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Class of 2010 and Senior Projects
by Lark Palma, head of school

When I first arrived at Catlin Gabel in 1995, a handful of this year’s seniors was in the preschool’s three-year-old class. Looking at those grown men and women now, it is hard to imagine that when I first met them they did not know how to tie their shoes. They and their classmates in the class of 2010 have come so far and made us so proud.

The seniors are 71 individuals with unique interests and personalities. Among them are musicians, scientists, artists, activists, actors, and programmers. Most have, to varying degrees, experienced bumps along the way. They have proven themselves resilient in handling what life has offered, owning their mistakes and accomplishments with equal humility. Their college acceptances have been terrific, their awards and good deeds inspiring. (College decisions are pending for some; stay tuned for a summer summary.) Most important, how the members of the class of 2010 treat each other, their teachers, and younger students has distinguished them as a class. They are kind.

We look forward to reading the blogs of these wonderful young people as they begin their senior projects on May 7. In keeping with Catlin Gabel's philosophy, senior projects offer students the opportunity for experiential education in an area of their interest, connecting school experiences to further scholarly work or to work experiences that fall outside the Catlin Gabel curriculum. For three weeks, each senior will be immersed in an adult world of his or her own choosing. I hope this list of seniors and their project titles or locations entices you to check in on their blogs (you need to log in to the website to see these password-protected blogs). I know our seniors will make us proud when they represent Catlin Gabel and themselves in the greater Portland community.

» Link to list of seniors and their projects

» Link to information about senior projects and project blogs

Welcome to new families

Parents and guardians whose children are newly enrolled for next fall have been added to our newsletter distribution list. You will receive weekly or biweekly newsletters from your child’s division and this monthly All-School News, which is sent to all families. We are pleased to welcome you to the Catlin Gabel community. If you have any questions about newsletters, the website, or communications in general, please call or e-mail Karen Katz, communications director, 503-297-1894 ext 305, katzk@catlin.edu

Making Sense of the College Admission Process

Tuesday, May 4
6:30 p.m.
Hillsdale Library, 1525 SW Sunset Blvd., Portland 97239

Catlin Gabel's ace college counselors share their wisdom with the broader community. Invite your friends and neighbors to attend this free session. » More information

Bulletin Board is Catlin Gabel’s Craigslist

Are you looking for a carpool, house to rent, or babysitter? Do you have a car for sale, tickets to exchange, or an idea to share? All Catlin Gabel community members are invited to post information on our online Bulletin Board. Find the Bulletin Board in the Quick Links menu on the home page of the school website. Login required to gain access to the Bulletin Board.

Join the fun, noon – 4 p.m.

Focus on sustainability

Farmers Market • Jazz Band • Plant Exchange
Games • Food • Performances • Community

Open your home to the world

Next year we are welcoming Upper School students from Africa, Central America, Europe, and Asia. If your family is interested in exploring the possibility of hosting an exchange student for a half or whole school year, please get in touch with Ron Sobel, sobelr@catlin.edu, or Spencer White, whites@catlin.edu.

Update your listing online for next year's directory 

If your summer plans include moving, changing phone numbers, or e-mail accounts, please update your information so the 2010-11 directory will be accurate. Go to the Update Contact Details page in the Parent section of the website. You will need to log in to gain access.

Congrats!

Fourth grader Culla Galaher won honorable mention in the division 2 (grades 3 through 5) category of the 12th annual Oregon student poetry contest. She has been invited to read her poem at the awards ceremony in Springfield, and her poem will be published in Cascadia, The Oregon Student Poetry Contest Anthology.

Dakota King's poem "Unfolding" and Felix To's poem "Starting Anew" were selected as recent winners in the 6th grade Poetry Box competition.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered their time and energy to share some of their favorite poetry with Krista Kaainoa’s 7th grade English class. Guest readers included Hannah Whitehead, Chris Potts, Nadine Fiedler, Paul Andrichuk, Steve “the Intern” Morris, Tom Tucker, Suzanne Heintz, Sue Phillips, Kitty Schainman, Dan Woytek, Catherine Healy, Mark Lawton, Holly Walsh, Mimi Tang and her 1st grade class, Carol Ponganis, Lesley Sepetoski, Lynda Douglas, Dale Rawls, Jackie Fuller, and Mary Warren Foulk. Each of these people shared poetry in a completely unique and wonderful way. Thank you!!

Congratulations and thank you to the Middle School students, staff, and families who participated in Project Second Wind. Our total contribution to the Oregon Food Bank was 1,152 pounds of food — an average of 6 pounds per Middle School student! The 6th grade won the collection contest and earned a pizza lunch for their class.

Freshman Cody Hoyt won an Oregon Driver Education Center video contest about safe driving. His short film was a spoof of the TV advertisement that is itself a spoof of an Old Spice commercial.

Congrats to our fine Model United Nations delegates who represented the United States and Haiti skillfully and responsibly at the annual conference in Eugene.

Sophomore Mariah Morton jumped a whopping 17 feet, 2 ½ inches at the Lake Oswego Classic to break the school record set by Wendy Miller Johnson '68 in 1968. Mariah came in second at the meet.

Junior Anna Byrnes won grand champion in limited junior equitation at the Thermal, California, HITS horse show’s second circuit. She also won reserve champion for the full circuit. The horse show is six weeks long, and she competed in the second half of the show.

Senior Rohan Borkar won third place in the red division at the high school racquetball nationals held in Portland. He finished in the top 30 out of 300 in the state after playing only in his second season for Catlin Gabel. Senior Matthew Trisic took third place in the white division and finished in the top 60 in the state.

Northwest Science Expo News
Senior Kevin Ellis qualified to represent Oregon at the international fair after presenting his research at the Northwest Science Expo on April 2. Seniors Rose Perrone and Yale Fan, and junior Vighnesh Shiv, who had previously qualified for the international fair, also presented at the Northwest Science Expo. Kevin won the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Special Award in Computer Software Engineering and second place in computer science. Rose won the IEEE Special Award for Best in Systems, Man & Cybernotics Engineering, the IEEE Best in Engineering Award, and second place in electrical and mechanical engineering. Yale won first place in physics and astronomy, the U.S. Army Scientific and Engineering Excellence Award, the Army Outstanding High School Project Award, and a scholarship to Lewis & Clark College should he choose to attend. Vighnesh won the IEEE Special Award in Computer Software Engineering and an honorable mention in computer science. Seniors Brynmor Chapman and Lucy Feldman won statewide awards at the expo. Brynmor won second place in biochemistry. Lucy won honorable mention in animal sciences. Senior Juliah Ma, juniors Anders Perrone and Anthony Eden, and freshman Terrance Sun also presented at the Northwest Science Expo. Congratulations, all!

PLACE director and urban studies teacher George Zaninovich has been nominated for the Robert L. Liberty Regional Leadership Award for his significant contributions to Portland's livability. George is one of 11 citizens recognized by the Coalition for a Livable Future.

Chinese language teacher Li-Ling Cheng has been accepted to participate in the Discover Chinese Summer Professional Development Program for Teachers of Chinese this summer in Glastonbury, Connecticut. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages and the Chinese Language Association of Secondary-Elementary Schools sponsors the program jointly. It is part of the National Security Language Initiative’s STARTALK Program.

The Oregon Athletic Coaches Association recently announced that Lerry Baker is the girls track coach of the year and John Hamilton is the golf coach of the year for 2009.

Woodshop teacher Michael de Forest has three pieces in the Pacific Northwest Art Annual at the University of Oregon, running through May 26 at the Adell McMillan Gallery in the EMU student center.

Jennifer Marcus, Beginning School woodshop teacher, was an invited artist in residence at the Epiphany School in Seattle during spring break. She introduced woodworking and construction to the preschool and kindergarten classes for curriculum enrichment and experiential learning.

Congrats notes honor the achievements of our students and faculty-staff. We invite all readers to submit notes to All-School News editor Karen Katz at katzk@catlin.edu
 

PLACE urban program taking off in Upper School

by George Zaninovich

Many cool things are happening right now with Catlin Gabel’s PLACE urban studies program, which has a few spots open for this summer's session.

This spring, students in the PLACE class have teamed up with graduate students from PSU’s School of Urban Studies and Planning on a project in outer southeast Portland for Zenger Farm and the City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services. To read more about the student projects, visit http://www.catlin.edu/place/student-projects or the blogs at http://www.catlin.edu/place/urban-studies-blog.

PLACE is also working with Lincoln students on a vision plan for a new Lincoln High School. This project builds on what PLACE students did last year as part of the summer program. Learn more at http://urbanleaders.wordpress.com/

The summer program and next fall’s Catlin Gabel class will be involved in some important projects. In the summer, after spending the first two weeks out and about in Portland talking to city leaders, students will most likely work on a design project with the City of Portland for more housing around the new streetcar lines going in near Lloyd Center. And, in the fall, students will work with TriMet on a bikeshare plan from the Sunset Transit Center that could be replicated locally and nationally.

There’s a lot going on with PLACE that is positive for the Catlin Gabel and the larger community. If you want to know more or sign up for a class, feel free to get in touch with me, place@catlin.edu, or take a look at the website: www.catlin.edu/place

Read more about the partnership with PSU graduate students at http://growingzengerfarm.com/about-us/

If you want to apply for summer, check out how easy it is at http://www.catlin.edu/place/to-apply