Horace Mann Bulletin 6/07

24 Pages·2009·2.11 MB·English

B
THE
April/May 2009
ULLETIN
Published jointly by the Horace Mann School and the Parents Association
And The Walls Came Tumbling Down
By Flavia Ades
Now that this country has witnessed
the fall of racial barriers and has seen,
in the words of our President, that
America is a place where all things are
possible, the Lower Division decided
to absorb lessons from living history
and explore the possibilities of peace.
These efforts resulted in the creation of
a Peace and Human Rights Education
program that kept the students en-
gaged for a good part of the winter.
Lower Division Publishing Center Co- es
d
ordinator and Middle Division English a A
teacher, Louise Parms, was the main avi
Fl
architect of this comprehensive pro- by
o
gram. ot
h
Parms worked closely with faculty P
members representing each grade lev- Doves and hand prints adorn the Lower Division on Human Rights Day
el as well as special area teachers in
planning for a Human Rights Day that the Universal Declaration of Human thoughts by using the bricks to draw a
would be devoted to experiential Rights, was the kick off day for public picture or write: “Feeling excluded”
learning or, as she called it, “an oppor- service announcements prepared and and “excluding others during play,”
tunity to take true ownership of the conducted by the children. “This “bullying” and “using physical force
Rules We Live By, to make the words seemed like a good place to start and to get what you want,” “insulting” or
more concrete in our minds and in the explore concepts of peace, diversity, “not being a good listener” – children
daily lives of our students, enabling us values and ethics, tolerance and con- shared their stories and poured their
all to come closer to walking the talk, flict resolution,” said Parms. Lively hearts out. The bricks were displayed
so to speak, and further understanding morning announcements explained on a “Wall of Intolerance” in the cafe-
what it means to be a global citizen, the meaning of certain articles of the teria during the week leading up to
both at school and in the world.” Fri- declaration such as the freedom of ex- Human Rights Day. Then, during
day, January 30 was set aside as Hu- pression and the freedom from dis- lunch on the day, students were asked
man Rights Day. crimination. The children also read to go to the Wall and take a brick to
The weeks leading up to that day stories and poetry, sang songs and per- their tables and use it as discussion
were busy with activities and rich in formed in short skits, and in general starters. Lower Division faculty and
metaphors. From Halloween to reflected on how the rights and free- staff, along with Upper Division Peer
Thanksgiving, Lower Division stu- doms contained in the declaration re- Leaders and the Service-Learning
dents collected, sorted, packed and late to the Lower Divisions’s Rules We Team students under the supervision
shipped 1,490 pairs of shoes to Live By. of Dr. Jeremy Leeds, facilitated the
Soles4Souls, an organization that col- Also in anticipation of Human conversations and encouraged the
lects gently used shoes and distributes Rights Day, “paper bricks” were dis- children to discuss ways to find solu-
them internationally to people in need. tributed to each grade. Students were tions to the conflicts presented and
The drive was an opportunity to encouraged to reflect on their experi- stand up to intolerance. By the end of
“stand in somebody else’s shoes” and ences with intolerance, isolation and the lunch periods, the “Wall of Intoler-
address the needs of 300 million chil- bullying, whether as a witness, a per- ance” had been completely torn down.
dren world wide who walk barefoot, petrator or a victim, in the context of Children were able to see that just as
thereby healing the world one pair of an interaction with a peer or an adult, we can put up walls that keep us apart,
shoes at a time. and whether inside or outside of we are also empowered to bring them
December 10, the anniversary of school. They were asked to share their (Continued on page 16)
The HM Bulletin April/May 2009
AA LLeetttteerr ffrroomm tthhee HHMMPPAA PPrreessiiddeenntt
marks from Mr. Steven M. Friedman ’72, Chairman of the
Board. Parents welcomed the opportunity to engage in an
informative question and answer session following their re-
As we head into
marks.
Spring Break, I’d like
The “Coffee Hour” series has been off to a strong start.
to share an
These informative events, led by each Division Head, have
overview of
provided parents with a forum in which to learn about de-
PA activi-
velopments in each Division. To date, each Head has held at
ties. Let me
least two coffees with attendance ranging from 25 to over
begin by thanking the
125. In addition, the Office of Diversity through the leader-
many parent volunteers who
ship of Rodney Burford and the Athletics Department led
have made our work possible.
by Director of Athletics Bob Annunziata also held several
You are the PA — thanks for
coffee hours. Look for our first “Coffee with Dorr” in the
your paw-prints! We also want
spring.
to thank the administration, fac-
Divisional PA meetings were held across the board.
ulty and staff for their generous
Hosted by the brand new ND Wellness Committee, the
support of the PA. Everything
Nursery Division welcomed Patricia Wood, Executive Di-
Andrea Baumann Lustig we’ve been a part of could not
rector of the Grassroots Environmental Education for a con-
have been accomplished without their assistance.
versation on “Household Chemicals and Our Children’s
This year, HM welcomed a total of 234 new children
Health”. The Lower Division PA joined with Mrs. Steinthal
and their parents across Divisions. Working closely with the
to present Diane E. Levin, Ph. D., who discussed her book
School, the PA organized over 150 current HM families to
So Sexy So Soon.Middle and Upper Divisions came together
serve as parent mentors to new families. The work, ably led
for an exciting PA Meeting on the “ABC’s of the Teen
by the HM Parents for New Parents committees, culminat-
Scene” where members of the HM Counseling and Guid-
ed in the lively and exciting New Parent Reception held in
ance office and the Science Department discussed pertinent
October with over 300 in attendance. Highlights included
issues related to teens.
Dr. Kelly teaching parents the HM motto and the adminis-
There have been lots of other community building
tration leading the singing of the Horace Mann Alma Mater.
events. We were delighted to see so many parents attend
The New Parent Reception was followed by the first All
Homecoming where the PA contributed by running eleven
School PA meeting of the year. Dr. Kelly delivered the An-
activities during the day. The PA sold out two “HM Goes to
nual State of the School Address preceded by opening re-
the Theatre” events, facilitated the Third International Food
B Festival in the Middle Division, and
THE
structured the Parents-in-Action meet-
ULLETIN
ings for each of the grades. Friends of the
Theatre helped with two productions.
The Lower Division held an unbelievably
successful Hats Off to Reading Book Fair
Published jointly by the Horace Mann School and the Parents Association and Caring in Action Day. Bingo Night
was a great pre-conference day event. The
EDITORS: Ellen Bender and Jennifer Christman Lower Division also held Shoe, Coin,
Coat and New Toy Drives to benefit our
SCHOOLEDITOR: Bernice Hauser neighbors. Nursery Division brought lots
of interesting speakers to their Coffee
Hour Series. Despite challenging econom-
DESIGNEDITOR SCHOOLSECRETARY
ic times, parents came together to support
Paul Stern Mindy Lisman
the Holiday Gift Fund Drive so that the
PA was able to make generous holiday
CONTRIBUTINGWRITERS
gifts to faculty, staff and administrators.
Flavia Ades, Shari Adler, Roseanne Leto Broadwater, Renee Brodie, Bonnie Comley,
There are lots of exciting PA events
Claudia R. Covo, Lynn Goldner, Sandy Harris, Joyce Gerdis Karp, Nancy Kopans,
between now and the end of the academic
Heleen Brody Lang, Phil Lister, Cecilia Malm, Lauren Manning, Andrea Marcusa,
year. Most importantly, the HMPA hopes
Michele Maroti, Anita Meerschwam, Ann Marks Millman, Sapna Palla, Tijana Perl,
all parents, faculty, staff and administra-
Meryl Pearlstein, Elizabeth Pimentel, Bryna Pomp, Cathy Rubin, Bellanca Smigel Rutter,
tors will celebrate at this year’s Annual
Gail Schorsch, Rashmi Sen, Shadi Sheybani, Nina Habib Spencer
Benefit to be held on May 5th on Pier Sixty
at Chelsea Piers on West 23rd Street and
CONTRIBUTINGPHOTOGRAPHERS: the Hudson River. This year’s theme “To-
Lisa Golden, Alice Keimweiss, Carolyn Millstein gether Under The Stars” is meant as a
salute to our community—to the many
Please submit articles and ideas to: ways we come together to address the
Ellen Bender | E-Mail: [email protected] challenges we face including those creat-
Jennifer Christman | E-Mail: [email protected] ed by the current economic situation.
Page 2
The HM Bulletin April/May 2009
Editors’ Message
has been to build community at Horace Mann, we invited
PA President Andrea Baumann Lustig to use the Bulletin to
outline how the HMPA works and to highlight the many
This has been a particularly challenging school year for
points of entry for parents who wish to become involved in
many Horace Mann families. While the presidential elec-
the Horace Mann community. From the Lower Division’s
tion captivated the nation’s attention in the fall, the econo-
Human Rights Day to one HM family’s Winter Break ser-
my has loomed overhead like the grey winter.
vice learning trip to Ethiopia and the Upper Division’s Sup-
In this issue, we address both the election and the econ-
port our Soldiers Club, we celebrate all the ways that Ho-
omy. Early this year, we decided that we would cut back to
race Mann and the members of our community embrace the
three issues to keep costs down during the economic crisis.
global community.
That decision makes the timing of this issue somewhat
In Around the School, we look at some of the interest-
tricky as it combines articles about events from the fall, win-
ing events you may have missed during the course of the
ter and spring. While the economy is constantly in flux, in
year — from a Sounds in Motion conference to a Nursery
reviewing HM Board Chair Steven M. Friedman’s ’72 ad-
Division lecture on wellness, from “Coffee with the Coach-
dress to the school in October, we found that the themes of
es” to a Middle Division “soccer mom’s” reflection on the
that address are as timely today as they were then — the
benefits of interscholastic sports for both students and their
“balancing act of trying to provide the finest independent
parents, from Alison Kolinski’s journey from 42nd Street to
school education, while moderating tuition growth, paying
246th Street to the Middle Division’s metaphorical excur-
faculty and administrators fairly, providing aid to academi-
sion to Abbey Road.
cally qualified kids and, at the same time, limiting class and
We hope that this issue will coincide with sunny days
school size.”
for everyone in the Horace Mann community.
We admit that we were transfixed by the election and —Ellen Bender and Jennifer Christman
inauguration so we read with interest the articles about
SAVE THE DATE
how these historic events were incorporated into the day-
to-day lives of Horace Mann students in the Lower, Middle TTHHEE HHOORRAACCEE MMAANNNN SSCCHHOOOOLL
and Upper Divisions by our gifted faculty. Just as members
of our generation remember where they watched Neil Arm- LLEEAARRNNIINNGG DDIISSAABBIILLIITTYY SSUUPPPPOORRTT
strong take his first steps on the moon in July 1969 or
OORRGGAANNIIZZAATTIIOONN FFOORR PPAARREENNTTSS
Richard Nixon’s resignation in August 1974, our children
will long remember coming together with the Horace Mann
MMaayy 1122,, 22000099
community to watch the inauguration of President Barack
Obama in January 2009. LLeeaarrnniinngg DDiissaabbiilliittyy ffrroomm tthhee SSttuuddeenntt PPeerrssppeeccttiivvee
In the midst of these world-changing events, we contin- PPaanneell ooff CCuurrrreenntt SSttuuddeennttss ffrroomm HHoorraaccee MMaannnn
ue to focus on community building activities at Horace TTuueessddaayy:: 33::1155--44::3300 PPMM
Mann and beyond. Because one of the roles of the HMPA
PA President Letter
Horace Mann School
Proudly Congratulates
The benefit has always been an important community
building event offering us a unique opportunity to come to- Jackson Goodman
gether across all divisions to renew old relationships and and
make new ones. All faculty, staff and administrators are in- Hyunsik (David) Moon
vited to attend as our guests. In the spirit of both cost and
Class of 2009
environmental consciousness, this year’s invitations are, for
2009 Intel Science Talent Search Contest
the first time, being emailed to everyone. If you’d like more
Semi-Finalists
information, or to rsvp, please go to the Parents Association
Benefit page at www.horacemann.org.
Don’t forget the HMPA’s Donate-a-Book Program.
WWhhaatt’’ss IInnssiiddee TThhee BBuulllleettiinn
Honor an important achievement or milestone by donating
a book to the Horace Mann Katz Library. Forms can be
found in the PA section of the website.
There are lots of PA volunteer opportunities and leader- Horace Mann Parents Association.................4
ship positions opening up for next year. If you want to get
HM Community Supports Our Soldiers.........7
involved, there will definitely be a place for you to con-
tribute. What’s more, we welcome everyone as a volunteer
Fall State of School Address...........................8
and will try to accommodate your schedule in finding a
place for you in the PA that fits with your life. Feel free to HM’s Election Coverage..................................9
check out the web site or email your PA Chair to express
your interest. Alison Kolinski from “42nd Street” to HM....14
Looking forward to seeing you at the Benefit!
News of the School.......................................18
Page 3
The HM Bulletin April/May 2009
Horace Mann Parents Association
Editors’ Note: After consulting with HM- through the sale of HM logo merchan- means for any
PA President Andrea Baumann Lustig, we dise. Finally, the HMPA conducts an parent to con-
decided that it was time for a refresher annual Holiday Gift Fund drive which tact the HMPA by pro-
course on the mission and structure of the raises significant funds for holiday viding an email link back to
HMPA, “HMPA 101.” We hope that by gifts to faculty, administrators and the HMPA with an invitation to send
understanding how the HMPA works, staff. comments, questions or concerns. Fac-
parents will see the many entry points for Organization ulty, staff and administrators also re-
involvement in HMPA and choose to vol- HMPA is led by six Executive Offi- ceive the eblast and are welcome to at-
unteer for the 2009-2010 school year. cers: President, 1st Vice President, 2nd tend any event.
Thank you to Andrea Baumann Lustig Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer In addition, the HMPA co-spon-
and the HMPA for the content. and Assistant Treasurer. The organiza- sors the annual HM Directory, which
tion also consists of five boards each contains the Student Directory, the
Introduction led by a set of Officers: Nursery, Low- Faculty and Administration Directory,
The Horace Mann Parents Associ- er, Middle, Upper Divisions and an a Parents Association Section (which
ation (HMPA) is a volunteer group or- Executive Board. Each of the five lists all the HMPA committee mem-
ganized under the auspices of the Ho- boards has multiple committees and bers and their contact information), an
race Mann School. It is not an indepen- chairs (selected by the Division Offi- Athletics Section, and a Parent Email
dent 501(c)(3). All parents and/or cers). The number and nature vary by section.
guardians of current Horace Mann Division ranging from 22 to 29 com- The HMPA also co-produces The Ho-
(HM) students are automatically mittees and 83 to 149 Committee race Mann Bulletin, which is published
members of the HMPA. The organiza- Chairs. jointly by the School and the HMPA.
tion is governed by its Constitution Volunteer Forms are distributed to The Bulletin is a 10-35 page collection
which provides for the election of offi- all families each academic year urging of articles on topics of interest to the
cers, outlines membership, and stipu- parents to get involved with the PA. HM community. It is mailed home to
lates the number of meetings. The Committee Chairs are selected by the all families three times a year. The Bul-
HMPA President is a member of the Division Officers, who are urged to letin is staffed by volunteer editors,
HM Board of Trustees. The HMPA balance experience, succession plan- writers and photographers.
benefits greatly from the avid support ning, talent, and diversity in making Diversity
and close cooperation it receives from their selections. Executive Board Com- In addition to the active outreach
the Head of School, Division Heads, mittee Chairs are selected by the Exec- for volunteers, the HMPA reaches out
faculty, staff and administration. utive Officers in consultation with the to diverse members of the community
Mission Committees themselves. There are 546 via several committees: The Black Par-
The mission of the HMPA is to volunteers across all divisions this ents Union Committee, The Korean
support the school through communi- 2008-2009 academic year representing Parents League Committee, The South
ty building and fundraising. Commu- close to 50% of HM families. This fig- Asian Families Committee, the
nity building is furthered by organiz- ure does not include many Riverdale Community Representative,
ing and holding over 75 separate activ- parents/guardians who volunteer on and the Office of Diversity Liaison
ities annually which bring together the day of events. Committee.
various and multiple segments of our Finances Comparison to Other NYC
community. The majority of these ac- The official books and records of Independent Schools
tivities are arranged to break-even fi- the HMPA are maintained by the Busi- The PA Presidents of NYC Inde-
nancially in an effort to emphasize ness Office of the School. The HMPA is pendent Schools meet three times a
community-building over fundrais- financed through the assessment of a year to compare and contrast experi-
ing. fee per child attending HM. ences, discuss issues, and share best
Fundraising is conducted in five Communication practices.
ways. The primary fundraiser for the The principal means of communi- Division Boards
School is the Annual Benefit, which cation with our constituents is via The goal of the division boards is
provides both unrestricted funds as email and the HM website. Each week to build community within each divi-
well as funds restricted for Financial every family receives either an eblast sion and, working closely with the ad-
Aid and Student Assistance. Secondly, from the HMPA or an “Across the Divi- ministration, help facilitate school
restricted funds are raised for the li- sions” electronic newsletter from the events that foster communication be-
braries through annual Book Fairs and School which includes updated infor- tween parents and the school. The di-
Bake Sales. Thirdly, restricted funds mation normally found in the HMPA vision chairsare responsible for solicit-
are also raised for Financial Aid and eblast. The eblast lists all upcoming ing and organizing committees and
the Student Assistance Fund through events at the all-school level and by volunteers for division events.
Theatre Benefits. Fourthly, each Divi- Division. It provides links to impor- The parents in the Nursery Divi-
sion has an Outfitting Committee, tant information and further details on sion have shown overwhelming sup-
which raises unrestricted funds events. Importantly, it also provides a port of the Parents Association. Out of
Page 4
The HM Bulletin April/May 2009
Horace Mann Parents Association
roughly 240 families at the Nursery events that cross divisions. This in- its group of highly motivated, skilled,
Division, there are almost 175 families cludes groups and committees such as and loyal volunteers. The parents
involved with the HMPA. There are 23 Athletics, The Black Parents Union, come from a diverse background,
committees including library parent Community Service, Dorr Nature Lab, with a wide skill set, yet come togeth-
volunteers, class parent volunteers, The Korean Parents League, Learning er with the common goal of helping
and a new wellness committee. The Disability Support Organization, the the school. Volunteers are given a high
NDPA is vital in building our school Riverdale Community Representa- degree of autonomy and are encour-
community through service activities, tive, The South Asian Families, and aged to work on a committee that
participation in the annual Lower Di- Teacher-Staff Appreciation. The afore- matches their skill set or provides an
vision Carnival in the spring, facilitat- mentioned groups and committees opportunity for personal growth. The
ing the taking of School Photos and provide various programming for committees successfully carry out a
the creation of classroom placemats. parents ranging from coffee hours and huge array of events, activities, and
The Lower Division has a very ac- discussion groups to relevant presen- initiatives across the Divisions. They
tive parent body with over 145 differ- tations and projects. achieve the core goals of building
ent parents on approximately 29 com- Other groups help support stu- community and fundraising for the
mittees and more volunteers who con- dents, the school, and increase morale school.
tribute at events. The Community Ser- through ensuring attendance at school Our goal for the future is to widen our
vice Committee holds drives where events, organizing trips to the theatre, family of volunteers. We constantly
items such as Halloween costumes, and fundraising. For example, the seek to find new and improved ways
coats, and toys are collected for local themed 700+ attendee Annual Benefit to better include and involve working
charities. An annual springtime Car- fundraiser is executed entirely by HM parents, parents that are new to the
nival is held for Lower and Nursery parents and alumni volunteers and school, and any other parent or
Division families to enjoy a fun day of raises substantial funds through auc- guardian who has been hesitant to
games, crafts, rides, and food. The LD- tions, gift solicitations, and a publica- volunteer because of time commit-
PA also hosts Bingo Night at the tion sold to families and friends of ments, lack of interest, or wariness of
school in December and an ice-skating HM (Lion’s Pride). The Horace Mann the parent body. Once involved, most
party at Wollman Rink in March for Parents Association works diligently parents find the friendship and sense
parents and children. to support the school and maintain a of accomplishment worth the com-
The Middle Division has 22 Com- commitment to the core values. mitment, and become steady, loyal
mittees with over 80 chairs. The MD- Strengths and Development Needs volunteers.
PA pursues its goals in many ways in- The HMPA’s greatest strength is
cluding seminars featuring members
HORACE MANN Page 2 of 3
of the faculty to inform parents of top- PARENTS ASSOCIATION
ical issues, bake sales to help support 546 Representatives
our “Middle Mania” spring field day
HMPA
and an International Food Festival in- •••PFSrierecssoti ndVdein cVtei cPer ePsriedseindtent EOXFEFCI6UCTEIRVSE •••ADBudevsmienilneoispssmt rOaetfnifvti ceLe iL aLiiaisaiosinsoosnns
corporating the diverse cultures of our •Treasurer
•Assitant Treasurer
families. •Secretary
Although participation in the
HMPA somewhat decreases in the
NURSERY LOWER MIDDLE UPPER EXECUTIVE
Upper Division, we are pleased to DIVISION DIVISION DIVISION DIVISION BOARD
BOARD BOARD BOARD BOARD
have over 121 volunteers this year and 3 4 3 4
25 committees such as Athletics, • Chair • Chair (s) • Chair (s) • Chair (s)
• Vice-Chair • Vice-Chair • Vice-Chair • Vice-Chair
Learning Disability Parent Support • Secretary • Secretary • Secretary • Secretary
Committee, Notification Chain, Nutri-
BOARD COMMITTEES/NUMBER OF PARENT MEMBERS
tion Committee, Parents Book Club, 23/100 29/149 22/83 25/121 26/73
Art & Publicity Art Committee Athletics Committee Athletics Committee Alumni Council Liaisons
Values and Ethics. Benefit Reps Arts Festival Reps Benefit Reps Benefit Athletics Committee
Representatives
Book Fair Athletics Comm Book Fair Ctee. Book Club Benefit Committee
Each division also supports vari- Bulletin Reps Benefit Reps Bulletin Reps Bake Sale Ctee. Black Parents Union
Carnival Comte. Bingo Night Community Svc. Book Fair Ctee. Bulletin Editors
ous Executive Board committees, CSeomffienea Hrsour Parent Book Fair Donate a Book Bulletin Reps CCVA Liaisons
Community Svce. Bulletin Reps Friend of Perf Arts CityBus/Subway Pass Community Service Liais.
events and programs such as meet- Carnival Committee Carnival Committee FArritesnds of Visual Donate a Book Constitution Committee
Donate a Book Chess Reps Holiday Gift Fund Friends of the Band Dorr Nature Lab Liais.
ings with administration, Parents for Holiday Gift Fund Connty Svc Comte Homecoming Coord. Friends of Glee Club Friends of the Arts
Library Volunteers Donate a Book Intl. Food Festival Friends of Visual Arts HM Goes to the Theatre
Outfitting 5th Grade Bake Sale Middle Mania Holiday Gift Fund Holiday Gift Fund
New Parents (orientation and mentor- Parents League Reps Holiday Gift Fund Emerg. Notif, Chain Homecoming Coord. Homecoming Co-Chairs
Parents for New Parents Homecoming Coord. Parents for New Internship Program Korean Parents League
ship program for new parents), Placemats Ice Skating Party PPaarreennttss in Action LD Parent Support Emerg. Notification Chain
School Photos Emerg. Notif, Chain Party Registry Emerg. Notif, Chain Office of Diversity Liais.
Homecoming, and The Bulletin. WWeellllnneessss Advisory OPaurtefnitttsi nfgo rC Nteeew. RViavlueredsa &le ECtmhitcys Reps NPaurternittiso nfo rC Nteeew. PPaarreennttss fino rA Ncetiwon P Carheanitrs
Comte. Parents Parents
Executive Board Yearbook Parents in Action 6th Grade Reps Parents in Action Parents of Alumni
3’s Grade Reps School Photos 7th Grade Reps Values and Ethics Riverdale Commty Rep.
4’s Grade Reps Values & Ethics 8th Grade Reps 9th Grade Reps S. Asian Families Group
The Executive Board consists of 26 K’s Grade Reps Video Coordinators 10th Grade Reps Teacher-Staff
Appreciation
K Grade Reps 11th Grade Reps Values & Ethics
committees with 73 chairs (selected by 1st Grade Reps 12th Grade Reps Web-team
2nd Grade Reps Members at Large
the Executive Officers and committee 34rthd GGrraaddee RReeppss Presidents Council
5th Grade Reps
members) and oversees groups and
Page 5
BUILDING COMMUNITY AT HORACE MANN AND BEYOND
A Family Trip to Ethiopia
By Dr. Philip Lister
Thanks to our daughter, Molly [HM
2006], now in her second year at
Northwestern University, we spent
the winter break in Ethiopia. After
graduating from Horace Mann, Molly
deferred her college matriculation in
order to take a “gap year” in which
she traveled to Costa Rica, Ecuador,
India, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Uganda.
When she was developing her plans
for the year, we met Gebre Beyene and
Connie Bisrat. a couple who had
grown up in Ethiopia; after spending
er
many years working in the US, theyst
Li
went back to Ethiopia to address somehil
P
of the hardships so widespread there. by
o
Gabe and Connie came to ourot
h
P
home and we learned about the pro-
ject at the center of their work, the Solomon Lister ’16 and new friends in Mekele, Ethiopia
Hope Orphanage. Molly stayed with
Gabe and Connie at the Hope Or- Connie spends most of her time. a farmer. Our path went over a couple
phange for a month during her trav- We met the fourteen children now of dry streambeds, as it was the arid
els, and was with them when they at the orphanage, and they showed us season, and eventually up a hillside to
took in the first four orphans in No- around their home, including the the very simple cinderblock school
vember 2006. In addition to spending building with the seven cows and buildings. Across the fields children
time with the kids at the orphanage, three calves, and scores of chickens. wearing their blue school uniform
Molly went each day to a small school They have a lush flower garden and a shirts came from all directions, some
where she taught English to a class of robust beginning to a large vegetable walking two hours to get to school.
seventy eighth graders. It was a magi- garden. There are two buildings in an When they saw us, they were excited
cal experience for Molly. early phase of construction. One is to and awed, calling “ferengi!” [foreign-
Reminiscing about her gap year be a dining hall, indoor playground, er]. They would come near and offer
during her freshman year at North- and multipurpose hall, with addition- to shake hands, using the English they
western, Molly wondered aloud, al dormitory space above so that the had memorized, “How are you? What
“When will I ever get back there?” It eventual capacity will expand to 150 is your name?”
dawned on me that we could take her children; the other building underway By the time we reached the Addis
back to Ethiopia, and we could make a is planned to be a six-floor school Alem School, grades 1- 8, a crowd of
family trip of it. We did just that this building. kids from ages 6 to 18 surrounded us.
past winter break; my wife, Elena, and As the Ethiopian calendar is dif- The director was new since Molly
I took Solomon [HM 2016], now a fifth ferent from ours, and Christmas is cel- taught there two years ago, but some
grader, and, as soon as Molly got ebrated at a later date, school was in of the teachers were the same, particu-
home from college, the four of us em- session, and we had the opportunity larly Azmera, the English teacher for
to go to the same school where Molly grades seven and eight. She wel-
barked. Molly got to revisit an experi-
taught. Children from the orphanage comed us to teach her classes. Each
ence she treasured, and we had the
took us by the hand and escorted us morning we rose at dawn, when it
chance to share it with her, while at
the twenty-five minute walk to their was chilly, and got a taxi ride to the or-
the same time having a new adven-
school. It was a beautiful walk under a phanage. We said hello to Gabe and
ture.
wide blue cloudless sky, through the Connie and then walked to school to
We flew from New York to Addis
dusty terrain with scattered grass and teach from 8:00 to 11:30am. We were
Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, by way
shrubbery, mountains in the back- left to improvise, trying to help the
of Washington and Rome. From Addis
ground, flocks of goats, occasional students learn the difference between
Ababa, we hopped a plane ride an
cows, oxen, and donkeys ranging present, past, and future tenses with
hour north to Mekele, the capital of
freely across this unfenced plain, verbs in English. The main challenge
the Tigrai region. We met Gabe as we
tended minimally by a few watching was to make them comfortable
settled into the comfortable Axom Ho-
youths. No tractors anywhere, but, enough to use the English they knew,
tel. He showed us around the town
rather, soil was being turned by an ox without simply repeating memorized
and took us to see the Hope Orphan-
pulling a primitive plow, whipped by phrases. It was difficult but fascinat-
age a few miles outside of town where
Page 6
The HM Bulletin April/May 2009
HM Community Supports Our Soldiers
The Upper Division Support Our Soldiers
Club shares a letter received from Chap-
lain Andrew J. Cohen, Ch., Capt., USAF.
The Club’s President is Arynne Wexler;
F
A
its advisor is Dr. Eric Eilen. S
U
pt.,
a
“We received your very kind pack- C
ages and salutations recently, and Ch.,
have begun to distribute the items to en,
h
the military members. It really is Co
tremendously beneficial to have such w J.
e
support being expressed by all of you. dr
n
A
We never get tired of hearing your n
ai
words of support and thanks. It’s pl
a
h
tough being away from our families C
of
for so many months, but we hear the y
s
e
words of thanks from a grateful na- urt
o
tion, and it makes it a lot easier. o c
As a chaplain, my job is to visit the hot
P
soldiers, sailors, and airmen at their
Chaplain Andrew J. Cohen giving encouragement to Senior Airman Martin
duty stations—to distribute items
such as you donated, or to offer a
chaplain. him some encouraging words of sup-
prayer for them, or to talk to them
Here at Balad, everyone I deal port for the hard work he does in fix-
about whatever is on their mind.
with is in the Air Force. But at An- ing the F-16s.
While I am in Iraq, I work on the flight
drews, I have Army soldiers and In the next photo, I was sharing a
line where all the planes take off and
Marines who work in the hospital, in prayer before a mission.
land. I minister to the pilots, mechan-
addition to the Airmen. Chaplains have absolute confi-
ics, airfield crew, and the medivac
In the first attached photo, with dentiality, so whatever a person says
flight crews. However, where I am sta-
Senior Airman Martin, I had just taken to the chaplain is held in confidence.
tioned in the US, at Andrews Air
him some cold drinks on a 115 degree People like it when we come out to see
Force Base, MD, I am the hospital
summer afternoon, and was giving (Continued on page 17)
Trip to Ethiopia
ty, they will leave the home and live in a dormitory. They
will have room and board paid by the government, but no
additional support, for books or computers. Meeting with
ing. Solomon rotated as a teaching assistant with each of us
the girls every day, we grew fond of them and miss them.
– sister, mom, and dad. The school was very rudimentary.
One afternoon, while Sol and Molly visited with the
Most kids’ parents were farmers, just making ends meet,
blind girls, Elena and I visited the Mekele Hospital. We
and many did not have electricity. We were struck by the
were moved and upset to see the conditions. For instance,
value the kids placed on education, their hunger to learn,
four infants took turns accessing one tank of oxygen; some
and their appreciation that we were interested in them.
were likely to perish. Nonetheless, the nurses and physi-
Gabe gave us a suggestion for our afternoons. He took
cians we met showed great commitment to their work, de-
us to a home for blind teenage girls. These high school girls,
votion to their patients and to making the best of a difficult
most of whose blindness could have been prevented if they
situation.
had the benefits of Western medicine, very much wanted to
In his journal Sol mused, “I think that most Americans,
practice conversational English. For them it is a skill of great
including me, sometimes take things for granted…and
importance for their future educational ambitions. The
don’t think how fortunate they are…. I can see the pover-
three girls with whom we most connected (Zahra, Ekuba,
ty… which helps me really understand the horrible world
and Letebrehan) are all very bright, perform at a high level
situation…. Ethiopia is so astoundingly breathtaking….
academically, and hope to go to university and pursue pro-
[I’ve had] an awesome and life-changing experience in
fessional degrees. We played card games with them, taught
Africa.” Glad to have made the journey, we are all glad to be
them English phrases, while they taught us Tigrinya words
home. Elena and I share the sense of our lives being
and how to write Braille. In Solomon’s journal, he wrote, “I
changed.
was amazed at how the girls played games and read. They
Some additional information about Gabe and Connie
were pretty good at the games, too. They’re not sad or look-
can be found on the Internet:
ing for pity.” We had a fascinating trip when we took their
http://www.hope4ethiopia.org/about_overview.php
arms and walked with them from their home to a huge
http://orphansofethiopia.org
open-air market, where all manner of clothing, house
http://consciouswoman.org/2007/12/02/conscious-
wares, and food were for sale. Upon acceptance to universi-
woman-of-the-month-december-2007/
Page 7
SPECIAL FEATURE: The Election and The Economy at HM
The HM Bulletin April/May 2009
Economic Issues at Fall State of School Address
By Michele Maroti
At last fall’s annual State of the School
address Board Chair, Steven M. Fried-
man ‘72, P ‘08, ‘06, ‘02 focused on both
the impact the financial environment
might have on Horace Mann and the
Board’s continued commitment to the
quality of a HM education. In early Oc-
tober, in a crowded Gross Theatre, Mr.
Friedman welcomed new parents, old
friends and returning parents to the
n
evening and said he planned to give an de
ol
overview of the Board’s role, to discuss G
a
the financial state of the school and to Lis
y
reiterate the importance of all of us sup- o b
porting HM during these challenging hot
P
times.
Mr. Friedman started by explaining
HMPA President Andrea Baumann Lustig addresses the Horace Mann commu-
that the Board’s function is general
nity while Board Chair, Steven M. Friedman ’72, P ’08, ’06, ’02 and Head of
oversight, long-term planning and capi-
School Dr. Tom Kelly, P ’18 look on
tal expenditures. Education and acade-
mics on the other hand, are directed, su-
school had $67 million in assets and But he does know, that it will be dif-
pervised and implemented by Head of
$100 million in debt. However, HM was ficult to achieve our budget if our An-
School, Dr. Kelly, division heads and
able to grow endowment assets to $160 nual Fund campaign isn’t successful
other key faculty members. This year,
million with a combination of careful this year. Annual Fund is the collection
the Board will be a part of a 10-year re-
budgeting, a successful campaign and of unrestricted dollars that, combined
accreditation review being conducted
solid investing. Mr. Friedman explained with tuition revenues, helps to cover op-
by NYSAIS, which will involve a self-
to the parents that essentially the invest- erating costs and general capital expen-
study that encompasses a review of all
ment income was able to pay for the in- ditures. The Board is very carefully de-
components of Horace Mann. After the
terest expense. Tuition revenues and veloping contingency plans on spend-
self-study, members of NYSAIS will vis-
Annual Fund paid for operations and
it Horace Mann for an evaluation and ing levels, staffing, revenue, and other
ordinary capital expenditures through
make recommendations to the adminis- expenses in the event Annual Fund is
the July 2007 school year and December
tration. Additionally, the Board will be not as successful as is hoped.
2007 calendar year.
working to determine the feasibility of a However, all decisions are being
However, last spring the Board was
capital plan to address facilities, finan- made with an eye to maintaining HM’s
forced to discuss repaying the debt and
cial aid, and programs. exceptional programs and educational
de-leveraging the balance sheet as inter-
Mr. Friedman said that the chal- experience. Mr. Friedman assured the
est expense was increasing due to the
lenge the school faces, existed even pri- audience that the 122 year tradition of
auction rate market deterioration and
or to the financial crisis we are experi- HM excellence would not suffer or be at
increasing risks in the security markets.
encing today. “We have faced the con- risk. The quality of the educational ex-
So, in July assets were sold and $60 mil-
tinued balancing act of trying to provide perience at Horace Mann will not be
lion of the $100 million in debt was re-
the finest independent school education
compromised.
tired. Mr. Friedman explained that this
while moderating tuition growth, pay-
To best illustrate the quality of
ing faculty and administrators fairly, has left the Board continuing to think
HM’s students, Mr. Friedman invited
providing aid to academically qualified about asset allocation and whether to
parents to visit a graduation and see up
kids and at the same time, limiting class retain or retire the remaining debt. The
close a view of the excellence of the kids
and school size.” In addition to general discussion is continuing but there is a
who graduate from the school. “The
operating costs and annual expenses, consensus that the July decision dra-
Horace Mann also has been committed matically reduced HM’s financial risk. kids are simply terrific and thoroughly
to two major capital initiatives. The underlying concern that faces prepared for purposeful lives and col-
Mr. Friedman said HM has spent Horace Mann and other independent lege when they leave us.” Friedman
much of the last decade being involved schools in New York, according to Mr. continued by reiterating that these are
in two building campaigns. The pur- Friedman, is the extent to which fami- unusual times and it’s a time that we
pose of the campaigns was to raise lies can afford an independent school need to stay united as a community. He
funds to service the 100 million dollar education N-12. Mr. Friedman added ended by reminding everyone that this
building debt. To put this in perspective, that he feels the fallout from Wall Street is the year we really need everyone who
before the second campaign began, the hasn’t been fully felt yet. can, to support Annual Fund.
Page 8
The HM Bulletin April/May 2009
MMDD && UUDD:: TTeecchhnnoollooggyy’’ss RRoollee iinn MMaakkiinngg ooff aa PPrreessiiddeenntt aanndd tthhee TTeeaacchhiinngg ooff aann EElleeccttiioonn
By Shari Adler act replica of the
one given to the
When the history books are written, New York State
technology will undoubtedly be seen voters. Students
to have played a prominent role in the could use the in-
election of President Barack Obama. formation on that
However, while technology played a card to electroni-
critical role in Obama’s campaign, it cally vote on the
also permeated much of the Horace actual Election
Mann Middle and Upper Division’s Day from 6 AM to
study of the 2008 Election. This includ- 9 PM, just like
ed polling, the media and a mock elec- those of legal vot-
tion. ing age in New
Sam Schalman-Bergen, responsi- York State. 77%, or 2
1
ble for “Human Development” in the about 400, of regis- er ’
dl
Technology Department said, “The tered Middle Divi- x A
e
Obama campaign targeted young peo- sion students vot- Al
y
ple through technology. By having ed; the results were o b
young people push the agenda, it be- similar to those in hot
P
came a grass roots campaign. The Oba- the actual New
ma staff used social network websites York City election. Digital collage illustrating media’s influence on the elec-
such as Facebook, YouTube, and My The students voted tion created for Nicholas Faba’s computer class
Space to attract young people.” Schal- 77.8% for Obama/Biden, and 22.2% The Upper Division took a differ-
man-Bergen’s objective is to integrate for McCain/Palin. That compared ent approach to studying the 2008
technology into the classroom and the with the New York City result of Oba- Election. While there was no mock
curriculum. He works with HM teach- ma 86%, and McCain 14% (as reported election, there was still a rigorous in-
ers of students as young as kinder- in the Daily News). teractive participatory educational
garten age. Students also voted their opinions process. These students took on the
Schalman-Bergen says that stu- regarding current critical topics such roles of reporters documenting the
dents in the Middle and Upper Divi- as: the Economy, Iraq and Foreign Pol- news, as well as the roles of historians
sions “felt empowered because the icy, Environment and Energy, Health studying the significance of the 2008
students themselves, ultimately, be- Care, Education, Social Security, and Election as an historical event.
came their own media source.” The Immigration. Students’ views regard- In Nicholas Faba’s computer class,
Middle Division students participated ing the candidates’ level of expertise in the study of the election resulted in a
as citizens with their own voting privi- each area affected their opinions and student-made digital collage illustrat-
leges. The Upper Divisions researched ultimate vote. ing the media’s influence on the shap-
and posted their findings onto custom- Additionally, all the Middle Divi- ing of our opinions. One student titled
designed classroom websites. sion history teachers held class discus- his project: “Who Really Controls the
Isaac Brooks suggested to the Mid- sions regarding the election both be- Election,” and depicted in the palm of
dle Division History Department that fore and after Election Day. In particu- a hand an I-Phone showing the logos
he create an in-school election to in- lar, lessons and/or topics covered of CNN, Fox News, CNBC, and Satur-
volve students in the election process, were: how Americans elect their presi- day Night Live, with the images of
the candidates, and the issues. Natu- dents; party platforms and the issues Obama and McCain.
rally, the election was just a simula- they address; and, Horace Mann elec- Dr. Daniel Link teaches a class on
tion. But Brooks, knowing that the HM tion results against the context of the “Topics in History.” During the first
students are a savvy group, pursued national election. trimester the section was called “The
his objective through a creative Brooks said that the Middle Divi- Race for the Presidency.” The objective
process that would be both sophisti- sion students took particular interest of the course was to compare various
cated and electronic. Toward that end, in this election. They were animated in news sources. The daily developments
Brooks engaged the assistance of class discussions, and most took the of the campaign were followed in class
Schalman-Bergen to create an electron- opportunity to vote in their division and students were given weekly as-
ic version of voting. Brooks then in- mock election. This election was more signments to cover different media
volved Mitch Francis, the School’s than a mimicking of the parents; it was sources, encompassing cable and net-
Registrar, and Robin Ingram, Head of about students participating them- work TV, radio, Internet, newspapers,
the Middle Division, for final ap- selves. Although Brooks concedes that and magazines. Each student reported
proval. Everyone was on board. this is the first mock election in his sev- on the coverage from the one media
The first step was to give each of en years at HM, he promises for a re- source to which he or she was as-
the 453 Middle Division students a peat play in the next four! signed.
Voter Registration Card, almost an ex- (Continued on page 12)
Page 9
The HM Bulletin April/May 2009
Election 2008 Sparks Enthusiasm in Lower Division
By Claudia Covo
Last year’s Presidential election at-
tracted much interest among young
people, including the students of the
Lower Division who exhibited a high
level of curiosity and enthusiasm. The
election of our country’s 44th presi-
dent provided a real-time history les-
son for Ms. Eileen Resnik’s students.
Ms. Resnik, a fifth grade teacher,
taught her students the history of the
election process in our country. She
began by explaining the concept of
democracy and how it originated in
ancient Athens. Resnick then gave the
children an overview of the history of Yo
voting rights in the United States; in na
u
1789 only white men who owned land y Y
b
or a business were permitted to vote; o
ot
in 1879 African-Americans were given Ph
the right to vote; in 1920 women were
Lower Division students watch the inauguration in the gymnasium
granted the right to vote; and in 1971
the voting age was changed from 21 to and therefore help the economy….”
18. The class also discussed the system Regarding health care, one student
of the Electoral College and the num- wrote, “Many Americans cannot af-
ber of electoral votes allotted to each ford health care, and that affects all of
state. Resnik used bar graphs to show us….” The students also exhibited
the children that historically many concern about energy and the envi-
people who had the right to vote did ronment. One student commented,
not exercise this privilege and that, in “We need to begin to invest money in
this latest election, more young people clean energy alternatives such as wind
than ever before voted. power and address the problem of
Leading up to Election Day, global warming. Too many beautiful
Resnik discussed several pressing is- animals in the Arctic are losing their
sues with the students. The children habitats….”
researched the candidates’ views on Editors’ Postscript: We contacted
the war in Iraq, the economy, health Eileen Resnik to ask her to reflect on the
care, energy and the environment. In Lower Division’s experience of President
general, the students were against the Obama’s inauguration on January 20,
war in Iraq; they expressed concern 2009 and she reported: “On Inauguration
over the amount of money that was Day, a large screen, broadcasting the day’s
being spent on the war and wanted events from CNN’s coverage, was set up er
the troops to come home. In letters in the Lower Division gymnasium. Dis- nd
e
B
that students wrote to the candidates, cussions appropriate to each grade level n
e
one student commented, “Many peo- were held for several days in the class- Ell
y
ple have been wounded or lost in Iraq. rooms, and on January 20th the excite- o b
I was wondering if you could find a ment was palpable. Fourth and fifth grade hot
P
way to help the families of the soldiers students began watching the proceedings
with health care and taxes….” Anoth- at 11:00, followed by grades K-3 at 11:45. Digital Photo Collage of President
er student wrote, “I highly support Watching this historic event as a commu- Barack Obama on display in Fisher
your plan to take troops out of Iraq nity was most meaningful to the students, Hall
and to spend more money on pre- their teachers and to every member of ad- SAVE THE DATE
kindergarten….” In expressing aware- ministration and staff who joined us for
ness about the economy, one student this truly memorable occasion.” May 15, 2009
wrote, “I think that you should cut
Upper Division Glee Club &
capital gains taxes for all Americans in
order to encourage people to invest Orchestra Concert
Page 10