MPH Senior Named Presidential Scholar

Manlius Pebble Hill School is remarkably proud of senior Olivia (Liv) Bigtree, who is one of just 20 students nationwide named as U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts. This well-deserved honor comes after a tremendous amount of hard work. Last month she was named a semi-finalist to the Presidential Scholar Program after she endured a 14-hour application process through the U.S. Department of Education. But it didn’t start there. First, she had to apply to the Young Arts Week program in Miami with a complete portfolio of work, putting her in competition against the top art students in the nation. There, she had to receive a nomination based on a week-long evaluation by master artists. She earned the nomination, which allowed her to apply to the Presidential Scholars program. Visual Arts and Design Department Chair Teresa Henderson commented, “I cannot think of any higher fine arts recognition for high school students, or a more rigorous process. Liv’s achievement was born from hours of dedication, incredible hard work, and her willingness to take creative risks.”

Liv also received accolades in the National Scholastic Art Awards competition, being selected as one of the top 1% in art in the nation for her video piece “145 Indigenous Women.” The video illustrates Liv as she takes the time to write 145 names of missing and murdered indigenous women. This particular piece won a Civic Expression award and scholarship based on her originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal vision or voice. View the video clip here.
The National YoungArts Foundation has issued the following release:

National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) congratulates the 56th class of U.S. Presidential Scholars, with special acknowledgment to the 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts who are YoungArts award winners and were nominated for the honor by YoungArts. The U.S. Presidential Scholars award — one of the nation’s highest honors for high school students who exemplify academic excellence, leadership qualities and community service — is presented on behalf of the President of the United States and honors up to 161 graduating high school seniors of high potential each year. Students who would like to be considered for Presidential Scholars in the Arts in the future must first apply to the YoungArts program.
 
Sarah Arison, Chair of National YoungArts Foundation, said, “Now, more than ever, it is important that we as a country celebrate the hope and promise of the next generation of great architects and designers, writers and poets, and visual and performing artists. YoungArts is honored to continue to support and nominate the nation’s most talented artists for the Presidential Scholars program. We congratulate all of the winners and look forward to continuing to offer our support throughout their artistic journeys.”
 
“It is my privilege to congratulate the Presidential Scholars Class of 2020 on their outstanding academic achievement, community service, and leadership,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. “These exemplary young people have excelled inside the classroom and out. And, while they are facing unprecedented challenges as they graduate from high school into a world that looks much different than it did just a few months ago, their determination, resilience, and commitment to excellence will serve them well as they pursue their next steps.”
Save the date for the next discussion in our Community Conversations series. More information, including presenter bios and a Zoom link, will be provided in a forthcoming invitation.
Finances in the Era of COVID-19
Investment strategy in times of extreme market volatility and Q & A from experienced financial advisors


Thursday, May 28
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Presenter
Evan Dreyfuss, Portfolio Manager at RMB Capital and MPH Board of Trustees Treasurer
Panelists
 Mary Swan, Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley
and
                      Adam Sayre, Director of Finance and Operations at Manlius Pebble Hill School 
Grade 8 Celebration: Making Time for FUN!
Thanks to Mr. Zlomek for providing this thorough description of the day!

For the last few weeks, the Grade 8 Team has been planning formembers of the class to connect with each other and disconnect from their academics (for a little while). Advisors Jon Mangram, Susan Reeve, and Ryan Zlomek planned a day's worth of activities and picked up materials for "Preparation Packages," which included 3D- printed triangle solitaire games, microwavable popcorn, candy, word search books, Hawaiian leis (it's important to think warm thoughts!), a deck of cards, a personal message, and a silly straw.

The package also included a particularly unique item -- a "bag of hope," which is a collection of items that hold significance to reminding yourself that life is a journey. The accompanying message was included with the bag of hope:

"A star to remind you to keep shining, a paperclip to help you hold your things together, an eraser to fix all the small mistakes, a lock to keep all your secrets safe, a penny so that you're never broke, and a rubber band to help you stretch beyond your limits."
 
Preparation Packages were delivered (courtesy of our own DHL services, Colleen Xavier, Jon Mangram, and Susan Reeve) to students near and far. Many students and families were enthusiastically waiting for deliveries and even created signs and special notes for our teachers.
 
On Thursday, May 14, the kids showed up to the start of the celebration prepared with breakfast foods and wearing summery clothing, including their leis and sunglasses. The first activity was to build their own smartphone tripods using pipe cleaners so that they had an easy way to angle their devices. While working on the project and eating breakfast, the group watched a Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated cartoon and settled into the day. The kids then showed off their tripods and prepared for a bit of movement. 
 
The students were given a scavenger hunt list of items that could be found around their home. This list included items such as a die, a book you read this year, and a baby picture. The kids raced to get their items, take a pictures of them, and upload them in an attempt to come in first place. The Conrey sisters took first, just moments in front of their peers. The group reflected on the activity, then shared their baby pictures in the Google Meet (Mr. Z said it was adorable!).
 
Each student was given a package of sidewalk chalk, so the next activity was to go outside and create a "Positivity Pet," a character that speaks positive words to the world. The kids did an amazing job and showed off their creations to their peers. When a student finished their Positivity Pet, they partnered with a friend and had a game of tic-tac-toe via video chats. 
 
Before the students broke for lunch they reached into their Preparation Packages for a selfie prop. May, in the online world, is known as "Mustache May," when people try to grow a mustache throughout the month. Each student was given a fake mustache with which they took selfies during their lunch break. 
 
Upon return from lunch, Ms. Perryman joined the group for a mindful pause. The students took their triangle solitaire game and word search with them and stepped away from the screen while a playlist of their favorite songs played. We wanted to make sure there was a time in the day where the kids could focus their attention on themselves and have a chance to reflect. 
 
For the final leg of the day, the students opened their decks of cards as they learned different ways to build card towers. The goal was to create a structurally sound card tower that could hold significant weight. The kids got really into it, even to the extent of requesting that we start a Card Building Club when we return to campus. The kids stacked text books, video game collections, and anything they could find on top of their card towers and were remarkably successful. After 30 minutes some students elected to keep building while others switched to TwoSeven, which is a platform that allows groups to watch videos together. The TwoSeven group watched a Cirque De Soleil special about inventions and chatted with each other during the performance.
 
The final event involved students going to make their bags of popcorn. When they came back, a Kahoot! trivia game was presented with questions about their experiences throughout the year. 

Overall, the day was a success and some great memories were made. Thanks, eighth-graders! Check out the full photo gallery here!
Click on the image above to access the Senior STP site. Once there, you'll be able to see several presentations.
Senior Thesis Projects

Seniors have been hard at work since their junior year developing their Senior Thesis Projects. On the left, you'll see that several seniors volunteered to show off the digital versions of their incredibly thought-provoking STPs. Juniors, on the other hand, are just beginning to brainstorm where they'd like to direct their passions over the course of their final year at MPH. To help guide them, Mr. Zencka has created a choose-your-own-adventure style exercise -- take a look here!  

Trick Shots of the Week

With R & W Day 2020 happening today, we thought you'd enjoy a few more trick shots! Want us to feature your trick shot? Send it to us at jneuner@mphschool.org.
Ms. Bentley Hoke's trick shot is purrfect!
Profesora Trouyet, her puppies, and a great golf trick!
Mr. Huyge and his shot heard around the world!
The Science Department presents, "The Ultimate Trick Shot." You be the judge!
Mr. Spear with the buzzer beater!
Check out Mr. Vural's one-in-a-"melon" shot!
Lower Schoolers Contribute to
Senior Care Packages

Last Friday, MPH faculty and staff made home deliveries to the Class of 2020. Each senior received a care package -- an MPH tote bag that contained their cap and gown, window markers to decorate their cars on graduation day, a sign for their lawn, and some sweet treats. When they opened their package, they were also treated to a note or picture from a Lower School student. Lower School art teacher Ms. Thomann organized this initiative with the students, printed the notes, and included them in the care packages. View the photo gallery of the notes on the right and check out a few of our seniors with their lawn signs below!
Take a look at the adorable notes and drawings by clicking the image above.
2020-21 Student Council Leadership


There were four fantastic candidates to lead the Upper School Student Council next year: Maya Heimes, Farouq Alsalih, Max Fung, and Ryan Hinshaw. Electronic ballots were made available in students' advisory Google classrooms on Thursday. When the polls closed at noon, there were 87 voters (each voted twice), with all four contestants earning more than 30 votes -- clearly a well respected and trusted group!

In the end, Ryan Hinshaw came in first and will be next year's president of the Upper School Student Council. Farouq Alsalih came in second and will be next year's vice-president. Congratulations Ryan and Farouq!

Check out their campaign videos!

Head of Lower School for a Day

One of the coveted auction items at the Carnivale Gala was the Head of Lower School for a Day experience. This year's winner was third grader Vincent Marrone. Vincent worked with Ms. Abdo to plan American Revolution lessons and activities for his Grade 3 class. He assigned research topics, facilitated class presentations, and orchestrated the mailing of special snacks (red gum, white popcorn, and blue candy) to each third grader. Students enjoyed their patriotic snacks while watching an episode of Liberty Kids as part of Vincent’s final activity, a class Zoom watch party. Great work, Mr. Marrone!
False Solomon's Seal
Wild Strawberries
Wildflowers of the Week
with Audrey Yeager

Our flower adventure this week happened near the St. Lawrence River, but both of these plants are widely distributed throughout the U.S. and are native to the U.S. Finally, we see some native wildflowers!
 
False Solomon's seal,  Maianthemum racemosum has an arching stem with alternating leaves and a feathery cluster of white flowers on the end. At the end of the summer, those white flowers will develop into bright red berries. The berries are eaten by birds and mice, which helps to spread the seeds. Native Americans used to use the roots and leaves for medicinal teas.

Wild strawberries,   Fragaria vesca, grow easily and spread along the ground on edges of roads and forests, and perhaps even in your lawn. They are easily recognizable with their five petals of white and yellow center. These are not the same strawberries that are cultivated on farms, but they do produce an edible berry that can be harvested and eaten.

Click the image below for more info!
The YouTube Unit: Broadcasting Class in 2020!

Mr. Zlomek's Broadcasting class is learning video shooting and editing in preparation for the YouTube unit and created trade-off videos, where there needs to be a story with a consistent thread from one video to the next. The students did a great job and demonstrated their skills and creativity through these videos. Take a look!
A Week of Dance

Mrs. Koziara kept her students busy this week! One of her Lower School assignments was to have students create their own "BrainDance and HeART with LINES" dance. Developed by Creative Dance Center founder, dance educator, and author Anne Green Gilbert,  BrainDance  is a full body-brain exercise based on developmental movement patterns that healthy human beings naturally move through in the first year of life. The movements develop our whole brain (brain stem, mid-brain/limbic system, and cortex).
 
This BrainDance video is made by HeART with LINES , a dance education program within Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet dance company in San Francisco, California. Now take a look at Emma's rendition on the right!
Yesterday's lesson was the D ance Pose Bingo Challenge! Mrs. Koziara sent the students a variety of yoga poses that corresponded to a Bingo board. Five in a row earned a Bingo, while all poses equaled a blackout. Students were asked to send their pictures to Mrs. Koziara. Take a look at a few of Anya's poses below!
Getting Creative in Geometry AC!

Mrs. Meehan's Similarity & Design assignment in her Geometry AC class not only tested students' knowledge and skills in geometry, but challenged them to be creative! Students could create anything they wanted, with a minimum of four different shapes, with at least two shapes mathematically similar to the original. The finished projects were as unique as the students themselves! For example, Tea Hokanson created a museum pamphlet; Justice Curry made bees and hives; Elise Eng depicts two 3D people at podiums giving speeches; Destiny Holligan made flowers with 3D clouds; and Arielle Nemes created butterflies with their scientific names. You'll see these, along with several other remarkable creations, in the photo below.
Award-Winning Author Visits Grade 10
Local award-winning author and current MPH parent Dana Spiotta visited Ms. Bentley Hoke's G rade 10 classes last week to share her wisdom and insight. Ms. Spiotta will soon be publishing her fifth book and is held in high regard by her writing peers. Grade 10 was reading Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts , a book that, when it was published in the 1970s, caused a lot of controversy. It earned major attention as non-fiction, as a memoir, but Hong Kingston bends the genre by including retold myths and clear elaborations and embellishments of fact in her book. Dana talked to the kids about the slippery nature of memory, the important distinctions between "factuality" and "truth," especially in story telling, and ways in which a number of her favorite authors think about how life and writing interact with each other. She also shared some really illuminating secrets of her own writing process and answered the students' thoughtful questions.
 
Ms. Bentley Hoke remarked, "It was so cool and generous of her! And the kids loved it! Many of them are doing optional writing projects, writing about their fresh observations of small moments within this strange time, a project inspired by her workshop."
Screen Writing: Behind the Scenes with Grade 5

The video on the left shows the Grade 5 Zoom meeting with Maria Ricciardiello and Amy Abdo as the class writes their play script in a Google document shared by 11 fifth graders (and one lifelong MPH Lower School student, Ariella Shever, who is in Minnesota for just this year while her parents are on sabbatical). The 12 students have collaborated to devise the plot, the characters, and the script for their Grade 5 play. The play will debut on Friday, May 29, at 6:00 p.m. as we celebrate their work with a Lower School watch party. Be on the lookout for the Zoom link! In the meantime, take a look at their work!
Mr, Curtis plays "Dream a Little Dream of Me."
Fun fact: "Dream a Little Dream of Me" was composed in 1931 by Andre and Schwandt, with lyrics by Gus Kahn. It was made famous again in 1968 by the Mamas and the Papas.
Anna plays this one for the Class of 2020.
Friday Concerts in Upper School

We can't get enough of these amazing performances! Enjoy!
Kaeli performing "Neverland."
Mr. Leclercq plays "Estudio" from Francisco Tarrega, his favorite guitar composer.
Memories of The 2019 MPH Multicultural Festival
The MPH Multicultural Festival will be Friday, May 29. In the meantime, Mrs. Chhablani wants to share some memories from last year's event!
Check out the video on the left!
Red Cross Blood Drive

MPH Junior Maya Heimes is working with the Red Cross to lead a Blood Drive on June 9 from 1:00 p.m. through 6:00 p.m. at MPH. Now more than ever the Red Cross needs your help! Simply click on the image on the right to schedule your time. Social distancing guidelines will be strictly followed!
Middle School Cooking Club: A Delicious Extracurricular Activity!

This week, the Middle School Cooking Club made a lemon yogurt loaf.
Take a look at this yummy masterpiece by Laura Kinane!

Last week, they tackled the Macaron Challenge! Looks like Owen conquered it!


Stay up-to-date on MPH happenings by visiting our Facebook page and our Flickr feed !
Plus, The Week Ahead Newsletter is posted on My MPH each Thursday and regular news stories are posted on our News Digest, found on mphschool.org .

Manlius Pebble Hill School | 315-446-2452 |  mphschool.org