CATCHING UP WITH OHS ALUMNI GET READY FOR FINAL
Transcription
CATCHING UP WITH OHS ALUMNI GET READY FOR FINAL
ANNUAL FUND UPDATE PG. 20 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ALUMNI EDITION CATCHING UP WITH OHS ALUMNI SEE WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN UP TO PG. 16 Celebrating our Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Winners pg. 11 GET READY FOR FINAL EXAMS WITH SOME TIPS PG. 8 BETTER KNOW AN INSTRUCTOR LEARN MORE ABOUT DR. DOHERTY PG. 14 STUDENT NEWS PG. 22 November/December 2015 3 OHS & THE ARTS Exploring New Student Artwork 5 A WORD FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL ’Tis the Season for Giving 6 MEETUPS From hikes to MIT Splash 12 KEEPING UP WITH THE CURRICULUM Dr. Scarborough Looks Back on the New First Semester Courses 14 BETTER KNOW AN INSTRUCTOR In this Issue, get to know Dr. Doherty 16 7 CATCHING UP WITH OHS ALUMNI Reliving the spooky, scary, and funny! 20 8 Stanford OHS Annual Fund Update HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL YEAR Final Exam Tips from Advising, Counseling, and Registrar 10 STUDENT TUTOR PROFILE Meet Natalie, Honors Precalculus Tutor TECH TIPS For Students by Students 11 Updates from our amazing graduates GETTING TO THE NEXT 10! 22 STUDENT NEWS Students share what they have been up to! 24 STUDENT VIEWS A Letter from the Student Body President 25 SCIENCE HAPPENS Sharing Science THE CAROLINE D. BRADLEY SCHOLARSHIP Celebrating our 2015 Winners STANFORD SUMMER A Special Invitation to OHS Students Contributors EDITORIAL TEAM SUMMAR AUBREY Director of Student Life & Community summar.aubrey@stanford.edu STEPHANIE GRIFFIN Graphic Designer sjgriffi@stanford.edu CODY SNAPP Web Content & Communications Specialist csnapp@stanford.edu ALUMNI CONTRIBUTORS CHLOE CLOUGHER (2015) JACKIE JESCHKE (2015) DANIELLE KOHUT (2015) ERIN MAIDMAN (2015) AMANDA URKE (2015) MACKENZIE DRAZAN (2014) JANELLE KENDELL (2010) LIVINGSTON MARTIN (2010) STUDENT CONTRIBUTORS GWYNETH CAMPBELL (2016) MEGAN GESSNER (2016) STORRIE KULYNYCH-IRVIN (2020) QUINN MULLER (2019) NATALIE LEBARON (2018) PARENT CONTRIBUTORS GINA CHAFFIN, OHSPA VP SUSAN SMITH, OHSPA Secretary FRIDA KUMAR & JOHNATHAN ROBERTSON, Annual Fund Co-Chairs STAFF CONTRIBUTORS JAMES DOHERTY Science Instructor jdohert1@stanford.edu KIM FAILOR Division Head of Science kfailor@stanford.edu CLAIRE GOLDSMITH Director of OHS Admissions cpgoldsmith@stanford.edu MARYANN JANOSIK Head of School mjanosik@stanford.edu ILLUSTRATION BY: YOUNG CHAN KIM, CORROSION, MIXED MEDIA 2 OHS CONNECTION • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 JEFF SCARBOROUGH Director of Curriculum jpscarb@stanford.edu TRACY STEELE Director of Counseling tmsteele@stanford.edu OHS & the Arts 1 2 Share your artwork with us! Find out how on pg. 26! 3 1 MELODY WU, SHADES OF BLUE, ACRYLIC PAINT 2 UMAR AHMED BADAMI, HUMMINGBIRD, ACRYLIC PAINT 3 DANIELA ZAKS, FLEETING MOMENT AT SUNSET (ISLE OF SKYE, SCOTLAND), DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY 4 4 ZAHRA PETIWALA, DOG, PENCIL & MARKERS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 • OHS CONNECTION 3 PHOTO BY: ISABELLA BROTCHIE, MOUNTAINS IN AUSTRIA, DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY 4 OHS CONNECTION • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 A Word from the Head of School ’Tis the Season for Giving BY MARYANN JANOSIK ‘TIS THE SEASON: THE SEASON OF CELEBRATIONS (including the successful end of the fall semester), the season of reaching out to others, the season of giving. It is also a time for reflection, pausing to think about how to integrate all that we learn into all that we do. On November 13, I had the pleasure of attending the OHS Service Fair where I listened to presentations from students and instructors who are involved in various service activities in their communities. Projects ranged from introducing children to classical music to helping fund surgeries for the blind. While the topics were wide and varied, one thing was clear: the excitement generated by each presentation was contagious, and the smiles on the faces of those engaged in community service showed a kind of satisfaction that transcends learning and a sense of accomplishment. Service learning seems like a natural extension of OHS’s rigorous curriculum. It invites us to explore Kant’s notion of “the good will” or participate in Dorothy Day’s belief that each of us will know the work we do is good “by the joy that it brings us.” Such concepts challenge us to be risk-takers of a different kind: using our skills and abilities to reach out to those less fortunate, to make our immediate world a better place. Once again, I’m calling on the wisdom of Charles Shultz to remind us that how we apply what we learn is as important as the knowledge we acquire. Best wishes to all during this holiday season, and thanks to those who are already extending our OHS mission into your local communities. The world is already better because of your genuinely good work. And I am most grateful for all that our OHS staff, instructors, and parents do to help make OHS the vibrant learning community it is. “What if today, we were just grateful for everything?” —Charles Shultz NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 • OHS CONNECTION 5 Meetups Attend or host a meetup! Find out how on Gateway. Huddart Park Monthly hiking meetups in the Bay Area of California have been a great way for Stanford OHS families to connect this year. Here are pictures from the August, September, and October hikes. Castle Rock Park Mission Peak MIT Splash The 2015 OHS MIT Splash Meetup was quite the event with 150 OHS students and families converging on Cambridge for the weekend. Highlights of the weekend included an evening at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center, a flag football game, middle school outings to the Museum of Science and the MIT museum, the 2nd annual homecoming dance and a parent community engagement dinner with MaryAnn Janosik. A great time was had by all! 6 OHS CONNECTION • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 Halloween Costume Contest Back in October we had our annual Halloween Costume Contest during our fall assembly. We wanted to recap on some of the fun we had then! 1 2 3 SCARIEST 1st Place (1) James Plumleigh — Evil Jester 2nd Place (2) Caroline Bragg — Elizabethan Doll 3rd Place (3) Graham Estelle — Burned Man 4 5 6 FUNNIEST 1st Place (4) Noah Mohamed — NaOH (sodium hydroxide) 2nd Place (5) Maddie Hurwitz — Minion MOST ORIGINAL 7 8 9 1st Place (6) Calder Hansen — Many Faces of Me 2nd Place (7) Chloe Green — Pumpkin Head 3rd Place (8) CJ Nave — Glow Man BEST OVERALL (9) Nico Machado — Nico de los Muertos with Pixel de los Muertos NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 • OHS CONNECTION 7 TIPS 15 r 20 e b em Dec successful year From Advising, Counseling, & Registrar BY TRACY STEELE Final Exam Tips Next week is final exam week, and the Advising, Counseling, and Registrar teams would like to provide you with important tips to help you prepare for finals—and take care of yourself afterward! BEFORE EXAM WEEK CONFIRM YOUR PROCTORING APPOINTMENTS: Confirm both the start time and the length of each exam. KEEP YOUR BRAIN IN TOP SHAPE: Eat. Sleep. Exercise. Breathe. CONSIDER CREATING CONDENSED STUDY GUIDES: For classes that require memorization of material, try to condense it onto a single page or index card which you can carry with you to review. Or use a flashcard app to help you review the material. TEST YOURSELF: Create a list of questions that might appear on the exam. Then answer them in as much detail as you can. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF RESOURCES AND SUPPORT SERVICES: Connect with instructors during office hours and exam review sessions; get support from your OHS Counselor; use the OHS Writing & Resource Center, including student tutors; reference the Exam Study Tips page on Gateway. CONNECT WITH POSITIVE STUDY PARTNERS: Work with peers who will help you learn and not feed exam anxieties! 24 HOURS BEFORE EACH EXAM CONFIRM WITH YOUR PROCTORS: Make sure that they have downloaded the exam, and have them contact the Registrar’s Office if they are unable to access the exam. GO TO BED EARLY: Get a good night’s sleep before each exam. 8 OHS CONNECTION • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 EXAM DAY THINK POSITIVE THOUGHTS: Nervous energy can turn into anxiety or lack of focus. Stay present and remind yourself of your strengths and of the time and effort you have spent learning the concepts over the semester. REVIEW THE ENTIRE EXAM BEFORE YOU START: Be sure to read all the instructions. ORGANIZE YOUR TIME: Don’t spend an inordinate amount of time on one problem or question. Check your work as time allows. AFTER THE EXAM REFLECT BRIEFLY: Devote a short period of time after the exam ends to thinking about what you could learn from the experience, whether you feel the exam went well or not. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK: Between the final exam and the start of spring semester, collect your course materials and consider storing them away in a drawer (and/or moving computer files to an organized folder) to avoid worrying about the exam or course. LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE: An assessment such as a final exam can be a powerful learning experience. When you receive your graded exam after the break, review it thoroughly. Where did you do well? What do you need to work on? This will help you have the best possible foundation for success next semester. WAYS TO HELP YOUR CHILD Tips for Parents MAINTAIN A PRODUCTIVE & DISTRACTION-FREE STUDY ENVIRONMENT Work on a study schedule together so both student and family needs are met. Provide healthy snacks and water for energy, and encourage away-from-screens breaks. ILLUSTRATIONS BY: YOUNG CHAN KIM, KEYBOARD (ABOVE) & BIOLOGY (BELOW), MIXED MEDIA BE ENCOURAGING & SUPPORTIVE Normalize stress and remind your child of his or her strengths and past successes. When your child is struggling, help make the situation concrete and controllable. Ask questions like, “What resources could help you with that?” NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 • OHS CONNECTION 9 Student Tutor Profile BOOK A TUTOR! Helping Others, And Getting Help BY NATALIE LEBARON HI, MY NAME IS NATALIE LEBARON and I am a sophomore at my third year at Stanford OHS. In my time at Stanford OHS, I have had the pleasure of working with Rebecca Shields and Anthony Bennette along with several of the peer tutors at the Writing and Resource Center (WRC) where I serve as a Peer Tutor for Methodology of Science – Biology and Honors Pre-Calculus. As a Peer Tutor, I try to provide the best advice I can, deferring to the instructor as necessary, while also navigating the intermittent technical troubles I'm sure everyone at Stanford OHS has experienced at one time or another. I thoroughly enjoy the process of helping my fellow students, and I hope to do so for many more years. In addition to tutoring at the WRC, I am a math tutor at my local library for students 6th grade through 12th, and I enjoy helping my classmates at every chance. I think that the tutoring services provided through the Writing & Resource Center are exemplary. Tutoring is not something students should be ashamed of or hard-pressed to find. Everyone at some point has needed or will need additional explanation of a concept, or someone with whom to brainstorm. And in my years as a student, I have found no better alternative to the tutors and resources found within the WRC. Whenever I have an essay to write, I always start early and make several appointments to discuss the prompt and my ideas with Ms. Shields, Mr. Bennette, or a Peer Tutor. Their help has been invaluable, and I am sure I could not have done as well on my essays and assignments without hav- 10 OHS CONNECTION • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ing met and discussed my writing with these tutors. In other subjects, I have turned to Peer Tutors for clarification of problems I did not quite understand from class, each meeting leading to my developing a better understanding of the concepts and applications. Each tutor is nominated by their instructor as a knowledgeable and helpful resource, and the Writing Center staff are highly skilled and readily available for any student's needs. Natalie is a tutor for Methodology of Science – Biology and Honors PreCalculus and is available to meet on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8–9pm PST and Sundays 7–9pm PST. To book an appointment with Natalie or a Peer Tutor for another course, visit stanford. mywconline.com. NEW! TECH TIPS FOR STUDENTS BY STUDENTS WAYS TO STUDY SMARTER When it comes to studying, technology can help you increase memorization and recall, manage your study time, and even take much-needed breaks. We’re certain these tips from OHS students will help you succeed as the year quickly winds down. TOP TIP: Use Quizlet.com or the Quizlet app for flashcards, tests, and study games make it fun to learn anything. Find more Tips on the Gateway! The Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Celebrating our Stanford OHS Winners 2015 WINNERS BY CLAIRE GOLDSMITH OVER THE YEARS, several Stanford OHS students have distinguished themselves by winning a prestigious and selective national scholarship for gifted students across the country: the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship (CDB). Currently, five Stanford OHS students are CBD Scholars, and another three recently spent their middle school years at Stanford OHS before attending boarding school. Each year, only about 30 students are selected nationally for this award, so Stanford OHS has a particularly remarkable representation of CDB Scholars! Administered by the Institute for Educational Advancement, the CDB Scholarship is the only merit-based, need-blind high school scholar- ship for gifted students in the US. It provides winners with a four-year scholarship to high school—and much more: individualized support on school selection and beyond and access to a group of other gifted students around the country at all stages of their education and careers. Students apply during their 7th grade years, spend their 8th grade years working with the CDB staff to craft the optimal high school list and apply, and then receive funding through all of high school. We are very proud of our current Stanford OHS CDB Scholars and encourage other students to apply for this special opportunity. The application deadline will be in April 12, 2016. Grant Morgan (2018) Molly Katherine Pyne-Jaeger (2018) Holly McCann (2019) Calder Hansen (2019) Elizabeth Surman (2020) Stanford Summer A Special Invitation to OHS Students Stanford Pre-Collegiate Studies offers a number of exciting summer programs. All OHS applicants will be given special consideration during the admission process. Apply early! RESIDENTIAL ENRICHMENT (GRADES 8–11) SUMMER ARTS INSTITUTE—NEW! Interdisciplinary study at the intersection of art and academia. Choose among 6 courses. PRE-COLLEGIATE SUMMER INSTITUTES 3-week residential program in a single subject intensive course. SUMMER HUMANITIES INSTITUTE Humanities courses taught by Stanford faculty (grades 10–11). MATHEMATICS CAMP [SUMaC] Advanced mathematics study through lectures, research, and group problems (grades 10–11). COLLEGE CREDIT (AGES 16–19) HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER COLLEGE 145 college courses earning Stanford undergraduate credit with residential, commuter, and online options. SUMMER COLLEGE ACADEMY Hybrid courses—half taught in an online synchronous class and half on Stanford’s campus. UNIVERSITY-LEVEL ONLINE MATH & PHYSICS 13 university-level, self-paced online courses for students who have surpassed the high school curriculum (for all high school ages). NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 • OHS CONNECTION 11 As the first semester draws to a close, we want to share with you some highlights from courses new to Stanford OHS this year. These courses represent not only growth in the range of courses available to students, but also ongoing efforts to draw on the unique expertise of our teachers and to build rich connections across courses for students. Among the numerous additions and revisions to advanced courses offerings is the History Research Seminar, this year focused on the intellectual history intellectual history from the Enlightenment to the 20th century. Students in this course have the rare opportunity to participate in a class in which two teachers —Dr. Kenkel and Dr. Smith—are actively involved in each session. This format has helped students engage the course’s interdisciplinary question of how people have processed modernization and modernity. In one session, the class listened to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, with the ensuing student-led discussion considering the piece as a powerful mode of persuasion or emotional argumentation distinct from logical and philosophical norms they study in Core. Such intersections with other courses have been facilitated by other additions at the advanced level. The first of two 12 OHS CONNECTION • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 optional semester-long Advanced Topics in Philosophy courses, Technology and Identity, has drawn on and enriched discussions on human nature, ethics, decision making, and free will in courses like Democracy, Freedom, and the Rule of Law, and Critical Reading and Argumentation. Dr. Wallhagen also notes that the course’s characteristic Core emphasis on bringing philosophical thinking to bear on contemporary problems has been particularly effective. Current popular discussions of developments in brain science and artificial intelligence have been timely fodder for the course’s exploration of the potential impact of advanced technology on our conception of ourselves and the ethical issues such technologies might bring to the fore. The Nature of Tomorrow: Animals, the Environment, and Ethical Systems, the spring Advanced Topics in Philosophy course taught by Dr. Walker-Dale, will build on those ethical themes. The English division’s Advanced Topics sequence for the year illustrates how courses with college-style focus on a period or genre can help students fruitfully explore questions with broader appli- cation. Dr. Hruska’s fall course, Russian Literature in the 19th Century, reads texts by authors including Pushkin, Lermontov, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. One of her favorite recent discussions considered (with detail from the text!) the potential and limits of literature to call on its readers to create change in the world, to act against cruelty and injustice. In the spring, students will be moving to Russian literature in the 20th century, examining ideas of revolution, oppression, and individuality in film and literature. Much of the curricular Development at Stanford OHS focuses on subject and content areas where students would benefit from more thorough and tailored study. A new course this year in legal studies, Constitutional Law, gives students in the heart of their careers at Stanford OHS an extensive foundation in the Constitution through Supreme Court opinions. In the spring, students will use this background to argue the merits of a case on the Court’s docket this term (Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, an Equal Protection case on race-based college admissions criteria). Students will be on the cutting edge of preparation to evaluate the Court’s holdings when they are published this later in the spring. A range of new courses this year continue efforts to give opportunities in new areas to new groups of students at Stanford OHS. Latin 1B completes the two-year Middle School sequence in Latin, with students moving into extended passage translation and more indepth study of Roman culture through material evidence in the spring. Semester-long courses in Portrait Drawing and Landscape Drawing build on last year’s pilot with the Otis College of Art and Design. These courses are pioneering methods of synchronous online art instruction: Dr. Kenkel and teachers from Otis will be presenting on this collaboration at a national symposium for independent schools in the spring. With this model in mind, we are looking forward to a six-week pilot course in creative writing this spring as we continue to explore creative arts offerings at Stanford OHS. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 • OHS CONNECTION 13 Interview by Cody Snapp Get to know a little bit about Dr. Doherty— instructor of science at Stanford OHS (Earth, Environment, and Energy and Honors Chemistry), avid hiker, and East Coast educated. How long have you been teaching at Stanford OHS? JD—1.5 years What do you like about teaching at Stanford OHS? The people! The students at OHS are the perfect combination of bright and genuine. A lot of the university students I worked with were bright but jaded, so it’s refreshing to work with a population of students who are really curious and eager to learn. Similarly, my colleagues at OHS are very open to new ideas and approaches to teaching, which leads to some really stimulating discussions about how we teach and how to teach effectively online. 14 OHS CONNECTION • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 What is your favorite topic to teach and why? Climate change in Earth Environment and Energy for two reasons: 1) The sooner we get some superstar students to understand the science of climate change the sooner they can start thinking up mitigative and adaptive solutions that really work! (no pressure guys), and 2) Some of the topics we cover within climate changes tie back really nicely to some of the fundamental earth science topics covered in the fall semester. From my perspective it’s really cool to see students apply what they’ve learned throughout the course. What do you love the most about being an educator, and what first inspired you to pursue it as a career? It’s always new. At OHS every student approaches things differently and every class session provides an opportunity for me to think a little bit harder about the material and the way I teach it. Although most people have probably heard that the life of a research ecologist is all limos and lights, it can get pretty repetitive to work on very similar projects in one’s specialty and write very similar papers/ grants over and over again. In short, I moved into teaching because it’s novel and fun. What do you do for fun when you are not teaching and what are your hobbies? Hiking and running! I’m loving the mountains and salt marshes of the bay area. It weirded me out that the weather is always nice when I first moved to California, but somehow I got over it. Do you have a favorite quote and if you do why do you like it? “He who possesses little is that much less possessed.” This resonates with me now, as an itinerant apartment-dweller, but 20 or 30 years from now when I’m arguing with a DMV employee about paying for the registration sticker for my fishing boat trailer I bet it will still make sense. What is the best book you've read recently, and why did you enjoy it? A collection of short stories by John Updike, which included a great story about an old man meeting an old girlfriend at his 50th high school reunion and trying to carry on a conversation. I’ve always liked Updike; I find his writing about awkward social situations both anxiety-provoking and entertaining. What is one thing about you that the students/parents may not know? I started undergrad at my local community college and then transferred to a state school that is not well known outside NY. I mention this because it surprised OHS students I was working with last summer. I know that many OHS pixels are gunning for super-prestigious colleges, and that makes total sense. If you can go to an ivy league school, you probably should. But going to a less-prestigious college isn’t the end of the world. As Frank Bruni puts it: where you go is not who you’ll be. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 • OHS CONNECTION 15 Mackenzie speaking on mental health. Jackie competing (above) and signing posters. Janelle biking and hanging out at the beach. 16 OHS CONNECTION • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 Chloe (’15) Clougher In July, Chloe traveled to the Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C. to receive an award from the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation. In the process, she got to meet with the head of Boeing Defense, Space & Security and the commandant of the Marine Corps during a special leadership program. Since then, it has been an amazing experience for her at the College of the Holy Cross. Chloe recently finished her first season rowing on the Women’s Rowing team and is currently surviving winter workouts. In addition, she is now a contracted cadet in the United States Air Force ROTC program and a few weeks ago she was promoted to the position of deputy commander in the wing of cadets! She says the experience has been incredible and she has formed some of her closest college friendships struggling through 150 push-ups during morning PT and celebrating during formal military events such as dining-in (look up “grog bowl”—you won’t be disappointed). Recently, she became a member of the Air Force ROTC Honor Guard. Chloe was also elected to Holy Cross’s Residence House Council and had a great time recently fundraising for impoverished families in the local community this Thanksgiving. During November, Chloe was invited by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the highest ranking military officer in the U.S. armed services) to the Marine Corps Birthday Luncheon in Boston, MA. At the luncheon, she was honored to be recognized with a special scholarship called the “Semper Fidelis Scholarship” and was awarded a challenge coin by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dunford. Governor Baker and two Medal of Honor Recipients were also in attendance. Jackie (’15) Jeschke Jackie is in her freshman year at the University of Nebraska, where she is a student-athlete, representing the University through swimming. Her team has had three wins this season against Iowa State, Northern Iowa, and South Dakota State. They have a final meet in Kansas before Jackie gets to return to Georgia for the holidays. Jackie said that Stanford OHS really helped her prepare for college. She is able to balance swimming and academics very well. This year is her brother Mike’s first year at Stanford OHS—she’s glad another Jeschke gets to experience what she did! Danielle (’15) Kohut Danielle started working at the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding, specifically the Arctic Studies and Research department. She is very active in sustainability efforts on campus. She also compiles music for the 90s hour on Dartmouth’s very popular music station, 99Rock. Danielle is pursuing a double major in Native American Studies and Religion and is also completing general prelaw requirements. Danielle and friends. Erin (’15) Maidman Erin just finished her freshman season as a member of the Colby College Women’s Volleyball Team. She had the opportunity to start as their Libero for the majority of the season, and the team was fortunate enough to make NESCAC playoffs this year. Erin describes it as an awesome experience. She has also begun doing research with the Maine Concussion Management Initiative, which is about to start a project on the inter- and intradevice reliability of the phones we use for balance testing, which promises to be interesting and informative. Erin has been training for a half-marathon in April with some of her new friends at Colby, which she says is a great outlet for my energy and a good source of structure. Erin loves Colby College, but dearly misses home and getting to be a part of the incredible OHS community. Jackie competing in backstroke. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 • OHS CONNECTION 17 Mackenzie Drazan (’14) Mackenzie working on TEAM’s website. Amanda (’15) Urke Amanda started at Stanford this fall, and although there's so many exciting things going on, she wants to take this opportunity to spread the word about a really cool class she’s taking this fall—a seminar taught by Professor Paul Wender called “Science Innovation and Communication.” The focus of this course is to address the challenge of communicating important and innovative scientific news to the public in a way that is simple and exciting. As a final product, the class will be publishing a website called “Fascinate,” an online science publication geared towards making science more accessible for high-school- to college-aged students. Amanda and her classmates have each worked on individual articles that will be published, and are now working as a team to spread the word to our old high schools, other high schools in the area, and our community here at Stanford. The Stanford Daily newspaper actually just published an article about the class which can be found here. The project final website will go live on December 2 at www.fasci-nate.com. Check it out for some fun, quick reads on topics from designer babies and lab-grown brains to extraterrestrial life and the salamander's in Stanford’s own Lake Lagunita! Amanda at Stanford’s Oval. 18 OHS CONNECTION • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 Since the passing of her sister, Shelby Drazan who also attended Stanford OHS, Mackenzie has worked on founding a website for adolescent mental health called TEAM (Teaching Everyone About Mental Health). Mackenzie, on TEAM: “The goal of the website is to give people advice from the beginning so that the learning curve isn't so steep, as well as to provide them with the resources to obtain the right help for their loved one. Another component of all this project is that people forget how hard this process is on the friends and family caring for the loved one who is struggling. This process is a team effort so it is important that those providing the care and support are also taken care of. Mental health is a very difficult concept to understand since so much of how we interact with people is by judging their emotions and thoughts based on how we personally would respond to what one says. Mental illness makes this hard to do since people who haven't had experience with the diseases before won't be able to think in the same way that those affected do. I know that I personally struggled with this empathy barrier with my sister. Looking back now, there are ways that I have learned to understand the disease and mindsets more that I wish I had from the beginning. This is a common struggle for everyone and something that I believe needs more attention. There are resources out there but I believe that there is a need to combine support for the family and the information that can be used for direct action and treatment plans. The combination and pooling of these resources is what I hope TEAM can do.” Watch a video about Mackenzie’s story and more about TEAM. Thornton (’11) Blease After graduating in May (2015) from Sarah Lawrence College, Thornton continued his education, pursuing a MFA in creative writing at The New School in Manhattan, concentrating on Writing for Children and Young Adults. This past October, he was selected to attend the Rutgers Council on Children’s Literature One on One Plus mentorship program. He is working on a picture book and has completed two first draft novels: an early Middle Grade novel set in Feudal Japan based off a Ninja Cat comic he designed and a Middle Grade Novel set in a dragon world which began as a screenwriting conference project. Janelle (’10) Kendell Janelle just started her last year at the University of Calgary, and will graduate in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology, specialization in Mind Sciences. During her time in university, she has taken many courses on physiology, anatomy, neuroscience, and psychology, as well as continuing with Mandarin Chinese and Philosophy, which she began (and loved!) at Stanford OHS. While completing her degree, Janelle has been working full time as a sales representative for a few cycling related lines—Shimano components and Pearl Izumi apparel. This allows her to do a bit of traveling, to California and Colorado for National Sales Meetings, and across the US and Canada for international trade shows. She also has a second job teaching art (mainly painting) classes to kids at a local studio. She hope to take some time off after university, and do some traveling before applying to med school (her career goals fall into either Sports Medicine or some type of surgery). Other than school, Janelle has had the chance to travel with family to Hawaii and Vancouver Island during the past year. She has also started to race in cycling events more seriously, and completed several road races this summer, including one 3 day stage race. The races can be grueling (80–150km long), but she loves the training and camaraderie involved in cycling. She is currently interviewing potential teams to race for next season. In the fall, she raced in Cyclocross races with her little brother and dad—CX is a European style event where racers must navigate tricky technical courses with mud, hills, stairs, sand, and barriers. Janelle’s years since Stanford OHS have been spent with family and friends, hiking, skiing, traveling, riding bikes, learning, growing, practicing yoga, paddle boarding, laughing, playing music, meditating, painting, and loving life in general. Thornton at his graduation in May 2015. Janelle and her family. Livingston Martin (’10) Livingston received his B.A. in Biology in May 2014 from Whitman College, a wonderful, small liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. There, he took all the pre-med coursework with the ultimate goal of becoming a physician. His senior year thesis research was about bacteriophage therapy, which entails using a type of virus to kill pathogenic bacteria in a way that avoids the bacterial resistance encountered with antibiotics. Livingston presented his results at two conferences in the Pacific Northwest. After graduating, he took a gap year to explore additional interest in computer science. He moved to Seattle and took an accelerated JavaScript vocational training course in web app development. Livingston currently has a job based in Austin, as a technical product manager for an online anesthesiologist/CRNA job board. In January 2015, Livingston began the extensive application process for medical school. This meant prepping and taking the MCAT, soliciting letters of recommendation, completing the AMCAS and TMDSAS applications and answering the subsequent deluge of secondary essays for each medical school. He is now in the interview phase of the process, which stretches from now until the end of February 2016. He has been kept pretty busy with his job, prepping and flying to interviews, and reading any medical books and journals he can get his hands on. Looking to the future, he plans on matriculating somewhere in Fall 2016, spending four years to get an M.D., then spending four to five more years in residency training before entering practice in 2025! Livingston was recently accepted to medical school at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, in Lubbock Texas. Martin today. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 • OHS CONNECTION 19 GETTING TO THE NEXT 10! ANNUAL FUND UPDATE BY FRIDA KUMAR & JOHNATHAN ROBERTSON, ANNUAL FUND CO-CHAIRS The Stanford OHS Annual Fund campaign is in full swing! A heartfelt thank you to all who have joined the campaign—the momentum is building! Our progress over the past six weeks has been very encouraging. The end of December brings our active campaign period to a close. We trust that our supportive community of OHS families and friends will come through during the big final push to year’s end. More importantly, let’s take a look at participation levels! OHS FAMILIES INSTRUCTORS & STAFF 29% 39% As of Monday, December 7, our community has raised over $134,000. $134,000 OF $300,000 GOAL As you know, one of the primary goals for this campaign is participation by all of our families. Why, you ask? Not only is a high level of participation motivating to our faculty, staff and students, but to the University and outside funders, it is essential proof that our school has the unwavering support of our community. 45% $0 $60,000 $120,000 $180,000 $240,000 $300,000 Of the $134K of giving—34% is new or increased giving. $134K is 45% of goal. $46,000 NEW & INCREASED GIFTS 34% $48,000 RENEWING GIFTS 36% $40,000 MATCH EARNED 30% 20 OHS CONNECTION • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 For this year’s campaign, we’ve highlighted the role that the Annual Fund plays in closing the funding gap between tuition and the actual cost of educating each child. Fundraising is an important part of sustaining the quality and diversity of programs at Stanford OHS. As the school enters its next decade, we aim to prove it can rely on the continued support of a committed community. As you embark on your year-end planning, please consider your gift to The Next 10! to help us reach our goals. A HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO THE FAMILIES OF THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS FOR THEIR GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE STANFORD OHS ANNUAL FUND. Mega Pixel = $10,000 & up Pixel Premium = $5,000 – $9,999 Pixel Power = $2,500 – $4,999 Gina Kumar Peyton Robertson Anna Stoneman Laura Rouse Grace Sewell Ellis Capp Austin Gumins Matthew Nugent Sarah Pertsemlidis Pixel Partner = $1,000 –$2,499 Hannah Agwunobi Sean Anderson Yoonji & Yongtak Chung Theodore & Audrey Dutcher Truman & Ava Giles Madelyn Hurwitz Kira & Ariana Hofelmann Emre Kivanc Hyungjoon Lee Joseph Liu Rodrigo Madero Murillo Avery McCall Anthony Mosavi Benjamin Syiek Rilla Taylor Tarun Singh Alexis Tan Chloe Tsang Alex Trubey Alexandra Worthington Anonymous (2) Pixel Pride = $1 – $999 Asma Ali Kaity Cripe Thyra-Lilija, Ingrid & Parker Damon Ivan Altunin Matthew Dupree James Anderson Melissa Eder Eshan Arora Hanne & Eric Enlow Anna Ascheman Graham Estelle Macalister Bagwell Daniel Foster Lilly Bar Milutin Gjaja Sophie Basarrate Eleanor Graham Niamh-Marie Batstone Cameron Gray Peri & Corbin Beckerman Alexander Greenberg Nathaniel & Cameron Eva Guevara Beckman Fiona Hall David Botana Maxwell Hamilton Caroline Bragg Max Hammond Daniel Branstetter Hagan Hensley Susanna & Isabella Brotchie Jordan Hickey Vincent Bugni Gabrielle Humphreys Ian Cheung Sage Hurta Krishna Chittur Haun Jung Maria Kaltchenko Vedika Kanchan Manisha Koneru Christian Kuhn Robert Kwong Susannah Lahiri Aiden Largay Jacob Leeman Kayla Leung Matthew Li Wesley & Alicia Lo Pierce Lowry Ivy Mach Nicolas Martin Alicia Medina Mack Meller Jocelyn Mesham Jack Moriarty Caterina, Chiara & Antonia Mrose Kyler Natividad Jose Nolla Miranda & Miranda Nover Hannah Oh Emre Onal Aditi Patil Isaac Perper Zahra Petiwala Christine Piazza James Plumleigh Jacob Polatty Dylan Polley Nicole Reed Jonathan Saitta Sinclaire Schaefer Jackson Scott Paul Sion Warren & Campbelle Smith Alessandra Sozzi Amy Spruill Jeremy Tang Sonia Tartakovsky Alexandra Tett Cedar Turek Abney Turner Gabriel Ure Benjamin Vogel Daniel Wallick Rachel & Miriam Wallstrom Julia Waxman Jacob Williamson Hannah Wirth Faizah Wulandana Katie Yan Thea Yang Haley Yao Daniela Zaks Anonymous (11) LISTING AS OF 12/8/15 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 • OHS CONNECTION 21 Student News EDITED BY CODY SNAPP Campbell Wins the 2015 American Prize in Voice Gwyneth Campbell (2016), is the 2015 winner of The American Prize in Voice—Friedrich and Virginia Schorr Memorial Award, in the high school opera division. Gwyneth was selected from applications reviewed this summer from all across the United States. The American Prize is a series of new, non-profit, competitions unique in scope and structure, designed to recognize and reward the best performing artists, ensembles and composers in the United States based on submitted recordings. “I am thrilled to be chosen as the winner of The American Prize in Voice Friedrich & Virginia Schorr Memorial Award for 2015, in the high school opera division. Winning the prize is such an encouragement to me, and I am sure that my teacher Maria Lyudko from the St. Petersburg Conservatory and Elizabeth Heuermann from the New York Lyric Opera will be pleased with this result,” said Gwyneth on accepting the prize. 8th Grader Awarded High Point Trophy Storrie Kulynych-Irvin (2020), is a year-round swimmer for the Naval Academy Aquatic club and also a triathlete. During the summer she raced in and won a number of youth triathlons across Maryland and was awarded the high point trophy for the Maryland Youth Triathlon series. STORRIE (ON RIGHT) BEING AWARDED THE HIGH POINT MEDAL IN AUGUST. 22 OHS CONNECTION • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 OHSer Develops Online Tutoring Site Remember the last time you stayed up all night studying for your calculus test, or toiled over your physics homework? What you needed was someone you can call on instantly for help in the middle of the night. That’s where Sloth Tutoring comes in. In her sophomore year at the OHS, Megan Gessner (2016) created the “Physics Sloth” tutoring group, where she organized group study sessions for tests, and answered middle-of-the-night questions. It seemed like a lot of people loved having that resource, and she loved having such an impact on her community. This year she decided to bring the idea back. Megan has been working with her dad (a computer programmer) to design the site and program for students at the OHS (and outside the OHS) to use. “Sloth Tutoring” is an online tutoring site created for for high school and college students in math, physics, chemistry, and computer science. “It helps to be able to ask your question when the subject is fresh, even if right now is 2am. Anyone who knows me knows I have a passion for physics and math, a love of tutoring, and a slight obsession with sloths. I combined all of the above for this project– helping students succeed in fields that inspire me every day while simultaneously raising money to benefit the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica,” explains Megan. Anyone who is interested can check the site out at www.slothtutoring.com. The site will be live in December. Muller Wins Film Contest with Drone Video Quinn Muller (2019) was thrilled to discover that his documentary he shot last year during his adventure in Tanzania won first place in the “Student” category at the Flying Robot International Film Festival. His documentary, Electric Africa was shot during his father’s five week contract working for his solar energy company Off-Grid Electric. Once Quinn learn of the contest he reviewed all of his footage from the Africa trip that was taken with a Phantom 2 Vision+ drone and a DSLR camera. Quinn says he spent 3–4 hours a day for the next week in his room putting the film together that captured Off- Share your news with us! Find out how on pg. 26! Grid Electric and the incredible, eye-opening experience he was able to have there. He submit the documentary into both the Student and Drones for Good categories. Unfortunately he wasn’t able attend the screening but he did film and sent in his acceptance speech standing on top of the fancy, new OffGrid Electric headquarters. Watch his acceptance speech on YouTube. Click to Watch From the OHSPA BY GINA CHAFFIN (OHSPA VP) & SUSAN SMITH (OHSPA SECRETARY) Parent Coffee Talks IN THE FALL OF 2014, the Stanford OHS Parent Association (OHSPA) began hosting Parent Coffee Talks in an effort to widen our vibrant community. These unrecorded informal gatherings held in Adobe Connect were originally meant to reach parents who could not attend the OHSPA Monthly Meetings due to the time difference and were geographically isolated from other OHS families. The OHSPA Officers recruited the Regional Coordinators to co-host the first Parent Coffee Talks, and together, we simply had casual conversations about the OHS experience. These events led families to interact with one another online and, ultimately, to meet face-to-face; exactly what we had hoped for! We have continued to host Parent Coffee Talks for another purpose: to address particular topics that we confront in our unique online environment. In the 20142015 school year, we hosted four events (two in the fall and two in January) based on geography: US/Europe/Middle East/Africa/India and US/Asia/South America/ Australia, where we discussed general topics such as exam logistics and socialization. Last April and May, we hosted two coffee talks (for parents of middle school and high school students) on developing student self-sufficiency, identifying talents, and long-term preparation for college. Parents of OHS seniors generously shared their students’ academic journeys from middle school to graduation. Join the OHSPA Parent Forum We’ve hosted three Parent Coffee Talks so far this school year: Unsupported Technology & Best Practices for all OHS parents (September), Regional Coordinator Training for our new Regional Coordinators (October), and Discussion for Parents of OHS Seniors (November). Please join us for the next Parent Coffee Talk in January (date TBD) that will focus on Record Keeping & Homeschool Transcripts and Resources. Also, watch the Pixel Weekly and the OHSPA Forum for dates for upcoming events, including the popular long-term college preparation event in April 2016. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 • OHS CONNECTION 23 Student Views Letter From the Student Body President BY EMMA DREWRY (2016) I WAS THIRTEEN WHEN I STARTED OHS, joined Student Govern- and school-wide superlatives that ment, and decided that one day, I’d be Student Body President. I'm will be featured in this year’s year- fortunate enough now to be writing to you at seventeen, as OHS’s book, a five-day virtual scaven- Student Body President after four years in Student Government. ger hunt, Homecoming Court elec- I’ll admit— it hasn’t always been easy. Any student or teacher or tions, and an assembly highlighting parent can detail the challenges we face as members of our unique the amazing members of our commu- community. We are separated by distance, divided by borders and nity. This isn’t even a full list of what we’ve oceans, and limited by our online nature. Yet, we have built a com- accomplished in the last two months, and there’s so much more in munity of passionate and caring students, and through that com- store, so many new ways to get involved coming your way. So get munity, we are able to form friendships that have transcended dis- ready. It’s going to be amazing. tance and will surely stand the test of time. I want to close this letter with a promise to you all. I’m sadly com- It is with this community in mind that Student Government ing to the end of my five-year career at OHS, no longer the shy thir- works, and with a dedication to building the strongest community teen year old who lost her election speech and showed up for her possible. We understand the challenges ahead of us, but we know first class knowing no one. This school, this community, has given that the strength of our community far outweighs our limitations. me and many others so impossibly much, in friendships and ex- In the last four years, I’ve seen projects fail and enthusiasm waver; periences that have shaped who we are. It is unique and powerful I’ve seen Student Government work together and seen us in utter and wonderful, and I have an ineffable debt to pay to this school. I discord; I’ve seen us overcome challenges and seen us succumb promise I will spend the rest of my time here attempting to pay it. I to them. And I have never been prouder to be a member than I hope you’ll join me and get involved this year—whether it’s through am this year, because this year’s Student Government has worked Student Government, clubs, or participating in upcoming events. harder and accomplished more than any other before. This community is incredible, and it’s stronger when we all con- At a staggering forty-seven members, we are larger and more inclusive than ever. Together, we’ve accomplished so much, from our own Canvas page to our first school-wide event, from individual class events to the massive collaboration that is Spirit Week, which this year included not just themed Spirit Days, but class- tribute. I’ll stop being sappy now. Feel free to contact me at any time with any questions or ideas for Student Government. Here’s to a great year, EMMA X 2015–16 STUDENT GOVERNMENT LIST INCLUDES ELECTED AND UNELECTED MEMBERS Alex Yeoh • Alexis Tan • Ana De Ramos • Anisha Oomen Anna Stoneman • Aria Lorenz • Aryanna Chutkan Ashley DiCristofalo • Bassel El-Rewini • Belle Lim • CJ Nave Corbin Beckerman • Cyrus Crockett • David Shuster • Draco Fishbein Eleanor Graham • Elena Gonzalez • Emma Drewry Faizah Wulandana • Fatima Rahim • Gabe Ure • Gina Kumar Grace Sewell • Holly McCann • Ivy Mach • Jango McCormick Julia Wang • Kate Joss-Bradley • Kayla Leung • Krystle DiCristofalo Kuunal Makhija • Laura Rouse • Luke Kwong • Natalie LeBaron Nicolas Machado • Olga Aristova • Patricia Fitzgerald Peri Beckerman • Ricky Grannis-Vu • RJ Atwal • Sean Anderson Shriya Jain • Sylvana Domokos • Tej Singh Thyra-Lilja Altunin • Victoria Franco • Vishnu Srinivasa 24 OHS CONNECTION • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 Ant encased in amber [Max Hamilton] Science Happens BY KIM FAILOR Sharing Science Studying BirA at MIT [Anne Blythe Davis] Over the course of three Fridays in September and October, students from across OHS gathered to hear about the scientific research conducted by their fellow Pixels. Each presenter did an amazing job of representing diverse interests and approaches. In case you missed any of the events, recordings are available: September 4, September 25, and October 2. And if you’re craving even more science or feel inspired to present your own, the annual OHS Science Fair will take place on Friday, January 15 in Adobe Connect. Proposals to present were due December 7, but feel free to email Dr. Failor prior to Winter Break if you are interested. Extracting bacterial metabolites [Vishnu Srinivasa] Measuring bacterial resistance to metal toxicity [Rose Gellman] Gravid Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata) [Margaret McGuire] Mutating beta-glucosidase B [Shruthi Sukir] Diabetic Retinopathy app development [Mahati Potharaju] Gear stages [Rohit Narayanana] Predictive modeling of the gut microbiome [Adarsh Ramchandran] Detecting sexual dimorphism in sea otters [Vikram Venkatram] Reflection pattern in Organic LED [Leo Panish] Contribute to OHS Connection SHARE YOUR NEWS Students, we’d love to share news of your endeavors and accomplishments beyond the classroom with our community in future issues of the OHS Connection. We invite your submissions whenever you have something interesting to share. To be included in the next issue, please submit your news to OHS Communications: ohscommunications@stanford.edu. CALL FOR ARTISTS Do you have a piece of artwork that you would like to share with the OHS community? Please send us your photography, paintings, drawings, and digital art, and your work will be highlighted in our next issue. To submit your artwork, send high resolution photos or scans to our graphic designer, with your name, title of your piece, and medium used. Send submissions to Stephanie Griffin: sjgriffi@stanford.edu. BACK COVER YOUNG CHAN KIM, CLOCKWORK FLIGHT, MIXED MEDIA FRONT COVER ANNE BLYTHE DAVIS, EGRET, DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
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