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External validation affirms our values
by Lark Palma, head of school

I hope you had a restful and enjoyable spring break.

Shortly before the break, I traveled to the National Association of Independent Schools conference in San Francisco, then to Lakeside School in Seattle as a member of their PNAIS accreditation team. Both trips gave me the opportunity to look at Catlin Gabel from the outside and to gain external validation that what we do at our school is right and good.

I came away from conversations with school heads from other progressive schools, teachers at Lakeside, and CG alumni at a gathering in San Francisco with a renewed commitment to Catlin Gabel’s basic values of progressive, constructivist education.

In the elusive search for the perfect marketing hook, we sometimes shy away from these tenets because the words progressive and constructivist are unfamiliar to most prospective parents and students. In a culture of shrinking attention spans and a proliferation of information, we find it difficult to quickly explain what we all come to understand after we bear personal witness to Catlin Gabel’s essential qualities. The important educational ideals we must communicate, celebrate, and expand upon are:

• Education without emphasis on grades and tests

• Engagement as the number one factor in student success

• Excellent teaching and great student-teacher relationships

• Embracing students with diverse interests, learning styles, intellectual capacities, and social demeanors

• Flexibility to allow student interests to shape the curriculum and co-curriculum

• Giving students voice and trusting their wisdom—limited rules and regulations, judicial councils composed of students and teachers, and no hall passes.

• Commitment to our size: small enough for genuine community building and large enough to accommodate student interests and co-curriculars such as newspapers, robotics, athletics, and an array of social and activity groups

Many schools, including notable East Coast prep schools, are backing off from their traditional messages about prestigious college acceptance rates. Instead, they are focusing on messages about graduating students who know how to plan, self-evaluate, solve complex problems, and nourish their curiosity — the skills needed to succeed in college and career. I learned during my travels that thriving schools across the country are true to their missions. Schools trying to reconstruct themselves for market gain suffer from lack of identity and principle.

It has been good for me to get away from our little corner, join the national conversation, and renew my commitment to our basic values. I am heartened by Catlin Gabel’s commitment to progressive education–even if it is hard to describe in a 30-second “elevator speech.” We are in the enviable position of being a school that others look to for how to do it right. I couldn’t be more delighted.

Cell phone guidelines developed by students

The recently adopted cell phone guidelines demonstrate what can happen when students are given a voice. Link to student leadership's letter to students and faculty.

Congrats!

Fifth grader Miguel Gachupin took first place in the foil competition at the Pacific Northwest fencing regionals in Bellevue, Washington.

Sixth grader Soren Anderson's poem "Mistake" has been selected as a Poetry Box winner.

The Upper School mock trial team won the state championship and look forward to the national competition in Philadelphia in April. They competed against high schools many times our size, including second place Grant High. Congratulations to senior co-captains Eli Coon and Becky Coulterpark, and team members sophomores Talbot Andrews, Andrew Hungate, Grace McMurchie, and Megan Stater, and juniors Conor Carlton, Nina Greenebaum, Kate McMurchie, and Leah Thompson. Many thanks to volunteer coaches Bob Bonaparte ’73, Nell Bonaparte, Cheryl Coon, Jim Coon, Barb Gazeley, Anushka Shenoy '09, and Pat Walsh.

Senior Yale Fan placed ninth at the Intel Science Talent Search in Washington, D.C., earning him a $20,000 award for his research that demonstrated the advantages of quantum computing in performing difficult computations. Senior Kevin Ellis was also one of the 40 Intel STS finalists in Washington, D.C. As an Intel STS finalist, Kevin won a $7,500 award.

At the March 13 Gresham Science Expo, senior Rose Perrone won first prize in electrical and mechanical engineering for her project "The Effect of Vibratactile Training on Navigational Ability." Junior Vighnesh Shiv won first prize in computer science for his project "BeatHoven: Automatic Music Transcription Algorithms and Implementation." Their presentations qualified Rose and Vighnesh for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose later this spring. Other students who competed at the Gresham Science Expo, and who go on to compete at the Northwest Expo on April 2, include senior Brynmor Chapman, first prize, biochemistry; junior Anthony Eden, second prize, computer science; senior Lucy Feldman, second prize, animal sciences; senior Juliah Ma, third prize, chemistry; junior Anders Perrone, third prize, energy and transportation; senior Kalifa Clarke, honorable mention, microbiology; and freshman Terrance Sun, second prize, physics and astronomy. Junior Philip Paek competed in the medicine and health sciences category. Congratulations to all!

All Japanese 4 and Japanese 5 students were qualified for the Living Language Experience Program because of their outstanding proficiency level. The program is sponsored by Center for Applied Second Language Studies at the University of Oregon and the Japan-Portland Chamber of Commerce. On average, five students from any one high school qualify for this program. Catlin Gabel boasts 17 students at this level. Congratulations to seniors Toby Alden, Koby Caster, Nauvin Ghorashian, Keenan Jay, Donald Johnson, Luke Mones, Yannie Wong, and Tommy Young, juniors Anthony Eden, Alex Foster, Rohan Jhunjhunwala, Will Jolley, Jackson Morawski, and Sabin Ray, and sophomores Qiddist Hammerly, Andrew Hungate, and Sammy Lubitz. The students will observe and interact with professionals at several Japanese businesses with offices in the Portland area: American Tokyo Kasei, Inc., Morinaga Nutritional Foods Inc., OMIC USA independent testing laboratory, and Pasco Corporation.

About half of the Flaming Chickens robotics team attended the Colorado regional competition during spring break where they won the Regional Champions award and the Innovations in Controls award for their tightly integrated control system that accurately controls and kicks the soccer ball. Congratulations to freshmen Tucker Gordon, Eve Lowenstein, Keegan McCarthy, and Gene Yamamoto, sophomores Alex Liem and Mint Tienpasertkj, juniors Rohisha Adke, Anthony Eden, Sarah Ellis, Henry Gordon, and Rohan Jhunjhunwala, and seniors Kevin Ellis and Ben Streb.

Freshman Koby Yudkin scored one of his team’s three goals when his FC soccer team won the championship at the recent 2010 Silver State Tournament in Las Vegas.

Development director Miranda Wellman '91 and her husband Matt LeBlanc welcomed baby girl Paloma Yasmin. She was born March 25, weighing in at 8.5 lbs.

Chinese language teacher Li-Ling Cheng has been working with PSU professor Sharon Carstens to develop a Chinese culture curriculum for Grade 1-8. Li-Ling will travel to San Francisco to present the proposal at the 2010 Chinese Education Conference.

Woodshop teacher Michael De Forest was profiled in the March-April 2010 edition of "Woodworker West" magazine. (Sorry, it is not available online.)

Catlin Gabel has been selected by Oregon Business magazine as one of the 100 Best Green Companies to Work For in Oregon. The second annual green survey was part of the 100 Best Companies and 100 Best Nonprofits surveys conducted last fall and spring. This ranking shows that the school has implemented a variety of green policies, and that the faculty and staff place a high value on sustainable practices. More than 500 companies and nonprofits participated in the survey.

Laptop program showcase

Wednesday, April 28, 5:20 – 7 p.m.

Mac or PC? What are the latest laptop models? Mark your calendar for the annual laptop showcase. »Learn more.

Did you know?

…28% of our students receive some form of financial assistance?

…Our robotics team qualified for the world championships in Atlanta?

…Seniors Yale Fan ’10 and Kevin Ellis ’10 were finalists in the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search and Yale was among the top ten honorees at the national competition in Washington, D.C.?

…Our Mock Trial team won the state championship and qualified for nationals in Philadelphia?

Past and present donors chose to invest in Catlin Gabel, making these accomplishments possible. Join them by investing in Catlin Gabel and making your Annual Fund contribution soon.

Give online or call Eileen Andersen, annual giving program manager, at 503-297-1894 ext. 306.

Students, teachers, and staffers blog about their work and travels

Did you know Catlin Gabel students and teachers blog with some frequency? Check it out. Find blogs in the Quick Links drop down menu on the home page of the website. Some blogs are shared publicly, others require that you log in. The author determines if he or she wants the blog to be public or not.

Gambol festive, fun, successful

Link to Gambol photo gallery

The 2010 Gambol at The Nines hotel offered something for everyone: mingling, shopping, bidding, dining, and dancing to music by the Upper School jazz band.

The event highlight was a moving speech by Derrick Butler, M.D. '86, who talked about coming to Catlin Gabel as a "fat little 7th grader from a single-parent household in an under-served neighborhood." Derrick, who became student body president his senior year, credits Catlin Gabel with giving him the confidence, sense of community, and academic tools to succeed in college and beyond. Today, Derrick is a family practice physician specializing in AIDS treatment in South Central L.A. His special appeal at the Gambol elicited a standing ovation and a frenzy of bidding in support of financial aid.

Thank you to all the bidders, donors, volunteers, and supporters who made the Gambol festive and successful. We'll have final figures in April when we finish accounting for expenses. In the meantime, enjoy the photo gallery.

Calendar Highlights 2010-11

Upper School orientations and activities
Wednesday, September 1, and Thursday, September 2

Upper School classes begin
Friday, September 3

Middle School orientation day
Thursday, September 2, 10:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Lower School open house
Thursday, September 2, 10 a.m. – noon

Lower and Middle School teacher prep day (no classes)
Friday, September 3

Middle and Lower School classes begin
Tuesday, September 7

Beginning School orientations begin (details to follow about small group visits)
Wednesday, September 8

Beginning School classes begin
Friday, September 10

Thanksgiving break
Wednesday, November 24 - Sunday, November 28

Winter break
Saturday, December 18 - Sunday, January 2

Martin Luther King Jr. Day - no classes
Monday, January 17

Presidents' Day - no classes
Monday, February 21

Spring break
Saturday, March 19 – Sunday, March 27

Last day of classes
Friday, June 10

Graduation
Saturday, June 11

Reserved days for closure make-up (if we have three or more unplanned closures)
June 13 - 15