Volume 42
Issue 1
Winter 2021
The Spirit of TCS By Carl Pelofsky, Head of School
Nearly a year ago TCS was preparing for Spring Break when COVID-19 began to take hold in this country. None of us realized that Spring Break would mark the end of in-person school for 2019-20 and the beginning of an incredibly challenging period for our school and our families. It has been a tragic time, and only now are we beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We all hope that in the next few months we will begin to see infections decline and optimism restored. That said, I have been so pleased with how this school year has gone. Our teachers have worked incredibly hard to teach students in-person and remotely, and the fear that masks, social distancing, and plexiglass barriers would have a detrimental effect on the spirit of the place have been largely unfounded. Nothing can break the spirit of TCS! Teachers have adapted, families have been vigilant, and our students have brought us daily doses of joy. Just as we had hoped, the creativity and ingenuity of our staff and our students have made for many surprising and wonderful changes this year. I thought I would outline for you some of our plans that might have felt restrictive but have led to great and sometimes unexpected outcomes.
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Students need to have their temperatures taken each day upon arrival. While this seemed like a logistical hurdle, our families have helped us clear it daily. In addition to ensuring a fever-free environment, this process has also allowed us to say hello to families each morning and goodbye each afternoon, which we have all immensely enjoyed. We have also met many grandparents, siblings, a good number of dogs, and a lizard here and there out for a morning or afternoon drive. Everyone in the building must wear masks. Although we certainly knew the importance of mask-wearing, we were concerned about this for a number of reasons. We were worried that our younger students would not be able to keep them on or become frustrated with them, and we were concerned about communication since we know how much we communicate through facial expressions. Students have been amazing, and everyone has managed this well. One terrific outcome: we have had virtually no cases of flu Continued on page 5
Winter 2021
The Origins of TCS Adventures
By: Kevin Parentin, Middle School Teacher and Adventure Education Coordinator Adventure Education, one of the pillars of the broader philosophy of Experiential Education, is an enduring element of our curriculum at The College School. At its core, Adventure Ed seeks to place students outside their comfort zones through novel and exciting experiences. It challenges students to overcome social, emotional, and even perceived physical risks with the ultimate goal of personal growth. Adventure Ed allows students to learn about themselves by achieving what might seem too daunting, overly challenging, or even impossible. TCS has a rich and important history within the field of Adventure Ed. Dating back to the early days of our school (over fifty years ago!), students and teachers have ventured far afield to learn what our world has to teach us. We explore the natural environment by going beyond both the textbook and campus to become immersed in the lessons that can be gained only through direct and authentic experiences. An important part of each of these experiences is always, and by design, adventure!
Adventure Ed for Social Change… Adventure Education is not unique to TCS, of course. Throughout history, many important schools and accomplished educators have employed this approach. The modern version of Adventure Ed can trace its influence and origins to post WWI Germany. Following the unimaginable violence of The Great War, soldiers returned to their homes indelibly changed by their experiences. In Germany, many of the returning soldiers were school teachers who were anxious to find quiet normalcy within their classrooms. However, shaken by what they had witnessed in places like the trenches of the Western Front, many of these teachers took the opportunity to rethink education and find new approaches in teaching and inspiring students. It was an opportunity to change the ethos in German education by inspiring German children to be compassionate community leaders. It was a time for teaching new values through meaningful and authentic experiences. To achieve this, teachers got their students out of the classroom and into the outdoors, to wild spaces, and to visit other communities. They sought adventure and used the associated lessons as metaphors for life.
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Middle School students practice T-rescues to build each student’s safety skills and confidence for more advanced paddling that will be necessary during their expeditions. One such educator was Richard Schirrmann. During his time on the Western Front, he was witness to the vicious and near-constant battle charges that seemed to result in nothing more than the loss of life. He was horrified by what he saw in humanity, until one improbable evening when the guns briefly fell silent. The night of the legendary Christmas truce of 1914 allowed soldiers of both sides to briefly lay down their rifles, climb from their muddy trenches, and meet unarmed, in a cratered no man’s land to exchange small gifts and play games of soccer. Following the truce, soldiers on both sides, for a time, refused orders to attack their newfound friends. That brief, yet profound moment convinced Schirrmann that world peace might be found through the adventures of intercultural exchange. After the war he led his students on grand bicycle tours throughout Europe, camping in tents when in wild places or arranging for accommodations in school gymnasiums when in town. He encouraged his students to seek out people who were different from themselves, and spend time with them, talk with them, and share a meal with them. His idea is known as the Youth Hostelling movement. St. Louis was an early hub of Youth Hostelling, and if you’ve ever ridden a bicycle in the Moonlight Ramble, you’ve supported the cause. Maybe the largest organization promoting adventure education in interwar Germany was the Wandervogel movement. Wandervogels (meaning wandering birds) ascribed to a philosophy that promoted love of the outdoors, camping skills, moral leadership, and social justice.
They spent their time exploring and adventuring in the wild areas of Germany. They learned the technical skills of camping and survival as well as serving the community. Beyond the core values, one might further recognize the green shorts, khaki shirts, and neckerchiefs that were made popular, and which helped inspire modern scouting. In 1920, an enterprising educator named Kurt Hahn held the dream of founding a boarding school with the core value of developing students’ character and capacity for leadership through adventure education. The curriculum of the Salem School emphasized physical fitness, camping and sea expeditions, project-based schoolwork, and rescue service. The curriculum was wildly popular for its high adventures in sailing, mountain climbing, and others. However, it was the school’s emphasis on character, values, and social justice that garnered the ire of Germany’s nazi regime. Hahn, true to his teachings, was fiercely anti-fascist and spoke out against Hitler, resulting in his temporary arrest. Many more educators were also incorporating Adventure Ed. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts to inspire peaceful values to German youth, another world war was inevitable. Hahn left for the United Kingdom to build a new school with the same mission. Schirrmann left for the United States to establish American Youth Hostels. Most of the Wandervogel went underground to prepare a resistance to fascism. Continued on next page
Winter 2021 2020
TCS Adventures
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Gordonstoun School and Outward Bound…
Mrs. P, Outward Bound, and the TCS Way…
In 1963 Webster College received a Hahn realized his dream a second $350,000 Carnegie time in the Gordonstoun School. Here he Foundation grant, employed the same set of principles as his and The College Salem School – and the outdoor advenSchool was founded. tures continued in his new and fitting home It was soon evident in rural Scotland. There was no shortage that the “experienof supportive families – in fact, the British tial” method – in Royal Family chose to send three generawhich children extions of children to this school, including plore a subject with the Prince of Wales (for those who are fans an active hands-on of The Crown, yes, that school). approach instead of Former Director Jan Phillips, among others, was instrumental in developing At the outbreak of WWII, Hahn’s exmore passive book The College School’s Adventure Education Curriculum. pertise in outdoor survival skills became learning – was an exuseful to Great Britain’s war effort. To that citing and effective course, this class also stresses those “soft end, he developed a new program – The way for students to learn. With these acskills” to persevere through possibly the Outward Bound School. The name is a reftion research discoveries at then Webster most challenging experience -- solo night. erence to ships leaving harbor, which was College, The College School embarked Thrilling examples abound. On Kinemblematic of his work there. During the on its innovative approach to education. dergarten Day in the Woods, students use Battle of the Atlantic, Hahn took notice In 1964, Dave Roach, then acting didip nets and microscopes to search for of ships that were sunk in battle. He obrector of school, hired and worked with macroinvertebrates in the murky ponds served that many of the younger, stronger, Jan Phillips, another enterprising educawithin the steep valleys of Greensfelder and more technically trained crew were tor, to start an outdoor education proPark. The Fifth Grade class contributes to less likely to survive a sinking compared gram for all grades. a nation-wide research project of monarch to many of the older crew. Hahn estimatPeter Wilson, TCS Director 1972migration by carefully hunting, capturing, ed that physical strength and technical 1990 and a key founder of TCS’ expericataloging, and tagging butterflies as knowledge were not the determining facential approach, continued to support the they pass through Shaw Nature Reserve tors. Instead, he found older crew memschool’s outdoor ed program, and in 1973 during their flights southward. Eighth bers possessed important “soft skills.” Jan realized her dream of attending an graders survey aquatic wildlife of the AtNamely, it was their self-confidence, perOutward Bound course. After attending a lantic Ocean by learning to use seine and severance, and camaraderie that helped workshop by Hank Schafermeyer in 1973, throw nets to acquire specimens along the salty old mariners survive in the worst St. Louis businessman, Bill Comfort, sponthe beaches of Pamlico Sound, NC. of conditions. It was Hahn’s goal to teach sored six Minnesota Outward Bound (OB) Adventure Ed is not limited to outthese soft skills to the younger crew. leaders to lead a workshop in St. Louis for door, wild spaces. College Schoolers are Following the war, the curriculum area educators, which Jan attended and equally comfortable investigating the and mission of Outward Bound expanded where she met Hank. After the OB workurban environment as well. Third Grade greatly, becoming a hub of outdoor leadshop, Hank moved to St. Louis and foundspends significant time getting to know ership for all sorts of disciplines in places ed/directed STREAM (St. Louis Regional the immigrant neighborhoods of St. Louis all around the world. Nowadays Outward Experiential and Adventure Movement). such as the thriving Latin American comBound offers courses in mountaineering, Over the next decade, Hank collaborated munity on Cherokee or the historic Italian sea kayaking, white water rafting, dog with the school and was instrumental in community of The Hill. Seventh graders sledding, and many others. helping to build a school-wide adventure spend a week interviewing Chicagoans ed curriculum. about important urban issues like public The echoes of art installations, recreational green-spacMrs. P’s Outward es, or the benefits of locally-owned busiBound experiencnesses. To do all of this well, we invest a es reverberate most great time studying the elements of Adloudly within our Midventure Ed. dle School right-ofAt the core of our Adventure Ed propassage and theme gram is TCS JR Leadership. This program class: the Sixth Grade gives Middle School students an extracurWilderness Experiricular opportunity to volunteer in the serence. Just like other vice of our school. For instance, JR Leadmodern Outward ers organize and maintain the Adventure Bound courses, stuEd Gear Room, assist younger grades on dents learn technical campouts and field trips, and contribute skills like rock climbto Adventure Education curricula, among ing and rappelling, their many responsibilities. During our fall navigating open waKindergarten students explore macroinvertebrates as part of their Kindergarten Day ter, and safety and Continued on next page in the Woods. survival skills. Of
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Winter 2021
TCS Alumni Researches the Impact of Environmental Education Claire Generous is studying Environmental Analysis at Pomona College in Claremont, California. She is a 2013 TCS alum. This summer, Claire researched the impact of environmental education on TCS Alumni that graduated between 2008-2015. Below is a synopsis of the study. For nearly 60 years, TCS has integrated environmental education with its classroom curriculum, intensive local and regional field studies, week-long camping excursions, and a capstone field ecology study of ecosystems throughout the southeastern US wilderness. I attended TCS from Pre-K through Eighth Grade, and through my experiences there, I developed a close relationship with nature and a deep love of learning. During the Kindergarten program, Day in the Woods, I explored and hiked in the wilderness for an entire day with my eager classmates. Like every campout or field trip, we journaled, sketched, and reflected in our notebooks to capture our experiences. As I grew, the trips, campouts, and themes became more involved. In Third Grade, we created our own community, River City, where each student built a model of a business, community center, or public space alongside the river on campus. I chose to build a park and interviewed a parks manager to understand their perspective of what a park should be like and how it fits into the community.
TCS Adventures
The Fifth Grade caving theme involved trips to local and regional caves to study their unique ecosystems. In some caves, we had to crawl on our bellies to get through certain passages. In one of them, I was up to my waist in mud and almost lost a shoe. In Sixth Grade, I went on Wilderness, a rite-of-passage week-long backpacking trip involving rock climbing, rappelling, orienteering, canoeing, and hiking. The solo night is the highlight of the Wilderness trip. We camped alone under the stars for one night, left with only our journals and a Hershey’s kiss as company. In Eighth Grade Field Ecology, we took a nine-day trip through Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina. My classmates and I split into teams of botanists, chemists, human-impact researchers, zoologists, digital data collectors, and biologists to assess each natural ecosystem. Through these experiences and more, TCS instilled in me a passion to advocate for nature, be civically engaged, reflect on my experiences, and learn by doing. Was my experience unique? Were other TCS students similarly influenced? What are their ongoing relationships with the environment? To assess TCS’s impact on its students, I surveyed TCS alumni, focusing on participants’ relationships to nature, lessons learned at TCS, personal motivation to address environmental issues, environmentally responsible behavior, and leadership development.
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and spring trip seasons, JR leaders help in some very important ways, from preparing a big pancake breakfast for hungry entomologists on the Monarch Trip to giving pep-talks to Sixth Grade rock climbers on Wilderness Experience. In the wake of WWI, several German educators attempted to change the world through the power of adventure education. Though they could not prevent a second world war, they did inspire a movement that lives on in various manifestations -- not least of which is TCS. Our school is the beneficiary of the ideas and dreams of countless adventure educators who have preceded us. We truly stand on the shoulders of giants. We should also be proud of our faculty who have contributed a unique approach. At The College School, our Adventure Ed curriculum is inextricable from the others.
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The research revealed that TCS alumni have a strong connection to nature and motivation to help conserve nature through environmentally responsible behavior. All survey participants felt that their TCS experiential education contributed to their leadership abilities and environmental awareness. Some recurring themes, from both the survey and interviews, included confidence, adaptability, independence, caring about nature, and the importance of experiential learning and reflection.
The College School’s Junior Leadership program gives Middle School students opportunities to volunteer in service of the school: assisting younger grades on campouts and field trips and contributing to Adventure Ed curriculum, to name a few.
Winter 2021 2020
The Spirit of TCS
continued from front page
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or strep throat this year. Student attendance has been unprecedentedly high. Students generally stay in their classrooms while inside. During a typical year, students travel a fair amount while in the building, to visit Specialists, the dining room, the gym, etc. This year, much of that comes to them. While we miss the bustling hallway traffic, our Specialists have become expert travelers, personalizing carts and offering our students a variety of dynamic instruction. Administrators take turns delivering lunches, and a highly non-scientific survey of a sampling of seven Lower Division students indicated that for 71% of them, their recent spaghetti and meatballs lunch was the single greatest highlight of their day. Some of our students have not yet returned to campus, so teachers need to teach in-person and remotely at once. Certainly a challenge, but again, we have seen some wonderful developments as a result of this balancing act. In a class with one student studying remotely, the first twenty minutes of the day has often begun with a “Cafe,” which allowed the student at home to immediately connect with classmates. The Cafe time included poetry, meditation, weather reports, writing, fun facts, jokes, and served them all quite
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well. The teachers plan to continue this tradition even when all students are back in person. Outside space needed to be managed more tightly to keep cohorts separated. One class reports that the sectioning of the playground, which could have been a hard pivot, resulted in some positive changes. The children spent time in all areas of the playground allowing them to explore spaces previously unknown to them. Over time, the exploration opened up special small and magical places that encouraged not only new ways to use our play spaces but set up opportunities to practice and develop collaborative and cooperative skills together as a group. Normally they would be spread out in small groups; now they play and work together in smaller spaces. We have an area they’ve decided is perfect for a variety of role-playing games. Another space inspires group “parkour” challenges. They aren’t able to run off and play elsewhere if they don’t like what is happening, so there is an investment in making the game work. Students listen more to each other and work harder to be collaborative. The more the students can be outside, the better. TCS students love the outdoors, so this one wasn’t particularly difficult. However, some of the work students typically might have done in the classroom has been moved outside. For Kindergarten handwriting reviews, students worked outside, including “walking”
the letters in the parking lot/on the sidewalks. First, the letters were drawn with sidewalk chalk, and then each child had the opportunity to “make” the letter with their whole body by walking along the letter. The kids have really enjoyed this activity, and Kindergarten teachers plan to include it in the coming years as well. • Large gatherings have been prohibited. The loss of assemblies and gatherings has certainly been sad, but we have had a few wonderful virtual events that demonstrated creative approaches to connecting with each other. The Eighth Grade graduation ceremony was on video, which allowed students to explore different ways of delivering their speeches and to produce creative and fun video pieces to add to the traditional ceremony. In addition, this year’s 4/5 Play was produced on video, and while we would love to be able to see it live, the students learned about different media through this new approach. We have learned many lessons in the last year, and we are grateful for the work our teachers have done and the cooperation that our families have offered. Thanks to the adherence to the plan, we have had zero transmissions of the virus at school this year. The TCS community has stepped up during this challenging time and has shown its true colors. No doubt we are eager to return to a more normal school life, but we have made the most of this difficult time.
The College School Receives Grant for Bioengineering Repairs on LaBarque Campus By: Brie Alley, Director of Development and Communications The College School’s second campus, the LaBarque Campus, located in Pacific, MO, serves as the first stop in our outdoor education program that teaches students, as young as three years old, the importance of the earth’s systems and the role we play in creating a sustainable future. The 28 acres of land in the LaBarque Watershed comprises several habitats, including prairie, upland and lowland forests, stream, wetland, grassland, and glade. The Campus also features 93 species of native trees and shrubs. TCS utilizes the property to offer hands-on opportunities for science exploration, conservation, sustainability, and adventure education. In 2019, the Missouri Department of Transportation announced that construction would begin on Doc Sargent Road.
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The construction shifted a section of the road into the LaBarque Watershed and disrupted more than 10,000 square feet of area on the Campus, all of which supports the LaBarque Creek and its ecosystem. LaBarque Creek, which flows through the school’s Campus, has a greater fish diversity than any other stream in the Meramec River watershed, with 53 species. The College School is proud to announce that we received a $15,000 grant from the Robert J. Trulaske, Jr. Family Foundation to help cover the cost of restoring the creek to its natural habitat. TCS, with this support from the Trulaske Foundation, will repair the area using bioengineering techniques. Bioengineering repairs the watershed by using deep-rooted native plates, biodegradable fibers,
and other natural materials to keep the banks from depositing sediments into the water. This type of restoration allows the creek to repair itself while mitigating the erosion of the creek and the sediment that would threaten the ecosystem. The Nature Conservancy utilized these techniques at the Washington University’s Tyson Research Center with great success. The repair to the LaBarque Creek will begin in the spring of 2021. Funding from the Trulaske Foundation will help cover the cost of the creek bed restoration through stabilization and revegetation of the disturbed area. The College School is dedicated to protecting the LaBarque Campus and its habitats in perpetuity for its students, community, and the local ecosystem.
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Winter 2021
Sharing a Passion for Food and Philanthropy Early Childhood teacher Katherine Borg has a love of cooking and giving back to the community. Combining these two passions, Katherine created a vegan cookbook and is giving proceeds from her book to local nonprofit organizations. We interviewed Katherine to get the details about this project.
I had not considered selling my cookbook to help me increase the donations until this past December. All proceeds from the cookbook will be donated to the charity of the month, plus my own donation or volunteer efforts. By sharing my cookbook with others, I can raise more money than I would have been able to, as well as get the names of these amazing organizations out into the community.
Q: You decided to write a cookbook. How did that get started? I have always loved cooking and discovering new recipes. Opening a new cookbook to me is like taking a peek into the author’s world. What do they like to eat, and why did they want to share these foods with the world? I love sitting on the floor of bookstores with about a half dozen cookbooks around me exploring their pages! When I became vegan I was suddenly faced with the challenge of what to use as substitutes in some of my favorite non-vegan recipes. I started tinkering away and “veganizing” my favorites. As my baking and cooking skills grew, I wanted to share them with others. Most of the TCS faculty and staff have eaten something I have made! Writing down my discoveries seemed like the most natural step to keep sharing what I love.
Q: When and how were you inspired to go vegan? Before I went vegan in 2015, I was vegetarian for about two and a half years, so the switch for me was relatively easy. When I became aware of the realities of farm factories and how animals were treated, I became vegetarian. I made the final plunge into being vegan because I wanted to make a further impact and to stand up for these animals, even if it is only a small way, by making compassionate choices in what I eat, wear, and use in my everyday life. When your favorite animal is a highland cow, you want to make sure they and all of their barnyard friends are safe and happy!
Q: How did growing up in Alaska influence this cookbook? Alaska is a very un-vegetarian/ non-vegan-friendly place. I grew up fishing every summer, and many of my friends subsistence hunt all year long. Growing up, I frequently ate reindeer sausage, moose burgers, and an endless amount of fresh seafood. When I switched to being vegan I craved some of the classics I grew up with, including smoked salmon,
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Q: What organizations are you planning to support? January: February:
scallops, fish and chips, and every sourdough baked-good under the sun. I wanted to create a cookbook that “veganized” the foods I grew up with. Some Alaskans would argue that not all the recipes in the cookbook are truly Alaskan, but I view it as a scrapbook looking back on the Alaska I know through pictures, words, and memories linked with different foods. Some of my favorite recipes from the book include Not-Lox, Seafoodless Chowder, Rhubarb Crumble, and No-Reindeer-Harmed Biscuits and Gravy.
Q: How did it evolve into a project that gives back, or was that always your plan? Near the beginning of the school year, I decided that in 2021 I would make it a year of giving. I wanted to support local organizations either with my time, money, or supplies depending on what each charity needed. I narrowed my list down to twelve charities to feature over the year and waited for 2021 to start!
Speak St. Louis Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition March: Arch City Defenders April: International Institute of St. Louis May: Animal House Cat Adoption and Rescue Center June: Variety St. Louis July: Center for Women in Transition August: DAP (Diversity Awareness Partnership) September: Ready Readers October: DefendHERS November: The Women’s Safe House December: St. Louis Animal Rights Team
Q: If someone wants to be a part of this project, what are their next steps? If you would like to donate to any of these great organizations, you can donate straight through their websites, or you can buy a hard copy ($24) or digital copy ($10) of Alaskan Cooking The Vegan Way! Email kborg@thecollegeschool. org to place an order or to ask questions. Here is to helping our community become a kinder, more compassionate, inclusive, and safe place in 2021!
New Faculty and Staff Trip Clark Assistant Maintenance Supervisor
Trip joined the TCS team on January 4. He is originally from Georgia and, after moving to Missouri, became connected with our school and mission, which reminds him of his Outward Bound experience in high school. Trip has done HVAC and maintenance for nearly 20 years and loves working with his hands. He also loves camping, fishing, and going out on his four-wheeler.
Winter 2021 2020
Mindy Bhuyan Receives Excellence in Teaching Award By Brie Alley, Director of Development and Communications Each year, Emerson hosts an Excellence in Teaching Award program that recognizes 100 educators in the St. Louis area--from Kindergarten teachers to college professors--who are examples of excellence in their field. Teachers are nominated by the chief administrators of their school districts or educational institutions. This year, The College School nominated Fourth Grade Teacher, Mindy Bhuyan, for her exemplary work in her class. Mindy thrives on bringing innovative, hands-on learning experiences to students. Her class doesn’t just read about historical events, they explore the Lincoln Museum and spend the night in covered wagons where they can experience colonial-period living. Students test the displacement of water and learn about Archimedes principles of buoyancy in “sink or float” experiments. Two years ago, Mindy introduced the World Peace Game. A simulation of world
governments and crisis-solving, the game involves four layers: space, sky, land, and undersea. It immediately became a highlight of Fourth Grade. Students learn to think critically, gain skills in negotiation and collaboration, and reconsider their world view. Mindy’s passion for getting students outside resonates in her curriculum. She takes her students to Pacific, Missouri, to conduct a macroinvertebrate creek-study. This fall, students went grass-sledding in Larson Park in Webster Groves--taking blocks of ice and sledding down the grassy hills. It’s an activity that was very muddy, very wet, and perfect for kids yearning to interact with their peers during a time of social distancing. Mindy designs curriculums that ignite curiosity, imagination, and inquisition. She immerses her students in subjects by developing hands-on learning experiences that promote deep understanding, creating lifelong learners.
Please join us in congratulating Mindy Bhuyan, 2020 Excellence in Teaching Honoree.
Learning Through Lending By Leah Zueger, Development and Communications Associate
For nearly ten years now, Third Grade students at The College School have been making a worldwide impact as microlenders through Kiva.org. According to Kiva’s website, “more than 1.7 billion people around the world are unbanked, and can’t access the financial services they need.” Third graders are working to put an end to this, one microloan at a time. A natural progression from Second Grade, when students learn about systemic issues around food access and in-
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security, third graders are tasked with lending capital to the underserved, helping them break through barriers around financial access. None of this happens, however, until the students have learned more about what a community is and what it means to be a part of one. In addition to studying and writing about local historical and present-day civilizations and imagining their ideal community, students create businesses for our miniature River City Community located on the LaBarque Campus. During two “Market Days,” Third Grade entrepreneurs provide goods and services for sale to parents, students, friends, and alumni who’ve traded in US dollars for River City dollars. Not only do students learn about free-market exchange, but a portion of the funds raised become the basis of the microloans that have positively impacted hundreds of individuals around the world. Kiva’s tagline is “make a loan, change a life,” and third graders are empowered by this knowledge. Using the easily-nav-
igated Kiva website, students work with teachers Matt Diller and Will Langton to identify to whom they wish to give microloans. Spending just a few minutes reading through borrower profiles quickly makes clear just how much of an impact our students have on the lives of others. Recent borrowers include a restaurant owner in Ecuador greatly impacted by COVID-19 who needed assistance with buying goods for her business; a Peruvian farmer who purchased fertilizer for his coffee crop; a farmer in Timor-Leste who added more chickens to his poultry farm; and a Maldovan family in need of a new bathroom and sewer system to provide better living conditions for their children. Throughout the last ten years, TCS third graders, and, by extension, those who’ve supported their River City businesses, have provided more than $25,000 in loans to hundreds of individuals around the world. With a 96.1% repayment rate, Kiva makes clear that these are loans and not donations. There is strength in the “partnership of mutual dignity” that the loans through Kiva represent, and students can see how lifting the life of one individual can have a ripple effect on that person’s immediate family and the larger community. That’s a lesson worth learning.
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Summer Camp
Battle of the Bands Supports TCS Music Curriculum By: Carl Pandolfi, Music Specialist
Two years ago, a new community event, Battle of the Bands, came to TCS. The idea was to bring people together, share music, have a lighthearted competition, and collect proceeds to support the arts program. A large debt of gratitude is owed to Kimm Anderson and her family who initially proposed and spearheaded this event, which was a huge success both in 2019 and 2020. The show featured a student band, a parent band, an alumni band, and a staff band. The different bands’ styles, repertoire, fashion, relative age, and volume have all been distinct factors of their appeal. Last spring, proceeds from the event enabled the school to purchase 126 glockenspiels, which is a German word for the “bells” that “play.” The glockenspiel is one of 86 chromatic instruments with a range of two octaves. A percussion instrument, the glockenspiel is tuned to the traditional 12 tones (7 letter-names, and 5 sharps/flats) and is ideal for visual
learning because of how the pitches are arranged in a regularly repeating pattern from left to right (same as a piano keyboard or marimba). With teacher demonstrations and play-along videos, students have developed their knowledge and skills with the instrument. Students practice quietly at their seats with soft mallets or while at home with more privacy. A quiet space to practice is incredibly valuable to one’s musical learning, and having an instrument in one’s possession to use at-will can only help a person to become more familiar. It has been a lifesaver to have them available for our students. I would also like to thank the student, parent, and staff band members,
their families, all of the people who came out to show their support, and the many parents and volunteers who helped carry this event to fruition. This joyous and fun event was shared with friends and relatives alike, and for that, we are forever grateful.