november 1791 letter

11791 Letter ~ November 2011

B E R W I C K A C A D E M YN o v e m b e r 2 0 1 1

1791 L e t t e rUpper School Play - “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

2 1791 Letter ~ November 2011

M E S S A G E F R O MG r e g S c h n e i d e r

H e a d o f S c h o o l

The 21sT CeNTury skill iNCubaTor, a.k.a. berwiCk

aThleTiCs

At a recent Head of School conference, I had the privilege to hear Tony Wagner, author of The Global Achievement Gap and a number of other compelling books on education, speak to the dire need for schools to rethink their educational programs. Now a fairly famous professor at Harvard University, his message surrounding the need to teach 21st century skills is at once inspiring and sobering. In particular, he isolates seven key areas that comprise what he believes to be the most essential skills for our children to possess in the new economy: 1) Critical Thinking and Problem Solving; 2) Collaboration Across Networks and Leading by Influence; 3) Agility and Adaptability; 4) Initiative and Entrepreneurialism; 5) Effective Oral and Written Communication; 6) Accessing and Analyzing Information (not memorization); 7) Curiosity and Imagination. I left the conference in deep reflection about Berwick’s program, concluding that we do, in fact, address these seven areas in various pockets of our program, but we still need to keep thinking about how to unify this trend from a curricular and marketing perspective. In particular, the rote demands of the traditional college process that we face present huge obstacles to innovative curricular change in our upper levels. Having washed myself

deeply in recent weeks in the world of interdisciplinary thought, I returned this evening from an amazing day of EIL playoff tournament field hockey and girls soccer. On the way north after the games, I found Kenna munching quietly on some graham crackers while Dad was starting to ponder the potential role of athletics in a 21st century curriculum. The more I thought about it, the more it started to make sense:

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Where but on an athletic field is one forced to constantly try to apply teaching into real world situations? I had just watched girls continually make judgments about emerging problems, and they were experimenting with all kinds of solutions. Certainly they needed to think critically about the realities of their own talent, the opponent’s talent, and what kind of strategy might give them the best chance for success over time.

Collaboration and Leading by Influence Well, I suppose the teamwork part is obvious to all of us. We also know that at this level in these particular sports, one player simply cannot carry the day. In fact, the best players on our teams are the ones who make their teammates better through their example of grit and determination. As far as “leading by influence,” just watch what happens when one of our girls makes a great play and changes the momentum of a game in an instant – the amount of influence is shockingly sweet.

Agility and Adaptability While I could write for hours about the agility required to maneuver

a field hockey ball when one is not allowed to have a backhand, the adaptability factor here is what is truly amazing for our student-athletes in competition. To be an elite player, and hopefully an effective team, is all about one’s ability to adapt and make decisions within the flow of a high-paced and unpredictable pattern of events. When certain plays or strategies don’t work, coaches and players try something new. Athletic competition appropriately incentivizes trial and error (and necessary failure) like no other place in our curriculum. Our students don’t receive an F for their temporary failures – in fact, they are forced to fail often within the context of a game. The difference in this arena is that it truly rewards how one responds after such a failure – there are many chances to redeem oneself without the burden of a low grade being stamped on one’s report card. The accountability is still real – there is nowhere to hide out there. However, assessment is made at the team level – not solely on individual performance.

Initiative and Entrepreneurialism When I was coaching, one of the aspects I cherished most was watching student-athletes surprise me. Opportunities occurred in every single game for someone to take the initiative and make a statement about their ability. Whether it was an injury, a particular situation, or even a faulty piece of equipment, unexpected moments emerge with great regularity in athletic competition. Often qualities like grit, heart, and resilience seem to leave gifts like talent and speed in the dust – especially at our level.


B E R W I C K A C A D E M Y

1791 Letter

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Effective Communication While I won’t try to make a case that our student-athletes are working on their writing skills on game day, their communication skills are always at a premium. Our coaches are constantly working hard to make our players talk to each other – this communication is an audible reminder that no one can win a team competition on their own. In fact, the glue that actually allows a team to demonstrate its ability to collaborate is often this high-quality communication.

Accessing and Analyzing Information On the athletic field, our students are constantly asked to analyze information that they are receiving. They seek great coaching by asking questions and interpreting the talents of their opponents. Once they have made some kind of analysis regarding the situation with which they are confronted, they are immediately forced to blend technique, talent, and effort together if they hope to find success.

Curiosity and Imagination Perhaps my most exciting revelation this weekend was to see the obvious link between creativity and athletics. Watching our field hockey players approach opponents while carrying the ball, they would employ a smorgasbord of moves - stick skills, footwork, and body positioning - to try to find the outcome for which they hoped. Soccer players might try to loft a perfect piece over two lines of defenders, or perhaps they would try a nifty dribbling maneuver to beat their defender one on one. The choices struck me as infinite on the field of play.

As was mentioned earlier, my

athletic epiphany in no way lowers the urgency to continue tweaking our academic program to meet the needs of the future for our students. While I continue to see innovative teaching in our community, we need to remind ourselves which skills will matter most. But for those who continue to wonder why we mandate an athletic requirement for our students, why we ask out teachers to coach, or why we devote so many hours to this cause – perhaps we can appreciate a new layer of value imbedded within the hard practices and long hours of travel.

Certainly there are elements of my work that have been informed deeply by my experiences as a player and a coach. Tony Wagner would in fact argue that “coach” is the new standard for classroom teachers. More and more, we hope teachers to respond to and guide future student improvement rather than merely delivering knowledge from the front of the classroom. I know that whatever mental toughness and resiliency I now have, I owe in large part to my experience with athletics. I can remember many a cold November day in college when all I wanted was to walk away to the comfort of my dorm room. And yet what I see now is that I continue to reap rewards from the effort I chose to expend on the fields for so many afternoons for so many years.

My hope is that our Berwick girls, who performed so valiantly this past weekend, might someday have the chance to come to the same sort of realization.

Thanksgiving Week Reminders As we are now in our second year of a new trimester schedule, I want to remind our families about the details and rationale for the week

of Thanksgiving break. We employ a creative schedule during this stretch that honestly attempts to balance the need for families to have a productive program for their children with the needs of the teachers in each division who must produce pages of student comment writing before Thanksgiving break. In the Lower School, we divide the two class days into an “Arts Day” and a “classroom day” to free up everyone for a day of writing. In the Middle School, students will head to Boston to the Aquarium or Museum of Science on Tuesday, November 22. Chaperones will generally be provided by Administration (i.e., yours truly) and staff. In the Upper School, students travel off-campus on Monday, November 21 on a service trip around the Seacoast, and there will be no Upper School classes on Tuesday, November 22. This Upper School trip has been vastly improved based on the input and care of our Berwick Parent Community. Wednesday, November 23, is now fully off for students to accommodate family travel needs, while all Berwick employees still work a half day to finish off the comment production process.

Fall Productions a Rousing Success I wanted to express my congratulations to our Drama department for the remarkable Upper School production of Midsummer’s Night Dream and the Middle School for its spirited rendition of Honk. Both were extremely well attended and afforded unique opportunities for student performance and risk taking.

Peter Saliba to Tilton School In the event that anyone missed my recent email announcement,


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Peter Saliba - Upper School Director

U p p e r S c h o o l N e w s

From our own experiences, we know that persistence and resiliency is part of life. In many ways, this is the story of high school. I’m lucky enough to witness this on a daily (if not hourly) basis in so many areas of school life. My article this week highlights the story of one particular group of students who define these two important attributes, and I just feel lucky to have shared a bit of their experience. I am not a lawyer, nor have I ever had any real interest in law. Frankly, I love telling lawyer jokes because they are such an easy target. So when I had an eighth grader approach me two years ago about starting a Mock Trial team, I have to admit that I wasn’t all that enthusiastic about his proposal. To his credit, Colin Gaynor was very persistent and persuaded me that this is exactly what the Upper School needed. In September 2010, I found myself as the faculty advisor for this new Berwick club.

Since lawyer jokes do not provide a particularly good foundation for coaching the team, I immediately began to canvas the parent body for someone who knew what they were doing. Jon Springer (parent of Cam ‘09 and Alicia ’11) came to the rescue. Under his guidance (and my ability to purchase pizza for team dinners) we started reviewing the material with a group of eleven enthusiastic but inexperienced students. I really thought we worked hard and prepared well in the weeks leading to our inaugural match, practicing opening statements and direct examinations. When we

made the journey to the York County Courthouse in Biddeford in November 2010, I found out that we had not done enough work. Our opponent was Sanford and they murdered us in just about every category. Their objections left us speechless and we found ourselves outmaneuvered and outclassed. It was a tough moment.

Thinking our season was over, we were elated to discover the next day that we had received a wild card bid for the next round. After another evening practice, we made the trip to the Androscoggin County courthouse in Auburn. There, we faced Freeport High School and received another drumming from an experienced team. Although we lost, the improvement in our squad was palpable and we set our sights on next year.

This fall we hit the ground running and drew an opening round match with Kennebunk High School. Although we thought that our team performed better in the match, the judges thought otherwise. That was an incredibly frustrating moment and you could sense the dejection of the team. Fortunately, the Mock Trial Gods smiled upon us once again and we drew another wildcard. Of course, our opponent was Sanford. Knowing that they would underestimate us, we prepped up for this confrontation with a passion. We simulated their potential objections and made sure our witnesses would not be so easy under cross examination. We entered the courtroom confident, but nervous.

What unfolded in the court room against Sanford was amazing. Our kids stepped right up to challenge and never looked back. When Sanford started their witness examinations, we were all over them, objecting to their questions and demonstrating an ability to adapt to a very fluid situation. When we delivered our opening statements, we had a good balance between the law and the facts of the case. And when we closed, our arguments reflected the evidence introduced and the testimony of the witnesses. For example, Reed Vanderline smelled blood in the water when the Sanford witness got confused with his testimony and could not figure out his left hand from his right. I felt bad for the poor guy when Reed was done with him (Well, not really!). I found myself unable to contain my excitement as I shifted in my seat and whispered to Jon about each small victory. I even wrote a note to him that said “I love my job, but in my next life I want to be a lawyer!” This was so different from the other matches; we were in control and it felt great!

At the end of the match when the judge announced the winner, there was a discernible, but muted exhale from our team as they notched their first “real” win in the two year history of the club. I was incredibly proud of their persistence and ability to overcome some pretty challenging moments. They clearly showed a resiliency that will serve them well far beyond the halls of Fogg. It was a great Berwick moment.


Rosemary Zurawel - Middle School Director

M i d d l e S c h o o l N e w s

A fundamental tenet of the core values that guide Berwick Academy is that of integrity. Within its two definitions, that of being ‘whole’ and that of having moral courage there lie a myriad of difficulties and challenges for each human. When my life’s experiences and accumulated understandings fail, I typically turn to those who have enough surplus wisdom to share with the reading public. In other words, I read. I read quite a lot, as it turns out, and this month’s letter to you is not about the nutritional content of the breakfast cereal box I read this morning, but more on the moral content of the children we all want to see in their full adulthood some years hence.

Harold S. Kushner’s book, Living a Life That Matters (©2001), was dedicated to his granddaughter in the hope that she would thrive and grow in this 21st century. In the third chapter of the book, he examines conscience. I think each of us would agree that having a conscience to guide our actions is a desirable thing. We would probably argue that the world would be a better place if more people had a fully developed sense of ‘right action.’ Kushner believes that famous a-moral beings like Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, and more modern evil beings all began their lives as innocent babies. What in the world went wrong? More importantly, how can we prevent the wrongs from being repeated?

As we embark upon the intellectual and ethical development of the adolescent, the burden of

preventing the truly wrong influences from creating another sociopath seems an impossible burden. Should we impose external consequences so dire that the negative outcomes discourage bad behavior? We have the lessons from the prohibition era that might indicate that external controls are not perfect means of moving a society towards the right paths. Some might argue that the moral fabric of our society is weakened by the failings of organized religions to mold the content of the character of its followers. Others may argue that organized religion may be the only way towards a moral end.

Ultimately, the changes that society has endured help to shape the character of the generations that will, in turn, create the next generations of change. Change is the very heart of education. Just as we would have no need for doctors if every person enjoyed perfect health, we would have no need for schools if we could guarantee that each child would grow to adulthood with the wisdom, knowledge, compassion, and ethics that society should need in the next decade or two. Character is not connected to the DNA we have received from our parents. It looks like schools will be in business for some time to come.

The ‘business’ of schools has been so focused upon assessing measurable skills in literacy and numeracy across the country during these past twenty years, that the harder to measure, but no less

important elements of honesty and empathy have been overlooked. Today, as November brings out the deep bronzes of the oak leaves that will still hold their fibers through mounds of snow and be still identifiable as oak leaves come spring, I wonder if schools are building the kinds of resilient fibers in the characters of their students.

I believe that our school is more dedicated than ever to this pursuit. By identifying our mission and our core values, we have illuminated those ideals that are so central to our existence that we could not continue were these basic principles compromised. In our 220th year, to identify virtue and useful knowledge through a contemporary lens is to keep alive the founders’ ideals. Their words were not suggestions or recommendations in 1791, and I am not certain they have lost any of their power today. In Kushner’s words, “For the person of integrity, life may not be easy, but it is simple: Figure out what is right and do it.”

The essence of doing what is right is the North Star for navigating the years of adolescence. Students will make mistakes and will learn from them. For some, there will be few mistakes. The timid will shy from taking risks. The bold will test, and even repeat their tests of boundaries. The years from ten through fourteen are the safest times for such testing. While the navigational true north may be dim, the right paths are indicated by the adults at every turn. In this way,

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Joel Hawes - Lower School Director

L o w e r S c h o o l N e w s

Over the past three years, I have added a Curriculum Night to the list of my yearly division presentations. Not intended as a single-focus morning coffee or as a wide-ranging February Forum, this event drills deeply into our curriculum. I respect the interest that our parent community gives to our well-rounded program. To that end, my Curriculum Night summary notes follow.

I began the presentation by placing the Lower School program within its bigger-picture context including Berwick’s mission statement: Promoting virtue and useful knowledge among the rising generations. That point, coupled with our core values of excellence, integrity, engagement and balance, help frame our curricular endeavors—blending useful knowledge within a well-rounded program.

This opener helped us transition to 21st century thinking skills—an oft-used descriptor over the past few years. While it may seem obvious that children should learn skills fit for the new century, it is less clear what this complete skill-set should be within our information age (or information overload age?). While 21st century skills may conjure different definitions-my focus includes enhancing essential skills and knowledge through various forms of creativity, communication, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills.

Quick change…. interpersonal skills shape character and character leads me to our wellness program and our students’ social/emotional well-

being. We shape our wellness program with the goal that the (Lower School) social/emotional curriculum is an essential compliment to the academic curriculum. Highlighting our endeavor is our responsive classroom foundation (e.g. morning meetings and logical consequences) and our social thinking program. (Please see Dr. Genest’s social thinking notes in the Wellness News section of this 1791 Letter). Research, common sense and Lower School faculty all clearly point to the need for children to develop a full set of social skills in order to live a well-rounded life.

Our math program followed student wellness. Lower School math begins with our Investigations program (2008 edition: Pearson, Scott-Foresman publishers). While we appreciate this program’s creative and rich number sense development, in our estimation Investigations is not a stand-alone program. (And most math programs are not.) We have added more math-fact work, ensured sequential algorithm development from grade to grade, increased math integrations across the curriculum (e.g. Unified Arts), and developed greater extensions at each grade level. This latter point is due primarily to Kim Francoeur’s support—extensions with greater depth rather than accelerating the curriculum for our students. In the near future, Kim and I will lead the faculty in exploring various math on-line learning extensions.

A well-rounded program is the short answer to meeting the needs of the whole child. Mid-trimester newsletters, the December 16 Winter

Assembly, the February 13-16 Unified Arts Week and the March 8 Lower School Production are all responses to highlighting this area of our program. That is the essence of the Lower School Unified Arts program—French, physical education, art, music, technology, library, and science, and I fully appreciate the complete focus this program gives our students.

With our one and a half hour time frame winding down, we quickly highlighted our Pre-Kindergarten program developed by lead teacher Kelly Sullivan and assistant teacher Meaghan Foster. Their emergent curriculum program has added an important entry point to our division. Dovetailing with the Kindergarten program, Pre-K is primarily homeroom based but also includes three unified arts classes: music, physical education, and library. We have enjoyed their age-appropriate assimilation into Lower School life—from participating in their version of the Halloween Parade to their upcoming Lower School Winter Assembly appearance!

Our final agenda item focused on our after-school enrichment programs. This fall, we have concentrated on Math Mania, karate, and the White Pine nature program. We look forward to adding more to the list in the second trimester, including Artworks, library programs, an art contest sponsored by Mrs. White and Odyssey of the Mind. We are hoping to revive the Odyssey of the Mind program that flourished


Rob Quinn - Athletic Director

A t h l e t i c s N e w s

Five Keys to Motivating our athletes

As we transition into our winter sports season I feel it’s always good to find ways to motivate our student-athletes. I dug through some of my old coaching files and found my favorite five keys to motivation. These are geared towards our coaches, but it is good information for students and parents.

1. Get input from your athletes (and most importantly, your leaders). Check with your athletes to determine if what you are communicating to them is understood, what they need, and what they want. Encourage your leaders to make suggestions as to how things might be improved.2. Keep your athletes informed as to when, where, how, and why (and WHY is most important). People are not generally motivated to start (or finish) a task that is not clear in terms of when, where, how, or why. Take away any questions or doubts that your athletes may have by clearly and consistently communicating your expectations and intentions. Be clear as to when, where, and how . . . but most importantly, be sure your athletes know “why” they are being asked to do something. 3. Create an environment that allows for challenge, recognition, appreciation, and quality. Some of your athletes will be motivated by a challenge, some by recognition, some by appreciation, and some by quality of performance. It is important to know your athletes and what their primary motive might be. Remember, different athletes are motivated by different situations and feedback.

4. Give your athletes a reason to want to work hard. Take the time to develop genuine, honest, caring, and trusting relationships with your players. Athletes will work harder (and longer) for someone they know genuinely believes in them, cares about them, and is committed to helping them achieve their potential. At the heart of player motivation is the quality of the coach-athlete relationship. 5. Model what you want to see. Be motivated yourself. If you want someone to work hard, you better be working hard. If you want someone to put in extra time, you better be putting in extra time. Athletes do what they see. This is why the motivation of the coaching staff is so important and why it is so important to have quality team leaders who can lead by example, hold accountable, and promote a climate of motivation and inspiration. Set a motivational “standard” by what you do, say, and expect. Say it, expect it, but also make sure you do it!

Golf Team wins Third Championship in a Row! Congratulations to our Golf Team for defending their EIL crown for the third year in a row. Coach Downey and his team had a terrific regular season posting a 14-1 record, wining the regular season title. They then went on to win the conference tournament championship on their home course, The Ledges in York, Maine. The squad was led this year by juniors Max Linemayr and Jonny Malloy and had a strong senior class of Nick Saulnier, Mike Keefe, and Ben Siegel.

Winter Sports Bag Routine We are in year three of a routine for our students to make it easier for hockey and ski bags to be stored in the field house, rather than being left in the lobby of the theater or Fogg hallways. We call it our “curbside service.” We ask our students to either place the hockey/ski bags on the curb as they exit the school bus, or place the hockey/ski bags in the walkway in front of the theater prior to morning assembly. We will then bring the bags over to the storage areas in the field house. We ask our students to cooperate with this new routine.

Facility Use As the winter seasons are upon us, more students will be using the athletic facility more than in recent months. In order to maximize the usage of the facility we are encouraging students to utilize the locker rooms and lockers that are provided. Often students leave belongings scattered throughout the locker rooms instead of storing their clothes and belongings inside the lockers during practice. By utilizing these lockers, it will be much easier for students to keep track of their belongings, and hopefully they will be less likely to contribute to the ever growing heap of lost and found items that are collected daily throughout the facility.

Please remember that food and drinks (water is the only exception) are prohibited in the Wood Gym, the Blue Gym, and the Fitness Center. Restricting food and drinks allows us to keep our facility cleaner and in great



you gotta have Arts

Deloris White - Fine Arts Director

A r t s N e w s


The arTs are for a lifeTime

arts Boosters

Performances for the Arts Berwick’s annual Variety Show fundraiser took place on Friday, October 14, and was a great success. Faculty and staff members representing all three divisions presented vocal, instrumental, dance, solo, duets, ensemble performances, and everything in between. The gross total from this event was $1,284 which will benefit enrichment programs in the visual and performing arts. Thank you to the Parents for the Arts and everyone who supported the fine arts at Berwick through their participation and attendance.

Music

Arizona Bound Sixth grade student Bryan Marden was awarded a place in the Organization of American Kodaly Educators’ National Conference Youth Choir. Kelsey Walker, grade five, along with fourth grade students Sophia Estes and Chani Parrott were awarded positions in the National Children’s Choir. These students worked with Lower and Middle School Choral Director Maria Isaak, who is a Kodaly Specialist and a member of the Organization of American Kodaly Educators. Each singer also made an audition tape in October with Chip Harding as part of his or her preparation for this experience. The National Children’s Choir is open to choral students in the fourth and fifth grades and the National Youth

Choir is open to students in grades six, seven and eight. Students selected by audition nationwide will rehearse and perform in Phoenix, Arizona, in March, 2012.

Middle School Music Festival York County Junior High Music Festival will take place on February 3 and 4, 2012, beginning with sectional rehearsals on Friday and Saturday and concluding with a massed concert at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. Only a small percentage of band students can be nominated by their director; then they are selected from approximately 175 band students from all of York County and Bonny Eagle School in Cumberland County. These band, chorus, and orchestra students will perform at Loranger Middle School in Old Orchard Beach.

The students nominated this year include: Claire Breger-Belsky, flute, Emma Hambright, clarinet, Sarah Bryn, clarinet (all grade eight students), and Emma Sattler, flute grade seven. Choir student nominated: Zoe Spearman. Orchestra students nominated: Emily Barbour, Lily Reed, Jessica Hebert, Indigo Milne, and Sarah Khan

Upper School Band Festival The UMass Amherst High School Honor Band Festival will take place on Saturday, February 11, 2012. Several Upper School symphonic band students have indicated their desire to participate. Students are nominated by their director and then selected by the UMass music faculty based on recommendation, musicianship, and instrumentation of the honor band.

District I Honors Festival Fifteen of our students auditioned last month for the Maine District 1 Honors Music Festival Ensembles, and they all did a fabulous job. Rebecca Ruben and Stephanie Storey will represent Berwick Academy in the treble choir, and Cat Connors, Olivia Berger, and Matthew Butcher will sing in the mixed chorus. Mary DePascale was also selected for the chorus but has another commitment during the music festival. Chloe Schmir is one of only two oboe players selected, and along with Nathan Anderson on sax, will play in the concert band. Clayton Jacques, Hersh Bhargava, Hirsh Agarwal, Sarah Yanofsky and Brennan Santaniello will play in the string orchestra, and Noah Landis will play piano in the jazz band. The festival concert begins at 3:00 p.m. on January 28 at Noble High School . All are welcome to come and support our district all-star musicians.

Maine Jazz Allstate Auditions Noah Landis has been accepted as a pianist for the Jazz Allstate Festival. This concert will be held at Scarborough High School on January 7. He is only the third Berwick Academy student to be accepted to the Jazz Allstate Festival in the past 19 years!

visual art

Scholastic Art Competition The Upper School art room is a flurry of activity as students prepare their work for entering the National


you gotta have ArtsBPC Notes - from the BPC Board Members

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It’s hard to believe that November is here, and the first trimester of the year is coming to a close. I would like to thank all the wonderful volunteers who have stepped up since September to make the BPC supported events so successful.

Berwick Book Fair Most recently, we completed our all-school Book Fair and Bake Sale. A huge thank you to all the parents who volunteered their time, purchased books, and provided baked goods for this event. Please know we could not have done it without you!

Lost and Found Be sure to check lost and found. We are beginning to see a growing number of lost items that have made their way to lost and found, located in the lower level of the Commons. Items that are not claimed at the end of each trimester will be collected and donated to Outta the Box in Kennebunkport. Thanks to Grace Jacobs for handling that. There is also a container outside of Shanlee Ginchereau’s office in the Lower School that houses lost items found there – be sure to check often.

BPC Gardens Thanks to Thomas Hourihan for keeping our BPC Garden looking so beautiful. Your time and attention are truly appreciated.

Community Benefit The planning of the annual Community Benefit is underway through the leadership of Lored Fabbricatore and Lisa Grondahl. This

event is BPC’s primary fundraiser for the organization, and is a wonderful night to celebrate the Berwick Community and all of its members. We are always looking for volunteers to help with the planning of this event, so please join us at our next meeting – Monday, December 5 at 8:30 a.m. in the Commons.

BPC Board Positions If you are interested in becoming more involved with the BPC and would like to be considered for a position on the Board, please submit your name along with position or positions you are interested in, to my attention by February, 2012. Currently, we are looking for volunteers to fill the positions of LS Coordinator, MS Coordinator and US Coordinator. Descriptions of these positions can be found on the BPC page of the portal, and don’t hesitate to contact me, or any of the current Board members with questions about these positions.

Lesli FrielBPC [email protected]


please join me in congratulating Upper School Director Peter Saliba on his appointment as the 26th Head of School at Tilton School for the 2012-2013 academic year. This is a well-deserved honor, and we will certainly miss Peter and his family at Berwick Academy.

Happy Thanksgiving While I truly cannot believe that it is already here, I wanted to wish each and every Berwick family a restful Thanksgiving holiday. Certainly the Schneider family is more aware than ever how lucky we have been to make a life for ourselves in this particular community.

head of sChool News...cont. from pg 3

upper sChool News...cont. from pg 4

lower sChool News...cont. from pg 6

arTs News...cont. from pg 8

middle sChool News...cont. from pg 5

By the time you read this article, we will have completed the third round of the competition at the Cumberland County courthouse in downtown Portland. Amazingly, we are facing off against Freeport High School again. I believe they will underestimate us as Sanford did, and we are using this week to prep up for the competition. No matter what happens, the journey thus far has been incredible for this team. We are excited about what we have accomplished, and I am once again reminded of the experiences that make Berwick such a special place.

our teachers and parents are united in one single and simple goal: to prepare the next generation of adults to be responsible, wise, and ethical. Kushner says that “We become who we love,” and perhaps that is the most important principle of all.

As November closes and we are reminded to be thankful for the many people who touch our lives, I hope that each reader of this letter

Scholastic Art Competition this year. Students will be entering individual work by the January deadline in categories that may include sculpture, painting, drawing, and fashion.

Silent Flight Art Contest Numerous artists in all three divisions have decided to participate in the Silent Flight Art Contest sponsored by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FIA) through the Maine Department of Transportation. Some of these artists have elected to create art depicting the theme of silent flight only for exhibit in the Jackson Library Gallery in December, while others have decided to enter the contest and have their work submitted for state, national and international competition at the conclusion of the library exhibit. Please watch for information regarding a reception for the artists in December to be held in the art gallery.

visual and PerForMing arts

Honor Society Inductions Seven Upper School students were inducted into the National Art Honor Society and four students were inducted into the Tri-M Music Honor Society during a symbolic ceremony on Thursday, November 3, in the Commons. These organizations recognize students who not only achieve success in visual expression or music performance and academic achievement, but also contribute to the increased awareness of the fine arts at Berwick Academy. BA has maintained a chapter of these two national honor societies since the 1990s.

National Art Honor Society Inductees Seniors Shannon Farrell, Nicole Kleinmann, Jessica Murray, Autumn Richards, Kristin Sanborn, and Abby Scanlon, along with Junior Benn Clapp. These students epitomize the dedication, commitment and artistic

knows that the faculty members in the Middle School are thankful for the lives we touch and by which we are touched each day. With gratitude and thanks, I offer your family our very best wishes for this Thanksgiving holiday.

working order by eliminating most spills.

Fall Middle School Coach’s Awards MS Cross Country Boys - Ben Isaak MS Cross Country Girls - Claire Breger-Belsky MS Tennis - Justin Alvino MS Tennis - Julia Caple MS Field Hockey - Jess Hebert MS Boys White Soccer - Will Hebert MS Boys Blue Soccer - Timmy Baxter MS Girls Blue Soccer - Katherine Reid MS Girls White Soccer - Sarah Murray MS Spirit Award Male - Sam Twombly MS Spirit Award Female - Margaux Munick

Upcoming EventsNovember 14 Late bus schedule begins, 5:30 p.m.November 29 Upper School Fall Sports Awards 7:00 p.m. (team gatherings on campus start at 5:30 p.m.)

aThleTiCs News...cont. from pg 7

in our division some five years ago. In case you are unaware, O.M. is based on the team sports model of a student group preparing for an event by solving a long-term problem. We will highlight more on this interesting creative problem-solving endeavor in the near future through Friday Weekly correspondence.Without too much room to wind down here, I will quickly add my appreciation for all of your well-rounded support for our division! Thank you and take care.


vision to warrant membership in this prestigious organization.

Tri-M Music Honor Society Inductees The Tri-M Music Honor Society welcomed the following new members: Senior: Mary DePascale, Juniors: Karaline Berger, Catherine Connors, Andrew Waterhouse. These students were recognized for their musicianship, scholarship, cooperation, leadership, and service to school and community.

winterFest

Winterfest AuditionsJanuary 10 and 12, 2012 The Audition recommendation forms for Winterfest must be submitted by Friday December 9, as indicated on the school calendar. The auditions will take place the first full week after we return from the winter holiday break. We continue to look upon the auditions as an educational experience. Last year, seventy-six individual performers or groups auditioned. The final selection of twenty performers was very difficult. Winterfest 2012 will represent our “One School” philosophy. Therefore, Berwick students in Kindergarten through grade twelve who excel in their performing arts concentration must submit a recommendation for audition form signed by their music, dance, or theater instructor by December 9 to sign up for a five-minute audition time slot. The auditions are open to all Berwick students who take lessons on campus with one of our instructors as well as students who study with instructors off campus.

Students will be informed of their assigned audition time. Auditioning before a jury is a competitive process, therefore, performing arts students are encouraged to prepare early and thoroughly for the Winterfest audition days in January. Because of the numerous students

auditioning, each student may audition only once, either as a solo performer or part of a group. If selected, each student may perform ONLY as accepted by audition. Everyone must decide exactly what they will be performing prior to the audition. Please note that Winterfest 2012 will take place on Friday, January 20, at 7:00 p.m. with a snow date planned for Sunday, January 22, at 2:30 p.m. Any student interested in signing up for an audition should check with parents and coaches to determine if they have any conflict with the performance date or the snow date. Please contact Deloris White [email protected] if you have any questions regarding this process.

the

2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 2FundAnnual

Our Annual Fund progress continues to climb. We are proud

to report that we have received $372,839 in gifts and pledges! Parent participation remains steady.

In order to keep pace with last year, we need 10 more gifts or pledges by November 30.

As always, participation is paramount to our success. To make a gift or pledge, please consider doing so online at

www.berwickacademy.org/giving.

Thank you as always for your support!


Cindy Briggs - School Counselor

W e l l n e s s N e w s


After hearing about the overwhelmingly positive response to the new Social Thinking Curriculum in the Lower School, I thought it would be beneficial for Marguerite Genest, Lower School Academic Support Coordinator to update us on its progress in the November 1791 Letter.

- Cindy Briggs, Assistant Head of School

As the 1st trimester comes to a close, I am delighted to report that our new Social Thinking Curriculum appears to have taken on a life of its own! The level of interest and investment on the part of parents, teachers, and students has been inspiring and at times has been more of a learning experience for me than for the students.

With emerging research regarding the influence of social intelligence on academic and life success, it seemed evident that this curriculum would be a great way to round out the education of our Pre-Kindergarten through grade five students. Our Lower School students have participated in weekly classes in their homerooms for the first three weeks, and then have received instruction in their unified arts classes. The benefits of applying what is learned in one environment to others throughout the day have been so helpful in the learning and applying of these concepts.

The grade five students have participated in weekly Social Thinking

classes throughout this trimester as the first component of their seminar course. Initially, students were introduced to the Social Thinking Poster, which is present in all Lower School classes, in the gymnasium, music, library, and art classes. (It is translated into French as well!) The ten concepts were explained and role played so as to ensure their understanding and application to various academic and social situations throughout the day. For example, the ideas of eye contact and turn taking are essential when listening to a friend or teacher speak. Also, turn taking is important when doing a team project or when demonstrating good sportsmanship. The students have enjoyed discussing the relevance of each concept to the activities engaged in throughout the day, and have especially enjoyed role playing more complex situations.

As we progress with this curriculum, one of my goals is to have the students develop the appreciation for the perspectives of others when engaged in all forms of communication, whether it be exchanging ideas, problem solving, or conflict resolution. The ability to disagree with respect, or assume responsibility when appropriate is the gateway to empathic development. This is the ultimate goal, as we prepare our children to be “good” and caring individuals.

I am inspired by the stories of parents who report that their children are adapting these concepts at home with them, their siblings and neighborhood friends. When I hear that a sibling told her little brother that

he is “going off topic” during a dinner conversation, or that a youngster informed her mother that she should make “eye contact” when conversing, I see not only the amusement on the part of the parents (thank goodness), but the understanding that the children are utilizing this language to improve their social communication outside of school - music to my ears!

I am also gratified by the teachers’ willingness to use the same language both in and out of the classroom so their students benefit from consistency of developmentally appropriate social expectations. This is especially timely this academic year as we explore the various themes of diversity at Berwick Academy. In my presentation on neurodiversity at the beginning of the school year, I discussed how we are all “wired differently,” meaning that we learn, relate, communicate, and interact differently, based on genetics, culture, environment, and a number of other factors. The appreciation of and respect for all of these differences is a goal that I believe is being addressed at the basic level, from Pre-K through grade five via the Social Thinking Curriculum.

Learning to be kind, caring, and tolerant individuals should begin at an early age in order to foster self-confidence, appropriate problem solving and the appreciation of the diversity of peers’ viewpoints and perspectives. I always appreciate input from parents and faculty, as a


Rachel Saliba - School Archivist

A r c h i v e s N e w s


BeCoMe a BerwiCK aCadeMy arChives volunteer

Whether you are a history buff or you just want to learn more about the School, all members of the BA community are encouraged to become a BA Archives Volunteer, including parents, students, alumni, grandparents, etc. Specifically, there are three major projects in the BA Archives that you can volunteer to help with:

1. BA Graduate/Alumni List – The majority of calls to the BA Archives are from people who are doing research on alumni family members. While we have great information about our alumni who graduated in the last few decades, our records are incomplete for the older classes. This project includes doing research and completing a comprehensive spreadsheet listing all of our alumni and some of their biographical information.

2. Photo Collection Sorter – We have many boxes of photos from the 1980s and 1990s that need to be sorted and stored properly. This project includes going through all of the snapshots from the 1990s and 1980s and sorting and labeling them based on year and topic. I am also interested in “weeding” the photos down to a collection that contains photos that fit within the mission and purpose of the archives (blurry photos of kids’ backs aren’t good illustrations of BA’s history).

3. Slide Sorter – As many of you may know, former Head of School Hap Ridgway was an avid photographer. He took hundreds of slides of students during his tenure at BA and many of them are still in the slide projector trays he used to present them to the school community. Unfortunately, this form of storage is not considered the best way to store and preserve the slides. Each of the slides needs to be labeled, cataloged and placed in proper containers in the order they were shown. Interestingly, this slide show collection is the equivalent a scrapbook of Hap’s tenure at BA and is very important to the School.

Volunteer to preserve Berwick Academy’s history and support an institution that was founded during President George Washington’s first term in office (George Washington Crossing the

Delaware December 25, 1776 by Emmanuel Leutze, 1851).

If you are interested in becoming a BA Archives Volunteer or would like more information, please contact me at [email protected] or by phone at (207)-384-6330. The archives are open on Mondays and Fridays during the school day (8 AM – 3 PM), but if there is enough interest, I am happy to schedule a regular evening or weekend workday to complete a project.


wellNess News...cont. from pg 12

springboard for the role playing of the real life situations our students face, often related to social inclusion, or children feeling left out. There is always room for improvement in this new curriculum and I always seek the opportunity to learn from all members of the Berwick Community!

Marguerite Genest, Ed.D.Lower School Academic Support Coordinator and Counselor

Middle sChool MusiCal, “honK!”


We have set an ambitious goal of $650,000 for this year’s effort, and we need to keep this great momentum going. As always, to monitor our progress, please visit www.berwickacademy.org/annualfund, and please consider making a gift or pledge today at www.berwickacademy.org/giving. While the Annual Fund officially closes on June 30, we hope to raise 85% of our goal in gifts and pledges by December 31.

Thank you for investing in the Annual Fund and for enabling Berwick to continue its proud 220-year tradition of providing an exceptional education to talented students in the Seacoast; a region that values hard work, excellence, and a connection to community.

With sincere gratitude,

Jedd U. WhitlockDirector of Advancement

Jedd Whitlock - Director of Advancement

Alumni and Development News

Dear Berwick Community,

A few weeks ago the 2011 – 2012 Annual Fund campaign officially kicked off, and it kicked off with gusto! Early momentum has catapulted this year’s Annual Fund to a quick start, and I am pleased to let you know that as of November 14, we have raised over $350,000 in gifts and pledges (ahead of last year’s pace).

As you know, contributions to the Annual Fund have a direct and long-lasting impact on students and faculty, providing crucial revenue in the areas where the need is greatest each year. Often, these gifts are used to support excellence in our academic program, technology and innovation, the arts, athletics, faculty professional development, financial aid, and campus enhancements.

Ultimately, the Annual Fund can be viewed in one of two ways. Traditionally, it has been seen as the source of funds that covers the gap between tuition and what it actually costs to educate each Berwick student. But more importantly, it is what enables a very good school to become a great one with better programs, facilities, and resources.

This year, we have added two new features to our program. • The Recurring Gift Program is a convenient andsecure way to support Berwick Academy. This program enables donors to build annual contributions through smaller monthly installments, and significantly minimizes the amount of solicitation letters, phone calls, and emails. To enroll, simply visit www.berwickacademy.org/recurringgift To download, complete and return the authorization form to Jenni Franco in the Development Office. • In addition,wehave included an easyway to findout if your gift may be matched by your employer. With matching gifts, you can sometimes double or even triple your gift! Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match charitable contributions made by their employees. To find out, please visit http://www.matchinggifts.com/berwickacademy/ and type in your company’s name in the search bar. If your company matches, you may be able to access the forms directly through the search. Follow the set procedure and call us to assist in any way. The impact of your gift could be even more significant!

november 1791 letter

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