News - February 2011 Archives
02.11.11
{{{UPDATE, Feb. 20: More honors for our artists from the Springville Museum of Art Annual All-State High School Exhibition. Six of our students had work accepted into the show: Stephania Adondakis, Carol Beck, Peter Beck, Emily Jensen, Laura Lee Judd, and Alatini James Kaumavae. Additionally, when the special awards were handed out, Peter received the Congressional Award Honorable Mention, and Laura Lee received the Juror’s Award for Excellence.}}}
Congratulations to our talented students for an outstanding showing at the Regional level of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Of the 17 Gold Key Awards received by Utah visual artists, 12 were won by Waterford students! All Gold Key winners advance to the National competition; we are now eagerly awaiting these results, which will be announced in March.
Seniors Zephani Huang, Emily Jensen, Mackenzie Martin, Carol Chase Peterson, and Kathryn Van Sleen received Gold Key Awards for their portfolios. Five other students received awards for individual works: Sierra Kane and Emma Miller each had two pieces selected, and Stephania Adondakis, Kasandra Rasmussen and Chandler Rosenberg each had one. Emma also received a Gold Key for her poetry submission!
From the Scholastic Awards website (artandwriting.org):
“The regional judging of the 2011 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards is complete…. Students from [your] region submitted a record-breaking 12,000 works of art and writing. The list of Gold Key recipients is now available online. Works that receive Gold Keys are automatically forwarded for National judging.
Congratulations to the Gold Key recipients and to all of the students who submitted artwork! Since 1923, The Awards have recognized some of America’s most celebrated artists while they were teenagers, including: Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon, Cy Twombly, Robert Indiana, Kay WalkingStick, Philip Pearlstein, and John Baldessari. We’re proud to count Gold Key recipients among them and this generation’s rising artists!"
Images are below:
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02.20.11
Ron Mika, father of Kyle – Class V, Jacob – Class VIII, Eric – Class X, Alek ‘10, Kirsten ’08, Jaklyn ’06 and Stephanie (Dana Hall, ’04) is the Chairman of Waterford’s new Board of Trustees. We recently sat down with Ron to talk about this important role. We also chatted with him about his impressions of Waterford, his new responsibilities, and the triumphs and perils of being a dad of seven. We were delighted to get to know him, and grateful that he has given so much of his time and resources to Waterford.
How did you first learn about Waterford?
When we lived in Boston and knew we were going to be moving here, we did an internet search of schools and first found Waterford that way. We also knew the Croslands from an undergrad study abroad experience, and they told us about Waterford, and how pleased they were with their experiences.
What was your first impression when you came and visited?
We came and visited in the Spring of 2004. I had been commuting to Utah for more than a year for business and the plan was to move the family that summer. We initially met with Todd Winters. We loved the facilities, of course, and were very impressed with how down to earth and intelligent people at the school seemed. It was also similar to Dana Hall, the independent school we had our daughters enrolled with in Wellesley, MA; it had a comparable liberal arts philosophy. It was probably the easiest “sale” Todd ever made!
What’s the funniest experience you or your children have had at Waterford?
Eric and Alek traded places in their respective physics classes. Eric got caught when he went to Alek’s AP physics class, which only had four kids in it; even a hoodie didn’t help. Alek briefly got away with it; he just lay low, and since there were twenty kids in the class, he had an easier time of it. When Eric finally walked back into his own class, the teacher did a double take and busted Alek. I believe it was an attempt at an April Fool’s joke – so no long-term punishment was doled out.
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02.21.11
By Deanna Williams, Lower Schools Director
The Progress Report in the Lower Schools contains a brief description of the term’s curriculum and recognition of the student’s accomplishments and strengths. Suggestions of specific ways in which the student can improve and arrive at her potential are also added to the report. The Progress Report focuses on the student’s learning, what has been achieved, what must now be addressed, and how this next step can be accomplished. It is solution-focused from beginning to end.
I like to think about this Progress Report as a piece of a larger puzzle. The grades in and of themselves report very little, but the commentary documented by each teacher is a “jumping off spot.” It is this conversation about the child that is touching, rewarding, and punctuated by ways to move the child forward. We encourage parents to read the written comments first, and then with this knowledge in place, access the points accumulated, the class median, or the skills grid of the primary age student.
Reading through each homeroom teacher’s reports is a rewarding experience for me. It is evident that the teachers know each individual child well and share insights aplenty. Encouragement, specific guidelines for effective study and organization of materials, social musings, and sometimes even comic relief are contained within the reports. One cannot read through the comments without a sense that the teacher understands your child as a learner and has an “ideal learning road map” in place. This plan will steer the student in the upcoming term.
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02.20.11
By Nancy Heuston, Head of School
The gift-giving season has continued into the new year at Waterford. As we returned from the holidays, we were informed by two Waterford parents that they wished to direct a significant gift to the Science Department. Their gift is an expression of appreciation for their children’s excitement about the world around them, and their growing knowledge of how that world works.
Eager to provide tools for the faculty they admire, this family (who has requested anonymity) met with James Harris, Science Department Chair, to understand the Department’s strategic plan for the future. The plan, which has been refined over the course of several years, is comprised of four distinct initiatives, each one taking advantage of Department members’ expertise. In combination, these initiatives form a big step forward for Science at every level of the School. Our donor family’s decision was to frame their gift so that all four initiatives could be funded.
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02.20.11
By James Harris, Science Department Chair
The mission of the Science Department is to teach students: 1) what science has discovered about our world, 2) to think as a scientist, 3) the skills of a scientist, 4) how to apply science skills and thinking to solve challenges, and, importantly, 5) the beauty of the world as seen through scientific understanding.
We are extremely appreciative of the gift to the science program as it allows us to enhance our ability to deliver the “Skills” and “Apply” elements of our mission.
Some of the exciting projects underway include:
- Expanding tools to teach molecular biology and biochemistry. These are burgeoning fields that touch all of our lives, and universities are very eager to work with students who arrive knowledgeable in related content and skills. We are updating and expanding our equipment so that Waterford students can use modern tools and techniques to explore DNA and proteins. Watch for expanded opportunities for our oldest students and more integration of tools and techniques in our Class VIII-IX curriculum. Summer courses will be offered starting in 2012.
- Establishment of a long-term ecological study in the Little Cottonwood Canyon Watershed. Proximity to this diverse and beautiful resource allows students, with the correct tools, to gather data for various class-based and independent projects. Expansion of the school Arboretum combined with procurement of field study cameras, binoculars, and sensors will allow MS and US students to work on campus in preparation for canyon-based projects related to geology, native plants, and water quality. LS Science faculty look forward to having additional dedicated outdoor teaching space which will be enhanced with work tables and a weather station.
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02.15.11
SALT LAKE CITY, February 5, 2011 — More than 160 Waterford School parents, friends, faculty and alumni gathered on Saturday, February 5, at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, to raise funds for the school’s scholarship program. “Touch The Life of One, Reach The Lives of Many” was the evening’s theme and $115,000 was raised, including a matching grant by the I.J. and Jeanne Wagner Charitable Foundation.
Attendees enjoyed a student art exhibition, and a serenade by the Waterford Upper School Chamber Octet and Upper School Choir. The highlight of the evening was a speech by the Honorable Dustin Pead, appearing in a private capacity. Pead is a former Waterford scholarship recipient, who has served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the State of Utah and now serves as Immigration Judge for the State of Utah.
Judge Pead expressed his gratitude for the benefactors that made his Waterford scholarship a possibility and said, “I have often reflected on my time at Waterford during my career. And, I have often wondered what role Waterford has played in my becoming what I am today. I think the role of my school was among the most critical in my life.”
The Waterford School’s scholarship program began in 1994, when the faculty joined together to fund the first Upper School student scholarship. Since that time, the scholarship fund has steadily grown with parent, faculty, alumni and corporate support. In 2010-11, 59 Waterford students will benefit from full and partial scholarships.
The Waterford School is a private liberal arts, college-preparatory school located in Sandy, Utah, for students in preschool through grade 12.
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Contact:
Cheri Beck
Marketing Communications
The Waterford School
801-816-2275
801-631-8716 cell
cheribeck@waterfordschool.org
www.waterfordschool.org
02.22.11
A selection of recent images from our community:
LS Students received a “WOW” day for their great work in the Ripple Effect Challenge. Photo: Andrea Reynolds
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