Tamalpais Union High School District

April 2011
the
tam
F A M I L Y
P u b l i s h e d b y Ta m H i g h P T S A
Tam Teacher Writes Book
About Pro Baseball in Israel
Tam Students Experience Every 15 Minutes
In the social studies classroom we sometimes
talk about the importance of following our
hearts. Nearly four years ago, in the winter
of 2007, I learned of a newly formed baseball
league in the Middle East. Since I had been
out of the game for
three years, working hard on another
challenging yet incredibly rewarding
profession, I brushed
away the romantic
thought of dusting
off the spikes and
glove and traveling
halfway around the
world for a two month summer vacation.
But ideas often assume a life of their own,
and this idea refused to surrender. When
friends and family learned of my upcoming
expedition, many encouraged me to keep a
journal of my experiences. Somewhat like a
student, I brushed them off. Who wants to do
homework over the summer? Yet after some
healthy nudging, kvetching, and cajoling—
most pointedly by colleague and author
Russell Hill, who happened to be teaching
two sections of English in an adjacent classroom—I acquiesced. Upon returning home,
after witnessing a strike and a fellow player’s
brush with death, after falling in love with a
beautiful Yemenite Jew and being offered the
chance to become the first player from the
IBL to sign a professional contract back in the
US, I knew there was a story to tell. The result
is my new book, Pitching in the Promised Land.
(Somewhat like Bull Durham in Tel Aviv.)
Every 15 Minutes was
perhaps the largest and
most important project I
will have worked on while
being the PTSA president
at Tam High. On March
22 and 23 our entire Tam
community of students,
faculty, administration,
staff and parents was
brought together to
share in this remarkable
experience.
From now on, in the classroom whenever we
discuss the value of following one’s dream,
I’ll add this: sometimes without looking for
them, new dreams emerge. As parents and
members of the Tam community, I invite you
to share in mine. — Aaron Pribble (Tam social
studies teacher and basketball coach).
Every 15 minutes throughout the entire school day a student or a teacher was led from one of their
classrooms, had their faces made up to symbolize death, and placed back into their regular class
schedule. For the rest of the day they could not communicate with anyone at school or by phone.
All students who participated in the program were then transported to the Embassy Suites in San
Rafael where they participated in an evening-long program led by our Assistant Principals
by Leslie Wachtel, PTSA President
It took over 100 people
from Tam High, the California
Highway Patrol, the Mill Valley Police
and Fire Departments and countless other service agencies to put
this two-day educational experience
together and hopefully save lives by
teaching our community about the
horrific consequences of drinking
and driving.
On Tuesday, March 22, the entire
Top: Senior Jake Straus plays the role of the teenage drunk driver as he explains
school experienced a simulated accito Mill Valley Police officers the circumstances surrounding the crash that took
the life of his classmate, sophomore McCall Hoyt. Credit: Kirke Wrench/millvalley.
dent on Miller Avenue that dramatipatch.com.
cally demonstrated what can happen
Bottom: Strauss checks on injured occupants in the second car.
when a driver makes the horrible
decision to get behind the wheel of
a vehicle following the consumption of alcohol. We all watched as one student was pronounced
dead at the scene, another was airlifted by a CHP helicopter for medical treatment and a third
victim was taken by ambulance to Marin General Hospital. The drunk driver was given several field
sobriety tests, handcuffed and taken away to the Marin County jail for booking.
Continued on page 2
T A M A D M TI N
A IMS TPRTAS TAI O N / P T S A
Tam Students Experience Every 15 Minutes Continued from page 1
Kim Stiffler and Chad Stuart
and by Tam Counselor Alex
Hunt. The parents of the
students involved also had the
opportunity to meet for dinner
and to discuss their experiences throughout the day.
On Wednesday, March 23,
during the tutorial period the
Tam student body and many
parents came together to watch
the video made the day before
and which was filmed by some
of our AIM students and produced and edited overnight
by Steve Gatlin Photography.
Following the film the “drunk
driver” from the day before was
“tried” in front of the student
assembly by the Honorable
Paul Haakenson, judge of the
Marin County Superior Court.
Assistant District Attorney
Aicha Mievis and attorney
David Vogelstein represented
the state and the defendant in
a real-life simulation of what
might happen to someone
convicted of a DUI.
Top: Tam High students appear to realize the serious consequences of drinking and
driving as they watch an auto accident re-enactment in front of the school.
Middle: Rescue personnel prepare to load junior Claudia Shapiro in to a CHP
helicopter during the drunk-driving re-enactment.
Bottom: Senior Jake Straus, pretending to be a drunk driver, is taken away by
Mill Valley police.
Photo Credits: Kirke Wrench/millvalley.patch.com.
Perhaps the most powerful
part of the two-day experience
was our speaker, Jason Barber.
If your child has not mentioned
the speaker and his powerful
message, I would suggest you
ask him/her about this experience and use it to start a dialogue about drinking, driving
and the real life consequences
of making bad decisions about
drinking and driving.
Many thanks to Stephanie
Dorfman, my co-chair for
Every 15 Minutes. Stephanie is a joy to work with and I will miss our monthly, then weekly and
finally daily communication!
There are many more people to thank for helping us produce this event. Please look in the May Tam
Family for a complete list of the parents, staff and faculty who made this possible.
We will show the Every 15 Minutes video at the May 4 PTSA meeting to be held in the Student
Center at 7 pm.
2 th e ta m f a m i l y
Apr 2011
Drivers Take Note
SLOW
DOWN
Please slow down in school zones. Do NOT
drop off students on Gomez Avenue or pull
into a neighbor’s property. It is not safe or
considerate to use our neighbors’ driveways
for drop offs or pick ups. Please drive to the
end of the lanes in the front of the school.
The Sheriff’s Department and MVPD may
ticket and/or tow cars that are parked
illegally on or near campus. Cars must be
parked further than six feet from the center
of the roadway to allow for safe passage of
emergency vehicles and cars. Tam High is
not responsible for tickets or tow charges of
illegally parked cars. Please allow enough
time to safely arrive at school each day.
Thank you for your attention.
tam
P
T
S
A
The Tam Family
PTSA President Leslie Wachtel
mvleslieann@yahoo.com . ................................... 388-7766
PTSA Executive Vice President Gwen Hubbard
gwenhubbard@comcast.net . .............................. 388-7421
PTSA Vice President - Communication Ruth Rosenfield
ruth@rosenfields.net ........................................... 388-5738
Principal Thomas Drescher
tdrescher@tamdistrict.org ................................... 380-3510
Editorial Staff
Editor: Mary Washburn
Layout: Peg Baumert
Proofreader: Kathleen Goldberg
Distribution: Ingrid Sato
Published 8 times a year
TA M A D M I N I S T R AT I O N
STAR SCHEDULE April 2011
Important Information
for Tam Seniors
Monday, April 18: Regular 7-period schedule
DAY 1: Tuesday, April 19
(Seniors report at 12:10 pm)
8:00 – 9:25
ELA Part 1
9:25 – 9:40
Break
9:45 – 11:25
ELA Part 2
11:25 – 12:05
Lunch
12:10 – 1:40
1st Period
1:40-1:50
Break
1:55-3:25
2nd period
Seniors do not test
Seniors do not test
DAY 2: Wednesday, April 20
(Freshmen report at 10:20 am; seniors report at 1:15 pm)
8:00 – 8:55
Social Studies - Part 1
Sophomores & Juniors only;
9:00 – 9:55
Social Studies - Part 2
Freshmen do not test
9:55 – 10:15
Break
10:20 – 11:20
Science Part 1
Seniors do not test
11:25 – 12:25
Science Part 2
Seniors do not test
12:25-1:05
Lunch
1:15-2:45
5th Period
DAY 3: Thursday, April 21
(Seniors report at 12:10 pm)
8:00 – 9:30
Math - Part 1
9:30 – 9:45
Break
9:50 – 11:35
Math – Part 2
11:35 – 12:05
Lunch
12:10 – 1:40
3rd Period
1:40-1:50
Break
1:55 – 3:25
4th Period
Seniors do not test
Seniors do not test
DAY 4: Friday, April 22
(Freshmen, Juniors and Seniors report at 10:20 am)
8:00 – 10:10
Science Parts 1 & 2
Sophomores only;
(includes a 10 min break)
9th, 11th, and 12th do not test
10:10 – 10:15
Break
10:20 - 11:50
6th period
11:50 - 12:30
Lunch
12:35 - 1:15
Tutorial
1:25 - 2:55
7th period
MAKE UPS: Monday, April 25th
Graduation
Graduation will take place on Wednesday,
June 8, at 6 pm. To attend the commencement exercises, all guests must have a ticket.
Mead Theater accommodates approximately 1,800 people. We will provide each family
with eight tickets per graduate. No extra
tickets will be distributed and lost tickets
will not be replaced. We encourage students
with extra tickets to share with other grads
in need. Tickets will be distributed to
graduates the morning of graduation.
Seniors in Good Standing Policy
In order to participate in our graduation
ceremony, seniors must be in good standing. The Seniors in Good Standing Policy
holds seniors district-wide to continued
academic and behavioral expectations commensurate with our school’s high standards.
Participation in the graduation ceremony
is voluntary and considered a privilege.
The Seniors in Good Standing Policy can
be found in the Tam High Student-Parent
Handbook available on tamhigh.org under
About Us/Forms & Publications.
Last Weeks of School – Senior Schedule
Friday, June 3: Senior Trip
Monday, June 6: Senior Check-Out Day and
Graduation Rehearsal
PTSA Barbecue Lunch!
Tuesday, June 7: Games on the Field,
Barbecue, and Graduation Rehearsal
Wednesday, June 8: Senior Breakfast, Awards
and Graduation
A P R 2 0 1 1 th e ta m f a m i l y
3
TA M A D M I N I S T R AT I O N
2011 AP Testing Schedule
WEEK 1
MORNING
8:00 AM
LOCATION
Mon 5/2
Chemistry
Ruby Scott Gym
Tues 5/3
Spanish Language
Language Lab/
Ruby Scott
Wed 5/4
Calculus AB / BC
Ruby Scott Gym
Thurs 5/5
English Literature
Ruby Scott Gym
Fri 5/6
U. S. History
TBD
AFTERNOON
12:00 PM
LOCATION
Parents: Looking for a way to get
involved at Tam?
Here are some upcoming options:
European History
Ruby Scott Gym
Studio Art Portfolios (Art Rooms)
Week 2
Mon 5/9
Biology
Ruby Scott Gym
Tue 5/10
Wed 5/11
English
Composition
Ruby Scott Gym
French Language
Language Lab
Statistics
2020
Thur 5/12
Fri 5/13
Tamalpais Union High School District to Place Parcel Tax
Renewal on November 2011 Ballot
Recently, TUHSD Superintendent Laurie Kimbrel sent an email to all district parents informing us of the
parcel tax renewal campaign. Her Parent Connection newsletter is the first of many communications
regarding the parcel tax. In this month’s Tam Family, we have re-printed Dr. Kimbrel’s letter just in case
you missed it. Look for another letter in the regular mail after the April break, too. Our goal is to inform
everyone early and often, answer any questions that arise, and garner a strong support base from our
parent community. Only 20% of the district’s voters are parents ... we need your help to renew this parcel
tax on the November 8, 2011 ballot!
The Tamalpais Union High School District Board of Trustees plans to place a parcel tax renewal measure
on the November 8, 2011 ballot. This measure will ask voters to reaffirm their commitment to quality
high school education by renewing the existing parcel tax that was overwhelmingly approved by the
community in 1989, 1997, and 2004. This local tax is approximately $230 per year, or $19 per month,
and is scheduled to expire in June 2012. Homeowners over the age of 65 are eligible for an exemption.
The present parcel tax supports the District’s comprehensive and exceptional academic programs,
helps attract and retain accomplished teachers and counselors, and ensures that a broad array of
elective courses such as fine arts and technology are offered. The parcel tax accounts for 15% of
the District’s annual budget. All funds generated from the parcel tax go directly to the high schools
– Tamalpais, Redwood, Sir Francis Drake, San Andreas, and Tamiscal.
It is important to note that the parcel tax differs from the bond measures that the community passed
in 2001 and 2006. The parcel tax pays for District educational programs and services, while the bond
can ONLY pay for construction, renovation, and modernization of the District high schools.
Failure to pass the parcel tax in November would mean that the district would need to make about
$8.5 million in annual budget cuts. Teaching positions would be eliminated and educational programs severely curtailed. The direct result would be a decline in the quality of high school education, diminishing the strong property values that our community enjoys.
The Board of Trustees will take action on a formal resolution calling for the parcel tax election at its
June 21, 2011 meeting. The Board is expected to approve a proposal calling for the continuation of
the parcel tax with NO INCREASE beyond the existing minimal annual adjustment.
For more information and for answers to frequently asked questions please visit the parcel tax
renewal committee’s website at citizens4tamdistrict.org.
4 th e ta m f a m i l y
Apr 2011
Parent Volunteer
Opportunities
Need
STAR Testing Snacks
April 19-22
Contact
Leslie Wachtel @ mvleslieann@yahoo.com
Need
STAR Testing Barbecue
April 22
Contact
Deborah Dilley @ deb@2kenny2.com
Need
Proctors for AP Exams
May 2-11
Contact
Kim Stiffler @ kstiffler@tamdistrict.org
Need
PTSA Senior Balloon Bouquet Fundraiser
June 8 (morning)
Contact
Leslie Wachtel @ mvleslieann@yahoo.com
Need
Graduation Reception
June 8 (afternoon/evening)
Contact
Ruth Chavez @ rmcassoc3@yahoo.com
F O U N D AT I O N S
Come Along on the Tam High Foundation ‘Field Trip’ and See How
Your Contributions Benefit Our Tam Teachers and Students
by Deborah Miller, Communications Chair
The best “perk” of being a Tam High Foundation (THF) Board member is
complete in teaching students everything they need to know about
the annual Tam High Foundation “Field Trip.” Organized again this year
auto maintenance and repair.
by the Foundation’s Grants Co-Chairs, currently Karen Betzner and Robin
This year, the crowning glory in the auto shop garage is also the result
Moses, board members visit classrooms whose teachers have received
THF funds. We are the eyes and ears for donors
of a THF grant: the vintage red Ford Mustang which will be entirely
rebuilt and repainted by auto shop classes
to the Foundation; that is for YOU, our Tam
over the next year and a half to two years.
parents, and for our business and community
This showcase car is the vision of Ms. Miller
supporters.
who undertook an extensive search, with the
Every department in the school has received
help of students, for a premiere car in need
THF support. This year our field trip made four
of complete repair. Originally asking more
stops. We learned once again that the Tam High
than the THF grant allowed, the seller of the
Foundation’s financial support of teacher innova-
car brought down his price when Ms. Miller
tion over multiple years has greatly expanded the
explained the vision for the car’s use at Tam.
tools available for our fine teachers and has built
Since then, Ms. Miller has leveraged the THF
truly exceptional and visionary learning spaces
grant by applying for and receiving a state
for our Tam High students.
vocational training grant that enabled her
Field Trip Stop #1: Auto Shop
to buy a new engine and accompanying
The first stop on our field trip was Tam’s famous
parts to rebuild the vehicle. The result is
auto shop, part of the Applied Technology
Department. Kept almost as clean and pristine
as mom’s kitchen, this spacious, well-equipped
shop is highly organized, with every piece of
equipment and tool catalogued and in its place.
The auto shop is a home and an opportunity
for young people to learn intricate information,
comparable to a science class and to apply this
TA M
HIGH
FOUNDATION
remarkable training for Tam auto shop
students, and ultimately a car that will be
used as Tam High’s very own showcase car
and the pride of the auto shop.
Field Trip Stop #2: Photography Class
As we entered the photography classroom, we
were greeted by a large and inviting room with
work stations and photographs everywhere.
knowledge in a hands-on way via a team effort
The appeal of this course, a wildly popular
where all team members must perform well to
class with more students interested in taking
achieve the best results. Lisa Miller is the shop’s
teacher, mentor, head mechanic and even, at
times, good mom for 75 students in three class
MAKING THE
DIFFERENCE
sections. A diverse student group is served by
it than there are spots available, was easy to
see. We picked out the scanners and cameras
funded by the Foundation. Teacher Mary
Manulkin then pointed us to a mysterious, Star
this marvelous facility. No matter what style of learning is each student’s
Wars-like curved chamber. Its curved door slid open on a circular track
forte, from top academics to hands-on learners, all auto shop students
to reveal a dark cubicle area. Two at a time, THF board members entered
are highly motivated. The shop is kept in impeccable shape simply
and disappeared – as the door slid around its 280-degree curved track, it
because each student knows that if he or she does not do so, the
opened on the opposite side to reveal the entryway into the exotically-lit
privilege to participate will be taken away.
photographic dark room. This dark room, also supported by THF, is the
We saw many elements funded by the Foundation over several years,
largest and best equipped of any school dark room in the county, large
resulting in an exceptional, well-rounded training experience for auto
shop students. From the tire balancing equipment to the alignments
rack to computer programs and training software, the course is
enough for an entire class of 30 students to receive training in the dark
room arts. The “Star Wars door” keeps the room perpetually protected
from invasive exterior light and adds an air of adventure to the exciting
photographic enterprise at Tam.
Continued on page 8
A P R 2 0 1 1 th e ta m f a m i l y
5
F O U N D AT I O N S
Another Fun Valentine’s Dinner for the
Tam Music Department
by Merrie Jaffe, THUMB Parent
Once again, as Valentines Day approached, Ruby Scott Gym was
transformed into a music hall/dinner theater extravaganza! The Tam
High United Music Boosters (THUMB) had its largest annual fundraiser
of the year on Friday, February 11. While the event was co-chaired by
Linda Meyer, Diana Visona and Merrie Jaffe, it came together with the
help of Spiro Tsingaris (music teacher extraordinaire), Doug Thompson
(president of THUMB), Christina Pettigrew (THUMB administrator) and
many members of the business community.
The hall was decorated by an army of parent volunteers, hanging signs,
covering tables with cloths, sparkles, and candy, and blowing up dozens
and dozens of balloons! One would hardly know you were in a high
school gym! As the students arrived to get ready to perform, also
transformed by their “grown-up, dress-up” clothes, the place began
to buzz.
The Tam High music students proceeded to play music for three hours.
As always they were under the direction of Mr. Tsingaris, who is an
amazing teacher, conductor and coach. He is well versed in almost
all styles of music, and the program reflected that. There were
instrumentals and vocals, solos and small ensembles, as well as large
groups (orchestras, bands, and choruses). There was jazz, classical, and
rock. The sheer logistics of gathering all the instruments and equipment
were mind-boggling. The quality of the performances themselves was
truly impressive. What a wonderful musical community we live in.
In addition to great music, there was great food. For the first time
this year we had dinner brought in by caterer/baker Focaccia from
San Francisco. The food was delicious, with many menu choices, and
plentiful as well. It was cheerfully served by our many parent volunteers.
We had coffee donated by Peets Coffee and Tea in Mill Valley, and
cupcakes provided at a discount by Sweet Things in Tiburon (thanks to
Amy Frost, a Tam parent).
Of course many parents (and students) helped clean up and return the
gym to its original appearance. Thanks for all your hard work at the end of a long evening. It’s
amazing how quickly and efficiently that all happened.
A big thank you to our principal Tom Drescher and his administration team for their support of this
event. Thank you to Pat Gannon, Tam’s head of maintenance and his hard-working crew. We could
not have set up or cleaned up without them. Thank you to the Tam High Foundation for its
continued support of the Tam Music Program.
We appreciate all the parents who worked so hard on this event: Caroline Donahue, Claire Johnston,
Jean & Michael Jeffries, Louise Munger, Rahel Crowley, Jane Flanagan, Robin Holway, Lovelyn
Sugi-Louie, Kui Lui, Kim Caraker, Katie DeBattista, Charlie McDonald, Vasanti Godbole, Christine
McGuinness, Shelly Amas, Helen & Craig Dahl, Maureen Parton, Alma O’Brien, Jennifer Turpin, Tracy
Kiles, Sherm Yee, Kathy McMahon, Julie Knight, Sue Warhaftig, Craig Meyer, G. Visona and Seth Jaffe.
REMEMBER: We welcome all parents to participate in THUMB, which meets the third Thursday
of the month in the band room. For more information contact Doug Thompson at
doug@thompsonstudio.com.
6 th e ta m f a m i l y
Apr 2011
Scenes from this year’s THUMB Valentine’s fundraiser.
S AV E T H E D A T E !
Tam Supper Club
and
Silent Auction
Sunday, May 1, 2011
5 - 9pm
Please plan to join us for a fabulous evening at the Mill Valley Outdoor Art Club to benefit the Tam High
Foundation. This is our major fund-raising event of the year, and a chance for you to not only support Tam
High, but also to see and listen to some of our most talented students as they perform just for you!
(Wine and beer tasting, oyster bar, heavy hors d’oeuvres, silent auction, fabulous raffle, no host bar)
$85 per person in advance, $100 after April 16th
INVITATIONS WILL BE MAILED IN APRIL
TO BUY YOUR TICKETS OR YOUR SUPPER CLUB SPONSORSHIP NOW VISIT THE TAM HIGH
FOUNDATION WEBSITE TAMHIGHFOUNDATION.ORG AND SELECT THE “HOT LINK” BUTTON.
We are also soliciting: Hosted dinner parties for six or more, Vacation homes, Wine auction donations,
and any other fabulous raffle or silent auction items
Help the Tam High Foundation by providing sponsorship for the Supper Club!
Sponsor a
Teacher:
$50
Foundation
Supporters: $200
Includes 1 raffle ticket and
a mention both in
the online catalog and
at the event
Silver Circle
Sponsors: $300
Includes 2 event tickets,
1 raffle ticket, free drinks
and a mention both in the
online catalog and
at the event
Gold Circle
Sponsors: $500
Includes a teacher
sponsorship, 2 event
tickets, 2 raffle tickets, free
drinks and a mention both
in the online catalog and
at the event
To be listed in the online catalog, sponsorships must be purchased by April 10th.
Please contact Lisa Barger at 383-9422 or Lbarger@mac.com if you would like to be a sponsor.
We are looking for volunteers to help with the event. If you are interested, please email Susan Shumway or Lisa Barger
Susan Shumway susanshumway@aol.com
Lisa Barger lbarger@mac.com
F O U N D AT I O N S / S T U D E N T L I F E
Come Along on the Tam High Foundation ‘Field Trip’ and See How
Your Contributions Benefit Our Tam Teachers and Students Continued from page 5
Field Trip Stop #3: Science Department
example, Mrs. Tucker’s students do independent research projects. Using
My latent wish to become a scientist was re-awakened by our visit to
these projects, five of her students won awards at the Marin County
three science classrooms: those of Leslie Hart in chemistry (regular, AP
Science Fair, including one student who was a grand prize winner in the
and honors), April Tucker in integrated science (regular and honors), and
life sciences. Three of the five students will advance to the San Francisco
Mary Wuerth in integrated science and AP biology.
Bay Area Science Fair.
In each class, the Tam High Foundation has played a leading role in
THF Field Trip Stop #4: Language Lab
outfitting the classrooms and labs. Document cameras are creatively
Our last field trip stop was a visit to Brian Zailian’s sophomore French class
utilized to project an enlarged view of even the tiniest experiments being
in the language lab. This lab was made possible in 2000 by a $65,000
performed by the instructor. In chemistry, we watched silver crystallize
grant from the Foundation and was one of the first major projects
as a solution of silver nitrate reacted with a piece of copper. In biology,
supported by THF. Recently, the Foundation approved additional funds
the document cameras greatly improve learning by allowing students to
for a lab upgrade. The language lab is in use every period of every day. All
view the structure of feathers and the dissection of eggs.
language classes utilize the lab and each language class is in the lab for
In the chemistry classroom, THF has provided electronic balances, hot
about 45 minutes per week.
plates and probeware (colorimeters, gas pressure sensors, pH sensors,
The lab is high tech and impressive. We watched Mr. Zailian as he ad-
temperature sensors) and has helped create totally self-sufficient chem-
ministered a test to his class. Each station has a computer, keyboard and
istry lab workstations, each one a totally complete lab in itself. These lab
headset. At the teacher’s desk is a monitor that lets him see what is hap-
stations are similar to those found in university labs or in industry. Pairs
pening on every screen. Mr. Zailian handed out a sheet of French text and
of students in every class can work at each of these 15 lab stations within
each student read it aloud into his or her headset. Their reading is
the chemistry classroom. The sophisticated probeware has replaced glass
recorded and Mr. Zailian is then able to go back and listen to how well
thermometers to determine temperatures and enables the recording and
each student speaks the language. The test then came up on every
analysis of complex pH curves and other measurements. The probeware
student’s screen. The students filled in the blanks on the computer and
instruments are always carefully put away when not in use and are in
the computer graded each test. Voila!
impeccable condition.
These are just a few of the many learning environments supported by the
All biology and integrated science classes are cutting edge with THF’s
Tam High Foundation. None of these grants would be possible without
support of biotech and genetics kits that enable the anonymous obser-
the support of Tam High parents and business and community donors.
vation and study of students’ own DNA from their cheek cells. These are
studied in THF-funded Bio-Rad gels and dyes that are non-toxic. As Ms.
Wuerth stated, thanks to the Tam High Foundation, all experiments are
As Ms. Wuerth said after our visit:
“Thank you so much for your support of Tam students and teachers.”
even safer than before. The biotech kits also enable investigating the use
of biofuels in environmental science classes, and the famous and beloved
green pGLO experiments which so dramatically demonstrate bacterial
transformation, again in an entirely safe way. Ms. Wuerth recently attended
a genomics workshop sponsored by the DNA Learning Center, and plans
Tam Students Winners at County
Science Fair
the curriculum.
The Marin County Science Fair awards ceremony took place on
March 10. Congratulations to the following students:
THF-funded periodic tables, posted on the walls of Ms. Tucker’s integrated
Anastassia Hug: 3rd place behavioral sciences
science classroom, symbolize greater inclusion of chemistry throughout
Miguel Mattox: 3rd place physical science
the ongoing biology curriculum, an innovative approach that is occurring
Samuel Levin: 2nd place engineering
within these fields. For the integrated science and biology classrooms,
Zaden Lipman: 2nd place physical science
to include DNA bar coding of plants located on the Tam High campus in
THF funded a full set of textbooks for use at school so students do not
have to carry their heavy science books from home each day.
Of course our talented teachers have built on these tools in many ways,
including supporting our Tam students in achieving high awards. For
8 th e ta m f a m i l y
Apr 2011
Andy Meislin: GRAND PRIZE WINNER in life science
Andy, Sam and Zaden are advancing on to the San Francisco Bay
Area Science Fair which will be held the week of March 28.
STUDENT LIFE
Fitting Out: Two Twisted Contemporary Fairy Tales
from CTE and Word for Word Youth Arts
by Ivy Ryan, CTE Publicity
CTE has performed a busy, successful season so far with the most recent
production of A Flea in Her Ear closing in early March. Throughout the
year, Tam High School’s phenomenal drama program has put on three
other full-fledged shows in the fall semester including Our Town, Twelfth
Night, and Wind in the Willows, plus
13 nights of student-directed plays
for the Winter One-Act Festival that
included over 38 one-act plays
directed by 55 juniors and seniors
with approximately 200 actors
gracing the stage. With only two
main-stage plays remaining in the
season and the spring one-act
festival in May, CTE students will
have presented 55 nights of theater
this year by early June.
Next on the horizon is a collaboration
between CTE and the renowned
Word for Word Performing Arts
Company of San Francisco.
Founded in 1993, Word for Word
is a theater ensemble whose mission is to tell great contemporary and
classic stories with elegant theatricality that bring insight to daily life, using
ALL the language within short stories instead of adaptations of these
works. Word for Word Youth Arts division works with students grades
3-12 to discover the physical power and nuance of language. Rami
Margron is the guest director. The production of Fitting Out is funded in
part by a California Arts Council Artists-in-Schools grant, making it
possible for students to work directly with working professional artists.
Fitting Out is a pair of short contemporary works of fiction adapted for
the stage in the Word for Word style. The vibrant worlds of The Healer,
by Aimee Bender, and Schotzie, by Jim Kniepful, invite the audience to
explore differences and question convention, while blurring the line
between real and surreal. Fitting Out is intended for high school age
audiences or older due to its unsettling themes. When director Rami
Margron was asked to describe the best part about the Word for Word
style she said she loved “watching to see how a piece of literature becomes an alive piece of theater with subtext and action without having
to change the text.” Chloe Villanueva, a senior actress in the production,
describes the style of the play as “a unique way of looking at story telling.
It proves that you can tell a story with just words.”
For this collaboration, CTE is lucky to work for the first time with Ms.
Margron who “has helped to create a super collaborative environment,”
according to senior actor Max Kligman. When asked about what she
liked about the experience with Ms. Margron, stage-manager Jesse Kious
smiled and said “Everything.”
Rami Margron feels just as fortunate to be working with the students.
When asked about the process with CTE she responded, “It’s been kind
of dreamy. They are all really smart, focused, and creative. They are the
best group of students I have ever worked with.”
The ensemble cast consists of a
hard-working, fun-loving group of
advanced drama juniors and seniors
including Lauren Ashe, Sophie
Becker, Clara Butler, Charlie Dolton,
Ciarra D’Onofrio, Charlie Eddy, Noey
Erskine, Abby Kirn, Max Kligman,
Lily Rosenzweig, Chloe Villanueva,
and Taylor Will. All of these students
have been rehearsing diligently for
months for this show. In addition
to rehearsing, they have done
specialized puppet work with
puppetry consultant Chris White
who is part of the featured staff
with Word for Word. Also, Stephanie
Hunt is the text consultant who
helps students master the challenging Word for Word acting style.
Advanced drama students not only perform in the play but also design
the lights, set, costumes, props and sound with the irreplaceable learning
experience gained by working with Heather Basarab, guest artist in
technical theater and design. The line up for this production includes
devoted stage-managers Elijah Goldberg and Jesse Kious, plus lighting
by Carrie Brandon, sound by Danielle Bowen, costumes by Nick Simkalo,
set by Suzy Plessas, props by Kyla Neugebauer and technical direction by
Cade Burkett. CTE creates a unique creative environment that provides
extensive opportunities to design and lead production work at the high
school level in addition to acting in multiple shows.
Fitting Out plays Tuesday, March 29, through Saturday, April 2. All performances will be in the Daniel Caldwell Theatre located at the back of
Tam’s campus (near Almonte and Stadium) at 7 pm. The box office opens
at 6 pm for ticket purchases. The house opens at 6:30 pm when seats are
claimed on a first-come, first-served basis. Prices are $5 for students and
senior citizens and $12 for adults. Come early to be assured of a seat. No
tickets are sold in advance. Visit ctetam.org for more information.
Also in April, 19 CTE students will visit London once more to see plays
and experience the city that boasts more theater productions than
anywhere – hopefully without a volcanic ash cloud! Watch for our next
Tam Family article about their visit and the final main-stage production
of Play Roulette, directed by guest artist Robert Ernst and featuring
30 short plays by CTE students, both current and alumni!
A P R 2 0 1 1 th e ta m f a m i l y
9
STUDENT LIFE
News from the Art Department
by Kathy O’Brien, art and ceramics teacher
This spring the ceramics program is running at full throttle with
an influx of new students who have “graduated” from fall semester
art exploration classes. In January, we invited one of our own as a
guest artist to show students what our humble clay can become
in the hands of a real expert. Kevin Templeton, Tam class of 2010
and currently a freshman at Alfred University in New York, came
in for two days and awed Ceramics 1 students with his throwing
expertise and articulate commentary about technique, design
and aesthetics. A roomful of ceramics students has never been so
attentive - and quiet!
Our advanced students’ mosaic love seat project continues with
guest artist Tillie Nylin. Most of the individual student slab pieces
have been applied and we are in the process of laying in the small
tiles that will provide the continuity for the piece. Look for it in
Freshman Court.
Both of these enriching experiences have been supported and
funded by the generosity of PATH and the Tam High Foundation.
We are so thankful for the abundance they provide our students.
Left, top: Students work on the mosaic love seat in Freshman Court.
Left, middle: Guest artist and Tam alumnus Kevin Templeton shows students the potter’s wheel.
Left, bottom: Zara Blackstone works on her print.
Right, top: Students Dominic Bynum (L) and Naomi Hayashi work on their monoprints.
Right, bottom: Guest artist Zach Gilmour with draw/paint students.
1 0 th e ta m f a m i l y
Apr 2011
STUDENT LIFE
Reel News: News from the Academy of Integrated
Humanities and New Media
AIM Emmy Award a Collective Effort
For the eighth straight year, students in the Academy of Integrated Humanities and New Media
won the regional student Emmy in “Long Form (fiction and non-fiction).” While the crystal pillar
goes to AIM alumni Katie Pilot, Tomer Sabo, Riley Shine and current AIM student Michael Zimmermann, all AIM students play a significant role in the process of developing our award-winning films.
According to the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, “Tamalpais High School in Mill
Valley took top honors in the highly competitive ‘Long Form’ category for a piece called White Walls,
an insightful and interesting story about the birth and success of an alternative art gallery in San
Francisco and its colorful owner. The subject was compelling and the editing was top notch! All the
entries in this category should be commended. Their hard work really showed and was a pleasure
to watch.”
White Walls will go on to be judged by an elite group of television professionals and a single
national winner in each category will be announced in May. National winners will be invited to the
grand ceremony in New York City in June.
Students follow a rigorous process to produce award-winning films, and all students are involved
in creating the films. Students help each other find interesting and relevant story ideas, share their
research, assist with cinematography, editing, and sound mixing, and most importantly provide
constructive criticism throughout the process. Before a film is submitted or shown to the public, it
is screened and critiqued several times by the AIM community. Honest and intentionally constructive feedback from their peers and teachers is the cornerstone of the process, and we believe one
of the major reasons AIM films are so successful. In what is now the program’s eighth year, AIM
students have dominated the long form (formerly documentary) category, winning it every year
that we have entered a film.
Congratulations to all AIM students for their hard work and success. Your hard work and collective
commitment to excellence makes you all winners!
School to
Career
Update
It has been a very busy semester for many
Tam students who are participating in a
spring internship. While exploring a career
of interest, student interns are gaining firsthand workplace experience with a variety
of local employers, including the City of
Mill Valley, Marin General Hospital, Sausalito
Chamber of Commerce, Marin County Public Health Lab, the ICB Artists’ Association,
Ro*Co Films, California Film Institute, San
Francisco Opera, Intel Computer Clubhouse
at the Marin Youth Center, and Sharaun
Apparel. Most spring interns will complete
their internship experiences in early May.
SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
June 20 - July 29
The summer internship program provides
a six-week intensive career exploration
opportunity for students to gain handson workplace skills while learning about a
particular career of interest. Students intern
Link Crew Update
nine hours per week with a local business
It’s been a busy and exciting few months for Tam’s Link Crew program!
mentor supervisor. The summer program
On a Saturday last February, Link Crew welcomed next year’s incoming freshmen, the class of
2015, at the scheduling event. Current eighth graders arrived at Tam early in the morning in
order to learn more about the great opportunities Tam has to offer. Link Leaders led families of
incoming ninth graders on tours around the school, and parents and students wrote up a draft
of their class schedules for next year.
also includes a career management class.
For this year’s freshmen, during the rainy spell just before Ski Week, Link Crew hosted Freshmen Hot Chocolate, during which freshmen received hot chocolate if they could find one of
their Link Leaders. (Supplies for this event were generously donated by Peet’s Coffee and Tea in
downtown Mill Valley.) Freshman Hot Chocolate proved to be a huge success – we saw a large
turnout of freshmen connecting with their Link Leaders in order to earn their hot chocolate.
To support the academics of this year’s freshmen, we held an event called Study and Snacks on
March 7 after school. At Study and Snacks a small group of freshmen chosen by teachers receive
extra help from Link Leader tutors. These Link Leaders tutored students in subjects they needed
help with in order to assist them in catching up with work for the fourth grading period.
or organization and work closely with a
Internship applications are now available in
the College and Career Center.
Students or parents who want more information, should contact Camille Madfes at
cmadfes@tamdistrict.org or 380-3558. As the School to Career liaison for Tamalpais
High School, I am available in the College
and Career Center on Wednesday morning
and Thursday afternoon or by appointment.
For more information about School to
Career, please visit stc.marinschools.org
Link Crew is currently interviewing next year’s junior and seniors for our 2011-2012 Link Crew program
and we are excited about having another great group of students on board in the near future.
A P R 2 0 1 1 th e ta m f a m i l y
11
STUDENT LIFE
News from the College and Career Center
by Susan Gertman, College and Career Specialist
sgertman@tamdistrict.org
380-3582
UPCOMING EVENTS
APRIL 6: MARIN COUNTY COLLEGE FAIR
The College and Career Center has practice books and information on
More than 150 colleges and post-secondary programs will be represent-
preparing for the tests. Free SAT and ACT test preparation is available
ed at the Marin County College Fair on Wednesday, April 6, from 6-8 pm,
online at number2.com.
at the Conlan Recreation Center of Dominican University of California
in San Rafael. There will also be workshops on financial aid and college
admissions testing. The college fair is free and open to the public.
SCHOLARSHIPS FOR SENIORS
Each week the College and Career Center publishes a list of local, national and school-sponsored scholarships called the Green Sheet. The list is
Save time at the college fair and the bother of filling out contact cards
emailed to seniors and their parents and is available online at tamhigh.
for different colleges by pre-registering online at wacaccollegefair.com.
org. Go to tamhigh.org and click on Support, College and Career Center
APRIL 19: COLLEGE OF MARIN PLACEMENT TEST
and Green Sheet.
Seniors planning to attend College of Marin next fall will have an op-
Students do not need to have a 4.0 or attend a four-year college to earn
portunity to take the mandatory placement tests in English and math
a scholarship. Awards may be based on need, merit, community service,
at Tam on Tuesday, April 19, from 9 am-noon, in the computer lab.
talent (such as sports or art), interests (such as engineering or garden-
Make-up tests will be given at COM. Seniors planning to attend another
ing), ethnicity, where the student lives, where a parent works or a combi-
community college should contact that school now for information on
nation of any of these factors. Some scholarships are just for Tam seniors.
its placement tests. Sign up for the COM placement test in the College
and Career Center.
College Acceptances: Following is a list of college acceptances that
have been reported to the College and Career Center.
Students must have registered to attend COM and have received a COM
student identification number in order to take the placement tests.
Arizona State, Berklee College of Music, California College of the Arts,
Cal Lutheran, Cal Maritime, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo,
SAT and ACT REGISTRATION DATES
CSU Fullerton, CSU LA, CSU Monterey Bay, Chico, Coastal Carolina,
The last SATs for this school year will be given on May 1 and June 5. Sign
Colorado School of Mines, Cornell, Cornish, DePaul, Dickinson, Drexel,
up online at collegeboard.com. The last ACTs will be on April 9 and June
Duke, Eckerd, Evergreen, Harvard, Humboldt, Ithaca, Johnson & Wales,
12. Register online at actstudent.org. Sign up early for a convenient
Laguna College of Art and Design, Lawrence, Lewis and Clark, Louisiana
location. Tam is not a testing site.
State, Loyola Marymount, Loyola New Orleans, Marquette, Master’s Col-
Juniors applying to four-year colleges are encouraged to take the SAT
reasoning test this spring. In addition, many juniors choose to take the
ACT, which is accepted equally with the SAT. Juniors planning to apply
to highly competitive colleges are advised to take two subject tests.
Although the University of California no longer requires subject tests for
eligibility, some campuses recommend that “students vying for slots in
competitive majors take the tests to demonstrate subject proficiency.”
For more information on the new UC policy, go to: universityofcalifornia.
edu/admissions/freshman/applying-fall-2012/SAT-subject-tests/index.html.
lege, Menlo, Middlebury, Mills, Montana State, Northeastern, Northern
Arizona, Northwestern, NYU, Pace, Penn State, Redlands, Rose Hulman
Institute of Technology, Scripps, St. Mary’s of California, San Diego State,
San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco State, San Jose State, Santa
Clara, Savannah College of Art and Design, Sonoma State, Southern
Oregon, Trinity (TX), Tufts, Tulane, U of Arizona, U of British Columbia,
UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, U of Chicago,
U of Colorado, U of Denver, U of Hawaii, U of Miami, U of Michigan,
U of Montana, U of New Hampshire, U of New Mexico, U of Oregon,
U of Pacific, U of Portland, USC, U of St. Thomas (MN), U of Victoria
Students who will complete a subject, such as biology, this year are
(Canada), U of Wyoming, Wake Forest, Washington University St. Louis,
strongly advised to take the subject test in that area this spring instead
Western Michigan, Whittier and Willamette.
of waiting until senior year when they will have forgotten some of
the material.
1 2 th e ta m f a m i l y
Apr 2011
STUDENT LIFE
Leadership News
Leadership’s student relations committee sponsored a pajama day on
Wednesday, March 16. Students were treated to free donuts and orange
juice as they arrived at school. At Open House on March 17 students sold
the new Tam merchandise, produced by Chromaculture – a local company
founded by Tam alumni. Also, the Class of 2011 held its senior auction that
benefited from tremendous community support.
This spring saw the arrival of the 19th annual Redwoods Prom. On Friday,
March 18, Leadership students joined with the residents of the Redwoods
for a fun filled evening of dinner and dancing. Many thanks to Bob Canepa
for organizing the event, which he has done for nearly two decades. The
Spring Dance, themed Black Light Wear White, was held on Friday, March
25. On Monday, March 28, the Public Relations committee put on a staff
appreciation event where they provided snacks and gave out Tam High
mugs to thank their teachers for all they do. The Spring Blood Drive will
take place on Monday, April 4, in the
Student Center. Blood Centers of the
Pacific will be on campus to accept
donations. All donors must be at least
16 years old in order to participate.
A P R 2 0 1 1 th e ta m f a m i l y
13
STUDENT LIFE
YouthGive Steps Up to Help Victims of
Japan’s Earthquake and Tsunami
History Day
Tam’s YouthGive club quickly mobilized
in March and raised over $600 in just two
hours from over 100 Mill Valley sidewalk
donors for earthquake & tsunami relief! As of
press time, the club had raised $975 towards
their goal of $1500.
Tam YouthGive Club members will continue
to raise funds on behalf of Mercy Corps, a
globally respected relief and development
organization based in Portland, Oregon with
a stellar reputation. Mercy Corps is partnering with a highly reputable Japanese relief
and development organization called Peace
Winds. Peace Winds is already on the ground
in Sendai, Japan - near the quake epicenter distributing large shelters, emergency tents,
water, food and blankets to quake survivors.
The fundraising drive has received media coverage across media and press in the Marin IJ, the
Mill Valley Herald and the Mill Valley Life website.
If you would like to help the YouthGive club’s fundraising efforts, you can do so the club’s fundraising page for Mercy Corps here: mercycorps.org/fundraising/dansiegel?source=21000.
The Tam High community’s thoughts are with the Japanese people, and we are truly grateful
to the Tam YouthGive club for helping to quickly mobilize community awareness and funds to
respond to this tragic situation.
A scene from Jessie Fontana-Maisel’s second-place
winning documentary.
Many of our students competed in the
County History Day competition (kind of like
a science fair for history) in March and did
very well.
Individual Websites:
1st: Noelle Erskine
2nd: Bob Siegel
Historical Papers (Individual only)
2nd: Lucas Sohn
3rd: Sam Mulligan
Individual Documentaries:
1st: Jessye Baker-Lavine
2nd: Jessie Fontana-Maisel
3rd: Ivy Ryan
Group Documentaries:
1st Lydia Norby-Adams, Micaela Chavez
Individual Exhibits:
1st: Carin Gavin
3rd: Rieko Tsuchida
Group Exhibits:
1st: Elena Piotter, Schuyler Standley,
Clara Butler
2nd: Isabel Janetos, Kim Scarsella, Anna Civik
Individual Performance:
1st Elianna Cohen
Special thanks to Abbey Levine and Michael
Lavezzo for volunteering their Saturday to
help judge the students’ work.
Members of Tam’s YouthGive organization solicit donations for Japan relief in downtown Mill Valley.
1 4 th e ta m f a m i l y
Apr 2011
STUDENT LIFE/COMMUNITY
Tam High Mock Trial
Team Takes Fourth in
State Championships
A well-deserved congratulations to the
Popular Speaker
Kenneth Ginsburg, MD, MS Ed, FAAP
Topic: ‘Resilience in Action:
Raising Children Who are Prepared to Thrive’
entire 2010-2011 Tam High mock trial team
Dr. Ginsburg will discuss communication strategies that position
parents to be positive forces in their children’s lives.
and its coaches: Teacher Coach - Michael
Date: Tuesday, May 3
Krause; Attorney Coaches - David Vogelstein,
Time: 7-9:15 pm
Dorothy Proudfoot and Sara Leger.
Location: Lark Theater, 549 Magnolia Avenue, Larkspur 94939
Tam High Mock Trial placed fourth in the
California state championships held at the
end of March in Riverside. Tam was defeated in the semi-final round by La Reina High
Ticket price: $10 at the door
Sponsored by Challenge Success. Dr. Ginsburg is a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and is a physician specializing
in adolescent medicine. Dr. Ginsburg has a new edition of his book, A
Parent’s Guide to Building Resilience in Children and Teens, available
in some bookstores and on amazon.com.
School (Thousand Oaks) by a margin of just
six points. La Reina went on to win the state
championship and will represent California
in the national mock trial championships
slated for early May in Phoenix, Arizona.
The case was People vs. Woodson, and the
charges were assaulting a middle school
student with a deadly weapon and with
violating a new anti-bullying and cyberbullying statute. The judge in the semi-final
round praised and congratulated both
teams for performing at the top of their
games. He called the match between Tam’s
prosecution and La Reina’s defense a “championship caliber match,” as did the attorney/
scorers. The students were extraordinary
and brilliant! Those of us in the courtroom were in awe of the poise, discipline,
knowledge and passion for the law and the
constitution of all the participants.
A P R 2 0 1 1 th e ta m f a m i l y
15
SPORTS
Boosters News
Spring is a busy time for sports at Tam. Read about how some of our teams are doing so far. We’ll
hear from more teams next month.
If your team is not included here, we did not hear from you. Please contact tam.boosters@gmail.
com and become the Tam Family correspondent for your team!
Girls’ Lacrosse
The Tam varsity girls’ lacrosse team is looking forward to a great building year. The team has five
returning players: seniors Maddy Ball and Harli Grant and juniors Cate Pacula, Baylin Vreeland and
Nicole Wilson. Joining the team this year is a field filled with potential; the team has 16 new players:
Amanda Catherine, Casey Fritz, Haley Jensen, Georgie Kirn, Maddy Kwansny, Anna Lipman, Bridget
Lowry, Amanda Moe, Rachael Roberts, Heather Rose, Emma Savino, Emily Schwenk, Crista Swanson,
Jane Tull, Ariahnna Wadleigh and Lauren Young.
Tam graduate Natalie Butler, who served as assistant coach last year and played on Tam’s first girls’
lacrosse team in 2003, is head coach this year. The defense is lead by four-year veteran Harli Grant
and third year player Nicole Wilson. Eyes will be on pre-season high scorer Cate Pacula and lead
attack player Maddy Ball in her fourth and final year playing for the Hawks. This is goalie Baylin
Vreeland’s third year stopping lax balls for Tam.
Tam Boys’ Lacrosse Team Vows to
Defend MCAL Pennant!
Lacrosse has become a hugely popular sport both at Tam
and on the West Coast. Participation rates continue to
outpace expectations and the sport of lacrosse continues
to provide amazing opportunities for Tam student athletes.
Last year Tam’s boys’ varsity lacrosse team won its first ever
MCAL pennant and placed four players on the MCAL allleague team. The goalie received the coveted “MCAL player
of the year” award, and the team finished with an overall
record of 13-5.
This year is off to a great start with the varsity team currently 3-0 in pre-season play, outscoring its opponents by
over eight points per game. The team is fortunate to have
many returning varsity players from last year, including two
Lacrosse players (L-R) Travis Parker, Benji Landress and
Sam Suzuki on the field.
players who made last year’s MCAL all-league team, Brian
Scott and Travis Parker. Tam varsity, under returning Head Coach Jon Porter and coaches James
Latino, Matt Kelly and Mike Carney, is definitely a contender for the MCAL pennant again this year.
The popularity of the sport was evidenced in the 68 players, including 30 freshmen, who came out
for the lacrosse program at Tam this year. The JV program, in its second year, is an important part of
building the lacrosse program at Tam. The goal of the JV coaching staff, David Howland and Chris
Tamblyn, is to build off the success of last year and hone ball skills, while at the same time instilling
discipline, communication skills and teamwork throughout each practice and game. A strong JV
program, currently 38 players, allows new players to come out for the team and try a new sport and
also ensures a competitive varsity team.
Continued on page 17
1 6 th e ta m f a m i l y
Apr 2011
SPORTS
Boosters News Continued from page 16
Boys’ Tennis
Tam’s boys’ tennis team is off to a perfect start to the season with a 5-0 league record thanks to
three shutouts and two additional convincing wins. Their winning ways started with a week one
9-0 shutout against Novato away and included two more shutouts against Marin Catholic and Terra
Linda. At home against Justin Sienna they gave away only one match, finishing 8-1 and conceded
two against Drake.
Although the team lost eight seniors from last year they have seen great play from players that
were further down the ladder and have two strong freshmen in the starting 12. They seem to
have that magic combination of talent at the top and depth that will help them challenge for
the MCAL top spot. The top two singles slots have been shared by co-captains Zachary Bohegian
and Sam Wexman.
Baseball
Freshman: The future looks bright for Tam freshman baseball.
Coach Tom Frazier enters his second season at the helm of the program with a talented group. His 15-man roster includes a seasoned
core of former Mill Valley Little League All Stars who enjoyed great
success in regional District 3 competitions. Frazier’s squad gave
every indication that they would live up to their promise by opening
MCALs with a well-played 2-1 win over Marin Catholic and backed
it up with a 9-4 victory over Novato in game two. Max Gamboa
and Gabe Bouchard will provide a tough righty-lefty combo on the
mound with Geoffrey Mohn holding runners in check from behind
the plate. Sammy Huffman will likely play center field and set the
Freshman baseball players watch the action from the dugout.
table for a string of big bats including Weston Lazarus, Brett Bowyer,
Angelo DeLorenzi, Will Coomber and Will Banks. With Alex Davis, Mike Krakauer, Hank Townsend,
Patrick Feeney, Kyle Martin and Ryan Andrewsen rounding out the roster, Coach Frazier will have a
Varsity players Sam Hayman and Danny Sokoloski are
greeted at the dugout.
multitude of options to work with this year.
Varsity: The Tam varsity baseball team is off to
a good start with its latest win over the Novato
Hornets. Starting pitcher Kit Larson went five innings. Andrew Kennedy gave great relief for the
team’s first conference win. Although the Hawks
came up short against Marin Catholic, they will
play them again later in the season (April 8).
The Hawks record as of press time was 4 wins,
2 loses. The team’s ultimate goal is to get to the
playoffs, says head coach Mike Terry.
“I think we have the right stuff this year to get
this done,” he said. Terry is very high on his
hand-picked coaching staff and the leaders of
the team, Chris Jordan and Danny Sokoloski.
To reach his goal he’ll need a team effort from
the juniors who will fill in keys positions when
called upon.
Continued on page 18
A P R 2 0 1 1 th e ta m f a m i l y
17
SPORTS
Boosters News Continued from page 17
Girls’ Swimming
So far so good for the Tam girls’ swim team during the first two meets of the 2011 season. The
team has league victories over Justin Sienna
and Drake to start off the year and has displayed strength in all events. In order to defeat
Drake, the girls stepped up against a talented
team and displayed great determination in all
races. As their new head coach Jeremy Engman
stated, “The reason we won was not because of
any individual swimmer, this was a team win.
We needed all our swimmers and divers or this
would not have been possible.”
Lauren Gamboa, Tam alumna and swimmer, is
also doing a fantastic job during her first season
as assistant coach to help the girls achieve their
Tam girls’ swim team won the Jaguar Invitational and its meet vs.
Terra Linda (Tam 119 - TL 67).
best. The team’s depth and dedication will serve
them well throughout the season, culminating at the MCAL championships in May, where they are
a contender to finish on top of the league. The team is fortunate to have a core group of fast, yearround, USA Swim Team members, and while they will win many races for the team, they know that
overall team success depends upon every swimmer.
As the Tam boys have discovered, a team victory will be savored for a long time. The girls’ team is
talented, deep and motivated to bring a pennant to our beautiful pool. A major strength of the
team and a reason for its competiveness is the large number of girls who are pushing themselves
to improve each week through hard work. This is very evident with the group of JV swimmers
coached by Ken Weber, who has used positive motivation to improve stroke technique, confidence
and therefore performance during his two years at Tam. Each week these girls show dramatic im-
Senior Storie Ledger dribbling like magic in the rain against
Marin Catholic.
provement, which acts as a motivating force for the varsity squad. Thirty of the 54 girls on the team
are coached by Ken, which bodes extremely well for the future of the
Tam girls’ swim team.
Girls’ Soccer
Tam girls’ soccer, an annual contender for the MCAL championship,
looks to have another strong team returning this season. The Hawks
– who won the North Coast Section championship in 2008 and 2009
and again made the MCAL finals last season – have four all-league
players from the 2010 team back. Seniors Kalia Rothlind, Storie
Ledger and Phebe Miller, along with junior Jessye Baker-Lavine, will
lead the Hawks. That 2010 team made it to the league finals despite
hardship: Ledger struggled with injury much of the season, while
Rothlind and Miller missed games while stranded in France due to
ash from the Icelandic volcano. Rothlind is committed to play at Cal
next year and Miller is committed to play at NYU.
Continued on page 19
1 8 th e ta m f a m i l y
Apr 2011
SPORTS
Boosters News Continued from page 18
Newcomers who also received 2010 all-league honors will strengthen the squad: Nicole Henderson
previously played for Marin Catholic and Danielle Torme transferred from Redwood. Other returners
include juniors Nicole Amyx, Highland Barry, Quinlan Cacic, Caitlin Firmage, Jane Lee and Megan
Monroe. Joining varsity for the first time are juniors Lena Geupel and Jenna Lee, sophomore Kaitlin
Senior Olivia Trombadore should be one of Tam’s top hitters this
season. Photo courtesy Mike Wills.
Gillespie and freshmen Olivia Heitz and goalie Elizabeth Archer.
Taking over as varsity head coach is long-time local coach
and goalie guru, Shane Kennedy, a former goalie of the
New York Cosmos. Assistant Mike Carbone remains with
the team.
“The league will be very competitive – I think there are
several teams that could end up on top including Tam,”
Kennedy said. “I think our team should be in the mix for
the MCAL and NCS playoffs.”
Softball
The Tam High softball team is off to an undefeated start
to their season. Despite a couple of early rain-outs, they
have managed to fit in three non-league matches and
two MCAL games (against Marin Catholic and Novato),
outscoring their league opponents 19-3. At this writing, they sport a team batting average of .436 and have
already logged one home run from freshman Aria Pogni.
The Hawks are optimistic about their chances this year, having lost only one senior and added five
promising freshmen. The power combo of Aria, Rebecca Fong, Shannon Lee, Rachel Kochhar and
Shayna Lee, combined with the experience of the returning players, including seniors Stephanie
Lee, Emily Banks and Olivia Trombadore, gives the team great depth. Ace pitcher Kim Scarsella
brings her heat to the game again this spring. The team hopes to build on their second place
finishes in both MCAL and NCS last year.
Next game is against San Marin, always a
tough opponent.
Boys’ Golf
The boys’ golf team is off to a good start. As of
press time, the team’s record is 4-1 in MCAL and
5-1 overall.
The weather plays havoc with our spring schedules. Go to www.tamhigh.org/athletics and
click on Schedules for the latest game schedules for all Tam sports. Check out a game and
cheer our athletes on! GO HAWKS!
There is no Boosters meeting in April.
See you on Wednesday May 11!
Zach Wexman chips onto the green.
A P R 2 0 1 1 th e ta m f a m i l y
19
4
STUDENT CENTER
8 AM-3 PM – SPRING BLOOD DRIVE
STAR TESTING FOR GRADES 9-11
SEE SCHEDULE, PAGE 3
7 PM – THUMB MEETING
19-22
29
7 PM – BEGINNING BAND & GUITAR CONCERT
For details and updates, check the calendar on the Tam High website: tamhigh.org
7
8 PM - MIDNIGHT – JUNIOR/SENIOR PROM
REGENCY CENTER
San Francisco
CALDWELL THEATRE
7-9 PM – PTSA MEETING AND SHOWING OF EVERY 15 MINUTES VIDEO
4
5
STUDENT CENTER
AP EXAMS (see schedule, page 4)
2-11
MILL VALLEY OUTDOOR ART CLUB
1 West Blithedale Avenue
GUS GYM
5-9 PM – TAM HIGH SUPPER CLUB & AUCTION FUNDRAISER
9:50 AM – MULTICULTURAL ASSEMBLY
KREPS CONFERENCE CENTER
Redwood High School
FRONT CIRCLE
BAND ROOM
1
MAY 2011
26
7 PM – TUHSD BOARD MEETING 22
11:50 AM -12:30 PM – END-OF-STAR-TESTING BBQ
SPONSORED BY PTSA
7 PM – TUHSD BOARD OF TRUSTEES
SPECIAL STUDY SESSION ON THE BUDGET
19
21
NO SCHOOL – SPRING RECESS
11-15
KREPS CONFERENCE CENTER
Redwood High School
8
END OF R5 GRADING PERIOD
7 PM – TAM CHORAL MUSIC’S BROADWAY REVUE 142 THROCKMORTON THEATRE
7
S
STUDENT CENTER
tam
T
7-9 PM – PTSA MEETING. MINDFUL PARENTING: DRUGS, ALCOHOL AND YOUR TEEN
P
6
KREPS CONFERENCE CENTER
Redwood High School
CALDWELL THEATRE
Location
7 PM – CTE PRESENTS: FITTING OUT
Time/Event
5
7 PM – TUHSD BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
1-2
APRIL 2011
Date
NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT #59
A
PTSA
Tamalpais High School
700 Miller Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94941