marin catholic winter 2018
Ithrough nn o v a t i o n Faith + Knowledge + Service
Our Mission Marin Catholic is a Roman Catholic college preparatory school serving young men and women. Consistent with our Gospel values, we are committed to the education of the whole person. As a community that values faith, knowledge and service, we provide our students with a spiritual, academic, and extra-curricular environment. We expect our students, through their experiences in the classroom and as active members of the school community, to develop the attributes of an educated person: responsibility, both personal and social; critical thinking ability; and appreciation for the complexity of the world around us. In partnership with parents, we hope to instill in our students the confidence that will empower them, as informed and compassionate individuals, to effect change in our world. We are committed to learning as a lifelong process.
Board of Regents 2017-2018 Shannon Alten Robert S. Basso Michael Bentivoglio Carolyn Biasotti, First Vice Chair Jack Boland ‘74 Gregory A. Bullian ‘76 Fred Craves, PhD *
David Friend Duane M. Geck * Drew Gordon Ross Guehring ‘98 Chris Hill Margaret Jacobsen Marcia R. Jervis ‘61
James Jordan Knopf ‘93 Hugo Kostelni George W. Pasha, IV ‘80 * Irene Scully ‘62 * Kevin Sharps, Chair Laura Suski Don Tarantino *Emeritus
Production Notes This magazine is a gift to the Alumni, Current Families, Faculty, Staff and Friends of Marin Catholic.
MC Staff Tim Navone, President Chris Valdez, Principal Roxanne Civarello ’06 Director of Communications Jacqueline Tobe ‘01 Director of Advancement
Writers/Editors Vanessa Alexander Roxanne Civarello ‘06 Tim Navone Linda Siler Jacqueline Tobe ‘01 Printing Bill Hurley ’77, H & H Printing Design Gilbert & Associates
Photo Contributors Jennifer Skinner MC Alumni, Students & Staff Contact Us: Marin Catholic 675 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. Kentfield, CA 94904 Email: alumni@marincatholic.org Phone: 415-464-3800 School Website: www.marincatholic.org
c o n t e n t s
MARINN i n n o v a t i o n o n c a m p u s
3 Making It Real 5 Protecting the Payload 7 Under Score 9 Brandstorming 11 Uncommon Care 13 Moral Compass
OVATION b e y o n d
15 Mother of Many Children 17 Sea Legs 19 Red Zone 21 Photographic Memories 23 The Warmth of Peru 25 History is Riveting
j u n i o r r
27 Treat and Resolve 29 Tech...Tech...BOOM 31 Statistically Speaking 33 Ethical Eating
y o u n g
e s
a
t
e
l
h
a
u
e
r
m
c
n
h
i
a
f
i
s
e
n
s
l
n
r
l
o
o
o
v
o
w
a
m
s
t
h
o
i
r
p
s
c
35 Climate Risk 37 Taking a Stand for Girls 39 Sound Advice 41 Human Centered Design
l
s MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION F r o m
t h e p r i n c i p a
What does innovation mean at Marin Catholic? At MC we provide a foundational Catholic liberal arts education with a clear sense of where we are in the world–one foot is firmly grounded in our tradition and one moves forward to find new solutions. We attend to matters of the heart and emerging social conditions that require a new way to see things. Innovation at MC means we are open to the interests and passions of our students and offer opportunities for technology, building, engineering, and entrepreneurship within a Catholic context. Amidst all this innovation we stay grounded in our foundational understanding of what makes us human and what allows humankind to flourish. We are called to innovate in a way that supports our mission to serve humanity. Innovation takes many forms at MC from a new engineering course, to a partnership with Catholic University to offer students an internship in principled entrepreneurship, to our investment club looking at how capital works and how it can create positive change in the world. Technology at MC gives students access to information, customizes the student experience, and provides tools for specific endeavors (virtual reality, biomedical, music). You will read about some of these initiatives and more in the following pages. As you will see, through the careful balance of enterprise and our Catholic mission and values, we help form students and graduates who are well-skilled, passionate, and driven to direct their talents to make a difference in the world.
l
Chris Valdez Principal
1—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 2
i n n o v a t i o n o n c a m p u s
Making it
Real
Last year, the Computer Science Club, led by Jason LaRue ’17, brought the administration a proposal to bring virtual reality equipment to Marin Catholic:
‘‘As our world becomes increasingly centered around computers, knowledge of how they work on a foundational level is something that colleges and companies are looking for in applicants. One of MC’s core goals is to prepare students for college and beyond, and by educating students in computer programming, MC can fulfill this goal in the context of a modern world. We will teach students how to use the Unity game engine, a powerful but easy to use game designer which is used by many professionals in the real world. Students will be able to create environments, games, and experiences using the software, then try them out in virtual reality using our headset. We will cover the core principles of game design, and discuss how VR enables new game mechanics not previously possible. Education in computer science is quickly becoming a necessity in today’s modern world, and more computer science classes would only benefit the students of MC. Geographically speaking, MC is in a hotbed when it comes to computer science, and is surrounded by students who have the potential to run the large computer companies of tomorrow.‘‘ An anonymous donor was inspired by the Computer Science Club’s vision and made a gift enabling the school to purchase the equipment necessary to bring virtual reality to MC. These days, if you walk by Room 203 and look in, you’ll see a student in a headset testing out a Marin Catholic developed program while others look on and iterate ways to further develop the application. We have just begun to explore the possibilities and look forward to expanding its use beyond computer science to art, biology, history, and other fields.
3—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 4
Protecting the i n n o v a t i o n o n c a m p u
Payl ad Remember the egg drop challenge from your high school science class? We’re taking it to the next level in our new Engineering Fundamentals class as students are designing, building, and testing roto-recovery vehicles (RRVs) such as those researched by NASA in the 1950’s and 1960’s for reentry recovery. NASA ultimately went with a parachute model, but RRVs present a unique design challenge that our students are embracing as they come to understand the physics of rotation, sketch out ideas, iterate on how to make their designs fly predictably and stably, and ultimately compete to see whose design best protects the payload (egg). Engineering seeks to create solutions to problems that exist in the world and advance what has already been developed. In this class, students look into the present and future of engineering at the university level and as a potential career. Students are learning the fundamentals of design through exercises, projects, research, 2-D and 3-D modeling, mathematics, physics, and technical writing. The course was conceived of and taught by Ryan Mosse, a former structural engineer and acoustical engineer (think ultrasonic medical devices), who teaches in both the music and math departments. As with all good engineering projects, Mr. Mosse is taking an iterative approach to the course and actively adapting the curriculum as the course progresses based on student interests and experiences.
s
5—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 6
i
Under Score
n n o v a t i o n o n c a m p u s
7—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
Honors and AP Music Theory students have eagerly embraced the “Creative Composition” project series introduced this year. To set the groundwork, the students learned about the various types of microphones, preamps, recording techniques, and digital audio workstations (DAWs). Each week, the students compose a 30 to 60 second piece in Garageband or Logic DAW based on a specific prompt – first up, video game music. (This is your cue to start humming the Super Mario brothers theme). Students composed music for different environments – an underwater level, a flying level, and an intense scenario (e.g. culminating battle). Students then present their compositions to the class to receive critical feedback from their classmates. As the year progresses, everyone will create works intended for movies, TV shows, commercial jingles, and other scenarios. By the end of the year, every student will have a portfolio of over twenty-five original compositions.
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 8
i n n o v a t i o n o n c a m
Recently, MC Graphic Design students began a project called “Going Corporate.” This project focuses on using innovative education technology such as Adobe Photoshop and Google Apps to build a logo for a shoe brand from the ground up. To truly understand what it means to create and design a logo, students must first learn the concept of “design thinking.” Design thinking refers to the strategies designers utilize during the process of creation. Since inspiration is what motivates the student’s search for new ideas, students view Branded: A Phil Knight/Nike Documentory. This film explains how Nike was created and how it later became one of the most successful, recognizable brands in the world.
Brandstorming After learning the fundamentals, students were tasked with thinking about some commonly recognizable logos, and then focusing on what makes them great. Students are then posed with the question: How can I create a logo that is original? They are then encouraged to create something that is indicative of the personality or theme of their shoe brand. Brainstorming and drafting many different logos is part of the process, as students are challenged to focus on the consumer they are designing for and to then bring that human element into the logo. Design thinking helps students excel in understanding their consumer, while gaining insights to find the best solutions.
p u s
9—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 10
i n n o v a t i o n o n c a m p u s
Uncommon Care The Marin Catholic faculty and staff are engaged in a two-year study of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s encyclical on ecology and caring for our “common home.” Informed by this work, we are taking a closer look at the impact of our practices and making changes to help our environment.
Dark Tuesdays If you walk into a classroom or office on any given Tuesday, you’ll notice that it’s a bit darker than usual. In an effort to conserve energy, teachers and staff are encouraged to leave the lights out each Tuesday. Most of our spaces on campus receive adequate natural light to conduct affairs as normal and by turning the lights out one day a week we are helping reduce our consumption of electricity. Those faculty/staff participating in the effort can wear special MC #darktuesday t-shirts! Composting In partnership with Marin Sanitary, Marin Catholic is embarking on a pilot composting program in the Saint John Paul II Student Center’s cafeteria this year. While many homes in Marin compost, Marin Catholic is one of only two high schools in the County undertaking such an effort. This is part of Marin Catholic’s Sustainability Action Plan which is led by Science teacher Erik Schmitz and involves the facilities team, faculty, staff, and students. Fair Trade In 2015, MC became the first Fair Trade certified school in Marin! The Fair Trade Federation defines fair trade as “an approach to business and to development based on dialogue, transparency, and respect that seeks to create greater equity in the international trading system.” Fair Trade enables workers to receive a living wage, prevents child or forced labor, and emphasizes ecologically sustainable practices. To hear from MC students and faculty why they support Fair Trade visit marincatholic. org/fairtrade. Next time you go to the store to buy coffee, chocolate, flowers, or fruit, look for the Fair Trade certification!
“Everyone’s talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation.” – Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ Quote on the back of #darktuesday t-shirts
11—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 12
i n n o v a t i o n
MoralC mpass One of the capstone courses offered by the Marin Catholic Theology Department, Honors Bioethics is taught by Ryan Mayer in a university format with weekly lectures and small discussion group meetings. Doctors (both local and Skyped in from around the world) make frequent guest appearances to speak on special topics and answer student questions. Students all maintain blogs where they are tasked with writing nuanced and well-reasoned arguments on bioethics topics of their choosing. This course responds to the modern demand for competence in complex moral decision-making, especially in the rapidly developing fields of medical ethics and technology. The course includes examination of the Christian understanding of the human person, and reading and application of relevant Church teaching as it pertains to bioethics, with a focus on documents such as Evangelium Vitae, Humanae Vitae, and Donum Vitae. Marin Catholic students go on to be doctors and nurses, researchers, and policy makers. By providing them with the opportunity to examine these foundational ethical issues in high school, we are helping to ensure as adults they are well grounded in the principles of moral decision-making.
o n c a m p u s
13—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 14
b e y o n d t h e c l a s s r o o m
15—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
Mother of m a n y children In the summer of 2017, Maria Tassone ’19 traveled to Ethiopia and Uganda with her father, Marin Catholic Global Studies teacher, Joe Tassone. In Uganda, they traveled to the hometown of Fr. Samuel (a priest at St. Isabella’s) and launched an entrepreneurial brick-making program (funded by MC’s 2017 St. Vincent de Paul Lenten Drive) to create supplies to rebuild the school. While in Uganda, Maria taught at St. Gonzaga’s K-7 grammar school for a week working with third and fourth graders. She reflects: “By the end of the week, the children had given me a Lusoga name: Nabiyre, which means ‘mother of many children.’ I am so grateful to have had this experience...I was able to use my skills such as being social, learning languages, teaching art, and more to make a positive impact on these children at this humble school. They benefited me more than I could ever do to them. They brought me a sense of humility, gratefulness, and joy.”
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 16
b e
SEA Legs
y o n d t h e c l a s s r o o m
Marin Catholic alumnus and Marine Biology teacher Joe Ward ’94 has long encouraged his students to work outside the classroom by exploring the Bay’s ecosystem with marine scientists via a research vessel to sampling invertebrate and algal phyla that are found in the tide pools at Duxbury Reef. Each semester, students complete a hands-on semester project about any marine science topic of their choice. Along with the research component to this project, students are required to get outside and really get their feet “wet.” In addition to a written paper, students are required to make a 5-minute video summarizing their project which Mr. Ward encourages them to enter into the Student Film Competition for the International Ocean Film Festival. This past year’s festival received 98 submissions, from 4 countries and 5 states from the United States. 15 finalists were selected including MC Biology students Leyla Spositto ’17, Ryan Crivello ’17, and Nick Eberhard ’18! Visit www.marincatholic.org/marinescience to view their films!
17—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 18
b
one RedZ
e y o n d t h e c l a s s r o o m
19—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
For the past two summers, seniors Ben Skinner and Jack Wirth ran a co-ed sports camp in Novato. They started this camp to provide a healthy place for over 40 under-privileged kids who signed up. Classmates Carter Lyon, Bella Nickel, Ashley Thompson and Will Magnuson helped run the one-week camp each day from 2-4:30 pm at Hamilton School in Novato. The founders came up with the name RED Zone to represent the characteristics of “Respect, Effort, and Determination.” The logo was created with help of a fellow Marin Catholic alumna Catherine Collins ‘16. 1. What inspired you to start this camp and how did you start it? We learned that more than 70% of the kids attending Hamilton Middle school in Novato were under the poverty line, and almost 90% had never taken part in an organized sports program or had any kind of athletic training. With our love for sports, we were highly motivated to do something to give these kids an opportunity to take part in organized athletics. The camp took months of behind-the-scenes planning and brainstorming, along with lots of logistical obstacles to overcome. We had the full support of Principal Hospodar at Hamilton which made our task more manageable. 2. How was the camp funded? We started the camp through a GoFundMe page that allowed us to raise awareness of our idea. We were able to reach our goal of $2,000 to start the camp. The camp was funded by friends and relatives who wanted to donate to the cause. The money raised was used to fund insurance, sporting equipment, food, and t-shirts. 4. What types of activities did you participate in with the attendees? We tried a variety of different activities and sports with the kids to appeal to as many people as possible. We found that the games they seemed to like the most were not necessarily the classic sports like soccer, football, or basketball. Rather, they seemed to prefer the hybrid games and the variety games that we played. Some of these were Tennis Baseball (baseball with a tennis racket and tennis ball), Capture the Flag, various forms of tag, Gaga Ball, and Water Balloon dodgeball. 5. Any stories to share? One of the most talented campers was unsure whether he wanted to play sports in high school. We encouraged him to give it a try, and we could see his confidence blossom. We grew close to him but sadly had to say goodbye on the last day of camp. However, that was not the last time we saw him. Six months later, as one of us was walking around MC’s campus, we passed the varsity soccer team playing another local high school, and that same camper was playing as a freshman. Seeing him had a profound impact on both of us, as we could feel nothing but happiness for this 15-year-old boy. 6. How does this relate to your experience at Marin Catholic revolving around Christian service? The helpful and supportive culture ingrained in us through MC and the volunteering and coaching skills we developed during freshman year helped enable us to create and successfully run our own camp. We had both already satisfied our 50-hour service project with a separate service trip before the opportunity at Hamilton school came along. We started RED Zone not because we needed the hours, but because we felt we could make a difference for these kids.
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 —20
b e y o n d t h e c l a s s r o o m
21—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
Photographic Memories This summer 48 MC students traveled to rural northeastern Thailand (Udon Thani) to perform service projects in the community. The students worked with their hands constructing houses, planting organic banana trees, building and stocking a fish farm, and cooking and delivering meals to those in need. As they brought meals to people, the students would stop to chat (through an interpreter) and find out about their lives, their families, and their culture. One man they encountered had lost his legs when he was younger and had learned to get around on his hands. His joyfulness came as a surprise to some of the students, until he shared a saying from Buddha, “Without rain nothing grows, learn to embrace the storms of your life.” Another day the MC students visited an elementary school and worked with young Thai students on a cyanotype photography project. The MC group brought pre-coated cyanotype paper, digital negatives, and art supplies–the Thai school provided the glass and hydrogen peroxide. MC students were each paired with a Thai student and they sat and talked in the sun while waiting for the images to develop and then decorated them with paints.
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 22
The Warmth of b e y o n d t h e c l a
Annie Navone ’18 reflects on her summer trip to Llupa, Peru with twelve other MC students to build clean stoves for family homes: These are simple brick stoves with chimney ventilation, not a radical innovation, but rare up in the small villages of the Andes. Lugging bricks and cement at 11,000 feet is hard but satisfying work as the result is the families will no longer be breathing smoke every day when cooking in their homes. Just as gratifying is the appreciation and kindness poured out by these families when our work was completed. In addition to building the clean stoves, we spent our days teaching in classrooms of 6-12 year olds, and creating relationships with the people of Llupa and the neighboring town of Yarush. We taught CCD classes and played games to help teach the children about the Bible, such as singing songs and doing art projects based on the story of Noah’s Ark. By the end of the trip, we felt a strong bond through the time spent together. The people of Llupa were some of the most hospitable people I have encountered. While they had limited means, they gave all they had and welcomed us wholeheartedly into their community. Catholicism brought us together, and we connected through faith and prayer. At the end of the trip, we put on a party for all the children of Llupa and Yarush, inviting them family by family by knocking on the doors of houses. We went to Mass together in the village’s small chapel, and afterward had a piñata, games, and lots of cake to share.
s s r o o m
23—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 24
b e y o n d t h e c l a s s r o o m
History is riveting. US History Teacher and Dean of Studies, Katie Smith
shares about her National Treasure Project:
I created this project with the intention that students would have the opportunity to make connections to what they were learning and to gain new perspectives. I believe that it is one thing for them to experience US History in the classroom and another to see it first hand. I decided to throw out my traditional summer homework of reading and notetaking, and implemented this project as an introduction to the course. I also assign it again during the second semester, so students are visiting two places during the year. I ask students to write a two page reflection about what they learned and to connect it to what we have studied in class or will study. I love the stories that students tell me from their trips. Some of them go on their own, others go together, some go with family. Some stay local, some add it to family vacations, others add it to college visits. Each experience is unique, but I know that the history comes alive for each of them. Even when the project is completed, students will send me pictures or updates of other historical places they have visited. Student reflections “We had the chance to meet a real Rosie, Mary Torres, who welded for Moore’s Shipyard in Oakland, California. She told us her story. She had run away from home to work in the shipyard. There, she learned to weld. She credited her knitting skills for the dexterity that easily transferred to welding. Mary also told us about how she was rescued by her coworkers after a rafter she was working on broke loose from the bow of the ship. The Rosie the Riveter museum offered insight into a era deeply rooted in my family. My grandma and great grandma both worked as Rosies during the war. The museum offered a new way to learn about the role my family played in ensuring an Allied victory in World War II.” Sonny Seto-Myers ‘18, Rosie the Riveter Museum, Richmond “I chose this place because I was on my way back from Death Valley, and my family saw a sign saying ‘Manzanar.’ I quickly googled it as we wanted to know what the guard tower was. I found out it was one of the 10 Japanese American Internment Camps in the United States. We turned around the car and went to see the national historic site...I learned about Japanese American Internment in class, but this visit helped me learn more…” Belen Buckley ‘18, Manzanar
25—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
Jason Castenada ‘18 at The Rosie the Riveter Museum.
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 26
j u n i o r r e s e a r c h f e l l o w
Mission + Academic Passion = Junior Fellowship Program The new Junior Fellowship program at Marin Catholic has given rising seniors an opportunity to pursue an academic passion through research and/or a field study in the summer before their senior year. Marin Catholic awards Fellowship opportunities to four students each summer. The purpose of the Junior Fellowship is to support student exploration of an academic interests. Fellows may work in any discipline but the creative effort must be aligned with Marin Catholic’s Catholic mission and purpose.
Resolve Treat and
After being diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Tess Polizzotti ’18 set out to find out why her symptoms seemed in marked contrast to the standard diagnostic criteria for PCOS. She structured her research around three primary questions: “Am I an anomaly among women diagnosed with PCOS? Are other women misdiagnosed with PCOS or undiagnosed due to lack of ‘atypical’ symptoms? Is the current diagnosis criteria the best for acknowledging the wide range and quantity of possible symptoms?”
As Tess talked to doctors and read through medical journals, she discovered her experience was common, but underrepresented in official diagnostic protocols. She found the work of Lara Briden, an evolutionary biologist turned naturopathic doctor, who proposed an alternative criteria for diagnosis that is more precise and expansive. Tess is confident that by changing the diagnostic criteria to that proposed by Briden more women will be able to effectively “treat and resolve” their PCOS.
s h i p s 27—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 28
j u n i o r
Tech...Tech...
r e s e a r c h f e l l o w s h i p s 29—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
BOOM! From the time of the Gold Rush, the Bay Area has long been a land of socio-economic opportunity. Through his Junior Fellowship, Joshua Beckman ’18 wanted to examine how the current tech boom has transformed the region, identify problems that have arisen, and identify possible solutions to promote the well-being of society. In addition to reading extensively on the issue, Joshua interviewed an artificial intelligence entrepreneur, a financial advisor, and a realtor to hear first-hand how they had experienced the Bay Area’s transformation through their field. In summarizing his findings, Joshua concludes: “The implications of the tech boom have created obstacles, but also opportunities for a better society. An awareness of the problems that the tech startup boom has created is apparent in a demonstrated need from the government to pass legislation that preserves the culture of the Bay Area, affordable housing, and more. This leads me to conclude that the problems that arise from the tech boom will be best managed by a change in the mindset of citizens. Legislation can only go so far to create a better society. If people continue to help one another and foster a sense of unity and togetherness, the potential of the good that can come out of the tech boom will overcome the bad. With all of that said, I see the problems as on their way to being fixed. Greed and selfishness in the tech industry cannot rule a society. Collectively, we as the citizens, can change the way we look at the tech startup boom and drive policy change. The government is taking steps to address the problems which is an indicator that we are on the way to this change in mindset that can benefit us all.”
Image courtesy of the Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, NASA Johnson Space Center
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 30
j u n i o r r e s e a r c h f e l l
Statistically “Speaking” Fascinated by the discourse surrounding the 2016 presidential election, Alexa Barnes ’18 pursued a statistical evaluation of political speech for her Junior Fellowship. Alexa poured over political analysis, tracked word usage in tweets, and met with Rep. Jared Huffman and a director for Senator Dianne Feinstein. Her rigorous study revealed that the very language used by liberals and conservatives to discuss the same issue differs dramatically. This linguistic divide perpetuates and reinforces the partisan divide in our nation. She concludes: “We are the United States, a political experiment that has yielded results that we often disagree with. We must be aware that when appealing to our partners across the aisle, we need to make an effort to engage them, specifically through our language. As shown in my research, interest grows when something seems to be an oddity, but interest continues when the term affects us all. Our lexicon is partisan, but understanding that it doesn’t have to be may be the first step to understanding and national unity.”
o w s h i p s 31—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 32
j u n i o r r e s e a r c h f e l l o
E
E
thical ating
Sarah Lange’s ‘18 longtime love of animals encouraged her to go vegan over one year ago. This lead Sarah to find her passion of caring for animals, her health, and the environment. Through her Junior Fellowship, Sarah explored how animals live and are treated on farms that raise them for food. She spoke with animal rights organizations and visited animal sanctuaries where she encountered animals, both rescued and escaped, from the agriculture industry. Based on her findings, Sarah concludes that human consumption of animals and animal based products not only impacts the wellbeing of animals, but also on negatively impacts human health and the environment. Sarah has been inspired to intern at Animal Place next summer and is in the process of creating her own business called Positive Platitude, based upon the ethics of veganism. A percentage of the profits will be donated to various organizations that align with the ethics of veganism. In her efforts to spread awareness and see change, Sarah is working with the Marin Catholic administration and the Epicurean Group to encourage “Meatless Mondays” at MC. A little change goes a long way.
w s h i p s 33—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 34
y o u n g a l u m n i i n n o v a t o r s
Climate Risk Jack Hogan ’05 (pictured left) is a Climate Change Risk and Resilience Consultant at Arup. After receiving his BS from UCLA, he worked as a hydraulic engineer for the US Army Corps of Engineering. He went on to Stanford to complete a Masters in Civil Engineering with a concentration in environmental fluid mechanics and hydrology. In 2016 he completed a Fulbright Fellowship in the Netherlands focused on flood risk analysis and adaptation strategies for sea level rise. Was there a particular experience that drew you into this field? Between my Junior and Senior years at MC, I volunteered with Amigos de las Americas and spent the summer in rural Honduras working on small scale community development projects. The community that I lived in was without running water, electric power, paved roads, or really any basic infrastructure and routinely flooded during hurricane season. This experience taught me the importance of civil infrastructure in underpinning economic opportunities and in protecting vulnerable communities from natural disasters. That summer in Honduras also combined with a number of other life experiences, like my constant exploring of the Mt. Tam watershed, convinced me to pursue a career in water resources engineering and climate change adaptation. How did your time at MC influence/shape your worldview and course of study? MC definitely pushed me to prioritize service in my academic and professional work. Although I have always been passionate about the outdoors, I realized that I could contribute a lot to people’s quality of life by working in the built environment. Of course, in studying climate change, I have also been able to work on big, intractable problems that call for entirely different ways of thinking. I am sure that MC also planted a seed here that eventually led me to chase down these types of issues. In terms of my worldview, I can honestly say that playing baseball and football at MC taught me the value of committing to something that was bigger than myself, which is fundamental to some of the big-picture type of work that I am involved in at Arup. Can you share anything about a current project you are working on at Arup? One of my primary projects at Arup right now has me actively involved in the Resilient by Design Bay Area challenge as a part of a team of engineers, architects, and urban designers. Our team is currently developing design concepts for a number of sites around the Bay Area that are facing challenges related to sea level rise, climate change, housing access and aging infrastructure. As a part of this process, we have also decided to focus on the area’s most vulnerable communities in order to develop a final project that truly has the greatest positive impact. It has been really exciting to be a part of this project and dive deep into some of the problems and opportunities present in our own backyard. What is the role of innovation in helping to address climate change risk? Climate change creates one of the most (if not the most) daunting challenges facing our world. With constantly changing environmental conditions, many traditional engineering solutions are now obsolete and some typical design approaches are now totally ineffective. This problem takes innovation in the built environment from being a ‘nice-to-have’ to being a critical necessity. Take for example sea level rise, which is an immediate outcome of climate change that we are already experiencing; engineers cannot simply continue to raise and strengthen seawalls indefinitely. Doing this will put more and more lives at risk as the water levels behind these future seawalls gets higher and higher. At a certain point, we have to innovate and in doing so think differently about how we live, work, and play in flood-prone areas. 35—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 36
y o u n g
Taking a STAND
for girls
a l u m n i i n n o v a t o r s
37—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
Inspired by her Global Studies course and her Christian Service at MC, Elisabetta Colabianchi ’05 went on to USD and NYU and eventually joined the Peace Corps working in a hospital in Mozambique counseling HIV positive women on how to prevent transmission to their children. When her time in the Peace Corps came to an end, Elisabetta launched a non-profit social enterprise, Kurandza, that invests in the future of Mozambique women. Through education, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development programs, Kurandza women learn to become leaders in their community and make an impact in the world. Their current campaign #IStandForGirls seeks to raise the funds and awareness to send 100 girls to school. In addition to tuition, Kurandza provides the girls with uniforms and supplies, transportation, tutoring and counseling, and workshops and extracurricular activities. This extra support helps counteract the social and financial obstacles which currently prompt many girls to drop out of school and marry young. This September, Elisabetta and her co-founder, Percina Miocha, visited MC Global Studies classes and spoke about Mozambique and the role of NGOs in bringing about positive change. To learn more about Elisabetta’s work and to stand with the girls of Mozambique visit www.kurandza.org.
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 38
y o
S
A
ound
and unsparingly, lift up your voice like a trumpet blast.
Cry out full-throated
u
dvice
Isaiah 58:1
n g a l u m n i i n n o v a t o r s
39—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
It’s hard to grasp the power of Brother Isaiah’s music without hearing it. He sings, he strums, he praises the Lord, and his music inspires others to find their faith. These are not the guitar-accompanied contemporary church songs you might listen to at Sunday Mass, but something raw, vibrant, and fresh with a humility that opens the hearts of young and old. T.R. Hoffman ’04 entered the Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in 2008, making final vows in 2015 and taking the name of Brother Isaiah. Today, Brother Isaiah is still connected to his alma mater by visiting Theology classes and helping lead retreats. He shares how he worried as a student, how he fell down on campus as a freshman and was mortified, how “freaking out” was natural but didn’t bring comfort. The students nod and listen as he advises, “keep calm and don’t freak out, pray instead.” While visiting a class recently he shared a song he wrote about adversity and by the second chorus the students joined him singing out “every good thing is born of a struggle.” Take the time to listen to Brother Isaiah. His first album, Broomstick, is available online and he is about to release a new album recorded in Marin Catholic’s very own music studio.
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 40
y o
Human-Centered Design
u n g a l u m n i i n n o v a t o r s
41—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
Emily Rice ’06 had just completed her masters degree in mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley when a fortuitous conversation about design manufacturing led her to be invited to help launch the Jacobs Institute of Design Innovation. The Institute is affiliated with the College of Engineering and supports classes and programs throughout the university, including a maker space accessible to all students. Emily has continued on at the Institute as the Director for Programs and Operations and works closely with faculty on pedagogical innovation and program development at the intersection of human centered design and emerging technologies. At MC, Emily excelled in mathematics and went on to major in the field at Boston College before pursuing her graduate work. She was excited to hear about MC’s new course in engineering and the ways in which our faculty are bringing innovation and design concepts into the high school curriculum.
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 42
Supporting Cardinal Newman Through the Fires Dear Marin Catholic Community, Ever since I was a student here, I have loved MC. I strongly believe the school has never been in better shape thanks to the leadership of President Tim Navone, Principal Chris Valdez, and the leaders who came before them. MC is unfailing in our Catholic identity with Monsignor Sheeran and our four Dominican Sisters who help guide our students during this pivotal time in their life. What makes MC so special is our community. The students consistently amaze me with all they accomplish on a daily basis from succeeding at their academics, helping those in need at St. Anthony’s in the Tenderloin, and creating bonds with their teammates on the fields. Later in life, they will become alumni and stand next to each other at their weddings. Bonds at MC last a lifetime. Our community also shined this year as we supported our Sister Catholic school, Cardinal Newman in Santa Rosa, which was devastated by the North Bay fires. Our community once again came together, making cards for the families, praying hard, and ultimately delivering a check of nearly $25,000 to help them get back on their feet.
43—MARIN Catholic • WINTER 2018
Next spring, my main focus will be on raising money for scholarships for students who dream of attending a school like Marin Catholic. As you see me around at one of our many events, please stop me and let me know if you would like to help one of these students. Without the generosity of so many, we would not be where we are today. Please join me and the entire MC community in continuing the good work in forming better people through Faith, Knowledge, and Service. Gratefully,
Jacqueline Leh Tobe ‘01 Director of Advancement
MARINNOVATION • WINTER 2018 — 44