mawrginalia, october 2014

OCTOBER 2014

All Girls • Grades K–12 • Coed Preschool

INFORMATION AND REGISTRATIONVisit brynmawrschool.org/FVD or call 410.323.8800 x1232

Fall Visiting Days

This fall, we invite you to discover the rewards of a girls’ education.

Please join us for one of our Fall Visiting Days, taking place on the following dates:

Kindergarten–Grade 5 Wednesday, November 5 9:00 AM–10:30 AM

Grades 9–12 Thursday, November 20 8:30 AM–10:00 AM

Grades 6–8 Tuesday, November 4, or Wednesday, December 10 9:00 AM–10:30 AM

Fall Visiting Days are for all prospective parents and prospective applicants to grades K–12.

ContentsMawrginalia October 2014

MAWRGINALIA [mar-juh-nay-lee-uh]:

Latin, plural noun. Notes,

commentary and similar

material about or relating

to The Bryn Mawr School.

facebook.com/BrynMawrSchool instagram.com/BrynMawrSchool

twitter.com/BrynMawrSchool

CONNECT WITH BRYN MAWR!

Want to be up-to-date on what’s happening at Bryn Mawr?

Check us out on social media:

FEATURES

18 Think Global, Give Global Bryn Mawr receives recognition from

the Peace Corps Partnership Program

for the school’s ongoing support of

Peace Corps volunteers through the

fourth grade International Bazaar.

20 Founders Day 2014: Celebrating Excellence The Bryn Mawr community gathers to

honor the founders’ legacy, celebrate

excellence in teaching, and hear from

guest speaker Jessica Wolf Suriano ’92.

26 Passing It On After 29 years as varsity field hockey

head coach, Jeanette Budzik passes the

mantle to Nina Emala ’06.

30 Raising Voices: From Ferguson to BaltimoreBy Emily Pan ’16 Students from Bryn Mawr and other

area independent schools gather for a

student-led forum about the protests in

Ferguson, Missouri, and how to effect

change for the future

32 Schoolhouse Rock Live!: A Photo Essay

37 Senior Voices: The Class of 2015

NEWS & NOTES

04 From the Headmistress

06 Remawrks

07 Pictures of the Month

13 Teachers’ Corner

14 Bryn Mawr Events Calendar

16 Mawrtian Minutes

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION

40 We’ve got spirit, yes we do!

ALUMNAE

41 Alumnae Photo of the Month

42 Alumna Author to Speak at Maryland Historical Society

42 Upcoming Events

43 Support the Alumnae Association’s Dress Sale

https://www.facebook.com/BrynMawrSchool

http://instagram.com/BrynMawrSchool/

https://twitter.com/BrynMawrSchool

4 Mawrginalia October 2014 brynmawrschool.org

NEWS & NOTES

From the HeadmistressEducation is full of new jargon all the time, and these days I frequently find myself cutting

through the jargon and asking, “So what does that really mean?” Recently, I attended the

Online Education Symposium for Independent Schools (OESIS) in Boston, and I found

a good deal of jargon—and, frankly, anxiety—among independent schools about the

coming impact of online learning.

Online learning developed rapidly in the K-12 world in the 1990s in order to serve the growing number of homeschooled students—homeschooling being a sig-nificant trend in the late 1980s and ’90s. Interestingly, now that there are so many resources and products for homeschooling, I don’t hear much about homes-chooling, nor do I see many students who qualify for the National Merit competition who are classified as homeschooled. Online learning is the natural successor to the old correspondence learning available to expat families and others who, for whatever reason, were unable to attend a U.S. school.

There are a variety of approaches to online learning. One is the flipped classroom, where teachers prepare lectures or lessons that are recorded and reviewed at home and the typical “homework” of practice problems is actually done in the classroom, allowing the lecture and the homework to be “flipped.” Blended classrooms combine some elements of online teaching and learning with some traditional classroom teaching. Blended

learning, in theory, can allow for more personalization in pacing, a very hot topic right now, and not an insignifi-cant bonus to the student.

Educational reformers talk about “the learning revolu-tion” and how to assess “new competencies” like writing and publishing blogs, producing video presentations, and applying algorithms that allow one student to work on a particular skill until she masters it while another moves ahead in content or skills. We all learn at a different pace; the algorithms allow us to learn and develop mastery at our own speed.

Currently, traditional independent schools are exploring online learning to meet a variety of needs, most notably to supplement the limits of an overall high school cur-riculum. At Bryn Mawr, we offer some supplemental courses to our Upper School students through the Online School for Girls, a consortium of schools like Bryn Mawr that offer traditional and unconventional courses for credit, taught by teachers on our faculties. We have

Maureen E. Walsh Headmistress

brynmawrschool.org October 2014 Mawrginalia 5

flipped classrooms throughout our divisions, though not in all classrooms. Teachers often record voice threads and the girls can listen and follow the lesson over and over until they get it. Blended classrooms are blossoming throughout campus as well.

Still, the most cutting-edge teaching in the country is hap-pening at the big, national-level charter schools, where the ability to innovate and experiment is part of the essential culture. Many of these schools flame up and die, but part of their reason d’être is to experiment. Interestingly, I have heard that more than $1 billion has been invested in educational start-ups over the last several years.

At OESIS I asked the group, “How are the colleges assessing the overall quality of online learning?” A professor from Amherst College suggested that “the jury is out on this.” I wasn’t surprised by his answer. “Don’t change too much about your excellent college preparatory approach,” he said. “Teach them to read and write well; help them become students who have lived high school well and fully. Encourage your students to be independent and resourceful, and they will become great college students.”

There will be more and better online products in the years to come. While we watch this development with interest and explore and experiment at different levels, our commitment to the finest preparation for college learning remains in place and continues to define our curriculum and mission. I didn’t hear anything that would change this mission and purpose at the OESIS confer-ence, but I am listening.


NEWS & NOTES

RemawrksWho doesn’t love a good mystery? Our third graders certainly do, and as school got underway in September it became clear that unlocking the mysteries of the past would be the theme for the year.

During the summer the girls read Peggy Parish’s much loved book, “Key to the Treasure,” in which a trio of sib-lings solves a century-old family mystery while spending the summer at their grandparents’ home. Thus, when the year began, the girls were primed to engage in discus-sions about the intricacies of sleuthing, finding clues and making connections between those clues to solve mys-teries. That intrigue, however, was only the beginning for our third grade detectives as the girls then turned their investigative skills to studying the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Greece. Their guiding question became, “How it is that we have come to know so much about the culture and daily lives of people who lived thousands of years ago?”

To answer that question, the girls were introduced to the science of archaeology.

After learning that archaeologists uncover and analyze artifacts to study those who came before us, the girls were tasked with bringing in an artifact from their homes, concealed in a brown paper bag. The bags were placed on a square of a carefully labeled grid made of masking tape, to replicate a dig site. Each girl provided three clues about her artifact, and then her classmates

had to think critically and creatively to come up with a hypothesis about what the object might be. They were getting a feeling for what archaeologists do in a concrete and age-appropriate way.

As the girls read “Pompeii…Buried Alive!” by Edith Kunhardt, they learned that the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius had a catastrophic effect on the village that lay at its base. The buried town was discovered thou-sands of years later by archaeologists who learned much about the Roman civilization through an exam-ination of Pompeii’s artifacts. Similarly, “Tut’s Mummy Lost and Found,” by Judy Donnelly, deepened the girls’ understanding of much we can deduce about a civiliza-tion by the evidence left behind.

Using archaeology as a tool in the classroom does much more than just unlock the past for students. It gives them the opportunity to develop their skills in logical thinking, interpretation and problem solving. In addition, students become more aware and tolerant of other cultures. It is a means of understanding our common heritage and multicultural experiences. And who knows—one of these girls may be inspired to become an archaeologist, taking on the task of unlocking the mysteries of the past to inform our future.

Pat Nothstein Lower School Director


PICTURES OF THE MONTH

FALL SPIRIT DAY

Fall Spirit Day was awesome! From the parade with the always-fabulous Morgan State Drum Corps to Athletic Association’s step routine (check it out on the Bryn Mawr Athletics page) to the colorful and zany outfits, a good time was had by all. GO BRYN MAWR!

https://www.facebook.com/BrynMawrAthletics

https://www.facebook.com/BrynMawrAthletics



FIRST GRADE ENGINEERING ACTIVITY

The three little pigs would have felt much safer if they had had the Bryn Mawr first graders building their houses! As part of a unit on engineering, the girls were tasked with designing and building a Big Bad Wolf-proof house. There were many creative and unique designs, and they all stood up to the test of the Big Bad Wolf and his bigger, badder uncle!


CELEBRATING ADA WEEK

During the week of October 13, Bryn Mawr celebrated Ada Week, commemorating Ada Lovelace, a nineteenth-century mathematician and writer. In Ada’s honor, students enjoyed a special computer science convocation and attended the opening the Innovation Lab, which features a retro arcade machine, inventing space, technological toys and tools, a 3D scanner and a 3D printer. Several students also participated in the technology department’s Hackathon, where they created a program for Sphero, a small robotic ball.



EID CELEBRATION

KINDERGARTEN BUTTERFLIES

ALLY WEEK

In early October the Muslim Student Association hosted a wonderful celebration of Eid. A large group of students from Bryn Mawr and Gilman joined faculty in the Library Quad for festivities that included food, henna and music.

The week of October 13 was also Ally Week at Bryn Mawr. Spearheaded by the Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), students

participated in fun ally activities and signed ally pledges.

In October, the kindergarteners were thrilled to welcome a pair of newcomers to their classroom: two monarch butterflies! Over the course of several weeks, the girls had eagerly watched the monarchs transform from tiny caterpillars into beautiful butterflies. After selecting names for the pair (Gilman for the male, Bryn for the female), the girls released them into the butterfly garden and wished them well on their journey to Mexico.


RACE FOR THE CURE

Shout out to our students and faculty who participated in the Race for the Cure on October 26! Led by Raina Coleman ’15 and Maire Stierer ’16, heads of the Pink Ribbon Club, a large group gathered at 6:15 a.m. to take part in the event. In total, the club raised $2,000 to support research to find a cure for breast cancer.



HALLOWEEN PARADE

Halloween is a highlight of October for many Lower Schoolers, who eagerly anticipate the opportunity to show off their costumes during the annual Halloween Parade. Parents, teachers and older students gather along the parade route to admire the costumes and cheer for the girls!


NEWS & NOTES

Each month we profile two faculty members to give them a chance to share, in their own words,

their thoughts on teaching at Bryn Mawr.

TEACHERS’ CORNER

PHIL GILOTTELower School Physical Education

What do you like about working at Bryn Mawr?

The students are so enthusiastic about coming to class—you don’t have to get them excited about participating. That’s part of why I love teaching in the Lower School. I also like that the curriculum is different here than at any other school where I’ve taught, because it challenges me professionally. For example, I’m teaching the second grade parachute routine, and before I did that for the first time last year I had never had to choreograph any-thing. I tell the kids that they are going to help me with the choreography as much as I am going to help them. I also like that I have the opportunity to coach the Upper School girls—I coach basketball and, this year, softball. Because this is a K through 12 school, I can teach girls in the Lower School and then watch them grow into ath-letes who I will coach in Upper School.

How do you handle the transition between teaching the younger girls and coaching the older girls?

Obviously the way that you teach is very different, but you’re still teaching skills. For the younger girls, I break the skill down into more depth, and also teach it more slowly. With the varsity athletes, I still break it down, but I am much pickier about what aspects of that skill need work. Also, there is a much wider range of skill levels with the younger girls than with the athletes on the varsity teams, so it’s a matter of finding ways to meet each girl where she is and then bring that skill level up. At the varsity level, we want to get everyone up to a certain level, and ideally there is less variation within that group.

CATHY REEDUpper School Latin & Spanish

What brought you to Bryn Mawr?

My family is from Baltimore and I grew up here. I was teaching at a private school, and I knew I wanted to stay in that sort

of positive, warm environment where teachers have more autonomy. I was a little

bit nervous about that idea of teaching at an all-girls school, but when I walked in to the classrooms

at Bryn Mawr, I saw girls who were outspoken, who were being the leaders in the classroom, who were enthusiastic, uninhibited, and really in to the subject matter. I thought that was wonderful.

Why do you think it is important for students to study foreign languages?

There are so many reasons. Studying Latin teaches you how to write more fluently and to have a stronger grasp on your own language. Studying languages in general helps you to feel more humble, more human, and more connected to other people, including those who lived a long time ago. Some of the themes in the poetry we read in Latin—young love, grief—are so human, and we can connect to those very communal human emotions.

In addition to teaching, you coordinate the community service program. Why do you think that community service is an important part of the Bryn Mawr experience?

We want our girls to get out of their comfort zones, to meet people who are different from them, and to see that not only do they have something to offer, but the world at large has things to offer them. For example, if a girl volunteers at the Esperanza Center, tutoring English as a second language, we want her to see that just as much as she is giving them her English, they are giving her their Spanish, and also their cultural knowledge. That sort of symbiosis is very important.


NEWS & NOTES

4 Tuesday Pre-First Parent Coffee 8:00 a.m., Resource Room

5 Wednesday Fall Visiting Day for Prospective Lower School Families 9 – 10:30 a.m., Admissions Cottage

7 Friday Sixth Grade Trip to Harpers Ferry

Middle School Communication Committee Meeting 8:15 a.m., Gordon Building

Preschool Peek for Prospective Little School Families 9:30–11:00 a.m., Little School

Sixth Grade Social Event 7:30 p.m., Calvert School

11 Tuesday Lower School Communications Committee Meeting 8:15 a.m., Gordon Building

Ninth Grade Parent Coffee 8:00 a.m., Glass Room

Junior College Night 7:00–9:00 p.m., Howell Building

12 Wednesday Preschool Peek for Prospective Little School Families 9:30 – 11:00 a.m., Little School

13 Thursday Otis-Lennon Standardized Testing for Grades 3 and 5

Upcoming EventsNOVEMBER–DECEMBER 2014

Below is a calendar of upcoming events between now and the next issue of Mawrginalia. Events are subject to change, and not all events are listed here. For the most up-to-date information, or to learn more about an event, refer to www.brynmawrschool.org/calendar and/or your divisional newsletter. For information about upcoming alumnae events, please see page 42.

14 Friday Middle School Bryn Mawr/Gilman Play: “The Phantom Tollbooth” 7:00 p.m., Centennial Hall

15 Saturday Middle School Bryn Mawr/Gilman Play: “The Phantom Tollbooth” 3:00 p.m., Centennial Hall

18 Tuesday Grade 1 Parent Coffee 8:00 a.m., Resource Room

Middle School Winter Squads begin

Lower School Picture Day

Eighth Grade Parent/Student Night 7:00 p.m., North Building

19 Wednesday Middle School Conference Day No classes for grades 6-8

21 Friday Grade 2 Parachute Assembly 8:15 a.m., KVB Gymnasium

24 Monday Alumnae Association Dress Sale for the Class of 2015

25 Tuesday Grandparents’/Special Friends’ Day for K, PF, Grades 2 & 4 8:45 – 10:30 a.m.

Thanksgiving Convocation 1:30 p.m., KVB Gymnasium

26– 28

Wednesday–Friday

Thanksgiving Break

NOVEMBER

http://www.brynmawrschool.org/calendar


DOWNLOAD A PDF

1 Monday Classes resume

2 Tuesday Third Grade Parent Coffee 8:00 a.m., Resource Room

3– 4

Wednesday– Thursday

Auditions for Upper School play: “Triangle” 6:00 p.m., Centennial Hall

5 Friday Middle School Communication Committee Meeting 8:15 a.m., Gordon Building

Seventh Grade Social Event 7:30 p.m., Friends

Eighth Grade Social Event 7:30 p.m., Bryn Mawr

6 Saturday Snow Ball 8:00–11:00 p.m., KVB Gymnasium

7 Sunday Dance School Winter Concert 3:00 p.m., Centennial Hall

9 Tuesday Fifth Grade Parent Coffee 8:00 a.m., North Building

Lower School Communications Committee 8:15 a.m., Gordon Building

10 Wednesday Winter Spirit Day Pep Rally 2:30 p.m., KVB Gymnasium

11 Thursday Pick-Up and Pizza for Fifth Grade Parents 5:00 p.m., North Building

12 Friday K-2 Winter Concert 8:30 a.m., Centennial Hall

14 Sunday American Kodály Children’s Chorus Concert 3:00 p.m., Centennial Hall

16 Tuesday Second Grade Parent Coffee 8:00 a.m., Resource Room

18 Thursday Middle School Winter Concert 6:30 p.m., Centennial Hall

Upper School Winter Concert 8:00 p.m., Centennial Hall

19 Friday Grades 3-5 Winter Concert 8:30 a.m., Centennial Hall

Winter Break begins Classes resume Monday, January 5, 2015

DECEMBER


NEWS & NOTES

Noteworthy news from around the school

MAWRTIAN MINUTES

Exploring Engineering at Morgan State University

The statistic has become familiar: only 12% of engineers are women. But many schools are working to change that—and what better way than by encouraging girls to explore engineering at a young age? In October, 28 Middle School students traveled to Morgan State University for a day to work with mostly female profes-sors and college students in the engineering department. The goal of the program is to expose students to engi-neering skills and challenges, and to get them excited about the idea of studying this subject in the future.

Tahra Khanuja ’22 decided to go on the field trip because she did not know anything about engineering and wanted to learn. “We met many enthusiastic students,” Khanuja said. “The trip was really inspiring.”

During the trip, students split into groups and worked with a Morgan State student to complete design challenges. Trinity Stephen ’20 found the experience both informative and fun. “We learned about all of the different types of engineering there are—engineering is everywhere!” Stephen said. “The students there showed us tons of eye-opening things, like a car simulation which was amazingly accurate.”

One of the design challenges consisted of building a roller coaster with limited materials—foam tubing, toothpicks and tape—and only 20 minutes for design and construction. Each group was tasked with creating a track that would carry a marble through a loop and over two hills; the group with the fastest track would be the winner. Jenna Resnik ’22 and her group had a great time working through the challenge. “Even though my group’s

roller coaster did not win—and didn’t really work—it was fun trying to figure out how to effectively build the coaster,” Resnik said.

Added Cara Denton ’22, “It required a lot of teamwork. My team’s roller coaster was finished at the very last second.”

Overall, the students had a wonderful time at Morgan State, and learned about the many facets of engineer-ing in the process. As Denton observed, “It was very cool to get to visit a college and see what I might be doing someday.”

Team Smok shows off their roller coaster design


Best-selling Author Christina Baker Kline Visits Bryn Mawr

On October 22, the Upper School welcomed writer Christina Baker Kline to campus for a special assembly. Kline is the author of “Orphan Train,” a New York Times best-selling novel.

During the assembly, Kline explained the orphan trains, a little-studied part of American history. First begun in 1853 by Charles Loring Brace, founder of the Children’s Aid Society, the Orphan Train Movement was a welfare program that transported orphaned and homeless children from crowded cities like New York to foster homes in the rural Midwest, where the children provided a steady supply of free labor in exchange for room and board (and occasionally adoption). Over the course of the pro-gram’s 76-year history, approximately 250,000 children were relocated.

Despite this large number, relatively little has been written about orphan

trains, largely because the children and families were instructed to, in Kline’s words, “forget the past.” Kline herself happened upon the story by chance. While staying with family members in North Dakota, Kline found an article that told the story of several siblings who were on the orphan trains; those siblings happened to be related to Kline’s husband. Her curiosity piqued, Kline researched the orphan trains, and then decided to write a novel in which one of the main characters travels on the trains.

After Kline’s presentation, she took questions from the audience, which included inquiries about how she developed her characters and what happened to the orphans who traveled on the trains. Afterward, she met with students in the Edith Hamilton Library and signed books.

TOP Bryn Mawr students pose with Christina Baker Kline BOTTOM Kline signs a student’s book

THANK YOU, DONORS!

Thank you to all of the donors who contributed a total of $2,698,001 to Bryn Mawr last year! Your generous gifts enable Bryn Mawr to continue to offer girls the excep-tional foundation that our founders envisioned. To review the list of donors and to read donors stories, please click here to read the 2013-2014 Report on Giving.

On September 23, members of Bryn Mawr’s Board of Trustees and Headmistress Maureen E. Walsh hosted a reception on the Colhoun Terrace in honor of leader-ship benefactors. Guests heard from Board Chair Grace

Pollack, P’14, P’15, about the many ways their generous support benefits Bryn Mawr girls and their teachers. To view a few of the photos from the evening, click here.

Please show your support for Bryn Mawr by making a tax-deductible gift to the Annual Fund! The Annual Fund benefits every student, and every teacher, every day. By making a donation, you will help to maintain Bryn Mawr’s reputation for excellence. If you would like to learn how your contribution will make an impact, please contact Caitlin Christ, Annual Fund Director.

http://www.brynmawrschool.org/giving/specialgivinglanding

https://www.flickr.com/photos/brynmawrschool/sets/72157648767642065/

mailto:[email protected]


thinkgive

FEATURES

GLOBALBryn Mawr receives recognition from the Peace Corps

Partnership Program for the school’s ongoing support of Peace

Corps volunteers through the fourth grade International Bazaar.


The International Bazaar has long been a rite of passage for fourth graders at Bryn Mawr, helping to bring their global studies curriculum to life. But the Bazaar also brings another dimension to the curriculum: philan-thropy. Each year for more than a decade, fourth graders have donated the proceeds from the Bazaar to the Peace Corps Partnership Program, funding projects like a school library in Benin or a preschool in Botswana.

On October 15, as part of the Peace Corps celebration of the Partnership Program’s 50th year, fourth grade teach-ers Sandi Strouss and Madeleine Keller journeyed to Washington D.C. to receive an award on behalf of Bryn Mawr for the school’s work to support the Peace Corps. Strouss and Keller had the opportunity to participate in a round-table discussion about philanthropy with Peace Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet, and were also honored at an evening reception, along with 15 other long-time Partnership Program donors.

“They could not have been more complimentary towards the fourth grade program,” Strouss says. “It was amazing to think how our program has helped all of these projects and volunteers all over the world.”

The Peace Corps Partnership Program was founded to facilitate community-initiated grassroots projects in areas where Peace Corps volunteers are working. Currently, the Peace Corps website lists 42 volunteer projects, with the amount required to fund the projects ranging from $187 to $14,267. According to Peace Corps staff, last year alone the Partnership funded 776 projects in 59 countries, touching the lives of 1.4 million people. As Hessler-Radelet noted in her remarks, “Each contribution, however small, makes a big impact in some of the most remote corners of the world.”

Bryn Mawr was not always a Peace Corps benefactor. For many years, International Bazaar proceeds were given to school projects. “But at some point, [former faculty member] Cristin Talley decided that, because this was a global studies program, the money should be given to international aid programs,” Keller explains.

Keller and Strouss, both of whom have been teaching at Bryn Mawr for more than 20 years and have long been involved with the International Bazaar, selected the Peace Corps Partnership Program for a few reasons. Most importantly, there was no overhead—“the money goes directly to the projects,” Keller notes. Another vital factor was students’ comprehension of what their donation was helping to accomplish. “The projects are understandable to our students,” Keller says. “Some of the projects are also small enough amounts that we can fund them fully, which the girls love. The Peace Corps is just a great fit for us.”

Sandi Strouss says that their students were very excited to hear about Strouss and Keller’s experience at the event. “They are especially excited because they are going to be a part of it this year,” Strouss observes. “We also learned a lot about how we can make it even more important to them.”

Receiving recognition from an influential organization like the Peace Corps was very meaningful to both teach-ers. “People at the reception were saying to us, ‘You’re really change agents. The fact that you’re teaching these young people all of these things—that is having an impact,’” Keller recalls. “We know that our students are helping to make difference, but receiving that recogni-tion made me feel that our work really is so important, and so good.”

FACING PAGE Fourth grade teacher Madeleine Keller speaks while Peace

Corps Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet NEAR RIGHT Keller and Strouss with the

special anniversary print FAR RIGHT Keller, Strouss, and Hessler-Radelet


FEATURES

Every year on Founders Day, held in early October, the Bryn Mawr community gathers to honor the legacy of the school’s five founders: Mary Elizabeth Garrett, Mary Mackall Gwinn, Elizabeth Tabor King, Julia Rebecca Rogers, and M. Carey Thomas. Far ahead of their time, these five bold women envisioned a school that offered girls the opportunity to obtain a rigorous, college-pre-paratory education—something that simply was not available in the late 1800s. Today, 130 years later, Bryn Mawr continues to build on this mission, offering girls wide-ranging opportunities to grow as students, leaders, artists, athletes and more—to explore their interests and find their passions.

Founders Day also honors the invaluable contributions made by faculty and staff. “I am continually impressed by the creativity, generosity and passion that my colleagues bring to their work,” Headmistress Maureen E. Walsh said. “Their dedication is what makes it possible for Bryn Mawr to continue to offer the kind of education that our founders envisioned.”

There are many important components to a Bryn Mawr education: courses that challenge girls to push beyond the surface and gain a deeper understanding of the subject; leadership opportunities that teach students to take responsibility, advocating for themselves and for others; the compassionate support of a strong community that fosters an appreciation for the unique individuals within it. Most importantly, there are faculty and staff who care about each girl and work tirelessly to give students the best experience possible.

When students graduate from Bryn Mawr, they leave prepared to make a difference in the world. Bryn Mawr alumnae live remarkable lives, in every sense of the word, lives built on the extraordinary foundation formed during their time at Bryn Mawr. As Walsh noted during the 2014 Founders Day gathering, “Lucky for all of us, we stand on the shoulders of these pioneering women who believed in a woman’s worth as an intellectual, a profes-sional, and a national and world leader.”

FOUNDERS DAY 2014:

Celebrating Excellence


FACING PAGE Award winners (from left): Beth McDonald, Emily Tankersley, Renuka Gandhi, Elaine Swyryn, Jessica

Bolz and Midge Menton ABOVE Dayseye sings “Jerusalem” RIGHT Headmistress

Maureen E. Walsh congratulates Dean of the Faculty Elaine Swyryn on winning

the Blair D. Stambaugh Award


FEATURES

YEARS OF SERVICE RECOGNITIONS

5 Years of ServiceJulia Bielefeld ’02Sarah Chambliss

Bethany McAndrewBeth McDonald

Meghann McMahonKevin Sun

10 Years of ServiceRobert Davis

Elizabeth Gray Colleen Hanson

Ann KangasMichael McKelvey

Pat O’GormanSuzanne Pugh

Suzanne StevensAnn Bruggman Stieff ’76

Matilde Taborda-AlmaguerHeather Wilson

15 Years of ServiceMidge Feiss Menton ’66

Michael RobinsonBill Waters

Patti Whalen

20 Years of ServiceCecelia Anderson

Francie Hicks Apollony ’79Anne Eggleston Broadus ’88

Jerry BrownDiana Curran

Tim FordSandi StroussElaine Swyryn

25 Years of ServiceMadeleine KellerBobbie Miyasaki

30 Years of ServiceDorothy Clayborne

AWARDS

The Apgar Award for Teaching Excellence Beth McDonald, Middle School English

The Apgar Award recognizes a teacher who has made a signifi-cant difference in students’ lives by motivating students’ interest, curiosity, and love of learning; applying new teaching concepts and methods that expand stu-dents’ horizons and potential; and by serving as a mentor to stimulate students’ intellectual development beyond the curricu-lum and the classroom.

The Blair D. Stambaugh Award Elaine Swyryn, Dean of the Faculty

Created to honor former Headmistress Stambaugh, this award is given annually to a member of the faculty or staff who has contributed the most to the overall welfare and well-being of the school community.

The Cynthia LeBoutillier Teachership Renuka Gandhi, First Grade

The Cynthia LeBoutillier Teachership honors the memory of Cynthia LeBoutillier, who graduated from The Bryn Mawr School in 1970. It is awarded to a recent college graduate, just beginning his or her teaching career, with such qualities as a keen mind, ability with young people and creative leadership.

The Ella Speer Colhoun and Elizabeth Atkinson Reynolds Fund Jessica Bolz, Upper School Math

This award recognizes a teacher who has made a significant contribution to the school outside of the classroom. The fund recognizes an important quality that typifies independent school teaching at its best: a dedication to young people as whole human beings beyond the limited scope and measurements of classroom performance.

The Patricia A. Dieter Staff Award Midge Feiss Menton ’66, Lower School Administrative Assistant

The Dieter Staff Award is pre-sented to a member of the staff who has demonstrated outstand-ing loyalty, dedication and hard work in support of the well-being of the school.

The “37-45” Award Emily Tankersley, Upper School Dance

Presented in honor of the faculty, administration, and staff who worked at Bryn Mawr during the years from 1937 to 1945, this award is given to a community member who has served the school with distinction.


Born and raised in Baltimore City, Jessica Wolf Suriano graduated from Bryn Mawr in 1992. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Sociology from Loyola University Maryland. She began her career in professional service to nonprofits at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, overseeing the Team In Training marathon program, and ended her time there serving as senior director of the organization’s three priority fund-raising campaigns. Subsequently, Suriano was hired as the Director of Development for the Alzheimer’s Association Maryland Chapter, where she was responsible for the creation and execution of the organization’s strategic development plan. In 2010, she joined the Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust (B.E.S.T.) as Director of Development & Strategic Initiatives. In addition, she led the program division of the organization. In May of 2014, the Board of Trustees appointed Suriano executive direc-tor. She has also served as a development and strategic planning consultant for several nonprofits in Baltimore.

LEFT with sisters Molly Wolf ’12 and Miriam Wolf ’11

I am honored and humbled to be here with all of you this morning, at a place I called

home for 13 years. While many of the names and faces here today aren’t familiar to me,

I feel the same familiar way standing in front of all of you that I did when I was here at

Bryn Mawr as a student—like I am part of this community, and always will be.

I have to also thank the people who are seated in the row behind me this morning—my parents, who believed that I deserved the exceptional education that The Bryn Mawr School would provide me, and who supported my educational journey by reinforcing a core value that has such vibrant life here at Bryn Mawr—to do my best job possible in all things.

Thank you to my sisters, Bryn Mawrtians themselves, Miriam and Molly Wolf who graduated in 2011 and 2012 and through all of their activities here at Bryn Mawr gave

me opportunities to be back on campus frequently over their 12 year tenure here. Bryn Mawr’s commitment to tradition and history is among the things that make this such a special place, and it was with joy that I was able to attend their Maypole Dances and remember how very badly I had wished for a pink ribbon to hold but ended up with a white one; the International Bazaar, which evoked happy memories of being able to explore the multitude of sights and sounds and tastes of different cultures, all in one multi-purpose room; celebrating their returns from Echo Hill, knowing that just as I had felt that I had

FOUNDERS DAY GUEST SPEAKER: Jessica Wolf Suriano ’92

continued on next page


FEATURESFEATURES

grown and stretched as a person and as a member of my class, they did, too; and their senior convocations—a time in which both of my sisters took the opportunity to bravely share personal sides of themselves, an act of such generosity because to give vulnerably of oneself in an effort to empower others—that is truly remarkable. And how remarkable of Bryn Mawr to be a community that made my sisters feel so safe to be that open.

I am grateful to my brother, John Wolf, who has lived his whole life surrounded by Bryn Mawr girls and still

agreed to come this morning. And to my dear friends who are also here—I learned how to make friends and be a friend while I was here at Bryn Mawr, and have found myself, as a result, drawn to bright, compassion-ate, witty, honest, opinionated and “spirited” women who make me better and stronger.

As I sat down to put my thoughts on paper, I realized that I wasn’t writing a speech. I was, instead, writing a thank you letter to the incredible founders of this school, and to Bryn Mawr itself.

When you are immersed in the day-to-day routine of being a Bryn Mawr student—whether you are playing foursquare at recess, or learning how to put together a PowerPoint presentation, or singing Jerusalem for the hundredth time in Dayseye rehearsal—it is easy to lose sight of the gift of a Bryn Mawr education. While a Bryn Mawr education includes English, foreign language, STEM, art, dance and public speaking, it is so much more.

From our school’s mission statement: “A Bryn Mawr education is grounded in the expectation that young women will be resilient in the face of complexity, ambi-guity, and change; will become responsible and confident participants in the world; and, will lead considered and consequential lives.”

Our founders believed that girls in Baltimore deserved excellence in education. They believed that girls should have a rigorous, challenging, inspiring place to learn and think and truly prepare for college, at a time when none of this was available to young women. To think about our five founders, 130 years ago, caring so passionately about creating a space for girls to embrace intellectual curiosity and develop a zest for being well-educated—in the face of popular convention and belief—is just awe-inspiring. They were resilient in the face of com-plexity, ambiguity and change. They were confident participants in the world. And their lives were so very consequential for all of the young girls and women who came before you, and me, and date all the way back to that first class 130 years ago—to those two dozen young girls and their seven dedicated teachers who are tied to us through history and shared experience . We are all so very fortunate to have received the incredible gifts of our founders’ tenacity and determination.


I share with you my love and gratitude this morning as I think about the journey I took while I was here. I ran and played on the Lower School portico, and had lunches in the quad and deep conversations in Middle School advisory meetings. I thought our Senior Room was the greatest ever, with our Little Mermaid/Under the Sea theme. I got my class ring turned 92 times. I was one of three girls in my Gilman English class, and heard repeatedly from our teacher that it was the three of us who inspired such thoughtful conversation and debate in the classroom week after week. I agonized over my History paper for Ms. Margolis and was so proud of my “Lord of the Flies” essay for Ms. Dallam (who back in the day would throw chalk at us if we used incorrect

grammar). I learned about supply and demand and the principles of business in my Economics class. I held hands with my very best friend, Kirsten Becker, at the top of the stairs in the gradation garden, daisy basket in my other hand. Kirsten and I met at the new student picnic for kindergartners, back in the fall of 1978, and there was no one else I would walk down the graduation aisle with 13 years later.

I think our Founders would be interested in and very proud of the work that I am blessed to do, as well, as it correlates to their incredible work: providing oppor-tunities for students to have access to excellence in education. As the Executive Director of the Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust (B.E.S.T.), I lead a nonprofit organization that recruits and helps enroll academically talented African American students in nineteen indepen-dent member schools—Bryn Mawr being one of them. Twenty-seven years ago, the organization was founded to increase diversity on independent school campuses by five independent school heads, including Bryn Mawr’s Barbara Chase. It is no surprise that Bryn Mawr was a leader in founding an organization that seeks to connect students with educational excellence. Today, I am so fortunate to continue the important work of B.E.S.T.,

supported by Ms. Walsh, who serves alongside 18 other heads of school on our Board of Trustees.

My mentor and friend, Amy John, has taught me through example to ask myself, “What’s my role?” When she asks that question, it means “what can I do to give and be of service?” When I ask myself that question, I think: how incredible that I get to play a role in supporting aca-demically ambitious African American students as they enroll and thrive in independent schools. How incredible that I get to play a role in ensuring that B.E.S.T. Scholars at Bryn Mawr, and at all of our member independent schools, are immersed in the incredible culture in which I received my education—a culture that creates leaders and thinkers and innovators; a culture that fosters a life-long love of learning; a culture that encourages us to go out into the world and be impactful, whatever that path may look like.

The work that I am doing is gratifying, challenging and rewarding, and I would not be so fortunate to have this career without having received a Bryn Mawr education. When I was here, I’m sure I read our mission statement, or heard it spoken by faculty. But more than hearing these words, I was being prepared to live these words—at some deep level, through all of the learning and thinking and asking and problem-solving and risk-taking (and even mistake-making and the trying again)—through all of this I was being prepared to leave Bryn Mawr and live the life of a Bryn Mawr-educated woman. With that incredible gift came the expectation that I would go on to lead a con-sidered and consequential life. No small task, but one for which I was being prepared by my dedicated and talented teachers and my bright, amazing classmates. My work at B.E.S.T. feels, in my bones, to be very considered and consequential. I say this with deep gratitude and love for my school and its founders.

Bryn Mawr’s tagline—“Exceptional Foundation. Remarkable Life.”—couldn’t be truer. I, like Bryn Mawr students for the past 130 years, have received a truly exceptional foundation. And I am living a remarkable life—a life that is made rich by my husband and children; my parents and siblings; my friends and colleagues; and by work that feels like a calling, inspired in many ways by five remarkable women from 130 years ago.

Thank you, Bryn Mawr.

Bryn Mawr’s culture encourages us to go out into the world and be impactful.


FEATURESFEATURES

Each year around Halloween, Nina Emala ’06 is reminded of a specific moment from her field hockey career at Bryn Mawr. It was the fall of her senior year, and the team was preparing for the upcoming tournament. They had been working hard, playing hard, and the stress was building. But this day was different. Jeanette Budzik, the varsity field hockey head coach, split Emala’s team into three groups: pumpkins, ghosts and spiders. “We came to practice dressed up and competed in those teams,” Emala recalls. “We were working hard and getting ready for tournament, but we were having so much fun and [Ms. Budzik] was getting us excited. She was able to balance that really well.”

Now, eight years later, Emala is learning to balance these qualities in her own coaching. She graduated from Gettysburg College, where she played field hockey, in 2010. In 2013, she returned to Bryn Mawr as a second grade teacher, and immediately began assisting Budzik with the varsity field hockey team. In 2014, Budzik made the decision to pass the role of head coach to Emala, stepping down from the position after 29 years.

“I started thinking about when would be the right time to step back a couple of years ago,” Budzik says. “Then when Nina got a job at Bryn Mawr and became the assistant, I realized how awesome it would be for a Bryn Mawr grad who I had coached to take over the position.”

However, Budzik knew that she did not want to leave the field completely. “I think it is something that you always wonder—how long will you stay invested in your sport, and how much do you want it to be a part of your life?” she remarks. “I knew I still wanted to be involved. It’s been a huge part of my life, and I knew I couldn’t walk away completely.”

Budzik and Emala soon decided that they would essen-tially switch positions, with Emala taking the title of head coach and Budzik staying on as an assistant with Karen Paterakis Philippou ’86. “Karen was on one of the first varsity teams that I coached,” Budzik says, smiling. “The fact that the two of us are assistants together—I really enjoy that.”

PASSING IT ONPASSING IT ONAfter 29 years as varsity field hockey head coach, Jeanette Budzik passes the mantle

to Nina Emala ’06.


continued on next page

brynmawrschool.org October 2014 Mawrginalia 27brynmawrschool.org October 2014 Mawrginalia 27


FEATURESFEATURES

Teacher, Mentor, Coach

From the first time she picked up a field hockey stick, the sport was a natural fit for Budzik. Initially a soccer player, Budzik transitioned to field hockey in high school, when she found that her school did not have a girls’ soccer team. She continued to play through college at Frostburg State University and a little bit afterward. From there, coaching was a natural next step.

Budzik began teaching physical education and coaching field hockey at Bryn Mawr in 1984, and it quickly became apparent that she was a great fit for the school. Over the span of her career, she has taught, advised, mentored and coached thousands of Bryn Mawr girls, and her impact has been immense. In a

speech at Bryn Mawr in May 2014, former field hockey player Kirsten Prettyman-Adams ’91 recounted her experience as a freshman goalie for the varsity team. “We were in the playoffs, and the game was tied 2-2 at the end of the second overtime. As a freshman goalie, I was terrified, and the pressure was more than I thought I could handle,” Prettyman-Adams recalled. “Ms. Budzik pulled me aside, looked me in the eye and said, ‘You’ve got this.’ She believed in me, even when I was not so sure. I knew that no matter the outcome of the game, Ms. Budzik would be standing right next to me. She taught me to believe in myself.”

Like Emala, many of the players Budzik has coached have gone on to play in college. And like Emala and Philippou, several have returned to coach at Bryn Mawr. “It’s an amazing feeling when you know that the girls found a love for field hockey somewhere along the line,” Budzik reflects, “and it’s very rewarding to have those players standing next to me again as coaches.”

Athletic Director Wendy Kridel, who has worked with Budzik for 17 years, says that there are many qualities that make Budzik an extraordinary coach—the kind of coach that a player would want to work with again. “She is consistently fair,” Kridel says. “She has the biggest heart, she is student- focused always, and she truly loves what she does. When you are passion-ate like that, and you care about the kids, they want to play for you.”

A Living Legacy

For Nina Emala, teaching runs in the family—her grandfather was a teacher, and her mother, Jeannie Emala, teaches fifth grade at Bryn

Mawr. In college, Emala decided to follow in those footsteps and pursue a career in education; she also knew that she wanted to coach field hockey. It became her goal to get back to Bryn Mawr. “I’ve always wanted to teach and coach at Bryn Mawr, because I know what a special experience it is to be a student-ath-lete here,” she says. “As a student, I felt like the coaches and the teachers just cared so much about me, and they cared about what we did on the classroom and on the field. I that is a very special part of Bryn Mawr.”

After a year as the assistant coach, she remembers feeling excited about the prospect of moving into the role of head coach, but also a bit daunted. “It is challenging to need to be the person with all the answers, who comes up with the drills and runs everything,” she says.

However, transitioning into the head coaching position with Budzik by her side has made it much easier. “I’ve asked her about a million questions,” Emala says, laughing. “Every day, I feel like I am learning something new from her.”

Having Karen Philippou in the mix has also helped to ease the transi-tion. “Karen, Jeanette and I all have different coaching styles, but we all love Bryn Mawr and just want these girls to succeed,” Emala explains. “We’re emailing and texting all day, talking about drills, what might work for certain girls, what we have each noticed…we will do anything that we can to help them.”

This focus on the players’ learning and well-being is, Wendy Kridel says, a big part of what has made Budzik such a successful coach, and will contribute to Emala’s success as well. “Nina has many of the same

Below, from left to right: Assistant Coach Jeanette Budzik, Head Coach Nina Emala ’06, Assistant Coach Karen Paterakis Philippou ’86


pieces that Jeanette has—a love for the sport, a warm, caring way—and I think that, as a high school athlete, when Nina knew that someone believed in her, you got the best out of her,” Kridel remarks. “She under-stands that feeling in athletes, and will be very good at nurturing it.”

By all measures, the transition between head coaches has been smooth. The field hockey team concluded a successful season with several victories, including a win in the quarterfinal game against Mount de Sales Academy, before falling to Garrison Forest in the semifinals.

“Because there is a mutual respect between Nina and me, there is no ego involved,” Budzik says. “I knew that I wanted to do this, and she knew that she wanted to do this. Leadership is not just about power and position. It’s about collaborating and doing what is best for everyone. Nina asks for help, and she wants help. She is learning to be a head coach just as much as I’m learning to be an assistant, and we help each other.”

This type of living legacy in coaching is somewhat unique—it is much more common for a head coach to retire or leave rather than move to a

supporting role—and it makes a huge difference not only to the new head coach, but also to the players and to the school. “The fact that Nina was coached by Jeanette, I think that really adds something,” Kridel says. “There has been a great consistency and comfort, for the kids and for Bryn Mawr.”

As long as Budzik is willing to keep coaching, Kridel says that Bryn Mawr will be glad to have her. “Coaching is really part of who Jeanette is. Continuing to have her here is a great service to Bryn Mawr field hockey, and to field hockey in general.”

Clockwise, from above: Coach Budzik with Nina Emala during Emala’s senior year on Team Maryland, coached by Budzik; Emala (second from right) and teammates as spiders for Halloween 2005; Emala (back row, third from right) with her team and Coach Budzik at the senior game in fall 2005


FEATURES

Students from Bryn Mawr and other area independent schools gather for a student-led forum to discuss the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and how to effect change for the future

By Emily Pan ’16 • Photos by Sophia Yazigi ’17

On October 8, nearly a hundred students from Bryn Mawr, Gilman, Roland Park Country School and Friends gathered in Bryn Mawr’s Edith Hamilton Library to discuss recent events in Ferguson, Missouri. Organized in a joint effort by Bryn Mawr’s Black Students’ Union (BSU) and the Community Alliance for Everyone (CAFE), the forum aimed to open a community-wide discussion about the shooting of Michael Brown and the protests that continue in his name.

“Ferguson is an issue of community,” said Grace Greene ’16, one of the primary organizers of the forum. “The

issues in Ferguson have made national and international headlines, so we thought that, in our own community, they should be shared with as many people as possible.”

The forum was split into two main parts: a gallery of responses to the situation in Ferguson and a moderated discussion about its impact on society.

For the first half, organizers set up two displays filled with photographs, headlines, statistics, and general information. Images were juxtaposed to highlight the polarized reactions to Michael Brown’s shooting: some

RAISING VOICES: From Ferguson to Baltimore

FEATURES


showed signs reading “Arrest Darren Wilson,” while others urged people to “Support Darren Wilson.” One even declared, “I Am Darren Wilson.” Headlines sourced from a collection on the “Huffington Post” also revealed a stark contrast between the characterization of white criminals and black victims in the media: while white shooters such as college professor Amy Bishop were often considered “brilliant” but socially misunderstood, black teenagers who had been shot were scrutinized for histories involving drugs and misbehavior.

In the second half of the forum, students gathered under signs marked “agree,” “disagree,” and “unsure” in response to a number of statements about the shooting and subsequent protests. After choosing their positions, students were encouraged to respectfully share their reasoning with the community.

“All I know is that at the time, the officer was arresting [Michael Brown] for jaywalking,” said Sefa Santos-Powell ’17, who disagreed with the statement “this situation could have been avoided.”

“I really don’t think that jaywalking is a good reason for you to be shot,” Santos-Powell said. “That’s all [Darren Wilson] knew about what Michael Brown was doing wrong, and that just does not justify anything that he did.”

“I know a lot of people disobey [police] officers,” remarked another student, agreeing with Santos-Powell. “Officers will put on their sirens and say “pull over,” and people just drive past. And [officers] don’t shoot those people—so it just seems very subjective.”

While most participants expressed confusion and dismay at the shooting of Michael Brown, some questioned the witness accounts that claim Brown was surrendering at the time when he was shot.

“I heard that Michael Brown charged the police officer,” said a student from Gilman.

Other participants challenged the officer’s side of the story. “Even if he charged [Darren Wilson], [Wilson] has a Taser to fend him off,” added Kitty Maguire ’17. “He doesn’t have to resort to manslaughter in order to stop a teenage boy from charging him.”

Many participants gravitated towards the “unsure” sign on a range of issues, including the rioting protesters and the militarization of the Ferguson police force, but the open discussion allowed students to learn and form more solid opinions.

The final statement was that “the issue will never be resolved.” On this decision, general opinion was decid-edly split.

“It is going to take a lot of time,” said one student who disagreed with the statement.“ But look at how far we’ve come from, say, slavery, or the Jim Crow laws. We’ve slowly progressed as a nation towards this ideal of not having any racism whatsoever, and I think that we all have to believe it’s going to come to this point.”

Many students, however, were more cautious with their hope. “Within the history of this country, [racism] is kind of ingrained in certain people, and so long as those people are around to pass things to their children, there are going to be people who feel this way,” said a student who took the position of unsure. “But I also want to believe in the good nature of human beings. I want to hope that there’s at least further progress in the future.”

FACING PAGE Students and faculty participate in the gallery walk portion of the forum RIGHT Grace Greene ’16, one of the forum’s organizers, presents information about the

shooting of Michael Brown and the protests that followed


FEATURES

“Theatre at Bryn Mawr is really fantastic. The thing that I

think separates Bryn Mawr is not only the diversity in

the cast and culture of the shows, but the opportunity that is given to such a wide

variety of students. This show is so crazy—crazy in the best way—because each number is so individual. There are so many opportunities for solos for all of the cast members.”

— Ali Regan ’16

A Photo Essay

In October, the Upper School pre-sented the musical “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” Based on the beloved television show that covered subjects ranging from English to math, the musical follows first-year teacher Tina, played by Ali Regan ’16, as she prepares for her first day of school. Through encounters with various parts of herself, played by the ensemble cast, Tina figures out how to make learning fun and engaging for her students. Here, the members of the cast and the band share their reflections on the show.


“Every time I’m playing a song, I think, ‘Oh, this is it, this is my favorite song.’ But then we get to the next one and

I’m like, ‘What was I thinking? This is my favorite song!’ We have given a twist to

every single song that we are doing—we’ve really put our own vibe on the songs, which I think is very distinct.”

— Annie Brinkley ’15, Acoustic Guitar

“The musical seemed like a really great opportunity, because I’m new to Bryn Mawr, and I wanted to establish myself as a member of the theatre community. I think the relationships are what really keep bringing me back to theatre. I love performing, and I love the relationships that you build with the other people in the show.”

— Grace Hehir ’17

34 Mawrginalia October 2014 brynmawrschool.org34 Mawrginalia October 2014 brynmawrschool.org

FEATURES

“My favorite moments are the moments that happen

in rehearsal—a note that is hit collaboratively that is

earth-shattering, or when I see someone around me doing

the choreography and then I get it, or when I hear someone

really go for that last note. I love seeing people doing what

they love and really getting into it. It’s the moments when all

the hard work becomes worth it, and you realize that what

we’ve been doing for the past few weeks is just—the best.”

— Ali Regan ’16

“I love singing, and I have always really wanted to be in a musical, but when I was in China, I didn’t have the opportunity to do this. As soon as I came to Bryn Mawr, I knew I wanted to be in the musical.”

— Yuting Su ’17

brynmawrschool.org October 2014 Mawrginalia 35brynmawrschool.org October 2014 Mawrginalia 35

“I built friendships from the show, which always happens. You build these

connections with the people in the cast, and it’s really nice. I also like that

this show is really high energy, so we get to be bigger than ourselves.”

— Jordan Shirk ’17

“This is my first musical at Bryn Mawr. Having a show like “Schoolhouse Rock” is great because it brings in more rock music, with instruments like drums and the electric guitar. I think it is awesome to have different types of music at Bryn Mawr.”


36 Mawrginalia October 2014 brynmawrschool.org36 Mawrginalia October 2014 brynmawrschool.org

FEATURES

“I am really proud of our team because we are so efficient.

We didn’t really have a lot of time to rehearse, but

when we were learning the choreography and the songs,

even with all the changes, we all got it really quickly.”

— Yuting Su ’17

“I’ve been impressed by what a sense of “team” there is among the cast. I’ve been on sports teams at Bryn Mawr, and with the musical, it feels like the teachers are the coaches, and the upperclassmen and the people who are really talented are the captains. They have worked as a team and have really been there for each other, which is not something I had expected to see in the theatre aspects of Bryn Mawr. We have a lot of talented people at this school—I will miss them next year.”



Auburn Stephenson

I learned many things in Mrs. Martin’s kindergarten class. I learned how to tie my shoes, how to share with my classmates, and even how to tell the difference between animals

that look alike. We learned, for example, that a zebra looks just like a horse, but with black and white stripes. Let’s say, however, that for some reason, telling the difference between a horse and a zebra did not come as easily for you as it did for others. What if, every time you looked at a zebra, you could only see the animal in the dark? The zebra, in that split second, would look very similar to a regular horse. All of your class-mates would laugh at you when you said it was a horse, even though that is what you

saw. How would you feel? Confused? Embarrassed because everyone else instantly knew it was a zebra? Angry because they were able to see the animal in full light, when

you were left in the dark?

My entire life, I have been left in the dark when it came to reading. When I tried to read a word or even a letter, it was as if I was in a dark room, facing the zebra head-on, unable to see its stripes. If I stared at the zebra long enough, I could eventually see the stripes, but I could never see them quickly as everyone else could. I would get angry with myself for not being able to identify the distinctive markings or decipher a simple string of letters as proficiently as my friends. Embarrassed by my self-perceived stupidity, I became more hesitant to raise my hand or volunteer to read

out loud. Whenever I was called on in class, I wanted to disappear. I wished fervently that I could wait to read that word, or that I could wait to make up my mind until someone else spotted the stripes.

When I entered Lower School and was asked what my favorite type of book was, I would always answer, “a picture book, of course.” I loved looking at the animated characters and the colors that filled the pages with life. Reading didn’t seem so terrible then, when there were images that correlated with the confusing words on the

Each year, seniors have the opportunity to present issues that matter to them to their classmates. Most do this in the form of a Senior Convocation—a twenty-minute speech on any topic. In every issue, we highlight excerpts from convocations given that month. Occasionally, we will also highlight other senior speeches given at special occasions, letting members of the Class of 2015 share, in their own words, what matters to them.

Senior VoicesCLASS OF 2015


FEATURES

page. When I arrived in first grade, however, picture books were becoming an endangered species. At Bryn Mawr, there is a rule when you began to read a book in first grade: if you make a mistake on five or more words on the first page of a book, that book is too hard for you and you should pick something easier.

Back then, all of my classmates could read books like “Junie B. Jones,” “The Magic School Bus” and other classics. But I could not get past the Five Word rule. I could never figure out how my friends could pronounce and read words they had never seen before with such ease and elegance. In order to try to be like my friends, I figured if I just read the same page over and over and over again, until I memorized how each word sounded, I could pass the Five Word test.

As I got older, I continued my memorization tricks. I forced myself to read a passage again and again, until I could recite the text from memory. I had no other way to figure out what the words were as quickly as my class-mates. Reading and re-reading sentences also helped me grasp the context and the meaning, without relying on the pictures. But the whole time that I was memorizing words and phrases, I never had the courage to articulate my reading difficulties. I was too afraid of what people would think. I believed that if I just worked harder and studied more, I would finally be able to see the stripes.

This hesitation and reluctance continued throughout most of my academic career. My teachers and parents assumed that I felt uncomfortable reading or answering questions because I was shy or just quiet by nature. Secretly, I was absolutely terrified to read out loud. In third grade, I remember feeling sick at my stomach, and not wanting to get out of the car when my mother dropped me off at school because I was sure I would be called on to read out loud in class that day. I told every-one I was sick, never revealing my fear. I kept my secret bottled up because I thought that confessing my problem meant that I was unintelligent, or even illiterate.

For a while, this trick actually worked. I was still in the dark, but my secret was safe. My perseverance and unconventional study habits allowed me to get strong grades at Bryn Mawr, even as I went to great lengths to camouflage my struggle with something that came so

easily to everyone else. It was not until my junior year that my secret was exposed.

Junior year was filled with many important milestones: prom dress decisions, coed classes, and the most important test any high school student will attempt to undertake —the Scholastic Assessment Test, or SAT. The SAT is a grueling, nearly four hour assessment that tests a student’s mathematical, writing and, worst of all, reading abilities. This test felt like the worst 3 hours and 45 minutes of my life. I cringed each time I turned a page to find one of the three “critical reading” sections, filled with unfamiliar words and passages designed to trick me.

After receiving my less than stellar test scores, my anxiety rose. Troubled, I went to see a psychologist. My initial diagnosis was Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, probably because I study all the time. I never feel like I have enough time to study, especially when there is a great deal of reading involved. But even after my OCD diagnosis, my studying time increased, as well as my anxiety. In an effort to ease my anxiety, I underwent educational testing. After several hours of mental poking and prodding, I finally had an answer. I discovered that seeing horses instead of zebras was a neurological condition called dyslexia.

As the psychologist attempted to calmly explain my diagnosis to me, my chest tightened as I sat in disbelief. All that kept racing through my head was, “Now it is con-firmed. I really am as dumb as I have always suspected.”

I did not know anything about dyslexia before I was diagnosed, so I decided to do some research. The International Dyslexia Association defines dyslexia as “a language-based learning disability, which results in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading.”

It is much easier to see a zebra’s stripes if you are looking at its side, instead of only at the front.


Disability. That word stuck out to me and affirmed my worst fears. Disability. The word sounds so limiting, but I’m not handicapped. I kept researching and found out more information about the scientific side of dyslexia. “U.S. News & World Report” published an article discuss-ing the striking difference between the brain images of dyslexic and non-dyslexic individuals. In a dyslexic brain, the specific region necessary for rapid, fluent, automatic reading is disrupted. For example, when I see a string of letters on a page, it takes my brain longer to decode, recognize and make words out of those letters.

Word recognition also takes a different path in my brain than in a non-dyslexic brain. Imagine a car driving around a circular track. In non-dyslexic brains, the time it takes for a person to recognize a word and say it out loud could be seen as one time around the track. In my brain, the car has to go around three times, then down to Wal-Mart and back! I can read—it just takes me a little bit longer.

As I continued my research, I also discovered that some very intelligent and creative people were dyslexic: the-oretical physicist Albert Einstein; director and producer Steven Spielberg; iconic painter Pablo Picasso; actor Tom Cruise and so many more. No one saw them as incom-petent or unintelligent, so why would someone view me that way? Once I understood more about dyslexia, I actually felt relieved. I realized that I wasn’t stupid—my brain just worked differently.

After my diagnosis, my first question was “what next?” Was there a way for me to retrain my brain to read faster? Genetically, I was born with dyslexia and that will never change. However, what if I could find strategies to cope with my “type of brain?” I still suffered from acute anxiety when asked to read aloud in class, so my psychol-ogist suggested a special tutoring program developed especially for dyslexics called the Orton-Gillingham Method. I started attending bi-weekly tutoring sessions to help me read faster and more fluently. Basically, I had to learn how to read all over again, in order to get away from my memorization tendencies. The Orton-Gillingham Method is a phonics-based reading approach using multi-sensory instruction. My tutor and I worked through six syllable types together, the first being closed syllables. One example of a closed syllable is when an “a” is in a word such as “cat” or “bat”—it makes a short “a” sound, as in “apple.”

Although this may sound tedious and basic, this instruc-tion helped me attack and master words that were unfamiliar to me. I finally understood why my classmates in Lower School could, with such ease, pronounce difficult, never-before-seen words such as “buoyancy” (because the OY makes the “oi” sound) or “harmonious” (because the AR makes the A, an R-controlled syllable, sounding like “are” instead of short “ah” and “a”). The multi-sensory approach comes when we are learning new sounds or syllables. For example, in order to master and learn a new sound, I need to hear it being said to me, repeat it several times, write it in words and in sentences, and then read it proficiently before moving on to another sound. Being able to understand and identify the sounds of certain letters, when seen together, makes reading faster. Because it takes me so long to identify the order of letters and their orientation, I need tricks to help me make up for the lost time. It’s as if these tricks help me find the light switch faster in that dark, zebra-filled room.

Although very frustrating at times, my diagnosis of dyslexia was actually a blessing in disguise. I have learned patience—I remind myself, daily, that it’s acceptable to make mistakes. I’m not perfect. I can learn from my mistakes, and that’s what propels me to do better. I have learned perseverance. I would not be up here with you today if I had not wrestled with reading. I know that if I try hard enough, I can do just about anything. I have learned perspective. When facing unfamiliar situations, I know how to break down problems into manageable pieces. A slight change in perspective can make a big difference in the way you look at a problem. After all, it is much easier to see a zebra’s stripes if you are looking at the side of the animal, instead of only at the front.

On this Founders Day, I am so grateful to those five courageous women who were not satisfied with the status quo or the way things had always been. They were not afraid to question what they saw. They had seen enough horses, and they were looking for something different. I’m thankful that they had the passion to light the path for us today. My hope is that each one of us will strive to have the patience and perseverance to change our perspective, as necessary, and not be afraid to search dark places where zebras might be hiding. They are worth discovering!


PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION

Yes, yes, yes we do, the parents have spirit, how about you?Many thanks to all of the parents who came out to support Bryn Mawr and its sports teams at our Fall Spirit Day on October 14! The weather was perfect, the stu-dents were excited, and the Morgan State Drum Corps set the tone for a festive afternoon of cheering on Upper School athletes as they participated in home games all over campus and at Mt. Washington.

A very special thank you goes to Carole Argo, P’15, Mary Fisher, P’15, ’17 and Lois Marino, P’18, who spearhead the Bryn Mawr Boosters Club and made Spirit Day so much fun for the entire Bryn Mawr community.

GO MAWRTIANS!


ALUMNAE

ALUMNAE PHOTO OF THE MONTH:

Millicent Carey 1916, ready for field hockey


ALUMNAE

Upcoming EventsBaltimore-area Alumnae Dessert Reception

Wednesday, November 5 6:00–7:30 p.m., Gordon Building Join Headmistress Maureen Walsh for dessert and mingle with other Bryn Mawr alumnae.

RSVP to [email protected]

Young Alumnae Reception for the

Classes of 2011-2014

Tuesday, November 24 12:45–1:30 p.m., Howell 110 Catch up with classmates and former teachers over dessert and cocoa before heading to Thanksgiving Convocation in KVB Gym.


Alumnae Happy Hour

Friday, November 28 6:00–8:00 p.m., Mt. Washington Tavern For Bryn Mawr alumnae ages 21 and over. Location and time TBD – stay tuned!


Alumna Author to Speak at Maryland Historical Society

Author Natalie Wexler ’72 will speak at the Maryland Historical Society on Thursday, November 20. Wexler’s recently published book, “The Observer,” tells the story of Eliza Anderson, a young woman who is ahead of her time in her thinking and defies typical gender roles by becoming the editor of a magazine. Set in early nineteenth-century

Baltimore, “The Observer” is based on real events and incorporates excerpts from actual publications. For more information, about the event, click here.

To read a review of “The Observer,” click here.

Young alumnae attend the reception before Thanksgiving Convocation in 2013



https://www.mdhs.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=146

http://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/bookreview/the-observerhttp://

Do you have a gently worn prom, semi-formal, or graduation dress that’s just taking up space in your closet?

DONATE IT TO THE ALUMNAE DRESS SALE!

Seniors will have the chance to buy something beautiful at the Gently Used Dress Sale on Monday, November 24, 2014. All proceeds go directly to the Class of 2015 Prom Fund.

SUPPORT THE BRYN MAWR ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION’S

Dress Sale

Bring your dress donations to the second floor of the Gordon Building before November 14, 2014.

109 West Melrose AvenueBaltimore, Maryland 21210

410 323 8800brynmawrschool.org

mawrginalia, october 2014

Documents

global bryn mawr

bryn mawr school

bryn mawr community

independent schools

area independent schools

online education symposium

girls education

alumnae41 alumnae photo