Teacher Appreciation Week-  this week!!

May 7 - 18 · Advanced Placement Exams (Upper School students)

Tuesday May 8, 15, 22 · Join us in the gardens on Tuesdays in May. Stop by anytime 3:30 - 5:30 pm. Learn about how you can contribute. A Roycemore that gardens together, grows together.

Wednesday, May 9
5:00pm · Yoga · Free restorative yoga class in the library

Thursday, May 10
5:30 - 7:00 pm · Lower School Sleep Under · bring your favorite stuffed animal to school and join us to watch "Boss Baby" with our friends. Pizza is included for all attendees!!!  Let's get together and enjoy one another's company at the close of the year! Parents will get to spend time together in the library while the children watch "Boss Baby"! 

Saturday, May 19
YEA Festival · Each year Roycemore participated in the Young Evanston Artists festival. Every art student, schoolwide, will have artwork displayed from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm in Raymond Park, at the intersection of Lake and Chicago Ave. Come see this year’s amazing Roycemore artwork!

Tuesday, May 22
8:30 am · Admissions Morning at Roycemore

Sunday, June 17
RACE AGAINST HATE— Roycemore will again be participating in the YWCA's Race Against Hate. There are four different race options to choose from: a timed 5K and 10k, a 5K walk, and a Youth/Family 1 Mile. To join the Roycemore Team, click here: Race Against Hate Team Roycemore. For more information, click here Race Against Hate or contact team captains: Annette O'Donnell [email protected] or Darcy Aksamitowski daksamitowski@roycemoreschool.org.

Trailblazers!

“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last week in this column I wrote about Roycemore alumna Betty Goerke, class of 1948, a Griffin Trailblazer, and shared that in the coming weeks we will be featuring other Griffin trailblazers that are leveraging their Roycemore experience and education to make an impact in a variety of ways.

This week I share with you two remarkable trailblazers, Alanis Gonzales ‘18, a member of our senior class, and Brandon Scott ‘16, an alumnus who graduated from Roycemore two years ago. Alanis and Brandon each spoke at last week’s Roycemore scholarship fundraiser, A Night to Remember. I am sure I speak for many individuals who were in attendance, that it WAS a night to remember, in part because of the inspirational and heart-felt stories that Alanis and Brandon shared with everyone in attendance. To read their remarks, click here for Alanis, and click here for Brandon.

I first met Alanis Gonzales last summer when she came to see me as the new Head of School with an interesting request…she wanted to collect dust at Roycemore during her senior year! I am certain this was a first! This was inspired by her January Short Term project last year where she collaborated with a soil ecologist at DePaul University who does research on urban soil systems, especially rooftop gardens. Like any garden, these need many components some of which are delivered as dust: Pollen and fungal spores. So the next thing I knew, we partnered up with our head of maintenance, Ziggy, to go up to the roof to see where she might be able to install a dust collector!

As I got to know Alanis, I realized what a remarkable person she is. She is a scientist, a gifted musician, and a deep thinker. She has been a wonderful contributor on our Diversity and Inclusion Task Force. Like the mythical Griffin, she is courageous and bold. Well, we aren’t the only ones who have been impressed with this young lady— Grinnell College has realized what a special person she is and has offered her a full scholarship— this was her first choice school! We are fortunate to have Alanis as a member of our senior class and soon to join Brandon Scott as an alumnus of Roycemore.

Brandon Scott started attending Roycemore in 5th grade and went from Middle School mischief maker, to student body president—Class of 2016. Brandon’s combination of intelligence and strength— also notable qualities of Griffins, allowed him to persevere even when family resources were so tight that dinner consisted of mostly Uncle Ben’s rice. Brandon overcame significant life obstacles but the fires inside him burn hotter than those outside and he has grabbed every opportunity to pursue his dreams. One of his missions in life - is to make everywhere he goes, a place where everyone feels included. Brandon is currently a Sophomore at Northwestern University where his studies revolve around a unique combination of Neuroscience, Education, and Theatre— certainly a pioneering combination!

Trailblazers are individuals who are innovators and pioneers. They are people who can find paths through unexplored territory— who show others that what they have accomplished is possible for them too! Roycemore is proud to have trailblazers like Alanis and Brandon in our community.

We are hosting an admissions event for prospective parents on Tuesday, May 22 at 8:30 am. This event is intimate and informal, and guests will have the opportunity to speak with administrators, teachers and current parents, and to see the classes in action.

If you know of any families that might be interested in learning more about our school, please encourage them to attend! They can register here.

If that date doesn’t work, they can reach out to Amanda Avery, Director of Admissions at [email protected] to schedule an alternate date to visit.

Summer Programs at Roycemore are offered for students as young as three and as old as 18. Dates run from June 11th - August 10th. As you are planning your student’s summer activities, be sure to check out the options at Roycemore. A wide variety is offered such as Inspiration Factory— for students entering Junior Kindergarten (age 4 as of Sept. 1) through Grade 4, who are gifted, talented or highly motivated in academics and creativity, runs June 11th - July 20th. 

Several new opportunities have recently been added:

• Citizen Science
• Life Hacks for the College-Bound
• Little Chefs and Manners Class
• Sprout Camp
• Studio Art

We are happy to share with you that this year we will welcome Guatemalan students to campus through the Faces and Our Cultures Program. These young participants spend nearly two months living with a host family while attending classes and participating in extracurricular activities at school. The program has led to wonderful friendships and provides our students and our Guatemalan guests with valuable cultural experiences.
In order to participate in the Faces Program, Guatemalan students apply to be Cultural Ambassadors of their country and are carefully selected by the Faces & Our Cultures Team. They go through a preparation process during the year and also prepare cultural projects to share with their host family and school.
This fall, our young cultural ambassadors will arrive October 16th, stay with their host families and join our school community for the following 7.5 weeks, and depart December 9th.

If you are interested in hosting a student, and participate in this life enriching experience, you can contact Adrianne Finley Odell at [email protected] or contact Gaby Padilla, State Coordinator, at [email protected].
US host students also have the opportunity to participate in a Cultural Exchange Experience in Guatemala during the summer (optional program). This experience can be customized from 2 up to 4 weeks.

The Evanston Children's Choir invites all to its free multicultural Spring Concert on May 20th, 2018! They warmly welcome the students and families from Roycemore School to attend. Families are encouraged to contact them about joining the ECC. Early registration is now open for Fall 2018, with programs for all ages— adults too! As always, nobody is ever turned away for lack of ability to pay.

Roycemore School is planning to have a float in the Evanston Fourth of July parade this year. If you are interested in participating in the making of the float, we will be building it at school the week of June 25th. We are in search of a flat bed truck/ trailer for the float, volunteers to build, and volunteers to participate in the parade. The parade starts at 2:00 pm on July 4th and is over around 4:00 pm, when we will relocate to Roycemore for a community picnic / barbeque. Following the picnic / barbeque, a group will walk down to the waterfront to enjoy the Palatine Band followed by fireworks. Please email Adrianne Finley Odell to let her know if you have a truck or flatbed, went to participate in float building, participate in the parade, and / or participate in the picnic / barbeque at Roycemore following the parade.

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