RedBlog

Jean Waller Brune

While we may wish to see only what is good and right in our world, we actually know that both the ugly and the beautiful co-exist in our world and are often inextricably intertwined.  We witnessed both, juxtaposed, at the Boston Marathon. The media coverage was poignant, troubling and yet, often, hopeful. Our indomitable human spirit, alive and well in Boston reflects Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s statement:  Only in the darkness can you see the stars. And, we saw true stars in the many first responders, police and FBI agents on the scene, as well as among ordinary citizens who acted with extraordinary valor and compassion to aid the injured and support the efforts of  law enforcement. The annual Upper School Penny Drive has just concluded, and the students have requested that the funds, as yet uncounted, go to Boston Relief to aid those affected by the Boston Marathon bombings.

I believe that without darkness it is impossible to see the stars clearly or to anticipate the promise of the new dawn. And, in the resiliency that comes with putting the ugly into perspective, lies the strength of each individual. We teach our students the importance of a cooperative, resilient spirit; a tenet of the School philosophy, and I am proud of the many ways this is achieved, especially at this time in the academic year. Just as the star magnolia’s stunning blooms grace the entrance to the Harris Center, our students are also blooming brilliantly.

I am pleased to tell you that senior and student government president Martha Isaacs has been named a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she will enroll this coming fall. The Morehead-Cain Scholarship is the first merit scholarship program established in the United States, founded at our nation’s first public university. Established in 1945 and inspired by the Rhodes scholarship at Oxford University, the Morehead-Cain provides an undergraduate experience without peer while providing a four-year merit scholarship. Martha is our third Morehead-Cain Scholar in the past four years; all three of our alumnae will be on the UNC campus together next fall. We know Meg VanDeusen, 2010 and Meghan Herwig, 2011 are eagerly awaiting Martha’s arrival!

The RPCS Backwoods

In the STEM Institute, 8^th Graders Hailey Morris, Marianna Salvatori and Sally Askew were named National Finalists in the 2012-2013 Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge!, sponsored by Siemens, Discovery Education and the National Science Teachers’ Association (NSTA). Middle school teams from across the country competed, and their project, Erosion Stoppers, was a response to the challenge to create sustainable, reproducible environmental improvements in their local communities. We are proud of their national recognition and know that their resilient spirit will help sustain our Backwoods for years to come.

Three other 8^th Grade teams in the Middle School competed in the Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision science competition which encourages students to imagine what technology might be like in the future. Congratulations to the following teams who received Honorable Mention: Julia Garber and Danielle Chalecki for Cancer Cell Destructor; Ariel Egbunine and Sophie Shippe for Curatio Treatment; and Mia Thomas and Lindsey Feinstein for Arth-o-Glaze. Again, RPCS lit up the national stage!

The Sinex Theater stage has been brightly lit all year long with RPCS stars, but I especially enjoy the final art exhibits, concerts and solo and group performances that mark the springtime at RPCS: all showcasing the resilient spirit of our students in a remarkable way.

The Upper School Spring Concert last week was joyous! As I listened to the vocal and instrumental music selections, I was so proud of our student’s effort and hard work. I am pleased that the Upper School Chorus was invited to perform in this year’s annual AIMS Music Festival.  The experience of performing for other area schools, as well as hearing other choruses perform, was a wonderful learning opportunity for our singers.

The Dining Room

This spring’s Upper School play, The Dining Room, featured a cast of 36 students from RPCS and Gilman playing 57 characters in 18 scenes set at a dining room table. Fourteen of the students also directed portions of the play in which the characters transform with each scene as the dining room remains the constant, gathering place. To me, the play is a metaphor for RPCS and all we stand for. Through all these years the events that close each academic year serve to mark the end of one journey of discovery for our students and set the stage for the coming year’s learning and growth.

In the classrooms, exams and final projects will soon give way to celebrations of promotion ceremonies in our Lower and Middle Schools and culminating in Commencement on June 11.  On our playing fields our teams are just beginning to compete in the spring sports playoffs.  In the arts, the Upper School Dance Concert, the Lower School Maypole and the Middle School Concert will be held in the next two weeks. And, as the seniors prepare to leave our hallways for their senior outreach projects, I am confident that they are ready to face the challenges and reap the rewards that they will find beyond our walls.

Although we must have courage to face the dark sides of life, during the spring at RPCS beauty and triumph are everywhere.

~ Jean Waller Brune, Head of School 

Amy Barrett Frew

On the day before we departed for Spring Break a celebration of sort, took place in the Dining Hall. Streamers and other decorations adorned the doors and walls and music with a strong bass beat filled the air.  Middle School students and faculty danced to music provided by 7^th Grade teacher Ellen Krich.  The magical transformation could also be found in the Schaefer Dining Room as tables were covered with colorful and delicious goodies prepared by 6^th Grade students and their families. Was this just a celebration of the upcoming spring break?

This festive occasion was a culmination of a topic that the 6^th Grade studied in their Integrated Learning course.  During the winter months, the focus of this class was the African country of Kenya.  Students read two books, Facing the Lion and 14 Cows for America and learned about the Maasai tribe.  Coincidentally, at the same time that this unit was going on, 8^th Grader Hannah Song gave her Middle School speech about a woman who has inspired her, Cricket Barrazotto, an RPCS alumna from the Class of 1971.  Cricket is the Director of God’s Economy, Inc. and has done service work in Kenya.  We were excited to welcome Cricket back to campus to speak to the 6^th Grade. She taught them some very important facts:

1. Malaria affects more people worldwide than any other disease (not kills, but affects negatively)

2. Mosquito nets are the single best prevention for malaria – they are more effective than any medications because the disease changes too rapidly for the doctors to keep up with it.

3. The nets are affordable and many nets can be purchased with small amounts of money.

4. Water is scarce in Kenya.  Girls spend their days searching for water to provide for their families.  As a result, they are unable to attend school.  Wells are needed close to where people live so that girls would not have to walk miles each day and carry heavy containers on their heads (with detrimental results to their necks) to bring water to the community.  If they did not have this chore to do, they would be able to go to school.

Cricket gave a wonderful presentation and motivated RPCS students to raise money that could be used to buy mosquito nets and help gain access to water.  With some direction from the 6^th Grade faculty, our students decided to hold a Dance-a-thon and bake sale. 6^th Graders planned, organized and publicized the event, baked lots of delectable goodies and manned the bake tables.  Money was raised from those choosing to dress down for the day, admission to the dance-a-thon, and sales of baked goods that were held during the Dance-a-thon and at Lower School and Upper School lunch.

Cricket came to the event and brought a mosquito net to show how it is used. She also enjoyed watching the students and faculty dance.   It was very heartening to see students from different classes having such a good time all together and it was a great way to send everyone off for Spring Break.  Knowing that the reason behind the fun was such a good cause only sweetened the enjoyment.  At the end of the day, $725 was raised to send to God’s Economy, Inc.  Click to see some of the dancing in action! Dance-a-thon

~ Amy Barrett Frew, 1972, Middle School Math

As you all know, I have brought a dog with me to RPCS since the summer of 1992.  I had my dog Tarby with me during that first summer, but I hadn’t planned on bringing her during the academic year; however, Rita Beyer, 1994, then editor of our Red & White, wrote a compelling editorial that led me to a new tradition – a dog in my office!  Tarby lived to be 16, and she was then followed by Parker – known to many current RPCS students and families. Parker was the feature of some “Back to School” Convocation skits and senior videos!  She even had one or two cameo appearances in school main stage productions.  As she aged, she was no longer able to come to RPCS on a daily basis, but then Penny took up residency in my office.  Many of you and your daughters continue to ask about Parker, so I want you to know that that I had to put Parker peacefully to sleep two weeks ago. Parker, who lived to be 17, was a wonderful pet and a fun companion to have at RPCS. When she could no longer roam our RPCS hallways she dreamed from home about all the Lower School cupcakes, Middle School snacks and Upper School lunches that she found!  She knew the School schedule so well that she was always in the right spot at the right time for a culinary treat! My vet told me that I must be doing something right to have had two dogs live to such a ripe old age, but I know that it is the caring RPCS community that made my dogs’ lives so much richer and longer!  Hopefully, Penny will continue the tradition of longevity in her attendance at RPCS!

I have dedicated my life’s work to the education of young people because I believe deeply in these words by Confucius: If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees. If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children. If the girls and young women in our care are to rise to the challenges they may one day face, they need an educational experience with a firm foundation in academics: one that continues to be relevant and forward- thinking. An Education Above at RPCS develops resilience, intellectual curiosity, creativity, and a strong sense of purpose. All of these are hallmarks of an RPCS education, but they are needed more than ever as our world view continues to insist on a global perspective. Our international boarding program is the most recent in a series of RPCS global connections that help expand their world view.

2012-2013 International Students

We have had international students at RPCS for many years, but 2012-2013 is the first year that we have enrolled international students as boarders.  They have been living at Notre Dame of Maryland University, in a dorm allocated to them.  Starting with 2013-2014 we want to offer senior international boarders the opportunity and privilege to experience a homestay. This will benefit them in many ways and facilitate their immersion in our School community and enhance their understanding of American culture and language. We are looking for two host families, from any division, for 2013-2014. Ivy International, the agency we are using to implement the boarding component of our program, will provide a stipend for families who host a student from China at approximately $1000/month. Please consider this wonderful opportunity for your daughter and your family. If you are interested please, contact Eliza McLaren at mclarene@rpcs.org who is coordinating our international boarding program.

Last week I flew south to attend a conference with other Heads of School from around the country – and to totally rainy weather and a tornado watch!  I always look forward to the end of February which marks the annual conference of the National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls (NAPSG) conference. Although you know I never like to be away from RPCS for long, I do value greatly the time spent with my colleagues and my time visiting with alumnae at regional gatherings when School business takes me away from campus. This year’s conference – Leadership in the Changing Landscape of Education: Stay Put or Change – The Risks – the Costs! – was thought-provoking and stimulating. The keynote speaker talked about the importance of teaching Chinese!  Dr. Elizabeth Kiss, President of Agnes Scott College, was outstanding.  Her lecture, What Would Katniss Do, focused on ethics and the qualities needed to be a person of character and integrity in contemporary society.  I am very familiar with Katniss, the protagonist in The Hunger Games trilogy because I had read all three books at the suggestion of my granddaughters, long before the movie was even imagined. Katniss is a strong female hero who defies gender stereotypes.  When the son of one my friends read the first chapter of the book, he thought Katniss was actually a boy!  That says that gender stereotypes continue to permeate our culture. That is why our all-girls’ school has such value over and over our Education Above! Katniss is everything we educate our students to be: high achievers, introspective, honest, resourceful, independent, resilient, creative and loving. If you have not read The Hunger Games or the other books in that series, I recommend them to you and to your daughters in fifth grade or above.

Sharon Bertsch McGrayne, 1960

I am delighted that my classmate Sharon Bertsch McGrayne, 1960 will deliver the Sarah Crane Cohen Visiting Scholar in the Humanities lecture on March 20 at 7:30pm in the Sinex Theater. Sharon is the author of highly-praised books about scientific discoveries and the scientists who make them. She is interested in exploring the connection between social issues and scientific progress and in making science clear and interesting to non-specialists. Thus, her first book dealt with changing patterns of discrimination faced by leading women scientists during the 20th Century. Her latest book tells how an 18th Century approach to assessing evidence was ignored for much of the 20th Century before it permeated our modern lives. I hope you will join me for her lecture.

While I have been writing to you on this surprise springtime snow – actually pretty snowless! –  day, I have also been packing for my trip to Europe as one of the chaperones to 29 tenth graders  who currently take European History. We will explore Munich, Amsterdam and Paris as well as Bruges and World War I sites in Belgium on a tour designed especially for RPCS. What is particularly exciting about this trip is that it combines history, visual art, culture, food, music and architecture – the old and the new in four countries! Making global connections and creating global citizens begins in the Lower School at RPCS and continues into Middle and Upper School as we provide An Education Above for each of our students. Fifth graders are off to Quebec. I wonder if they will see lots of snow!

 Enjoy your spring vacation.

~ Jean Waller Brune, Head of School

Photo of Jean and Parker courtesy of the STYLE Magazine

Caroline Tucker, 2015

Sitting down at the dinner table on Monday night after coming home from our thrilling weekend in New Orleans, my mom, dad, and I all looked at each other with our sleep-deprived eyes and asked, “What just happened?” It’s hard to put into words how amazing it was to witness the Raven’s victory in Super Bowl XLVIII. The memories that my family made over the weekend are forever engrained into our minds and will be the topic of our conversations for years to come.

Because of my dad’s job with the Ravens, my family and I were fortunate enough to be able to travel with him to Super Bowl XLVIII. After years of hopeful seasons, my siblings and I were ecstatic to finally get this opportunity to experience such an exciting event for the first time. After arriving in New Orleans, I was overwhelmed by the sea of purple that surrounded me, making it clear that Ravens Nation was certainly not left in Baltimore, it had traveled with the team.

Sally Tucker, 2012, Sheldon Tucker, Andy Tucker, Caroline Tucker and Drew Tucker

I was astounded by the unity that supporting the Ravens offered. We made connections with complete strangers on the streets because we identified each other as Ravens fans through our purple hats or jackets. While walking around the French Quarter, an old woman stopped my brother because she noticed the Ravens logo on his jacket. As if it was not already obvious by her Ravens hat, purple shirt, and black and gold beads around her neck, she revealed to us that she made the trip by herself to show her support in New Orleans all the way from Baltimore even though she was not attending the game. My brother chatted with her for a while and I could not help but think about the special bond that Ravens fans have not only in Baltimore, but all over the country. To our surprise, we saw the same old women patiently waiting for players in our hotel lobby, and she was sure to greet us. I smile when I think about what her reaction must have been when the Ravens held the Lombardi trophy in victory.

To be honest, the entire game itself is a fuzzy memory. Between parading down Poydras Street to the massive Superdome to screaming obnoxiously when Beyoncé appeared in front of me, I can hardly recollect a single play of the actual game. However, what I will remember forever is racing through the Superdome in search of where the Ravens families were to go in order to run onto the field after the 49ers missed their last chance to score. I cannot think of a better group of people to be surrounded by to watch the last 4 seconds of the game. We screamed of elation and gave many hugs, but my entire family hugging my dad on the field was the best memory of all.

Superbowl Champions!

I have never experienced greater joy than what I had felt in those moments. It may sound ridiculous considering that in hindsight the Super Bowl is simply just another football game, but it was the gratification of knowing that this team had accomplished something that has been a deep struggle that made my eyes tear up. Seeing the look of pure happiness from the players and coaches, the disbelief from all the media people who predicted we would lose, and the uncontained excitement from all the fans is what made that night unforgettable.

Perhaps the most important lesson I took away from my time in New Orleans (other than to walk very quickly through Bourbon Street) is to allow absolutely nothing to set me back from achieving what I know I am capable of achieving.  It is no secret that the Ravens have overcome nearly every obstacle this season, from death to severe injury to Ray Lewis’ retirement announcement. Yet they were still the last team standing. I have already experienced extreme obstacles in my short 15 years and am well aware that there are certainly more to come. But because of the Ravens, I have renewed hope that I, too, will someday hold up my own Lombardi trophy.

~ Caroline Tucker, 2015

Jean Waller Brune, Head of School

Listening to Richard Blanco read his poem One Today at President Obama’s second Inauguration last week made me reminisce about another Inaugural poet when John F. Kennedy became President. Robert Frost had written a poem for the occasion called Dedication. I watched as he approached the microphone, but blinded by the sun’s glare on the snow-covered Capitol, he was unable to read it. Thinking quickly, he instead recited from memory The Gift Outright, a poem he had written years earlier that began:

 The land was ours before we were the land’s.
She was our land more than a hundred years
Before we were her people. She was ours.

I was a student at Middlebury College when Robert Frost came to do a poetry reading. As many of you know I treasure books signed by their authors and even in college I waited in line for a signed copy of his latest anthology.  Imagine my dismay when years later my daughter took the book to school – yes, Roland Park Country School – and “lost” it!  But memories, even more than books themselves, are what are lasting. The book may be gone, but I can read his poems in other anthologies. My image of Robert Frost autographing my book and later reading at Kennedy’s inauguration are with me forever.

Like the gift of the land in Robert Frost’s poem, Richard Blanco wrote of one sun shining on each of us and shared his message so eloquently that we are all one using familiar images from the intricate fabric of the American experience.

One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores,
peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces
of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth
across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies.

8th Grade Singers In Washington, DC

The January Inauguration of our President is a testament to the strength of our democracy, and the peaceful transfer of power is a pageantry of tradition, hope and innovation. I was delighted that our 8^th Grade Singers got to experience history during the Inaugural Weekend in Washington, DC. They sang in the adjudicated Inaugural Choral Festival hosted by Worldstrides Heritage Performance Programs, a national organization giving students an opportunity to perform for a panel of nationally-renowned adjudicators and to listen to other student musicians from all around the country.  I am sure you will be proud to learn that the 8th Grade Singers were awarded a GOLD rating. The judges had to score the ensembles 90 – 100 to earn this rating.  RPCS received 90, 90, and 91 from the three judges with some lovely written comments. In addition, the 8th Grade Singers received the Spirit Award given to only one singing group by the judges: RPCS resilient spirit once again!

RPCS students are known for spirit and during the past week I have been really impressed with a spirited group of Lower School students who are helping in the interview process of the Lower School Head finalists. Five candidates for the position have or will spend a full day on campus meeting with Administrators and the Lower School faculty and the student committee. The girls have asked thoughtful questions and our candidates have all commented on their friendly and welcoming manner, their exemplary speaking skills and their love of RPCS! I have been really touched by their genuine desire to meet each candidate and explore the candidate’s reasons for wanting to come to RPCS. I will value their input and hope to make a decision by spring break.

Blanco also mentions Newtown in the haunting line – the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won’t explain the empty desks of twenty children marked absent today, and forever. I have been reflecting on our security procedures since that incident. RPCS had a full security audit a few years ago, and there are constant on-going reviews of our security procedures.  Being a school under-one-roof is very helpful because we can also be consistent throughout the three divisions with drills.  We are able to make corrections and updates to our procedures as need in a very quick way.  Right now we are investigating the best way to install emergency call boxes outside of the building in several locations on our campus and on the pedestrian bridges. I will share more once our review of the latest emergency systems is complete.

We soft launched our new website with reenrollment for parents. I hope that in the days to come you will peruse our new site. We are excited by the long term opportunities for personal and targeted communication. Please bear with us as we learn, grow and work out some kinks with this state-of-the-art communication tool! We welcome your feedback.

RPCS continues to explore online learning as a logical next step for our innovative School. More and more colleges offer online courses and most of our seniors will complete an online course for college in the summer before they begin. Because continuing to find relevant and meaningful connections for our student’s learning is essential, RPCS joined The Online School for Girls a year ago. OSG is the first single-gender online school and the first independent online school in the world. OSG is a consortium of 80 of the best nationally and internationally known girls’ schools. As we develop our strategic vision for online learning at RPCS we will be using resources from OSG as well as Virtual High School for faculty professional development and for course selections. In the months to come you will hear more about our exploration.

 Providing An Education Above never ends at RPCS!

~Jean Waller Brune, Head of School

Tynaya Quickley

Being a Kindergarten teacher is simply wonderful.  To see our youngest students start school with enthusiasm and excitement brings me such joy.  I am privileged to watch them grow throughout their time in the Lower School, physically, academically and socially.  Yet, I often wonder if I have made an impact in their lives.  I began to wonder if there was a way I could spend time with them after they finished Kindergarten to see what impact I might make outside of the classroom.

Through a professional development opportunity as well as collaboration with Kaliq Simms, Director of Diversity and Equity Education, I created a club for the entire Lower School that encouraged diversity and self-worth.  I began in the spring of 2012, and there were 72 girls from the Lower School who were interested.  It was so exciting!  I was truly blessed to be surrounded by the girls and the spirit that they brought to the activities.

K-2nd Graders Share a Friendship Puzzle.

In the fall of 2012, there was still great interest.  I focused on self-esteem and invited students in Grades 3 -5.  When I asked them to explain what self-esteem meant to them, I was very impressed.  Kimaya Brown, 2020 said, “Care about yourself! Have confidence in yourself! Love yourself!”  Her words were simple, yet inspiring.  Garrison Morrill, 2022 said, “Be yourself…everyone else is taken!” 

I have really enjoyed spending this time with the girls in the Lower School and I especially love seeing each of their distinct personalities.  I hope that, through this club, I have made an impact on the girls.  I hope that they walk away with a little more knowledge, new friendships, and a better understanding of themselves.  I look forward to this spring’s club with K- 2 students and I can’t wait to hear what thoughts and ideas they have to offer!

~ Tynaya Quickley, Kindergarten

Jean Waller Brune, Head of School

At this time of year we often thoughtfully list our resolutions for the New Year to come. Some of these represent goals and aspirations that we hope will fulfill us in the next calendar year. But after reading this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson ~ Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year ~ I have decided not to view the coming year as a clean slate, (something I actually do think about in September!) but to view 2013 as a continuation of my journey for this academic year.

In the aftermath of the recent school tragedy in Connecticut I cannot stop thinking about the girls and young women in our care at RPCS. They mean so much to me, the faculty and all of the RPCS employees who support the teaching and learning that propels RPCS to provide An Education Above. My resolution, therefore, is to spend even more time with our students and seek new ways for RPCS to provide An Education Above.

I am so fortunate to have an Advisory in the Upper School, to hold a spelling bee club occasionally in the Middle School and to read aloud as often as I can in the Lower School – each of these opportunities provide me many meaningful connections to our students. Connecting our students to other students across the United States and the world is a top priority as we seek to prepare our students for the global job market.

Students from Moscow School 1409 Center for Education

RPCS has a long standing tradition of annual academic exchanges between schools in Russia, France, England, Germany and China. Last month students from Moscow School 1409 Center for Education visited RPCS and enjoyed an American Thanksgiving with some of our students who stayed with their Russian families last spring. In early February students from Beijing No. 9 School will be at RPCS for a week. I am pleased that they will be able to meet our own international boarding students who have made a such a smooth transition to RPCS during the first half of this academic year. I would like to thank all of the Friendship Families who have opened their hearts and homes to our students from China. It is always our pleasure to host academic and cultural exchanges for our students to engage in conversations and share experiences. Our annual exchange with St. Edward’s Oxford happens after spring break when one of their students will attend classes here for a month. Molly Duke, 2014 will do an exchange there in June. Our French exchange takes place in June. International travel also affords great learning experiences for our students and I am happy to assist in chaperoning once again the 10th Grade European History trip to Europe over spring break at the same time as our 5th Graders visit Quebec. In addition, the Performing Arts trip with several members of the Semiquavers, Roses Repertory Dance Company and Footlights Theatre Ensemble will take our students to Italy in June for performances and learning opportunities.Finding connections in Baltimore City helps our students better understand and appreciate the greater community in which we live. This winter members of the RPCS National Art Honor Society (NAHS) are pleased to bring back ArtAid, a silent auction intended to both recognize the work of aspiring young local artists, and raise funds for Baltimore City Public Schools Visual Arts Programs. Student artwork from both public and private city schools will be donated for the auction. In addition, RPCS NAHS will solicit local artists to contribute their work for this worthy cause. Art appreciation fosters a sense of community and we hope that you will consider donating a piece of art and/or attending the event on February 6 at RPCS.

Connecting with you is important to maintain a strong partnership between home and School. We continue to work diligently on a new website which we plan to launch this winter. The new website will offer a personalized experience with targeted communication. We will phase in the launch beginning with your reenrollment on February 1.

Sharon Bertsch McGrayne, 1960

I want to make you aware of a few calendar items for the remainder of this year. The Sarah Crane Cohen Visiting Scholar in the Humanities lecture has been rescheduled for March 20. My classmate Sharon Bertsch McGrayne, 1960 will give the lecture. She is the author of highly-praised books about scientific discoveries and the scientists who make them.In addition, we have changed the times of the Lower and Middle School Closing Exercises this year. The Middle School will begin at 9:00am and the Lower School will begin at 11:30am. Looking ahead to the next academic year, please find the 2013-2014 Calendar-at-a-Glance which has been approved by the Tri-School community attached at the top of this page. Finally, I want to let you know that by the time you arrive back on campus in the New Year the remaining tree hedge in front of the building will be removed. There are plans to install a new fence and additional landscaping to match what has already been done at the entrance to campus.

As you all know my granddaughters are very important to me and making more time for my connections to them are at the top of my resolution list! I am looking forward to spending winter break in New England with my family. I hope that you and your family will have a wonderful winter break and that you will treasure the time spent with loved ones.

~Jean Waller Brune, Head of School

A contingent of RPCS Fifth Grade students presented to Maryland educators as part of an environmental session, YOU CAN DO IT- Empower Your Students to Create Change, for the 2012 AIMS Conference. Fifth Grade homeroom teachers opened with a brief overview and then the students took charge.

Students spoke knowledgeably about green initiatives that the Fifth Grade is using.  They shared information about why it is important to create non-toxic cleaners, up-cycled notebooks and home-made stink bug traps. They also led a make and take session where participants could create models to take back to their own schools.

In addition, three members of the butterfly club shared highlights from the Monarch Butterfly Project. They worked diligently on their presentations to educate the AIMS audience about the importance of helping the Monarch population.

Monarch Butterfly Project- Phase One ~ Elizabeth Currie, 2020

During the first few weeks of butterfly club we put the butterfly eggs into two-pop up butterfly hotels. The rest are put into smaller butterfly condos. To take care of the caterpillars, we meet twice a week in Mrs. Barss’ room or in the science room. We clean the condos and use a paper towel to clean out the caterpillar dung. We also give the caterpillars a full supply of milkweed from our own our butterfly way-station.

Our butterfly condos fit about five caterpillars so that they can roam around happily. We include twigs and branches for the caterpillars to climb on. The larger butterfly hotels hold up to thirty caterpillars. The butterfly hotels have soft mesh netting so that all of the caterpillars can breathe easily.

In the butterfly condos, there are holes in the top. When a caterpillar is ready to form a chrysalis, it climbs to the top of the condo to prepare for the change.

 Monarch Butterfly Project – Phase Two ~ Keating Drake, 2020

When a butterfly emerges from the chrysalis it is wet. It can’t fly with fluid on its wings. We wait until the wings are dry and then we release it. If it hatches in the morning, we release it in the afternoon. If it hatches in the afternoon, we give it food and release it the next morning.

After the butterfly emerges, it eats nectar. Nectar is a sweet, sticky fluid that comes from flowers. If we need to keep a butterfly overnight, we mix sugar and water together.This tastes like nectar and gives the butterfly the fuel that it needs to begin the journey.

Before we release the butterflies into our garden, we tag them so that scientists can track them and see which ones survive the journey. Once released, the butterflies fuel up in our butterfly garden before they make their journey. It’s hard to believe that such a small creature can fly all the way to Mexico. When it arrives, it finds a tree so that it can hibernate for the winter. I loved raising caterpillars to butterflies and I hope to be able to do this again.

Butterfly Club Overview ~ Maeve Corcoran, 2020

We have a butterfly club where we learn about the endangered species of Monarchs. They have to migrate to Mexico every year, which decreases the population. Also, Monarchs need to eat milkweed to survive, but humans kill it thinking it’s a weed. What humans don’t know is that milkweed helps the monarchs!

Our club met once or twice a week in September. We met once a week in October. After that, the meetings started thinning out.  We have done a lot of projects during club, but I’ve chosen three to talk about. Our first project was the raise, hatch, and release project. We raised a group of monarch caterpillars and eggs in a caterpillar condo. We raised the caterpillars until they went into little chrysalis’s, hanging from the top of their condos. When the butterflies emerged, we tagged them. Then, we released them into our butterfly garden, and they were on their way to Mexico. While raising them, we acted like mothers towards these fragile creatures.

The second big project was the Mexico Monarch project. We made a symbolic paper monarch with pictures and messages representing our school. After we finished, we sent it to students in Mexico to read and enjoy.

Our current project is the adopt a plant project. You get a specific plant in our garden that you are assigned to. Then you watch over your plant and tend to it if needed. Butterfly club is very educational and fun too! I feel so privileged that I have this opportunity, and that I can save the world for the beautiful monarchs.

Jean Waller Brune, Head of School

Mother Teresa wrote: If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. Never have I been more affirmed by the commitment of the RPCS community to belong to each other than two weeks ago, when our RPCS resilient spirit and your incredibly generous response came together to fill a huge truck with much needed water, cleaning supplies and clothing to send to the Atlantic City area to help with Superstorm Sandy recovery. In this season of giving I am so proud of the outpouring of help from each of you to collect, sort and load the items for our neighbors in the northeast. It was also heartwarming to see the Harris Center full of canned goods and foods needed by Paul’s Place in Baltimore City so that families in need here at home could celebrate at Thanksgiving time. I am humbled by your responses and am so very thankful, in turn, to belong to this caring learning community.

I am excited to tell you that The Baltimore Sun announced that RPCS is one of The 2012 Baltimore Sun Top Workplaces! Look for the special section listing all of the best places to work in the Baltimore metro area. RPCS was nominated by a member of our faculty, and through an anonymous survey of the entire employee group, we became one of the eighty companies being honored.  According to the independent survey facilitator, RPCS had an overwhelming response rate to the survey.  Routinely companies have a 25% response rate, and RPCS had nearly 50%!  So my thanksgiving extends, also, to my friends and colleagues who work here with me to provide An Education Above!

RPCS faculty serve as mentors for our students in modeling our steadfast commitment to belong to each other – both within our own community and beyond. This is evident in the proposals we received for the Birgit Baldwin World Studies Faculty Prize this fall. The prize is named in honor of Birgit Baldwin, 1978, an accomplished linguist, international traveler and poet, who was tragically killed in an automobile accident in 1988, just months before she completed her PhD dissertation.   Fluent in six modern languages, Birgit was an outstanding scholar who loved travel and enjoyed taking part in other cultures.

Toby Rivkin

The Birgit Baldwin World Studies Faculty Prize is awarded every other year to a member of the RPCS faculty or administration who presents a proposal for travel that is unique in scope and stretches the individual beyond what she/he has accomplished before, and expands the horizons of that individual to enhance the RPCS curriculum. In addition to creating a motivational incentive for the attraction and retention of a strong faculty at RPCS, the faculty component of the Birgit Baldwin World Studies Prize exists to serve as a role model and catalyst for students to compete for the student prize. This year’s recipient is Toby Rivkin, US French and Ceramics teacher whose proposal to travel to three world communities in Florida, Israel and Cyprus to explore how members of these communities “work towards reverence and respect, in spite of the very human tendency to make mistakes, to overreach in positions of power, and to forget the importance of mutual respect.” Toby will travel this summer to three places she has never visited before in her quest to learn why humans often forget that we belong to each other.

It is also the students’ concern for humanity and the natural world that particularly moves me. The recent Upper School solidarity effort for Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old girls’ education activist who was shot in October by Taliban gunmen while returning home on a school bus, gave voice to Malala and her passion.  Once again, our students lead the way in helping us see that we belong to each other, and I am grateful for their passion, commitment and energy.

It was our students who led the way in our decision last academic year not to sell disposable plastic water bottles in the School Store. We have installed 9 water bottle filling stations in the building and these fountains have been used to fill over 88,527 bottles of water!  We have plans to install 5 more between this academic year and the summer.  If your daughter forgets her reusable water bottle, please remind her that she can purchase one in the School Store. In addition she can check the lost and found and probably recover her own missing water bottle from the amazing number we have collected from many places around the school!  For Upper School students, Mrs. Malfa is in the process of setting up a “borrowing” station where students who forget theirs may borrow one and then return it.  We will see that they are properly cleaned using our School dishwashers!

Steve Shramko at the Holiday Fair

I hope you will start your holiday season tomorrow at the annual Holiday Fair. My sincere thanks to Steve Shramko, chair of the fair for the third year and all of the wonderful parent and student volunteers who have helped plan this festive and fun community event. On December 16, nearly 200 voices will join in holiday song as choral singers from RPCS, Notre Dame Preparatory School, Bryn Mawr School, Calvert Hall, Hereford High School and Loyola-Blakefield present a combined concert in Goucher College’s Kraushaar Auditorium.  The students will perform George Fredrick Handel’s Messiah, complete with orchestra and professional soloists. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $7 or online at messiah@brynmawrschool.org

2011 Living Reproduction

This year also marks the 90^th anniversary of our Traditional Upper School Christmas Program. While the Lower School Holiday Concert and the Middle School Winter Program celebrate the ethnic, religious and cultural diversity of our student body, the Traditional Upper School Christmas Program continues today in its original format.  There are many unique aspects of this program but most notable are the living reproductions.  These reproductions have awed audience for years but the work behind the scenes is equally impressive. As stated in the 1922 Quid Nunc: on “the last day before School closed for Christmas vacation, the Upper and Lower Schools joined in carol-singing and in a series of tableaux depicting famous Christmas paintings.” Biblical readings preceded the viewing of each tableau.  In 1945, under the guidance of then-art teacher Elizabeth Winn, an industrious RPCS eighth grader volunteered to help paint her first tableau flat. Today, that student, Judy Waters, a graduate of the Class of 1950 and a former, long-time Upper School art teacher, continues as the Artistic Designer and Director of these living reproductions of religious paintings and sculptures.  Over the years Ms. Waters has been aided by many alumnae. Most notably, for over 30 years, Janet Bauer Hartman, 1968, former Middle School Art Teacher, was invaluable in assisting in the design and production. Amy Barrett Frew, 1972, Middle School Math joined the production for many years. Today, Annie Ferebee Short, 2001, Middle and Upper School Dance, who worked on the stage crew for the Living Reproductions as an RPCS student, has been involved for the past several years as well as Carol Witz Hunt, 1976, a former student of Judy Waters who is the Assistant Director.  In addition, I am grateful for the contributions of Missie Mack, Director of Alumnae Relations, Kelly Vaughan, MS Physical Education and Kathy Shade Hooper, 1972.

If you have not viewed this on our YouTube channel, please take a moment to watch the Somettos singing Simple Gifts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEauzatA2-E&list=UUj3lcXSzUQ2gxlgzoPdQCFw&index=4&feature=plcp from our Thanksgiving Convocation last week.  I hope to see you in December, but if I don’t, I wish you and your family a Happy New Year.

~ Jean Waller Brune, Head of School

Elisabeth Dahl on her First Day of School in 1981

Flicking through the hangers at clothing stores, I often find myself pausing on items in that certain shade of blue. You all know the one. It’s the blue of sapphires and lapis lazuli. It hints of bluebells and morning glories. For those of us with a connection to Roland Park Country School, it’s uniform blue.

I know that the official RPCS colors are red and white, but for me—and many of you, I suspect—the color of Roland Park will always be that blue. During my Roland Park days, my white shirts often shaded toward the gray. My mother and I didn’t have whatever secret laundry know-how made some of my friends’ shirts and socks so radiantly white, no matter how many times they went through the washer. But the blue? We all had the blue. The blue was what brought us together.

It wasn’t just a color, either. It was a spirit: a genuineness, a groundedness, a there-for-each-other true blue-ness. Even those of us who weren’t close friends at school—sharing secrets and lunch tables and Twix bars—had each other’s backs in some more profound way.

This October, my class had its 25th reunion. On Friday I sat on the Career Day panel of authors. Saturday was the Champagne Reception and my class party. Sunday was the 25th reunion brunch at Jean Brune’s.

I knew the weekend would be nice. I knew there’d be lots of talking and laughing, drinking and eating. What I didn’t anticipate, though, was how much of that true blue quality, that genuineness of interaction, would still be there, 25 years later.

There just wasn’t any pretense, even among classmates who hadn’t seen each other since Reagan was president and Flashdance necklines were first in vogue. During reunion weekend, my classmates and I plunged right into conversations about the stuff that’s relevant to our lives today, everything from smartphones to SSRIs.

The 2012 Alumnae Career Day Panel                  (Elisabeth is in the back row, fourth from left)

I felt this straight-up congeniality with the other Career Day authors too. It didn’t matter that we’d graduated in different years or had different teachers or walked to different campuses. The six of us shared both a vocation and a school. The connection was instant.

Over the course of the weekend, current and former faculty members and administrators made me feel welcome and remembered in the most no-nonsense of ways. Jean Brune, Missie Mack, Kelsey Twist Schroeder, Elana Vikan, Toby Rivkin, Greg Timm, Janice Moore, Joyce Brown, and so many others were great to see. I wish I’d had more of a chance to talk to current students. The ones I did meet seemed lovely.

The school has evolved, of course. There are many new teachers and a gym so nice, it’s almost intimidating. There’s a Starbucks just steps from the campus. But a lot of things haven’t changed, like that uniform blue. True blue. I was glad to still find it there.

~ Elisabeth Dahl, 1987

Editors Note: Elisabeth is the author of  Genie Wishes, which will be in stores in April 2013.  The book can be preordered at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Indiebound.