News Archive Winter 2008
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LS Hallways a Place of Study
As part of the Lower School study of history, each month the walls of the Blaine stairways host an exhibition devoted to the achievements of a different group of people. March was Women's History Month, and students, including those in Kathy Piane's second grade class, took to the hallways to do research on the many achievements of women in history. They studied the accomplishments of scientists like Madame Curie, writers from Sappho to Murasaki Shikibu to Beatrix Potter, actresses, singers, explorers like Amelia Earhart, and politically important figures such as Boudicca, Cleopatra, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Susan B. Anthony, and many more.
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U-High Movie Wins National Contest
Congratulations to the U-High Filmmaking Club, who has won the ACTFL video podcast
contest with their entry called When Teachers Aren't Around:
Confessions of a Language Student. After the video was selected as a
finalist by the ACTFL judges, the winner was determined by an online popular
vote. Thanks to all in the U-High community who voted!
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages sponsored this
contest in which the aim was to create the best two-minute video podcast that
answered the question “Why is learning a language not just another class?” The
U-High Filmmaking Club responded to the challenge by setting up a video
installation in high school that allowed passing students to pause and speak to
the camera about their language experience. Some language teachers gave
students the opportunity to participate during class; other students used the
setup on their own time. After a week of recording, the 30 hours of footage was
edited into a two-minute contest entry featuring twenty-two Lab School
students. The Filmmaking Club is also working on a director's cut that will
incorporate the many wonderful comments that had to be omitted due to the
contest’s time limit.
Some of the factors that the judges considered in selecting the finalists
included:
- Content: Is the "message" engaging and appropriate to the theme of the
contest?
- Creativity: Is the idea shared innovative and creative?
- Execution: Is the use of technology effective and used appropriately to get
the "message" across to the audience?
- Effect: Was the overall effect achieved in communicating to the
audience?
Watch the winning video on the ACTFL site, or view a
higher-resolution version on the web site of Language Lab Technology
Coordinator Allison Weiss.
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Connections 2008 draws 850 Attendees, Raises Record
Funds
Under the leadership of chairs Kate Collins and Charlie Newell, Carol Rubin
and Steve Kaplan, and Evonne and Stuart Taylor, Connections 2008 was attended
by record-breaking numbers of Lab-enthusiasts and will raise the most money in
the event's nineteen year history. Proceeds will go to programs/activities that
support the education and development of the "whole child." Many thanks to all
the parents, alumni, grandparents, and friends who came together to celebrate
Lab; the teachers whose classes created art for the auction; and the 150 parent
and student volunteers who worked to make the event a success.
Congratulations to raffle winners: Lauren Polite and Arshad Husain, early
bird; Beth Saks, 3rd place; May Chan, 2nd place; Timothy Brown and Jill
Riddell, grand prize!
Auction winners are reminded to pay for and pick up your items, if you
haven't done so already. All remaining items are located in the Development
Office, Judd 105.
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U-Higher's Op-ed published by Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune ran Tom Stanley-Becker's op-ed piece,
"Safety vs. civil rights: Be wary of broad limits on teenagers' freedom,"
on February 26. Teacher Cindy Jurisson is requiring her AP U.S. history
students to write two op-ed pieces and to submit them to a newspaper for
publication. Tom Stanley-Becker reworked an editorial he developed for the
Midway based on a topic suggested by journalism teacher Wayne Brasler.
Says Ms. Jurisson, "The goal is to connect past and present in U.S. history and
get [students] involved in broader public conversations, from an informed
perspective. I'm thrilled that one student has already gotten himself
published!"
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U-High Movie Needs Your Vote!
We need your help! The U-High Filmmaking Club has entered the ACTFL video
podcast contest, and our video has been named a finalist! The winner will be
determined by an online popular vote. Please take a minute to support our
school (and see which of your friends are in the video!) by casting your vote
at http://www.actflvideocontest.org/register.php
by this Friday, March 7.
You will be asked to register before you vote. After you enter the required
information (email address, first name, last name, and a password you make up
for this site), an email will be sent to the email address you provided. Click
on the link in that email, and once the site loads, sign in by entering your
email address and password in the upper-right corner of the window. You will be
taken to the voting page. Now scroll down to the high school
category, and select Confessions of a Language
Student from the drop-down menu. Then click
Submit. Tell all your friends and family to vote too (only one
vote per email address). Thank you for your support!
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages sponsored this
contest in which the aim was to create the best two-minute video podcast that
answered the question “Why is learning a language not just another class?” The
U-High Filmmaking Club responded to the challenge by setting up a video
installation in high school that allowed passing students to pause and speak to
the camera about their language experience. Some language teachers gave
students the opportunity to participate during class; other students used the
setup on their own time. After a week of recording, the 30 hours of footage was
edited into a two-minute contest entry featuring twenty-two Lab School
students. The Filmmaking Club is also working on a director's cut that will
incorporate the many wonderful comments that had to be omitted due to the
contest’s time limit.
You can
watch our video on the ACTFL site, or you can see a
higher-resolution version the web site of Language Lab Technology
Coordinator Allison Weiss.
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Author Daniel Pink Visits Lab Monday Evening
Author Daniel Pink will be visiting the Laboratory Schools on Monday,
February 25, at 7:30 p.m. in Judd 126 to speak to the Lab community. His book,
A Whole New Mind, Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, was
selected by Laboratory Schools' faculty as the book to read and discuss at the
beginning of the 2007–2008 school year. For a taste of his work, see this brief You Tube
presentation and read this excerpt from his book introduction:
"In this book, you will learn the six essential aptitudes—what I call 'the
six senses'—on which professional success and personal satisfaction
increasingly will depend. Design. Story. Symphony. Empathy. Play. Meaning.
These are fundamentally human abilities that everyone can muster—and helping
you do that is my goal."
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Model UN Team Heads to Nationals
U-High’s Model UN (MUN) team will head off to the Nationals in New York City
from March 12–15. MUN is a simulation of discussions of the issues currently on
the agenda at the UN. Students research problems that are discussed in UN
committees from a particular country's point of view to represent that country
in the simulation. En route to Nationals, U-High has competed against all types
of schools, including large public schools that have MUN classes as well as
some of the best schools from Europe, Japan, Korea, and Latin America. This
year the students won the most competitive event at Harvard—an amazing feat,
considering that this was supposed to be a “rebuilding” year after losing a lot
of senior experience last year. They won the small school category at UCLA, and
won at the university of Chicago event in early February. U of C does not give
a team award, but the team won based on point totals in head to head
competition. Congratulations to the participants and thanks to Paul Horton,
faculty sponsor, and Earl Bell, coach.
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Roll Up Your Sleeves for Science Expo
Science Expo is here! Lab School is the place to be this Saturday, February
23, from 1-5 pm for the fourth annual all-school science extravaganza.
Where else can you enter the Giant Cell, build a paper airplanes, see a kite
fly indoors, learn how to program a computer, play Science Jeopardy or watch
pennies change color before your very eyes? Learn about the big bang, fossils,
genetics, whale tagging, the life cycle of stars, stem cell research,
nanotechnology and more from our scientist presenters.
Visit the Hall of Earth Science and Astronomy, the Hall of
Physics, the Hall of Chemistry, the Hall of Technology,
and the Hall of Biology to see over 100 projects presented by students
in grades 3-12, faculty from Lab and the University, and parents. Roll up your
sleeves; there will be lots of hands-on activities. Click
here to see the schedule of events.
Don’t miss a minute of Science Expo–admission is free!
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Exchange Students Enjoy Lab
Four exchange students from the Lycée St. Exupéry in La Rochelle, France,
are here at Lab for a month-long stay. Mathilde Trouniac, Mélanie Litviak,
Laurent Moiseau and David Perchard are living with Lab students and attending
classes. They are also taking advantage of the opportunities provided by our
generous faculty; for example, Laurent is participating in jazz band and
Mathilde went on the Economics field trip. They are also contributing to life
at Lab; when Mr. "Spike" Wilson invited them to his class' Valentine's Day
party, they taught the first and second graders how to count in French and led
a French Bingo game.
The exchange students are here as part of the Eliade Scholarship program, a
program unique to Lab's French program. Founded in memory of renown University
of Chicago scholar Mircea Eliade, it enables two students in their junior year
to have a deep language and cultural experience. The winning students spend
four weeks attending classes in La Rochelle during the fall. Students apply in
their sophomore year and winners are announced at the Awards Ceremony in May.
Last year's winners, Kali Frampton and Emily Searles, are hosting two of the
exchange students and the families of Will Montag and Sam Shapiro generously
volunteered to host the other two, as the Lycée St. Exupéry sent four students
this year
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U-High in the Spotlight!
The spotlight is on U-High! The Maroons are
featured in the Sun-Times as the Spotlight School of the Week. The article
highlights Lab's current athletes and their accomplishments, and mentions some
of our many famous alumni. It also includes a piece written by one of those
alumni, Arne Duncan, entitled What U-High Means to Me.
Read the entire article here.
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Middle School Winter Play
The after-school drama club is currently working on their winter production,
Kara in Black, a play by Max Bush that takes place in early 2003
through the first three days of the invasion of Iraq. The actors were recently
visited by two members of Women in Black, a world-wide
network of women committed to peace that is featured in the play. Sarah Dobyns
and Kat Doyle represented the west Chicago chapter of this anti-war movement
which maintains an active involvement in local political and civic
organizations worldwide. The two women offered support and guidance to the
students in their play preparations.
Kara in Black deals with difficult questions raised by war and
anti-war protests. Kara, whose sister is serving in the armed forces in Kuwait,
joins the non-volient anti-war protest group Women in Black. In a stark and
difficult climax, the group holds a vigil in a veteran's park where they
encounter both Viet Nam veterans and supporters of the Iraq war.
Drama teachers John and Lisa Biser were contacted by the play's author who
read on Lab's web site that they are producing his play. He is excited to know
that the play is in production. It will run for three days, from February
22 to 24.
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New Year Combines Fun and Academics
The lunar new year is a time of celebration and learning at Lab. The lower
school celebrated the year 4706, the Year of the Rat, in many fun and
educational ways. In their classrooms, children cooked and ate wontons,
practiced using chopsticks, wrote fortunes and ate fortune cookies, learned
Chinese phrases, enjoyed chocolate coins in red new year's envelopes, made
Chinese lanterns, read about the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, or
painted dragon puppets. Kathy Piane's first graders enjoyed creating woodblock
prints with a Chinese artist who was accompanied by world languages teacher Ms.
Liang, who acted as translator. Mrs. Piane reports that "students were amazed
to see how separate printings added new layers of color to a print."
The climax of the celebration was a parade down the school hallways by a
team of Chinese lion dancers. Students' eyes widened as a huge lion puppet,
urged on by a loud gong, drum, and cymbal, expressed joy and happiness with a
traditional dance that has been performed for a thousand years. The parade
ended in the cafeteria with the Choy Cheng, the "eating of the green",
in which the lion is offered vegetables such as loose-leaf lettuce. The lion
then tears the lettuce apart and throws it first the to left, then to the
right, and then to middle to help spread prosperity in all directions. Students
left the celebration clutching bits of "prosperity" to begin the Year of the
Rat.
Gung hay Fat Choy!
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String Musicians in Master Class
The high school orchestra recently received coaching by Chicago Symphony
Orchestra violinist Nathan Cole, who led a master class for the orchestra at
Roosevelt University, where Mr. Cole is also a faculty member. Various aspects
of string technique were discussed and individual comments given, and then Mr.
Cole critiqued the orchestra's overall performance.
Following the master class, Lab's string musicians attended a performance of
Beethoven string quartets given by the Pacifica Quartet. The Pacifica,
currently artists-in-residence at the University of Chicago and the University
of Illinois, is in the midst of performing Beethoven's complete string quartets
in six concerts in the Chicago
area.
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Kindergarten King Sing Online
Enjoy a video of the
Kindergarten King Sing 2008, in which music teacher En Chen's kindergarten
students celebrate the life and ideas of Martin Luther King Jr. with the help
of pianist Mr. McNeal and lower-school counselor Mrs. Scheunemann.
After you view the video, explore the rest of Ms. Chen's web site!
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Visiting Students Arrive from France
Four students arrive from France this week to spend a month at Lab. Mathilde
Trouniac, Mélanie Litviak, Laurent Moiseau, and David Perchard come to U-High
from the Lycée St. Exupéry in La Rochelle, a beautiful port city on the west
coast of France. While here, they will be following classes with their English
"correspondants" (Emily Searles, Kali Frampton, Will Montag, and Sam Shapiro),
assisting in French classes, and discovering what it is like to be a student in
America.
These visitors arrive as part of the Eliade Scholarship for juniors, founded
in memory of renowned University of Chicago scholar Mircea Eliade, by his wife.
The goal of the program is to enable students to have a deep language and
cultural experience. Winners of the Eliade Scholarship live and attend school
in France for a month in the fall. Then they host their "correspondants" in the
spring when they in turn come to Lab in the spring. As last year's winners,
Kali and Emily visited France last fall. (Will and Sam have generously
volunteered to host David and Laurent because the school in France sent four
students this year.) Students apply for the scholarship in their sophomore year
and winners are announced at the Awards Ceremony in May.
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Girls Hoops Wins ISL
Congratulations to the girls varsity basketball team and coaches Meghan
Janda and Baker Franke for earning U-High's first Independent School League
(ISL) championship in 20 years. The squad of 12 players (11 after a torn ACL
benched one player for the year) ended the regular season with a record of
21-3. They were 10-1 in the ISL, beating the other teams by an average of more
than 20 points a game. They lost only to Latin, who have topped the ISL for the
last 13 years.
With five freshmen on the team and top scorer Alexis Jenkins, who averaged
over 20 points a game in ISL play, returning next year, U-High's basketball
future looks promising. Top rebounder Emma Cowen is one of three seniors who
will be missed. JV coach Baker Franke credits U-High's victories with the top
physical condition of the players: "We're in better shape; we spend half to
three-quarters of every practice running full court."
The varsity girls begin post-season play next week on Wednesday, February
13, at 8pm, when U-High hosts the IHSA 3A regional basketball tournament. Go
U-High!
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HS Students to Attend World Affairs Conference
Twenty-five high school students travel to the nation's capitol later this
week to attend the World Affairs
Councils of America's annual conference: "U.S. Foreign Policy in the Next
Presidency." This group includes freshmen through seniors who wrote essays to
qualify for the trip. They have each demonstrated an abiding interest in
national and international political affairs by, for example, frequently
attending Chicago Council on Global Affairs programs, volunteering in political
campaigns, and the like.
Lab's students are the first high schoolers to be invited to this annual
conference. During their two days in DC, the students and their chaperones,
Andrea Martonffy and Paul Horton, will go to a briefing at the National Press
Club and attend panel discussions, plenary sessions, and embassy receptions.
They will hear a remarkable array of speakers includng Zbigniew Brzezinski on
Advice for the Next President, keynote speaker Vicente Fox, John Zogby
on National and International Public Opinion, and some top U.S.
military authorities discussing Iraq.
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Lab Parents on the Ballot
The Lab community will be watching election returns with great interest, as
the ballot for Tuesday's Democratic primary is loaded with Lab parents.
As you may have heard, lower school parent Barack Obama is on the ballot for
President of the United States. In addition, Sharon Johnson Coleman, third
grade parent, is running for the Appellate Court. Middle and high school parent
Stephen Stern is running for Judge in the 5th Subcircuit. Contending for Judge
in the 8th Subcircuit is senior parent Debra Marcus. Stanley Moore, 11th grade
parent, is running for Illinois State Representative in the 27th district. And
former Lab parent and grandparent, Barbara Flynn Currie, is running for State
Representative in the 25th District, a seat she has held since 1979.
Good luck to all!
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Guest Artist Works with Jazz Band
This week the high school Jazz Band class spent a morning working with saxophonist Russ Nolan. Mr. Nolan is a
professional musician, currently based in New York. Originally from Gurnee, IL,
he studied at North Texas State University, and then spent ten years in Chicago
performing in the Jazz Showcase, the Green Mill, Hothouse, and the New
Apartment Lounge, among other venues. His most recent recording is With You
in Mind which features Russ along with the Kenny Werner Trio.
Mr. Nolan covered topics such as improvisation, the development of sound and
tone quality for young musicians, practice habits, and some of the business
aspects of music. This was his second visit to the Lab Schools in recent years;
the Music Department is looking forward to working with Mr. Nolan again in the
future.
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Computer Science Showcase
What does the inside of a computer look like? How does a hard drive work?
What areas of study make up the field of computer science? How much did the
first iPod cost? What sci-fi books are popular?
These questions and more are answered outside Rowley Library in an exhibit
created by Lab's Computer Science Department. On display are the innards of a
working computer—with student programs running on its monitor—as well as iPods
through the ages, a binary clock (and how to read it), information on software
engineering as a career, first-generation floppy disks, piles of science
fiction books, and much more. Stop by Rowley Library and see the exhibit before
the end of January!
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Chicago Buildings on Display
Currently on display in Blaine Library and
online is an exhibit of Chicago's buildings and landmarks created by Joyce
Carrasco's third-grade students. As a part of their study of the history of
Chicago, the third graders studied the impressive skyline for its many
historical images. With help and encouragement from parents, they built amazing
structures out of cardboard, straws, pipe cleaners, clay, toothpicks, paint,
mirrors, and even a water pump and working light bulbs. There was great
attention to detail, including the basketball court on top of the Metropolitan
Correctional Center and the fountain in the Chase Bank Building courtyard.
Included in the display are historical and modern structures, from the Water
Tower and Buckingham Fountain to the Ratner Center and Crown Fountain; from the
towering Sears Tower to the petite Michigan Avenue Bridge, and even the "Bean".
Stop by the library to see these buildings, or
view them online here.
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6th Graders Build Cars
Each year sixth grade students study Newton's three laws of physics. One
component of this unit of study involves having students design and build their
own cars, guided by science teachers Mark Wagner and Debra Kogelman. Each
student builds a frame from basswood, glue, and paper gussets, and then uses a
soldering iron to wire the car for headlights and tail lights, plus a motor
that moves the car forward and in reverse. While studying the physics of car
crashes, the students conduct experiments to determine the average speed of
their cars; they also look at the different types of friction that can either
help a car to run or hinder its operation. Each year just before winter break
the 6th graders put on a "Car Show" in which other classes are invited come and
see the cars in action.
If you missed the show, you can see many of the cars in February at the
Science Expo Car Show.
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Students Help Save Whooping Cranes
Ms. Harrison's second-grade students have been studying and tracking the
migration of endangered whooping cranes from Wisconsin to Florida through the
web site Journey
North. On the brink of extinction, only 15 wild migratory cranes remained
in the early 1940s. With intervention, the current number of captive and wild
whooping cranes has climbed to 500. Scientists are now trying to establish a
new midwestern flock by the year 2020; they teach the cranes their migration
route by having the chicks follow ultralight airplanes from Wisconsin to
Florida.
To help this historic conservation effort, the class participated in
Operation Migration's Change4Cranes fundraising program, collecting $568.84
through donations. Their efforts have been lauded on Operation
Migration's web site.
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Summer Lab Registration Underway
Registration for Summer Lab 2008 is underway. Sign up by April 15 to take
advantage of the Early Bird Discount. Summer Lab 2008 runs from June 23 to
August 1, with four programs to choose from: Summer School, Adventure Kids Day Camp, Summer Lab on Stage, and Sports Camps.
Completed registrations received by April 15 may take
advantage of the Early Bird
Discount. There are two ways to register: on-line via our convenient on-line
registration form, or by downloading
a printable form and mailing it to: Summer Lab 2007, 1362 E. 59th Street,
Chicago, IL, 60605.
If you missed our 2008 Brochure you can download it here, or call the Summer
Lab hotline at 773-834-7766 for more information or to check on program
availability.
The first three-week session of Summer Lab 2008 runs from June 23 through
July 11, while the second three-week session commences on July 14. Whether
you're a first-time participant or a veteran of Summer Lab, we welcome you to
join us for another unforgettable summer!
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