SEVEN HILLS
December 11, 2012
The Buzz
A Brief Word from Chris Garten
Upper dazzles with production of Molière’s satire The Learned Ladies
You have heard, I hope, some references to Unified for Unifat (U4U), a schoolwide service project that has galvanized the energies of students in all four divisions. This program, which began in another local school, is a student-driven effort that leverages the idealism of young people and the power of social media to support the educational needs of impoverished children in war-torn Uganda. This year, each division has found a creative, age-appropriate way to extend this project into the realm of real service learning. Upper and Middle School students designed assembly programs to educate their peers about the root causes of this global problem. A new bulletin board in Lotspeich encourages students to ask questions and do research about the children at the school we are supporting. At Doherty, art students are hard at work planning the art show and pancake breakfast in support of U4U. It is heartening to see our students so committed to serving the needs of others; it is even more so to see them exploring, in such a thoughtful way, the underlying causes of this suffering. Chris Garten Head of School
A resounding standing ovation for The Learned Ladies’ cast, crew, and Director Kate Riley. The production was outstanding, simply amazing! More photos and the Director’s Notes are on page 6. It was a great Lower School Spirit Night Dec. 7, as we celebrated our Doherty and Lotspeich’s winter teams in true Stinger Spirit! More photos on page 2.
Inside this Buzz Upper School News Middle School News Lotspeich News Doherty News
4 7 8
9
PRESENTS
cONVerSATIONS
creATING
THE SEVEN HILLS SCHOOL SpEakEr SErIES We invite you, your family and friends
cONVerSATIONS
to join us for one or more of these fascinating sessions. For more information about the free-of-charge series, and to register for the events, please call 513.728.2363 or visit www.7hills.org/CreatingConversations.
PRESENTS
THE SCHOOL Oct. 25,SEVEN 2012 7:00HILLS p.m. Smart Parenting,SpEakEr Smarter KidS SErIES David Walsh, Ph.D. Nationally recognized authority on children, teens, parenting, family life, and the impact of technology on children’s health and
and best-selling author of nine books, including Why Do They We invite you, your development; family and friends Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen
Celebrating our youngest Stingers!
to join us for one or more of theseand fascinating sessions. No: Why Kids—of All Ages—Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say it. For more information about the free-of-charge series, and to register for the events, please call 513.728.2363 visit2012 www.7hills.org/CreatingConversations. NOv.or15, 4:00 p.m. Brain Development in ChilDren: a Closer look Dr. Lisa Kuan, Cincinnati area pediatrician.
Oct. 25, 25, 2013 2012 7:00 p.m. Ready, Smart Set, Parenting, Smarter KidS JAN. 8:45 A.m. GO! David Walsh, Ph.D. Nationally recognized authority children, teens, What dOeS it Mean tO be Ready fORonSchOOl? parenting, family life, and the impact of technology on children’s health and FEB. 28, 2013 7:00 p.m.
Expert panel ofand Seven Hills School Counselors and Educators. development; best-selling authorChildhood of nine books, including Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen and No: Why Kids—of All Ages—Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say it.
Setting Children Up for SUCCeSS
Ann Anzalone, nationally recognized consultant on learning styles,
educational plans and academicin performance. NOv. 15, 2012 4:00 p.m. Brain Development ChilDren: a Closer look Dr. Lisa Kuan, Cincinnati area pediatrician.
ApR. 18, 2013 4:00 p.m. Building Blocks: language & literacy for life Expert panel JAN. 25, 2013 8:45 A.m. Ready, Set,including GO! Speech & Language Therapist, Nancy Fluharty; and Seven Hills School Early Childhood Counselors and Educators. What dOeS it Mean tO be Ready fOR SchOOl? Expert panel of Seven Hills School Childhood Counselors and Educators.
information or to reserve your spot, visit Up for SUCCeSS FEB.For28,more 2013 7:00 p.m. Setting Children
www.7hills.org/CreatingConversations call recognized consultant on learning styles, Ann Anzalone,or nationally educational plans and academic performance.
5 1 3. 7 2 8 . 2 3 6 3
The Seven Hills School Speaker Series
ApR. 18, 2013 4:00 p.m. Building Blocks: language & literacy for life Expert panel including Speech & Language Therapist, Nancy Fluharty;
School Early Childhood Counselors and Educators. For more informationand onSeven ourHills Creating Conversations Speaker Series, visit www.7hills.org/CreatingConversations or callyour 513.728.2363. For more information or to reserve spot, visit
www.7hills.org/CreatingConversations or call
5 1 3. 7 2 8 . 2 3 6 3
Join us for Middle School Spirit Night this Friday, Dec. 14!
page 2
The Seven Hills School Speaker Series
The Buzz is deeply indebted to all of the photographers—faculty/staff and parents—who share with us their wonderful images from school events and activities in and out of the classroom. Thank you for generously sharing your time and talent! Please send news and images for the Buzz to Editor Kathy Deubell at kathy.deubell@7hills.org.
Tournament win for Doherty/Lotspeich Girls Wings 2!
Susan Routh, Head Coach of the Doherty/Lotspeich Girls Wings 2 team, shared this great news: “Our team played in a soccer tournament in Milford and won the entire tournament!” Victory brought two big trophies! Congratulations to the Seven Hills third and fourth graders and to the coaches! Pictured at right are (kneeling) Ellie Haas, Emma Cohen, Shriya Kilaru; Libby Schaefer; (standing) Lilly Rubenstein, Talbot Anning, Caroline Routh, Olivia Quinn, Isabelle RingswaldEgan, Audrey Howard, and Wendy Woffington; (standing in back) Coaches Andrew Quinn and Susan Routh. Not pictured: players Meg Seshia and Addie Wilger, Coach Dulany Anning.
Doherty & Lotspeich fifth graders collaborate on scientific inquiries, creative thinking The Doherty and Lotspeich fifth grade science students of Natalie Williams and Regina Daily collaborated on “Scientific Inquiries” and “Future Inventions,” specifically in the areas of communication, health, medicine, transportation, and green initiative buildings. Students Skyped with one another throughout the unit and came together to share their projects, creative hypotheses, and scientific findings at two impressive science exhibitions on both campuses. page 3
A look at what’s happening at Upper School
See page 7 for Middle School, page 8 for Lotspeich & page 9 for Doherty Assistant Head of School Susan Marrs told us, “Junior Phoebe Um was among the Greater Cincinnati students in the first round of selections announced for the 2013 TAP MD Program. From the website: The goals of the Greater Cincinnati Health Council’s TAP MD program are to focus on talented high school students who have not yet decided upon a career choice, encourage their entry into a career in medicine, and increase the number of future Tristate urban and rural physicians. Congratulations to senior Bethany Buck (pictured with her coach, Marcia Williams), who took her last test to earn her US Figure Skating Gold Medal in Ice Dance on Nov. 27! Bethany is an official USFS Double Gold Medalist in Moves in the Field and Ice Dance. Dad Ken Buck said, “Bethany also achieved a very, very rare accomplishment, as she earned both of these gold medals throughout her career without failing a single test. ... A Gold Ice Dance medal is unique and extremely hard to achieve, as many work on it for most of their skating career because you are required to complete a series of 3-4 dance patterns at each level, totaling 22 dances. ... We are very grateful for all of the support that Bethany has received from the Seven Hills community by allowing her to take the time out of class to attend numerous test sessions and competitions to achieve one of her lifetime goals.” page 4
Top honors at Rose Hulman Math Contest
Participants Ben King, Tigar Cyr, Allan Loeffler, Brian Hu, Nicole Malofsky, Andrei Savu, Gregory Sun, Alex Jiang. Not pictured: Lin Liu.
Upper math students earned top honors at the Rose Hulman Math Contest at Lakota West High School on Nov. 10 in which 183 students from seven local high schools participated. Individual results were as follows (places given by grade and gender): 9th grade boys 3rd place—Alex Jiang, 5th place—Tigar Cyr, 6th place—Andrei Savu;10th grade boys 10th place—Ben King; 11th grade boys 1st place—Brian Hu, 5th place—Gregory Sun; 12th grade girls 2nd place—Lin Liu; 12th grade boys 4th place—Allan Loeffler.
t gh
high above
the i Hills l f dale Commons l u f c e On Nov. 28 elastic gliders filled the upper space of the Hillsdale Commons, gliding among the a r G graceful art installation of birds. It was Dr. Lenore Horner’s Elastic Glider event/competition among teams of her AP Physics students. The object of the event (sponsored by the Academy of Model Aeronautics) is to design, build, and test two elastic-launched gliders designed for the highest time aloft. The event challenges students to build and test gliders that must be launched at floor level, ascend to a high point, then transition into a slow descending glide pattern. The Seven Hills event followed Division C rules in the Science Olympiad regarding construction and competition. The winning team was Leah Yuan/Sara Johnson with 8.8 points, followed by the team of Peter Todorov/Nicholas AuYeung with 7.76 points.
Upper’s outstanding Winter Choral and Instrumental Concerts!
Bravo to Director John Rising and his talented musicians in the Symphonic Ensemble and the Contemporary Ensemble for a wonderful Winter Instrumental Concert.
Congratulations to Director Tina Groom, Accompanist Lynne Miller, and Upper’s amazing choral singers who performed on a concert tour at Doherty (pictured), Founders Hall, and the Cincinnati Museum Center. The Winter Choral Concert included solos by Caleigh Griffin, Michael Bain, Louis Goldsmith, and Brian Collette, as well as the audience-pleasing return of the chorus alumni and beloved closing performance of “Night of Silence.“
page 5
For the latest Upper School news, go to http://7hillscanvass.org/.
The Authentic People's Pleasure Company presents
The Learned Ladies by Molière
translation by Richard Wilbur Director Kate Riley’s Program Notes, Winter Play, 2012: The Learned Ladies, or Les Femmes Savantes, is a satire written by one of the greatest comic playwrights of all time, Molière. The play premiered at the Theatre Du Palais Royal on March 11, 1672, and it was a smashing success. A satirical commentary on academic pretensions and women in education, it was one of his most popular plays among the Parisians of his time. During tonight’s performance, you will also see five short scenes written by this year’s Directing class. This side-story follows the activities of a number of bumbling miscreants as they try to catch the rats that live in the dump. Just like the rest of the play, these scenes are written in rhyming couplets and we hope you enjoy watching them as much as we did writing them.
by Molière
translation by Richard Wilbur
page 6
A look at what’s happening at Middle School
Outstanding Middle Instrumental Concert!
Middle/Upper Latin teacher Brian Sebastian reported on Middle’s great results at the University of Cincinnati Certamen on Dec. 1. “Our Level 1 eighth graders were impressive. The boys—[pictured from left] Calvin Arbenz, Jacob Weinstein, Shane DiGiovanna, and Jack Lane —placed fifth, and the girls—Noelle O’Neal, Nina Lubeck, Piper Spooner, Matisse Peppet—made the Finals and finished a razor-close second.” Congratulations!
page 7
A look at what’s happening at Lotspeich
It’s another successful year for the Mitten Tree collection of mittens, hats, and gloves for the children served by MEAC (Madisonville Education and Assistance Center). The annual Lotspeich/Upper School Thanksgiving assembly included remarks from Upper’s Service Club Heads Allie Baretta and Rachel White; remarks by Lotspeich Head Carolyn Fox and Upper Head Nick Francis; a sharing about his community service project by Shray Ambe; an outstanding performance by Upper’s Jazz Ensemble; and the much-anticipated Second Grade Turkey Tango, accompanied by seniors in the encore.
page 8
First graders are studying Nutrition and the Five Food Groups. Miss Braun said, “In November—Vegetable Month—the first graders learned that vegetables come from many parts of a plant—leaves, stems, roots, fruits, bulbs, tubers and seeds. The children had an opportunity to taste different types of vegetables on Vegetable Tasting Day.” And not just carrots and celery— kale, artichoke, okra, and adamame, to name a few of the vegetable explorations!
A look at what’s happening at Doherty
Unit III Coordinator and math teacher Vaishali Sarbhoy told us, “On Nov. 16, our fourth graders had the wonderful opportunity to witness a naturalization ceremony conducted at the Potter Stewart Courthouse and presided over by Magistrate Judge Karen Litkovitz. The students had many questions for the magistrate’s clerk, Ms. Webster, and were thrilled when she passed the judge’s gavel around! The judge also came over to greet the students before the ceremony started. The students watched the solemn proceedings, where 51 nationals of 32 countries from around the world were sworn in and welcomed warmly as citizens of the United States. We were all very happy to be a part of this meaningful and symbolic occasion for all the new citizens!”
page 9
Twelve enthusiastic participants from four Unit III homerooms participated in the unit spelling bee as part of the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest. Alex Grass, Caroline Corbett, Aidan Finn, Michael Moran, Kevin Wang, Ajay Gupta, Benjamin Mencer, Emma Cohen, Megan McLennan, Linley Dawson, Matt Wabler, and Annie Leeper all worked very hard to be the unit champion. The honors went to Kevin Wang, with Ajay Gupta once again as the runner up! Kevin will represent the school in the online contest in January, 2013. We wish him all the best for that one! Unit III teacher Julie Guminey, Beginnings Director Julie Brackett, and parent Amy Rubenstein coached the fall program for 10 of Doherty’s fourth grade girls, culminating in the Girls on the Run 5K on Nov. 17. Mrs. Guminey said, “The girls met two times a week and talked about topics from healthy living, to friendships, to having confidence in themselves. Throughout the lessons, running was incorporated and the girls worked really hard to run a 5K at Sawyer Point at the end of the season. The girls did an outstanding job and all the girls finished in fantastic times! We are really proud of all the girls’ accomplishments this season!”
Next page Grandpersons’ Day!
Just a few glimpses of special moments on Grandpersons’ Day Units I-II Coordinator Elisa MacKenzie shared this about Unit I Grandpersons’ Day: “Thank you to all of the special grandpersons who attended this time-honored event at Doherty. The students loved having you. They gave wonderful presentations, sharing a special memory of their grandpersons on the big stage, and performed a few vocal selections too. Nick Cohen’s grandfather read a special Thanksgiving book, too. It’s a joy to watch the students develop their stage presence and to see them become more and more comfortable with public speaking. It was a great day for all!” Thank you to everyone who shared our Grandpersons’ Day!
page 10