April 2010 - Knox School

KSnox
The
Beacon
chool
Semper ad Lucem
541 Long Beach Road
St. James, New York 11780
April 2010
April 2010, Issue 15
Special Points of Interest
Baseball Spring
Training
P. 2
Spring Break Trip to
Spain and France
P. 3
Alumni Regional
Reunions
P. 4
Assistant Head of
School
P. 5
Deans Corner
P. 5
Poetry Out Loud State P. 5
Champion
Parents’ Association
P. 6
Light from the Shore
P. 6
Golf Classic—Save the P. 6
Date
Dear Friends,
The month of March came in as a lion and did not leave like a lamb!
Instead we had an abundance of snow and the wettest March in history.
Over 10.65 inches of rain!
Laura White and four students from Knox’s Model United Nations (MUN)
Club will be heading to Istanbul, Turkey on April 2 and returning to campus on
April 11. Knox’s Parents Association was pleased to give some financial assistance
to make the trip possible. This is a trip of a “life time” for Knox’s MUN students. I
know Mrs. White is very excited about the trip!
The Class of 2010 has done extremely well in their college placement for
next September and will be attending colleges/universities such as: Bates, University of Richmond (VA), Dickinson, Wake Forest, Emery, Mercer, University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of California at Santa Barbara, University
of Massachusetts (Amherst), Cabrini, Case Western Reserve University, Pratt, University of Wisconsin, Brandeis, Boston University and Babson.
We all are proud of Taylour Dickinson (Class of 2012) for winning New
York State's Poetry Out Loud competition which was held in Albany, New York
last month. Taylour and her family along with English Department Chair, Mrs.
Linda Pack Butler, will be in Washington, D.C. on April 26, where Taylour will be
competing in the National Poetry Out Loud Competition at George Washington
University.
Janice Zingale and members of the cast of the musical "Spitfire Grill" are
hard at work to get ready for their performances on Friday, April 30 and Saturday,
April 31 at 8pm in Bancroft-Phinney Hall. We look forward to seeing you at the
performance.
I am pleased to announce that Stephen Chu will be Chairman of the
Mathematics Department next fall. Stephen has a B.A. in Mathematics from Columbia University and a M.S. in Mathematics from New York University. Stephen,
along with math teacher Sylvie Aristilde, recently received notification that they
were selected to participate in the Klingenstein Summer Institute at Teacher's
College (Columbia University). Klingenstein is the Center for Independent School
Leadership and the Center is known as one of premier leadership programs in the
world.
Sincerely,
April 2010
The Beacon
Bucky Dent Spring Training was Impressed by
Hardworking Knox Baseball Players
Eight boys of the school’s baseball team went to Florida for spring
training, during the school’s spring
break. On Saturday, February 27th the
group departed cold Long Island for cold
Florida! We arrived at Bucky Dent
School of Baseball to an unseasonably
cold Delray Beach, Florida.
Our boys had a once in a life
time experience: eight boys under the
instruction of four former professional
baseball players for six days. Seven
hours a day they were instructed, challenged, and encouraged to go beyond
their own expectations. They did not
disappoint themselves or their instructors.
They stretched, ran, jumped,
shagged flies and fielded ground balls
with enthusiasm for hours a day. They
learned how to turn double plays, even
those who will not be playing in the infield took the time to practice these
skills. They were instructed in the correct way of throwing a baseball, catching
a ground ball, fielding a fly ball and being accurate in their throwing. They
bring these skills back to Knox for the
regular season, and the rest of their
team.
Two of the boys, Jun Kang ‘12
and Jason Kim ‘13, had never played
baseball until this spring break trip. Jun
and Jason both proved themselves to be
excellent athletes and good baseball
players. Matt Kim ’10 was elected by our
professional instructor as the most valuable player of the camp while Angel
Valdes ‘13 was selected as most improved player of the camp. Edward
Zhang ‘10 stayed for a second week of
training while the other seven, Matt Kim
Team Meeting
Matt Kim ‘10
‘10 , Angel Valdes ‘13, Jun Kang ‘12, Jason Kim ’13, Michael Coppedge ‘10,
Frank Cassata ’14 and Melshawn Taylor
‘13 returned to New York.
We are grateful to Don
Thomsen, Rafael Rodriquez, Jeff King,
and Larry Hoskins for their instruction
and encouragement. They collectively
played in the Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, and the Minnesota Twins organizations. Of course Bucky Dent played for
and managed the New York Yankees,
being named the Most Valuable Player
of the 1978 World Series.
This is the beginning of a long
term relationship between the Bucky
Dent School of Baseball and the Knox
Falcon’s baseball team!
- Jack Hundley, Head Baseball Coach
The team warms up before a hard day of practice!
Melshawn Taylor ‘13
Angel Valdes ‘13
Michael Coppedge ‘10
Semper ad Lucem
Spain and France… Meet Knox!
"You make your memories," Janice Zingale, director of Alumni Relations, frequently tells Knox students at morning
meeting - it is true! Such words of wisdom defined the Knox School's Spring Break tour of Paris and Barcelona: The best parts
are the memories the travelers made together.
In early March, Knox Math teacher Sylvie Aristilde, and Knox English Dept. Chair Linda Pack Butler, chaperoned 17 Knox
students through a tour of the beautiful cities of Paris, France and Barcelona, Spain. Students included David Cho’11, Ju Yeob
Choi ‘10, Sherry Cui ‘12, Grace Fairclough ‘12, Rachel Fox ‘11, Trevor Henderson ‘14, Tomas Icaza ‘14, Lauren Kang ‘12, Rachel
Kim ‘11, Sarang Koo ‘13, Kelvin Lee ‘10, Paul Lee ‘13, Theo Morgan ‘10, Henry Tao ‘11, Andy Tsche ‘11, Cecelia Wang ‘11, and Tiffany Ye ’13.
The tour covered a lot of territory in a week (mainly by foot!) and served to whet appetites for more. In Paris, students
visited Notre Dame, Musee D'Orsay, and the Louvre. Kelvin Lee, who has been wanting to visit D'Orsay for three years, left the
museum already planning his return. There was a trip up the Eiffel Tower at night as well as an evening boat ride along the
Seine. Students were led on a guided tour of Versailles in an hour. The Champs-Élysées was hit hard by expert shoppers, Mademoiselles Wang and Cui while Henry Tao, Ms. Aristilde and Mr. and Ms. Butler made a valiant attempt to see Napoleon's grave.
They were stopped short by the French habit of closing ticket sales prior to the actual hours of a site's closing. Confused? So
were the students.
David Cho's 18th birthday was spent at a Paris brasserrie. Students tried escargots, foie gras, and a melted blue cheese
over raw egg custard that tour guide Leonore, impressed with students' gustatory curiosity, described as "very French." Students also enjoyed hot crepes and roasted chestnuts from Paris street vendors as they traversed the left and right banks of the
Seine.
The group arrived in Barcelona via a night train through the Pyrennees and were then taken on a bus tour of that city.
The architecture of Antoni Gaudí dominates this city with its intensely organic and eclectic beauty, leaving a similarly dramatic
impression on Knox students. Barcelona, with its beauty, its culture, its food, its friendliness and its accessibility proved to be
the tour favorite. No trip would be complete without its share of rueful moments such as the 8-hour weather delay in Zurich's
airport that included: Andy Tshe being "detained" by Swiss police, Ms. Fox and Ms. Butler being frisked by Swiss security, and
Rachel Kim meeting with undercover Swiss police to give details about her computer which went missing while the Knox jet
lagged group of 20 napped "en famille" in the airport. The Swiss are nothing if not thorough and efficient! The trip was organized by World Language Dept. Chair Brenda Pigou.
- Linda Butler, English Department Chair
Grace Fairclough ‘12, Ju Yeob Kim ‘10, Rachel Kim
‘11 and Rachel Fox ‘11 at Versailles
Henry Tao ‘11 plays with the Louvre’s Pyramid
Trevor Henderson ‘14 and Tiffany Ye ‘13
The group visits Notre Dame
The group patiently waits in the airport.
A group picture in the Paris subway
April 2010
The Beacon
Regional Reunions in California and Florida
Alumni Brunch in Brentwood Back Row: Chris Stompolo ‘89, Chie Kuakabe, Hitoshi Kusakabe ‘95, Janice Zingale H’83, George Allison H’81,
Peter Grossmon ’85, Lucy Allison, Micheal Schenker ’85 (holding Benjemon) Front Row: Kailah Schenker, Diana Stronpolos, Robin Schenker,
Khin Zar Phyn ’00, Jodi Exton Heath ’69 and Adam Gunn ’85 Not Pictured: Mari Gunn, Joseph Nassizadeh ’80 with his wife Sherry and their
daughter Celine and Calette
The Coral Gables event at Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine
Bar Back Row: Teresa Carey, Ben Erikson '90, Carolina Cemborain '92,
Raul Gongalez '96, Nikole Gonzalez, Christina Pfeifer Mattig '88 Middle
Row: Janice Zingale H '83, Frank Zingale, Maggie Baczkowski Seated:
Mariela Amon '79 and Lucy Allison
Cariera’s Cucina Italian in Orlando which was recommended by ’85
alumni Tanya Sherman Nicholls and her husband Andy. Pictured are
Tanya Sherman Nicholls, Rebecca Weisz ‘02, Frank Zingale, George Allison H ‘81, Janice Zingale H ’83, Emir Yildiz ‘02, Lucy Allison, Amy Rippel
Connolly, Kevin Connolly and their son Patrick.
As Knox students were preparing for second term exams,
Headmaster George Allison H’81, Lucy Allison, and Director of
Alumni Affairs Janice Zingale H ’83 made their way West to California. George and Lucy headed to San Francisco for two conferences,
National Association of Principals of Girls’ Schools and the National
Association of Independent Schools, where they also visited with
Trustee Susan Hambrecht ’84. Janice spent a week at the Brentwood home of Michael Schenker ’85, his wife Robbin and their children Kailah and Benjamen. While there, she also visited with David
Portal ’93, Jacqueline Walrath ’94 and her husband Maceo Oliver
who were unable to attend the planned reunions. After their conferences, the Allison’s traveled to LA in time for Saturday evening
cocktails at the West Lounge at the Hotel Angeleno and a wonderful Sunday Brunch at the Schenker home. Knox is grateful to Michael and Robbin for sponsoring our “Alumni Brunch in Brentwood.” It was gratifying seeing California alumni across several
decades finding common ground, connecting and planning for
future gatherings.
Shortly after returning from California, the Allisons and the
Zingales packed their bags for a whirlwind tour of Florida where
events were held in Coral Gables, Palm Beach Gardens, Fort Meyers
and Orlando. The Palm Beach Gardens gathering, at Vic & Angelo’s
for the second year, was an evening of great food and wine. At Ft
Myers Beach, the Allisons and Zingales were joined by Associate
Headmaster Jack Hundley, Sandra Hundley, Trustees Jay and Sheri
McNulty for an ocean front dinner at The Gulfshore Grill.
At events in both California and Florida, Knox alumni expressed their joy and gratitude for the School’s recent outreach
activities on their behalf.
- Janice Zingale, Director of Alumni Affairs
Vic & Angelo’s in Palm Beach Gardens Back Row: Laura Sighinolfi Souza ’81
and Trustee Sara Coen ’83 Front Row: Frank Zingale, Janice Zingale H’83, Lucy
Allison, Lisa Ceparano Stokes ‘84, George Allison H ‘81, Lillah Cruce ‘96, and Barbara Borg ‘72
Semper ad Lucem
Dean of Students’ Corner
Spring is finally here! It seems like winter would never end, especially after the end of term snowstorm which caused
flight delays and anxiety for the students on the Europe and Florida trips. March roared in like a lion, knocking out power lines
and shutting off the campus from the rest of Long Island for three long days! We are now ready for the first Knox baseball and
softball games and tennis matches of the year. Students are starting to practice for the spring musical, which the entire school
looks forward to! Other events are catching the student’s attentions, such as the senior prom and ring and blazer ceremony!
The school will be open during the Spring Long Weekend, April 1 – 5, for students who cannot arrange for an off campus weekend stay. Since the weekend falls during Easter and it is a religious holiday weekend for many of our faculty and students, we will not be planning many weekend activities for students remaining on campus, so that our residential staff can
spend a portion of the holiday with family and friends.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
- George Naron, Dean of Students
Assistant Head of School
Dear parents and guardians,
The February 27, 2010 issue of The Economist
features a special report on managing information. Our
ability to generate and record information through technology is growing exponentially as is the ability of computers to process and generate additional information.
The work on the human genome which took ten years in
2003 can now be completed in a week. Although the article focused on how managing information is affecting
how businesses are run, the shear abundance of data and
information has significant consequences for how we
teach. If we define knowledge in scientific terms as processing, understanding, and being able to use information
received, then teachers must be able help students evaluate and manage the superabundance of data and information that they are bombarded with every day.
As parents and educators, we are also faced with
epistemological questions: What is knowledge in the 21st
century? What do we want our students to know at the
end of a secondary school education? How has our ability
to acquire knowledge changed and how does this affect
how we teach and how we learn? These questions are
being batted around in academic circles across the globe;
the answers offered are often diverse. I leave you to ponder these questions and invite you to share your
thoughts.
Knox Student Wins NY POL
Last year, Knox held their own Poetry Out Loud competition but this year Knox was able to join the “official” Poetry
Out Loud competition! There were two winners from the regional competition, which moved on to the New York State
competition—both were from Knox! Kat Barry ‘10 and Taylour
Dickerson ‘12 traveled to Albany, New York with Mrs. Linda Butler and their family to compete in the state wide competition.
Both students were wonderful!
Reciting Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Psalm of
Life," Samuel Taylor Colerige's "Kubla Khan," and Alice Walker's
"Caged Bird" Taylor Dickerson won the statewide POL! The
state winners will meet for the national competition in April!
As the winner for New York state, she will receive $200
and an all-expenses-paid trip to DC for the nationals! Knox will
receive a $500 stipend for the sole purchase of poetry books.
Singer/ songwriter Natalie Merchant, poets Paul Elisha and Bertha Roberts, and last year's NY POL winner, Catherine Woodard
were scheduled to judge.
A total of $50,000 in awards is given out as prizes at
the national competition in Washington, DC. The national competition will be held on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at George
Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium (730 21st Street,
NW) in Washington, DC.
Knox certainly wishes Taylour the best as she works
hard practicing and during her competition in Washington, DC!
Regards,
Sharon L. Lawrence
Assistant Head of School
To the right, Taylour
Dickerson ‘12 poses
for a picture with the
second place winner
of the New York
State competition.
April 2010
The Beacon
A Letter from The Parents’ Association
As Co-Presidents of your Association, we've decided that there will be no April showers on our campus this month. We
are far too busy with so many activities to put up with any type of poor weather! Please reference the calendar in The Beacon, to
be sure you don’t miss anything.
Our Visiting Artist Series, Light from the Shore, will have a reception by a rising local artist on Friday, April 9th from
5:00pm to 8:00pm. Please join students and faculty at this reception, as these shows are turning out to be very successful. The
spring musical, “Spitfire Grill," will be staged on Friday, April 30th and Saturday, May 1st on the William Turner Shoemaker Stage.
If the past is any indication, the show will be a great success!
Baseball and softball games, crew races and tennis matches will give our Falcon Athletes plenty of opportunity to show
their competitive spirit. We hope you will join us at the court and field to support our athletes during the upcoming season.
Check the sports calendar on our “new and improved” web site for game dates and times. We look forward to seeing you there!!
Lastly, we urge you to join us on Friday, June 11th for our 4th Annual Knox Golf Classic. A formal invitation will be
fourth coming; in the meantime this will serve as a “Save the Date.” Even if golf is not your game, the dinner, raffle drawings and
silent auction prizes will be enjoyable for all in attendance. Whether you are golfing, enjoying a nice dinner or spending a night
among friends, we would really appreciate your support and company. Keep in mind that all proceeds help our school by serving as another revenue source to provide support for our students.
As always, you are invited to join us for our monthly meeting, the next meeting will be held on Thursday, April 22nd at
7pm at MacKenzie House. The attendance last month was the best yet, and John and I feel that a parents association is imperative to the success of any school. We hope that the attendance at future meetings will continue to grow, and feel that you will
reap the reward of being part of the Knox community.
Happy Spring and we will see you around the campus!
John and Leslie Hardy
Co-Presidents of the Parents’ Association
Light From the Shore
Artist: Kristin Rufo
Please join us Friday, April 9th, 2010 from 5pm - 8pm
for an opening artist reception. The visiting artist, Kristin
Rufo is a native of Atlanta and received her BFA at Georgia
Southwestern State University. She relocated to Long Island
to earn her Masters degree. Kristin works with traditional
materials, like oil paint, to explore social and political ideas
concerning the media and other information technology. Her work reflects a global perspective and deals mostly
with issues of social change.
Along with her art-making, Kristin has worked with
Habitat for Humanity houses in Romania, studied abroad in
Tuscany, and has visited numerous other European and Central American countries. She values the continued support
she receives from friends and family of her ideas to offer
awareness of hope for social change through her art. Currently, Kristin is an adjunct Professor at Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus. She exhibits her work primarily in the
New York area. Kristin’s work can be seen
at: www.kristinrufo.com.
- Susanne Johnson, Photography Teacher
THE KNOX SCHOOL
4TH ANNUAL GOLF CLASSIC
FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2010
STONEBRIDGE COUNTRY CLUB
We hope that many of our parents will join alumni and
other friends of Knox as we kick off the summer with a day of golf
and fun! All proceeds from the event provide financial support for
the School and its programs, just like the Annual Fund does. In fact, if
you haven't made an Annual Fund gift yet, here's another opportunity to support the School and have fun as well! If golf isn't your
game, please join us for cocktails, dinner, gift raffles, and a silent auction.
Watch for your formal invitation in early April. please call
the Development Office at 686-1600 ext 410 if you have questions. See you on the course!
- Duncan Marshall, Asst. Head for External Affairs and Enrollment
Monday
Spring Long Weekend
Ends at 9:30pm
Spring Long Weekend
25
18
Model UN in Turkey
Wednesday
Baseball @ Portledge @
4:30pm
Boys’ Tennis v. Solomon
Schecter @ 4:30pm
27
Softball @ OSNA @ 4pm
28
Boys’ Tennis @ Martin
Luther @ 4pm
Boys’ Tennis v. Kew Forest
@ 4:00pm
Baseball v. Waldorf @
4:30pm
26
Baseball @ Waldorf @
4:30pm
21
Softball @ Solomon
Schecter @ 4:15pm
14
Boys’ Tennis v. Long Island
Lutheran @ 4:15pm
Model UN in Turkey
7
Softball v. LuHi @ 4:15pm
20
Baseball v. OSNA v. 4pm
Boys’ Tennis @ Solomon
Schecter 4:15pm
Softball v. Portledge @
4:30pm
13
Passover
Ends
6
Softball @ Waldorf @
4:30pm
19
12
5
4
11
Tuesday
The athletic schedule is subject to change. Please contact the
Athletic Director, Kerri Alexanderson, for more information
at (631) 686-1600 ext 426.
Sunday
April Fool’s
Day
Earth Day
Boys’ Tennis @ Long Island
Lutheran @ 4:15pm
Softball @ LuHi @ 4:15pm
29
Boys’ Tennis @ Portledge @
4pm
Softball v. OSNA @ 4pm
22
Baseball @ OSNA @ 4pm
Boys’ Tennis @ Kew Forest
@ 4pm
Softball v. Portledge @
4:30pm
15
Baseball @ Portledge @
4:30pm
17
The Spitfire Grill
Opening Night
30
Baseball @ Waldorf @ 4pm
Boys’ Tennis @ Lawrence
Woodmere@ 4pm
Girls’ Softball @ LWA @ 4pm
Parents are Invited to Attend
Admission Open
House
23 International Fair 24
Softball v. Waldorf @
4:30pm
Ethnic Pen Youth
Writers Conference
10
Spring Long Weekend
Boys’ Tennis v. Portledge
@4pm
16
3
Saturday
Model UN in Turkey
Friday
Baseball v. Portledge @
4:30pm
2
8 Grandparents’ Day 9
Spring Long Weekend
Starts at 3pm
1
Thursday
What is happening at Knox in April?
The Beacon
Admission
Open House
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Registration - 9:45am
Program - 10:00am
Please contact The Knox School
Admission Office to RSVP to this
event. If you are unable to make it to
the Open House, please contact the
Admission Office to schedule your
tour of The Knox School.
KSnox
chool
541 Long Beach Road
St. James, New York 11780
Semper ad Lucem
We are embarking on our 8th year providing safe,
educational and fun activities for your children on
our beautiful Campus. Our committed staff is dedicated to providing our Campers with a summer filled
with memories that will last a lifetime.
You can pick the days and weeks!
Visit our website at www.knoxschool.org and go to
the upper right tab that reads “SUMMER.” Call the
Camp Office at (631) 686.1600 ext 420; we will be
happy to talk to you and answer any questions
you may have.