Mawrginaliathe monthly eNewsletter of The Bryn Mawr School

• March 2012 •Mawrginalia [mawr-juh-ney-lee-uh]: Latin, plural noun. Notes, commentary and

similar material about or relating to The Bryn Mawr School.

Table of Contents

In Every Issue

From the Headmistress 3Remawrks 4This Month in Pictures 5Pre-first Womens History Month visitor, MS Hunger Games Trivia contest, a lamb visits the Kindergarten, and Les Chanteuses performance.

Under the Porticos: Next Month at Bryn Mawr 7Cross-divisional art show, US Dance Company performance, Spring Open House, and the Spirit Bracelet.

Teachers’ Corner 8Senior Voices: The Class of 2012 in Their Own Words 17

Features

Fifth Grade Hosts Newbery Luncheon 9Newbery Medal-nominated author Laurel Snyder joins the girls for a workshop and luncheon. Bryn Mawr’s “Women of the World” 11Upper School students participate in Baltimore’sfirst Women of the World Festival.

Giving Kids the World 13Upper School students spend spring break helping kids in need, and learn a lot in the process.

Third-Graders Rock Annual 14Greek Myths Plays Third-graders mix music, wit and wisdom to put a fresh spin on a favorite Lower School tradition.

Now You’re Speaking My Language 16The Upper School celebrates National Foreign Language Week with special activities and a multicultural potluck.

Alumnae News

Reunion Giving Contest Heats Up 20

Upcoming Alumnae Events 21

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About Mawrginalia: This newsletter was designed with our parents, alumnae, faculty and staff in mind. If you have comments, we are always eager to hear from you!

Laurel M. O. WeijerAsst. Dir. of Communicationsweijerl@brynmawrschool.org

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From the Headmistress

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Thrun, Evans’s colleague from Stanford, said, “Having done this, I can’t teach at Stanford again. I feel like there’s a red pill and a blue pill, and you can take the blue pill and go back to your classroom and lecture your 20 stu-dents. But I’ve taken the red pill, and I’ve seen Wonderland.”

Lewin suggests that the worldwide access that this approach offers is “about changing the world” and offers testimony from one MOOC student, a Malaysian-born computer engineer who currently lives in northern Cali-fornia, that “the always-available, always-replayable and free nature of this style of learning can help to elevate education and knowledge for all of human kind.”

The cynic in me wonders just how long the universities will offer these courses for free. How might these online programs impact the institutional brands of these universities? Simultaneously, the colleges must continue to focus on their on-campus business while the threat of irrelevance hangs like a thin cloud overhead. Is there truly a revolution brewing?

Everything I read suggests that there is indeed a significant and seismic change coming to colleges and universi-ties. While it is interesting that prominent universities like Stanford, MIT and Columbia have been receiving the most press attention for their online offerings, I don’t believe that their campus-based programs and way of life will be threatened in the short run. But, I do suspect that public colleges and universities will be challenged to make their on-campus business affordable, useful and, ultimately, relevant for their students.

Here at Bryn Mawr, we continue to experiment with online academic experiences for our students. In the Upper School, students may enroll in courses offered by the Online School for Girls, which are designed and supported by a consortium of girls’ schools, of which Bryn Mawr is an affiliate member. I suspect that in the years to come, there will be more opportunities for students to pursue a World Language such as Urdu or Mandarin without the need to make the program available on campus. In addition, it seems very likely that online courses focusing on technology, communication, blogging, filmmaking and so forth offer perfect options for tech-based learning.

At the same time, like the most selective colleges and universities, the best secondary schools will no doubt continue to thrive as campus-based communities. Not all of the schools will survive the pending revolution, but schools like Bryn Mawr will continue to thrive because of our unique mission, our high quality teachers, and our traditions, values and expectations for our girls.

We believe in Bryn Mawr’s continuing relevance as a school for bright and ambitious girls who can learn and grow on this special campus, guided by principles that cannot be adequately communicated or embraced with-out our being together each day. Education is not exclusively about “content instruction.” Learning how to be a committed and thoughtful citizen of the world cannot be taught online.

Maureen E. WalshHeadmistress

n a March 4 article in the New York Times, Tamar Lewin writes, “Welcome to the brave new world of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a tool for democratizing higher education.” Who needs a campus when the best

faculties, from the most prestigious universities in the country, offer their courses without putting students through the laborious and mercurial college admissions process? What about the cost savings to students and their parents? While many of the MOOCs are currently offered for free, those students who want some sort of credit will be required to pay for the credential. But still!

Is this new approach really coming? University of Virginia professor David Evans, who taught a course with Stanford research professor and Google Fellow Sebas-tian Thrun, is now on leave from UVA, presumably to develop the online university further, and is quoted by Lewin as saying, “I think it’s the cusp of a revolution.”

RemawrksEach month, one of our division directors offers commentary on Bryn Mawr’s educational philosophy. This month’s author is Middle School Director Jennifer Galambos, Ed.D.

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When Bryn Mawr’s Middle and Upper Schools made the decision this past fall to adopt a 1:1 laptop pro-gram for the 2012-13 school year, the decision came

after ten months of research and discussion by Technology Task Forces in each of the two divisions. The concept was not a new one for our school; indeed, Task Forces at Bryn Mawr had studied the issue three times previously over the past fifteen years. One might ask, why now?

The difference in 2012, as opposed to in years past, really boils down to our ability to integrate technology seamlessly into our classroom and home environments. As a school that is committed to providing an exemplary education in the classical and humanistic tradition, integrating student-owned laptops in grades six through twelve does not change our commitment to Harkness discussions or the development of each girl’s strong voice. The laptop program will simply serve as another tool for learning—it will augment our educational program, as opposed to changing what Bryn Mawr has done exceptionally well over its 127-year history.

When our students return to campus in September 2012 with their laptops in hand, they will use them in myriad different ways: to perform labs in science classes, to Skype with students in different countries in foreign language classes, to conduct research in history courses, and perhaps even to write their own books. They will not likely be used every day in each class; that has never been the goal of the 1:1 program. Our main goal all along has been to make appropri-ate technology available to all Bryn Mawr students while at school and at home, and to integrate the technology into our teaching and learning in ways that are authentic and meaningful. To use the words of Chris Lehmann, Principal of Science and Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, “technology must be like oxygen: ubiquitous, necessary and invisible.”

Jennifer Galambos, Ed.D.

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This Month in Pictures

Womens History Month in Pre-First

Middle School “Hunger Games” Trivia Contest

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March is Womens History Month, and students in pre-first celebrated with several special guest speakers. Famous women from history—among them “Jane Goodall,” pictured at right—joined the girls to teach them about each woman’s amazing life and accomplishments. Girls were able to have fun with tools of the trade (check out the binoculars and apes that Jane brought with her!), ask questions, and enjoy a themed snack with each guest.

The Middle School and the Edith Hamilton Library staff counted down to the release of the “Hunger Games” movie, based on the young adult novel of the same name by Suzanne Col-

lins, with a special trivia contest during lunch period. Teachers donned cos-tumes matching the characters in the book and quizzed “tributes” from each “district” on key plot points and characters. A great time was had by all!

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Cynthia Murray, who taught Kindergarten at Bryn Mawr for many years, made her annual visit to the Bryn Mawr Kindergarten class with a new lamb. The girls loved having the chance to hold and pet the lamb, and each girl even had the chance to have her picture taken with the sweet baby!

A Kindergarten Lamb

Les Chanteuses Concert

Les Chanteuses, the Lower School choral group made up of girls from the fourth and fifth grades, held its spring concert for a packed auditorium on March 16. Directed by Lower School Music Teacher Anne Puck-ett, the girls performed six songs that crossed a broad swath of genres. Special guest Upper School choral group Dayseye performed three songs to open the show, then combined with Les Chanteuses to close with “O Music” by Lowell Mason.

Second grade student Kiesse Nanor, pictured below at right, provided a special piano interlude.> Click the image to view a video of Kiesse’s performance!

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Under the Porticos: Next Month at Bryn Mawr

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>Color Wheel: An Exhibition of Student Artwork

Upper School Dance Company Spring Show

Spring Open House

Please join us on Friday, March 30 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM in the Mildred Natwick Lobby of Centennial Hall for a special reception celebrating the open-ing of Color Wheel, a student artwork exhibition that features work from Little through Upper School students. The show will be open from March 30 - April 27, so even if you cannot make it to the open-ing, be sure to stop by during April!

Upper School Dance Company will be perform-ing in Centennial Hall on Friday, April 13, at 7:00 PM and Saturday, April 14, at 3:00 PM. The group of ten dancers has been working all year to pro-duce a performance full of entertaining, athletic and thought-provoking dances. From ballet to tap to modern and Musical Theatre, there is something for everyone! Choreographers include company director Emily Tankersley, Diana Curran, Mari Travis, and Meggie Carpenter ’04, as well as works by stu-dent choreographers Jahaan Amin, Christine Wy-att, Shelby Prettiman and Lindsay Sanders. Tickets are $5; children 5 and under are free. Please join us!

>Click the image for a video preview!

This year, on Wednesday, April 18, Bryn Mawr will offer an exciting new event—a Spring Open House. We encourage our current families and alumnae to spread the word and invite friends, relatives, colleagues and neighbors with school-aged daughters to visit Bryn Mawr. This Open House is the perfect time for families who are beginning to think about school options to see what Bryn Mawr has to offer their daughters.

Prospective parents are invited to the Gordon Building in the morning to meet current parents, alumnae and administrators. Students and parents will lead tours, and visitors will have the opportunity to see our girls at work and at play. We hope that this first look will inspire visitors to contin-ue the admissions process during the Fall Visiting Days for each division.

To learn more or to register, visit brynmawrschool.org/springopenhouse.

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What brought you to Bryn Mawr?

I had just stopped coaching at George-town University, and my family had moved to Baltimore a few months ear-lier. I met Wendy [Kridel], and she men-tioned the possibility of working here. I agreed to try it for the short term...and here I am, six years later. It stuck.

What is your teaching or coaching philosophy?I am passionate about challenging girls to be more and do more than they think that they are capable of. I want to push them to be strong in their convic-tions. I’m most satisfied when I’m able to encourage a girl to feel confident about who she is and what she can do.

What is your favorite thing about working at Bryn Mawr?

My job has continually evolved since I started, and I really enjoy the fact that it keeps changing. The school leader-ship allows and encourages me to try new things, and that keeps me inter-ested. And, I love the girls—that’s re-ally the reason, I think, why all of us are here. They are wonderful to coach, and wonderful to work with.

Kim Simons TortolaniAsst. Athletic Director Years at Bryn Mawr: 6 Years Teaching: 18

Teachers’ CornerEach month we profile three teachers, to give them a chance to share, in their own words, what brought them to Bryn Mawr, what their teaching philosophy is, and why they love working here.

Jan DarrahMS Drama andCH Technical Director Years at Bryn Mawr: 4Years Teaching: 20

Shannon MontagueMS Technology Years at Bryn Mawr: 1Years Teaching: 7

What brought you to Bryn Mawr?Michael Robinson suggested that I ap-ply for a vacant drama teacher post here. He sprung it on me at a party, actually—he said, “We’re looking for someone who has professional theater experience, who has movement theater skills, and works with masks...” And I said, “You’re talking about me!”

What is your teaching philosophy?Acting is something that you use all your life, everywhere. You can present yourself in a lot of different ways, and acting helps with that. I want to teach girls not just to act, and about drama and the different plays, but also how they can change their consciousness at will, to suit the situation and to benefit themselves.

What is your favorite thing about working at Bryn Mawr?I like the feeling of community—the feeling that we are all members of this community, and we look after each oth-er. That is not a feeling that you find in every school. I’ve done residencies at a lot of different schools, and this school is really remarkable.

What brought you to Bryn Mawr?I worked with Jennifer Galambos at the Bullis School, and when she left, I was quite sad. I didn’t think that I would have the opportunity to work with her again, but after my grad school pro-gram finished, I moved to Baltimore, and fortunately there was an open po-sition at Bryn Mawr.

What is your teaching philosophy?My teaching philosophy, written out, starts with “Everything I need to know I’ve learned in ______.” I believe that there is no answer to that—that you will never learn everything that you need to know. I appreciate communities that encourage learning and discovery, and encourage students to be their best selves. I want to encourage students to shine, to share their talents.

What is your favorite thing about working at Bryn Mawr?The community here is just amazing. After spring break, I realized how hap-py I was to be back at school and see the girls. Bryn Mawr does a really nice job of creating a comfortable space for both students and faculty.

>Capture Bryn Mawr’s spirit, traditions and everyday excitement through the Spirit Bracelet. This

Bryn Mawr Spirit Bracelet

is a great gift for a Bryn Mawr girl of any age! Click here to visit the Bryn Mawrket website for more information about the Spirit Bracelet and individual charms.

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Fifth Grade Hosts Newbery Luncheon

EAs part of the unit on Newbery winning authors, fifth-graders decorated book covers for past winners.

The FiFTh Grade Newbery UNiT

Karan Khanuja and Maggie McComas

In the fifth grade, we have been studying Newbery Award-winning books and possible winners of the 2012 award. During this time period, we got the chance to switch classes and experience different teachers. While we were in each class, we read books and completed projects. In Ms. Gilbert’s class, we read the book “Catherine, Called Birdy” by Karen Cushman. This book won the Newbery honor in 1996. In Ms. Emala’s class, we had the chance to read different books that were considered for the 2011 Newbery. Some of our favorites were “True (…Sort Of)” by Katherine Hannigan, “Tuesdays at the Castle” by Jessica Day George, “The Apothecary” by Maile Meloy, and “Small Persons with Wings” by Ellen Booraem. Finally, in Ms. Burke’s class, we read books written by Laurel Snyder, who came to speak at the Fifth Grade Newbery Luncheon. The books included “Penny Dreadful,” “Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains,” “Any Which Wall,” and her latest book, “Bigger Than a Bread Box.” Although Ms. Snyder has not yet won the Newbery, her books are loved by our community. This unit was a wonderful experience for the fifth grade.

ach year, students in the fifth grade take part in a multi-week unit on the Newbery Medal. Named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery, the medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the au-

thor of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The culmination of the unit is a luncheon with a Newbery-winning or nominated author. This year’s guest was Laurel Snyder, whose latest book, “Bigger than a Bread Box,” was considered for the 2012 award. Prior to the luncheon, Snyder partici-pated in a workshop with the students, discussing how Newbery medals are awarded, and asking what they thought about particular books. At the luncheon, Snyder shared the story of how she became a writer, and answered questions from the girls. A special highlight was the presentation of a song, the words of which Snyder had written for her book “Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains.” Fifth-grader Audra Lane set the words to music, and the entire fifth grade sang it to Snyder.

Below, in their own words, fifth grade students explain the unit, what they learned, and what they enjoyed most about the experience.

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whaT i LearNed From The Newbery LUNcheoN

Rose Becker

During the Newbery Lun-cheon, I learned a lot. Author Laurel Snyder talked about advice for young writers. She said that it takes a lot of fo-cus and that you have to write at least one hundred words a day. She also said that you have to be bored to write a good story. “Sit outside and stare at the clouds and an idea will eventually come to you,” she told us. This may sound crazy, but she also said to lock yourself in a dark closet and think in the silence! It takes many, many tries to get the story you really want. Ms. Sny-der told us that sometimes, “when you send a book to your editor, they will ask for a small change and you will end up rewriting the whole story!” From Ms. Snyder, I learned that if you want to be an au-thor, you should start writing now. That was great advice. Thank you, Ms. Snyder!

whaT i eNjoyed mosT aboUT The Newbery LUNcheoN

Ella Troy

I thought it was exciting that Laurel Snyder, a famous author, was coming to speak to our fifth grade class, because she had actually written and published books. I had no idea I would relate to her in so many ways. When she talked about wanting to be a writer since the fourth grade with her best friend Su-san, it immediately made me think of how my best friend and I want to be fashion designers together. Ms. Snyder also said that being honest and imagina-tive are important to her; these values are important in my life too. When she talked about moving to Atlanta in the sev-enth grade and not being hon-est about her writing and how she believed in magic, she said that she wished she could have been honest because it would have made her happier. I will always remember this story. Laurel Snyder is not just a fa-mous author; she’s a very cool person.

aUThor ProFiLe: LaUreL sNyder

Laurel Snyder, a Baltimore native, is the author of four novels: “Penny Dreadful,” “Any Which Wall,” “Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains OR The Search for a Suitable Princess,” and “Bigger than a Bread Box,” as well as two picture books, “Inside the Slidy Diner” and “Baxter the Kosher Pig.” A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a former Michener-Engle Fellow, Snyder has published work in publications in-cluding the Utne Reader, the Revealer, Salon, and American Letters and Commentary. She is also an occasional commentator for NPR’s All Things Considered.

Above: After the luncheon, Ms. Snyder signed autographs and took pictures with the students.

Below: Ms. Snyder talks with students about what qualities they want to see in a Newbery winner.

After the luncheon, Snyder talked briefly about how much she enjoyed her day with the Bryn Mawr fifth graders. “It was wonderful to be here, and to interact with the girls,” Snyder said. “They are so sharp, and special, and their questions were just amazing. They really are thinkers.”

For Snyder, the highlight of the day was having the song from her book “Up and Down the Scratchy Moun-tains” set to music and performed for her. “That song, in particular, is important [in the book], and I fudge it on the ukulele sometimes when I do an event, but I’d never imagined that level of performance,” Snyder commented. “It was amazing—it brought tears to my eyes, and totally blew me away.”

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Bryn Mawr’s “Women of the World”

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The panel opened with a slideshow about how girls can help others their age who live in developing countries.

Bryn Mawr senior Amelia Barnes, left, speaks on the topic of community service and how it impacts her life.

his month, Upper School students had the opportunity to attend the first-ever Baltimore Women of the World Festival. First launched at the Southbank Centre in London, England, in March 2011, the WOW Festival, as it is known, is a weekend of talks, debates, music, film, comedy and conversations

that celebrate the talents of women and girls from all walks of life and all parts of the world. Nearly 7,000 women participated in the first WOW Festival, making it a tremendous success. WOW is now an annual event at the Southbank Centre. Stateside, WOW-Baltimore marks the first U.S. appearance of the festival, and organizers plan to expand into other cities around the world.

WOW-Baltimore was held at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on the first weekend of March. The three-day extravaganza featured a screening of the documentary “Miss Representation;” a concert by Mary Chapin Carpenter; a keynote talk by Alice Hill, Senior Counselor to the Secretary in the U.S. Department of Home-land Security, on the federal response to global human trafficking crimes; speed mentoring sessions; and a whole host of other panels and activities.

Bryn Mawr, along with several other area schools, sent a number of students to the Festival. Girls partici-pated in several different events, with many reporting that speed mentoring was their favorite part of the day (see student reflections, next page).

Senior Amelia Barnes, president of Bryn Mawr’s Community Alliance for Everyone (CAFE) was invited to sit on a panel entitled Girls: An Endangered Species, or the Next World Leaders?, which was sponsored by Girl Up, an innovative campaign of the United Nations Foundation that gives American girls the opportunity to become global leaders and channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for United Nations programs that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls. Along with seven other girls from other area schools, Barnes answered questions about how girls can lead their communities, what issues she feels are especially important for girls today, and how to encourage girls to take an active role in community service.

Barnes said that though she was nervous about being on the panel, it was a great experience. “I really liked the idea of bringing girls from the community together to talk about girls helping other girls,” she said afterward.

She found the most inspiring part to be meeting the other girls on the panel and hearing their thoughts. “I thought that a lot of them were really impressive,” Barnes said. “It makes me feel good when I go to an event like this and meet girls my own age who are doing really cool things. It really shows how much girls can do, even in high school.”

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Girl Up was one of the sponsors of the WOW Festival. Click the logo to learn more.

Alexa Corse

Before this conference, female empowerment and women’s rights were not topics I had really con-sidered as important to my own life. Experiencing the empowering atmosphere at the conference caused me to think more deeply about the impor-tant role that women and girls have in society. This conference opened my eyes about what it means to truly be a woman, and the power that I, as a female, have to make a difference and contribute positively to society.

My favorite part of the conference was the presen-tation Girls: An Endangered Species or Our Next World Leaders?. It was extremely interesting to hear from a group of girls in my generation about their involvement in the community and their thoughts about the future. They inspired me to make a con-tinuous effort to positively contribute to society. It wasn’t only their estimable community service that was inspiring, but also their genuine enthusiasm for being a positive force in society, a quality which I hope to emulate. The Women of the World Festi-val inspired me to embrace female empowerment and become a positive force in society.

Julia Cardwell

Participating in the WOW-Baltimore Festival was a wonderful experience. Although I ended up go-ing to several events that I had not expected to attend, everything exceeded my expectations. I attended a workshop about social innovation, the panel called Girls: An Endangered Species or the Next World Leaders?, and also took part in speed mentoring.

Although all of these sessions were fantastic, speed mentoring was by far the best part of the day. Even though I think of myself as a shy person, I felt com-pletely comfortable talking to each of the mentors. I met four great women, each of whom gave me a new perspective and great advice and insight into what my future holds and what I should do with my interests at this point in time. I was so thankful that

I had the chance to talk to them, and it was a great way to end my day at the WOW Festival. Over-all, I thought this festival was fan-tastic. I would love to participate in it again, and am so glad that I had the chance to attend.

Kiva Sewell

The Women of the World Festi-val was highly influential upon my stance on gender equality. Be-fore attending the conference, I had not thought of how great the struggle for women’s success truly is. At the confer-ence, it was amazing to see so many women who had achieved things that directly impact my life. In my opinion, the two best parts of the conference were speed mentoring and the keynote speak-er who spoke on human trafficking. One of the women I met during speed mentoring changed my thoughts about my future. Previously, I have al-ways ignored my passions for history and religion because I thought that I should become a doctor or a lawyer. This woman told me her life story, and the mistake that she made pursuing what other people told her to do instead of following her dreams. The human trafficking speech was also extremely influ-ential, because it inspired me take action when I can, and to help raise awareness. I would definitely recommend taking students to the Women of the World Conference for all future years.

Yael Haskal

Upon entering the first Women of the World Festival in Balti-more, I really had no idea what to expect. Despite poring over the online brochure and scour-ing the event’s website for facts,

I was unsure what this festival actually was about. Within the course of this single day, though, I learned more than I had ever expected about the political and economic world, the concept of femi-nism, and what it means to be a woman today.

My favorite part of the event was a session called “Speed Mentoring,” where we chose women to sit with for 15 minutes and talk about our personal aspirations, goals, problems, and ideas. We were able to converse about being a female in today’s society, and relate that to our career goals. Shar-ing stories and experiences with grown women who embody many of the qualities I hope to have one day was interesting and inspiring. Overall, the WOW Festival taught me a lot about modern so-ciety, how I can give back to the community, and what it means to be the best woman I can be.

F

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Giving Kids the World

or many students, spring break is a time to relax, catch up on sleep, hang out with friends or take a fun trip—and Bryn Mawr students are no exception. However, for one group of Upper Schoolers, spring break also offered the chance to help out kids in need, while still getting a fun change of scenery.

For the past two years, Upper School Technology teachers Emily and Thanasi Letras have taken students to volunteer at the Give Kids the World Village over spring break. The Give Kids the World (GKTW) Village is a seventy-acre resort located in Kissimmee, Florida, that features accommodations, entertainment, and activities specifically designed to give children with life-threatening illnesses and their families the chance to have a wonderful vacation. Everything in the Village is free, which means that the Village requires a large number of volunteers to stay up-and-running.

This year, the Letrases took eight Bryn Mawr girls to GKTW. Emily Letras said that during their time at the Village, they did things like work at the Castle of Miracles, serve meals to more than 600 people at the Gin-gerbread House (the Village restaurant), give manicures and massages at La-Ti-Da Spa, serve ice cream for breakfast at the Ice Cream Palace, and help host the Big Splash Bash poolside dinner party. The students also used money that they had raised during the school year to purchase a new microwave, coffee maker and toaster for one of the family villas.

Overall, students who went on the trip said that it was an amazing experience. Junior Kate McCarthy wrote, “Through this trip, I finally realized why we call our community service projects Community Service Learn-ing: I learned so much about myself, and realized what it meant to put others before me. I loved seeing everyone’s smiles—not only of the families that were staying at Give Kids The World, but also in our group. “

Tate Johnson, also a junior, called the trip an “incredible experience that I will never forget.” She said that though she was a bit apprehensive when she first arrived, she soon realized how much of a difference she was making. “One of the best moments I experienced was when I looked around the Castle of Miracles and realized how much fun the kids were having,” Tate reflected. “It made me realize that even though these kids all have life-threatening illnesses, they were still able to smile through it and have a good time.”

Emily Letras summed up the group’s experience, saying, “We really made a difference in the lives of the families we served. The experience was one that will surely stay with us for years to come.”

Upper School Technology teachers Emily and Thanasi Letras, far left and right, with their group in front of the Give Kids the World sign.

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Third-Graders Rock Greek Myth Plays

M“As an actor, a writer, and an artist, I learned a billion new things. As a writer, I learned you can make a play funny but not too funny, and seri-ous but not too serious.”

Aphrodite, right, sends Hermes to find her son Cupid.

The cast of “The Apple of Discord” rocks out to Lady Gaga’s “Edge of Glory” at the end of the play.

The gods and goddesses gather to make Psyche, center, immortal.

ost people would probably not logically associate Lady Gaga or Rihanna with Greek mythology. However, on Friday, March 9, the third grade at Bryn Mawr brought the three together as they continued a long-standing and beloved tradition, presenting their plays based on Greek myths.

The girls brought down the house, incorporating songs by both artists as well as a healthy dose of wit, humor, and sincerity. Third-grade teacher Su-san Mills said afterward,“Each year we work with a third grade class, we are amazed by the talents that the girls reveal as playwrights and thespians!”

Students began their unit on Greek myths in Jan-uary, reading several classic Greek myths. Once they were familiar with the myths, the Greek gods

and goddesses, and how characters are portrayed in the stories, each class de-cided which myth they would like to dra-matize. Girls read several versions of their myth, then teachers divided it into scenes and made lists of characters. One of the most remarkable and educational aspects of the process is the fact that the girls wrote both plays themselves, with help from their teachers. Mills explained that to produce the final script, each student first wrote a scene; afterwards, she and Chris-tine Rogers, also a third-grade teacher, compiled the final scenes from the girls’

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Psyche, left, dances with the ant who helps her sort grain.

The third grade cast members and their teachers.

“I think that putting on the play demonstrated trust. You have to trust people in your class dur-ing the play that they will do well, and you have to trust yourself that you will do well.”

scripts, using the lines that would work best for the stage. “Our role as teachers,” Mills said, “is to choose and weave together the lines that create the best tapestry of the girls’ writing.” After the final play was complete, each student had the opportunity to read different roles aloud before deciding

“Before performing the play, when I saw how big the crowd was, I realized I didn’t have stage fright. I normally have terrible stage fright. So I dis-covered that I don’t always have stage fright.”

which she would like to have. From there, the girls rehearsed, rehearsed, rehearsed, until the day of the play.

After their thespian debut, students were asked to reflect on their experience by writ-ing about what they had learned and how they had implemented the Lower School values (see quotations, excerpted from the reflec-tions). It is amazing to see how much the girls both enjoyed and learned from this trea-sured tradition.

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Now You’re Speaking My Language

EStudents and faculty gather for a Spanish language

lunch in the cafeteria.Upper School students paint the cafeteria windows in preparation

for the Multicultural Community Potluck Dinner.

Faculty members provide pre-dinner entertainment.

ach year, Foreign Language departments at schools across the country celebrate their work during National Foreign Language

Week, which takes place the first week of March. This year, Bryn Mawr’s Foreign Language Depart-ment went all out. The week kicked off early, with a special assembly on February 27 that brought together students and faculty members, each ex-pressing themselves in a foreign language. Other special touches to mark the week included foreign language videos each day before convocation, posters of famous foreign language speakers, and text messages in foreign languages. The dining staff got into the week too, preparing dishes for lunch each day that featured international cuisine. Students and faculty enjoyed the lunch selections at foreign language lunch tables, which offered the opportunity to practice French, Spanish and Ger-man.

In addition to celebrating the diversity of languages that exist in our commu-nity, the student group Community Alliance For Everyone (CAFE), with as-sistance from the CAFE Committee of the Par-ents’ Association and the faculty Community Alli-

ance Committee, organized an exciting multicul-tural potluck dinner the Thursday before National Foreign Language Week. The event was wildly suc-cessful, with an attendance of more than 200—the highest turnout in all of the years that the dinner has been held.

Although the food was delicious, the wonderful en-tertainment of the evening was a large part of what made the event so successful. Performers included Upper School choral group Dayseye, faculty mem-bers Todd Twining, Ken Schopf, Suzanne Stevens, Shannon Montague and Chris Maggitti, and Mid-dle School rock band Rockus Maximus. Other stu-dent performers included Tessa Babcok ’13 playing the guitar and singing, Lindsay Sanders ’14 sing-

ing a French opera piece, Jacqueline Betz ’13 play-ing the violin, Kiesse Nanor ’22 on the piano, and Shanzeh Haque ’15 playing the sitar.

Upper School Diversity Coordinator Erin Munoz said that the evening was one of “incredible talent by faculty and students, tasty potluck dishes prepared by Bryn Mawr families, and wonderful community bonding.”

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Senior Voices: The Class of 2012 In Their Own Words

ach year, every senior is required to complete a Senior Convocation. The convocation, which is a 20-min-ute speech, can be on any topic. In every issue, we highlight excerpts from convocations given that month, letting members of the Class of 2012 share, in their own words, what matters to them.

EKristi Murray

“She listens like spring and she talks like June...”

It was during the harsh and dreary December days of junior year that my friend and I coined the term ‘infinite June.’ In a time of grey morn-ings and encroaching darkness at 5:00 PM, the idea of an endless summer saved us from the biting winds of winter. We were so desperate to cling to the glow of our glory days that we

thons of Mario Kart and sipping cranberry juice over the World Cup. It was a group of us, about three girls, three boys and a tail-less cat (some-times more, sometimes less), that fought the hu-midity with mid-day swims and long car rides in black convertibles, the top down, the wind and music overpowering our voices, our hair whip-ping around like Medusa snakes. We laughed and cried and ate too many slices of Pepe’s Piz-za. We drove too fast. We fell in love. We were invincible.

hypothesized that if death was a way to preserve a person, then we could be young forever. It was not a cry for help; it was not a warning sign. Death never touched my life in a way that I could understand it, so I was able to romanticize it and think of it more as eternity in a moment. It was irrational and naïve, but an idea that we held close to our hearts. We didn’t actually want to die, we just wanted to hold onto something and saw no solution to the threat of change. Maybe we’d be driving, chasing the sun down a country road with the music blaring, all dressed up for a party with our best friends. Maybe the wheel would turn, just slightly, and we’d veer off course. Maybe we’d be too busy smiling at each other, singing along to music to notice the light; maybe we wouldn’t feel a thing. Maybe we could stay like this, all soft lines and tanned skin, forever seventeen in an infinite June.

It was an ode, the very essence of our adoles-cence; June was our rock. Infinite, for us, meant days that we wanted to stay in forever, days where our potential and youth felt endless. The month following the end of sophomore year was remarkable. The sweltering summer days were spent in the cool basement of my friend’s house or the increasingly familiar living room of a scrawny boy. It was a summer of hour-long mara-

And then it ended, as things often do. And I left for a new adventure in the expanse of the Canadian wil-derness. I found different beauty in lakes of turquoise and the North-ern Lights. I climbed a mountain, looked up to someone remarkable, and gained seven new sisters. When I came back, things were different. I had changed. A part of me was no longer with those June kids; the promise of the picture-perfect six was tainted by our unpunctuality and irrationality. I don’t know why or how, but something had been al-tered. The leaves began to turn, flip-flops and jean shorts were traded for

polo shirts and pleated skirts, and countless to-do lists replaced lengthy journal entries. Things no longer felt free; we had lost our carelessness, now weighed down by pressures of the dreaded junior year.

I am a deeply sentimental person. I add poetry to everything—the drives home from school in half-light, the CD embellished with boyish scrawl, the Ford pick-up truck adorned with bumper stick-ers. I take the moments of my life and douse them in gold until they shine. I’ve been told that “everything in my life has to have some kind of poetic fatality to it” and in a way, I guess that’s true. After the summer of 2010, change terrified me. What seemed to be the best time of my life

Once I accepted that the June I held so close to my heart had ended, I was able to see the beauty in new experi-ences. I started putting my faith in constants. The spring will always come, and the moon will always rebuild itself. Change is just one of those constants.

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had come and gone, a flurry of bad rap songs, sunsets, forgotten lines and white dresses. I didn’t know what to do. I came back from that summer with new eyes and ears that hungered for stimulus that I was too stubborn to see. I felt empty, alone, consumed by the idea of my fleeting youth.

Someone once told me that she thought apathy, not hate, was the opposite of love. That idea stuck with me for a long while, and I think it is reminiscent of my junior year. I watched time go by with apa-thetic eyes; I didn’t care about the life that existed from September to March, and that is one of my biggest regrets. During the winter, when the cold stole all the color from the world, I would alternate between apathy and desolation. My emotions would spill out in quick, passionate bursts, as if there was a time limit before I returned to my regularly programmed indifference. I was convinced that my glory days had come and gone, so I stopped trying. I began to drift from my group of girls. I loved them and their ridiculous vernacular, but I felt like there was a distance between us too vast to overcome, filled with too many swallowed words and traded secrets. I got lost in my head, infatuated with the idea of how perfect everything once was and terrified of the idea of what was to come. Over and over again, I would remind myself that I would never be as young as I was right then. Instead of using that to fuel new experiences, it only depressed me. What if that was the last time I’d feel free? What if that was it? One perfect, balmy June and I was done, never to be that uninhibited or blissful again? When things failed to meet my expectations, I placed the blame on everything else. The days were too grey, the air was too cold, and I had no time to drive for hours anymore because I had essays to write and miles to run and SATs to take. I was robbed of countless other infinities because I was consumed by my past.

And then there was the bonfire. All the way down Falls Road, there is a house on a hill. Atop this hill is a gnarled, beautiful tree that stands in solitude, looking out over the rolling landscape of Baltimore County. That tree woke me up. That March night brought the air back to my lungs and let me see past the clouds of nostalgia. It was the night when I felt distinctly ‘high school.’ My friends and I flew down the road in a baby blue convertible; all dolled up in sparkly earrings and dresses that moved with the wind. It was a meaningful night for all of us. We fixed our problems, smiled big, and found the potential in new beginnings. I remember how we smelled, the smoke coiling around our wrists and waists, inter-twining with the scent of honeysuckle perfume. I remember how we danced on the hill, our arms out wide and hair flying, as we spun around and around the tree, our peals of laughter reaching the party below. We twirled until we fell to our knees, like wilting flowers. And as we lay on the damp ground, we stared up at the stars as our laughter died down. We began to breathe together, silent under an encompassing sky. It was the first night in a while where things felt right and I felt whole. I don’t know what exactly was so extraordinary about that night, but it reminded me of a feeling I thought I had forgotten. I felt infinite, like I could stay there forever. I realized that nights could feel beautiful again, if I just let them fall into place.

When I think back on high school, I will not regret the wrong things I did, but the right things I failed to do. I missed out on a lot, let the time I had left in this place slip through my fingers like rainwater. So since that fateful night in March, I have been trying to take each moment as it is instead of holding it up to my idealized standards.

“

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It has, and will continue to touch my life, altering paths, taking and delivering new people and experi-ences. I will treasure all of the memories I have created here. I have loved the book exchanges, the snow adventures, the dance parties in the kitchen and the dinners of acorn squash and pasta with a family I have come to love just as much as my own. Baltimore is a remarkable place, and I am lucky to find such comfort in all the Gilman games and the Gym Drills and the late night trips to Towson Diner. I have come to believe that living in the past is a denial of the present, and since March I’ve recognized this.

If I can leave you all with anything, it is this: There will be days when you want to pack a bag and run away. There will be grey mornings. There will be days where it feels like you don’t have the strength to get out of bed. There will be letters with no response, spilled coffee, disappointments and failures. And then there will be the days that you dance. There will be days where the people you love will lift you up out of your dark hole, and bring back the light. There will be full moons, long conversations over pancakes, wool socks and calloused hands. There will be books with quotable truths that change your perspective forever and people that sing you to sleep with voices found among the gypsies. I have always believed that things happen in cycles, that our lives are like tides, the swell of lows followed by highs, governed by the moon. There will be a June for each of us, and it will feel infinite.

Author John Green said, “some infinities are bigger than other infinities.” I’ve had minutes, hours, once even thirty-six days of infinity. Some are expected, some are not. Nearly a year after I coined “infinite June,” I found myself driving down Butler Road with a friend of mine. It was my favorite time of day, when the setting sun almost kissed the horizon and the whole world seemed to be washed in soft yel-low. The light was just right for a drive, spilling onto the street and silhouetting the tops of trees against the orange sky. The road stretched straight in front of us, and the sun was so low in the sky that it looked like it almost touched the ground, as if we could catch it, if we just drove fast enough. We were singly softly, pausing sometimes to voice scattered thoughts before lapsing back into song. There seemed to be an unspoken understanding between us that this moment was special. Soaring down Butler in a pick-up truck with music right for the occasion, the moment felt infinite to me. And though it was short, I would take my infinities in any form I could get them. As I watched the countryside pass by, I spoke. “I like the idea that the sun will always rise, and it will always set. I don’t know, there’s just something reassuring in the fact that there can always be days like this.”

The sun will rise and the sun will set, people will come and people will leave, I will breathe in and I will breathe out. As the road rose to meet us, we chased the sun back home, holding on to our own infinity for one last song.

The top three contenders for the Reunion Gift Award, which goes to the class that raises the most money for the Annual Fund in its reunion year:

Class Reunion Dollars raised to-date 1962 50th $45,9101972 40th $37,6671982 30th $25,051

The top three contenders for the Overall Reunion Gift Award, which goes to the reunion class that raises the most money for Bryn Mawr overall, in-cluding gifts to the Annual Fund, to the endow-ment, and to capital projects:

Class Reunion Dollars raised to-date 1967 45th $168,0551962 50th $60,9101972 40th $37,667

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his year’s reunion classes—the 2s and 7s—are vying for the reunion giving prizes, presented annually on Alumnae Weekend. There is still time to contribute and help put your class on top! If you are not sure whether or not you’ve participated in your class gift effort, please email Suzy Feldman Rosenthal

Reunion Giving Contest Heats Up

T’72 at rosenthals@brynmawrschool.org and she will double-check for you. If you would like to give now, click here. Thank you!

Here are the standings as of March 16, 2012:

Led by 50th Reunion Chair Courtenay Klug Hoag ’61, the Class of 1961 won both the Reunion Gift Award and the Reunion Gift Participation Prize in 2011.

The Reunion Gift Participation Prize goes to the reunion class with the best participation in its re-union gift effort. Following are the class percent-ages so far:

Class Reunion Participation to date 1952 60th 71%1957 55th 70%1947 65th 69%1962 50th 69%1967 45th 63%1987 25th 57%1982 30th 56%1992 20th 55%1972 40th 54%1997 15th 31%2007 5th 28%2002 10th 26%1977 35th 12%

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> Bryn Mawr at the BMA Saturday, March 31 11:00 AM Baltimore Museum of Art www.artbma.org

Join fellow alumnae for a guided tour of the Bal-timore Museum of Art. Explore highlights of the BMA’s collection including works by Henri Matisse, as well as masterpieces by Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, and Vincent van Gogh. Free.RSVP: alumnae@brynmawrschool.org

> Cheer for Bryn Mawr! BMS vs. RPCS Lacrosse Game Wednesday, April 4 4:00 PM Bryn Mawr Upper Field

Come watch Bryn Mawr’s varsity lacrosse team play RPCS on our new turf field, and stop by the alum-nae table for a treat. Bring your kids, and root for your team!RSVP: alumnae@brynmawrschool.org

> Serve Where You Are, Bryn Mawr: Baltimore Tuesday, April 10 6:00 - 7:30 PM The Glassroom at Bryn Mawr (adjacent to the cafeteria)

Please join fellow alumnae in making peanut butter

Upcoming Alumnae Eventsand jelly sandwiches to be delivered to food pantry Our Daily Bread.

“Serve Where You Are - Bryn Mawr” is a great op-portunity for alumnae to network, socialize, and meet/reconnect with each other while serving others in the Baltimore community. Last year we launched the program in three cities—Washington DC, Boston and San Francisco—and we’re excited about our first Baltimore event. Hope to see you there!RSVP: tianicole126@gmail.com

> Alumnae Spring Family Play Date Saturday, April 21 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Bring your family for fun at the Little School Play-ground!RSVP: alumnae@brynmawrschool.org

> Alumnae Weekend 2012 Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5

A wonderful weekend of celebration awaits alum-nae with class years ending in 2 or 7, including a classroom visit, student/teacher Q&A panel, recep-tion, luncheon, and more!

Click here to register and for more information.

> Reception to Honor Reunion Classes and Retiring Faculty Member Arna Margolis

On May 4, Bryn Mawr will host a special reception to honor reunion classes and celebrate the distinguished career of retiring faculty member Arna Margolis.

Alumnae are invited to celebrate with Ms. Margolis and reunion classes in the Graduation Garden. Please click here to register.

During her time at Bryn Mawr, Ms. Margolis has taught, advised and inspired a great number of students. If you would like to take a moment to share your memories of Ms. Margolis, please click here.

We hope to see you there!

Submit and read Class Notes anytime! www.brynmawrschool.org/connect

THE BRYN MAWR SCHOOL109 W. Melrose Ave

Baltimore, MD 21210410-323-8800

www.brynmawrschool.org

Cover photo: Former Kindergarten teacher Cynthia Murray with the lamb, Headmistress Maureen E. Walsh, and the Kindergarten class and teachers.