dubliner - Dublin School

e- DUBLINER
At Dublin School, we strive to awaken a
curiosity for knowledge and a passion for learning. We instill the values
of discipline and meaningful work
that are necessary for the good of
self and community. We respect the
individual learning style and unique
potential each student brings to our
School. With our guidance, Dublin
students become men and women
who seek truth and act with courage.
Vol. IX, Issue 14
UPCOMING
EVENTS:
JANUARY 15
Humanities &
Art Opening
JANUARY 18
Midterm
JANUARY 27-28
Spirit Week
JANUARY 29
Lip Sync
JANUARY 30
Winterfest Games
JANUARY 30-FEB 3
Winter Break
FEBRUARY 18-24
Arts Production
***
For more stories,
check out
Brad’s Blog!
WINTERFEST IS
COMING.
REGISTER
HERE!
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ALL IN A DUBLIN WEEKEND:
ICE SKATING, A BONFIRE, & A CONTRADANCE
Photos by Noelia Calcano, Harry Flores, and Somali Green
“Being Better Than Yourself:”
Calvin Bates on the USSA Senior Nationals Nordic Races
By Rachael Jennings
During the first week of January, Calvin Bates ’17
traveled to the frozen northern peninsula of Houghton, Michigan for the USSA Senior Nationals. Calvin,
who made the journey with a Nordic club called CSU
Massachusetts, competed in a rigorous week-long series of races—against elite Nordic racers from across
the country.
Bates traveled with
eight other athletes and five
coaches to represent his
club, and he credits DXC
Coach Kathy Maddock, who
recently joined the team and
has been “super helpful” in
Bates’ progress as an athlete.
Bates has been
skiing his whole life, and his
passion for the sport radiates.
While recognizing
the great impact of his current coaches, he also adds,
“my dad has been my coach
my whole life. He has really
motivated me.”
That motivation,
practice, and passion helped
Bates fare well in a series of
races.
In the competitions,
individuals were grouped
by men’s or women’s categories; they were not categorized by age. That means that Bates raced against
athletes of all ages. “I was definitely ‘in it’ for most of
the races,” says Bates, humbly but with excitement.
“I was in a group that was competing for the top six
spots, which designates the six who will go to a u18
(under eighteen category) World Championship in
Europe. It’s in Estonia this year.”
On Sunday, he raced the Classic 15K, during
which he faced over fifty u18s; on Monday, he com-
peted in the Skate Sprint; on Thursday, he performed
his best in the Skate-10K.
The Skate 10K was certainly a favorite for
Bates.
“[It was my favorite race] because it was a
mass start,” he says. “You all start together, and then
you can see where you
are. I was battling it out
with a kid from Michigan for most of the
race, and by the end, I
ended up passing him.
That was pretty cool.”
In the Skate 10K, he
placed eighth out of
over fifty competitors.
It was his best race of
the series.
In fact, in the
10KM race, he was the
top skier from New
England, besting skiers
from the elite eastern
ski academies and
finishing ahead of the
one New England skier
who qualified for the
trip to Estonia.
One of the
greatest challenges of
the week arrived when
he and his eight teammates realized that their ski wax
did not suit the conditions for the Classic.
“There are skate techniques and then classic
techniques,” Bates explains. “You have this sticky wax
on the bottom of your ski for classic that helps you
push back—because you’re running, but you also
want to glide. And there are specific waxes for specific snow conditions. There was some weird snow
condition, and our wax just didn’t work. There’s a
wax testing hill, and we were testing it and it worked
fine. When we got to the race course, so many people
had raced that the tracks iced up with their wax. We
ended up not using the wax at all.”
Regardless, even with challenges, the USSA
Senior Nationals reminded Bates of the spirit of the
sport and the community that follows.
“There were four guys that I knew well from
New England who I see all the time, and then there
was a group from Sun Valley and some from Alaska,”
he says, “I went to a national [Nordic] camp before,
so I got to see a bunch of people I hadn’t seen in two
years, which was really nice.”
More so, Nordic has a refreshingly different
quality to its competitions. Bates explains, “One
thing about the sport is that—and I’ve done many
sports in my life—but here, there’s no hostility
between competitors. The people I am competing
against are my best friends. We hang out before and
after the race. There’s no hostility. No one has any
hate for their competitors. It’s a really cool thing. It’s
a different kind of motivation. It’s more about doing
better than yourself, comparing yourself to yourself,
not beating other people.”
With that spirit in mind, he looks forward to
this winter’s upcoming challenges and opportunities—both on and off Dublin’s campus. “I am in the
Eastern Cup circuit, which is a few weekends this
winter that have qualifying races for junior nationals.
I am also in the new Hampshire Coaches’ Association races, which are qualifying for Eastern High
School Championships. That means that you would
be one of twenty-four to represent your state team. I
am also doing the Dublin School high school races
every Wednesday.”
Bates’ advice for aspiring Nordic athletes?
“Definitely don’t be afraid to race. Many beginners
are afraid to race. Especially in Nordic, it’s a fun rather than an intense or stressful experience. Have fun.”
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FIRST Robotics Challenge:
STRONGHOLD
By Dublin School’s Robotics PR Team
Gareth Davies-Brown, A. Maxwell, and Mr. Alexander Scalfano
On Saturday, January 9th, FIRST revealed 2016’s game: Stronghold. While this year’s competition has challenges from games
of previous years, FIRST has added many new exciting trials for
teams to work together to overcome such as audience participation in matches and a constantly changing game field.
This year, the game consists of two towers lying on opposite sides of the field. The goal is to breach the defenses of the
opposite team and throw boulders to damage the opposite team’s
tower. There are, however, other aspects to the game as well including: scaling the enemy’s tower, driving over rough terrain, or
making it through a portcullis.
Here is the official video released by FIRST for the 2016
game year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqOKzoHJDjA
Ms. Knapp’s
Advanced
ESL Students
making Tiny
Books with
Mrs. Luongo!
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This year, Mr. Peter Imhoff, President of Dublin School’s Board of
Trustees, will be on the other end of
the diploma receiving line!
Imhoff will be named an
honorary alumnus of the Class of
2016 for the extraordinary commitment he has shown the school for
over ten years. In the words of Mr.
David Howe, “Imhoff has served
in many roles at the School, some
of which have been or are: Board
President, Website Builder and
Software Expert, School Photographer; Speechwriter,Parent of three
renowned students—one of whom is
a Dublin alum, and one of whom is a
current student, Classroom Teacher,
Visionary, Financier, and friend.”
We are glad to honor Mr.
Imhoff ’s incredible commitment,
passion, and leadership.
The Legacy and Life of Yankee Magazine
By Owen Mortner
Dublin enjoyed a surprise guest at last Tuesday’s morning meeting. Jamie Trowbridge, the CEO of
Dublin’s next-door neighbor Yankee Publishing. Mr. Trowbridge offered insight into the history of Yankee
and what he called its “legacy as a magazine for New England.” He also spoke on his personal involvement in
Yankee, explaining that he inherited the family-business from his grandfather. Mr. Trowbridge noted Yankee’s second publication, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, which is inconspicuous but extremely popular, being
one of the oldest yearly publications in the country.
Mr. Trowbridge took several apt questions from Dublin students in the second part of his presentation. Answering queries about current topics such as sponsored content and digital readership. His
professional and honest manner opened the door for thoughtful and engaged rapport with the Dublin
Community. Towards the end of his presentation, Mr. Trowbridge also said that he was “open to internship opportunities for Dublin students.” So it seems that Dublin’s friendly relationship with Yankee looks as
though it will continue to thrive and develop.
We were treated to complimentary copies of a Yankee Magazine edition that Mr. Trowbridge said
was one of the most representative issues of the periodical. Mr. Trowbridge’s presentation clearly made its
mark, since copies, handed out by Dublin newsie Mr. Marr, were eagerly snatched up as students exited the
recital hall.
“Dublin’s Spirit of Learning for All:”
FACULTY WRITING INITIATIVE
By Rachael Jennings
“Many of the faculty identify strongly as writers,”
says Sarah Doenmez, Academic Dean. “[Faculty
members] use writing for many purposes, from
journaling to poetry.” Two faculty members have
published books, one is in the process of publishing
two collections of poetry, three have written novels,
and a number of others are drafting and revising
their short story collections, essay collections, novels, plays, and, in one case, a graphic novel. Many
more have published in journals, blogs, and national
literary magazines.
“Writing well and teaching well are intimately connected,” Doenmez notes. “Powers of observation, clarity of expression, organizational control
over the flow of ideas, the ability to switch gears to
capture and sustain attention, and above all, having
something important to say are key to both teaching
and writing.”
As in any profession, we educators are always
working to develop our craft, experiment in order
to learn and relearn, and advance our mastery. The
process is an endless one for all who are committed
to the craft, whether it be teaching or writing, a sport
or a musical instrument. We want to learn new ways
to be our best selves, to be specialists, to be more
nimble and creative.
Additionally, “[on a practical level],” Doenmez says, teachers write “syllabi, assignment sheets,
unit plans, class plans, notes to post, assignments,
comments, recommendation letters, emails, notes to
advisees, cards to dormers, articles for the newsletter,
features for The Dubliner, coaching reports, speeches
for morning meeting or awards ceremonies or graduation.”
Doenmez and Rachael Jennings, English
Chair, have been working from faculty feedback to
create a series of faculty writing workshops that support an overarching Faculty Writing Initiative. Some
of the goals of this initiative are to improve faculty
awareness and use of grammar; to promote faculty
writing for fun, for sharpening ideas, for clarity; to
equip faculty across the disciplines to be excellent
teachers of writing; to publish more writing by fac-
ulty, for other faculty, and in the wider educational
world.
Since collecting feedback on what faculty
members saw as growth areas, Doenmez and Jennings have organized and executed Writing Initiative workshops on beautiful sentences; writing with
clarity, action, and purpose; using definite, concrete,
specific language; analyzing the politics of grammar;
and reviewing all comma, semicolon, and colon
rules. As part of the initiative, all faculty members
have been given copies of Strunk and White’s The
Elements of Style.
“In Dublin’s spirit of learning for all,” says
Doenmez, “we seized this opportunity to create an
oasis of learning for the joy of it in the structure of
our faculty meetings.”
“Talking about beautiful sentences and curating beautiful sentences has been a treat,” says Jennings. “Faculty have shared sentences from Joyce to
Woolf to Krauss to Kingsolver to a Vergil translation
by Nellie Herman. I love seeing what lights people
up, and, as we gather sentences, I see the sparks.”
Earlier in the year, Doenmez and Jennings
met to collaborate with Katie Trumpener, Sanford
Professor of Comparative Literature and English
at Yale University and mother to A. Maxwell, ’17.
“When we met to plan,” says Jennings, “you could
feel the excitement, the spirit of engaging with what
makes us expressive, curious, unfinished, discerning, utterly ourselves. Becoming a better writer is a
never-ending task. It is, in essence, part of becoming
a better thinker, as writing is thinking.”
Faculty members have cultivated a writing
workshop group, have been invited to contribute to
the Academic blog, and have started building plans
for a faculty literary journal. During one professional
development workshop, faculty members competed
in a Great Sentences Challenge.
Doenmez sums up the spirit of the initiative
in saying that it “allows us to clarify and expand the
reach of our writing, and, thus, it enables us to support our students more powerfully. In addition, it is
fun!”
Girls’ Varsity Victory Over
Stoneleigh Burnham School
By Michelle Knapp
Photos by Peter Imhoff
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On Saturday, the Dublin Girls traveled
to Stoneleigh Burnham School to face
the perennial River Valley Athletic
League (RVAL) champion Owls. Dublin came out a little timidly, allowing
Stoneleigh to get the first points of the
game. Dublin quickly settled into their
defense, though, effectively stopping
any further easy baskets for Stoneliegh.
At the same time, sophomores Bette
Imhoff (13 points) and Stella Davis (12
points) started hitting their outside
shots, pulling Dublin ahead. Under the
basket, Dublin seniors Clare Halacy
(5 points) and Sierra Riley (12 points)
fought for every rebound and layup,
giving Dublin a 9 point lead going into
the half.
Coming out of halftime, Stoneleigh Burnham’s number 14 put the
team on her shoulders, willing them
to overcome the deficit and chipped
away at the lead. With seven minutes
left, Davis fouled out, and Stoneleigh
had come to within points of taking
the lead. Dublin revised their defensive
plan and put in their defensive specialist, Hope Fowler, to slow down the Owl
offense.
The game came down to foul
shots in the last seconds of the game.
Tied, Stoneleigh put Bette Imhoff on
the line. Imhoff made her first shot and
missed her second. Halacy pulled down
the key rebound of the game and sent
the ball back out to Imhoff, effectively
sealing Dublin’s 43-41 win.
Dublin thanks all the fans who
came to the game to support the team.
Bette #3 - 13 points
Stella #12 - 12 points
Sierra #22 - 12 points
Clare H #24 - 5 points
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NEWSLETTER STAFF
Editor:
Rachael Jennings
Copyeditor:
Anne Mackey
Photographers:
Peter Imhoff
Donna Stone
Students
JOHN SCRIVEN’S
SENIOR PRESENTATION
By Calvin Bates
When we all gathered for morning meeting on Tuesday, only three people
knew what John Scriven’s senior presentation was going to be about, and
John was not one of them. He had asked Lilly Cambell, Hunter Bachman,
and Alexander Maxwell to create a slideshow presentation that he would display and talk about, without telling him anything about it. John talked about
his haircuts in middle school, his memories of his summer lakehouse, his
love of soccer, his fascination with time, and many other interesting topics.
At the end of the slide show, he opened a time capsule which Lilly, Hunter
and Maxwell had stocked with a few random objects and note from PJ (Past
John) to FJ (Future John). John went through all of the objects, explaining
the “meaning” behind each.
To the audience, the presentation was confusing and hilarious. John
did such an excellent job of being subtle about what was actually going on
that we had no idea he was improvising. Somehow, he kept the audience
laughing out loud throughout the presentation. Slowly we realized something was going on, but no one expected the big reveal that he was making
up his own presentation to go along with unknown and surprising prompts.
Great job, John.
The Steele Boathouse is weathered-in and on schedule to be
completed for the Spring Crew Season.
Look out for updates on this beautiful new building!
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