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Branson's Annual Clubs Fair!
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Parents' Day Is This Saturday!
We are excited to host all our families at Parents’ Day on Saturday, September 23, beginning at 8:30 am. After a continental breakfast and an assembly, you’ll follow your child’s schedule and attend classes. This special event is a highlight of the school year. We regret that, because of space limitations, we cannot extend invitations to students or younger siblings.
Parking will be tight. We are asking families to carpool whenever possible and have retained a valet service to direct parents to designated parking areas on campus.
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Arts Volunteer Appreciation Lunch after Parents' Day
The Arts Faculty invite all new, interested, and veteran arts volunteers for Branson Arts Council (BAC) to join us for a casual introduction at 12:30 pm on the Douglas Arts Center lawn
f
ollowing the Parent’s Day program on Saturday, September 23
. We will introduce the faculty and current BAC members and give a brief overview of opportunities for you to support our student artists and performers. Light fare and refreshments will be provided.
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SEPTEMBER 23 - Parents' Day
8:30 am start at The Commons
SEPTEMBER 23 - Branson Arts Council Luncheon (for new and returning members)
12:30 pm, Douglas Arts Center Lawn
SEPTEMBER 25 - Families of Color Fall Event
6:30 - 8 pm, The Commons
SEPTEMBER 27 - Photo Day
SEPTEMBER 30 - Garden Workday
9 am - 1 pm, The Branson Garden
OCTOBER 2 - Teacher Work Day, No School
OCTOBER 10 - Parents' Association Meeting
Coffee/light fare/Hospitality from 8:30 am to 9:00 am
PA meeting from 9:00 am to 10:15 am.
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Sustainable Seas Offers Experience as Citizen Scientists
On Sunday, September 10, 28 students participated in the fun/practice monitoring at Duxbury Reef in Bolinas as part of the Sustainable Seas program. Branson is the only high school that has been monitoring and recording data ongoing at Duxbury in Bolinas for the past 14 years! This data is entered into the LiMPETS database, a statewide program that monitors the coastal ecosystems of California’s national marine sanctuaries, and participating students experience what it means to be citizen scientists.
The first official monitoring will be Sunday, October 21 from 5 to 8 pm. Sustainable Seas director
Kathy Soave
says, “We hold only three monitoring events per year, so we need and welcome the commitment from all members -- join us!!”
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Partnering with One Tam to Save the Bees
Your Branson PA Community Engagement Committee is working to schedule opportunities for families to engage with our neighbors (Community Engagement theme for the year). We're kicking off the new school year with a very unique opportunity with One Tam to participate in research to save the bees. We will be sorting insects collected from traps on Mt. Tam to separate out (no longer living/stinging) bees and prepare them to be sent to entomologists.
http://onetam.org/community-science-bee-pinning-party-0
The event is Saturday, October 14 from 9 am to 12 pm in Corte Madera. Siblings ages 13 and up are welcome to join us. Please contact
Evelyn Sayers
by September 30 to sign up, as space is limited.
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Conversing with the Author in Short Story Class
On Tuesday,
Renee Donovan's
Short Story class had a great Skype conversation with Adam Johnson, whose story "Fortune Smiles" they read for class. Adam is the author of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize winning novel,
The Orphan Master's Son
, and the 2015 National Book Award winning collection of short stories,
Fortune Smiles
. Following a class discussion of symbolism, narrative structure, and perspective in his story "Fortune Smiles," students asked Adam about his writing process and how he incorporated the elements of craft and style that they have been studying.
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Giles Scott Published on The Millions Website
English Teacher
Giles Scott
had an essay about teaching reading to high school students published on
The Millions
website.
The Millions
is an online magazine offering coverage on books, arts, and culture since 2003. An excerpt:
"But in a high-school English class, the skill of reading as an intimate, assertive thing stands as the thing I’m more interested in—the premise being that if reading were less of a spectator sport maybe we’d inhabit a world better informed, more critical—and critical in a reflective rather than a reactive sense—a world shaped more collectively by thoughtfulness, by magnanimity."
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What I did this summer ...
Jeff Symonds
"This summer, I spent a week at NYU participating in the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation's summer institute. The Foundation is writing excellent curriculum for high school humanities classes that explain rock music's place and role in important cultural moments. Branson will be hosting a regional meeting for the group this coming February, and people interested should check out their excellent website at teach
rock.org
."
Allyson Seal
Allyson Seal
took an online course with Flora Bowley about fostering a sketchbook practice this summer. "The workshop offered up inventive ways for students to experiment with ideas, color, line, and other elements in new and evocative ways," said Allyson.
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Wanted: A Few Good Dads
Attention Junior and Senior Dads!
The admissions team is looking for a few dads who would like to volunteer in a number of ways, including speaking with prospective parents, leading tours, making calls, and more. If you would like more details on how you can help, please email
Nathalio Gray.
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Branson Ocean Breeze Hike
At last year's Bash, participants were able to sign up for a spot on the Branson Ocean Breeze Hike as part of the event's fundraising for financial aid.
On September 15, 18 Branson moms participated in the Dipsea hike and lunch to Stinson Beach with
Hike Leaders: Ulrike Koehne, Erin Hansen, Deborah Devincenti, Liz Hume, Julie Carlucci and Evelyn Sayers.
It was a beautiful day, fun for all! Watch for your chance to sign up at this year's Branson Bash.
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Branson at the Giants Game
Friday night was a fun one, despite
the Giants loss to the Diamondbacks. The Alumni Council has hosted a Branson Giants game event for five years in a row. This year it was opened up to others in the community, and became a really great mix of alumni, faculty, their families, and a few students as well!
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Next PA Meeting is October 10
Don't miss it!
Please join us at the Parents' Association (PA) Meeting on October 10 in the Old Dining Hall. From 8:30 am to 9:00 am coffee and a light breakfast will be served for parents to socialize; the meeting will start promptly at 9:00 am and will end on or before 10:15 am. Meredith Herrera, Dean of Student Life and Inclusion and Senior Class Dean will be our guest speaker. We will be webcasting the meeting and will send out instructions on how to access the event beforehand. We look forward to seeing many of you there!
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Be The Influence (BTI) Newsletter
You will hear more about BTI Marin/San Francisco at Parents' Day. We are fortunate to be connected with this organization and its excellent educational resources. They publish monthly calendars that we can share with our families. See September's at right.
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Photos by Junior
Cynthia Wu
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Alex Le '19
won the boys race outright.
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Grace Dailey '18 & Callie Jones '19
tied for first place intentionally.
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Silver & Gold, Silver & Gold
Junior
Alex Le
did for the Branson boys cross country team as last winter and spring’s frequent storms did for the state as a whole: he broke the drought. Alex won Tuesday September 19’s race, hosted by San Marin at O’Hair Park. A Branson boy hadn’t won a cross country race outright since Columbia-bound
Steven Iglehart ’09
did so on November 22, 2008 (Steven won the NCS championship meet at Hayward High School that day). “Alex made it rain, I made it pour,” cracked Le’s classmate,
Daniel Prendergast
, who finished second overall in the 76-runner event. Branson hadn’t had a guys duo go 1-2 since the early aughts. “It’s about darned time,” muttered assistant coach
Will Kennedy ’03
after the race. Senior
James Maxwell
turned in what coaches hope is a breakthrough performance, and junior
Sam Modlin
improved greatly upon his previous ’17 efforts.
Branson also took top honors in the girls race with senior
Grace Dailey
and junior
Callie Jones
crossing the line together in yet another intentional tie for first. Frosh phenom
Caitlin Evers
turned in an outstanding top-five performance, and juniors
Brigid Rasmussen
and
Anna Weisel
and senior
Nye Day
all helped the Bulls take six of the top ten places in the 57-participant race. Branson easily defeated San Marin and Terra Linda.
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Girls cross country team with coaches
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8-Man Football – Branson 70 – Roseland 6
The Bulls scored on every single position they had to log another big victory last Saturday in Santa Rosa during their second game of the season. Scoring credit was widely shared: All in, QB
Alec Ritch,
with continued great pass protection by the offensive line, threw seven TD passes, ran in another two, and completed four two-point conversions.
Aidan Demian, Brett Schneider, Niklas Koehne,
and
Nicholas Hariri
each scored a touchdown;
Kwentyn Wiggins
scored another three; and
Andrew Ashley
completed the sweep, scoring the final touchdown on a punt return. Critical defense included Roseland fumble recoveries by
Hariri
and
Oliver Jacobs,
a sack and a block by
Will Morris
and several key tackles by
Rich Bollini
. Victory was further assured with additional strong tackling by Ashley, Jacobs, Hariri, Schneider,
Weston Terrell, Will Vostrejs
, and
Charlie Goldstein
.
Come cheer for the Bulls! First home game is Thursday, September 28, 3:30 pm against Calistoga.
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G
irls Golf Battles at Back-to-Back Matches
The Lady Bulls endured a tough back-to-back this week, taking their sticks to Peacock Gap Golf Course for two league matches. As these #sensationalsix do, they persevered and notched solid rounds from everyone! Great job golfers! Go Bulls!
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Branson Girls Take Care Of Business And T.L.
The Branson girls tennis team started off a blistering week of matches with a nice road win at Terra Linda High School. Giving some members a rest always provides great opportunities for the newer players.
Emma Hirschkop
, playing at #1 singles rolled over her opponent 6-0, 6-0. #2
Ella Ratliff
equaled that with another 6-0,6-0 decision. #3
Clia Ellwein
posted a 6-3, 6-1 match. #4 singles,
Emily Wells,
coasted to a 6-2,6-2 win while #5,
Scarlett Bach
, added some singles experience with a nice 6-1, 6-4 exhibition. Rounding out the singles at #6,
Olivia Rosenlund
only got to 2-0 before her opposite had to withdraw.
Caroline Ritter & Lillie Lippman
teamed up at #1 doubles to have an interesting match which resulted in a 7-5, 6-3 outcome. At #2,
Kate Lardner
and
Grace Herbst
cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 finish. The #3 dubs of
Alana Talley & Katie Sayers
drew the challenge of the match in a 1-6, 6-3 split set and 5-10 loss in the STB (super tie-breaker).
Branson 8, T.L. 1. Two more matches this week.
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Branson Girls Lose a Nail-Biter to Lick-Wilmerding
It was a rare visit to a unique venue that resulted in one of the more exciting matches the Branson girls tennis team has had in a long while. Lick-Wilmerding is a private high school in San Francisco founded in 1895. It currently has 498 students and features an excellent academic reputation as well as one tough tennis team. In fact the tennis culture at Lick is so deep that it also has a junior varsity tennis team! It was also a small reunion for several girls on both teams who knew each other from elementary schools in SF…especially Burke’s.
Lick plays its home matches at the City College of San Francisco’s tennis courts. Surprisingly, it was one of the best facilities Branson has played on in years. Unlike the usual five or six courts in a row with absolutely no regard for the spectators, CCSF’s courts are grouped in “threes” with ample bleachers at the end of each row. Two more courts are also designed with audience seating. Plus if you want to watch a match up close and personal you can stand by the gates to the courts. Nice to see some architects understood that tennis is a spectator sport.
#1 singles
Alise Pedersen
and #2
Emma Hirschknop
set the stage right away. Watching the first two games of each match let everyone know this was going to be a slugfest. Alise had a top-ranked opponent and both of them just wailed on the balls. Laser serves, pounding forehands, and power backhands sent the fans into “OOOHS” and “AAAHHHHs.” And it was refreshing to have a knowledgable audience vocalize their respect for the high quality of tennis. Alise lost the first set in a tie-breaker 6-7 and then succumbed 0-6. Emma also put up a fight but her foe was the sister of Lick’s #1 and lost 0-6, 2-6. Lick’s dominant duo.
Chelsea Wong
at #3 singles also took a tumble in losing the first set 3-6, winning the second 6-4 and then losing in the dreaded STB (super tie-breaker) 5-10. Strong work, nevertheless.
For sheer fun, the fans got a real show from #1 doubles
Abby Ivancevich &
Emily Wells
both of whom featured some serious athleticism in running down impossible shots and turning them into winners. But, alas, to no avail, as they went down fighting at 3-6, 6-1 and yes, another STB at 6-10. #2 dubs
Scarlett Bach & Olivia Rosenlund
also played well and hard but came up short at 4-6, 3-6. Yikes! Were the Branson Lady Bulls going to get “bageled?”
No way. #4 singles
Ella Ratliff
calmly (or so it seemed) dispatched her opponent 6-1, 6-1. #5
Clia Ellwein
again put on on a steady, deliberate show to finish 6-2, 6-3, and #6
Elli Diaz
handled her opposite 6-2, 6-2.
Branson’s #3 doubles combo of
Caroline Ritter and Sedona Ward
won with Sedona wielding a nasty backhand for a 6-4, 6-3 decision. Then came the #4 doubles of
Alana Talley & Kate Lardner
who put on a rousing and entertaining match to prevail at 2-6, 6-3 and 10-3 in the STB. Branson 5, Lick 5…with one match to go.
With dusk fast descending, tension in the air rising, and visions of dinner percolating, the spectators gathered at one court where the #5 doubles team of
Katie Sayers & Stella Wong
prolonged the suspense as much as possible with a fine match…just to show how much depth each school had in its program..but eventually bowed at 4-6, 6-4 and 6-10 in the (yet again) STB.
One of the best matches in recent memory…and the girls needed it to prepare for the third match this week against the perennial powerhouse, Tamalpais High. Go Bulls!
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Bulls Beat Tam 3-0
Fresh off their championship win in the 2017 Cougar Challenge Varsity Volleyball Challenge, where the
Marin Independent Journal
named junior
Amelia Browne
Prep of the Week for her 53 kills 50 digs performance, the Bulls traveled to Tamalpais High School to take on the Hawks. Despite their 1-3 record, the Hawks put up a valiant effort, and made our varsity team work for every point. It was truly a team effort, with all players making great contributions to a 25-16, 25-13, 25-15 straight set win.
Varsity Fells Redwood in Five Set Thriller
Anyone who was in the Branson gym last Friday knows how loud a packed Branson gym can get, and the Branson student body again showed up in force to raise the roof even higher as the Bulls took on another nemesis, Redwood High School. The crowd saw the girls stumble early in the first set, and found their footing a little too late to catch the Giants, losing the first set 19-25.
The Bulls started off the second set with back-to-back kills by sophomore
Mallory Harrington-Fei
, and they never looked back, winning 25-16. The 25-21 third set was more of the same, proving why junior
Amelia Browne
(18 kills 14 digs for the match) and sophomore
Sophie Swett
(19 kills 12 digs) are one of the best hitting duos in MCAL.
However, the fourth set saw the Giants battle back and take it 17-25.
The Branson Bull made an appearance on court between sets, pumping up the crowd even more. The Bulls responded and jumped to a 9-7 lead, but the Giants clawed back in with four unanswered points. Under the leadership of senior
Amy Wentzel
(49 assists 13 digs), the girls were able to regain the momentum and stage a comeback, with a strong defensive performance led by junior
Lauren Winters
(14 digs).
Lady Bulls Defeat Justin-Siena 3-1
Fielding a team of only nine players, the Lady Bulls traveled to Napa to take on the Justin-Siena Braves. As seems the norm for the team this year, the girls started slow, with an error- prone first set loss 14-25.
The second set saw the Bulls defense firm up, with early blocks in the set from senior
Amy Wentze
l (43 assists) and sophomore
Kelsey Polhemus
, and great defensive work by junior
Amelia Browne
(14 kills 15 digs). The offense picked up as well, with sophomore
Abby Stover
serving seven points in a row with multiple aces. Sophomore
Avery Arcuri
served the last point for a second set win 25-18.
The Bulls raced off to a quick start in the third set, 8-1, and never looked back. Sophomore
Sophie Swett
(18 kills 10 digs) and sophomore
Maya Roberts-Burbank
continued the offensive onslaught, and junior
Lauren Winters
provided a clinic on defensive work, rattling the Braves for a 25-12 win.
With their bench frantically cheering them on, the Braves made a last stand at the beginning of the fourth set, jumping to a 13-18 lead, but the Bulls charged back. As Abby put together another string of serves, sophomore
Mallory Harrington-Fei
had her own string of kills and blocks that caught the Braves off guard and tied the set 18-18. With the wind at their backs, the Bulls were able to close out the set on a Kelsey kill, 25-22, and win the match.
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Post Office Box 887 Ross, California 94957
(415) 454-3612 • www.branson.org
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