Baccalaureate on the Near Horizon |
|
|
|
|
Baccalaureate, the Upper School awards ceremony, will take place next Friday, June 11, at 5:00 p.m. over Zoom. This ceremony recognizes the outstanding performance and contributions of students in Grades 9–11 and will feature remarks from Student Council President Ryan Hinshaw and National Honor Society representative Maya Shore. Graduating seniors will be recognized during Commencement. Please join us to celebrate the accomplishments of our students! Baccalaureate Zoom link
|
|
|
|
Note: Commencement is Sunday, June 13, at 2:00 p.m. and will be livestreamed via YouTube; the link is forthcoming.
|
|
|
|
Your Weekly Reminder to . . . Be Sure to Mark Your Calendars!
|
|
|
Engineering Is Elementary! |
|
|
|
Thanks to a generous donation from the Parents’ Association, Kindergarten was able to take advantage of the (Boston) Museum of Science’s “Engineering is Elementary” curriculum. The program served to spark their curiosity and unlock their creativity while putting them on a problem-solving path! And as the Kindergarteners tried different solutions to a STEM challenge guided by the Engineering Design Process, they developed collaboration, communication, and critical-thinking skills. In this unit (depicted in the gallery of images), the students were challenged to protect a fictional dog from getting too warm in the sunlight. They are learning about concepts related to the warming effects of the sun; light and shadow; and animals and animal needs, as they engineer a shady shelter roof. (And just for fun: Be sure to click the photo below to see the video of these young engineers singing their engineer song. Eager to sing along? The lyrics are below!)
|
|
|
|
We are engineers.
We are engineers!
We can solve problems.
We are engineers!
Ask, Imagine, Plan,
Then we create.
Improve to make it better.
Engineers are great!
|
|
|
|
A Multifaceted Multicultural Fest Explored the “Diversity Within” |
|
|
|
|
A great deal of hard work on the part of this year’s sophomore class, Ms. Chhablani, and Ms. Rai made for a very special day at MPH on Wednesday. Many thanks to all those who volunteered to support the logistics of this endeavor, to the festival’s special guests and additional participants from other grades (and from other places!), to those engaging in the festival virtually, and to all of the student and faculty attendees who enjoyed the main show and engaged in the table visits in person. The festival proved to be a powerful means for getting to know one another in a deeper way; it served as a forum for sharing the diverse perspectives, cultures, and traditions that exist within our very own community. You can enjoy a gallery of photos from the day here.
And…if you missed out on the “in-person” lottery or even the chance to watch the livestream of the main MCF show, we happen to have a recording for you here. Despite some technical difficulties in the recording here and there, viewers will get the (important) gist!
(p.s. For those eager to know the results of the food tasting: The Malaysian chicken curry was the highest rated, with 86 percent of tasters rating it four or five stars. Peruvian Rice was a close second, followed by beef empanadas and flan. To be clear, however: everything was yummy!)
|
|
|
Inside and(or) Out: Fiddler Is a Gem . . . and Even Made the News!
|
|
|
Whether the evening during which you plan to attend ends up being outdoors “in the round” (i.e., ’round the tent in vehicular pods) or inside (also “in the round”) on chairs in the gym, the MPH production of Fiddler on the Roof (Jr.) promises to exceed your expectations. The group has had its share of rehearsals under the tent, and, as depicted in this image (capturing their first outdoor rehearsal to include tech), has become quite comfortable in that outdoor, “sunset included” setting. That said, given this past Wednesday’s threatening weather, cast and crew called those of us (employees) planning to be in attendance to their “Plan B” location — the gymnasium — a venue to which they had quickly adapted in previous days (just in case), and where one might have assumed they’d been rehearsing all along. If they in fact ever missed a beat during this late-afternoon performance, it went undetected by any of us, the appreciative (even awestruck!) audience. In a word? Awesome.
On hand for much of Wednesday’s performance (and during a few hours prior — in order to interview a few of those folks involved) was local television reporter Tim Fox of WSYR (Channel 9), who put together a piece for tonight’s news (Friday, June 4), which is scheduled to air at 5:25 p.m. (If you’re reading this in time, we hope you’ll tune in!)
Still hoping to get a (free) vehicle/pod ticket? Check for availability here!
|
|
|
Sixth Grade Is Electrifying! |
As spotted on Twitter: Ms. Foster’s sixth-grade scientists wired an increasing number of light bulbs in a parallel circuit, and using hand generators, they achieved seven lit bulbs! Click on photo to watch a short clip. |
|
|
|
|
Victor Attah ’21 is the recipient of The Gates Scholarship. Victor is one of 300 Gates Scholars named from an applicant pool of nearly 35,000 high school seniors from across the United States. In addition to covering the cost of Victor’s undergraduate education at Yale, The Gates Scholarship provides resources for developing leadership skills, preparing for professional life, and networking with other Gates Scholars and distinguished individuals. Victor will also be supported during his undergraduate years with a range of services, including mentoring, leadership development, wellness, career guidance, internships, and job opportunities. Congratulations, Victor!
|
|
|
In Case You Missed It:
MPH Global — Summer Offerings Have Expanded
|
|
|
|
If you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out MPH Global, a new-this-year virtual (spring and summer) program that promises a wide array of offerings for all age groups and interests! In addition to the Masterclass and Workshop Series (which began in April and continues on), there are a number of other summer courses being taught by experienced educators and experts from both within and without our MPH community. From the youngest among us (even kids ages 3–5 have options!) to those in Grade 12, there just might be something amid this array that appeals to your/your child’s passion, desire to improve, and/or eagerness to learn something new… whether it’s in reading, writing, math, world languages, film, or music (instrumental and/or vocal)! Since the course catalog came out this spring, many more courses have been added — it will be worth your while to take a peek at the website and click on the appropriate grade level there (on the right) to see what piques your/your child’s interest. Feel free to share this information with friends outside of MPH as well; these offerings are open to the public too!
|
|
|
|
And the Votes Are In . . .
MPH’s 2021-22 Student Council
|
Announcing the 2021-2022 Upper School Student Council!
President: Arman Nizam
Vice President: Ava Benedict
Senior Class of 2022 Representatives: Jacob Aretsky, Andrew Comprix, Ryan Kinane
Junior Class of 2023 Representatives: JJ Braverman, Neha Chhablani, Elise Harshbarger
Sophomore Class of 2024 Representatives: Asriel Anderson, Nathan Rubin, Ayden Whitted
Freshman Class of 2025 Representatives: Alexa Rose Battaglia, Dashiell Goode, Jasper Kyle
Thank you to this year’s (2020-2021) Student Council for its tremendous leadership during such an unusual school year; thank you (in advance) to this newly elected group for seizing the service opportunities that lie ahead; and thank you to all students who summoned the courage to run for a seat on the Council. There are many, many ways in which to serve MPH and the broader community, and we hope you will continue to step forward and model for others this willingness to serve.
|
|
|
Art Show Brings MPH Community Together |
|
|
|
Last Thursday, we gathered. That’s right. We gathered on campus — safely! — to celebrate the work of our students. Our children. And the respective inner artist of each. Applause and gratitude are due to our visual arts faculty Ms. Henderson and Ms. Fordman for imagining a way to bring us together so thoughtfully and creatively (and again, safely) to support these developing artists and view their diverse pieces and projects. And thank you to the many volunteers who helped to execute the “big idea” via all of their temperature taking, DHA collecting, staggered-entrance implementation, and general safety supervision!
And finally: Kudos to the students themselves, of course! “Wow” doesn’t quite do this affair justice. As someone who experienced the show firsthand, I truly felt as though I was walking through an art museum, with every nook and cranny of our main building projecting creativity. And as much as the work itself inspired me, so did the feeling of our being safely “gathered” as a community to share the same visual (and, I would argue, emotional!) experience. I, for one, could not stop smiling all evening. Click here to see a full gallery of viewers taking in…well…a full gallery!
|
|
|
|
Club de Español “Visits” Museum and Elects New Officers |
|
|
Profesor Ruiz joined the Spanish Club virtually once again to give them a presentation about El Museo del Prado. He talked about great painters like Velazquez, El Greco, Van der Weyden, El Bosco, Ribera, and Pradilla. Profesor Ruiz also discussed the light, depth, composition, background, and culture of the paintings and gave a detailed explanation of “Las Meninas” by Velazquez, an interesting painting with lots of different aspects for discussion. In turn, Spanish Club members shared with Profesor Ruiz their experience with the MPH Art Show. This made for a great combination of related topics for conversation. |
|
|
|
As the year comes to a close, Spanish Club would like to say “¡Felicidades!” (Congratulations) to next year’s officers:
President — Parmees Fazeli
Vice-president — Elise Harshbarger
Secretary — Jay Hoke
Public Relations — Nick Trivelpiece
|
|
|
|
Club de Español would also like to wish everyone a great summer: Felices vacaciones!
|
|
|
|
If you happened to miss both chances (matinee/evening) to watch the 21st Annual Repertory Dance Concert, you have another shot to view these performances, at your leisure, and we highly recommend you take advantage! Like our visual artists, our performing artists continue to impress by leaning in to these strange times and making the most of unusual circumstances through innovation. Our dancers seemed undeterred by a mask requirement, and their creativity reveals itself on stage. Thank you to Ms. Koziara and Ms. Dwyer for bringing the dance concert to life on our screens; thank you to alum Lydia Kelly ’17 for choreographing the closing three-movement disco piece; and thank you to all of our courageous and talented dancers for (figuratively — and, in many moments, quite literally!) leaning in!
You can enjoy a recording of the matinee performance here.
|
And, if you are specifically seeking the evening performance, please be in touch with Ms. Koziara, who extends appreciation for your patience.
|
|
|
Important Reminder from the Health Office |
An ongoing gentle reminder, in case you missed it in the last few editions of Snapshot: Please schedule your student’s yearly physical and necessary vaccinations now to avoid a mad dash in August and September. New students in all grade levels, and current students who will be entering Grades K, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, are required by New York State to have a physical on file in the Health Office two weeks before the start of school. There are also specific vaccinations required for Grades K, 6, 7, and 12. Please communicate with your child’s health care provider or school nurse if you have any questions about what is due or whether your child will need a physical. Thank you!
|
|
|
Just for Fun:
Indigenous Folk Dance from the Philippines
|
|
|
For a smile, we hope you’ll take a moment to enjoy these third graders, who’ve been captured here learning the Maglalatik dance in their performing arts class! |
|
|
|
|
|
