T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R S T. L U K E ’ S S C H O O L
Welcome to 377, The Magazine for St. Luke’s School. The mission of this publication is to bring you new perspectives on life and learning on the Hilltop through a particular topic lens. In this issue, we celebrate the innovations that take place throughout School in the name of continuous improvement. Look for the to identify stories that oer more on our website at www.stlukesct.org.
Just say no to TTWWADI! St. Luke’s is known as an accepting community but this is an area of zero tolerance. TTWWADI (That’s The Way We’ve Always Done It) is an acronym applicable to many school cultures—but not to St. Luke’s where Continuous Improvement is a core value and guiding principle.
Ian Jukes, co-author of Understanding the Digital Generation, speaks about the detrimental effects of TTWWADI on schools. Jukes points to outdated structures (formed in the days of kerosene lamps and horse-buggies) and a pre-existing mindset that overlooks the needs and expectations of today’s students. Jukes is not alone. He is joined by the likes of President Obama, Bill Gates and an army of educators raising the red flag and declaring that we must innovate in our education system or watch our country and our children fall behind. This issue of 377 is a celebration of St. Luke’s anti-TTWWADI culture. From our Center for Leadership—a testament to St. Luke’s forward thinking—to our many new programs and initiatives, St. Luke’s continues to explore new ideas, new concepts and new frontiers in education. Enjoy reading and please let us know what you think (communications@stlukesctorg). Your passion, ideas and insights make St. Luke’s AFTSWAIP (A Forward-Thinking SchoolWhere Anything Is Possible).
Mark Davis, Head of School
“Math and science are the engines of innovation.” This fall, St. Luke’s introduces the STEM Diploma (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). Math Department Chair Elaine Greene describes the genesis of the program: “We have students driven by the precision, logic and elegance of math. Often, these same students have an affinity for science and technology. This program will fuel those passions.” Science Department Chair Mike Mitchell adds: “The philosophy of STEM represents the synthesis of these disciplines—it shows students the interconnectivity.” For students not certain of the importance of STEM topics, Computer Department Chair Jeff Kress shares an article from CareerCast stating: “A majority of jobs that rank in the top 10 this year require proficiency in math, science or technology.” STEM grants will also be available to St. Luke’s students in Grades 8-12 who want to pursue their interests in the STEM arena.
According to English Teacher Jim Carroll and Assistant Head of Middle School Mark Chuhta: “Declamations for the Eighth Grade have undergone an evolution that gives new meaning to the question, ‘Who is your audience?’Thanks to the wizardry of the IT Department, we were able to stream the speeches live and have archived them on the School Media Gallery. Rather than simply projecting their voices, knowledge, and passion within the confines of the cafeteria, students like Annabel were beaming their speaking skills around the globe.”
“Working on tech crew introduced me to skills—like working the light board—that I can use in real life. Because SLS Tech Theater keeps growing, I get experience with the most up-to-date technology. All my different passions like theater tech, physics, pre-calculus and volunteer time at Ambler Farm, are coming together and leading me to engineering, which I think I’ll continue to study in college.”
“As a bicycle racer, I am always trying to improve. After races, no matter the result, I constantly over-analyze what could have been done differently in order to have achieved a better performance. Did I use my energy efficiently? Did I eat the right foods? What was my biggest mistake? From there, I ask myself more enduring questions, such as, ‘how can I improve my training?’ Or, ‘how can I improve my race strategy?’ Independent study has helped me find the answers to these questions, and the science behind them… the class allowed me to optimize my personal performance.”
St. Luke’s Athletics
INNOVATION
IN MOTION As St. Luke’s prepares for the fall launch of the Center for Leadership, Athletic Director Kevin Butler and his colleagues demonstrate that leadership opportunities are everywhere—and even great programs can get better.
“This program has taught me to be a better leader. I’m heading into college this fall and feel like I’ll be able to take the values I learned with me.” - St. Luke’s Senior, Megan Flood
The Leadership Playbook This Fall St. Luke’s Athletics launched The Team Captains Leadership (TCL) program under the guidance of St. Luke’s Athletic Director Kevin Butler and Upper School Health and Wellness Coordinator Camille DeMarco-Havens.
TheTCL program is used by schools across the country. It enhances captains’ understanding of responsibility, positive influence, goal setting and team dynamics.“The goal of theTCL program is to work with our team captains to develop and hone their leadership skills” explained Camille. “Part of what we do is encourage captains to have open dialog with their coaches and teammates so that everyone can experience a positive team culture.”
St. Luke’s Senior, Megan Flood is the captain of three St. Luke’s teams (soccer, basketball and softball) and has been through the TCL program twice this year. Megan had this to say: “I like that this leadership program connects to our motto: Enter to learn. Go forth to serve. It helped me to understand how much influence a captain has and how you can inspire people on and off the field.As a senior, I want to leave a lasting impression on the underclassmen. I definitely believe this program will help future teams have better leadership and open lines of communications.”
Intentional Leadership This spring Assistant Director of Athletics Ryan Brown helped launch a new intentional leadership training program for the St. Luke’s football team. Ryan
became interested in bringing the program to St. Luke’s after learning about a similar program at the National Football Convention: “What I took away was that while leadership is a natural byproduct of sports, you can take the benefits to the next level by being intentional with the lessons you create.” Helping Ryan bring the Storm Leadership program to life are St. Luke’s dedicated football coaches: Noel Thomas, Sr., Joe Bonaddio, Sr., Jerry McDougall, science teacher Alec LeBris ’95, Jeff Fuller and Frank Kelty. According to Ryan, Storm Leadership comes in many forms:“Our strategy is to have real-life conversations with the kids about what they want from life.What kind of men do they want to be? We want to teach them to set goals and understand which qualities will help them achieve those goals.We define and actually study these qualities which include: trust, loyalty, commitment, pride, attitude, desire, sacrifice, toughness and class.” “We already had a lot of these leadership skills but they were sort of in our subconscious. Now these expectations are in the forefront—they’re reminders of how to be a good leader and a good teammate.” - St. Luke’s Junior, Joe Bonaddio
“One of the best things about this program is that it offers a platform for everyone,” says St. Luke’s Junior Joe Bonaddio. “Everyone on the team is important. You don’t have to be a senior. You can be an 8th grader and speak up. We even have people who haven’t started at St. Luke’s yet and they come to these meetings and can talk about what trust and attitude mean to them.” Though the Storm Leadership training just started, Ryan says early signs are positive: “I was amazed at the kids’ reactions.The meeting was pretty late at night and I figured they might be too tired to really respond. But they got into it.They were asking questions and sharing ideas. You could tell they appreciated the chance to talk about these issues that will impact them for the rest of their lives.”
St. Luke’s Athletics Task Force “How do we become excellent?”
In August 2010, St. Luke’s AthleticTask Force (ATF) gathered a team of parents, coaches and teachers to examine our athletics program and identify areas for improvement. In the words of Board Member and ATF co-chair Tracy Duncan: “We already had a strong program.This was about getting even better.We asked ourselves,‘How do we become excellent?’” To answer that question, the ATF did a deep dive externally, examining the athletic programs at five competitive schools, and internally by interviewing more than 30 faculty coaches plus several non-faculty St. Luke’s coaches. “It’s how we play the game.”
The ATF research uncovered insights about our program’s strengths and weaknesses. St. Luke’s Athletic Director and ATF co-chair, Kevin Butler summarizes the strong points: “We get a lot of credit for good communications between players, parents and coaches.And people are happy with the diversity and competitiveness of our programs. But the best feedback centered around the character of St. Luke’s athletes and coaches. St.Luke’s does the right thing on the field and off. It’s how we play the game.” Limited fitness and conditioning programs and “facilities constraints” were identified by the ATF research as challenges. Kevin described two other areas needing attention: “To renew our dedication to the faculty/coach model we have to
make sure the teachers who want to coach have a balanced workload. So many teachers told us the greatest part of coaching is the relationships they develop with the kids. But the time demands can be tough.We want to do more to support these teachers.We also need to work on our athletes’ skill development, ensuring that everyone has the chance to develop the fundamentals while also challenging those at more advanced levels.” "The hard work is just beginning."
Tracy and Kevin recently presented the ATF findings and recommendations to faculty and staff, Board Members and the Mission & School Life Committee. The seven-month process lead to five key recommendations currently under consideration: 1) Renew St. Luke’s Faculty-Coach Model 2) Develop Our Student Athletes 3) Address Facilities Needs 4) Support Fitness As A Lifelong Skill 5) Budget For Continuous Improvement The next steps are implementing strategies that will address each of these recommendations.“We’ve accomplished so much” said Kevin “but in many ways the hard work is just beginning. Now that we know what will move us toward excellence—we have to leverage this great momentum and make it happen.”
“We created the Discovering Voices workshops as a way to unleash creativity and break the mold of a traditional class while still connecting with the curriculum. Our students attended an afternoon of workshops designed to explore self-expression through poetry, music, art, drama and movement. I was thrilled that my colleagues jumped at this new idea and the chance to try something different.”
Discovering Voices workshops were open to St. Luke’s sixth, seventh and eight grades. Students selected from 17 innovative workshops including: Harlem Jazz Art Infusion, Electronic Music Poetry, Nature Writing and Stop Motion Animation (led by Art Teacher Peggy VanAcker pictured here). The program culminated with a high-voltage performance by internationally acclaimed violinist Alexander Markov.
Coming This Fall…Wherever You Are St. Luke’s enters the online learning arena with three courses for the Upper School. Students enrolling in these courses will receive course content and assignments online. In addition, collaboration and help with coursework will be conducted both online and in weekly face-to-face meetings with classmates and instructors. The new online classes are: • Introduction to Computer Science, Grades 9-12, Prerequisite: Algebra I • Introduction to Java Programming I, Grades 9-12, Prerequisite: Introduction to Computer Science • Music History and Literature, Grades 11-12 Head of Upper School Jim Yavenditti said, “This is an exciting launch. We’re ready to explore the great flexibility online classes offer in regard to learning styles, locations, pacing and progress.”
“These days the library is everywhere, so the librarian needs to be everywhere.” St. Luke’s Librarian Elizabeth Nelson is explaining the evolution of a new initiative aptly named the embedded librarian. “The concept is very much like embedded journalists who insert themselves in the middle of the action so that they can really understand what’s happening. Next year, I will begin embedding myself in classrooms in order to see firsthand what the students’ needs are: What kinds of resources would be most useful? How might the research tools available shape what’s possible with the lesson or project? I will know the students better. I’ll know who will learn most from a podcast, who prefers the visual learning of videos and who is ready for the next level of transliteracy.”
“I started DIGIDAY 20 years after graduating from St. Luke’s. It’s been thrilling because we’ve grown into a leading digital media company. That entrepreneurial spirit is something that started at St. Luke’s. The words printed above the school door at St. Luke’s always stuck with me and embody the spirit of our organization today: Enter to Learn, Go Forth to Serve. Running my business I am always thinking about how we can better serve our readers and our clients in an authentic and meaningful way—just like all the teachers at St. Luke’s did for me when I was there.”
Center for Leadership More than 600 St. Luke's School students, faculty, staff and parents signed a steel beam destined for St. Luke’s Center for Leadership. The beam was placed atop the new structure during an ancient“topping off”ceremony thought to bring growth and good luck. The St. Luke’s Center for Leadership opens to all students this September. Our own Jim Foley (US Technology Coordinator) has been appointed Director effective July 2011.
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Let us know what you think at communications@stlukesct.org 377 Editors: Nancy Troeger, Jane Ahrens Photography: DesirĂŠe Smock Design: Peapod Design 6/2011/#4/Innovation