hillbrook school bridges 2015

A Hillbrook School ConnectionSpring 2015

Bridges

10 Re-Imagining Classrooms

Class of 2018:Bridge Poetry

FEATURES

29

Seeds of Learning:Nicaragua

19 The Art of Sound

26

To Kill A Mockingbird:The Un-Conference

Table of Contents

It Takes a Village toBuild a Village

32 The Hillbrook Barn Owls

22

14 34 Pixie Dust and Golden Nuggets: The Brunner Family

38 The Family Bridge:Hillbrook Alumni Parents

22

32

3 Hillbrook School: Who We Are

4 Letter from the Head of School

6 Q & A with Eden Maisel

40This Year (so far) at Hillbrook

42

Alumni Spotlight:The Class of 2011

Founder’s Day Trivia

44 Upward Bound & Alumni News

45 From Chef’s Kitchen

8

DEPARTMENTS

Hillbrook SchoolBRIDGES Spring 2015

10

29

Bridges: a community journal for the neighbors, alumni, current families and all those in the Hillbrook School community in Los Gatos, California.

Head of School: Mark SilverDirector of Institutional Advancement: Joe ConnollyHead of Middle School: Christina PakHead of Lower School: Stephanie DeitzDirector of Teaching and Learning: Aimee GilesChief Financial Officer: Margaret RandazzoDirector of Technology: Bill Selak Director of Annual Giving & Alumni Relations: Cathy CarlsonDirector of Communications & Community Engagement: Debbie DembeckiAdvancement Associate: Kristina NakagawaPhotography provided by Greg Stamos, Debbie Dembecki, Kristina Nakagawa, or Kristin Allmon unless otherwise noted.

Layout and design by Kristina Nakagawa

This journal is published by Hillbrook School. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings, and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our apologies and notify us. Thank you.

Hillbrook School300 Marchmont Dr. Los Gatos, CA 95032Phone: 408-356-6116Email: [email protected]: www.hillbrook.orgFacebook: www.facebook.com/hillbrookTwitter: @HillbrookSchoolYouTube: www.youtube.com/user/hillbrookvideosInstagram: @hillbrookschool

2014-2015 Board of Trustee Members

Board President: Chuck HammersVice-President: Nancy YuSecretary: Tom Edsall Chair, Finance Committee: Tom ArcherChair, Campus Plan: Christine Kennedy Chair, Advancement : Sonia Sangster

Trustees Andrea EdwardsEric FoxMark FrenchChuck GeigerFiona Greene Vlado Herman

Kiran Khanna Michael Mulcahy Ann SkeetBrian UnderwoodRichard Williamson

• We are curiousWe love learning. We encourage each other to wonder, question, probe, discover, create, and share. With courage and enthusiasm, we take risks, push through challenges, fall down, get up, and relish the journey.

• We work togetherWe embrace our place within a greater whole, understanding that cooperation and collaboration allows us to be our best. We are able to lead and to follow as we commit to bettering ourselves, our community, and our world.

• We talk...and we listenLife at Hillbrook is a constant conversation. We think hard about what we want to say and how to say it, and we listen with care and an open mind. We write with precision, tell stories with flair, and communicate with confidence across ages and on stages. We can tell a joke.

• We solve problemsWe seek out and value varied perspectives and embrace the experience of understanding ‘the why’. Perseverance and resilience sustain us, as does our belief that questions are just as important as answers. We never give up.

• We make things betterWe research, imagine, and explore what’s possible and use our know-how to test theories and develop meaningful ideas in an ever-changing world. Inventive and visionary, our dreams have no limits.

Hillbrook School: Who We Are

Letter from

Head of SchoolMark Silver

At the heart of our campus are two bridges. One is a wooden pedestrian bridge, nestled underneath the oak trees, the other a sturdy, cement bridge built to handle just about anything that you would want to have cross the creek, up to and including a fire truck. Members of our community travel over both bridges multiple times each day, moving back and forth across our interconnected campus. One of the biggest transitions for students is when they both literally and metaphorically cross the bridge in 5th grade, a shift from the Lower School to the Middle School. The bridges unite us each day much more than they divide us, and children of all ages find themselves on both sides of the bridge throughout the day. Lower School children run across the bridges on their way to PE or Spanish, for example, while Middle School students run back the other direction to science class, lunch, or music.

Given the central role our bridges play at the school, it seemed only fitting to rename our recently revamped alumni and community magazine “Bridges.” This annual publication serves to connect our community’s past, present and future to the school and the many extraordinary things happening each and every day both on and off campus. Readers of this issue will learn about innovative things happening to and in classrooms, including highlights of our re-imagining classroom initiative that has placed Hillbrook on the national and international map as a leader in learning spaces. Readers will also hear about our efforts to build bridges to other communities, such as a recent service learning trip by a group of our 6th, 7th, and

58th graders who helped build a school in a remote village in Nicaragua. Additionally, readers will get a glimpse into the life of some of our recent alums, who are creating bridges from their foundations at Hillbrook to the future each and every day with their academic and extracurricular achievements.

Since I arrived at Hillbrook six years ago, I have committed myself to honoring and preserving Hillbrook’s connection to our past, while simultaneously focusing on creating a school of the future. Our location in Silicon Valley inspires an entrepreneurial spirit that is firmly rooted in our founders’ beliefs that the school should be a place of active, hands-on experiential learning. The Village of Friendly Relations was, after all, the original maker’s project, long before the Maker’s Faire and the Maker’s Movement were taking the educational world by storm. I am always looking for ways to build a bridge between our past and our future, ensuring that the work we are doing is both innovative and intentional, and deeply rooted in the extraordinary educational experience that we have provided for nearly 80 years.

I hope you will take the time to read our latest magazine and let us know what you think. If you are an alum, we would love to hear from you, or even better, have a chance to see you on campus. Several times each year I have the privilege of touring an alum around who was here long before I arrived. I’m always struck by the resonance they find between Hillbrook today and the school they remember from their childhood. While the faces around campus may have changed, the sense of possibility and joy that has always been at the heart of the Hillbrook experience remains stronger than ever.

Q&A

With

Ed

en

Ma

ise

l

Q: Eden, what is your current role? Can you tell us how it has changed over the years?

A: Wow. I wish there were some way to count the number of times I have crossed the bridges on this campus over the 16 years I’ve been here in my numerous roles. When I first started teaching here in 1999, I traveled from room to room and got a fair amount of exercise doing so! Puppets and props would be spilling out of my bag as I traipsed across the Village from one building to another. I transitioned into the roles of Service Learning Coordinator and Secondary School Counselor after many years of teaching Spanish. Threaded throughout this time I have been a 7th or 8th grade advisor. In the past few years I also taught Spanish again and led Student Council with Greg Stamos. In these various roles, I feel fortunate to be constantly moving about our beautiful campus to work with faculty, parents, students, and visitors.

Q: As Hillbrook’s service learning coordinator, how do you select the projects for each grade level?

A: I work with faculty, administrators, and non-profit organizations to determine projects that tie into the curriculum and are developmentally appropriate for each grade level. I look for inspiration from the teachers who know their students and interests best. For example, the habitat restoration work that 4th grade does with Acterra is connected with their California social studies units and oak woodland habitat study in science. The specialists provide invaluable support to the service learning program. In 7th and 8th grades, we volunteer monthly at a range of local organizations to allow the students to gain experience with multiple non-profits (schools, environmental groups, senior centers, and shelters).

7Q&

A w

ith Eden M

aiselQ: Has your perspective changed now that you have children at Hillbrook (Tyler ‘22 and Weber ‘20)?

A: Now that I hear directly from my own children about their daily experiences at school, I understand the power that Hillbrook has to provide an extraordinary educational experience for them. They come home overflowing with stories about Buddies, PE, Community Sing, homeroom auctions, science experiments, the list goes on and on. I love running into them spontaneously on campus and seeing the social interactions and daily routines they experience with their teachers and classmates. I don’t think I truly understood the impact that teachers have on students until I saw it from a parents’ perspective. I see how well the teachers know my children and support them in reaching their potential. I witness first-hand how much thoughtful time and effort the teachers put into the curriculum. I feel extremely fortunate to work where my children attend school.

Q: From your sixteen years in the classroom, helping with the plays and advising students, can you share a favorite moment or two?

A: Anything that involves students dressing up, acting out skits or creating videos. Sometimes I’ll be working in my office and a middle schooler happens to walk by casually in an evening gown and heavy metal wig for the movie-making elective. I have also gotten many good laughs out of the music videos and other movies my Spanish students have created to practice vocabulary and grammar concepts. I appreciate the sense of humor that kids bring to the classroom and how they keep the mood light. Of course I’ll never forget this year’s talent show when my 8th grade advisory won the middle school advisory act competition, and how our trophy was subsequently toilet papered by Mr. Sears’ advisory on April Fools’ Day. One of my favorite acts of all time is Cole and Lucas’ Lunch Lady song from several years ago. In 2002, I remember performing a dance routine with some 4th graders that was actually quite nerve-wracking!

Q: Which Hillbrook tradition is your personal favorite?

A: I love our traditions. Regatta jumps out as a really fun, collaborative event. The boats that the 7th and 8th grade students produce every year out of just cardboard and duct tape are impressive. Students and their parents pack into the pool area and it’s usually a searing hot day. The school spirit at the event is great! I also enjoy Buddies and watching our older students be good role models for the younger students.

Q: You have chaperoned many outdoor education learning experiences. How have these opportunities shaped your role as an educator? Additionally, tell us more about the value of these excursions for our students.

A: I have truly loved my experiences in Yosemite, Catalina, and Washington, DC. In keeping with our mission of helping each child reach his or her potential in school and in life, our outdoor education trips give students a chance to demonstrate skills not typically seen in a classroom and allow them the opportunity to stretch themselves beyond their comfort zone. The trips build the students’ independence which is critical in the middle school years. Beyond the physical activities students do on these trips such as hiking, kayaking, earth art, snorkeling, and tide-pooling, there is also power in the simple acts of travel and being away from home. For example, students are responsible for packing their suitcase at the end of a week after sharing a cabin with 3-5 other students. They help assemble lunches during a day’s excursion with their trail group. As an educator, I enjoy the trips because they give me a chance to get to know students on a more personal level. You spend several hours a day together and when you’re hiking along a trail there’s a lot of time to chat. Because everyone is “unplugged” it gives us a chance to connect much more.

This Year (so far)

at Hillbrook

Chinese New Year Celebration8th Grade Science

Grandparents & Special Friends Day Talent Show

This Year (so far)

at Hillbrook

8th Grade Play - Peter PanScribblebots - 3rd Grade Science

Halloween Parade

Re-

imag

inin

g C

lass

room

s

11by Ilsa Dohmen, CTE Research Designer

It all started with the iPad. Along with the implementation of 1:1 iPads in the Middle School in the Fall of 2010 came the question of what to do with our computer lab. Then Director of Technology Don Orth, along with a few teachers interested in the now empty space, designed our first agile classroom and called it the Idea Lab, or iLab.

The iLab was designed to be quite different from a typical classroom. All the furniture was on wheels, tables flipped and nested along the sides of the room, chairs stacked out of the way, even presentation equipment was mobile. The space was filled with write-able surfaces–white board tables, white board walls, standing mobile white boards. There was no teacher station, no signage about what content or ways of thinking were preferred in the space. The room was intended to be a blank slate, open to whatever arrangement would actually fit with the activity and content being engaged in that day. Teachers were invited to use the iLab on an as-needed basis, particularly for lessons they felt were limited by their own classroom spaces. For two years we watched, we asked teachers and students what they thought, and we filmed all the variable uses of the space.

Our interview and survey findings were emphatic: students loved the iLab. But why, exactly? To answer this question, a team of teachers looked through all our video data, the use cases, and what students said in interviews and surveys. We tried to distill the experience of the iLab into themes we might be able to bring into other spaces on campus. Since the iLab study, strong support from the parent community has enabled us to re-imagine over a dozen more classrooms. As we redesign these new spaces, we revisit each of these themes:

Choice As adults we have strong habits and ideas built up about how we work best. To do different tasks at different times of day, we select different seating, lighting, levels of social interactivity, even different snacks. We stand at the counter, we sit on a desk chair or couch, we sip tea, we wear headphones to block everything out, or work across from a friend. These habits come from years of testing and selecting different methods, being able to play with how we work, and identify what serves us when. How can a classroom provide opportunities for our students to create workspaces and find out what works for them?

OwnershipAs teachers, we hope students will own their learning. How can the physical classroom

communicate that the space belongs to each user, whether student or teacher? Improving the sharing of ownership in a classroom might look like reducing teacher displays and signage and increasing student signage and displays. Or, it might look like using the same type of work surface for both teacher and student desks. When we redesign classrooms we ask, “what are the items and materials that are intended for students to use? How is that indicated? How can well-designed storage, signage, furniture arrangement, and so on, show students what is theirs to use and change as they see fit?”

MovementEveryone has different needs for movement during the day. Some of these are needs for large-scale, organized movement, like swimming laps or playing soccer. But we also have lots of smaller, unorganized needs for micro-movement. These include adjustments to posture, stretching

our legs, moving our hands around while we read, fidgeting. Well-designed classroom spaces and furniture can meet the variability in users’ needs for movement in a way that flows with the learning task, rather than distracting from it. When good design allows students to move, while still sitting at a table, their ability to learn is positively impacted.

BelongingIt turns out classroom redesign is not just about furniture. Every environment communicates what are acceptable ways of being in that space. Some spaces say, “come in, be quiet, sit still, do not talk to your neighbor.” Others say, “move as you need to, get up if you want, feel free to communicate by writing, drawing or speaking, take a risk, or share what is on your mind.” How can a well-designed classroom help more students experience themselves and their learning preferences as belonging to the group? How, by increasing opportunities for choice, ownership and movement, do we reveal to students and teachers that we all learn in different ways at different times and we can still work together?

We started small after the iLab, bringing white board tables and walls, more soft seating options, and the concept of reducing teacher language and signage into a couple of middle school classrooms. Every redesign initiated conversations with teachers about the student experience and brought new perspectives on the effects of space on teaching and learning. At the 2014 auction, we

13asked our parent community to help us re-imagine even more classrooms and we received great support. After raising more than $250,000 for this Fund-a-Need, we were able to redesign more than a dozen classrooms on campus. We went about the process differently than many schools: we asked each individual teacher to choose what needed to change. We asked them to consider the four themes from the iLab study–to see how they thought their room might be redesigned to improve choice, ownership, movement, and belonging specifically for their students. We invited teachers in the newly redesigned spaces to observe student reactions, document the changes, and ask questions about the effects of the space on teaching and learning.

We are continuing to ask questions and uncover the impact of space on teaching and learning. Because we are redesigning slowly, and for each space individually, we are in a unique position to observe and compare student experiences in a variety of spaces and over their time at Hillbrook. Our story connects scores of educators to our campus each year who are eager to find out about how they might redesign their spaces, and also how they might structure teacher inquiry into student experiences. Our research findings have attracted the attention of researchers at Stanford interested in helping us explore these findings with more studies that examine movement-related learning.

Hillbrook is one of the only schools in the country to perform this kind of classroom research with teachers. Our approach to inquiry and design–empathetic, iterative, and endlessly curious–allows us to understand our individual students better and craft better learning experiences for them. It also serves as an important learning opportunity for teachers to connect to one another and to contribute to a national conversation about classroom design. In the end, the furniture is much more than furniture. It is an avenue for communicating our intentions as teachers, and for uncovering more about what it is like to be a student in our classrooms. The inquiry and design we are doing around classroom spaces allows us as a school to more authentically offer a student-centered experience, and meet our mission of inspiring students to achieve their highest individual potential in school and in life.

To Kill a Mockingbird:The Un-ConferenceA Collaboration between the Middle School History and English Departmentsby Debbie Dembecki, Director of Communications & Community Engagement

The idea of an English and History collaboration on To Kill a Mockingbird had two different sparks: the first was an inspiring presentation about another school’s co-departmental collaboration on the novel at the People Of Color Conference, and the second was Head of School Mark Silver’s desire to get back in the classroom and teach a lesson about the novel. Hillbrook faculty and staff had experienced the “un-conference” format at faculty meetings, a meeting format in which sessions are spontaneously designed and driven by participants’ interests and ideas. After much brainstorming, the History and English teachers decided that doing a one-day “un-conference” style event in which each of the five teachers would lead a session, and students would choose three of the five sessions to attend over a two hour period, seemed like the most exciting option.

The academic goals of the lessons were aimed at providing historical background and explanation about race-based conflict in the Southern US from the 1930s-1960s, and to understand the perspective of characters in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird through teaching of cultural competency and literacy. Themes explored included: class, poverty, citizenship, racism, stereotypes, false accusations, scapegoats, institutionalized segregation, lynchings, Jim Crow, Emmit Till, and cross-generational relationships. Reflections from the five session leaders are contained in the next few pages.

Mark Silver, Head of School:As a long-time Middle School history teacher, I always appreciate the opportunity to reconnect with students and share my passion for US history, so I seized the opportunity to do short reenactments with the students of the 1960 Greensboro Sit-ins. The students and I imagined what it would have been like for the four young college students from

15Un-Conference Reflections...

North Carolina A&T University–Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr. and David Richmond–to make a decision to stand-up against the Jim Crow system. As we roll-played the situation, the students and I talked about the incredible courage they showed and the transformational impact they had on the Civil Rights Movement. Indeed, the actions of these four young men led to the creation of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and ignited a nationwide conversation about Civil Rights that led to the dismantling of legal segregation.

The simulation provided an entry for the students into non-violent civil disobedience and also allowed them to think about courage and the connection to Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. The timing was particularly interesting, given the appearance this coming summer of Harper Lee’s soon-to-be published novel, Go Tell it to the Watchman, a novel that tracks the characters in To Kill a Mockingbird as they wrestle with the turbulence of mid-1950s America. Written before To Kill a Mockingbird was published, the new novel is set on the eve of the 1960s sit-ins and the activities of groups like the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee that truly changed America and the world.

My hope is that the students left our short session reminded that individuals really can change the course of history, a message that clearly connect to our vision to inspire students to achieve their dreams and make a difference in the world.

Laura Hansen, Middle School English Resident:I think the best part of the conference was that both teachers and students got to engage with their interests. It was exciting to work with small groups of students in an area of my personal interest around the novel. I think that each session was so successful because each of us brought a unique passion related to the novel to the table, and the students we worked with had opted in out of curiosity and interest.

My background is in literary criticism, so I chose to debunk the romanticization of To Kill a Mockingbird by having students look at various critics’ views of the novel. The current eighth grade loves a good debate, so it was fun to hear their opinions, and to go back and forth about the various merits and shortcomings of the novel. My hope was not that they would learn only to criticize the literature they read, but to question it in order to increase their understanding and appreciation.

Julia Rubin, 7/8 English Teacher:For me, one of the most compelling elements of To Kill a Mockingbird is the way in which Harper Lee taps into our innate nostalgia for childhood by telling her story through the lens of a child, after she has become an adult. She crafts a narrator who has the wisdom (and ability with language) of an adult, with the openness to the world that a child possesses. This makes for compelling alchemy in narration, and I wanted to share more of that special type of narration with our students.

For my session, I collected excerpts of first paragraphs from novels written from the perspective of a child. These ranged from novels the students had already studied, like The Outsiders and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, to novels they would study in the future, like The Catcher in the Rye, and those they may see in the future, like The Bluest Eye, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Swann’s Way. We read these excerpts, and then wrote together, about our own childhoods. We shared our work aloud. What came forward was an experience that allowed our students to commune with Harper Lee’s novel, and share with each other the experiences of their own lives. Meeting in the Village of Friendly Relations seemed a particularly fitting context for such work, as so many of our eighth graders have spent their own childhoods here, in these spaces. For me as their teacher, it was a privilege and a pleasure to share writing time together, and listen to each other read from our own first-person narratives.

17Juliana Findlay, Middle School History Resident:The best part of the un-conference for me was seeing students being able to engage with the same topic on a level that truly interested them. The 8th graders were able to look at their options and decide in which way they wanted to interact with the world of To Kill a Mockingbird. As a history teacher, I immediately want to zoom out to a 100 foot view and explore the causes and effects of events throughout time. The topics of race and racism within To Kill a Mockingbird, and the questions of “Why is racism perpetuated?” and “How can people be so outwardly racist?” frequently popped up among the 8th graders. These questions prompted me to explore the concept of Institutionalized Racism within the United States with the students during the un-conference. Discussing a time-line of instances throughout history and today in which race determined results within our legal system, forced the 8th graders to not look at the experience of Tom Robinson as simply a story in literature, but instead as a reflection of the experience of people within our society. The final few minutes of my workshop was reserved for the students to reflect and process the information, which I used to make the word cloud below. During this reflection time, having the honor of watching the students independently make the connections between the book, history and their own lives made this un-conference the most invigorating teaching day of the semester.

Jennifer Gingery, 7/8 History Teacher:As To Kill a Mockingbird readers are confronted with the realities of racism in 1930s Alabama, common reactions to injustice may include shock and grief - something along the lines of, “But I thought slavery had ended in the previous century - how could this still be happening?” This was true of my own experience as a privileged white student thirty years ago, when I was introduced to the novel in my ninth grade English class. My session uncovered the Southern states’ response to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The creation of Black Legal Codes to stall the liberation and integration of Black Americans after abolition came as a surprise to eighth graders. As a History teacher, it was important for me to show how the Jim Crow laws were created and to give students a sense of the detrimental impact which ‘separate but equal’ had on former slaves’ daily lives. As a former art historian, I was inspired by Dorothea Lange’s Depression era photographs and their ability to elicit understanding and empathy. They told the stories of the plight of common Americans, which aligned with my goals. I prepared a slide show depicting the lives of sharecroppers and tenant farmers. It elicited a predictable response from students, “But this looks just like slavery! How is it different?” Other students made connections between our earlier Civil Rights discussions about Ferguson, Staten Island, Oscar Grant, and Emmitt Till, claiming that racial bias still infuses our lives today. I felt privileged to witness students debate about the legacies of slavery and their ability to share their observations about race so openly.

The A

rt of Soun

d

by Stephanie Deitz, Head of Lower School, Kristin Engineer, JK-3rd Grade Music, and Jenny Jones, 3rd-4th Grade Science

Here at Hillbrook, children are constantly venturing beyond the four walls of their classroom to engage in hands-on, project-based learning experiences. It’s been a normal occurrence on campus since the school was founded in the 1930s. Students are inspired to obtain deep, meaningful understanding; to develop strong academic skills; and to become creative and innovative thinkers.

Earlier this year, project-based learning was at center stage—quite literally—as the third grade students performed their sound symphony on instruments made from found objects. This concert brought to a conclusion a nearly three month collaboration between JK-3rd grade music teacher, Kristin Engineer, and 3rd-4th grade science teacher, Jenny Jones, who had an interest in bridging their areas of study around the topic of sound. Recognizing the overlap between the elements of composition and the science of sound, students took these concepts and applied them to building a musical instrument, composing a piece of music, and performing that musical piece. They studied how sound waves travel, from how molecules interact to how wavelength affects pitch. Every class taught during this unit was co-planned to make sure there was cohesion as the students move from science to music to art, intentionally developing each lesson to bridge understanding of the relevance across the three subject areas, creating a wild mash-up of art, technology, making, composing, and of course, the science of sound.

19

“Sound can be so high it can touch the sky. Sound can be so low it can touch below.”

- Natalie

“ChairsClick, Clack

ChairsRing of Bells

Bing”- Ben

“Echoesare sound waves bouncing

off walls no limitsback and forthlimits behind!”

- Flynn

Ms. Jones explains the scientific part of the collaboration: “Students began learning about high and low pitch by experimenting with a variety of instruments. Using the color spectrum as a vocabulary to talk about wavelengths, they connected low pitch with the color red, medium low pitch to orange and continued up to the highest pitch as violet. Once students understood the color/pitch spectrum, they then used this system to test and color code the found metal objects they brought in from home.” Each group decided on five objects that would be attached to their chair, and then the acoustic engineering began! The students experimented with how to attach objects, and how that affected the sound. “Dropping an object might make a whole variety of sounds as the tire was spinning,” Ms. Jones noted. The beauty of this project is that it required students to apply scientific knowledge in a creative way. Rather than bubbling in a multiple choice test, they demonstrated understanding of

scientific principles, like how the sound receiver, medium, and source interact.Also during this time the students were introduced to the art of Louise Nevelson (www.louisenevelsonfoundation.org), an artist of the 20th century who created found object art and unified the variety of objects through monochromatic color. The students were shown her art to help understand how their chair with all the diversity of attached objects will become one art piece through the use of color. In addition to Louise Nevelson the students were introduced to the art of Alexander Calder (www.calder.org), an artist also from the 20th century, who was the first artist to take sculpture and create mobiles of all scale and size. His work has helped inform the students about the mobile they added onto their chairs. The mobile had 3-4 copper pipes of one pitch from the C scale giving each chair a specific note along with other artistic elements. The color of each chair corresponded to this pitch by relating to the color spectrum (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet).

During music class, the students were busy

21taking their understanding of pitch and working with Ms. Engineer to compose short musical pieces. Students delved deeply into the structure, or form, of music. To prepare for their work with the chairs, they studied Andrew Huang (www.songstowearpantsto.com), a musician hired by a jeans company in Korea to compose music using jeans as the only instrument. Students started with the lesson of layering simple repeating rhythms, or ostinatos, in different sections and explored the different sound qualities, also known as timbre. They began to view the jeans as a musical instrument, and not simply an article of clothing. Over the two and a half month project, students moved from jeans to work on the chairs, while using many elements of composition such as: song form, rhythm, ostinatos, tempo, timbre, pitch, texture, beat, and meter.The students had a wonderful time experimenting with different combinations and letting their creativity be the driving force, all the while keeping Ms. Engineer and Ms. Jones busy with wire cutters and power tools!The culminating event was a performance in front of a captive audience. The poise and courage of our third graders as they stood at the bottom of the Village of Friendly Relations was awe inspiring. Students performed with their group, and some individually took the microphone, introduced themselves, and shared poetry from both science and music. The entire project is the perfect example of the Hillbrook education: a journey of self-discovery, imaginative thinking, creative problem solving, laughter, and friendship that happens both within classroom walls and far beyond.

Sitting outside in the heat and humidity at our housing facility at Mundo de Fey, I recall watching the sun set over the horizon. The mosquitoes were bothering me, I was sweating and covered in a thin layer of dirt, and my arms were sore–yet a sense of peace and calm was present as I just sat and watched the sun set. Time seemed slower in Tipitapa, Nicaragua, and the many cares of the world, news headlines, and messages all seemed far away. Having limited internet access, I found myself thinking how frenetically we move in a fast-paced society. Watching the sunset, I was reminded how important it is to slow down, observe, and absorb the many moments of growth and childhood. In that moment, it became apparent to me the joy and gratitude I was feeling for having the opportunity to create a schoolhouse for the children of Villa Japon.

The chaperones and I arrived with twenty-five 6th-8th grade students and began the project by laying a dirt foundation. I was mildly amused that the students arrived thinking that by the end of the week we would be able to complete the four walls of the schoolhouse. They soon learned in that first day just how much hard work was involved in the full process of building a one-room schoolhouse. The students shoveled sand and rocks, and mixed concrete on the ground–without a mixer! They moved foundation rocks, used pick axes and shovels to move dirt, and carried countless buckets of water. Methodically they cut and tied wire to rebar–over and over again.

Seeds of Learning:

NICARAGUAby Christina Pak, Head of Middle School

Photo Credit: Christine Thorpe

23

Through it all, there were swirls of dirt flying in the sauna-like temperatures, but the students continued without a word of complaint. Between breaks they sang, laughed, and played with the local children, while continuing to build the schoolhouse.

I had the privilege of observing our students reflect about places like this throughout the world. They saw families living in single room dirt-floored homes constructed from corrugated metal with plastic walls and roofs, and came to the realization that these conditions exist in their current world. They saw the poverty of the Villa Japon students through the clothes and shoes they wore. They quickly learned that due to the lack of classrooms and available teachers, half of the children in the community attended school in the morning and the other half attended in the afternoon. They also learned how many of the children only have one meal per day, running water for only a few hours during the day, and limited or no electricity.

But Hillbrook students also saw these same children jump right in and work alongside our group, some without work gloves, helping and showing us how to build their school. They experienced the warmth, generosity, and joy the people of Villa Japon possess–not wanting for much, and desiring a stronger education for their children.

Several of our students told me that they have often heard from the adults in their lives about areas of global poverty with phrases like, “starving children in…”, but that didn’t feel real until they experienced this connection with the Villa Japon community. Now they

Student Reflection: Emme, Class of 2016This trip was an incomparable humbling experience, watching these kids with a considerably worse life (by our standards) make the most out of what they have and find any possible way to smile. I was able to make friends with these kids that didn’t even speak the same language as me, yet tried in every way to make us feel like we were welcome. I will never forget the people who welcomed us into their homes, schools, and workplaces, endlessly showing us kindness and compassion.

deeply understand what that means in comparison to our own community, and our students appreciate how fortunate they are to have so much. The beauty for me was these realizations. I watched all of our students grow before me, stretch, take risks, and reach out of their comfort zone to connect with the Nicaraguan people and children. The Hillbrook students literally embraced the children, and communicated beyond language barriers with smiles and hugs. They knew they were making an authentic and positive impact.

A metaphor that stood out for me on this trip occurred with the laying of the foundation by Roger (pronounced “Roh-hair”), one of the builders. I noticed how each foundation rock was placed carefully and measured with precision. We could not speed up the process as these were the foundation stones. Everyone knew how important the foundation was for the whole building. I observed how Roger would measure using fishing lines and rudimentary tools to place each stone with the appropriate level of concrete and exact spacing to build the foundation piece by piece. After placing a stone, he would realign and measure again, then step back and reevaluate.

It made me think how middle school students want to grow up quickly and speed through adolescence towards adulthood. They push parents to let them be older, talk older, dress older. As I think about how carefully Roger laid each rock in the foundation, I think how Hillbrook as a school and community cares about each student. We lay their foundation before sending them off to high school. Involvement in Hillbrook programs such as Buddies and service learning

Student Reflection: Ella,Class of 2015

The Nicaragua Trip 2015 has changed my life. It has affected me in ways that words or pictures cannot explain. It has taught me so many things, but it is very hard to explain, because the trip was so moving. It made me realize so many things, like how fortunate I am to have my home, my healthy family, and my education. It has also made me fully aware of the poverty in this world. I am completely in awe of the conditions the Nicaraguan people live in. It is shocking to think how much we have and how little they have and how they still manage to live a happy and pretty ordinary life. It is honestly inspiring. The people there were so kind, generous and helpful. It inspires me to think about how little they have and how they remain so positive and happy.

projects create an innate ability for our students to connect with and make contributions to a world--contributions to a community like Villa Japon. Experiences like this trip are one of the many rocks in the foundation that is Hillbrook.

At the end of our nine days, twenty-five Hillbrook students exceeded the work expectations of the builders and our site directors. In the eyes of the chaperones, our students deeply revealed their kindness, empathy, diligence, and resilience. They reminded us that we don’t want to speed up the process of growing. Instead, what our students really need are opportunities like the Nicaragua trip to set the foundation. When that happens we get to slow down, pause, and take a moment to feel gratitude for all that we have.

Student Reflection: Lorenzo,Class of 2016I never saw a kid in Villa Japon complain if something didn’t go his way. I saw a kid around five fall pretty badly, and he didn’t cry, he just kept a smile on his face. Not only did the kids change the way I thought, the men working with us did, too. Many of the workers would come long before us and work in the hot sun for four hours before going to their other jobs. Some of the workers came so they could learn how to make cement so they could build their own houses. This inspired me because it showed how committed they were to build a better future for their families and their country.

25

Cla

ss o

f 201

8 B

ridg

e Po

etry

by Jennifer Bogart, 5/6 English Teacher

On February 26, 2015, 5th grade celebrated Bridge Day at Hillbrook–a day when students recognize and celebrate the learning connections or “bridges”

between their transition from Lower School to Middle School as well as the connections within their academic classes. One metaphor for this transitional year focuses on the bridges that separate the Lower School from the Middle School.

As part of our preparation for Bridge Day, students reflected on the bridge and how it helps them get connected to their learning. In English class, students had the opportunity to spend time on the bridge, enjoying nature and taking notes based on their observations and experiences. Reflection questions included: What sights in nature do you notice? What memories resonate with you as you gaze toward the Lower School? How did you feel when you crossed the bridge for the first time as a 5th grader? How will you feel when you cross the bridge for the last time? What could crossing the bridge each day mean for you and your future?

After collecting observations, notes and experiences, each student authored their own “Crossing the Bridge at Hillbrook” poem. They adeptly captured the excitement, nerves, hopes, and goals connected to crossing the bridge and growing as learners.

I Cross the Bridge, by CourtneyI went to Hillbrook school

And I saw a bridge,It was short and still,

And it was made out of stone.

I cross the bridge to get snack and lunch,I cross the bridge to go to classes,

I cross the bridge to go home,I cross the bridge for my education,

I cross the bridge for my future,I cross the bridge for my friendship.

One side of the bridge is for lower grades,They play all day long.

Another side of the bridge is the higher grades,They study all day long.

When I cross the bridge I get my education,I see my future clearly.

27Crossing the Bridge,

by EliI wake up in the morning

Get ready for schoolGet on the busArrive at school

And I have to pass the gatewayMysterious, almost magicalWith the bold creek dancing

beneath itthe bridge

The bridge, the bridgeThe mysterious bridge

With the creek dancing beneathThe bridge

It seems to go unnoticedThe importance of it all

How we could not get to schoolWithout it

We would have to take a hikeAnd disturb the wildlife

Without the bridgeThe bridge



And all of my best buddiesWhen they come to school

I wait on the bridgeFor them

And then they comeOver the bridge

And the start of a good day is here



It is really the startOf the Hillbrook education

Crossing the bridgeIn the morningTo start the day

And learn so, so muchThen the day is over

We are crossing it againAnd we will wish it goodnight

Until the morning time



Crossing the bridge at HillbrookMeans something big to meFor some it is getting older

For some it is exploringFor some it is to go homeIt means differently to all



The bridgeI cross to see my friends

The bridgeI cross to go to school

The bridgeHow I come to school

The bridgeThe passageway to life

The bridge

Crossing the Bridge at Hillbrook,by Cameron

The bridge is the heart and soul of Hillbrook School.The water flows under it like a snake,

and the soon-to-be 5th graders squabble over the bridge like pebbles in a stream

as they leave their childhood behind. A lifetime of memories lays on the other side

of the bridge, waiting like a shadow.The wooden bridge’s smooth surface

still holds the many memories of recent students.The trees smell of fresh rain-dew

on a Monday morning;they sway from side-to-sidelike dandelions in the wind.

As the 5th graders wonder what teachersthey are going to meet,

what new friends they are going to make,and how 5th grade is going to be,

they have undergone a transformation.They are now 5th graders.

The bridge connects the two dimensionslike an unforgettable memory that cannot be erased.

The bridge represents the transformation

The Cycle of the Year, by EllieWith lovely red andgolden leaves in the fall,the bridge welcomesstudents back to school.Footsteps walk across the bridge.Laughter fills the air.The school is connected again.With the bitter cold,the bridge welcomes winter to the school.All bundled up, the students,the older onesand the younger onescross the bridge together.With beautiful endless skiesand grass that smells earthy,the bridge welcomes spring to the students.Tall and short,they cross the bridgesmelling the freshness of spring.With lovely summer sunshine,the bridge says goodbye to the students.We all need a rest.The students in the fall are readyto connect to one another again.Eager to learn and grow as another year starts.The students in winter feel readyfor a break from the daily routine.As the Earth takes a break,so do we so we can renew in the spring.The students in the spring feel excitedbecause things are growing,things are changing, things are coming together.We’re growing, we’re changing,we’re learning so much.The students in the summerhave grown and learned so much.The bridge has given them many opportunities.It’s time to read and hike the summer away.Over the years, the cycle changesbut we keep learning and growing.Through it all, the bridge is waitingfor the cycle to happen again.

It Takesa Villageto Builda Village

by Christa Flores, 5th Grade Science and MakeSpace Coordinator

In the September 1939 Issue of Sunset Magazine, Hillbrook’s Village of Friendly Relations was featured as a testament to the school’s innovative and human-centered approach to education, which founder Mary Orem was passionate about. According to detailed documents stating the purpose of the project, Ms. Orem designed a curriculum for children that would: allow children not normally celebrated in a traditional school setting to be leaders, empower students with real world problem solving and building skills, and provide children a space to practice being “good citizens” in a mistake-friendly environment. The Village was not just a cluster of play houses, it was a scale model society with real world problems for children to learn from. In a sense, it was also Hillbrook’s first attempt at re-designing the classroom. Sadly, the village project ended when funding for the buildings was supplanted with needs to keep the school running during war time.

Fast forward to Friday the 13th of March this year, with now head of school, Mark Silver, declaring how the Village of Friendly Relations was the original “Makers Movement,” a movement that was paralleled by the Craftsman and Progressive Education movements of the early parts of the last century. A re-examination of how we teach and learn is at the forefront of educational discussions, and one that we strive to tackle through our maker program. In the 1930’s, The Children’s Country School was practicing innovative curriculum that has been proven to be better for student learning. Today, we see similar work continuing in much of what we do intentionally via student driven curriculum and making in the classroom.

The topic of the Village houses has come up a lot in the past three

29

years, thanks to the work of resident historian and PE teacher, Paul DiMarco, and his book and documentary entitled, “As the Twig is Bent: The Story of the Children’s Country School.” Inspired by the video documentary, which was shown to students in the Spring of 2013, five 6th graders approached their then science and engineering teacher to ask if they, too, could build a house in the Village. Since then, we have been co-learning as a school, and as a team, what it takes to build a Village house.

Having spent time consulting with the school’s long time contractor, Kim Midstokke, the building team was armed with a list of action items, such as drawings and a budget to present to Head of School Mark Silver. Their proposal was accepted, and the hard work of learning how to build a house began. We had taken on a very hard problem indeed, ande needed to enlist a team of experts to get the project moving forward.

During their 7th grade year, the original five students met every Monday at lunch during the Spring semester with their mentor architect, Stephan Sun, a student at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. At the end of their 7th grade year, the team had real architectural drawings based on their ideas and designs for the new building, called the Hillbrook History House (HHH), and still, the hardest work of all was yet to come. How do you take drawings and actually build a house? Enter building mentor, Tom Jameson, of the Hillbrook Maintenance

crew and Hillbrook parent mentor, Sarah Kateley, project management guru and indispensable project champion to the HHH team.

In the fall of 2014, the HHH team grew using the class title Y.E.S. (young engineering scientists), a first time elective for 8th grade. The team now consisted of the original five students, Lora, Samantha, Lilah, Emma, and Isabel, adding Meghan, Katherine, Chaaya, Gabby, Nevin, Seamus, and Caryus. This first quarter class was a prototype capstone project, an initiative of Hillbrook’s growing Maker Education program, to see what students could accomplish with four hours per rotation dedicated to a passion based project, designed by kids for kids. This elective perfectly mimicked the holistic, student centered approach first taken by Mary Orem. The HHH team dutifully documented their learning in areas of math, literacy, technology, science, and citizenship.

Once the fall elective ended, the team continued to shift and grow. Having constructed four walls and a floor, their fall term goal, the team faced their next hard problem: building an asymmetrical pitched roof. The “roof problem” was thrown around for a few weeks until Tom Jameson and art teacher Ken Hay offered to help by volunteering their Monday afternoons to allow the HHH team to build. Currently, the HHH team members are continuing to work on the construction of the house. As of publication, no one knows what “finished” will look like, but everyone agrees that rediscovering Hillbrook’s history through this project has been a rich learning experience. Perhaps the most important lesson learned is that working together is how we as a community can solve hard problems. Stay tuned, as the construction of a tiny house revives the kind of educational experiences we strive for as a learning community at Hillbrook.

The kindergarten study group focusing on woodworking got a chance to help add roof shingles to the new house as part of their curriculum.

31

The historic water tower on campus has been a nesting site for Barn Owls for many years. The sidewalk leading to the science labs is often strewn with furry pellets with bones protruding, reminding us that our rodent population is being

stealthily controlled by these nocturnal hunters. Few creatures are the subject of as muchfolklore and mythology as the owl. Awake mostly at night when we are asleep, owls weremysterious and we knew little about their elusive habits until the 18th century when betterobservation tools were developed. But at Hillbrook, 21st century technology tools have taken observation to new heights…literally.

At least seven years ago, conversations began about setting up a camera to view these creatures who, despite a well-crafted nesting box at the top of the water tower, instead chose a boarded-up closet inside as their retreat, which they access through a three-inch slit in a window.

This Spring a parent sent a link of an owl cam to our science department as an opportunity for student learning, and it was casually mentioned to our Director of Technology, Bill Selak, that we’ve been talking for years about installing our own camera in the tower. “Are there even owls up there?” he inquired. Maintenance staff Dave Hulsey was on the case and shortly had ouranswer. Not only was there an adult Barn Owl in the tower, but she was attending eight eggs. Bill installed a wireless access point in the tower along with a Dropcam so the community could watch a live video feed of the nest.

Finally the children would be able to witness the

Thoughts from 4th and 6th Grade about the Owls:• “I used to think owls could fly in

the rain and now I think when owls are wet they can barely move.”

• “I used to think owls were nothing special, and now I think they are remarkable animals with many adaptations, like silent flying.”

• “I used to think that owls were rare, but now I think they’re anywhere if you keep your eyes open.”

TheHillbrook

Barn Owlsby Lara Blom, JK-2nd Grade Science & Bill Selak,

Director of Technology

by Emma, Class of 2022

33amazing cycles of nature that were happening just above their paths to and from classes each day.

The feed went live at thebeginning of March and the school community patiently watched, waiting for the first egg to reveal it’s feathered treasure. Once it did, we were hooked. Five of the eight eggs hatched several days apart

from each other. Hillbrook Kindergarten students named the parents Yuyuowla and Daddy Echo.

A parent referred us to a timely PBS movie titled Owl Power, which highlighted some of the owl’s amazing adaptations, including their large eyes and high density of rod cells in their retinas,which make them such successful nocturnal hunters. This was the perfect connection to 4th grade science where science teacher Jenny Jones had just finished a unit on Color and Light,including a sheep eye dissection. She showed the students clips about sight and 4th-8th Grade music teacher, Elisabeth Crabtree, introduced another part about how the owl’s entire head is designed for listening. Their heart-shaped face functions like a satellite dish, gathering a fully array of sounds from their surroundings.

Many outside the Hillbrook community have caught owl fever! From mother-in-laws in Big Bear to kindergartners at The Kinkaid School in Houston, thousands of people have been followingthe owls’ every movement. Un-fortunately, it appears the owls have had it with the non-stop surveillance. On March 28 at 2:29 am, citizen scientist Paul “DiMar-cowl” noted, “Mom comes in with catch… and camera goes out.” Archived clips may be found at www.hillbrook.org/owlcam.

Well, Yuyuowla, Daddy Echo, and owlets, I can speak for the entire Hillbrook community when I say, thanks for letting “owl” of us look into your lives.

Connect with us on Facebook and share “owl”

your memories!

www.facebook.com/hillbrook

It was opening night for Peter Pan, the 8th grade play at Hillbrook. Room parent, Carrie Brunner, was backstage adjusting Tinkerbell’s skirt. Carrie was exhausted, having worked

on the costumes for weeks, preparing everything from pirate costumes to pixie dust for the big production. Carefully tying a ribbon onto Tinkerbell’s skirt, Carrie smiled and said, “You know, my daughter wore this same costume when she played Tinkerbell at Hillbrook.” Jaws dropped. No one in the room even realized Hillbrook had ever performed Peter Pan before (in truth, it was part of a Disney review show by the Class of 2001), but the moment served to show Carrie’s deep connections to the school - almost 23 years to be exact!

Carrie’s oldest child, Emily, started preschool at Hillbrook in 1992, followed by Vanessa, Luke, and her youngest son Seth, who started JK at Hillbrook in 2005 and will graduate from 8th grade this June. We can’t even begin to calculate the number of Back to School Nights, Art Shows, Family Fun Nights, Winter and Spring Concerts, and Flag Raisings she’s attended. “Why did the chicken cross the road?” Ask Carrie Brunner because if anyone knows, she does!

Carrie and her children have a tapestry of memories and a multitude of uniform pieces from Hillbrook dating back two decades. They fondly recall moments like the sight of former Head of School Robin Clements going from classroom to classroom with his standard poodle collecting the roll, panning for gold in the creek on Gold Rush Day, and even parent work days where everyone would show up with whatever tools they owned to help with school repairs. Clearly, Hillbrook has evolved quite a bit since 1992, “The thing that changed the most is going from a bohemian, funky school with a preschool, to an architecturally updated new tech school. The art and upper school buildings were adobe and kids would have lunch in the water tower. Now there

Pixie Dust & Golden Nuggets:

Parent Carrie Brunner Reflects on 23 Years at Hillbrookby Mary Babbitt Hammers, Hillbrook Parent • Photo Credit: Natalie Ladd

35is a new state of the art science classroom and a tech lab!”

Carrie says though the facilities have been updated, key pieces of the Hillbrook experience remain. “One of the biggest things my children learned at Hillbrook is how to carry and present themselves to anyone,” says Carrie. “They’re not afraid to talk to teachers, adults, or bosses. They are comfortable giving presentations and mingling with anyone from young children to senior citizens.” Carrie credits these traits to the small class sizes, having students give frequent presentations in front of the classroom starting in JK and K, the Buddy program, and teachers and staff knowing each child individually and taking an interest in them.

“My family and I have been through many changes over the years,” says Carrie. “Divorce, marriage, deaths, births, you know life happens. But I knew I could always send my children to school with a happy heart knowing that they were safe, well taken care of, and loved. Hillbrook has been my constant through all the turmoil, as well as my kids.”

The Brunner children are now well on their way. Vanessa Brunner, who graduated from Hillbrook in 2001, is now Social Media Manager for Pottery Barn. She looks back at her days at Hillbrook as magical, “Growing up there meant that I had a world of endless possibility and opportunity. All of my teachers truly believed in us, and I graduated from eighth grade feeling like I could really do something wonderful in the world. The fond memories are just a small part of how the school has contributed to my life today. Confidence, study skills, people skills, and a drive to succeed are all things I attribute to my time there. The school is truly special to me, and willalways hold a dear place in my heart.”

Emily Brunner graduated from Hillbrook in 2003 and is now a graphic designer in San Francisco. She says Hillbrook’s art program and hands-on learning style helped her grow into the graphic artist she is today. “One of my favorite aspects of Hillbrook is how hands-on my education was. From making models of the California missions to working with clay and wood in art class, I was able to educate myself by creating. It’s an aspect of my childhood that I really value in our technologically advanced society, as well as in my profession today.”

Carrie says, “Now that my girls are older they realize how blessed they are to have gone to such a great school where they were valued and made to feel part of the community. They have such fond memories. A

Emily panning for gold in the Hillbrook Creek

lot of their closest friends today are from Hillbrook, and when I think about it, so are mine.”

Luke Brunner is a sophomore at Arizona State University. He says the bonds he made with students and teachers at Hillbrook are still some of his closest connections, and what he carries with him from Hillbrook. Seth, the youngest Brunner, will be off to Los Gatos High School in the fall. He’ll be part of the New Tech program at LGHS, which Carrie describes as innovative, collaborative, and very “Hillbrook-like.”

At a recent Monday morning Flag Raising, Seth spoke in front of the school describing the first basket he ever made at Hillbrook. It happened during a school basketball game just this past season, after years of trying. Seth told the students, “Hillbrook has taught me to never give up. It has pushed me farther than I’ve ever gone for before, and pushed me to go for my goals. So my advice to you, is never give up. Keep trying.”

“It is very bittersweet,” says Carrie, “our family has spent so many years at Hillbrook. My children grew up here, and in a way, so did I. Looking back, I’ve spent almost half my

Vanessa and Emily on the first day of

school in 1999

Baby Seth

Luke’s first day of Kindergarten, 1999

Carrie’s firstHillbrook graduation:

Emily in 2001

37

adult life at Hillbrook. I’ve enjoyed every minute at Hillbrook. The school will forever be imprinted on my children’s hearts and minds.”

As she prepares for Seth’s upcoming graduation, Carrie feels like she is also transitioning, in a way, “I will miss this chapter of my life and I am very grateful for the time my family spent here, but it is time to move on to the next phase and I leave feeling quite content in that. I feel like I’m graduating and growing up, too.”

The Family Bridge: Hillbrook Alumni Parentsby Kristina Nakagawa, Advancement Associate • Photo Credit: Jessie Salas, HSPC Family Photo Project Photographer

As we reflect on the many types of bridges at Hillbrook School, both physical and metaphorical, we came across a very special and profound bridge in our community. A handful of our alumni are now Hillbrook parents themselves. We asked each of them to reflect on their time as students and also to share their hopes and dreams for their own children.

Dawn Ratner HakimPreschool-K in the 1970sThe Hillbrook of my memories did justice to the sheer physical beauty of the campus on the day we toured the campus as prospective parents. Driving through the gates, I was met with a rush of memories: sliding down Apricot Hill on cardboard and summers learning to swim with Big Al and Miss Sue. I knew much had changed over the years since my school days, yet time

seemed to stand still when I walked into the Village of Friendly Relations and peered into the houses that I remembered playing in as a child. Staring out at the campus from that vantage point, I heard Rob, my husband, reminding me that he had voting rights as to our son’s future school so I should snap out of the reverie!

On that initial school tour and throughout the application process, Hillbrook met and exceeded our shared hopes as prospective parents. We were excited to attend Flag on Jake’s first day as a Hillbrook student. As we walked to Ms. Hanley’s classroom, I was reminded that we were walking along the same path I had taken with my Mom and Dad all those years ago. I noted the pride and commitment from the teachers as they were introduced to parents and students alike and saw that mirrored in the face of every excited child. That day was the beginning of a whole new adventure as a Hillbrook parent. It has proven to be the right choice for us as we watch Jake grow, learn, and thrive from a JK student to today’s proud, kind, and curious member of the class of 2020. As we look forward to the vision of a future Hillbrook, I am humbled by the opportunity to share this continuing journey.

Eric FoxK-8th Grade 1978-1986I have lots of great memories involving many activities with my classmates. I remember Gold Rush Day, sports competitions, and birthday sleepovers. One of the traditions that still exists today is working in the wood shop. I still have some of the pieces I made!

Hillbrook is much different from what it was in the 1980s. The region in which we live has evolved dramatically and so has the school. It is still a wonderful family environment and a beautiful school that cares about its students. For my son Ben, I hope you enjoy the opportunity to try such an incredibly diverse array of areas in which you can learn, be they artistic, scientific, literary or just about anything under the sun.

Karen Phipps AndersonJK-8th Grade 1975-1986I remember looking forward to so many special events. Some were special academic projects like my first real report in 6th grade on Julius Caesar, in which I misspelled “Ceaser” throughout. Others were field trips like going to Catalina Island and walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. We also had on-campus events like Gold Rush Day, a visit from performer Willy Claflin with his Maynard the Moose, making plaster face masks in art, enjoying a double fish stick hot lunch day, and Friday bake sales. I also remember sports awards dinners with Sue Yoshioka and Al Gates at Harry’s Hofbrau.

I wanted my daughter, Morgan, to attend Hillbrook because of the emphasis on taking risks, doing your very best, and not comparing yourself to others. To me, the bridges on campus represent crossing over to new opportunities. Our class helped make the dragon that still stands in the creek!

Our first step toward growing up was crossing the bridge at Hillbrook in 2007. Our next step, 8th grade graduation and our transition into high

school in 2011. And now, it’s 2015 and time for us to graduate high school. It’s time for us to step out of the duck pond and fly off to college, as we did in our 8th grade play “Honk!”. Wow, time sure does fly!

The spring is an exciting time for all high school seniors, but especially for our class. We are making our final decisions on where to attend college. As of now, we are accepted to universities all across the country and we even have Lauren Williams attending college in Scotland at the University of St. Andrews. On the facing page, you will find a list of my classmates college choices, as well as their intended major or area of study.

The Hillbrook Class of 2011 started with a handful of students in JK: Parker Whims, Emily del Signore, Lauren Williams, Katie Sims, and Johnny Oudewaal, then it continued with many students joining in Kindergarten. Along the way we continued to gain a few additions to be a part of our class. We, as a class, have many of our roots laid down in Hillbrook. Looking back at our time at Hillbrook, many memories and feelings come up. One thing that I am sure we all can agree on is that Hillbrook was a place where we all grew closer together, shared our childhoods, and became a family. Hayden Geiger said, “What I like about Hillbrook is that even though we have all gone our separate ways, we always have each other’s backs and we will always be a family.” Ashley Ishibashi said that the biggest thing she took away from Hillbrook was the friendships she made. She said, “I’m still friends with a lot of people from Hillbrook and I consider them my brothers and sisters.” Jordanne Sanford states, “The bonds that we made at Hillbrook will last forever.” As you can see, our class was not just a class, but a family. We are there to support one another, which is also an integral part of belonging to the Hillbrook community.

Hillbrook taught us to be caring, responsible young adults, and we used the skills we learned in high school. A great thing about Hillbrook, `Sean Campbell states, was “how small and close the classes and grades were.” It allowed us to connect more with our teachers and with each other. It also prepared us for our future in ways that we are so grateful for. Deepika Viswanath says, “[Hillbrook] S

potl

igh

t: C

lass

of

2011

by Ally Weinstock, Class of 2011

41taught me to be a lifelong learner. And it also prepared me for high school with its emphasis in service, academics and various electives.” Justin Borenstein-Lawee says that Hillbrook “definitely prepared me well for English. [I] was way more advanced than my peers.” Isabella Berkley, who joined us in 8th grade, says that “[She] had a unique experience with Hillbrook,” but “It prepared me socially for the transition to boarding school.”

Personally, the rigorous academic curriculum at Hillbrook was a huge help in my transition to high school. Some of my friends hadn’t been in an environment that was as academically focused and challenging, so I felt very prepared for all of my classes. Obviously, Hillbrook has helped us out a lot, not only academically but also mentally, socially, and emotionally.

Class of 2011 Colleges and Intended Areas of Study

Sam BallIsabella BerkleyMatthew BlochJustin Borenstein-LaweeZane BradleySean CampbellAustin Foltz-ColhourEmily del SignoreHayden GeigerNathaniel GerusonAusten GoldmanEthan HeerwagenAshley IshibashiHannah KnowlesMilo KnowlesTheo LauHannah NelsonJohnny OudewaalJordanne SanfordBennett ShawKatie SimsMira StraathofGiulia ThomasKamran TolouiGabby TriantDeepika ViswanathAlexandra WeiAlly WeinstockParker WhimsDana WilderSteven WilderLauren Williams

Washington University St. LouisAmherst CollegeUniversity of WashingtonWesleyan UniversityUC Santa CruzArizona State UniversityGeorge Washington University University of Colorado BoulderNYU Tisch School of the ArtsUndecidedUC Santa BarbaraDuke UniversityUniversity of Colorado BoulderStanford UniversityMITUndecidedGeorgetown UniversityUniversity of ArizonaNYU Tisch School of the ArtsEmory UniversityCreighton UniversityUndecidedCal Poly San Luis ObispoSaint Mary’s CollegeUC Santa BarbaraUniversity of OregonUndecidedMiddlebury CollegeDartmouth CollegeUC Santa CruzUniversity of Colorado BoulderUniversity of St. Andrews

Electrical/Computer EngineeringHuman Rights Law/Public PolicyEnvironmental ScienceEconomicsComputer ScienceMechanical EngineeringInternational AffairsIntegrative PhysiologyFilm & Television

Political Science & MathematicsUndecidedIntegrative PhysiologyEnglishAerospace Engineering

Economics & Political ScienceBusinessFilm & TelevisionBiologyNursing

Communications & BusinessBusiness AdministrationUndecidedLinguistics

Linguistics & Foreign LanguageEnglishUndecidedEnvironmental EngineeringMiddle Eastern Studies

The entire student body celebrated Founder’s Day during a special Buddies activity at the end of January. Students paired up with their buddies and were given multiple choice questions about Hillbrook history and the story of The Children’s Country School. See how well you fare on this fun quiz!

1. What year did The Children’s Country School begin? A. 1925 B. 1930 C. 1935 D. 19402. What was the cost of the original property? A. $20,000 B. $50,000

C. $100,000 D. $150,0003. Which building is no longer part of the Village of Friendly Relations? A. The General Store B. The Bank C. The Gift Shop D. The Tea House4. What was the Pied Piper’s Call? A. The school newspaper B. The morning bell C. The summer camp D. A musical group5. What was The Children’s Country School birthday tradition? A. A spanking with a bat B. A cake with candles C. A pony ride D. A ride in the back of a truck6. What foreign language was taught at The Children’s Country School? A. Spanish B. Latin C. Mandarin D. French

Foun

der’s

Day

Tri

via

437. One student’s father owned a major food manufacturer. What was his name? A. Oreo B. Skippy C. Chuck D. Pete8. What year did The Children’s Country School become Hillbrook School? A. 1950 B. 1960 C. 1970 D. 19809. What year did beloved PE teacher Sue Yoshioka start at Hillbrook? A. 1978 B. 1980 C. 1982 D. 1984

10. When did telling jokes become a tradition at Flag? A. About 80 years ago B. About 50 years ago C. About 20 years ago D. About 15 years ago

Answers on page 45!

Archbishop Mitty High School (8)Bellarmine College Preparatory (3)Castilleja School (2)Gilroy Early College AcademyHarker School (2)Leland High School (2)Los Gatos High School (7)Notre Dame High School (2)The Nueva SchoolPhillips Academy Andover, MASaint Francis High School (5)Saratoga High SchoolThe Thacher School

Class of 2015 High Schools

Upward Bound & Alumni News

Stephen Rosenthal, Class of 1962Stephen is currently President of Santa Clara Valley chapter of California Native Plant Society (cnps-scv.org). He also runs a few restorations at Alum Rock Park, removing invasives, planting native plants, and monitoring rare species.

Sara Lasnover and Ashley Hillhouse Thompson, Class of 1984 Sara and Ashley stopped by for a visit in April. Sara just finished her masters degree and is working for the Los Angeles Unified School District. Ashley graduated with a mild-moderate special education teaching credential and is an at-home mom of three.

Kristin Weisler Clouser, Class of 2001Kristin and husband Sean welcomed a beautiful baby girl (pictured at right) into their family on December 30, 2014. Kristin says, “She wakes up every morning with a huge smile on her face, eager to see how the day will unfold.”

Ally Weinstock, Class of 2011Ally is back on the Hillbrook campus for a month-long internship. She is a senior at Kehillah Jewish School and will be attending Middlebury College next year.

Mei-Mei Chang, Class of 2014Mei-Mei visited the 8th grade science class as a guest speaker in December. She spoke to the class about a pneumatic potato launcher she made out of PVC pipe. After sharing her design process, the students eagerly followed her outside for a series of demonstrations the class used to correlate the effect of angle and air pressure on the distance the potato traveled.

45

Founder’s Day Trivia Answers:1.C; 2.A; 3.D; 4.C; 5.A;6.D; 7.B; 8.B; 9.A; 10.D

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch piecesFor the sauce:2 tablespoons Garam masala 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or fresh jalapeño1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger (approx. 1-inch piece)4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter1 large white onion, finely chopped1 1/2 cups canned tomato puree 3/4 cup water1/2 cup heavy cream, half-and- half, or coconut milk1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus additional sprigs for garnishSalt and pepper to taste

Directions:In a sauce pan or large skillet, sauté the onions with butter until they are very tender. Add chicken and spices and sauté for a few minutes. Then, add in tomato puree, water, cream, salt, pepper, and some of the fresh chopped cilantro. Let simmer until the sauce is thick and chicken is cooked through. Serve over basmati rice or Naan bread and garnish with cilantro.

From Chef Joseph’s KitchenHillbrook’s Favorite Chicken Tikka Masala

Be kind • Be curious • Take risks • Be your best

300 Marchmont DriveLos Gatos, CA 95032408.356.6116www.hillbrook.org

hillbrook school bridges 2015

Documents