published in the 2008 – 2009 school year. We agreed that as a school community, “We will use this Vision Statement both as a guide and as a mirror.”

This issue of Parker Magazine is a mirror.

We say we are committed to developing students “who strive for excellence while maintaining social and emotional well-being.” The Life Skills program in the Middle School, a unique program researched and developed by our own Middle School team to foster that well-being is described on pages 16 - 19.

We say we are committed to developing students (and alumni) “who are able to participate in the fundamental human conversation on what is right, fair, and good, by developing the skill, aptitude, and imagination essential to determining what ought to be done.” On pages 8 – 13, you’ll see how alumni and brothers Andrew ’05 and Matt Rubin ’02 have created a unique company and opportunity focused on helping others.

We say we are committed to developing students “who effectively combine the skills of design, invention, leadership, and risk-taking with proficiency in purposeful research, effective writing, persuasive discourse and the traditional academic subject areas.” This continuum begins in Lower School. Read the “Math in Focus” article about the Lower School’s math program on page 14, and the Middle School Curriculum Integration piece on pages 39 – 42 to see how we’re building and integrating curriculum in those two divisions.

We say we are committed to developing students “who are familiar with the cultural, political, historical, scientific, ethical, and economic forces that are shaping the world of the 21st century.” We’ve highlighted two Upper School opportunities on pages 22 – 25 that focus on the relatively new Interim program (as we go to press, we are in the midst of our 2nd annual Interim Week), and our Global Education program. The Emerging Leaders Speaker Series is another example; you can learn about the inaugural event in this series on pages 27 – 30.

We say we are committed to developing students “who possess the tools necessary to realize their individual talents and potential during their years of college and in their personal and professional lives.” Class notes for our alumni begin on page 55.

As we head into our Centennial—we will celebrate our first 100 years during the 2012 – 2013 school year—we will certainly “look both ways” as we continue on our path. We celebrate our history while envisioning the next 100 years, knowing that our students and alumni make it all worthwhile.

Best regards, Cathy Morrison, Director of Communications

Corrections and Clarifications — We Regret the Error In the 09-10 Annual Report, published in September 2010, the following information was either missing or listed incorrectly.

On p. 12, the first sentence of the Admission Office report should have read “The quality of this year’s applicant pool and the ever-increasing number of inquiries about Francis Parker School are clear indicators of the role our School plays in the local, national and international educational scene.”

On p. 29, under Grandparents’ cash gifts, Arnold Faber’s name should have been included.

On pp. 33 – 34, under Endowed Funds for Scholarship, this fund description was not included: Corie Anne Jensen Perregaux ’91. This fund was established by Corie’s family, friends, and classmates in 2008 to celebrate her life. An award will be made annually to a student in need of financial assistance. 09-10 Donors to this fund are listed on pg. 37.

On p. 41, Dr. John Lown was listed as the Middle and Upper School Foreign Language Department Chair. Melisa Elam is the Middle School Foreign Language Department Chair, and Dr. Lown is the Upper School Foreign Language Department Chair.

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Save the Date

2011 Homecoming and Reunion Weekend Friday, October 21 - Saturday, October 22 - Sunday, October 23 Celebrating Reunion Years 2006, 2001, 1996, 1991, 1986, 1981

Homecoming Day Saturday, October 22 — Alumni Lunch 11:00am — Booths and Games Open 11:30am — Lower School Parade 12:30pm — Football v. Bishop’s, kickoff 1:00pm Want to help organize or host your class reunion? Call the Alumni Office at 858-569-7900.

We can’t wait to see you there.

P.S. Be sure to check out the photos from this year’s reunions on pages 45 - 49.

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Parker families make a considerable financial commitment in sending their child(ren) to Parker – a powerful expression of confidence in Parker. Along with the Board of Trustees, all of us at Parker acknowledge that our greatest responsibility is to ensure that a Parker education remains both affordable and accessible, while providing every student with the highest quality program, curriculum and instruction.

Admittedly, this is no easy task.

While Parker remains among the most affordable major independent schools in California, we cannot ignore the fact that the real costs associated with providing the highest quality education will continue to rise. In ongoing budget discussions, we have identified opportunities to reduce expenses, maximize budgets, streamline duties and increase efficiencies while enhancing the quality of our program and instruction.

Yet in order to deliver the best education possible, to sustain excellence in program and curriculum, to recruit, hire and retain top-notch faculty, and to offer a comprehensive curriculum that is relevant and prepares our students for success in college and beyond, it is imperative that we take stock of our financial future today.

The Opportunity is Ours, the Future is Now

by Kevin Yaley, Head of School

I remain convinced there is no better investment in your children’s future and no better value than a Parker education.

Currently, tuition dollars cover the overwhelming majority of our expenses, while the Annual Fund (“The Parker Fund”) and our endowment income make up the balance. Together, tuition dollars and philanthropy ensure that the School has the financial resources necessary to support faculty and to develop and sustain the outstanding programs that distinguish Parker as a truly exceptional place at which to teach and to learn.

So much about Parker is right and good. We are surrounded by talented, bright, inspired, kind-hearted and civic-minded students, faculty, alumni and families.

Compared to top independent schools both regionally and nationally, Parker is among the leaders on some of the most essential benchmarks including student and faculty loyalty, financial aid, and college matriculation. Yet when it comes to fundraising, we are too near the bottom (see page 21).

For 2009-2010, our participation in the Parker Fund was less than half of that of top independent schools nationally.

Likewise, the size of our endowment is ranked among the lowest in the country. Even as Parker’s regional and national reputation continue to grow, our high level of dependency on

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tuition revenue, our relatively low participation rate in the Parker Fund, and the current size of our general endowment reminds us that we are not in as financially secure and enviable a position as a school of our standing needs to be.

So much about Parker is right and good. We are surrounded by talented, bright, inspired, kind-hearted and civic-minded students, faculty, alumni and families.

We believe in and live a mission committed to academic excellence, diversity, balance, community and the education of the whole child. As we approach our Centennial in the 2012-2013 school year, we have much to celebrate.

In order for us to advance our mission and sustain an excellence in program and people, we must embrace a new financial model where philanthropy is a more prominent source of revenue. Through effective and comprehensive fundraising, we, as an institution, can put the current and future state of the School in a more financially secure position. We hold a vision of a school that preserves its culture of diversity and advances its mission of excellence through a healthy endowment, empowering us to achieve at the highest possible levels. Through philanthropy, we can help mitigate future tuition increases, augment our endowed funds to fortify financial aid, and establish chairs recognizing faculty excellence.

In the life of a school, every generation has its challenges and opportunities. We are the benefactors of an extraordinary legacy of students, families and donors.

It will be this generosity that affords our children the opportunity to grow, to thrive, and to experience the full measure of a Parker education. The opportunity belongs to our generation to “pay forward” what 100 years of founders,

parents, faculty, alumni, grandparents and friends have done so well before us.

Let us accomplish together what so many have done individually participating in the philanthropic life of our school. Participation is powerful and creates its own unique momentum. It begins with each of us. Let that process begin today.

Thank you.

2009-10 Endowment per Student $40,000 $35,000 $30,000 $25,000 $20,000 $15,000 $10,000 $5,000

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Table of Contents

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Letter from the Editor What’s in this issue, and why it matters.

Corrections and Clarifications from the 09 - 10 Annual Report We’re sorry! We should have caught that before it went to print!

The Opportunity is ours, the future is now Head of School Kevin Yaley explains the difference fundraising makes.

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Film School Brothers and Parker alumni Matthew ‘02 and Andrew ‘05 Rubin started a company called Symptom Media, using video to train medical and law enforcement personnel to recognize and manage the people with whom they come in contact every day. Learn how they got started, and how Parker helped them discover their passions and prepared them for college and beyond.

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Math in Focus: a Singapore Math-Style Approach to Instruction Head of Lower School Bob Gillingham describes the process of research and implementation for this innovative approach to mathematics education.

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Life Skills—Middle School Essentials Barbara Ostos ’97, Middle School Dean of Students and a team of Middle School faculty worked for a year to create and launch a curricular program that helps their students “navigate their adolescent years with more awareness, confidence, independence, and self-reliance.” A unique program that could serve as a model for other schools to follow.

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Barbara Ostos ‘97—a Faculty/Alumna Profile She’s accomplished a lot in her time here and Parker students and colleagues are the beneficiaries.

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Interim Week Student author Zachary Gleicher ’11 helped build the School’s soda kiln a year ago. Here’s one example of the opportunity an innovation in Upper School curriculum provided one student to follow his passion for art.

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Parker Reconciles with Vietnam: a Top Ten List of Learning Experience Hits As we go to press, author Eric Taylor has returned to Vietnam for the second year with another group of students and faculty. In reading this piece on the School’s first-ever trip to Vietnam, you’ll see the depth and breadth of this experiential learning opportunity.

The Parker Fund How does Francis Parker School compare to peer schools in the region, and along the west coast? How can we become less reliant on tuition going forward?

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The Future of Civil Society and Civic Engagement Students had the opportunity in November to hear from three local/regional civic leaders and engage them in conversation about how they as citizens can make a difference in their communities. Panelists Scott Peters, Ron Roberts and Juan Vargas, along with moderator Gina Lew presented a lively session for students, faculty and parents.

Haute Harley Nights Don’t miss this year’s Parents’ Association Gala!

Faculty News & Notes New hires, new babies, new accomplishments.

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Planned Giving Ethel Lichtman ’40 led by example and was passionate about education. How you can help Francis Parker School plan ahead for future excellence.

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Integration of Middle School Curriculum Why there’s more to a project, activity or assignment than meets the eye. Author Dan Lang explains how the courses and faculty collaborate to integrate teaching units across the Middle School curriculum.

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Alumni News & Notes Catch up on all the events and activities sponsored by the Alumni Office so far this year, and read up on the accomplishments of our alumni.

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Parker Grandparents In this issue, we highlight current grandparent Marian Barry, and display a few photos from both the Lower and Middle School Grandparents’ Days. At presstime, plans are in the works for the Upper School Grandparents’ Day on Friday, March 18, 2011.

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Tell Me a Story After nearly 100 years, the one thing we can’t possibly be short on is great Parker stories. Tell us yours!

Accreditations Francis Parker School is a non-profit organization governed by a Board of Trustees. It is registered with the California State Department of Education, and is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Parker is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the College Board, the Educational Records Bureau, the Educational Testing Service, and the School and Student Service for Financial Aid. Memberships and Affiliations American Secondary Schools for International Students and Teachers, Inc., Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, California Association of Independent Schools, California Association of Student Councils, California Scholarship Federation, College Entrance Examination Board, Cum Laude Society, Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, Council for Spiritual and Ethical Education, National Association of Independent Schools, National Association of Student Councils, National Forensic League, National Honor Society, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Western Association of College Admission Counseling.

Mission Statement At Francis Parker School, our mission is to provide a superior college-preparatory education in a diverse, family-oriented environment that meets the academic, social, creative, emotional, and physical needs of the individual student.

Vision Statement Francis Parker School is committed to graduating students who embody those qualities essential for academic success and personal fulfillment—intellectual curiosity, creative thinking, passion for learning, ethical responsibility, selfreliance, community engagement, and global competence—by offering a balanced, challenging, and integrated K – 12 educational program in academics, athletics and the arts, all in a vibrant and diverse school community.

Non-Discrimination Statement Francis Parker School values diversity and seeks talented students, faculty and staff from different backgrounds. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, creed or national origin in the administration of its admission, tuition assistance, employment determination, or its other procedures or programs.

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Film School

By Cathy Morrison, Director of Communications

Symptom Media was started by brothers—and Parker alumni—Matt Rubin ’02 and Andrew Rubin ’05 in 2008, when they were 24 and 21 years old. It’s a family business built on the marriage of progressive learning and modern media. The pair script, direct, produce and market films for training mental health professionals and medical school students in observing, recognizing and diagnosing mental disorders, giving students and professionals the opportunity to hone skills that benefit real patients in particular and society in general.

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The young man seems hesitant, ill at ease. He doesn’t really maintain eye contact during conversation. He’s talking about traffic, downtown-clogged, slow-moving, stopped traffic and how it makes him fearful that someone could “roll an IED under your car.” The young man is a combat veteran; off camera, another man’s voice asks gentle, carefully phrased questions to elicit more information, in an effort to draw him out and explore the symptoms, causes and effects of the source of his discomfiture: PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

This is a film clip, and the hesitant, uncomfortable young man is an actor who has learned his lines and is giving a thoughtful, meaningful, and touching performance that illustrates in one sitting many of the major symptoms of PTSD. The film is one of eight similar samples on the website symptommedia.com, a business venture started in 2008 by Andrew and Matthew Rubin.

As noted on the website, their purpose is “visual learning for behavioral health.” Like any subject matter, involving/ engaging all the senses reinforces the material, and helps the students achieve the learning objectives. Even if medical students or law enforcement personnel could observe actual patients in real situations, it’s not likely that they would see the entire range of behaviors associated with a particular disorder or illness. And patient privacy precludes the types

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“If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is the value of a video?”

— Dr. Rob Averbuch, University of Florida, and Symptom Media board member

of observation and teaching settings that might best benefit such learners.

What inspired Andrew to get involved, to see this opportunity for doing good and doing well?

“The creation of Symptom Media started with a short film I made at NYU called Laney’s Eighteenth, that was inspired by the combining of two true stories of young adults suffering from mental illness. One was very close to our family, and the other, a good family friend. It stemmed from a desire to raise awareness. The film got the attention of our founding partner, Dr. Donald Fidler, who had me present the film with him at the Association for Academic Psychiatry conference shortly thereafter. From this presentation about film producers collaborating with psychiatrists, we developed the start of our business, which was later greatly expanded and grown by Matt’s arrival.”

It would be an understatement to suggest it’s a challenge to start and grow a business at such young ages; however, in addition to being a pair of “old souls,” they created a sound business plan.

Matt explains, “The core of our business model stems from my past experience working for an independent movie studio, buying movies for distribution. I gained invaluable insight into the business side of the industry working closely with my boss at First Look Studios, the Head of Business Affairs and Acquisitions at Sony for twenty years prior to working at First Look. In addition, I read countless business books and took several courses at the Small

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Business Association before drafting a Cadillac business plan. I refined my plan through feedback from retired businessmen at the SBA, a friend’s father who has been mentoring me through this process, and trial and error. The business plan and our target markets have recently expanded after bringing on a solid, well-rounded Board of Advisors.”

The Board of Advisors includes a professor at USC’s film school, and a professor at University of Florida who has been doing research about how the use of videos in teaching improves knowledge retention.

“Andrew and I brought on our family friend, a marriage family therapist, and I brought on my old boss at First Look Studios. We are open to new board members as our company progresses,” Matt adds.

This particular type of film-making is a unique aspect of Andrew’s oeuvre; he describes it this way: “Making films for Symptom Media is vastly different than making narrative projects or documentaries. We are not currently producing short films based on storylines, rather, we are doing more clinical, straightforwardfilmed interviews as teaching tools; there exists a really clear line between the two. However, making these Symptom Media vignettes has been more than eye-opening. Working in close collaboration with mental health experts is something I think all filmmakers should do. There is nothing more intimate or expounds knowledge on the human condition more than studying not just mental disorders but those people who have them, what it

does to their lives, their families, their hopes, dreams, fears. I have written a number of the scripts for the vignettes in collaboration with our multidisciplinary behavioral health team and it takes you places that are gold mines of human emotion, empathy, and character, such as the script that dealt with postpartum depression. Although directing one of these scenes isn’t as technically challenging as something you would see in a studio blockbuster, it does require all the minutia, detail, and work maneuvering around the emotions to help foster the most sincere, accurate, and non-stigmatic portrayal, such as that in our Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Combat Veteran film.”

To produce these films and run their company, the brothers divide the work.

Matt handles most of the business side of the company, producing the films, managing the website and sales. Andrew manages all of the creative, all aspects of production including filming, working with actors and the multi-disciplinary team.

In describing what it’s like to work so closely with a sibling, Andrew said, “It’s not easy. There aren’t the formal

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boundaries that distance people in an office environment.

Then again, the brother aspect also eliminates a lot of those problems. There is no worry about trust, money, or ego.”

And Matt’s perspective? “I would add that we are exact opposites, yin and yang so to speak; our skill sets truly compliment one another and also pose for heated arguments. At the end of the day, we wind up negotiating to a middle ground that I think represents a strong balance between an artistic point of view and a business / more commercial perspective.”

Indeed, they knew intuitively that they would wind up working together. As Matt said, “We always thought we would gain working experience and one day go out on our own, form a production company. It was my experience

and Borders. We are in Los Angeles at least twice a month working. Filming is modeled after a television series.”

So how did the Rubin brothers get from here—Parker— to there—Symptom Media? How did they chart their path? The pair had one overlapping year in the Upper School together when Matt was a senior and Andrew a freshman. In that one year, they actually had one class together, Pottery and Sculpture with Mr. Steve Cook.

From there though, their Parker interests diverged.

Andrew remembers, “My main focus in Upper School was photo and film. I kept retaking Motion Media 4 since I ran out of film classes; I also took Mr. Byrne’s photography class all the way through the AP. Mr. Byrne defined my time at Parker as I spent most of my days working in the darkroom, learning black and white photography, and of course enjoying his endless humor.

He has had a lasting impact, including the basis for my career in filmmaking.”

“The needs of society determine the work of the school . . . the supreme need of society is good citizenship…ideal citizenship demands of the individual the highest degree of knowledge, power, and skill.”

— Colonel Francis W. Parker

at First Look, watching first hand how the movie business was changing as rapidly as the music industry that led me to the conclusion that this was the time.”

There really isn’t a “typical” day for these entrepreneurs.

According to Matt, “About the only thing consistent from one day to the next is coffee. I set up shop at Coffee Bean most days; Andrew spreads his work between the library

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Elaborating, Andrew commented, “I have fond memories of history classes with Mr. Wineholt and two years with Mr. Ramert. Also amazing English classes with Mr. D’Onofrio, Ms. O., and of course nothing can quite describe Dr. Kyle and pretty much every lesson he crafted. Even in subjects that I struggled with (math and language) there was Señor Caracoza and Mrs. Pope, who went above and beyond to help. I think if anything, Parker is its teachers and most of my days were usually spent bugging my math and Spanish teachers for extra help, which they always provided, before school, during lunch, and after school. And the rest of it was in the photo lab.”

Matt agrees, saying, “Parker’s teachers are incredible.

My most memorable teachers and courses were Mr.

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Cook (pottery and sculpture) and Mr. Crowley (World History, Economics, Stone Carving), although I have nothing but great memories of all my teachers.

I had Mr. Cook for four years and Mr. Crowley for three years. Mr. Cook and Mr. Crowley were challenging, made me think, analyze, debate. I remember long, heated discussions with Mr. Cook prior to sculpting a new project, ranging from philosophical theories to the body type my female sculpture would have. I think these debates prepared me for the battles I have today with Andrew. My four years on the tennis team with Coach Kuiper, winning a CIF title for Parker my senior year as a Captain of the team capped an incredible six years.

Parker equipped me with the knowledge and more important, the work ethic and skill set to succeed at all levels to date: UCLA, First Look Studios and Symptom Media.”

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While Matt’s college path kept him instate, Andrew went east to NYU Tisch School for film and television, where he graduated in three years. During college, he worked on several short films and documentaries. In fact, his current feature documentary, Ride with Larry, is set to begin filming as we go to press. The protagonist is Larry Smith, whom Andrew describes as “an avid cyclist with advanced Parkinson’s disease and his quest to live a fulfilled life to the very end.” Larry plans to bike across the state of South Dakota in June 2011 to raise awareness about the use of recumbent bicycles in combating the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

Editor’s Note: this is a feature story in and of itself. Please go to http:// www.sandiego.com/arts/sandiego-filmmaker-focuses-onparkinson-s-disease to read more!

At UCLA, Matt’s major was Political Science. He says he “stumbled into the film industry, interning with producers in Westwood my junior

year of college, who treated me like extended family. My senior year, these producers referred me to a larger production company and then First Look Studios, where I started as an assistant to five executives in the production and acquisitions department. I ended up moving into a Junior Executive position within a year, buying movies for theatrical, DVD and digital distribution.”

In looking at how Francis Parker School played a role in preparing for college—not just as a destination, but as part of one’s life journey—Matt notes, “Among the skills Parker helped refine included time management skills, problem solving, critical thinking and writing. Parker’s academics and the consistent push to get into the best college, while stressful at the time, prepared me for college, the work setting and now in my most challenging yet rewarding time: setting my own hours, answering to myself and most important, the requisite of having the drive and self-

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motivation to get a company that is still ahead of the curve (although not far from the bend) off the ground.”

For Andrew, “The close relationships and interactions with teachers really allows for students to discover their passions. I attribute my passion for writing, photography and film to Parker. The courses that forced me to think and develop myself as a writer, allowed me to make an incredibly smooth transition to New York University as a film major and history minor. Also, Mr. Byrne’s classes in photo and film really allowed me to develop my skills as a filmmaker, making a personal project about my Grandmother with Alzheimer’s Over the River and Through the Woods that got me into NYU and a competition that took me to Sundance.”

Circling back to the PTSD film clip, clearly this is and will continue to be a societal issue—and a market— as more military veterans return from Iraq and Afghanistan with

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traumatic brain injuries and posttraumatic stress symptoms.

Have you ever read an article or watched a news report or a film about the traumatic brain injuries and stress disorders experienced by members of our military troops in the recent years and wondered what will become of those individuals and their families?

What will the impact be on their friends and neighbors? How will we as a society help them? What will we as a society experience as a result?

Key to addressing this need is Symptom Media Vice President Mary Lonigro, a retired Air Force Major and clinical social worker with strong experience in business development following her active duty. She met the Rubin brothers on set in December 2009; they cast her daughter in one of their videos.

Matt said, “Mary immediately gravitated to the concept and our team, kept in touch with us through the post-production process, and joined our

team as the Vice President of Business Development.” In fact, “Mary brought on a retired two-star General, his wife (an education consultant) and a retired Colonel specializing in adolescents and military families.” In December, Major General Elder Granger, M.D. US Army (retired) joined the Board of Advisors at Symptom Media.

Andrew notes, “The most gratifying thing has been building something that will be making an impact on a humanlevel. We recently had a dinner meeting with two of our board members and we showed them our video of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Combat Veteran. They had not seen this video before. As everyone watched, you could see faces struck with emotion and empathy, filled with restraint.”

Lending to the depth of this particular film: the actor drew on his own brother’s experience with PTSD as an inspiration for his performance.

Andrew concludes, “To have this type of impact in training ranging from

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medicine, nursing, psychology, social work to police officers or continuing education, in any and all fields that touch behavioral health, putting a face and understanding to an otherwise stigmatized disorder, that is the most gratifying part of what we are doing. As our board member Dr. Rob Averbuch (University of Florida) said after watching this video, ‘If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is the value of a video?’ ”

Matt and Andrew Rubin on the relationship of right and left brain—their advice to fellow entrepreneurs.

Matt: If you have a concept you believe in, to use a poker term, you need to go “all in.” And by “all in,” I don’t mean wagering financially everything you have. By all in, you need to be 100% committed, unafraid to fail and eliminate negativity. Soliciting and listening to constructive, honest feedback is essential; however, distance yourself from people and statements such as “You should know when to fold,” or “That’s a sign to give up.”

The whole process of starting a business, especially a progressive or innovative business, is to have the mindset that you’re going to fail your way to success. I know that I’m continually going to make wrong decisions and those are the most educational experiences, the ones that don’t work. These temporary failures only make you stronger.

The marriage between business and film is an incredibly tricky process. Andrew has been trained with all the most advanced equipment and technical elements of film; the more money invested in equipment, locations, and crew, all of which if working well together, in theory should show up on screen with a more sophisticated looking product. However, there’s no true value to be placed on a more sophisticated looking product. I’m always the bad guy on the business end, going line item by line item, asking the tough questions as to whether locations, crew members and equipment will really make a marginally better product and if they are absolutely necessary.

All of this negotiating on how to make the product then becomes secondary to monetizing the films in what I would label a paradigm shift era for media (movies, music, books, newspapers, etc.) in this digital era.

Andrew: You need both. Any person who focuses on one and neglects the other does so at his or her own peril. If you can’t do both then find someone who you really trust, either for their artistic opinions or their business sense. I think miscalculating or choosing the wrong person on either end can be really disastrous. We have had our arguments though, plenty of them. By going to film school and my experiences after, I do realize the absolute importance of having at least a basic business foundation.

I have produced all of my films so I am perfectly comfortable with budgeting, insurance, planning shooting schedules, location and talent contracts, etc., and can do them if needed and often do for Symptom Media and other projects. I prefer coming up with scripts and filming, and all of that, but if you don’t recognize that you are making a product, and it needs to be marketed, sold, have an audience, then you’re just wasting time. And if you’re a businessperson with no artistic sense, you can have the best business plan in the world, but you won’t have a product. So, in the end you need both sides. In addition, each side needs to respect the other.

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Math in Focus:

a Singapore Math-Style Approach to Instruction

by Dr. Bob Gillingham, Head of Lower School Several years ago, the Lower School faculty began a comprehensive review of everything they were teaching to make sure that it was all as relevant and purposeful as it could be. At the same time, they wanted to address the School’s mission more closely, focusing their efforts increasingly on the needs of individual students. Collectively, they were realizing that tomorrow’s demands on today’s students will be much different than they have been in the past, and their students will need to have the intellectual tools to deal with far more information in far more applications than they could even begin to imagine.

In arriving at these understandings, the teachers realized, through their own research and several national and international studies (e.g., http://www. cddre.org and http://nces.ed.gov/timss/), that many static, off-the-shelf academic programs which have been the main staple of American education for so many years, including the one they were then using, would achieve for students neither the strong conceptual understanding nor the lasting connections they were seeking.

Thus, following a very successful initiative to address the students’ reading, writing and spelling needs through a program called Balanced Literacy, the Lower School began several pilot initiatives with a math approach called Singapore Math. These initial forays proved intriguing, and additional professional development was arranged for the rest of the classroom teachers.

Most significantly, a group of teachers representing every grade level attended the national Singapore Math conference, where they were introduced to an exciting new math program developed by Houghton-Mifflin based on the original math series developed in Singapore.

Math in Focus differs from the Singapore editions in that it addresses all of the American National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) standards, and it varies from traditional American math programs because it doesn’t attempt to cover as many concepts every year. Instead, deeper conceptual understanding is achieved on fewer topics, ideally eliminating the need to re-teach in subsequent years.

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The biggest difference in the program is how concepts are introduced to and developed in students. Every lesson moves from concrete manipulatives to pictorial representations to the more abstract algorithms. Students are guided through explorations, which cement thorough understanding of mathematical concepts, and not simply taught the steps in solving problems.

In fact, they are encouraged to explore multiple problem-solving strategies to develop divergent, flexible thinking and to build stamina in the sometimes frustrating search for an appropriate strategy and resulting answer.

The ultimate goals of the program are children’s mastery of: —

discrete concepts at each grade level

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proficiency in computational skills

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divergent problem solving

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the ability to apply what they’ve learned in their daily lives.

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Throughout the program, there is an emphasis on mental computational strategies that help to build students’ speed and skill. Number bonds and concrete manipulatives help students visualize problems to be solved.

Subsequently, children still at a rather concrete stage of thinking, are taught the model approach or “bar modeling” (picture making) which allows them to make connections and deal with more abstract concepts and to generate and solve more complex problems.

So, what are we seeing so far? Students’ “number sense” is much more developed; they are showing much better stamina in finding and applying problem-solving strategies; and their understanding of the concepts underlying the algorithms is more secure. Additionally, they are increasingly willing to take chances, and they collaborate on finding solutions in a much more engaged way.

As we further develop students’ understanding and teachers’ ability to facilitate it, emphasis will be placed on the continued professional development of faculty through workshops, conferences and collaborative teaching.

Additionally, for the 2011 - 2012 school year, Heather Gray has accepted the position of Math Specialist. She will support the teachers daily, provide resources for them and ensure their increasing proficiency in meeting the needs of students.

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Life Skills—Middle School Essentials

by Barbara Ostos ’97, Middle School Dean of Students

The program was developed by a team of Middle School faculty—Kristy (Gillingham) Keith ‘02, Barbara Ritchie, Cindy Garetson, David Glassey, John Hulsey, Tony Ghironi, Jim Witt, Mary Ong-Dean, Dan Lang, Christi Cole ‘86, Jeremy Howard, Stacey Zoyipolous, Lesley Underwood, and Barbara Ostos ‘97—over the 20082009 school year. In designing the program, the teachers drew upon the best practices of other independent schools around the nation, also reflecting upon the needs of our own Parker students and community.

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The Life Skills Program of Francis Parker Middle School provides students with tools and skills that help them navigate their adolescent years with more awareness, confidence, independence, and self-reliance.

The program is interwoven into the curriculum to expand opportunities to guide students in making healthy and responsible decisions in their lives.

Although many independent schools around the country offer programs addressing wellness and nutrition, the Parker Middle School team, responsible for the development of the new program, prioritized the creation of a well-articulated, integrated program that met the needs of the Parker community. The team charged itself with developing a program that embodied the School’s mission to provide an environment that meets the “social, creative and emotional needs of the individual student.”

Discussions within the planning committee and at each of the three Middle School grade levels revealed what many already knew: since its inception more than 20 years ago, Francis Parker Middle School has always been dedicated to providing a well-rounded education to students during the adolescent years. However, because of the growth of the School over the years, the shift in mainstream media and technological advances, and depth of students’ prior experiences in the Lower School STRIVE program, Middle School faculty sought unique program elements to address specific adolescent issues and behaviors.

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Because of the growth of the School over the years, the shift in mainstream media and technological advances, and depth of students’ prior experiences in the Lower School STRIVE program, Middle School faculty sought unique program elements to address specific adolescent issues and behaviors.

Seeking to heighten support of Parker students throughout their Middle School years, the committee considered how the social and emotional needs of students are met, articulating and coordinating a clear vision for current programming and looking to 21st century concepts and issues to foster our students’ healthful development and to anticipate their needs as they mature.

In order to achieve integration across the many areas of student life, the Life Skills Program draws from three different areas, or strands, of focus: organization and study habits, personal management, and health and nutrition. Lessons and activities throughout the year in advisory group settings, special assemblies, and in students’ regular classes focus on one of these three strands,

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all of which connect to questions for students at each grade level.

All three grades begin the year by examining organization strategies and study habits, including effective use of the student planner and techniques of efficient time management. Students also learn how to use technology appropriately and how to maximize their use of Parker’s technology resources.

The Life Skills Program incorporates principles of critical pedagogy, encouraging students to recognize issues, reflect upon them, and plan for improvement. Frequent discussions about the value of stopping to think, or reflect, and the importance of planning ahead continue through the Middle School years, with the goal of instilling a personal value for reflection and goal setting in each student.

The process transpires in a variety of settings, including end of the trimester reflections, advisory group discussions, community service field trips, and outside speaker presentations.

Re-evaluating wellness and enrichment programs that already existed in the Middle School provided an opportunity to redesign several aspects of the Middle School programs, to address program omissions, and to improve our current practices. Addressing human development and adolescent issues in the Middle School has generated partnerships with outside experts who work with students several times over the course of the year. Additional programs that teach students about personal safety, nutrition and health have been added to the curriculum through the Life Skills Program.

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Now in its second year, the Middle School Life Skills Program has become a core element of Francis Parker Middle School.

The Life Skills Program expands the Middle School’s history of engaging students in dialogue about important issues pertinent to their lives, incorporating significant additions and changes to the Middle School program and drawing upon the insight and expertise of Middle School teachers to guide students in meaningful exchanges of ideas. Advisors play a central role in the Life Skills Program as the main facilitators of lessons during advisory group settings. Advisors at a given grade level present the same lesson to their groups, and lead discussions and activities related to the topic. Topics at each grade align with the grade level themes: selfawareness in sixth grade; community awareness in seventh; and global awareness in eighth.

taught in the sixth grade emotional intelligence unit.

Although these initial signs of success are anecdotal, creating the time to engage students in discussions about real life issues transcends our school’s gate and will hopefully serve our students for life.

Despite the initial success of the Life Skills Program, we are mindful that it will continue to evolve. It is a medium that affords us the time and space to reflect about how we engage students and to reinforce our commitment to make student life and daily experiences in the Middle School as positive as possible. The principal objective of our reflections is to support the healthful development of our students. Parker has always been about its students. We’re confident Colonel Parker and our founders would be proud.

Now in its second year, the Middle School Life Skills Program has become a core element of Francis Parker Middle School. Over the past year I have had the opportunity to hear first-hand about the impact of program. Several current ninth graders came by my office after the summer break to share how their family summer travel connected to the global awareness discussed in eighth grade. On campus, I overhear seventh graders using the language

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Life Skills Program Strands & Goals

The Life Skills Program is designed to:

Health & NUTRITION

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encourage students to reflect upon their experiences

— Eating Right

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help students develop healthy social relationships

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teach skills that help students become resilient and effective communicators, including teaching the value of personal reflection

— Drugs & Alcohol

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Personal Management

educate the whole child through consideration and discussion of formative aspects of adolescence

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Integrate academic achievement with social and emotional well-being.

— Media Awareness — Human Development — Body Image

— Communication — Emotional Intelligence — Handling Peer Pressure — Relationship Management — Personal Safety

Organization/ Study Habits

Each grade level’s program is designed to be age and grade level appropriate and align with the established Middle School Grade Level Themes of Self-Awareness in sixth grade, Community Awareness in seventh grade and Global Awareness in eighth grade.

Highlights from each grade level include: Sixth Grade: —

Transitioning to Middle School

— Note Taking

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Emotional Intelligence

— Study Skills

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Healthy Eating Decisions

— Time Management

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Goal Setting

— Use of Technology — Planner Use

Seventh Grade: —

Community Service

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Changing Friendships

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Personal Identity Development

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Dangers of Stereotyping

Eighth Grade:

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—

Personal Safety

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Personal Integrity

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Human Development

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Media Awareness

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Barbara Ostos ‘97 Profile

by David Wahlstrom, Communications Associate

Middle School Dean of Students Barbara Ostos ‘97 knows good advice when she hears it. Not long into a conversation with her, Ostos recalls advice she received not long after beginning her career at Parker 10 years ago.

“When I was hired in 2001 by Dr. W. Lee Pierson, he told me that if I did not intend on working in schools for my entire work life, I should not stay at Parker more than three years, otherwise I am doing a disservice to myself and to the school.

I really took that advice to heart.”

A talented teacher and administrator who truly puts the needs of students first, Ostos knows Parker and wants to see her alma mater be the best school it can possibly be; one that is on the cutting edge of education, which includes all aspects of child development. Because of this desire, this Harvard graduate is always pushing herself to learn more and to bring programs on board that help ensure that the School meets its Mission and Vision, programs like the Middle School Life Skills Program.

When asked about the Life Skills Program that she helped to institute, Ostos eagerly talks about its origin, progression and future, noting that this program is unique to Parker. She explains that it is not a standard wellness program, but rather one that borrows pieces from many different programs from across the country while incorporating ideas and philosophies that fill specific gaps and holes for Parker students at that time. It is a fluid, living program that will constantly evolve and improve for the sake of the current student body.

Barbara Ostos Quick Facts:

The Life Skills Program is not the only thing that Ostos is always trying to advance. Currently, she is enrolled at the University of California, San Diego, where she is in her second year of work on her Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership. Part of that process will include her thesis and research on leadership styles of independent school heads of school, with specific focus on female heads of school in their leadership positions.

— Began working at Francis Parker School in 2001 as a teacher

— Graduated from Francis Parker School in 1997 — Attended Harvard University, graduating in 2001 with a degree in Government and Romance Languages — Graduated from the University of San Diego in 2007 with a Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management — Pursuing a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from UC San Diego

— Has taught French, Spanish and history at Parker (Middle and Upper Schools) — Served as the 7th Grade Level Coordinator prior to her current position — Currently in her third year as the Middle School Dean of Students — Married to Carlos with one child, Lydia Sofia (born in April 2010)

Congratulations are in order: as of July 1, 2011, Barbara will take on a new role as the Head of Middle School at Catlin Gabel School in Portland, OR

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The Parker Fund

Invest in Students Today — Empower Leaders for Tomorrow

Parker’s future well-being will depend increasingly on higher participation in the Parker Fund and a higher total of Parker Fund dollars raised. Let’s take a look at how Parker compares to our peer schools.

As we approach our Centennial and the next 100 years of educational leadership, the School must increase Parker Fund participation and Parker Fund total dollars to fuel progress while preserving our uniquely diverse culture. If you have not given to the Parker Fund yet, please do so today!

$2,500,000 $2,000,000 $1,500,000 $1,000,000 $500,000

Designate Your Gift Toward:

Faculty & Professional Development

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Financial Aid

—

Library

—

Science & Technology

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Greatest Needs

2009-10 Percent Parent Participation to Annual Fund 100%

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Online www.francisparker.org/givenow

90%

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Phone (858) 569-7900 x4132

70%

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Mail 6501 Linda Vista Rd. San Diego, CA 92111

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2009-10 Total Dollars in Annual Giving

$3,000,000

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Interim Week

by Zachary Gleicher ’11

I never expected that constructing a kiln would amount to over 600 individual man-hours and require a master kiln builder to come from New Jersey. I thought the project would consist of nothing more than reading instructions and slapping mortar on bricks. I was proven wrong. In each full school day, our group of 12 students managed to stack only two rows of bricks. Besides having to stack 14 rows, we had to weld a metal frame, construct an arched roof, stack a 17-foot chimney, mix mortar, cut and place eight different kinds of bricks, and pipe in gas lines. When you add up the time over Interim week and the days spent over several weekends, we had an enormous project to take on.

For the construction of a soda kiln during Interim week, Parker allocated resources to buy the

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required materials and brought out master kiln builder Bruce Dehnert from New Jersey. For all of you who don’t know what a kiln is, it is used to fire soft clay into rock hard ceramics. Dehnert supplied the knowledge and plans for constructing our soda kiln. One may be asking what makes a soda kiln so valuable? Soda firing is a specialized process unlike any other firing. By introducing salt or soda ash at high temperature, vapors eat away at the clay body, therefore self-glazing the pots with rich, glassy and textured surfaces.

Having a soda kiln at Parker places our school into a special class that rivals the best high school ceramic programs in the nation. This is because such a kiln needs to be built brick by brick on site, rendering the process very expensive. For this reason, the

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kiln has already attracted ceramic professionals who wish to use our facilities for workshops of their own. Parker is now in an enviable position where students like myself can be introduced into the local ceramic artist community. Just last year a handful of students had the opportunity to work with the Clay Artists of San Diego and nationally recognized ceramic artist and teacher Lana Wilson.

The experience of Interim week allowed me to delve into my interests in ceramics and helped me build a stronger connection to a specialized art making process. Ceramics teacher Steve Cook has made it a priority to help students gain a global perspective about traditional ceramics and pottery-making

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communities around the world who participate in processes such as making clay, glazes, ceramics, and kilns. By making a kiln of our own, the Parker ceramics program strives to embed students into the complete process. When most schools buy glazes and kilns, the student relinquishes control to a manufacturer; by having a kiln built

by Parker students, I am pleased to say that we have gained a deeper understanding and respect for a complete process therefore bringing a greater sense of integrity into our work. Keep your eyes open for results and come see a firing some time!

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A key purpose of our trip was reconciliation—coming to terms with former enemies and forging a future committed to understanding, friendship, and peace.

Parker Reconciles with Vietnam— A Top Ten List of Learning Experience Hits

by Eric Taylor, Upper School social studies faculty

It was in the middle of a busy thoroughfare in downtown Hanoi that I realized why I went to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as a trip leader for Francis Parker School’s Global Studies Program: to get to the other side of the road. At that point crossing the road was a literal objective: several thousand motorcyclists swarmed around me, and I wasn’t sure if I would remain Eric Taylor, Parker teacher, or become Eric Taylor, speed bump.

Once I made it to safety, however, and in the year since, I came to

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realize that I went to Vietnam for another, more meaningful reason: to assist students at Francis Parker School, and by extension their broader school and national community, in reconciling with Vietnam and its impact on modern America.

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Crossing this figurative road is far more difficult than forging a path through thousands of motorbikes. It involves a process of identifying how one’s country did not succeed, did not take the day, did not win. It requires an honest assessment of the impact national defeat has had on an American culture that promises constant possibility and, with it, meaningful success for hard work, dedication, and persistence. Yet this process also includes picking up the pieces, moving forward, and enduring despite having missed or not met expectations—life lessons very relevant to Americans today. What better way to help the United States as a country come to grips with Vietnam than by taking a generation of young people to meet, get to know, and learn from their country’s former enemies?

With this goal in mind I returned to Vietnam this year with fellow trip leaders Erin Feldman, John Morrison, and another contingent of Parker student travelers. The trip hinges on experienced-based learning designed to teach students about the complexity of the Vietnamese people, their culture, and their history. This type of education comes in many ways while in country. To better describe the process, I’ve included a “top ten” list of my favorite teaching moments from last year’s Vietnam trip. Some of my and the students’ favorite learning experiences came while:

1) Experiencing the famed Hanoi Hilton, the French-built prison where first Vietnamese and then later American prisoners of war were held, interrogated and tortured, and where unbelievable moments of endurance and compassion happened in spite of armed struggle. Our visit began with a twinge of irony, given that before entering the prison door we walked over a large Welcome Mat. 2) Traveling to a Buddhist pagoda located in the outskirts of Hanoi that, since the late 1960s, has also operated as an orphanage and school for dozens of children born to parents either unwilling or unable to care for them. We met and spoke with the resident priests and nuns before making traditional chubb cakes for the

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Tet Holiday and playing with and getting to know some of the children. (We returned to this village for a service-learning project in February 2011.)

3) Being approached by numerous elders throughout the country, having them take my hands in theirs, and then having them pat my bearded face while lightheartedly chanting, “Uncle Ho! Uncle Ho!”—as though I somehow embodied, for them, a live and well Ho Chi Minh, one of the most revered of Vietnamese national heroes.

4) Taking a day tour to Bat Trang, an ancient village located on the east bank of the Hong River, and visiting the homestudio of a potter whose work was chosen by the government

to be included in the country’s 1000 birthday celebrations held in Hanoi in October 2010. We also visited the studio of the controversial contemporary artist Ayn Kranh, who graced us with an improvisational performance of dance and song.

5) Making our way to the northeast, to Halong Bay, home to historic fishing villages and site of the famous 1964 “Gulf of Tonkin Incident” that led American policymakers to make Vietnam a Cold War priority. While there we became official guests of the local Communist Party, whose ward boss was hosting celebrations for the Tet lunar new year. Parker returned this diplomatic gesture by offering up this year’s ASB

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President, Sara Linssen ’11, for negotiations on the dance floor.

6) Weaving through the bustling streets of Hoi An, a silk center on the Thu Bon River and home to tailors whose products for centuries have been coveted by both eastern and western consumers. When not reveling in the samples of craftsmanship brimming from the village stores’ shelves (silk scarves, silk suits, silk tapestries, oh my!), it was inspiring watching Amy Ho ’10 learn how to ride a bike in the midst of a intersection bustling with pedestrians, motorcycles, taxis, and tuctucs.

7) Playing pool with students at our hotel in Hoi An and, when not schooling Amha Abebe ’10 in the art of billiards, taking in a massive painting in the hotel gazebo that features a sumo wrestler surfing a very large wave.

Anyone familiar with Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War epic, Apocalypse Now, might grin, as I did, when learning the painting’s title. Despite claims by Coppola’s Lieutenant Colonel Kilgore (marvelously played by Robert Duvall), “Charlie Does Surf!”

8) Enduring the giggles of locals at a beach whose waves roll in from the South China Sea. They laughed at us for brazenly wearing only bathing suits and bikinis in public, in front of everybody, without shame, rather than swimming fully-clothed in 100-degree heat.

9) Making a secular pilgrimage of sorts to the village of Tay Ninh, in southern Vietnam, which is most famous as being the spiritual home of the Dao Cao Dai religion. The faith resulted from the syncretism of numerous belief systems, namely Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Catholicism, a process in itself that underscores a central tenet of Caodaism—worldly as well as spiritual peace. Those of a literary bent might be surprised to know that French author Victor Hugo, most famous for Les Misérables, ranks among the Dao Cao Dai’s patron saints.

of the visit included witnessing fellow trip leader Erin Feldman confront her claustrophobia while laughingly watching 6’4” Mike Brunsting ’10 stuff himself into a winding passage. Taking in Sam Weinstein ’11 shriek with delight as she fired off a round from an AK-47 likewise definitely taught me a great deal about the power of experiential learning.

If there were a #11 on this top ten list it would have to be when our group ate some amazing phó at the same restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) where Bill Clinton dined during his visit to Vietnam in November 2000. Like Clinton, a key purpose of our trip was reconciliation— coming to terms with former enemies and forging a future committed to understanding, friendship, and peace.

10) Navigating the Cu Chi tunnel system, a maze of 3’ x 3’ tunnels located anywhere from 10 to 50 meters underground, where for more than three decades Vietnamese resistance fighters hid from first French and later American armed forces. Highlights

In February 2011, the Upper School’s Global Education Program embarked upon six different trips around the world: Colombia, Guatemala, the Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Vietnam. You can travel vicariously with our intrepid students by reading their trip blogs at http://www.francisparker.org/page. cfm?p=421&newsid=204

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The Future of Civil Society and Civic Engagement

by Cathy Morrison, Director of Communications

On Tuesday, November 30, three of the San Diego area’s most dedicated and forward-thinking public servants spoke to students and parents on the future of our civil society — not politics, ports or potholes — but how young people can make a difference in the coming generation.

Speakers included —

Juan Vargas - State Senator Vargas has been a civic leader in Southern California for more than 15 years.

He served on the San Diego City Council for 8 years prior to his election to the State Assembly in 2000.

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Scott Peters - Chairman of the Board of Port Commissioners of the San Diego Unified Port District, representing the City of San Diego. A former twoterm city councilman, Scott is also on the Board of Overseers at UCSD and a member of the Boards of Directors of LEAD San Diego, among others.

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Ron Roberts - County Supervisor Roberts represents nearly 640,000 residents of the 4th Supervisorial District. An activist for youth in our region, he played a leading role in creating San Pasqual Academy for foster teens while also

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working with educators and community leaders to create the San Diego Childhood Obesity Initiative.

The panel was moderated by Gina Lew, an award-winning former broadcast journalist and current Professor of Media Writing at the University of San Diego.

At its founding, Francis Parker School was dedicated to the progressive educational ideal of cultivating well-educated citizens. Today, we hold true to that same mission, but the vision of what it means to be a global citizen has expanded. Parker is dedicated to educating and preparing the emerging leaders and global citizens of tomorrow.

The goal of this speaker series is to inspire our students to play a role in shaping the future these visionary speakers outline. Thanks to Parker parents Jason Khoury ’87 and Christine Trimble for helping bring together these outstanding members of the San Diego community to share their thoughts on civic engagement and inspire our future leaders to live the Parker ideal of good citizenship.

The next event will be held on Tuesday, April 19 from 6:00 – 8:00pm, and will feature William Brody, M.D., Ph.D. — President of the Salk Institute; Eric Topol, M.D. — Director of Scripps Translational

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Technology allows you to see more things from further away, and yet “you can still make a difference.” He offered an example from his personal life, mentioning that in the early 1990s when ethnic cleansing was happening in Kosovo, he and his wife Adrienne felt compelled to find a way to help. Upon contacting a friend who worked at the UN, he learned that one of the people leading the work of bringing Kosovar refugees to San Diego was a nun whom they saw at their church every Sunday. They wound up adopting a family who lived with them in their home for two years. He concluded, “A 21st century citizen is someone who looks globally, acts locally. Opportunities exist today that didn’t before because of technology.”

Science Institute, and Jay Flatley — CEO & President of Illumina. Moderated by Dr. Cynthia Steunkel, Parker alumni parent and Professor of Clinical Medicine at UCSD, the topic will be The Future of Medicine in a Genetic Age. Head of School Kevin Yaley opened the November event, saying, “Francis Parker School, true to the progressive ideals of Colonel Francis Parker, is innovative, committed to excellence. We take seriously our charge to be responsible for preparing students to be citizens of the world.”

Gina Lew added, “Tonight we are asking three of San Diego’s most dynamic public servants to address the future of civil service and the electoral process in the digital age.”

Mr. Peters opened with an experience early in his tenure on the City Council, when the La Jolla Boulevard five modern traffic round-abouts were created, a successful civic solution to a neighborhood issue for which he credits the local citizens with the research, design and community cohesiveness.

The volunteers group consisted of one representative from each block in the Bird Rock area. The round-abouts have had a positive impact in slowing traffic, reducing accidents, and allowing more foot traffic to access businesses along that route. Although the solution can seem counterintuitive, it works, and because the community was involved deeply in agreeing on the solution, they’re also able to explain it and defend it. He noted, “It’s critical for educated people to have a partnership with government.” The key is “strong community leadership, willing to be informed and come together” for a common goal. He also discussed the “literal dis-integration of information,” describing for the students who Walter Cronkite was and a time when there were only four TV channels, “basically, everyone was getting the same news; it was a shared experience, a common understanding that informed community discourse.” Now, there is much more information to integrate, citizens must process more in order stay informed; “common understanding” takes significantly more effort.

An architect prior to his political career, Mr. Roberts told the students, “This campus is simply beautiful.” He shared

The evening began with each of the panelists giving a quick overview of their take on the subject at hand.

Mr. Vargas opened the discussion, answering the question, “What does a 21st century citizen look like?”

He told the students he thought a 21st century citizen looks quite similar to one from the 20th, 19th, or even 16th century, saying, “The only difference is technology.”

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the Winston Churchill quote: We make our buildings, and then they make us, noting, “If true, this is a good symbol of where the students from this school will end up. You’re starting on the right foot.” He also gave us a sense for the physical history of our Linda Vista campus. It happens that he “knows this property intimately. It used to be a public housing project before it was the San Miguel School for Boys [from whom Parker purchased the property in 1971]. We lived on this property.

This was temporary government housing; everything on this campus, the County Office of Education, all the way down to USD on both sides of the road, was housing.” Mark Twain was a brand new school then; he was a member of the first graduating class.

He said, “I never imagined there would be a high school on this land where housing used to be, and that I’d be here talking to students about government.”

As for his take on a 21st century citizenry, using the familiar Tip O’Neill quote, All politics is local, showed the students the front page of the day’s Wall Street Journal containing an article about the seals at the Children’s Pool in La Jolla. He echoed the importance of citizens getting

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involved within their communities, and added, “It’s important to travel and see what’s actually going on in the world,” encouraging students to open their eyes globally. He compared current developments in China to our own country in the 1880s, “when the U.S. became an industrial power.”

Mr. Roberts noted that today’s high school students are projected to hold an average of six different jobs by the time they are 32 years old, and urged them to “learn how to learn” throughout their lives, saying, “invest, adapt to a whole different, changing world” and charging them to be creative and look at familiar things in new ways.

For example, olive trees grow well in our climate. Could we create a local industry for the production of olive oil?

It was interesting to learn that as a member of the State legislature, Juan Vargas is representing citizens of the 7th largest economy in the world, the population of San Diego County is larger than that of 21 states, the budget is bigger than that of 12 states, and the geographic size of the county is larger than two states, Rhode Island and Delaware.

As Mr. Roberts said, “California is almost a nation-state by itself.”

Audience Q & A with the Panelists Q: What would you tell young people who want to know why they should want to commit their lives to public service?

A: Ron Roberts—“Good news is not normally news. It feels as if news is disproportionately bad, but all of us on stage have been involved in good, positive projects that change lives for the better.”

Scott Peters—“How terrific it is to work for your community, to care about it. It’s gratifying to accomplish something that makes your neighborhood better. For example, look how the ballpark has changed downtown. You can’t worry about what the papers say about you. You really meet some interesting people. If I’d never been on City Council, I would’ve spent most of my time with mostly the same types of people—analytical, white lawyers. This expanded my horizon to work with all different kinds of people.”

Juan Vargas—“You can do something positive for other people. You have an enormous power to change things for the better—poor kids growing up in difficult circumstances, for example.

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You’re given an opportunity to help them. It’s tough work, but there’s personal satisfaction in fighting for good things, having the ability to make a difference. There’s an enormous power and opportunity to do good.”

Q: For people who want to go into politics, how do you see elections going in this difficult age? Especially if you don’t have a lot of funding behind you?

A: Scott Peters—“At the local level, it’s always going to be a neighbor-toneighbor thing. If you knock on enough doors, people will get to know who you are. It’s a concern that we don’t seem to be as concerned about candidates’ accomplishments s the speeches they make. Look at what officials have accomplished, not who they can yell at.

It can be overwhelming at higher levels; just having money is not a solution. You have to have the support of the people.”

Juan Vargas—“I believe in public financing; the reality is you need money. Without public financing, the concern is that one doesn’t know who the people are who are spending money on either side. An equal amount of spending [makes sense].”

Ron Roberts—“We have to do a better job of educating people regarding issues and process. So many things on the ballot, that’s how money affects things; the initiative process has changed dramatically.

Over time, we get things right.”

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Q: What do you most regret in your political career?

A: Juan Vargas—“It’s not regrets, but there are disappointments. I’ve tried to work across the aisle, but I’d like to try even harder to work with Republicans.”

Ron Roberts—“…it’s disappointments as opposed to regrets. If something doesn’t work, you’re disappointed, but you don’t regret trying or having tried. Sometimes emotions cloud possibilities. If you’re only taking on things that you know will be able to get done with certainty, then you may need to find a different job.”

Scott Peters—“Let’s use the analogy of taking a test, and not getting a perfect score. All you can do is prepare, do your best job, be ethical, put in the best effort that you can with what you know at the time. If I had a replay button, I could tell you votes I would take differently, things I would’ve said in the paper differently…I can’t get that back, so I have to say I did the best I could. Did I do it for the right reasons, did I do it in a way that was ethical? I have a lot of things I’m proud of, but sure, there’s things if you could get a ‘do-over,’ you would.”

Q: Could you explain what kind of power citizens actually have as individuals?

Scott Peters—“Three things. One, if you have an idea someone else may not have thought of. Two, if several people in the community send an email on a subject, it’s remarkable how it gets noticed. Three, most of the input politicians receive is negative and disparaging. If someone has a positive idea, it does stand out. Sending positive, thoughtful ideas and suggestions about the community is very effective.”

Ron Roberts—“The power of a positive idea, when people come up with something the elected official hasn’t thought of.” Mr. Roberts discussed the example of Pro Kids Golf, noting it all started with a small group of people with a powerful idea, saying, “I want to have breakfast with you…” “We want to build…” He is then able to ask questions, such as, “What’s the name of your organization? Where will the money come from?” From there, officials and people can work together with “the idea that we can do this.” Mr. Roberts also mentioned “the public hearing process that seems routine—strong, carefully wellthought out arguments can have an affect on elected officials, when it’s something we hadn’t thought about, didn’t know about, sure will open your eyes in a way that’s profound… individuals can articulate something that can change the course.”

A: Juan Vargas—“All the power you want, and no power if you choose not to exercise it. Most people don’t exercise their power.” Mr. Vargas gave the example of a woman in San Ysidro who was concerned about 18-wheelers driving past an elementary school. She lived in the apartments across the very busy street from the school and had to navigate crossing a very dangerous street with her young son to get him safely to the school. She called Mr. Vargas’ office to try to move the truck traffic elsewhere. “Gigantic trucks needn’t travel residential streets. We were able to stop the heavy traffic; things changed because of one person.”

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Parker Parents’ Association Annual Spring Gala

Haute means high and Harley means fun!

Hammer down and join the Parker Parents’ Association in raising funds to benefit the School’s most critical needs, including Student Financial Aid and Faculty Professional Development.

Dress up your leather jackets and skirts and polish your Harleys.

Add some shiny fabric and bling and you have achieved Haute Harley Fashion.

Hit the Road Early: Visit www.francisparker.org/gala for sponsorship opportunities, auction item donations, and more!

Make reservations by April 4 and be automatically entered for a chance to win our annual opportunity drawing with values reaching $3,000!

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Faculty News & Notes Kevin Yaley Named Head of School

On November 2, 2010, the Francis Parker School Board of Trustees announced the appointment of Kevin Yaley as the School’s 12th Head of School in our 98-year history.

Board Chair Jon R. Lauer wrote, “On behalf of the Francis Parker Board of Trustees, I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Kevin Yaley as our new Head of School. Mr. Yaley’s appointment is the culmination of an extensive national search and a unanimous recommendation from the Head of School Search Committee and the Board of Trustees. His appointment is effective immediately.”

Mr. Yaley was the Interim Head of School at Francis Parker School since July 1, 2010, having previously served as the Associate Head of School for five years. Prior to that, Mr. Yaley served as Parker’s Director of Admissions for one year and also taught history, ethics and philosophy in the Upper School. Before his decade with Parker, Mr. Yaley taught for ten years at University of San Diego High School. In addition to his extensive teaching and administrative background, Mr. Yaley is one of the most successful high school soccer coaches in San Diego history, having led his teams to six CIF championships.

Mr. Yaley received his B.A. and M.A. in theology from the University of Notre Dame and his M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from San Diego State University. He received the Excellence in Teaching Award from University of San Diego High School in 2001, and participated in the Independent Schools Institute and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Mr. Yaley was a Fellow at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Edward E. Ford Fellowship for Aspiring Heads. Mr. Yaley is a board member of the prestigious California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) Board of Standards.

We are also delighted that Mr. Yaley’s wife, Shawna, and his daughters, Parker students Solia ‘13, Indiana ‘16 and Ansel ‘17, will continue to be a part of the Parker family.

Many thanks go to my colleagues on the Search Committee, co-chair Dee Anne Canepa, Richard Dicker, Kathy Purdon and Ted Tchang ’81, for their dedication and thoughtfulness during the hundreds of hours and many months it took to complete the search and selection process. The Committee could not have accomplished its job without the valuable input received from the Parker community, including staff, faculty, parents, students, grandparents and alumni. Based upon its meetings with these constituencies, the Committee determined that Francis Parker School would be best served by a Head of School who is inspirational, energetic, an excellent communicator, an effective administrator, a strategic leader, an adept fundraiser, and a living symbol of our school.

Based upon extensive interviews with the candidates, coupled with voluminous feedback provided by our Parker constituencies, the Committee determined that Mr. Yaley — whose passion for and loyalty to Parker are unquestioned — best personified these attributes.

It is with great pleasure that we welcome Kevin Yaley as our new Head of School.”

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Faculty Accomplishments Lower School 3rd Grade Teacher Joan Anderson completed her first triathlon, The San Diego Fearless Triathlon, on October 30, 2010 in 48 minutes (250-meter swim, 5-mile bike ride, 2-mile run).

Paul Esch and Michael Gonzales, Upper School Science Teacher and Middle & Upper School Music Teacher respectively, earned their Triple Crown medals for finishing the Carlsbad, La Jolla and America’s Finest City Half-Marathons in 2010.

Ryan Griggs, Upper School Science Teacher and Robotics Team Advisor received his MS in Marine Science from the University of San Diego in December 2009.

Athletic Director Dan Kuiper has been named the 2010-2011 San Diego Section Athletic Director of the Year.

The annual award is voted on by the Athletic Directors in the section and is awarded by the California State Athletic Directors Association. Coach Kuiper will receive his award at the annual CSADA Conference Awards Banquet on May 7, 2011 in Palm Springs. “We are extremely proud of Dan for earning this honor,” said Parker’s Head of School Kevin Yaley.

“Dan’s long standing commitment to excellence in athletics as well as his

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ongoing concern for the wellbeing of our student-athletes continues to distinguish him.” Coach Kuiper has been an integral member of the Francis Parker School family for nearly three decades, serving at the school’s Athletic Director since 1981.

Under his direction, varsity teams at Parker have accumulated 96 League Championships, 86 CIFSDS Championships, 7 CIF Academic State Championships and 4 CIF State Championships. He has also served as a physical education teacher and coach at Parker. As a coach, he directed the Lancers on the football field from 1982 through 1995, winning four consecutive CIF San Diego Section Championships (1986-1989). He was also the varsity boys’ tennis coach from 1982-2004. He returned to the sideline as a head coach for JV boys’ basketball this winter.

Upper School Social Studies Teacher Cherie Redelings and junior Carson Scott have been selected as one of 15 teacher/student teams from around the country to participate in the National History Day Normandy Institute this summer. According to the National History Day website, “Albert H. Small National History Day announces an exciting and unique summer institute for teachers and students. In June 2011, fifteen student/teacher teams will engage in a rigorous study of D-Day and World War II. Students and teachers will be immersed in lectures presented by leading World War II historians, participate in a scholarly study of the World War II monuments in the D.C. area and walk in the footsteps of history on the beaches of Normandy.

The last day in Normandy will be a day of remembrance. The students will lay a wreath at the American Cemetery based on pre-institute research of soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice.”

Upper School Science Department Chair Susan Moerder was invited by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to attend the 2010 Holiday Lecture Series in Washington DC in December.

Along with five other teachers from around the country, Susan sat in on the Lecture Series and then spent the next three days collaborating and developing curriculum to accompany the lectures that will eventually be free and available to any teacher on a DVD. This series was titled “Viral Outbreak: The Science of Emerging Disease,” with guest speakers Joe DeRisi Ph.D., and Eva Harris Ph.D. More information about the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and its Holiday Lecture Series can be found at www.hhmi.org.

Rotary International designates February as World Understanding Month and each club is allowed to select someone for the Peacemaker Award. The San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary has chosen Upper School Social Studies Teacher Phil Trotter for this year’s award. Mr. Trotter has devoted his life to peace and social justice issues and sharing that passion with his students. Mr. Trotter was presented with this award at the San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary meeting on Wednesday, February 23, at the University Club.

He was also the featured speaker and presented the program.

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Parker Learning Center Director Selected for National Summit Parker Learning Center Director Rona Dosick is recognized as a leading expert in applying a neurosciencebased approach to teaching and learning. In October 2010, she joined fellow educators at a national summit in North Carolina, sponsored by All Kinds of Minds. These educators from around the world have formed a network that will advance a neuroscience approach aimed at addressing our nation’s most pressing educational challenges. Ms. Dosick is recognized as a national expert because of the work that she has done using the science of learning for the benefit of Parker students since 1995.

The event was spearheaded by All Kinds of Minds, the preeminent organization that translates scientific research on the mind and learning into practical use by teachers and schools to help ensure success for all students in both life and school.

“I’m honored and excited to be part of this network and engaging in a research-based approach focusing on a neurodevelopment understanding of how children learn and how they vary in their learning,” said Rona.

“We have seen how this approach helps educators tailor their strategies to help all students be successful, and we look forward to bringing the power of this approach to other teachers in other schools as well.”

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As part of the summit, participants discussed how to put what science tells us about how people learn into practice in our classrooms, in our schools, in our nation.

Participants in the summit drew the following conclusions: —

It’s time to ensure that the professionals who work in our schools are learning experts – that they understand the process of learning and how it varies from student to student.

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It’s time to place greater emphasis in our classrooms and schools on looking at students as individual learners. Do away with the “one size fits all” approach and find ways to personalize the educational process so that it is both relevant and challenging for each student and manageable for our teachers.

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It’s time to identify richer ways to measure learning – and for holding schools accountable for how well they facilitate learning for every single student.

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It’s time to find ways to develop and nurture individual student talents and affinities. Our communities, our nation, and our world need all kinds of minds to successfully meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

At the end of the summit, participants agreed that they will continue to work together to develop and implement activities and strategies to build demand for a neurodevelopmental approach to learning and to equip more educators with neurodevelopmental knowledge and skills.

Parker Faculty and Students Participate in NAIS 23rd Annual People of Color Conference 12 Upper School students and 20 faculty members attended this year’s conference, December 2 - 4, 2010. NAIS hosted the People of Color and Student Diversity Leadership Conference at the San Diego Marriott and Convention Center on Harbor Drive.

The annual faculty and student conferences serve as the flagship of the NAIS equity and justice initiatives.

NAIS addresses two important needs at PoCC and SDLC: the need for people of color in independent schools to come together for networking and support and the need for schools to find ways to sustain inclusive school communities.

Teachers, students and administrators of color and diversity professionals of all backgrounds from across the nation gather to celebrate and nurture equity and justice in independent schools.

PoCC and SDLC bring together a diverse group of people who share the challenges and rewards central to their experiences in independent schools.

This year’s planning committee included all four independent schools in San Diego County; Francis Parker School had four faculty representatives.

Debbi Butler (Lower School Junior Kindergarten Teacher), Jessica Lemoine (Upper School Math Teacher), Barbara Ostos ’97 (Middle School Dean of Students) and Inez Thomas (Director of Community Outreach) worked on every aspect of the conference since January 2010 to guarantee its success. Francis Parker School was pleased to send faculty members to the event, including Paul Barsky, Liliana Batelman, Rene Caracoza, Steve Cook, Terri Devine, Carrie Dilmore, Monica Gallardo, Bob Gillingham, Alex Gomez, Darleen Herriman, Pat McKenna, Binh Ngo, Mary OngDean, Margo Sharpe, Maria Szeles, Rai Wilson and Kevin Yaley.

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PoCC is held in conjunction with SDLC, a multiracial, multicultural gathering of Upper School student leaders from around the country that focuses on self-reflection, forming allies, and building community.

Conference attendees participate in community service during their stay each year. San Diego Coast Keeper, San Diego Rescue Mission and the San Diego Bar Association’s Book Project were this year’s beneficiaries.

SDLC organizers Rodney Glasgow and Liz Fernandez noted, “In San Diego, building on our curricular foundation, we explored issues of social justice, practiced authentic expression, stretched our thinking on self and society, and prepared for effective advocacy in independent schools.

Newest Faculty and Staff

We gathered inspiration from our esteemed keynote speaker, Mr. Ernest Green, a member of the Little Rock Nine, who integrated Central High School after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision.”

Through a voluntary process that included a series of essay questions, an interview, a clearly stated set of goals and expectations, and a faculty recommendation, these Parker students were selected to attend SDLC in San Diego: Kathy Dominguez ’11, Elizabeth Chen ’11, Simone Leonard ’11, JoJo Tam ’11, Malea Redding ’12, Dalante Dunklin ’12, Anna Hobbs ’12, Tara Shockley ’12, Asha Walker ’12, Aly BarettShorter ’12, Rachel Abernethy ’12 and Stanley Gambucci ’13.

Featured speakers at this year’s event included Phoebe Eng, Ernest Green, Alma Martinez, Linda Villarosa, Faisal Alam, Sarah Culberson, Roberto Lavoto.

The One Dream Choir, a 100-voice choral group made up of local San Diego schoolchildren (many of whom are Parker students) under the direction of our Lower School Music Specialist Darleen Herriman, performed at the conference closing ceremonies on Saturday, December 4. The performance featured three Francis Parker Upper School soloists, Patricia Fernandez ’14, Jacob Gardenswartz ’14, and Blair Lewis ’12.

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Sarabeth Berk, Middle and Upper School 2D Art Teacher Sarabeth is from Colorado and has lived in seven different states to follow her artistic path. She received her BA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and her MAT from Rhode Island School of Design. Her background is in art and design education, community art, and arts integration. Sarabeth identifies herself as an artist/educator and has taught all ages as well as in international locations including the Bahamas, Mexico, and Haiti.

In her personal artwork, Sarabeth uses mixed media, incorporating found materials, encaustic, digital photography and collage, to explore themes of home, space, and barriers.

Jennifer Cha, Lower School Teacher’s Aide

Brittany Clark, Teacher’s Aide in SK-P Brittany graduated from Mission Viejo High School in Orange County.

She attended San Diego State University, where she earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies and her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Before coming to Parker Brittany worked as a counselor for Horizon Youth Programs.

Kathryn Frazzette, Teacher’s Aide in SK-H Kathryn attended Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket, RI. She attended Miami University in Oxford, OH, where she earned her B.S. Degree in Early Childhood Education.

She continues her education at the University of San Diego, where she will earn her M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction in May 2011. Before coming to Parker, Kathryn taught Grade 1 as a Student Teacher for Van Buren Elementary School in Hamilton, OH.

Jennifer graduated from Mira Mesa High School.

She currently attends San Diego Mesa Community College, where she is focusing on Child Development courses. She is working on her AA Degree.

Before coming to Parker Jennifer worked at Para Los Ninos in Los Angeles as an Associate Teacher.

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Sam Hunt ’05, Upper School Music Teacher, J. Crivello Hall House Manager After graduating from Francis Parker School in 2005, he studied Cognitive Science and Music Technology at Northwestern University in Illinois, where he earned a B.A. in 2009. He teaches the Mighty Parker Pep Band, which performs music of students’ choosing at football, volleyball, and basketball home games. He also operates the facilities in J. Crivello Hall, including audio, video, and lighting for lectures and concerts, and is currently filling in for Facilities Manager Erin Aiston, who is on maternity leave.

Outside of Parker, Sam performs and teaches music, builds web sites, and hikes the mountains and trails of southern California.

Dana Litchman, Linda Vista Campus Library Aide Originally from Stamford, CT, Dana Litchman moved San Diego and began working for Francis Parker School in 2005. In addition to returning for her sixth year as the Parker Cheer Team Head Coach, she joined the Linda Vista Campus Library staff in September.

After completing her undergraduate degree in philosophy, sociology, and economics from San Diego State University, she decided to pursue a Master’s in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University.

Two books that had a profound impact on her are Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl and Black Elk Speaks by John Neihardt. In addition to her positions at Parker and continuing her education, as a new business endeavor she is working with Bedouin Vintage Collective in North Park, which specializes in handmade goods as well as vintage clothes, furniture and other merchandise.

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Scott Murphy, Middle and Upper School Video/ Photography Aide Prior to working at Francis Parker, Scott taught English as a Second Language in San Diego. After a stint with the Peace Corps in Turkmenistan he traveled extensively in Asia and Europe working as a teacher, photographer, and volunteer. He stopped for extended periods in Japan and France. Scott has a Bachelor’s Degree in Art with a concentration in Photography and Film from Cal State Northridge.

Ashton Keller, Teacher’s Aide in JK-Bu Ashton graduated fro Duchesne Academy in Houston, TX. She attended Christian University in Fort Worth, where she earned her B.S. in Early Childhood Education. She continued there and earned her M.Ed. in Elementary Education. Ashton possesses a California Preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.

Before coming to Parker, Ashton worked as an Assistant Director for the Duchesne Academy.

Lisa Park, Learning Center Teacher This is actually a “Welcome Back” for Lisa, who previously taught in the Learning Center and taught in the summer program ten years ago. She now works part-time in the Learning Center helping students in the areas of English, writing, and study skills.

Prior to working at Parker, she was a classroom English teacher for eight years, and has an M.A.T. (Masters of Arts in teaching); her B.A. is in English and Comparative Literary Studies. Lisa has two daughters, ages 5 and 10, and tells us, “I love watching

students have ‘lightbulb’ moments of insight and interest in their studies, no matter what the subject may be.”

Littlest Lancers Lily Crawford Aiston, born on February 17, 2011 to Upper School social studies teacher Kiernan Aiston and Facilites Manager Erin Aiston.

Audrey Wilson Duehr, born on November 29, 2010, to Upper School Science and Learning Center teacher Jill Ann Duehr and her husband Ben, and big brother, Elliott, age 3.

Isaura Gomez, born on July 1, 2010 to Upper School Spanish teacher Alex Gomez and his wife Shelly Poliska.

Olivia Khan, born on September 26, 2010 to Upper School Math and Science Teacher Anna Ledneva Khan and her husband Alvin Khan.

Gavin McCullough Knox, born on January 28, 2011 to Lower School Literacy Specialist Sara Knox and her husband, Ian Knox.

Wyatt Robert Springston, born on January 27, 2010, to Learning Center Teacher Danielle Springston and her husband, First Class Petty Officer Jeremy Springston.

Joshua Jordan Wilson, born on December 28, 2009 to Upper School Social Studies Teacher Rai Wilson and his wife, Nykia.

Brooklyn Emory Wahlstrom, born on August 26, 2010 to Communications Associate David Wahlstrom and his wife Chanon.

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Planned Giving

by Malcom Aste, Director of Development

“To place your name by gift or bequest in the keeping of an active educational institution is to make a permanent contribution to the welfare of humanity.”

– Calvin Coolidge

Ethel Mintzer Lichtman ‘40 loved Francis Parker School.

She was an alumna of the School and a grandparent of alumni. She lived and breathed its culture, believing that every student’s studies should be guided by her own intellectual curiosity and the mentorship of passionate and professional faculty. Sadly, she passed away last spring.

She was the niece of the School’s founders William Templeton Johnson and Clara Sturges Johnson. She taught here. She served as Parker’s archivist. She wrote a history of the School, tracing its founding in 1912 through to the acquisition of the Linda Vista campus in 1972.

She believed that talented students who could not otherwise afford access to such an excellent education should be allowed to attend Parker through scholarship grants. She gave every year to the Parker Fund in support of financial aid.

Today she is still helping talented, deserving students attend Parker. She left a planned gift to Parker through the School’s pooled income fund. She received payments from the investment pool during her lifetime. Now the balance of her fund is in the Ethel M. Lichtman Endowed Scholarship Fund.

The endowment funds are invested. Income from the fund goes to give scholarship grants to students who need financial aid. Every year, in perpetuity.

Thank You, Mrs. Lichtman!

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The Parker Legacy Club In the next 100 years, Parker’s progress will continue to accelerate. At the same time, our community culture will continue to be preserved. Progress and preservation are both made possible by creative philanthropic legacy planning like Mrs. Lichtman’s.

Join her today. Consider how philanthropic legacy can benefit you as well as the students and faculty of Francis Parker School. For a confidential conversation on gifts that: —

Cost you nothing in your lifetime

—

Generate income for you during your lifetime

—

Preserve wealth for your heirs

Please contact Malcolm Aste, Director of Development, at 858‑569‑7900, ext. 4264 or via email maste@francisparker.org.

Ethel Mintzer Lichtman ’40 receiving the Distinguished Alumnus Award at the class of 2007 Commencement ceremony.

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The following members of the Parker School community have already made planned gifts in support of the School. We are deeply grateful for their philanthropic vision to sustain the School for the next 100 years.

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Janie Anderson

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The Anklesaria Family

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Malcolm Aste

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Margaret Simison Calhoun ’32

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David Zlotnick and Tamara Ching

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The late Esther E. Cleaves

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Joseph and Rita Cohen

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Adele Rice Foster ’23

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Daniel 1988 and Susan Frazee

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Michael and Stephanie Gabbard

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Walter P. “Sammy” Gross ’71

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Rosalind Harris ’29

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The late Al and Judy Hodges

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Julie Johnson Iavelli ’49

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Helen-May Marcy Johnson Estate

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The late Gert and Aline Koppel

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The late Ethel Mintzer Lichtman ’40

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Morton and Betty Jean Lichtman

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John and Carol Lindholm

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Ruth Lippitt

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Timothy and Rhonda McIntire

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Romeo and Mila Quini

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Dennis Ragen and Christine Hickman Ragen

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John ’84 and Desiree Romero

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Leslie Rose

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Kenneth and Nancy Seidel

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The late Jim and Reggie Smith

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Sandra Snook

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Michael and Catherine Thiemann

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James and Kathy Waring

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James and Jerel West

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Ira Gourvitz and Rebecca Wood

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Curriculum integration intentionally puts student minds in the fertile soil of multiple content areas, creating conditions for students to make “Aha!” leaps of understanding.

Integration of Middle School Curriculum

By Dan Lang, 7th Grade Coordinator, Middle School English faculty

Regardless of the context in which it is used, the word Integration has as its essential quality the process of bringing together many parts into a well-balanced whole. With respect to curriculum, integration is a method to increase the depth of student understanding by teaching with an eye toward the natural connections in content areas. Integration can be as simple as intentionally borrowing the concept of proportion taught in math to explain the development of a single paragraph into a multiparagraph essay in English class.

On the other hand, integration may be two departments collaborating parker SPR I NG 2011

and co-planning a project-based learning activity together. Whatever the scale, the power of integration is clear — it makes learning reflect life.

Integrated learning pushes our minds to see content in a non-linear way, and allows for bursts of unexpected creativity and insight. As Daniel Pink commented when he visited us here at Parker, it asks us to use our “whole mind.” Two famous examples of integrated experiences stand out in Ken Robinson’s latest book The Element. Back when songs released as singles came with a “B” side, George Harrison found himself in need of one for his single This is Love. While spending time with his friends Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynn, Harrison noticed a packing crate labeled “Handle with Care.” In a flash, the integrated talent of these diverse musicians crafted a song of such significant quality that the music industry conscripted into existence the super group The Traveling Wilburys.

Legend has it that the opening line of Handle with Care, “been beat up and battered around” comes from the condition of the crate. Similarly, Richard Feynman watched as a student threw a plate into the air of the Cornell cafeteria.

As the plate wobbled in the air, Feynman noticed that the

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Parker teachers collaborate and integrate curriculum in a variety of disciplines.

blue Cornell insignia on the plate spun faster than the wobble of the plate.

Based on his observation, Feynman scratched a few notes on a napkin, notes that would eventually lead to the work that earned him the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Both of these examples show the power of having the right minds in the right places at the right time. Curriculum integration at Parker strives for that same goal – intentionally putting student minds in the fertile soil of multiple content areas creates the conditions for students to make “Aha!” leaps of understanding. While there is no way to discuss each “teachable moment” that faculty capitalize upon, a few teachers and traditions can illustrate what occurs regularly throughout the Middle School.

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2D Art – Parker’s Integration Engine Historically, the arts at Parker have provided students with a rich environment to integrate learning from various disciplines. In the Middle School, our newly appointed 2D art teacher, Sarabeth Berk, believes strongly in integration and “feels that art and creativity are core ideas from which any other discipline can be learned.” In the Middle School, Sarabeth aims to engage student imagination with projects that use language and literature as a resource for visual art. Since “playing with words leads to playing with images,” literary themes, idioms and poetic devices provide integration points for students. Consider the literal images that come to mind with Milky Way, Cupcake, or Black Eyed Peas, even onomatopoeia like crash and boom can inspire artwork. Moving beyond image making, Ms. Berk “integrates writing with ‘visual storytelling’” into her classes; likewise, the seventh grade

English class studies the structure of narrative writing and then crafts a fictional written work in response to images from the book The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg.

Of course, integration with the arts does not just live in the Middle School.

As student skill levels increase in the Upper School, Ms. Berk broadens the lens of integration to math as well. So far this year, Upper School students have completed a sophisticated geometrical design that focused on one and two-point perspective. Much of art deals with scale and proportion, like Middle School students drawing small candy wrappers ten times life size. Similar to “composition” in English, where students are asked to manage the relationship between ideas and thoughts by arranging the written word, Ms. Berk’s art students are guided toward understanding that “shape is an underlying theme in all art, and how those shapes relate to each other creates a composition.” In her first few months here at Parker, Ms. Berk has

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continued and enhanced the tradition of integration through the arts.

Show me the Money – The Stock Market Game While 2D can easily draw from a variety of content areas, Parker teachers collaborate and integrate curriculum in a variety of disciplines.

A Parker tradition that integrates both social science and math is the

annual Stock Market Game. Social Science teachers Mary Ong-Dean and Jeremy Howard begin their portion of the project by guiding students through a history of the stock market and leading them to understand the emotional nature of the market and the effect that current events may have on stock values. In the Algebra classes, Christi Cole ’86 and Corinne Towers grant each student an imaginary $100,000 to invest in seven to ten stocks over a nine-week period. During the stock-picking phase, students are introduced to the ticker symbols for stocks and learn how to research a stock by examining its last price, change, volume, and performance history. Looping back to social science, students are encouraged to explore recent news stories about their potential stocks before making

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their final choices. Once the picking is through, students prepare a graph of the stock’s performance for the last year, compose a paragraph explaining their choices, and then track weekly performance using investment research tools and a spreadsheet. At the end of nine weeks, student accounts are liquidated and the individual with the highest rate of return is treated to a complementary movie ticket. Just

become a rite of passage for students since Mary Brown first started it as a highly spirited cross-curricular activity nine years ago. Since then, and even after Mrs. Brown’s retirement, the event has proliferated more broadly within sixth grade, tying in more of the academic curriculum as well as the themes of self- and social awareness that are central to the Middle School’s Life Skills Program. (For more on

in case you’re looking for some solid investment advice, the best portfolio in recent memory achieved a 48% return, while last year’s winner managed to generate a 25% return in spite of the tough economic climate.

the Life Skills program, see pp. 1619). The longstanding connections to the math curriculum are pervasive in the Ikidarod unit and include solving problems related to speed, distance, and passage of time, in addition to hands-on applications of measurement during race day. In history class, students learn about the history of Alaska, and from there students choose a specific topic and sharpen their research skills, writing summaries of their findings. English class provides an opportunity for students to practice diagramming sentences about the Iditarod and to engage themselves in relevant literature, particularly The King of Mazy May by Jack London. On a lighter note, students also carve out spare moments to learn, appreciate, and trumpet the Iditarod Trail Song, which proves to

Learning and Having Fun — Kiddin’ Around with the Ikiderod Sixth graders at Parker participate each year in a teambuilding event called the Ikidarod, an interdisciplinary study of the Iditarod that culminates in a four-mile race by students on Mission Beach. The Iditarod is Alaska’s annual dogsled race, which celebrates the historical event when dogsleds brought lifesaving serum to people who were hit by a wave of diphtheria and left stranded by snow-packed railroads in 1925. The Lancers’ great race has

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have a mighty presence on race day. In science, students learn about snow science, race strategy, and the impact of Alaska’s extreme winter climate on the Iditarod. They also root for their own Iditarod winners as they track the daily progress of mushers who are driving sleds in the current year’s competition up north. Students begin accumulating points as teams through the academic activities in their classes, and they anticipate questions about the Iditarod topics at stops during the race. Ikidarod teams also prepare for how they will work as a team. Aligned to Parker’s Life Skills Program, teambuilding activities in the weeks before the Ikidarod help students set norms and practice how they will address conflicts on the run. Through these activities students consider their individual roles in reaching team goals and the importance of how they communicate.

And the List Continues…

These highlights are just a brief sample of the curriculum integration that the Middle School pursues. Eighth grade students delve into their own history through genealogical research and personal narrative storytelling in the joint English – Social Studies Coming to America Project. Building on that collaboration, students study the Holocaust memoir Night in English class with historical support from the Social Studies department and a grade level field trip to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

Seventh grade students enjoy the benefit of a Social Studies, English, and Library collaboration as they sharpen their research skills on the annual Renaissance Project, which paves the way to our grade level celebration at the Renaissance Faire, now a beloved seventh grade tradition.

Just as Parker teachers work together to create a wellintegrated curriculum, they also worked together to create this article. Many thanks to Sarabeth Berk, Christi Cole ’86, Mary Ong-Dean, Melanie Robak, Corrine Towers, and all of the folks who do the daily work to make Parker great!

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Alumni News and Notes

by Kristina Starkey, Director of Alumni and Grandparent Relations

In Memoriam

Marion Lippitt ’31 Born in 1916, Marion passed away August 6, 2010. Mrs. Lippitt was a lifelong San Diegan. Her siblings also attended Parker, Henry ’29, Barbara ’33, David ’36, and Jonathon ’37. She leaves behind two sons, two grandchildren, and five greatgrandchildren. An avid golfer, she also resided part time in Borrego Springs and was active in desert preservation. The Henry F. Lippitt, 2nd Award was established in 1994 to honor him as an alumnus and former trustee. The award is Parker’s highest honor given to an adult who truly distinguishes her/his self with service to Parker.

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Katharine Pendleton Barley ’27 May 23, 1910 – August 12, 2010 Mrs. Pendleton attended Parker in the 1920s and graduated with a BA in Education from San Diego State College. She married Donald Barley in 1933 and had two daughters, Beverly Barley Schutte, Donnalee Barley Overton and a son, Woody Barley.

She was a member of ZLAC Rowing Club, and the PEO Sisterhood. She was also active in San Diego Children’s Hospital Auxiliary and belonged to a number of bridge groups. She and her husband, who predeceased her in 1982, were very active in the Solana Beach Presbyterian Church. In May 2010, she celebrated her 100th birthday with friends and family at the Schutte home in Glendora.

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Events Reunion at USC On October 8, more than 50 Parker fans traveled to USC to cheer on Parker alumnae on both sides of the net for the USC vs. Stanford Women’s Volleyball game. Current Parker team members were anxious to see the match-up and support Stanford players Cassidy Lichtman ’07 and Hannah Benjamin ’09, as well as USC player Carolyn Hillgren ’09.

Dinner was hosted by the Parker Alumni Office and was attended by area alumni including Horace “Ben” Benjamin ’50 and David Cook ’76, whose daughter Karissa is a sophomore on the Stanford team.

Grace Paluch ’12, Saige Gallop ’12, Alex Wineholt ’11 with Carolyn Hillgren ‘09 (USC ‘13)

Members of the 2010 Parker Girls’ Varsity and JV Volleyball teams with Stanford players and Parker alumnae Hannah Benjamin ’09 (Stanford ‘14) and Cassidy Lichtman ’07 (Stanford ‘11).

Sarah Benjamin ’14, Sydney Oberstein ’11, Hannah Benjamin ’09 (Stanford ’14), Alex Wineholt ’11, Saige Gallop ‘12

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Homecoming 2010 Homecoming was held on October 18 on the Linda Vista campus. More than 400 alumni, parents of alumni, faculty and friends were on campus for a hosted lunch, games, and reunions with friends. Classes 2000, 1995, 1990, 1985 and 1980 were honored. Off-site class reunions were held in the evening at private homes and restaurants. The turnout was outstanding. A big Thank You to the Class Reps who organized the events and urged their former classmates to attend. The Class of 2005 deferred their reunion to Thanksgiving vacation. Homecoming Photos courtesy Lou Buck of Village Studio Photography, and Kristina Starkey.

The class of ’85 with spouses and family

Carson Pay, JP Leasure, Melissa Moore Leasure ’87

Front row: Carson Pay, Allison Pay Crawford, Lisa Swimmer Massry, Darcy Rhodes Delaney, Roberta Rhein Nelson. Back row: Neal Johnson, Stewart Keith, JP Leasure

Stewart Keith and Neal Johnson

Neal Johnson, Carson Pay, Kathy Johnson, Retired faculty Mary Brown

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Middle School science faculty Tony Ghironi with daughter, Lisa Ghironi Powell ’87 and her family

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Class of 1990 Mariana Salerno, Upper School English Teacher Carol Obermeier, Mary BurtGodwin, Cindy Williams Hazard, Catherine Reid, April Neuman Steingrebe

Front row: Lynde Selden, Tricia Bently, Jennifer Channik Germain, Catherine Reid, Mariana Salerno, Mary Schrader, James Kakos, Brian Khoury, Glen Knight Second Row: Eric Cobb, Leslie Beebe, Lisa DiGiacomo Voss, Lisa Ghironi Williams, Cindy Williams Hazard, April Neuman Steingrebe, Brad Ferstan, Laura Kofoid, Jeff Von Behren Back row: Dru Dickerson, Christina Day, Paul Buie, Gary Kruse, Shelby Harris, Ryan Millay, Darris Sherman, Sean Harrison, Mary Burt Godwin, Jim Adelizzi, Ben Van Gaasbeek.

Lynde Selden, Ryan Millay, Gary Kruse, Jim Adelizzi and family members

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Crista Ghironi Williams and friends

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Upper School Science Teacher Rose Hanscom, Derek Galanis, Athletic Director Dan Kuiper, Sean Davis

Darris Sherman, Brad Ferstan, Dru Dickerson, Sean Harrison and in the background, Charles Walther-Meade

Christina Day ’90 and family

Tory Rodger Palecek ’93, Jon Palecek, and Sean Harrison ’90

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Class of 1995

Eric Pooch, Michael Beamer, Doug Flaherty, Brandon Vegter, Jami Stephens, Tom Carter

Front row: Andy Cheskaty, Jami Stephens, Laura Scher Middle row: Emily Rogers, Colby Jackson Nodurft, Brandon Vegter Back row: Eric Pooch, Tom Carter, Ashley Greaves, Michael Beamer, Doug Flaherty Arts faculty Barry Cheskaty with Jami Stephens

Members of the class of ’95 with significant others and faculty members Chris Harrington, Barry Cheskaty and Mary Brown

Retired 6th grade teacher Mary Brown and Tom Carter

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Class of 2000

Gina Tang, Stephany Cox, Sarina Cox, Erin MacNeil Ellison, Anna EmsleyRoulette, Emily Testaverde, and Stephanie Shushan

Front Row: Amanda Cunningham, Fela Deitz Barnett, Sarah Silverman Row 2: Geoff Barnett, Alex Giobbi, Stephany Cox, Julia Heiser, Sarina Cox, Jen Labarre Verson, Erin MacNeil Elison, Brielle Goodman, Cynthia Koploy, Alexis Helscher Row 3: Bob Drakulich, Dave Greenstein, Colin Jemmott, Patrick Redelings, Aksel Chernitsky, Brian Conklin, Brian Sullivan Back Row: Karen McGlinn Wintemute, Martin Hoffman, Brandon Verdon, Will Engel, Kalyan Pokala, Erin Feinstein, Adam Gage

Alex Giobbi, Leah Carroll, David Greenstein

Erin MacNeil Ellison with Upper School Science Department Chair Susan Marone Moerder

Front: Brian Conklin

Class of 2005

Back: Will Engel, Alexis Helscher, Brian Sullivan, Erin Feinstein, Patrick Redelings and wife Debbie, Colin Jemmott, Adam Gage, Aksel Chernitsky

Members of the Class of 2005 held their reunion during the Thanksgiving break at a pub downtown. Approximately 25 classmates gathered for drinks and dancing. We regret to report that the group photos were lost. If anyone has pictures from the evening, please send them to Emily Ziering (the evening’s organizer), or the Alumni Office.

Austin Andrews, Sarah White, Matt Segal, Devin Blase

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Alumni Reunion at The Game While this was the 127th meeting of Harvard v. Yale, it was the first time that Parker alumni were in the line-up for both teams. It was the final day in uniform for Gino Gordon ’07 for the Crimson, while Yale freshmen Wes Gavin ’10 and Deon Randall ’10 represented the Bulldogs. Another Parker alumnus, Patrick Cage ’10, was also on the field with the Yale Marching Band. Parker faculty Nancy Anderson, Monica Gallardo and John Morrison were at the game, and afterward hosted Parker alumni living or attending school in the Boston area at a casual get-together at the Fire & Ice Restaurant in Harvard Square.

L-R: Karleigh Ash ’10, Andrew Grigoriadis ’10, Bizzy Lincoln ’10, Deprise Brazel ’10, Wes Gavin ’10, Deon Randall ’10, Quinn White ’10, Erika Pierson ’08, Luis Gallardo ’10, Nick Dutton ’09, Fritzi Reuter ’08, KC Jaski ’09, Hannah Ostrow ’10, Gino Gordon ’07, Lydia Fisher ’10, Jake Fisher ’07, Keerthi Reddy ’10.

Deon Randall ’10, Head Football Coach John Morrison, Wes Gavin ’10

Jake Fisher ’07 with Upper School Sophomore Class Dean Nancy Anderson

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Coach Morrison, Brian Sullivan ’00, Steve Black ’04, Matt Morrison ‘05

First Annual Lancer Turkey Bowl 31 alumni arrived at Lauer Field the day after Thanksgiving to play in the alumni flag football game prior to the Varsity CIF Quarterfinal Playoff game against LJCDS. Part of the fun—it was open to alumni of all ages, no previous football experience necessary. A pizza dinner followed the Turkey Bowl. We’ll do it again next year, so plan for the Friday after Thanksgiving, and know that you’ll work off all those extra calories from whipped cream and stuffing!

Seated: Hunter Reed ‘07, Deon Randall ‘10, Matt Morrison ‘05, Avery Brovick ‘06, Scott Morrison ‘09, Alex Duk ‘01 Kneeling: Nick Saba ‘08, Chris Ochs ’88, Eli Duk ‘99, Phil Brody ‘06, Matt Anderson ‘06, Zach Pavel ‘06, Kit Barmeyer ‘07 Standing: Greg Lee ‘09, Malcolm McGregor ‘09, Fletcher Kelsey ‘06, Matt Rubin ‘08, Nick Gonzales ‘08, Ben Swingley ‘08, DeMaree Harris ‘10, Greg LaBarre ‘07, Jeff Crusey 00, Scott Crusey ‘04, Evan Smith ‘07, Kirk Avery ‘07, Luke Barmeyer ‘10, Max Wygod ‘06, Will Weisman ‘06, Greg Gallanis ‘10, Devin Clark ‘09, Brendan Ahern ‘07

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Annual Soccer Alumni Reunion It’s an alumni tradition: alumni players vs. current Parker Varsity teams on Lauer Field on the Linda Vista campus. On December 30, Coaches Thiebach and Tunick lead the teams, and friendly competition ensued, capped with a picnic hosted by the Parker Alumni Office.

Seated: Marla Blanco ’10, Roz Dick-Godfrey ’12, Arija Inveiss ’09, Olivia Ching ’09, Mecki Snook ’10, Kristen Koehrn ’04 , Lizzy Bendrick ’07, Kara Koehrn ’02, Sarah Dawe ’02.

Standing: Coach Marc Thiebach, Deprise Brazel ’10, Krista Lauer, ’10, Brigette Ehman ’10, Zuri Walker ’10, Alda Inveiss, ’06, Hana Rosen ’04, Danielle Bidegain ’07, Ashley Backman ’96, Krysta Peterson ’04, Melissa Vassiliadis ’03, former Coach Jeff Scott

Seated: Chase Brewster ’11, Matt Tannenbaum ’10, Henry Thurman ’10, Tyler Bonilla ’11, Manny Villaseñor ’11, Ian Yoder ’07 Kneeling: CJ Grigoriadis ’07 Amani Walker ’07, Coach Romualdo Torres, Xander Troutman ’14, Andy Bickel ’14, Walker Newton ’14, Joseph Haack ’13, Nick Kramer ’07, Chase Olsson ’07, Jake Fisher ’07 Standing: RB Ganon ’12, Manny Sardinha ’08, Cooper Luvisa ’13, Gonzalo Gallardo ’12, Carson Scott ’12, Parker Stow ’13, Michael Wile ’10, Griffin Barra ’11, Eric Carpenter ’08, Iñaki Pedroarena Leal ’10, Joseph Mark ’08, Willy Avery ’11, Nick Dutton ’09, Kevin Martin ’10, Andrew Grigoriadis ’10, Kirk Avery ’07, Alex Dick-Godfrey ’07, Athletic Trainer Jarrad Philips, Head Coach Seth Tunick

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Cooking Reunion Upper School Social Studies Teacher Cherie Redelings gathered former students from her 2010 Interim Week Cooking class during the winter holidays to make a gourmet meal. Eight students from the class of 2010 whipped up tiramasou, a gourmet salad, and main dish in the Parker Café and had a great time reliving their Parker experiences.

Alex Trimm ’10 and Yoseph Desta ’10

Cherie Redelings, Mackenzie Gaura ‘10, Alex Trimm ’10, Keerthi Reddy ’10, Yoseph Desta ’10, Jonah Ollman ’10, Michael Weil ’10, Michael Zamost ‘10

New York City Reunion Theatre Arts Department Chair Gordon Cantiello and fellow faculty members Victoria Helms and Deborah Stern traveled to New York for Interim Week in February 2011. The Alumni Office hosted a reunion dinner for students and alumni from New York, many of whom have gone on to act professionally. What a treat for our current Parker students to gather first hand ideas on making it into the spotlight! Alumni on hand included Merced Baumer ’98, Jamie Bock ’08, Michael Borrelli ’91, Katie Chadwick ’01, David Daitch ’03, Kelsey Foremost ’05, Bill Hanson ’97, Lauren Heiser ’98, Aneal Helms ’99, Martin Hoffman ’00, Vincent Pasquill ’09, Matt Schibanoff ’98, Pete Schram ’05, Andrew Squier ’08, Anne Squier ’09, Lindsey Steinert ’10, and LaVon Wageman ’09.

Martin Hoffman ’00, Matt Schibanoff ’98 and Merced Baumer ’98

Clockwise from bottom left: Lavon Wageman ’09, Bill Hanson ’97, Michael Borelli ’91, Gordon Cantiello, Vincent Pasquill ’09, Molly O’Meara ’13, Upper School math faculty Victoria Helms, Megan Allcock ’13, Katie Kreitzer ’13, Stanley Gambucci ’13, Marissa Piper-Younie ’96 and Sonya Wall Cronin ’96.

Michael Borelli ’91 and Gordon Cantiello

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Marissa Piper-Younie ’96, Sonya Wall Cronin ’96, Aneal Helms ’99

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Alumni Members of WITT Give Performance and Demonstration On Saturday, January 22, in J. Crivello Hall, Jesse Kranzler ’09 reports, “a few nice boys played some nice music for all of the nice people over at Francis Parker School.”

WITT, comprised of Kranzler, Henry Wessman ’09, and Evan Backer ’08, led a discussion on the music business and gave a demonstration on their composition process at 6:00pm and followed with a WITT performance along with their other band, Snuffaluffagus, at 7:00pm.

This performance was one of only two U.S. show the band did while they were back together for vacation. This was also a bit of a Welcome Home event for all of the boys, since they had just completed a 10-country, three-week European tour a few days prior.

How to Find all the Latest Alumni News — Find us on Facebook: Francis Parker School Alumni (San Diego) — View Event Photos on SmugMug: http://francisparker.smugmug.com/Parker-Alumni — Get Details online: www.francisparker.org/alumni — Keep up to date with Lancers at the Next Level: http://www.francisparker.org/page.cfm?p=664 — RSVP to the alumni office if attending events: kstarkey@francisparker.org.

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Recent Alumni College Forum Recent grads from the classes of 2010, 2009, 2008, and 2007 were on campus for two days in January. On the 3rd, they participated in a lunchtime roundtable forum for current juniors and seniors to share the nuts and bolts of college transition. The next day’s presentation in J. Crivello Hall was tailored for Upper School parents, including an interactive Q & A session.

The College Counseling Office recruits recent grads from a diverse selection of colleges (large/small, east/west/north/ south, private/public, etc.) to share their college experiences and advice.

Front Row: Mackenzie Ward ’10, Erika Sanchez ’09, Allie Jimenez ’09, Paasha Motamedi ’08 Back Row: Jordan Orosz ’09, Marco Palavicini ’09, Josh Herren ’09, Alex Schibanoff ’08, James Waters ’10, Brigette Ehman ’10, Ryan Gross ’10, Bizzy Lincoln ’10, Jonah Ollman ’10, Jordan Thayer ’10, Eric Ingram ‘10

Alex Trimm ’10, Alex Schibanoff ’08, Dylan Scott ’10, Luis Gallardo ’10, Maddie Jennewein ’10, Brigitte Ehman ’10, Ryan Gross ’10, Zubin Anklesaria ’10, with Carol Obermeier and Michael Gonzales, Senior Class Advisors

Class Notes 1950s

1980s

Anne Stephens Vafis ’51 and her former classmates met up in Pt. Loma.

Anna Stump ’82 had an exhibit in the new James Alan Rose Art Gallery on the Linda Vista campus in November, titled Greek Sculpture Paintings, 2008-2010 (Acrylic on Canvas.) Anna said, “As a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Turkey, I explored Roman ruins on site. Upon returning to the USA, I began teaching ancient art history, and was fascinated by the Greco-Roman world. The Phidian ‘wet look,’ basically a wet toga over voluptuous curves, thrilled many a co-ed. I realized I needed to paint those sculptures.

Karen Albrecht Clotfelter ’51, Anne Evenson Ryan ’51, Anne Stephens Vafis ’51, Jane Trevor Fetter ’50, Betsy Eager Rudee ’50, and Tommie Lane Adelizzi ‘51

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I began the paintings while on a studio retreat in Long Island. Each composition begins with a full nude painted in the statue’s pose. I use models, friends and my own image in the poses of the sculptures, gradually adding the ‘white marble.’ I work upside down and sideways, creating a grid of drips to add a modernist screen

to both separate us from these ancient masterpieces, and update them.

The one-point perspective background of most of the paintings refers to the lap pool behind the house in East Hampton where I worked. I visited the nearby Pollock-Krasner house, and was influenced by the misty gray environment of Long Island that affected both of these artists.”

Anna is currently an instructor for San Diego City, Mesa, and Grossmont Colleges.

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1990s Laura Swanson Kofoid ’90 currently lives in Colorado and works for IBM as an Executive IT Architect. She and her husband, Paul, have been married for nearly 12 years and have a six year-old son.

Alexis Moss Schmidt ’91 graduated in August 2010 with her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Auburn University. Her husband is a Battery Commander in 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. He recently returned from his 3rd deployment in Iraq.

Andrew Zlotnik ’93 and his wife Kristin celebrated the birth of twin boys, Harold Thomas and Cooper John, born in February.

Kristin works for the San Diego City Attorney’s office, where she represents the City in employment litigation matters. Andrew reopened his law practice, Zlotnik Law, focusing on real estate transactions, workouts, and litigation as well as general corporate ventures. They reside in San Diego.

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Sarah Hernholm ’94 is the President and Founder of WitKids, Inc. She is currently partnering with students in the Upper School in launching the WitKids Leadership Program. The projects are designed and led by the students. In the past, students have coordinated projects ranging from helping local shelter children to getting clean water to the WitKids at the Daraja Academy in Kenya. Please visit the website to learn more: www.witkids.org.

Sarah with retired Kindergarten teacher Mary Moore, whom she credits as her inspiration toward a career in education.

Erin Gontang ’96 shares, “After receiving my Ph.D. from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, I moved with my husband to Boston to begin work as a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School. For the past two years, I have worked in the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics department at HMS investigating how bacteria interact with one another, with other organisms, and their environment.

One of my current projects involves investigating how bacteria interact with insects that eat degraded plant material. It might sound a bit random, but in addition to being interested in learning more about the diverse bacteria associated with those insects, I am searching for the genes associated with the break down of plant material

(cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin) in an effort to identify enzymes that could be used in the process of producing biofuels. I also remain interested in small molecules from bacteria that can be used in medicine as novel antibiotics and anti-cancer agents. While I am no longer collecting microorganisms from the depths of the oceans, I now travel to Central America to do my research and love exploring and working in the jungle. I recently spent time in Panama and plan to return in the near future to conduct additional field work.

When not working, I am volunteering with the Association for Women in Science, chairing the 2011 Boston Bacterial Meeting steering committee and getting ready to run another half marathon. Life is busy, but I love living in Boston and making time to explore the surrounding areas. This year has included trips to New York, Rhode Island, Cape Cod, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine! The year has also included a number of visits from friends and family and we’ve recently been out at various farms picking strawberries and apples in order to make homemade jams and compotes.

Life is good, we love the east coast and as both John and I are currently looking for permanent positions (we can’t remain postdocs forever!), it will be interesting and exciting to see where we wind up in the fall of 2011... we may still be in Boston but could also be moving on to start a new adventure in a new location...only time will tell!”

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Brooke Resh Sateesh ’97 received her BA from University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She has a medical degree from the UCSD School of Medicine. She helped to manage the UCSD Free Clinic at Baker Elementary School and UCSD Dermatology Free Clinic. She completed an internship at Penn-Presbyterian Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Health Care Systems. She completed her dermatology residency at the University of Maryland. She is currently on staff with her father, William Resh, MD. Brooke recently married Akshay Sateesh, who is in improv-theatre-based leadership consulting. His company is called Ziksana: www.ziksanaconsulting.com Jennifer Sapp ’98 writes, “I was married to Matthew H. Miller at the Solage Resort in Calistoga, CA on June 27, 2010. I recently left the business finance and restructuring department of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP to begin a oneyear clerkship with the Honorable Victor Marrero in the Southern District of New York. Matthew is the owner of Studio Lab LLC, an architectural design firm in New York specializing in high-end residential and commercial projects.”

Jennifer and Matthew reside in New York City with their beloved dog, Ernie.

Rebecca Meyer ’98, Joseph Sapp ’67, Jennifer Sapp ’98, Matthew Miller, Allison Lynn ’98, Jordan Sapp ’00, and Paula Romero ’98 Photo courtesy GB Photographers

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2000s

Sarah Manly ’00 was married to Sean McHugh in August 2010 at Paradise Point Resort in San Diego after five years of dating. Sean works at Illumina as a Senior Recruiter with Human Resources and is working at Amylin Pharmaceuticals as a Project Coordinator. They live in Point Loma.

Photo courtesy San Diego Metropolitan Magazine

Karen McGlinn Wintemute ’00 Parker Lifer Karen married Mitchell Wintemute on April 17, 2010 in La Jolla. Karen is a 4th grade teacher at The Rhoades School in Encinitas and Mitch, a custom home builder, is currently building the couple’s first home in Point Loma.

Sasha Clines ’01, classmates, and faculty attended the wedding of Vanessa Mitchell ’01 in August 2010

Evan Gerber ’01 was named to the San Diego Metropolitan Magazine’s “40 under 40” honor roll in the September 2010 issue. From the magazine profile: Evan Gerber, project manager at Oliver McMillan, has a creative eye and passionate intuition for city planning.

Born and bred in San Diego, he graduated from University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science degree in public policy, management and planning. A licensed California real estate broker, Gerber oversees the planning and entitlements for Hazard Center, a $200 million redevelopment project that will be constructed using environmentally certified practices and materials. The project advocates reducing air pollution by encouraging walker access to the nearby trolley line and improving traffic flow. The City Planning Commission praised The New Hazard Center as an outstanding example of smart growth and sustainability. The project will stimulate economic growth, and

create thousands of jobs and millions in revenues for the city. Additionally, Gerber secured federal grants from the Environmental Protection Agency in the amount of $3 million and $1.5 million on behalf of the Orphan Site Cleanup Fund. He also received approval from the San Diego City Council to add 473 residential dwelling units to the existing retail and office center in Mission Valley. As an active member of the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) San Diego/Tijuana chapter, Gerber partners with fellow community leaders to promote the responsible use of land in creating and sustaining thriving communities. He is actively involved as a founding member of the UJF Emerging Leaders (United Jewish Federation of San Diego County), where he works in coordination with rabbis and other synagogue leaders to provide effective community-wide planning. He serves on the East Village Business Improvement District board and shares the goal to beautify and improve the quality of life for residents and businesses in East Village.

Joe Melaragno ’01 and Jennifer Ochs Melaragno ’01, faculty member Tom Crowley, and Sasha Clines ’01.

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Vanessa Mitchell Delmotte ’01 married Joe Delmotte ’01 in August 2010. Vanessa is a jewelry designer, specializing in Custom Engagement Rings. Her website is: www.VanessaNicoleJewels.com.

She met her husband before classes started at University of Michigan in her freshman year in 2001. Joe works for the law firm, Pite Duncan in San Diego.

Derek Mitchell ’99, Susan Mitchell, Joe Delmotte, Vanessa Mitchell ’01, and retired Head of Upper School, Patrick Mitchell

Richard Virgen ’01 is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Department of UC Irvine School of Medicine. His project is funded by the American Asthma Foundation and focuses on identifying a novel target of human rhinovirus infection for drug design.

He tells us, “infections by human rhinovirus account for 50% of ‘common colds’ among young adults. Although these cases rarely develop into severe disease with healthy individuals,

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morbidity can be exacerbated with people who suffer from asthma, especially young children.” His long-term career goal is to become a university professor, so he can conduct research and mentor students. Richard is married to Stephanie VirgenSlane. Richard completed the LA Marathon in 4 hours and 13 minutes.

Lauren Lillie ’02, a “lifer” just like her sister, Rema ’94 and brother, Dustin ’92, directed a production of Steel Magnolias during her senior year at Parker and has since pursed a career as a director. She is completing her MFA in Directing at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. In order to finish her degree, she began shooting her thesis short film in January and is trying to raise money to support this effort. She invites you to visit her website: www.payingforitfilm.com.

Misa Chien ’04, since graduating UCLA with a degree in French and Global Studies, (“Yes, random, I know!” she says), is pursuing her modeling career, shooting campaigns everywhere from Abercrombie to Target to Mary Kay. However, despite modeling, Misa found that she had a lot of time on her hands and still longed for something more. Then one beautiful fine day Misa decided to hop on board with the concept of Nom Nom Truck (She says she couldn’t resist the name) and the “rest is history.” Today, the Mom of the Nom Misa Chien co-owns the Nom Nom Truck with one of her best friends, Jennifer Green, the Banh Mi Maestro. Together, Misa and Jen are looking to bring Banh Mi to the masses, and making as many people as possible chant– Nom Nom Nom!

Matt Anderson ’06 graduated from Duke University in May 2010 with a major in Biological Anthropology and Anatomy and minors in Biology and Chemistry. He played both football and lacrosse at Duke and was on the team that won Duke’s first National Championship in lacrosse last spring.

He recently taught English to middle school students in a small village south of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Currently, Matt is working for a marketing firm in New York City and is busy applying for medical school.

Matt Anderson ‘06 with his students in Vietnam

http://nomnomtruck.com/photos/

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Annie Gillman ’06 shares, “Teaching English in Taiwan has made me even more grateful for the amazing experience I had at Parker, because now I am finding out just how difficult trying to control and hold the interest of a room of crazy middle and high school students can be, not to mention attempting to actually teach them something new! Each day holds a new cultural adventure, and the past two evenings I have had parent teacher conferences, which have been an interesting glimpse into the dynamics of the family lives of my students. Apart from teaching English Conversation and Performing Arts 18 hours a week, I take 15 hours of Chinese class at Tunghai University, travel the island on the weekends, and try not to let the typhoons and ceaseless bug bites dampen the fun. Drop a line if you are ever traveling through South East Asia! annie.gillman@gmail.com “

documentary on an American flamenco couple who have been living in a small, gypsy, flamenco village outside of Seville for the last 10 years.”

Please visit www.sdff.org for more information on his recent production.

Kathryn (Kat) Noble-Suer ’06 was married recently to Christopher Suer at the Bernardo Heights Country Club.

Parker classmates in attendance were Katie Hentrich and Caroline Murre.

Kat Noble-Suer ’06 with her mother, former Learning Center teacher Sheri Noble

Kat and her husband reside in Sunrise, FL. She is working at Ben-Ezra & Katz, P.A, a real estate law firm.

Annie with her students in Taiwan

Jeff Katz ’06 is a filmmaker in San Diego and recently produced the documentary A Just Life, that was highlighted in the North County Times.

Jeff befriended a 78-year old man living in a downtown San Diego senior center and became his film biographer. Jeff has filmed both narrative features and documentaries. He earned his degree in film studies at Pitzer College.

He recently returned from Spain, where he “was filming an upcoming

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CJ Grigoriadis ’07 with brother Andrew Grigoriadis ’10, swimming with the dolphins in the Bahamas.

Gino Gordon ’07 was named cowinner of 2010 Ivy League Football Player of the Year (Asa S. Bushnell Cup) on December 7, won the Harvard Team MVP award in November was named Ivy League Player of the Week in October, following the Harvard v.

Princeton 45-28 victory rushing for a career-high 204 yards on 20 carries, and helping the Crimson score the most points against Princeton in the 103 years the teams have played.

Jeff Lauer ’07 was named Academic All-Conference in the New England Small College Athletic Conference in two sports played simultaneously, football and soccer. He was the only student in the conference to be named to two simultaneous all-academic teams. To be qualified, you must letter in the varsity sport and carry a minimum 3.35 GPA. On November 8, Jeff was chosen NESCAC Player of the Week for his performance against Wesleyan University. He was perfect in Field Goals and PATs. Cassidy Lichtman ’07 was named an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) First Team AllAmerican for the second straight year in December 2010. The senior helped Stanford University to its fourth-straight Pac-10 title this season before being eliminated by USC in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship tournament last weekend. She also earned First Team Academic AllAmerica honors from ESPN The Magazine, becoming only one of two women in the country this year to earn First Team honors from both the AVCA and ESPN The Magazine.

She was also a First Team All Pac-10 performer for the second-straight year.

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On pace to graduate from Stanford with a bachelors degree in political science and a masters degree in history this Spring, Cassidy will depart the Palo Alto campus as one of the most highly decorated women’s volleyball players in program history. In addition to winning the Pac-10 title in each of her four years on The Farm, she also helped the Cardinal to a National Runner-Up finish in 2007 and 2008. Stanford was eliminated from the tournament in the Regional Semifinals in 2009 and the Regional Finals in 2010.

Amani Walker ’07 was selected in the 2011 Major League Soccer supplemental draft on January 18, becoming the first player in Parker’s history to be drafted by a MLS squad.

He was selected with the 9th overall pick by the Chicago Fire, who finished its 2010 campaign with a 9-12-9 overall record, good enough for fourth place in the MLS Eastern Conference.

Walker was selected by the Fire after a standout career at UC Irvine, where he became one of the all-time greats in program history. While at UCI, Walker collected Big West Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors after amassing 24 points on the year on 11 goals and two assists in 2010. He was among the national leaders in goals scored with 11, total points and points per game.

Amani finished tied for sixth in the UCI career records with 65 points and amassed 27 goals to rank fourth in the annals. The forward tied for third with eight career game-winning goals and leaves as the program’s all-time leader in games played with 85. During his time at Parker, he was a three-time All-Coastal South League selection and earned CIF Division IV Player of the Year honors as a senior. He led the Lancers to two CIF Division IV championships, was a four-year letter winner and a team captain.

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If you’ve sent us a class note recently and you didn’t find it in this issue, we have another issue in production, and your news will be included there. If you have news you’d like to share, please email Kristina Starkey at kstarkey@francisparker.org.

Alex Giovanetti ’09 and John McCarty ’08 were spotted moving into their apartments in Duck’s Village just across the street from Autzen Stadium at University of Oregon in September 2010. John, a junior, is a business major with an emphasis in Sports Journalism and Alex, a sophomore, is majoring in psychology.

Max Hutcheson ’10 was part of the USA Junior National Sailing Team who captured the Fourth Annual Italiana Cup in September 2010.

The international match-racing event is designed for sailors across the world aged 18 and under. The weeklong event took place in Rapallo, Italy. Their team scored a perfect record. Max is a freshman at USC.

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Parker Grandparents

By Kristina Starkey, Director of Alumni and Grandparent Relations

Grandparent Profile: Marian Barry

WD-40, they have been able to make education a priority in their family.

WD-40 or “Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try” is found in as many as 80% of American homes. Jack Barry became President & CEO in 1969 and expanded it from a company with sales out of the trunks of cars to the world-wide distribution it is today. He renamed the Rocket Chemical Company to WD40, stating, “We don’t make rockets.”

Sadly, he passed away in 2009.

Mrs. Barry believes in tradition and basics, such as reading books as opposed to Kindles. At a family dinner recently, her grandchildren were text messaging on their cell phones. Marian pulled out her cell and pretended to be on an animated phone call, much to the shock of her grandsons. As they stared in amazement, she said, “Do you understand how rude texting and phone calls are at the dinner table?”

They replied, “message received.”

In 1973, WD-40 Company, Inc., went public and was listed Overthe-Counter. The stock price increased by 61% on the first day.

Today WD-40 is used in numerous consumer and industrial markets such as automotive, manufacturing, sporting goods, aviation, hardware and home improvement, construction, and farming.

Marian Barry and the late Jack Barry are grandparents of Randall Barry ’08 and Timothy Barry ’11.

Many of Mrs. Barry’s family members also attended Parker over the years and as a grandparent, she has been very active in Parker life.

Jack, Tim ’11, and Marian Barry at the 1998 Lower School Grandparents’ Day in when Tim was in senior kindergarten.

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Both Randall and Timothy are Parker Lifers and Tim, a current senior, was voted Homecoming King in October 2010. When asked what her impressions were of Parker as a grandparent, Mrs. Barry was appreciative of Parker’s excellent reputation academically, but also for the self-esteem building for our students. Like her late husband, she values the importance of education first and foremost and feels the investment in her grandchildren is an investment in the world. She is grateful that with the success of

Grandparents’ Council: The Grandparents’ Council, established in 2005, has grown to nearly 100 grandparents.

The Council, open to any Parker grandparent, meets 4-5 times per year. Members are active ambassadors at all three Grandparents’ Days, hold a party to donate wine for the Spring Gala, serve as a source for speakers at student assemblies, and reach out to new grandparents to make them feel welcome.

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2010-2011 Grandparents’ Days: 5. Student musicians include 1st and 2nd grade singers, 3rd grade recorders, 3rd –5th grade chorus, instrumental band, and violins. The senior kindergarten still presents the finale with their annual Hiya Hiya songs, a showcase originally

created more than three decades ago by retired kindergarten teacher Mary Moore. The junior kindergarten gave a separate performance in the Szekely Auditorium prior to the all-school show in the courtyard.

Nearly 200 grandparents of students in grades 6-8 spent most of the day on campus, attending classes and having lunch with their grandchildren.

You can save digital copies to your computer desktop for free, as well as purchase prints directly from the website.

For more information, please visit our website:

To see more photos from Grandparents’ Days and other Grandparents’ events, go to:

The Next Grandparents’ Day is in the Upper School – Friday, March 18, 2011

http://francisparker.smugmug. com/Parker-Grandparents

Invitations are mailed to all grandparents for each Grandparents’ Day.

Lower School – Thursday, November 18, 2010 The highlight of Lower School Grandparents’ Day is our traditional Thanksgiving Program, featuring student performers in grades SK –

Middle School –Friday, February 4, 2011

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www.francisparker.org/parents/ grandparents

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Parker Alumni and Faculty, Tell us a Story! Please?

Here are a few story prompts for you:

What made you laugh?

What was the hardest thing you ever had to do? How did your hard work pay off?

When did you learn the most?

What was the coolest lab experiment you ever did?

Did you ever have an “aha moment” in class? What made the light bulb come on in your head?

How did your Parker experiences prepare you for the next steps in your life?

What was your favorite thing to eat for lunch in the cafeteria?

Who had the greatest influence on you when you were a student?

What plays did you perform in? What was that like?

When were you proudest to be a Lancer?

What did you and your friends talk about?

Won’t you help us collect Parker stories and memorabilia for our archives?

What instruments did you play?

These will be fun to share throughout our Centennial celebrations, and beyond. So please, tell us about your experience as a Parker student or teacher, we really want to hear your story!

What was your favorite music?

How did you listen to it?

What sports did you play?

Did you use typewriters or computers?

When you look back, is there anything you appreciate more now than you did then?

What were the “must have” clothing styles when you were a Parker student? Did you have a dress code?

Which teachers or coaches do you remember and why?

What books did you read? Which ones did you like? Not like? Why or why not?

As a student, what activities and events were your favorites?

If you could be a Parker student for a day today, what would you do?

And if you have photos, publications, event programs, artwork, books, old jerseys or uniforms you’d like to contribute or loan, let us know that too.

As we receive your stories and memorabilia, we’ll post them on the website: www. francisparker.org/stories

Call, click, or come in person!

858-569-7900 parkerstories@francisparker.org Linda Vista campus 6501 Linda Vista Road San Diego, CA 92111

What event or moment solidified the phrase “the Parker family” for you?

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6501 Linda Vista Road | San Diego, CA 92111 | www.francisparker.org

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

FRANCIS PARKER SCHOOL

Calendar: What’s Coming Up March

1 –31

University of San Diego Student Art Exhibit, James Alan Rose Art Gallery, Linda Vista Campus

25 –26

Upper School Theatre Arts Production, It’s All in the Timing, 7:00pm, Galli-Curci Center, Linda Vista Campus

4 –8

Spring Break

11

Classes Resume

April

11 –5/13 “Scarred for Life” Art Exhibit by Ted Meyer, James Alan Rose Art Gallery, Linda Vista campus

May

June

19

“The Future of Medicine in a Genetic Age” Emerging Leaders Speaker Series, featuring William Brody, M.D. Ph.D. — President of the Salk Institute; Eric Topol, M.D. – Director of Scripps Translational Science Institute; Jay Flatley – CEO & President of Illumina; moderated by Dr. Cynthia Steunkel, UCSD School of Medicine. 6:30pm, J. Crivello Hall, Linda Vista campus

2 – 13

AP Exams, Upper School

14

Parents’ Association Gala, “Haute Harley Nights,” 5:30pm, Linda Vista campus

18

Spring Arts Night, 6:00pm, Linda Vista campus

30

Memorial Day, No School

3

Senior Recognition and Upper School Honors Program, 10:00am, Hillgren Court, Linda Vista campus

4

Commencement, 4:00pm, Lancer Lawn, Linda Vista campus

12

Board of Trustees’ Annual Meeting, 6:00pm, Linda Vista campus

13 –17

Upper School Finals Week

15

Last Day of Classes for grades JK – 8

13

8th Grade Promotion, 10:00am, Hillgren Court, Linda Vista campus

5th Grade Promotion, 3:00pm, Lower School Courtyard, Mission Hills campus 14

Last Day of Classes for grades 9 – 11

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Summer Session I Begins

Parents of alumni: if you are receiving multiple copies of Parker for children whose permanent address has changed, please contact the Alumni Office at 858-874-3382, email kstarkey@francisparker.org — we’ll be happy to update their address.