Ben's Page

Everyone knows that Quint 4 is consistently – shockingly – action-packed, so I am more than a little embarrassed by the fact that I was surprised by it. Again. And, this year, we had only 6 weeks to pack everything in. Among many other events, Quint 4 this year saw:

·        Many visitors from all over the world to our school during the week of the National Business Officers Association and the National Association of Independent Schools Conferences;

·        Many more visitors to our school on the Saturday after NAIS for the first ever “EdCamp Independent Schools”, a professional development “unconference” for teachers that we hope will become an annual fixture following the NAIS conference;

·        The last, month-long visit of students from Kamimura Gakuen in Japan;

·        The 9th grade snow-tubing trip;

·        A 10th grade movie night;

·        An Upper School Parent Coffee;

·        A Parent Forum with the Peer Mentors;

·        Grandparents and Special Friends Day;

·        A school-wide earthquake simulation drill;

·        Two “College Coffees” with more than 30 parents attending to hear more about the college search process and our approach to it;

·        Some 50 students attending the National Conference on Education for the Ceramic Arts with Randy Silver;

·        Jazz in the Club;

·        International Night Market;

·        A scouting trip for Migrant 11^th grade Farmworker trip;

·        The Outdoor Program’s Olympic Coast Backpacking trip (18 students);

·        A choir concert;

·        The Law and Society Class annual Mock Trial;

·        ArtsFest, and the ArtsFest Gala;

·        The school’s 16^th trip to Spain with Daniel, Lisa, and Suzanne (20 students);

·        Our second trip to Cambodia with Cecilia, Rod, and Scott (20 students);

·        Our second trip to both Taiwan and China with Ben, Daren, and Tina (19 students);

           

Somewhere in there, we also conducted the Upper School Admissions retreat, spending three full days presenting and considering every single applicant to the Upper School. We invited a lot of great kids we’re excited about welcoming to our community. Next year, we expect to have a “normal” sized 9th grade of between 65-72 domestic students and 15-18 international students for a 9^th grade class of between 80-90 students.

 

All of this activity is exhausting, but completely inspiring! Thanks to all our community members who played roles in the 6-week whirlwind of Quint 4.

Upper School Director