Sports at SCDS: Sportmanship, Teamwork, and Fun!

S C D S

» SPRING 2007

Inquire. Create. Nurture.

Kinetics SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL MAGAZINE

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Sports at SCDS Sportsmanship, Teamwork and FUN!

Sports at SCDS Sportsmanship, Teamwork and FUN! “We want to expose kids to sports as part of a life-long learning process.” chuck linz, scds athletic director

Take a moment to think of some of the legendary coaches of the last century. Like the Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne, who said, “Show me a good and gracious loser and I’ll show you a failure.” Or Green Bay Packer’s coach Vince Lombardi who said, “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”

Well, as great as they were, neither Rockne nor Lombardi would last a day in the SCDS Wildcats sports program. Led by Athletic Director Chuck Lintz, the SCDS athletics program has a unique approach to sports that considers a wide range of skill levels; a strong emphasis on fun; and, an approach to competition that is based on growth rather than statistics. continued »

SPRING 2007

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Athletics “The coaches are awesome.

They really know what they’re doing and they make it a good time.” jordan spencer, 7th-grade athlete

at SCDS

(CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE)

“We want to expose kids to sports as part of a life-long learning process,” said Lintz. “And, we want our program to be fun and competitive so that students will sign up and play.” As a result of this student-centered philosophy, participation on SCDS teams in any given season includes more than one-third of the student body (see next page). From the perspective of 7th-grade student Grace Noah, who plays both basketball and Ultimate Frisbee for SCDS, the philosophy works.

“I like to play sports at SCDS to be with my friends,” she said.

“It’s great to get the exercise and still be able to enjoy yourself with your friends.”

“The sports program has grown and grown,” says PE teacher and coach Shiloh Ratcliffe. “It has really become an important part of the school in the last few years and we are excited that kids want to come out for teams and play.”

Both Lintz and Ratcliffe agree that the teams accommodate a wide-range of skills, even at the more competitive levels in grades 6-8. “But we have a good situation where the skilled players can help the less-skilled players learn and they bring up the level of play for everyone,” says Lintz.

Getting a good stretch in PE.

According to 7th-grade athlete Jordan Spencer, the high quality of coaching draws him to the sports programs. “The coaches are awesome. They really know what they’re doing and they make it a good time.” Spencer said he enjoyed the guidance of veteran basketball coach Denny Russell during the season. “He could be intense, but he knows the game, and that’s fun.”

For students who are less experienced, Ratcliffe points out that a supporting Physical Education curriculum taught during the day increases student confidence and promotes more participation.

Sixth Grade players controlling the soccer ball.

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“I have seen lots of students in class whose skills improve in PE and then they have the confidence to try out for a sport.”

And the numbers show that just as many girls play sports as boys.

Recently, a lunch table full of Middle School girls was quick to point out that anyone can play at SCDS. Why? “Because it’s fun!”

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CHECK OUT WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING AROUND CAMPUS!

Campus Strategic Plan Cycles Around Schools have many cycles. There is the vacation cycle of summer, winter, and spring breaks. There is the Winterim cycle of eight Fridays of frozen fun. There’s even a cycle for lunches that starts at 10:45 a.m. and ends at 12:45 p.m. But every five years, there is a less obvious cycle called strategic planning which guides the school forward. Determining what will be accomplished is a long and thorough process that is driven by the strategic planning committee, a subcommittee of the Board of Trustees. The last strategic plan centered on attracting talented faculty, inquiry-based learning, and the new Middle School construction and facility improvements. As those benchmarks near completion, it is time to look ahead once more. Trustee and Parent Joan Morse is leading the job of creating

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS, PLEASE CONTACT THE SCHOOL: 206-284-6220.

the next road map for the school. Together with her committee, faculty, staff, parents, and students are being asked their opinions about the future goals for SCDS. They have conducted one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and written surveys to gather the information they need to determine these broad initiatives and priorities for SCDS. “Our strategic planning efforts are focused on taking a snapshot of how we are doing today, looking ahead to where we are going, and articulating the priorities toward getting there,” said Morse. “The resulting plan will be strategic in nature, will look at broad initiatives, and will give us operational plans.”

The number of items included in each plan varies from school to school, but it expected that this plan will contain 3-6 items, and Morse says they hope to have completed their work by the end of 2007.

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Kinetics

ACCEPTING THE g%ARTH (EROESs AWARD

people & places Clagett Shares Her Peace Corps Experience in Nigeria with 8th Grade Barb Claggett sharing her stories of Nigeria with 8th grade students.

The 8th-grade class sits rapt with attention. They have just read “The Wrestling Match” by Buchi Emecheta about an orphaned boy growing up in post-civil war Nigeria, and they are assembled to hear first hand about life in that country…

It is the bush country of Nigeria in 1964, and civil war is about to shake the land. In this tumultuous time, Interim Admissions

Middle School Science teacher Ellie Peterson.

Director Barb Clagett has arrived for a two-year commitment with the Peace Corps. Her task is to teach four subjects, all in English, the only language that her students have in common in this former British colony. Six days a week, she teaches 6th-8th grade boys English, literature, West African history, and math in this rural, government-run boarding school. Families pay a small fee to send their sons to this secondary school; village girls’ education stops after 5th grade.

Clagett lives in a prefabricated, Western-style house that is a source of fascination for her students. Electricity from the school’s generator lights up the house; kerosene supplies the fuel for the small refrigerator and stove in the kitchen. Boys at the school live in crowded dorm rooms on bunks often lacking mattresses.

Back home in their villages, they live in compounds with small houses or “obis” built close together. Each household is led by a man who may keep several wives and their children in separate obis within the compound.

At night in the bush, there is no entertainment for the boys but each other, and so songs, story-telling, and homemade drama productions are the main events.

There’s a monkey story to tell, but time’s up, so that will have to wait. A few more windows have opened up in 8th-grade minds, and they are avid for more — about other cultures, other times.

Petersen Wins Science Award SCDS Middle School Science Teacher Ellie Peterson was recently named one of four winners of the Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence from Washington State. SCDS parents Al and Mina Jiwani nominated Peterson for the award. Amgen is a biotechnology company that created this award to recognize science teachers who are elevating the level of science literacy through creativity in the classroom. She received a $5,000 cash award, and SCDS received a $5,000 gift for development of the SCDS science program. A special awards dinner was held in May. Ms. Petersen has been a teacher for six years and is completing her fourth year teaching 6th- and 7th-grade science at SCDS. “SCDS is proud to support all teachers and staff in their ongoing professional growth,” said Head of School Michael Murphy. “Ellie Peterson is the latest example of a faculty member being recognized for her love and passion for teaching and learning.”

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Kinetics

ALLISON (DOYLE) BASS ’91, Assistant Director of Development, was invited to present at the 37th annual collaborative conference between the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the National Association for Independent Schools which offers continuing education to fundraising professionals. Allison’s topic was Alumni Relations at Elementary Schools, and the positive feedback about her session she received from her peers earned her the distinction of Faculty Star. Her rating

of 4.5 out of 5 ranked her in the top 20 percent of the 89 total speakers at the conference, and in the top third of speakers in the Elementary Schools track. Allison will present on a similar topic at the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools Advancement Conference at Semiahmoo in June. We are proud of Allison’s professional accomplishments and how she has represented SCDS in the national arena of Alumni Relations!

Dr. JoAnn Sims Retires After 30 Years

“I have been proud to be a part of this community” dr. joann sims

Veteran 3rd-grade teacher Dr. JoAnn Sims recently announced her retirement from SCDS and she will complete her 30-year tenure at the school in June.

she has taught gifted education to graduate students at Seattle University for many years. Dr. Sims was also a leader in the SCDS Winterim Program during its early years and has remained a robust supporter and participant through the years.

Hired by SCDS founding head Lucile Beckman, Dr. Sims was instrumental in firmly establishing the school during its formative years. She has positively influenced the school’s curriculum for three decades, particularly in the area of social studies. And, she has been a long-standing advocate for gifted education and serves on the board of the Washington Association of Educators of the Talented and Gifted. As an adjunct professor,

“My husband has been retired for two years,” she said. “We have purchased seven acres in the Willamette Valley and construction has begun on our new residence ... We are beginning to move in to a new community and into a new stage in our lives together ... When I reflect on my career with SCDS and its contributions to my own children and to me, those contributions are endless. I have been proud to be a part of this community ... and appreciate my talented and professional colleagues.”

Dr. Sims was formally honored and celebrated at an assembly and reception this May, but hopes to stay in touch with the school in the years to come.

Welcome Joan Hudson!

This March, SCDS welcomed our new Director of Development Joan Hudson to campus. Bringing a wealth of experience and a wonderful personal energy, Ms. Hudson spent her first week learning about the school and visiting classes. But since then, she has been busy with many development initiatives at SCDS. Ms. Hudson comes to us most recently from the March of Dimes. As executive director for the Greater Puget Sound Division, she was responsible for a yearly fundraising budget of $1.5 million. In addition, she managed marketing, multiple events, scores of volunteers, and played an active public-speaking role in the community.

New SCDS Director of Development Joan Hudson.

Ms. Hudson also has independent school experience, having served as Admission and Development Director at University Child Development School in the late 1990’s.

Ms. Hudson joins Assistant Director of Development Allison Bass in the newly remodeled Nob Hill House.

SPRING 2007

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-ARY 1UEEN OF 3COTS *ACQUES #OUSTEAU AND *ANE !DDAMS

classnotes CINDY PEYSER ’83 married Ross Safronoff in 2006. They live in St. Louis, Missouri, during the school year, and in Seattle during the summer. Cindy continues to be involved with the civil engineering software company, Pizer, Inc., in Seattle.

LISA NARODICK COLTON ’89 and Jason Colton’s daughter Meira (pronounced MEE-rah) Lily Colton was born March 2.

She joins big brother Eli, who is almost three years old, and they live in Charlottesville, Virginia.

K. THOR JENSEN ’90 writes, “I just released my first graphic novel, “Red Eye, Black Eye," in January and it is available for purchase from Amazon.com. Although it has pictures, please don't buy it for your children because it also has many cuss words, some of which they probably haven’t heard yet. I live in New York City with my wife, and am busily slaving away on my next book, which is about Communism, sort of.”

SARAH LEUNG ’90 and David Wilson welcomed Zachary Leung Wilson into the world on March 8; everyone is exhausted and sleep-deprived but healthy and thrilled!

EMILY (CAPLAN) REED ’96 graduated from Harvard in 2004, and was married in July, 2006 to Brendan Reed (Harvard, class of 2003). She is currently living in Madison, Wisconsin, and completing her Masters in Art History at the University of Chicago.

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ZAHLEN ’96, XTEHN ’97, VEHRO ’99, AND ROHRE ’01 TITCOMB, along with sister Qxhna continue to operate and develop their Ultimate apparel company, Five Ultimate, based in Seattle. They handle the manufacturing, marketing, accounting, and sales of all sorts of Ultimate gear. For more information, visit www.FiveUltimate.com.

The Titcombs attribute their skill and enjoyment of Ultimate Frisbee to their early exposure from Mary Lowry at SCDS.

CORIE GEBALLE ’98 graduated this spring from Stanford University with an M.Ed. with a specialty in bilingual education. She was inspired by the creative teaching she received during her years as a student at SCDS to pursue a career in education, and looks forward to sharing the joy of learning with her students, in both Spanish and English!

ROBIN STEWART ’98 wrote recently a message of appreciation in response to the last issue of Kinetics, “It is perpetually amazing how time flies, that my kindergarten buddies graduated from SCDS last year, and many of the friends I remember as 4th and 5th graders are now in college! But more than this, I am reminded of the deep role SCDS has played in forming who I am and what I do. Programming on an Apple II with the Logo “turtle” in Lisa Lewis’ class in 2nd grade, and video-taping interesting people and places on campus in 4th grade were just a few of my enjoyable early experiences with technology.

Fifteen years later, as a senior in college, I earned reknown on the Williams College campus for my full-scale music video. Last summer, I received a scholarship to attend Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference, where I put the finishing touches on my own Macintosh software application. And now, after several semesters teaching programming to elementary school students (using a more recent version of Logo

than what I learned on!), I find myself in the computer science Ph.D. program at M.I.T. — the very institution where Logo was invented and developed!

I hope to spend my career making computers more fun and more useful for everyday tasks. Thanks, SCDS!”

NICK BAYNE ’99 made a pregraduation visit to Seattle and stopped by the SCDS campus. He just completed a BFA in Acting from University of Utah, and will be pursuing acting full-time in either Seattle, Los Angeles, or New York.

EVAN HALL ’99 graduated with highest honors, Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi (honoring juniors and seniors with outstanding aptitude in science as demonstrated by participation in research), from Pomona College.

He was also awarded a prestigious Downing Scholarship, which covers all his travel, living, and tuition expenses to study for one year at Downing College, Cambridge. Prior to his year abroad, Evan will spend the upcoming summer at Hogue Hospital in Newport Beach doing clinical work, and plans to go on to medical school.

CHRISTOPHER LANTERMAN ’99 will be working in Chicago for the Susquehanna International Trading Group after graduating from Washington University’s Olin School of Business.

JONATHAN LANTERMAN ’99 graduated from the Olin School of Business at Washington University, and will stay in St. Louis to work for the accounting firm, BKD.

SARAH GOLDBLATT ’00 received an MFA in Acting June 1 at Cal State Long Beach. She appeared in 11 plays with the California Repertory Company and taught five semesters of undergraduate Introduction to Acting.

Sarah earned Phi Beta Kappa and a BA cum laude in Drama at the University of Washington in 2003.

Kinetics

SHARE YOUR STORIES! SCDS wants to hear from our alums! If you have news or updates to share about yourself or a former SCDS student, please contact Allison Bass at allisonbass@seattlecountryday.org or call 206-691-2620. We are also collecting items for the SCDS archives. Often requested are yearbooks, videotapes of school drama productions (thought to have been sold at the SCDS auctions?). If you have copies to loan or donate, call Allison Bass.

at the San Francisco Art Institute. She recently exhibited an installation as part of a juried selection at the Diego Rivera Gallery in San Francisco. Photos of her work are available on her website, www.zanabayne.com

AMY WOODRUFF ’04 was appointed to the College Board Advisory Panel on Student Concerns (APSC). The College Board is a non-profit association founded in 1900 to connect students with college opportunities and prepare them for college success, including offering the SAT and AP tests. The APSC is composed of 16 students who serve a threeyear term spanning their junior and senior years of high school and freshman year of college. Amy was selected, along with four others, to share student perspectives with the staff and committees of the College Board, as well as with admissions officers, financial aid directors, and education administrators from colleges across the country. In addition to giving voice to a diversity of student issues, Amy will travel to three Annual meetings, in San Diego and New York City, with lodging and transportation funded by the College Board.

OWEN WURZBACHER ’05 was profiled in the Seattle PI this Spring as a swimming All-Star for his accomplishments on the Lakeside swim team and at the state tournament. He has set school records in both the 100 Breast Stroke and 200 Medley Relay, and as a sophomore, is already in the all-time top-5 for five other events. He hopes to swim at junior nationals this summer.

SPRING 2007

ALUMNI PROFILE

SUSANNAH BAYNE ’02 is a student

“Glacial Ultimate Frisbee” illustrates the convergence of Jonathan’s desire to test himself and his profound fascination with the natural world.

Jonathan Loeffler

’99

“Starved coastlines, hanging tributaries, rootless mountains, drowned rivers, and stream piracy” are just some of the things Jonathan began discovering while a student at SCDS. In his third year at Whitman College, Jonathan is majoring in geology.

Though he admits, “I always had a deep curiosity of all things geographical,” he tributes Mary Lowry for nurturing his interests in her Social Studies classroom, as well as on the field as an Ultimate Frisbee coach. Mountaineering, an activity he began with his family, was further cultivated in SCDS’s Nordic Program with teacher David Pippin. Jonathan credits some of these early experiences as inspiring what he calls “Geopoetry: a working knowledge of the Earth’s landforms and processes that informs my sense of place and deepens my relationship to my environment. There is more than a little of the humanities in geology, and I enjoy creating thick verbal deposits of geologic writing.”

After nine years of Winterim at SCDS, Jonathan attend The Bush School, and competed in Nordic racing for four years before racing freshman year for Whitman in the toughest racing circuit in the States. Though he no longer races competitively, he keeps his edge on the slopes as an instructor and frequent explorer of the backcountry, but only when he’s not on the field!

Jonathan first started playing Ultimate with Ms. Lowry in 1995, and she coached his juniors team, MoHo, to the 2000 National Championship. Now Jonathan is the captain of Whitman’s Ultimate team, and he played recently with Spencer Wallis ’99 at the National Championships in Florida. In addition, Jonathan is a rock climbing instructor at Whitman, and climbed the southern range of New Zealand on a geology exchange last Spring.

Jonathan has a year before graduation, so it’s too early to tell which of his interests will pull most strongly, but he definitely sees all his current activities playing a role. In 2002, he traveled in China, and has studied Mandarin for two years at Whitman. He says, “I would like to have a strong command of and familiarity with Chinese languages, cultures, and landscapes for future ambitions to live, teach, and research Earth Science, ideally in China.”

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An SCDS Faculty Interview in the Tradition of Marcel Proust

Interview French philosopher and writer Marcel Proust was known for his witty answers to a series of intriguing questions, now known as the Proust Questionnaire. To learn more about our teachers in a unique way, the SCDS 8thgrade class took on the challenge of creating its own set of interview questions to be put to one of the faculty members.

Shiloh Ratcliffe at an Ultimate Frisbee Tournament

IF YOU HAD ONE WISH, WHAT WOULD IT BE? That my family and I would be

financially secure for life.

IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ANOTHER JOB BESIDES TEACHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Owning a doggy day care.

IF YOU COULD NAME A NEW COUNTRY, WHAT WOULD YOU CALL IT? Manataka

WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING YOU HAVE EVER DONE? Climbing

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MANMADE THING?

The camera.

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE AMERICAN PRESIDENT? John F. Kennedy

In this issue, we interview Shiloh Ratcliffe, Physical Education teacher for the 4th-8th grades.

Ms. Ratcliffe has been at SCDS for the last five years. She did her undergraduate work at Western Washington University’s excellent physical education program and worked in Bellingham Public Schools before joining SCDS.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE YOUR NAME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE IT TO?

I love my first name, Shiloh, but maybe I would change my last name to Jolie-Pitt!

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU WERE 13-YEARS OLD? A marine biologist WHO DO YOU ADMIRE? Anyone who

can hold their breath for more than five minutes.

IF YOU COULD LIVE AS AN ANIMAL, WHAT WOULD IT BE? An Amur leopard.

It would be crazy to know that you were only one of 34 left in the world.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING A STUDENT EVER TAUGHT YOU? As a PE teacher,

I shouldn’t assume that students know how to stop running.

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Mt. Adams in one day.

WHO IS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON ON YOUR LIFE? My high-

school language arts and drama teacher, Ms. Lucking.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST TRANSPORTATION FOR LONG DISTANCE TRAVEL? Within the country, a truck,

pulling an Air Stream Trailer.

Overseas... an enormous sailboat.

WHO DO YOU THINK IS THE GREATEST LIVING AMERICAN?

My grandpa Stan.

IF YOU COULD MEET ANYONE, LIVING OR DEAD, WHO WOULD IT BE?

Benjamin Franklin WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO LEARN ABOUT A FRIEND? Their favorite type of shoes.

IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER-POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Cure cancer.

Kinetics

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Inquire. Create. Nurture.

Kinetics SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL MAGAZINE

» SPRING 2007 Kinetics Magazine Kinesis comes from the Greek word for motion, and “kinetics” is used in the vernacular to describe mechanics associated with the forces that cause motions of bodies. At SCDS, we’re all about energy and active learning. Every day, SCDS teachers engage students’ minds and bodies through inquiry-based teaching.

Kinetics is our school magazine, and the name reflects both our mission and the creativity within our classrooms. We hope you enjoy this issue and feel the palpable buzz of SCDS within these pages!

S C D S

SEATTLE COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL 2619 4th Avenue N Seattle, WA 98109 206-284-6220 www.seattlecountryday.org RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

A New School Mascot is Born The Wildcat, SCDS’s Athletics Mascot, was born in 2006. The Seagull logo, oft referred to as “Fighting Dove” for athletic purposes, was abandoned in 2001, and for nearly five years, students were left to their own will and creativity to determine team names. In an effort to unify our school and bring a greater focus to athletics both on campus and among our peer schools, we decided to develop a schoolwide mascot, engaging students, faculty, alumni, and parents in an intensive process of nomination, discussion, and deliberation.

A nine-member committee with representatives from each school division was convened to review suggestions and develop a slate, from which anyone could cast a ballot for the final mascot selection. Based on the criteria that a mascot presents an identifiable image for an institution, endures for generations, and provides a foundation for marketing and communications, the semifinalists were: Explorers, Seagulls, Sockeyes, and Wildcats. Wildcats won with more than 50% of votes, and remaining ballots split evenly among the three other options.

The Wildcat was unveiled as the new mascot at the auction on May 12, 2006, when a special Raise-the-Paddle element was included to dedicate funds to the Athletics Program. More than $57,000 was raised specifically for athletics – breaking all previous records by almost 30% and indicating tremendous support within our community for taking sports to the next level. Within these pages, discover some of the enhancements we’ve already implemented to further SCDS’s athletic goals, and how our students benefit from a thoughtful, viable program.

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