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Science teacher Becky Wynne wins high school teacher award
Upper School science teacher Becky Wynne has been selected for the University of Oregon High School Teacher Award. The award is given during convocation, in appreciation of the fine teaching that has prepared students for the university.
Every year, UO asks the nearly 3,700 incoming freshmen to nominate high school teachers who have influenced them in a particular subject area. Catlin Gabel graduate Becky Coulterpark ’10 nominated Becky Wynne. The subject area varies with the theme of their common reading and convocation. This year, they honor a science teacher because UO’s common reading is Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains. The book is about doctor Paul Farmer’s heroic effort – begun when he was a medical student – to tackle the human and medical challenges created by drug-resistant tuberculosis in Haiti. Paul Farmer’s understanding of science, coupled with his enormous sensitivity to human suffering, enabled him to accomplish the impossible. Coincidentally, Mountains Beyond Mountains was Catlin Gabel’s common reading book last year.
“I am delighted by Becky Wynne’s dedication to excellent teaching,” said UO biology professor Karen Sprague. “As a UO faculty member, I always feel indebted to the teachers in all subjects who have worked with my students before they enter my classroom. As someone who teaches cell biology and biochemistry, I’m especially grateful to those who’ve introduced students to the chemical and physical underpinnings of biology.”
Congratulations, Becky!
David Bragdon '77 joining New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration
Upper School soccer, volleyball, and cross-country practices begin August 23
Join an Upper School Athletic Team
Upper School Athletics 2010-11 Preseason Schedule
8th Graders Climb St. Helens
WE DID IT (all of us!)
This climb of Mt. St. Helens was open to graduating 8th graders. The students and their parents came to a pre-trip meeting to discuss the trip, training and equipment—from the beginning, everyone seemed engaged.
For training, the students joined some upper schoolers on a training hike up Dog Mountain in the Columbia Gorge—students were slowed down by conversation, but it was a good opportunity to talk about appropriate clothing and fitness for the climb.
On June 17 we met at Catlin at 10am, packed the bus, and drove up to the trailhead on St. Helens, stopping in Woodland for an adventure in Safeway (team game to find high-quality trash bags). The weather was great and we hiked 1.5 miles to a snowy slope to do “snow school” (kicking steps, self arrest, glissading).
We woke early the morning of June 11 for our summit attempt, hiking over compacted snow before proceeding to treeline. 
The climb alternated between open snow slopes and the rocky, gravely ridgeline. The group moved quickly through intermittent clouds and sun. The wind began to pick up at about 6,000 feet and we ascended into a veritable whiteout. We dropped packs about 1000 feet below the summit, and celebrated reaching the top by eating “Summit Tarts.” Visibility at the summit was about 30 feet, which was somewhat disappointing, but everybody was in a great mood.
We had the most incredible glissade ever!!! We were back to our packs and down the slope in an hour! Everybody was giddy with enjoyment.
We left camp at 7:30 pm, reached the summit around 12:30 pm and returned to camp around 3pm. We were back on campus at 6:30. ~SPEED RECORD~!!!
Learning to glissade.
BRAKES
Chutes and chutes.
Summit. Not a lot of visibility.
Action Jackson
Accelerating
This is what ascending into a whiteout looks like.
Safeway challenge.
Snow school.
Bliss. Cold bliss. But bliss nonetheless.
Freedom!
It's a big world. Gotta be Tank Top Tuesday somewhere.
Checkin' out.
Post-glissade lunch.
Digging in.
Challenge.
We got very, very good at glissading.
More ascending. More whiteout.
Grrrr.
Is this Switzerland?
Senior Hood Climb
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SENIORS CLIMB STORIED/LEGENDARY/FABLED MT HOOD (almost)
After they'd readujsted to post-graduation time, a group of eight seniors, accompanied by some of the finest leaders that money can buy, went up for a couple of days on "la montana."
What this trip was about:
--Bonding as a group of newly-graduated students.
--Learning about snow dynamics and snow stability.
--Incredible food!
--A lodge to ourselves
--A little bit of maybe sneaking into the kitchen for Rice Krispy Treats.
Unfortunately, this trip was also about forty mile per hour winds and sub-freezing temperatures. That can kind of slow you down when you're trying to walk up a mountain.
Once again we planned a climb for June (rather than May) as a way to take advantage of the longer days and better 
weather. Our group left Portland on Monday June 14th at 11:30 am and drove up toe Timberline Lodge where we got geared up for snow school. We began the school about 1:15 and ran until a bit after 5:30 pm. We began with a short course on snow stability testing and moved on to digging pits, a discussion on various methods of snow travel, self arrest, and then ropework. The weather was quite nice and we had incredible views of the mountain.
We drove down to the Mazamas Lodge and were able to park right in front, making loading and unloading a breeze. The lodge personnel were very kind and we were the only guests present. We reviewed the forecasts and looked at the telemetry from 6000’ and 7000’. Indications were that it was to be cold and breezy in the morning. Very breezy.
We woke up to even breezier forecasts and telemetry.
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From the beginning, our pace was slow. The wind was strong and increased as we gained elevation. Combined with sub-freezing temperatures, the atmospheric conditions were pretty difficult. We had a long break about 500 vertical feet below the top of the Palmer, where we had a good look at the rising clouds. Conditions were deteriorating fairly quickly as wind gusts were sometimes making us unstable on our feet! We pushed onto the top of the Palmer where we were able to find respite from the wind behind the snowcut.
The leaders decided to give students an opportunity to turn around.
6 of us went up, 6 went down.
The go-downs called our amazing limosuine driver on the cell phone and went back to Mazama lodge and had a nap.
The 6 remaining climbers proceeded up through the wind. We went as high as 500 feet below the hogsback, the sunlight chasing us as we rose. The weather, boots banging shins, and the lack of psych on the potential for a summit finally go to everybody and we took a long break, listening to music and watching the clouds roll by before we decided to come down.
The descent went well (glissading galore!) after some icy moments up high. We were back at the bus in time for the afternoon snowstorm.
I think the snow was kinda stable.
The weather was winding up.
Moving past a picket.
Get-R-Done
It didn't look like this when we were climbing. I promise.
Looks like there's only one thing left to do.
The very difficult backwards glissade.
Most soft snow.
View.
Enjoy.
Don't mind if I do.
Farewell to George Thompson '64 & Bob Kindley
From the Spring 2010 Caller
George Thompson ’64 has launched into retirement after spending 25 years at Catlin Gabel—first as a student, then as a teacher and counselor. He’s become a familiar presence on campus, with his service dog, Cairo, receiving almost as much daily love and attention as George gets.
Bob Kindley retires this summer after 42 years of teaching math at Catlin Gabel. A graduate of Reed College with a master’s in mathematics from the University of Oregon, Bob always wanted to be a high school teacher—especially after attending five high schools around the country and seeing the best and worst of teaching.
The Catlin Gabel Student Association: An Anatomical Analogy
By Eddie Friedman '10
From the Spring 2010 Caller
There are bad days and good days in and for the Catlin Gabel Student Association, the CGSA, of which I am president this year. On bad days the CGSA seems to me like an appendix. It started when the school needed a group to process and carry out the tasks of the community that other student or faculty organizations could not. On bad days, the CGSA feels a little vestigial, and like a sharp abdominal pain above the right hip of the (student) body.
Eddie Friedman will attend Brown University this fall. He admits that he may have taken a few liberties with the facts of the actual functions of the various organs he mentions, for the sake of beauty and aesthetic unity.
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