The Calhoun Chronicle, Summer 2013

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Calhoun’s Mission To inspire a passion for learning through a progressive approach to education that values intellectual pursuit, creativity, diversity and community involvement.

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Calhoun’s Mission To inspire a passion for learning through a progressive approach to education that values intellectual pursuit, creativity, diversity and community involvement.

Cert no. XXX-XXX-XXXX

Features

Departments

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Thirty-four Calhoun employees celebrated tenure anniversaries this year, each of whom was honored at the Parents Association’s Annual Tea. Among them were seven who just completed their 25th year at Calhoun—quite an achievement! But none received the rousing ovation and reverence inspired by Upper School science teacher John Roeder, who marked the completion of his 40th year at Calhoun this June.

Ever since 1973, John has been inspiring students in his fourth-floor science lab. And when he wasn’t teaching or writing profes-sional articles, championing active physics and researching innovative ways to teaching science, John would put on his other hat, as Hot Dog Grill King at the Calhoun Carnival, or as member of our community orchestra—all while commuting four hours each day, back and forth to Princeton.

“John is the spirit of Calhoun,” said Peter Swann ’83, who paid tribute to his former teacher along with classmates Ben Stiller and Kriss Roebling at the Alumnae/i Reunion held a week earlier. Their words, filled with personal memories and humorous anecdotes, were heartfelt and effusive, praising this teacher who, Peter said, taught him not only physics and chemistry, but “also taught me civics and music . . . he taught me that I had to learn to write. And more than that, John took an interest in me as a human being; he took an interest in our lives.”

Humble as ever, John thanked alumnae/i, parents and colleagues for the unexpected attention. “I feel very honored to have been at Calhoun for these 40 years, and I’ve signed up for 41!” he said. “Calhoun has nurtured my development the same way it has nurtured the development of my students, and I will always be grateful for that.”

In addition to John’s honors at the Annual Tea, PA co-presidents Andrea Booth and Mare Rubin presented tribute gifts to 33 addi-tional employees for their anniversary years at Calhoun and the dedication they show to the

children. The seven employees honored for having completed 25 years at Calhoun were Lower School teachers Marcella Best, Danita Harrison and Isabel Ruiz; Upper School English teacher Phil Tedeschi; Debbie Havas Aronson ’79, Director of Community Service; and Barbara Bernard, Development Associate.

Head of School Steve Nelson posted his 15th year as Head of School; and one of Calhoun’s kitchen staffers, Rosa Sandoval, retired this spring after completing her 20th year. The remaining 25 teachers and staffers were given tenure awards for five- and 10-year anniversa-ries at Calhoun.

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With the completion of the all-school selec-tion process, we’re excited to announce our tenth yearly theme, What Moves You? Ability, Mobility, Accessibility, Accountability.

This past year’s theme, Raise Your Voice: Stand Up for What You Believe, emphasized the value that Calhoun places on students’ questions, curiosity and ideas. Students and faculty really embraced the spirit of this theme in their classes, during Earth Day, and through various cross-divisional activities.

For next year, we hope to build on that momentum. First, we raised our voices. Now we want to ask ourselves: What will we do? How will we act?

“What Moves You?” is about getting our community to study action and movement. It allows our younger students to explore the more literal concept—modes of transporta-tion, physical movement, exercise, and how people are “differently abled” in terms of mo-bility and accessibility. For our older students, there will be more abstract explorations: how the arts inspire; how technology, design and innovation are reinventing what it means to be mobile; how global social movements evolve; and how one can take action for change.

In the past, Calhoun’s Yearly Theme programs have been enriched by the con-tributions and expertise of our families and friends. If you have ideas for speakers, proj-ects or organizations with whom we might partner, contact me at [email protected].

For more information about Calhoun’s Yearly Theme initiative, go to www.calhoun.org/yearlytheme.

Your gift to the Calhoun Annual Fund helps support our

one-of-a-kind curriculum.

www.calhoun.org/giving

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Francesco Filiaci, Upper School biology teach-er, was named this year’s winner of the Uhry/Thompson Award, given annually to a teacher who demonstrates excellence in the classroom and a commitment to progressive education. Francesco received the prestigious award in front of an audience of peers at the Annual Tea, hosted by the Parents Association.

A teacher at Calhoun since 2000, Fran-cesco is an ever-enthusiastic participant in team-teaching projects and cross-disciplinary learning. For the past two years, he has co-led

Calhoun’s Upper School excursions to Badlands National Park in South Dakota, and regularly takes science students for extended on-site learning experiences at Black Rock Forest, where he is Calhoun’s representative on the advisory board.

Francesco is a co-leader on Calhoun’s task force on expeditionary learning, and a mentor to teaching fellows in Calhoun’s newly inaugurated Progressive Education Lab (PEL) program. In addition to his many other contributions to life at Calhoun, Francesco was the lead faculty member involved in the planning and use of the Green Roof.

“Francesco is a wonderful teacher who embodies progressive education in many important and meaningful ways,” says Lorenzo Krakowsky, Upper School Director. “He is remarkably student-centered, and always honors and respects students’ voices and perspectives. He cares deeply and passionately about his subject—and knows biology from the inside out. He teaches in an authentically experiential, interdisciplinary and site-based way, and his enthusiasm is conta-gious. I wish I had learned biology from Francesco when I was in high school!”

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CLASS OF 2013:

MAKERS of the FUTURE

College List

Where They’re Going!

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BACKSTAG

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