Upper School - Brownell

Upper School
HEADS Up!
Mr. Bill Harrell
Semester Exams & Important
End of Year Information
Spring semester exams will take place May 25-27.
Students who have test conflicts should see
Mr. Harrell immediately. Any student doubling in a
math, science, or language class should consult with
the appropriate department chair. Click here for the
exam schedule and important end of the year
information.
Frontier Conference
All-Academic Honors
Seventeen seniors received the Nebraska Frontier
Conference Academic All Conference award.
Silver Award: minimum 24 ACT or 1010 SAT and 3.5 GPA
Maddie Bock, Angela Fader, Reid Rise
Gold Award: minimum 28 ACT or 1880 SAT and 3.75 GPA
Josh Bartz, Helena Black, Lance Culjat, Julia Fiksinski,
Lindon Liu, Rachel Mazzotta, Molly Myers, Olivia Powers,
Krishn Rapoor, Harrison Runnels, Elise Siffring,
Johnson Sun, Abhinav Suresh, Adi Telikicherla
World Religions Class
Explores Omaha
On April 27, Mr. Smith and members of the World
Religions class visited five religious sites in Omaha.
Included in the field trip was the Hindu Temple, the
Beth El Synagogue, the Islamic Center of Omaha,
St. Cecilia’s Cathedral, and the Zen Center. The
students learned a great deal on the field trip - not
just a review of beliefs & practices, but also a great
deal about history, art, and architecture of these local
religious institutions. From watching Rabbi Abraham
read from the Torah; to standing near the bishop’s
cathedra at St. Cecilia’s while Father Gutgsell
explained the spiritual significance of the artwork in
the building; to sitting in zazen meditation with Zen
Master Nonin, the whole experience helped bring to
life all the source material we’ve studied throughout
the year. The students also got a glimpse of the great
diversity of faith that our community has to offer.
Students Named to Omaha
World Herald Academic Team
Heads of School
Bi-Weekly News
May 20, 2016
UPPER SCHOOL
KEY DATES
Each year, the Omaha World Herald recognizes
the top academic students from across the state of
Nebraska and Western Iowa as part of the
All-Academic Team. Schools are asked to nominate
students based on ACT/SAT scores, GPA, school
involvement, and leadership. This year, nine seniors
were eligible and submitted applications to the
OWH for academic recognition. Josh Bartz,
Helena Black, Lindon Liu, Molly Myers,
Elise Siffring, Abhinav Suresh, and Jordan Willett
received Honorable Mention in the OWH scholars
section on May 15.
Semester Exams
May 25-27
Of the hundreds of applicants for the
All-Academic Team, the OWH selects the top 12
students in each of four regions and from those
regions, an All-State Team, the top 9 students in
the state. Brownell-Talbot proudly recognizes
Julia Fiksinski and Adi Telikicherla who were
named to the Metro District First Team AND the
Academic All-State Team. Congratulations to the
Class of 2016!
Commencement
Sat May 28
10:30am
Scott Gymnasium
Nebraska High School
Theatre Awards
The Omaha Performing Arts announced the award
winners of the 2016 Nebraska High School
Theatre Awards. Junior Gabi Basile was honored
as Outstanding Supporting Actress for her
performance as Grandma in The Addams Family.
Junior Maya Matthews has been selected as a
National Finalist. She is one of 12 students
selected from all the lead actors and actresses
across the state. She will perform in the showcase
and could be chosen to represent Nebraska in
New York City. BT students Olivia Powers and
Maya Matthews will represent BT in the showcase
performance. Ms. Zeigler is honored with the
Outstanding Educator Award. These awards will
be presented at the showcase on Thursday, June 9 at
7:30pm at the Holland Performing Arts Center.
Tickets are available for $10 here!
1
Honors Day
Fri May 27
2pm
Scott Gymnasium
US Last Day of School
Fri May 27
Baccalaureate
Sat May 28
9:45am
Swanson Auditorium
_______
All Brownell-Talbot
calendar dates can
be subscribed to
and accessed on the
homepage of
brownell.edu
or by clicking here.
Upper School
HEADS Up!
Students Excel in National Spanish
and French Exams
Every year, all World Language students at BT in grades 8-12
put their language skills to the test through participation in a
national exam contest. This year, 29 French students earned
national recognition on le Grand Concours, a national French
Contest conducted by the American Association of Teachers
of French. Among Spanish students, 37 earned a national
medal and 16 earned Honorable Mention on the National
Spanish Exam. An earlier edition of HEADS Up! listed 13
Latin students honored on the National Latin Exam.
2016 National French Contest Results
27 students scored in the top 10 percentile in Nebraska
20 earned a National Medal
9 earned Honorable Mention (60th percentile or better)
Level 1 - 21,791 test takers throughout the US
Sean O’Connell Gold Medal
Sukanya Kennamthiang Gold Medal
Vincent Tang
Silver Medal
Lillian Cohen
Honorable Mention
Level 2 - 21,160 test takers in the throughout the US
Meera Nair
Gold Medal
Eliza Rice
Silver Medal
Olivia Powers
Silver Medal
Amanda Zhang
Bronze Medal
Denisse Navarro-Perez Bronze Medal
Alice Silberling
Bronze Medal
Shinee Sun
Honorable Mention
Level 3 - 18,140 test takers throughout the US
Victoria Lei
Bronze Medal
Claire Hickman
Bronze Medal
Jocelyn Ho
Bronze Medal
Grant Runnels
Honorable Mention
Level 4 - 10,900 test takers throughout the US
Wyatt Smith
Bronze Medal
Tej Murthy
Bronze Medal
Celia Vann
Honorable Mention
Level 5 - 4,753 test takers throughout the US
Abhinav Suresh
Silver Medal
Helena Black
Silver Medal
Adi Telikicherla
Honorable Mention
Senior Lunch
On Tuesday, May 17 we celebrated the class of 2016 and their
families at the Senior Lunch. Darin Larsen and Carrie Rise
spoke on behalf of the Browenll-Talbot faculty and staff and
offered some reflections on our wonderful graduates. Seniors
were presented with a gift from the Brownell-Talbot Alumni
Association and also signed their name into the alumni book.
Mr. Bill Harrell
2016 National Spanish Exam Results
Awards are determined by the percentile for each student.
Honorable Mention includes 50th percentile or better.
Level 1
Yumi Yu Silver
Shelly Zhang Bronze
Jade Griffin Honorable Mention
Jamie Gould Honorable Mention
Level 2
Sukanya Kennamthiang
Surya Buddharaju Conner Crosby Delaney Fitzgerald Laura Liu Stuti Patel Jada Griffin Izza Imran Anna Kotula Michael Bartz Kemdi Achigbu Madison Scott Claire Goetschkes Charlie Cohen Aneeq Bashir Gold
Silver
Silver
Silver
Silver
Silver
Bronze
Bronze
Bronze
Bronze
Bronze
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention
Level 3
Jenna Mu Ameya Kutty Diva Agarwal Anjana Srikumar Libby Garfoot Vijay Menon Rana Isaczai Grace Alli Zoe Gaupp Gold
Silver
Silver
Silver
Silver
Silver
Bronze
Honorable Mention
Honorable Mention
Level 4
Brett Graves Jackson Henery Maya Mathews Sulagna Sensarma Silver
Silver
Silver
Honorable Mention
Level 5
Lance Culjat Silver
Level 6
Julia Fiksinski Gold
Special College
Acceptance
Section
Ave Maria University (FL)
Barnard College (NY)
Benedictine College (KS)
Boston University (MA)
Butler County Community
College (KS)
California Institute of Technology
Carleton College (MN)
Case Western Reserve
University (OH)
Chadron State College (NE)
Colgate University (NY)
Columbia University (NY)
Cornell College (IA)
Creighton University (NE)
Doane College (NE)
Drake University (IA)
Fordham University (NY)
Franciscan University of
Steubenville (OH)
Georgetown University (DC)
Georgia Institute of Technology
Grace University (NE)
Grinnell College (IA)
Hastings College (NE)
Hillsdale College (MI)
Kansas State University
Kettering University (MI)
Macalester College (MN)
Massachusetts Institute
of Technology
Metropolitan Community
College (NE)
Midland University (NE)
Montana State University,
Bozeman
Morningside College (IA)
Nebraska Wesleyan University
New York University
Northwestern University (IL)
Peru State College (NE)
Pittsburg State University (KS)
Pratt Institute (NY)
Purdue University (IN)
Reed College (OR)
Rhode Island School of Design
Rice University (TX)
Rockhurst University (MO)
Saint Louis University (MO)
School of the Art Institute
of Chicago (IL)
School of Visual Arts (NY)
Smith College (MA)
South Dakota State University
Swarthmore College (PA)
Syracuse University (NY)
Tufts University (MA)
University of Alabama
University of Chicago (IL)
University of Colorado-Denver
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota,
Twin Cities
University of Nebraska at Lincoln
University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pittsburgh (PA)
University of Texas-Dallas
University of Wyoming
Washington University
in St. Louis
Williams College
The Class of 2016
has earned over
$2.8M
as of 5.18.16
Other News
Mme Conrath Retirement Reception Gala 2016 - Thank You!
Please join us for a retirement reception honoring
French teacher Carolyn Conrath on Wednesday,
May 25 from 3-4pm in the James Upper and Middle
School Library. Come enjoy cookies and lemonade
and help us say “thank you” to Madame Conrath for
her 21 years of service.
We are pleased to announce that “A Night in Rio”
raised a grand total of $678,915! Online, silent and
live auctions raised $533,915, and thanks to some
Gala-inspired ingenuity BT was awarded $145,000 in
new grants.
Book Buy Back Details
Please join us in sending a heartfelt thank you to our
Gala Chairs, Anna Castner Wightman and Michelle
Randolph. It was a joy to see their leadership
culminate in such a special celebration of our BT
community. A special thanks to our generous and
dedicated Honorary Chairs, Charlotte Conner and
Bill Dana.
Mrs. Baker Award Recipient
Our community’s support of Brownell-Talbot’s Gala
- through time, talent or treasure - makes possible
our commitment to excellence and leadership in
academics, arts, athletics and activities. Thanks to
Gala we can continue advancing our programs and
curriculum for students, providing professional
development for faculty and staff, and supporting
students in need through scholarships. And thanks
to you, we will Learn, Think, Act
and Lead as only BT can.
Last Day of School for 2015-16
Lower & Middle School - Thursday, May 26
Upper School - Friday, May 27
Click here for an important letter from Director of
Technology, Rob Uchtman regarding this year’s Book
Buy Back. The date for MS students is May 26 and
the date for US students is May 27. Textbooks on this
list shouldn’t be sold back if you are planning to take
the classes that are grouped together. Additionally,
you can view the used book sell back price here. This
information was also mailed to all Middle and Upper
School families this week.
This week, first grade teacher, Mrs. Twyla Baker was
awarded the Dianne K. Desler Leadership Award!
Here is a brief excerpt from her nomination:
“I have watched Twyla serve Brownell-Talbot and
its students with excellence. She encompasses the
school’s spirit by going above and beyond...I watch
as her former students return to her classroom, time
and time again, for one of her sweet hugs or words
of encouragement. Her love of learning goes beyond
the walls of her classroom and can be seen through
the excitement on her students’ faces as they consider
themselves “experts” in life and learning.”
Dianne Desler served as the Headmaster at
Brownell-Talbot School for 24 years. During that time
she consistently demonstrated caring, compassionate,
and dedicated leadership. In 2012 the Dianne K.
Desler Leadership Award was established to honor and
recognize a member of the teaching faculty who
exemplifies excellence in teaching, leadership, and
models life long learning. Congratulations, Mrs. Baker!
Summer Fun Awaits You!
Can you believe that summer is almost here?! Join us
for summer fun for boys and girls grades PS-8 for
Brownell-Talbot Summer Camps! Summer camp
empowers children with vital lifelong skills while
having fun! BT specializes in camp activities and
programs that allow children to challenge themselves,
build confidence, leadership, communication,
responsibility and resourcefulness, all essential for
success throughout life. Summer campers can
participate in a variety of exciting activities including
swimming, robotics, cheer, French cooking and paper
mache. For our youngest campers we will offer two
themed weeks of Art Studio and Bubbles, Boats and
Water with Mrs. Mayo!
Be sure to watch the Gala video
and hear from BT students in
their own words!
2016
Summer Camps
Register for
Summer Camp
today at brownell.edu!
ATHLETIC CAMPS
Grades 3-8
Football
July 25-28, 10am-12pm
Basketball (Girls-Boys)
August 1-4, 9-11am
Volleyball
August 8-11, 9-11am
ROBOTICS CAMPS
Grade 5-Grade 8
Extended care available.
Introduction to Robotics
July 11-15, 9am-12pm
Advanced Robotics
July 18-22, 9am-1pm
RETRAIN YOUR BRAIN!
Camp Descriptions
Age 3-Grade 8
Extended care available.
August 1-5, 9am-12pm, 1-4pm
August 8-12, 9am-12pm, 1-4pm
AQUATICS
Extended care available.
Fridays, June 3 - August 5
Register at swimbt.com