News Archive Fall 2005
|
|
Connections Tickets on Sale
Tickets for Connections, Lab's annual benefit gala, are on sale now.
Tickets are are sure to sell out fast for this fund-raiser, which brings
parents, faculty, staff, and friends together at a great party, to celebrate
while supporting the Laboratory Schools. Connections 2006 will take place
on Saturday, February 25, in the soaring venue of the Winter Garden at
the University's Graduate School of Business.
A highlight of Connections is always the silent auction, featuring
summer homes, time-shares, travel certificates, tickets to cultural
and sporting events, art work created by Lab students, and services
offered by members of the community. A list of this year's auction
items will be available on the
Connections 2006 web site
later this month.
Proceeds from this year's benefit will support the creation of
a digital language lab. All Lab students will be able to utilize the
cutting edge of educational technology to better prepare for their
roles in the ever-expanding global marketplace. At Lab, foreign
language instruction begins in the third grade and continues throughout
students' educational experience. This new lab will both benefit today's
students and impact tomorrow's society.
More information, including ticket sales, underwriting, and volunteering,
can be found on the
Connections 2006 web site.
|
|
|
Summer Lab Registration Open
Summer for all comers—Lab students and the community at large—is
shaping up to be better than ever. Following last summer's record-setting
attendance, all five program directors are returning and promising even
more enhanced activities for Summer Lab 2006. Together, Adventure Kids
Day Camp, Summer School, Summer Lab on Stage, and Summer Lab Sports
Camps present a truly broad array of choices: academic, athletic,
adventure, musical, artistic...you name it.
Summer Lab's purpose is to extend our mission into the
summer months for Lab Schools students and their neighbors, be they from
around the corner or around the world.
Speaking of around the world, Summer Lab Field Study is heading for
Colorado, Italy, Chile, and China! Bon voyage!
Program dates here on campus are June 19 through July 28, 2006. Registration
is open from now until June 12th, with an early bird special that expires
on April 15th. Everything you need to know, along with online registration,
can be found at summerlab.org.
|
|
|
New High School Principal Named
Director David Magill is pleased to announce that Matthew P. Horvat has
accepted Lab Schools' offer of employment and will become the next
principal of University High School. Mr. Horvat comes to Chicago with
over ten years of experience as an independent school educator and is
currently serving as the Upper School Head of the Browning School in
New York.
Mr. Horvat has a B.A. in History from the University of Pennsylvania and
an M.A.T. in Mathematics from Boston University. He has been a
mathematics and computer science teacher since the beginning of his
career, and has taught at Noble and Greenough School, Taipei American
School in Taiwan, The Collegiate School, and The Chapin School, as well
as the Browning School.
In addition to teaching and administration, Mr. Horvat has an athletic
background, winning a silver medal in rowing in the Pan Am Games in 1991,
and more recently participating in marathons and triathlons. Mr. Horvat
and his wife are the parents of a son who will be entering kindergarten
next year, and are expecting a second child in December.
Mr. Horvat is very excited about coming to the Laboratory Schools.
He will officially begin his duties on July 1, 2006, but will be on campus
several times before that date. Welcome!
|
|
|
Fifth Grade Fine Arts Note Cards
Continuing this exciting tradition for the ninth consecutive year,
the Lab Schools' own unique note cards, featuring work completed last
spring by Philip Matsikas' fifth grade Fine Arts students (our current
sixth graders), are available for purchase. Each student chose a
work from the history of art and interpreted it—in miniature—as
an original watercolor painting. All 112 cards are currently on display
on the Blaine Lobby bulletin board.
Sets of the professionally-printed cards are being sold for $25 per set
in assorted sets of a dozen with matching envelopes; for every four sets
purchased, a fifth free set is included. For families of the student
artists, each set contains two of your child's work, and custom options
are available to those who have purchased $100 in assorted sets. All
profits from sales of these cards benefit the Laboratory Schools.
Order forms are available online.
|
|
|
Humanities Students Learn About Colonial Life
While studying colonialism and the Massachusetts Bay Colony, seventh
grade humanities students reenacted the trial of Anne Hutchinson, produced
newspapers addressing the issues of the Salem Witch Trials, and painted
murals depicting dramatic scenes in colonial history.
In order to understand more deeply some of the complicated aspects of colonial life, students chose one of three long-term projects. Humanities teacher Peggy Doyle led a group that re-created the trial of Anne Hutchinson, a dissenter whose story predated the Salem Witch Trials by some 60 years. Working from the actual transcripts of the trial, along with some additional background reading, the students wrote, filmed, acted in, and directed two movies dramatizing the trial. The result of this work can be
viewed online.
A second group of students, guided by teacher Anne Anderson, published
two web-based newspapers that tell the story of the time of the Salem
Witch Trials. Based on library and Internet research, these
papers—complete with sports sections, comics, editorials, horoscopes,
job sections, advice columns, advertising, travel columns, weather reports,
and headline news—show what it was like to live through the witch
trials. The papers can be found online:
Humanities teacher Linda Cook helped a third group of students paint
murals on huge spans of canvas. After identifying and researching
the most important events in the history of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,
students explored how artists have depicted these events, using the web
sites of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Gallery of Art, and
other art museums. They then created large-scale murals that present
interesting and dramatic scenes of colonial life. These murals will be
on display in the middle school next quarter.
|
|
|
Digital Time Capsule Premieres
The Laptop Challenge group has finished creating a digital time capsule!
A team of three teachers and four students, in connection with a grant
from Apple Computer, spent hundreds of hours over the last year and a
half trying to capture what life is like at Lab. Fifty years
from now, when the time capsule is opened, it will help the Lab Schools'
community to understand and celebrate the Schools' history and evolution.
One of the items to be enclosed in the time capsule is a DVD showing many
aspects of school life. The public premiere of this DVD will take place
this Friday, December 9, at 3:00 in Judd 126. Lab Schools teachers, staff,
and students are invited. A separate screening for parents will be arranged duri
ng winter quarter.
|
|
|
Age-Group Swim Program at Lab
A new program this year is the Midway Aquatics Club, an age-group
swim team based in Lab's Sunny Gym Pool.
Open to swimmers aged five to 18, the program focuses on
developing swimmers from basic stroke development to preparation for
competition. Coached by Mike Cunningham, participants are grouped by
age and ability so that swimmers of similar capabilities are together.
Currently there are two training groups. The beginning swim group has
pool time from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., while the advanced group trains from
6:30 to 8:15 p.m. The club participates in Illinois Swimming Incorporated
competitions, weekend meets in which swimmers compete in three to 11 events,
depending on the number of days that they attend. Dual meets, with
fewer events per swimmer, will be added to the schedule.
The winter season runs from September to March, while the summer session
begins at the end of April and runs through July. The last month of
each season consists primarily of championship meets for swimmers who qualify.
|
|
|
Middle School Musicians
Students have several opportunities in the middle school years to
showcase their musical talents. Parents, teachers, and peers are
invited to the twice-yearly concerts, held in fall and spring,
in which students perform works they have been learning in class.
In fifth and sixth grade, students choose among band, general music,
and orchestra for their music class. In the fifth grade, separate
concerts are held for band and orchestra in Judd 126.
Beginning in sixth grade, the concerts are combined so that band,
general music, and orchestra, all perform on the same program.
These take place in the University's Mandel Hall.
In grades seven and eight, students are offered the additional option
of choir, so their concerts feature band, choir, and orchestra.
As in the earlier grades, each grade level performs once in the fall and
once in the spring, both concerts taking place in Mandel Hall.
In addition, the seventh grade band and orchestra perform at the
eighth grade graduation in June.
Jazz Band in the middle school is an optional activity. Led by
Lee Gustafson with assistance from Brad Brickner, they perform
for various events during the year, at assemblies and lunches, as well as
a fall and a spring performance at the Quad Club.
Cathy Janovjak runs another optional activity for
middle schoolers: a chamber music program, which performs throughout
the year at such events as the recruitment open house and Connections.
Recently they performed in the lobby prior to a St. Paul Chamber
Orchestra performance.
Seventh and eighth grade soloists may also audition for Recital
Night which occurs in late October. Several middle school
musicians also perform for the middle school talent show in the spring.
|
|
U-High Swimmer Makes History
Sophomore Anna Schleusener has made U-High history by becoming the
first girl to qualify for the IHSA State Swim Meet. She qualified
in the 200 yard freestyle by winning that event at the sectional meet
in a school record time of 1:58.23. Qualifying for state is particularly
difficult in Illinois, as there is only one class for all 270 girls
swim teams. Anna is the first to qualify since girls began swimming
competitively for Lab in the 1974-75 swim season. State competition
begins on Friday in Evanston; results can be found on the
IHSA web site.
The girls swim team, coached by Paul Gunty and Tony DelCampo, finished
fourth overall in sectional competition with 129.5 points, behind St.
Ignatuis, Mother McAuley, and Latin.
Also for the first time in Lab's history, every individual fall sport
has sent competitors to state competition. In cross country, boys and
girls both qualified full teams for the state meet, finishing 20th and
15th respectively. Nick Kogelman qualified for the class A golf
championship by placing second in the sectional tournament. In tennis,
the doubles team of Alex Guynn and Rebecca Resnick qualified for the
state tournament by winning their sectional matches. Rounding out a
great fall season for U-High sports are the girls volleyball and
boys soccer teams, both of whom made it to the section semi-final
round in state competition.
|
|
|
French Students & Fromage
Which cheeses are cooked? What is the difference between Brie and
Gruyère? What is the blue in blue cheese and how does it get
there? What kinds of milk are used? Seventh grade French students
recently discussed—in French—the finer points of cheese
and sampled an array of French cheeses including Tomme de Savoie,
Fourme d'Ambert, St. Félicien, Cantal, Brebis des
Pyrénées, and Bucheron.
French teachers Vicki Schneider-Ehsan and Diane Jackson led activities
in which students were taught about the three basic kinds of cheese:
pressed, uncooked cheeses; pressed, cooked cheeses; and blue cheeses
coming from cow, sheep, and goat milk. Students also learned other
details about cheese, such as when the French eat it during
dinner (at the end of the meal), and the fact that there are more than 400
varieties in France, these varieties, like wine, being linked to specific
places. Each class held a cheese tasting party where students sampled a
variety of cheeses made from the three different processes. Other
activities included learning how to read French recipes, making a
cake or crêpes, and hosting a sit-down French meal of
student-prepared dishes.
|
Professional Development Day
University of Chicago professor Martha Nussbaum's keynote speech
launched a Lab Schools faculty professional development day that
was packed with activities. Developed by faculty members Catie Bell
and Andrea Martonffy, the day focused on exploring new and creative
ways that Lab can benefit by and contribute to our unique relationship
with the University of Chicago.
The program began with Director David Magill welcoming Ernst Freund
Distinguished Service Professor Martha Nussbaum for her reflections
on our common task as members of the University community.
Read a transcript of her speech,
Education and Democratic Citizenship:
Saving Freedom of Mind. The faculty then gathered in small groups
to discuss how they can use Professor Nussbaum's insights in their
own teaching and professional development.
Next, in a panel discussion, several teachers presented highlights
of their collaborative work with various university institutions,
departments, and faculty members:
- Stephanie Mitzenmacher described the collaboration between
Lab's fourth grade classrooms and the
Smart Museum of Art.
- Diane Snider described several ways in which fifth
grade science classes collaborate with the University.
- The collaboration between Susan Lesher's fifth grade classes and
paleontologist Paul Sereno's
Project Exploration
was reviewed.
- History teacher Diane Pucklin described the distance mentoring that
takes place between her classes and personnel at the
Center for Middle Eastern Studies.
- History teacher Chris Janus explored a cost-benefit analysis of
collaboration with the University, as well as presenting his goal of
hearing "different voices in the classroom" that brings guest lecturers
from the University into his classes.
After a collegial lunch, accompanied by music from the high school
jazz band, faculty attended one of thirteen sites or activities on
the University of Chicago campus, in Hyde Park, or at Lab. Here are
descriptions of the activities that the faculty were invited to choose
from:
- Oriental Institute
A tour of the recently renovated Mesopotamian galleries will be followed
by a workshop on the remarkable variety of programs and other resources
available to both teachers and students at the OI.
-
Smart Museum of Art
We are invited to browse through the galleries on our own from
1:30 to 2:00. A docent-led gallery tour will begin at 2:00, followed
by a meeting with Interim Director Jackie Terrassa and Education
Coordinator Amanda Ruch, to discuss the museum's array of outreach
programs for teachers and students and to provide information
about how to individualize the Smart's programs to meet your
specific classroom needs.
-
Regenstein Library
A tour of the Rare Book room, the stacks and some of the more
unusual departments in "the Reg" will be followed by a workshop
in the library's computer lab on accessing the wealth of resources
available through the library. Among the members of the Library
staff who will work with us are Jane McKeever, bibliographer for
Education and Psychology, David Pavelich, Reference and Instruction
Librarian, Benjamin Murphy, Library Privileges Supervisor, and
Reference Librarian Rebecca Starkey.
-
The Renaissance Society
Founded in 1915, the Society is considered one of the finest resources
in the country for investigating recent developments in contemporary art.
The current exhibit closes on October 30th and the galleries will not be
open on November 4th, but Education Director Hamza Walker will do a
"learning to look" presentation for us at Lab that will highlight some
of the Society's key exhibits over the past decade. We will also discuss
how we can tap into this unique campus resource.
-
Museum of Science and Industry
Our visit to the MSI will be tailored to the specific interests of
participants. Among the possible activities are a tour of a particular
exhibit accompanied by a workshop on teaching resources and methods,
a specific focus on how to make optimal use of a museum field trip
experiences, or exploration of current research on a topic in the
sciences that you wish to pursue in your classroom. Sign up for
this option and design our experience!
-
Improvisational Theater
Middle School Drama Teacher, John Biser, and actress Kate Collins will
conduct a workshop for adults in the use of improvisation for fun,
entertainment, and as a way to explore dramatic and literary texts.
All participants should come prepared to take part in group improvisations.
Kate Collins will also share information about
Court Theater's upcoming
productions as well as its educational programs designed to address
a variety of interests and disciplines. John will update participants
on his current writing projects.
-
Civic Knowledge Project:
Washington Park Tour
The CKP is the new community connections branch for the Division
of the Humanities. One of its goals is "...to establish channels for
the exchange of knowledge among different knowledge communities on the
south side of Chicago." Among its projects is a just-completed series
of four teacher workshops on Washington Park and Civic Life in Chicago.
Beginning at the Lab School, an architectural historian and staff
member of the CKP will lead a tour highlighting significant architectural
sites in Washington Park and addressing the park's cultural history.
Please wear comfortable shoes. We will walk about two miles.
-
Jackson Park Tour
Expert Doug Anderson, who has been studying Jackson Park for more than
thirty years, will take us on a combined nature walk and historical
tour of the park, providing a treasure of information for teachers who
would like to introduce their students to the park, too. We'll even
learn how to date the trees—some over two hundred years old.
A bus will take us to and from the Clarence Darrow Bridge where the
walking tour will begin.
-
Community Tour
A representative of the University
of Chicago's Office of Community Affairs will lead us on a bus tour
of the neighborhoods that are part of the university community. The
tour will include a stop at the
Little Black Pearl Art and Design
Center on 47th Street to learn about the services they provide and
to explore possibilities for collaboration.
-
University Community
Service Center
The UCSC, created in 1992 as a student-run organization, was
reconfigured by the University in 1996 to serve as a clearinghouse
linking the University community to meaningful volunteer opportunities
throughout the city. It is a contact point for dozens of outstanding
volunteer programs throughout our area—many involving education.
UCSC's new director, Wallace Goode, has invited us to his offices at
5525 S. Ellis for an overview of some of the many projects in which
our students and faculty might get involved.
-
"Choking" Under Pressure
Sian Beilock, Assistant Professor of Psychology, will share her research
on the acquisition and maintenance of complex skills and the phenomenon
of "choking" when required to perform these skills. She will talk
about "Understanding Less-Than-Optimal Performance in Important Testing
Situations: Who Suffers and Why?" We will discuss the implications
of her findings for students under pressure the perform well.
This session will be held at Lab.
-
An Avian Flu Pandemic?
Dr. Robert Daum,
Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of the Infectious Disease Section at
the University of Chicago Hospitals, will talk about the state of
childhood infectious diseases worldwide. Where have we scored greatest
success in prevention and treatment? What are our major challenges?
How likely is an Avian Flu pandemic? This presentation will be held at Lab.
-
Tour of
Comer's Children's
Hospital
This tour will include a program that addresses medical issues affecting
children.
At the end of the day, a tired but invigorated faculty gathered for
a reception in Judd 126.
|
|
Halloween Mixes Old & New Traditions
View slide shows of new and old halloween traditions at Lab. Students,
faculty, and administrators dressed in costume as they marched in the annual
Lower School parade,
took part in the new
Middle School costume contest,
went bowling, had a scavenger hunt, watched movies, or simply attended class.
|
|
|
Boys & Girls Cross Country Qualify for State
The boys and girls cross country teams both qualified for state by
finishing fourth at the IHSA sectional meet held at Lisle. This is
the first time since 1977 that the boys have made it to state as a
team and the second time ever! For the girls team, this is the
seventh trip down state in the last ten years. Both teams are
coached by Bud James, assisted by alumnus Chris Harper.
The girls placed fourth behind Wheaton Academy, Herscher, and Beecher.
U-High's strong pack running was evident as the top four runners came
in within nine places of each other. Leading the way was senior Erin
Hale who finished 14th overall, covering the 3.1 mile course in 20:58.
Erin was followed by Shannon Kimball in 21:18, Emily Kuo in 21:21,
May Fu in 21:22, and Katherine Zhou in 23:25. Rounding out the team
were Maria Birukova in 23:39 and Ana Wagener-Sobrero in 24:09.
The boys team finished fourth behind Westmont, Northridge Prep, and
Beecher. Junior Ben Worcester was again U-High's top scorer, finishing
in ninth place with a time of 17:35. Following Ben were Iain MacDonald
in 17:49, Toby Altman in 18:07, Peter Bush in 18:08, Philip Verma in 18:21,
Jarus Singh in 18:27, and Hugh Montag in 19:29.
The state meet takes place in Peoria's Detweiller Park next Saturday.
Directions to the meet, along with up-to-date cross country competition
information can be found on the
IHSA's web site.
|
|
|
Bizaarnival
Lab's cafeteria was transformed into a a haunted house, a ghoulish
food court, and a house of horrors for Lab's first fall
Bizaarnival. There was skull decorating, pumpkin painting, mud pie
mixing, and making flowers for dia de los muertos. Witches, pirates,
princesses, superheroes and ghosts, along with their families, enjoyed
cotton candy, spooky stories, a corn maze, costume contests, and
horse-drawn wagon rides on the Midway.
Congratulations to the high school students who planned the Bizaarnival,
who decorated the cafeteria and created the activities, and then
dressed in costume to help guide younger participants through them.
Money raised by this fall festival will go to
UNICEF.
|
|
|
Volleyball Earns First Regional Title
The girls varsity volleyball team made history by winning the school's
first regional volleyball title, beating Momence 25-11, 26-24 in the
regional finals. Coached by Joyce Grotthuss, the team continues in state
tournament play, facing Beecher on Tuesday night in the
sectional semi-finals. Game time is 7:30 at
Beecher
High School; directions and other information can be found at the
IHSA girls
volleyball web site.
The team's season record is 18-7 overall, 10-2 in the Independent
School League. JV finished their season with a 9-11 overall record,
7-5 in the ISL.
|
|
|
Girls Volleyball Advances to Finals
The girls varsity volleyball team repeated last year's success by
advancing to the IHSA regional final, defeating Seaton Academy in two
games during their semi-final match. Coached by Joyce Grotthuss,
the team will face Momence in the regional finals on Thursday.
Game time is 6:00 at St. Francis de Sales;
directions and other information can be found at the
IHSA girls
volleyball web site.
The team's season record is 17-7 overall, 10-2 in the Independent
School League. JV finished their season with a 9-11 overall record,
7-5 in the ISL.
|
|
|
Cross Country Regional Champions
The U-High boys and girls cross country teams continued to build on their
season success with big wins at the IHSA regional meet hosted by U-High
in Washington Park on Saturday.
The boys won their first regional championship since 1989 when
they won the Ouigley regional in Lincoln Park with a group of outstanding
runners from that era. Leading the way for U High's 2005 team was Ben
Worcester who ran a great race to finish 2nd in 16:27 for the
three-mile course. Only seven seconds back was Toby Altman in 16:35,
followed by Iain MacDonald in 16:59, Peter Bush in 17:02, Phil Verma in
17:05, Jarus Singh in 17:20, and Hugh Montag rounding out the seven-runner
team in 18:09.
The team had an outanding score of 30 points, ahead of Latin with 47,
Quigley with 65, Parker with 99, and Noble Street with 173. These top
five teams qualified for next week's sectional meet.
The U-High girls won yet another regional title, scoring 28 points. The
girls have won regional titles in nine of the last eleven years. The team
was led by Erin Hale who finished in second place with a great time of 19:21.
Erin was closely followed by a pack of U-High runners composed of Shannon
Kimbalin in 19:36, freshman Emily Kuo in 19:53, May Fu in 20:10, Katherin
Zhou in 21:29, Maria Birukova in 21:57, and Alejandra Ocasio in 22:19. The
girls were followed in the team standings by Illiana in second, Latin in
third, Cristo Rey in fourth and Noble Street in fifth place. Those five
schools will advance to the sectional meet.
The sectional meet is at Lisle High School next Saturday with the
girls running at 10:00 a.m. and the boys running at 11:00.
Directions to
Lisle, along with up-to-date cross country competition
information can be found on the
IHSA's web site.
|
|
|
Community of Givers Fund Appeal Underway
Lab's Community of Givers annual fund appeal is underway. Our community
set some ambitious goals to increase philanthropy at last year, and many
families want to know: "How are we doing?" View our
Fundraising Report Card,
learn about Lab's focus on participation this year, download an
Update on Parent Philanthropy
presented to the Parents' Association on October 10, and of course,
make your annual
gift to Lab.
|
|
|
Parent Education Event a Hit
Parents, teachers, and administrators packed Judd 126 for a parent
education event titled Stressed-Out Teens: Helping Them Thrive in
the Age of Pressure. This event, hosted by the Parents' Association,
featured Dr. Cohen-Sandler, a clinical psychologist, parenting expert,
and author. Dr. Cohen-Sandler's talk explored her study with 3,000 teens
which found how the pressure to succeed academically and socially can
have detrimental effects on performance, self-esteem, and well-being.
Her presentation gave parents and educators practical strategies to
reduce stress, build resiliency, and bolster confidence, and thus
reduce parental stress as well.
Dr. Cohen-Sandler is the author of of three books:
I'm Not Mad, I Just Hate You; Trust Me, Mom - Everyone Else is Going; and her most recent, Stressed-Out Girls: Helping Them Thrive in the Age of Pressure.
She is a frequent guest on national radio and television, including Oprah, The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show, and NPR. Her expert opinion has appeared in numerous publications including Newsweek, The New York Times, USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, The Boston Globe, Seventeen, YM, Parenting, and Family Circle. She is a contributing editor to Girls' Life Magazine, a consultant to Seventeen, and writes a parenting column for Weston Magazine.
Information for parents, teens, and educators can be found on
Dr. Cohen-Sandler's web site.
|
|
|
Doubles Team Wins Tennis Sectional
Congratulations to Rebecca Resnick and Alex Guynn for winning the
State Sectional Doubles title and qualifying to play in the State
Finals Tournament. Living up to their number one seeding, Rebecca
and Alex won all their matches, defeating Gallagher and Valedez from
DeLaSalle, 6-0, 6-0; Daniel and Frieson from Marist, 6-2, 6-2;
Daker and Reily from Mother McAuley, 6-3, 6-0; and Villanova and Barry
from Marist, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).
U-High, who hosted the sectional tournament, finished in fourth place
overall, behind Mother McAuley, Morgan Park and Marist. Singles
player Sheena Anand had a first-round loss, 0-6, 0-6, to the number
one singles seed, Annie McCarthy of Mother McAuley. Leah Sibener fell
to Morgan Park Academy's Asia Lamar, 2-6, 1-6, while the doubles team
of Priyanka Kanakamedala and Liz Parsons lost a tough first round
match to Marists's Villanova and Reily, 1-6, 6-7 (5-7).
Alex and Rebecca begin competition in the State Tournament this Thursday.
You can follow their progress throughout the weekend at
the IHSA Girls Tennis
web site.
|
|
|
Play Ball!
Lab School families have been staying up late to watch the
White Sox playoff games, either on TV or at the ball park. Those
spotted at the park include lower school parent Barack Obama, who threw
out the first pitch in Wednesday's game; lower and middle school
parent Scott Reifert, who is vice president of communications for
the White Sox organization; and high school parent Anne Ryan, the
photojournalist who snapped this picture from the first base photo box.
Go Sox!
|
|
|
Butterfly Migration
Students in Lisa Harrison's second grade class have made paper
butterflies that they are sending to Mexico to symbolize the
monarch migration. These butterflies have been on display in
Blaine and are now being mailed to students in Mexico as part of
a project, coordinated by
Journey North, that
provides opportunities for a global study of wildlife migration and
seasonal change.
Ms. Harrison writes:
Our class is participating in a symbolic butterfly migration with
students from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Right now, monarch
butterflies are beginning their annual migration to the Sierra Madre
mountains in Mexico. Our class has made paper butterflies that we
will send to Mexico to correspond with this incredible journey south.
Mexican students from the sanctuary region will greet our butterflies
and watch over them during the winter months.
At the same time in the mountains nearby, the entire eastern
population of North American monarch butterflies will be resting in
Mexico for the winter. Sometime next March, when the real monarchs'
departure from Mexico is announced, the paper butterflies will return
to us. Each butterfly will carry a special message from the
Mexican students.
|
|
|
Social Dance Field Trip
Thirty-nine freshmen donned their dancing shoes for a field trip to the
Willowbrook Ballroom
to try out the skills they learned in their dance classes.
Pairing up with classmates, or with the other dance-lovers of all ages
who gathered at Willowbrook, students did the swing, foxtrot, tango, salsa,
and waltz, all of of which they learned in Social Dance, a freshman PE
requirement. Elective dance opportunities in high school physical education
include tap and jazz dance, while younger students have classes in
square dancing as well as folk dancing.
|
|
|
Girls Cross Country Tops in the ISL
The girls cross country team finished first while the boys team took
second in the ISL championship meet at Lake Forest Academy. In winning,
the girls defeated several strong teams. Gaining spots on the All-Conference
Team for this year were Erin Hale who finished second in the race,
Shannon Kimball who was third, Emily Kuo, fourth and May Fu in sixth
place. Rounding out the team scoring was Ana Wagener-Sobrero.
The boys team had an excellent race in their second place finish to Latin.
The score of 31-37 was the result of a fiercely-run race which saw the packs
change places several time. Ben Worcester led the way with the individual
conference championship after making a decisive move half-way through
the race, pulling away from the field to win. Also making the All-Conference
Team were Toby Altman in fourth place, Peter Bush in sixth, and Iain
MacDonald in tenth. Rounding out the U-High scoring was Jarus Singh
followed closely by Philip Verma.
Click here for an online slide show of the team's last home meet.
Both teams begin IHSA regional competition on October 22, hoping to
qualify for the sectional and state meets.
|
|
|
Walk to School Day
Students walked, biked, ran, scootered, skated—or rode
on parents' shoulders—as Lab joined schools from
around the world to celebrate Walk to School Day. For those who live
too far from school to walk, PE teachers held a Midway walk, where
students and parents could use pedometers to measure how far they walked.
Now in its ninth year, Walk to School Day included more than 3,000
schools from all 50 states. The idea is to walk to school together
with a purpose: to promote health, safety, physical activity and
concern for the environment.
Walk to School Day started as a simple idea: Children and parents,
school and local officials walking to school together on a designated
day. It is an energizing event, reminding everyone of the simple joy
of walking to school, the health benefits of daily physical
activity, and the need for safe places to walk and bike.
Most communities find that one day isn't enough. Many realize that
what they really want is for children to be able to walk to
school every day, not just as a special event. And that can
lead to the kinds of permanent changes that make the community
better for everyone. Better sidewalks, safer street crossings,
and improved driver and pedestrian behavior can be a boon to
everyone, young and old, while making streets safer and the
community healthier.
Find out more at the Walk
and Bike to School web site.
|
|
|
Students Track the Sun
Students in sixth-grade science classes are learning about the
relationship between the Sun, the Earth and the Moon. On the
autumnal equinox they used suntrackers to plot the apparent movement
of the sun across the sky, creating a celestial equator on their
suntracker domes. Students then measured angles on the suntrackers
and used a little math to determine our latitude here in Chicago.
On the winter solstice in December students will again plot the
sun's movement across the sky. This takes place
during Lab's holiday break, so data will be collected from different
parts of the world by students who travel during the vacation.
Back at school their classmates can play "Where Were You?" by using the
new celestial equators to calculate latitudes of the various vacation
destinations.
|
|
|
Lobby Sing
Students, parents and teachers gathered in Blaine Lobby for the
first lobby sing of the year, where
music teachers Cathy Janovjak and En Chen, accompanied
on the piano by music teacher Jo Taylor, led an enthusiastic crowd in
Lab favorites such as Take Me Out to the Ballgame,
Oh What a Beautiful
Morning, and Getting to Know You, ending as always
with Let There Be Peace on Earth.
Join us for the Thanksgiving lobby sing on Thursday, November 17.
|
|
|
Brezeln !
Fresh-baked German pretzels are on sale every Thursday as a
fundraiser for Lab's German American Partnership Program. Parents,
faculty, and students in middle and high school can pick up a one-dollar
pretzel in Belfield 137, while lower school students can buy them from
volunteers who deliver pretzels to classrooms throughout the morning.
Fresh-baked German pretzels are on sale every Thursday as a
fundraiser for Lab's German American Partnership Program. Parents,
faculty, and students in middle and high school can pick up a one-dollar
pretzel in Belfield 137, while lower school students can buy them from
volunteers who deliver pretzels to classrooms throughout the morning.
The pretzel was invented by European monks around 610 AD. The monks named
their creation pretiola, Latin for "little reward." Pretzels became
popular throughout Europe, especially in Germany and Austria, and were
used to symbolize good luck, long life, and prosperity.
The center of American pretzel history is the small town of Lititz, PA,
where Julius Sturgis opened the first American commercial pretzel bakery
in 1861.
The Lab Schools' pretzel history began approximately ten years ago when
German teacher Sibylle Sonnenberg began to sell Brezeln baked by
a German bakery in Chicago to raise funds for our German American
Partnership Program (GAPP). The proceeds from Thursday "Pretzel Days" fund
the Gardner-Pretzel Scholarship, which provides Lab's high school German
students the opportunity to live in Germany with a host
family and attend a German high school for one month in the summer.
Last year Alicia Brudney, Amanda Faraone, and Patricia Williams were
awarded the Gardner Pretzel Scholarship, thanks to the support of our Lab
school community. We are especially grateful to our parent volunteers who
deliver and sell the pretzels. (If you are interested in helping on
Thursdays, please contact Renee Rehkemper at rrehkemper@earthlink.net or
312-943-3352.)
Please help us reach our goal of selling 400 Brezeln on our first PRETZEL
DAY of the school year! Together we can turn lots of "little rewards"
into wonderful opportunities for our high school students. Guten Appetit!
|
|
|
Backpacks for Katrina
With less than 24 hours notice, Lab Schools families, faculty
and staff donated over 450 backpacks filled with clothing, school
supplies, and other necessities for families left needy by Hurricane
Katerina. This effort was in conjunction with the University of
Chicago Hospitals, where the backpacks were loaded on trucks and
driven by volunteer Teamsters to shelters along the Gulf Coast.
Additional relief efforts are underway at Lab. Monetary donations are
being collected in water jugs in the Blaine Lobby and in the high school.
Checks should be made out to the American Red Cross. The middle school
will have a special collection at the barbecue picnic on Friday.
Clothing will be collected by each of the schools and given to a
charitable organization.
There will also be another backpack collection day in the near future.
Details to come!
|
|
|
Photography Students Travel to Mexico
As part of Lab's Summer Travel Program in June 2005, 12 photography
students traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico, to participate in a ten-day intensive
workshop with Ernesto Bazan, an internationally recognized documentary
photographer. Mr. Bazan has included their work on his web site and we invite
you to
visit his site to see the work of these very talented young
photographers. (Click on "Images" and scroll down to view the photographs.)
|
|
|
Lab Welcomes New Faculty & Staff
Several new faculty and staff are joining the Lab Schools community this
year, as well as familiar faces moving to new positions. Lab extends a
warm welcome to:
- Christina Ayala, secretary in Rowley Library
-
- Anna Blinstein, middle school math teacher
-
- Linda Cook, middle school humanities teacher
-
- Cathy Feldman, interim high school principal
-
- Kristin Frank, fifth grade teacher
-
- Baker Franke, high school computer science teacher
-
- Beverly Graham, foreign language teacher
-
- Darcie Gravel, kindergarten assistant teacher
-
- Lauren Grodnicki, high school science teacher
-
- Christopher Harper, high school guidance and counseling
-
- Tomoko Hata, nursery/kindergarten teacher
-
- Paige James, nursery school assistant teacher
-
- Daniel Jones, middle school science teacher
-
- Brent LaRowe, assistant registrar
-
- Catherine Mannering, fifth grade teacher
-
- Pamela Maxey, lower school assistant teacher
-
- Illia Mazurek, lower school art teacher
-
- Cathy McKee, nursery school assistant teacher
-
- Sheila Meenan, lower school assistant teacher
-
- Jessica Palumbo, lower school assistant teacher
-
- Kwame Pitts, secretary in the Office of Development & Alumni Relations
-
- Tomeka Reid, middle school music teacher
-
- Nefatiti Rochester, lower school teacher
-
- Kelly Storm, middle school humanities teacher
-
- Roslyn Torto, middle school music teacher
-
|
|
