The e-Dubliner November 19, 2013

The e-Dubliner
November 19, 2013
The Most Important Thing to Teach
By Bradford Bates
Athletic
Schedule
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Newsletter Staff
Editor:
Nicole Sintetos
Staff Writers
Leah Star
Talia Cohen
Dieter Brehms
Copy Editor:
Jan Haman
Anne Mackey
Photos:
Anne Mackey
Nicole Sintetos
Donna Stone
“Persuasive writing is the most important
thing you can teach your students.” This was
not necessarily the answer I was expecting to
hear when asking a former Dublin student,
turned scientist, turned Stanford University
president, turned editor of Science
Magazine, what we
should be teaching
our students at
Dublin School. For
Dr. Donald
Kennedy, Dublin
teacher Bill North
taught writing in
such a powerful way
that he carried his
lessons with him throughout his career. Dr.
Kennedy read many manuscripts as a
professor and as a magazine editor and was
shocked by how many smart people
struggled to communicate their great ideas
in writing.
While Dublin is increasing its focus on
programming, robotics, science and math,
what I have termed PRSM (I am getting a
little tired of all the STEM and STEAM
talk!), our teachers at Dublin fortunately
spend a great deal of time working with
their students on writing. Last week I met
with new English Department Chair Alicia
Hammond and heard about all the exciting
ways her department is teaching and1
learning about writing. From a class Twitter
account, to assignments that focus on
sentences and paragraphs, to the
development of larger essays, they are finetuning their process for building the writing
skills of our students. I particularly like how
they are assigning
readings to match
the kind of writing
they would like to
see from their
students. I remember
hearing about how
Malcolm Gladwell
read one hundred
New Yorker essays
after he was asked to write one himself--he
wanted to learn from others. What a simple
concept.
I have also been thrilled to see Learning
Skills tutor Shelly Farrell develop our
Writing Center. Student writers are trained
to help other students with their papers and
essays and take turns running the Center
after dinner during the week. Yes, they help
other students, but they would be the first to
tell you how much their own writing is
improving as they work to build the skills of
others. So, what is the lesson? Read the style
of writing you wish to emulate, write, and
when you get a chance, help others with
their writing. Are you persuaded?
The Week in Review
November 13– November 19th
1
The Day Student Boys Edge out Lehmann Dorm to win
the Residential Life Olympics. The final score was close,
but the day student boys came away with the win thanks to
nearly perfect morning meeting attendance.
2
Mountain Bike Race featured in Monadnock-Ledger
Read about our own “Pedal Pushers” by clicking
HERE.
Above: The Lehmann
boys won first place
in the Dress Code
Walk-Off
Annual Pi Run Ends with Sweet Treats
3The student
body assembled on lower field for the annual
3.1415 kilometer race, followed by some fresh apple pie.
1st Male Student- Will Utzschneider
1st Female Student - Tatum Wilson.
4
Students Stun Crowd at Coffeehouse. Students jammed to the tunes
of Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones at
Mainecrust Pizza last Saturday night. Over
a quarter of the school munched on pizza,
sang, and played at the event.
44Reach for the finish!
5
Finals are almost over!
You can do it!
2
lin
b
Du hool
Sc
THEN & NOW
The e-Dubliner Explores the Archives
A New Series for the months of November and December
Music at Dublin School
Maple Sugaring
Work Gang
3
On Poetry
Riding the Subway
By AJ Simpson (2017)
Soul after soul drifting,
unaware of their surroundings,
troubles of the day haunt the darkest of hearts
invisible from the outside.
A new day, a new endless, eternal cycle to be
passed down through the generations.
It is a home, a carriage, driven by one,
responsible for thousands more.
So many lives and yet so replaceable.
Everyone can ride it, but only few can control it.
Bones
By Tatum Wilson (2016)
I never understood why we went to the beach in the winter.
The water was just freezing pressure
surrounding my rain boots,
Enveloping my ankles in the lonely December waves.
Even though I wasn't even touching it.
I Stand
By G.H. Werwowinski (2017)
I stood first, took my jacket off,
And watched as the others followed suit
The intolerance in their houses
Watched, trying to refute.
Everything looked the same on the beach,
Winter or summer.
It just felt different.
And children in the upper floors
Watched with clueless eyes,
Think I’m simply out to pick up some milk
Their naivety scares me to my own demise
Once I found an old bone half buried in the sand,
The previously white enamel Eroded by the tossing ocean current,
Now just a smooth, spotted gray.
But no one touched me till the divide
Crossed the very street
Into a whole new world
Where the air turned into pure heat.
I wouldn't touch it.
They stood, one wall, locked together
As one, they were a tank
On their own their recent views disappeared
A holding with its own reserve bank
Scared, not because it used to be living,
Because it was dead.
And all that was left from this creature,
Was a small piece of bone.
I watched it.
Hoping it would morph into a rock,
A piece of sea glass,
Anything but the presence of death.
And I- And we- Stood
We left our hate
Threw down the suffering, the fear
Hearts beating at a single rate
Until we hit the brick wall
Cracks slowly spreading
Suddenly pushing back
You see, the due date was early.
Today at the water's edge,
I stand with appraising eyes.
Watching the ocean tumble before me,
I finally see that it is the essence of life.
4
Robotics
We have some big news: Not only is the robotics team growing this year, but we are also
running the team wholly within Dublin
School. If you are a returning fan, look for
FIRST Team 1786.
The ultimate goal of FIRST Robotics is, of
course, to produce a machine capable of performing some set of tasks efficiently and reliably with only six weeks of prep time. Doing so
requires students to access the skill sets of
physics, mathematics, engineering, and comThe Bot Cave has also had a face lift. We have puter science. But there is more to FRC than
added a new, larger build space in the basejust this. Our students must also maintain a
ment of Lehmann, complete with a small ma- public website, write essays, craft grants, make
chine shop. In the machine shop we have a
videos to present to a panel of professional ennew CAD computer, metal lathe, drill press,
gineers, design promotional materials, and
and chop saw, as well as a full panoply of hand organize groups within the team. Additionaltools. All of these great new things will allow ly, students learn real skills in the machine
us to better accomplish the goals of the proshop, make parts from raw materials, design
gram.
parts in Solidworks (a professional computer
aided design software) and participate in the
FIRST Robotics is more than just a sport for
engineering design process mentored by prothese students. As a teacher, I have always
preferred to use a “learn-by-doing” pedagogy. fessional engineers.
I strive to give students authentic problems
We are not just building a team; we are buildwith real, achievable goals, a framework of
ing future careers.
time and project management, and access to
expert advice. FRC fits this pedagogy more
-Jason Cox
perfectly than any academic course because of
Technology Teacher
the scope of the project and the breadth of
FIRST Robotics Mentor Team 1786
content areas it touches.
Assistant Director of IT
5
Congratulations!
Nina (French)
and Michael
Silitch (Math)
were featured
on
FasterSkier.com
Click
)
Congratulations to Molly-Hope
Forgaard for earning a National
Merit Scholar Commendation!
Dieter Brehm
did an
excellent job
Photoshopping
Mr. Bates’
face onto the
Moxie Man.
HERE
to read the
article.
A Message from the President of the Parents’ Association
Dear Parents,
Do you have a question about student life at
Dublin School that you’re not sure who to
ask? If you drop me an email at
[email protected], we’ll provide an
answer in an upcoming newsletter. .
Parents Café on December 2
If you’re bringing your son or daughter to
Dublin on Monday night after Thanksgiving
break, please stop by the Schoolhouse between
5pm and 7pm for coffee and refreshments
before you begin your homeward
journey. There is no formal program – just a
casual opportunity to meet staff and fellow
parents. Join us!
Cathy Phillips
6
Beyond the Quad
Dublin Alumni
Waise Azimi ’00 lives and works
in the Philippines
Skiffs Designed for
Alaskan Waters
By Renn Tolman ’51
John Toland ’83 called
our attention to Renn
Tolman ’51, a classmate
of John's father, Yale
Toland ’51. Renn is the
author
of
“Tolman's
Alaskan Skiffs.” He built
his first boat in 1971, and
has since built over 60 skiffs for sport and
commercial use. His book contains instructions for
the three models he has designed: the “Standard,”
the “Widebody,” and the “Jumbo.”
Typhoons-struck Philippines last week and we
were concerned about the people, specifically
Waise Azimi ’00, who with his sister, Sarah
’01 attended Dublin. We were relieved when
Waise posted the following: “I have received
some touching emails and messages about my
welfare out here. Thankfully, largely Metro
Manila was largely spared from the storm and I
am perfectly fine. While the storm has been
costly and devastating, have faith in the
strength and courage of the Filipino to endure
and overcome.”
“Here’s a boat you can build with common tools,
common skills, and common materials,” says Renn.
Thank you to John Toland for this information.
For more information on Tolman Skiff Books
visit www.alaska.net/~tolmanskiffs/
Alison’s Award Winning
Halloween Costume
Alison Poirier ’12, currently a sophomore at Eckerd College in St.
Petersburg, Florida. She attended the school’s Halloween festivities
and went as a Roy Lichtenstein painting. She looks amazing and won
the top prize, a $100 dinner gift certificate. Congratulations Alison!
7
Beyond the Quad