June 14th, 2010

William Blake famously penned two collections of poems as a dichotomy—Songs of Innocents and Songs of Experience. In the first he captures the simple and pure joys of an untainted life, the innocent life of a child. In the second he understands the condition of ‘experience’ as the life that is jaded, even marred by the world.

 

Many poets have articulated this contrast as they write about growing up and leaving childhood behind. One of my favorite examples is from Billy Collins, a poet who will be visiting us in the fall. His tongue-in-cheek description of turning ten humorously reminds us of the way we’re sometimes tempted to understand the act of getting older as looking back with nostalgia on how good things were when we were younger.

 

On another level it reminds me of the hope we have for our children—that they will not see this process simply as moving from magical invincibility to a state of pain and cynicism. To understand this in more profound terms is to define resilience in one’s life.

 

I offer this poem to our seniors who I know see their world in more than just the stark realities of skinned, bleeding knees. Blessings to you all as you ‘walk through the universe in [your] sneakers.’

          

           The whole idea of it makes me feel

like I'm coming down with something,

something worse than any stomach ache

or the headaches I get from reading in bad light--

a kind of measles of the spirit,

a mumps of the psyche,

a disfiguring chicken pox of the soul.

 

You tell me it is too early to be looking back,

but that is because you have forgotten

the perfect simplicity of being one

and the beautiful complexity introduced by two.

But I can lie on my bed and remember every digit.

At four I was an Arabian wizard.

I could make myself invisible

by drinking a glass of milk a certain way.

At seven I was a soldier, at nine a prince.

 

But now I am mostly at the window

watching the late afternoon light.

Back then it never fell so solemnly

against the side of my tree house,

and my bicycle never leaned against the garage

as it does today,

all the dark blue speed drained out of it.

 

This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself,

as I walk through the universe in my sneakers.

It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends,

time to turn the first big number.

 

It seems only yesterday I used to believe

there was nothing under my skin but light.

If you cut me I could shine.

But now when I fall upon the sidewalks of life,

I skin my knees. I bleed.

 

Billy Collins

Two years ago, I began a series of brief articles for the Biweekly Bulletin. These addressed school matters I believed to be interesting and important. Among the subjects were Winterim, Peer Helpers, school spirit, the importance of adequate sleep, how to relax and enjoy one’s free time, and the whole issue of academic stress.   

 

Today, on the eve of summer, our kids are about to spring loose from a long academically challenging year. As these last days unfold, our kids are completing their final presentations, exams, labs, recitations and papers, and they are going about it with their usual combination of intensity and good cheer. 

 

Some of that good cheer may want to express itself in letting off steam with their friends and some of that is going to happen after hours. Here’s where your vigilance is going to be important. Please remember how it was for all of us in college when we believed that our lives consisted of working hard and then playing hard. Be especially mindful about parties and driving. Know where your kids are going to be at night, and know how they are getting there and back. Also, know how to reach them or how they can reach you in the event of any emergency. 

 

There are times of the year when parties are more likely to happen such as the days immediately following the close of school for the summer. Over the next three months, we have plenty of potential socializing ahead of us, and it will pay for us as parents to be especially prudent. For example, If your child is planning to go to a party, do you know the adults who will be in charge?

Will you be nearby? Can you be easily reached by cell or land line?

 

I hope we can all look forward to a very happy summer ahead. If it is indeed a season we can anticipate with pleasure. It is also a time for us to be careful. This comes with my best wishes for a very happy summer with a wonderful year to follow! 

All Upper School students will read Billy Collins’ Sailing Alone Around the Room, in anticipation of the author’s visit to campus as the 2010 Karl Jonske Memorial Lecturer. In addition, freshmen, sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors will each read another book keyed to their fall courses. All of these books are now available in the Catlin Gabel bookstore, as well as at bookstores in the region. To make sure that everyone is on the same page in fall discussions of these works, your instructors request that you purchase the following editions of these texts:

 

 

Poet Billy Collins Speaking at 2010-2011 Karl Jonske Memorial Lecture

Two-time U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins will return to the Catlin Gabel campus this fall, as a Karl Jonske Memorial Lecturer. His last visit was in 1999, the year of Karl Jonske's graduation, as a Jean Vollum Distinguished Writer.

The date for the Karl Jonske Memorial Lecture will be announced in late summer. Due to space limitations in our theater, this event will be open to Catlin Gabel community members only.

Upper School students will prepare for the lecture by reading Collins' Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems (2001) this summer. This volume will soon be available in the Catlin Gabel bookstore.

We also highly recommend Collins' latest collection, Ballistics (2008) to those who might be interested in his most recent work.

The "Billy Collins, Action Poetry" website, which offers a series of animated versions of his poetry, is a flat-out hoot: http://www.bcactionpoet.org

The Poetry Foundation has a bio and links to several poems and audio files: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=80600

Publication history for Collins can be found at http://www.billy-collins.com

The Karl Jonske '99 Memorial Lecture Series honors a devoted student of English and lover of the written word. Karl graduated from Catlin Gabel in 1999, where he was a National Merit semi-finalist, a member of the varsity tennis team, and a captain of the varsity basketball team. He went on to attend the University of Chicago, where he was active in community service, sports, and the Model United Nations.

His many interests included reading, writing, scuba, and travel. He had a passion for working with young people and volunteered with middle school youth as a math tutor. He hoped to become a professional writer. In addition to the lecture itself, the memorial has provided for the acquisition of 687 titles to date by the Upper School library.

Past lecturers have included poet and essayist Ted Kooser, journalists David Lamb and Sandy Northrop, photographer Anne B. Keiser, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder.

Remember, your contribution is 100% tax deductible.

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Catlin Gabel Summer Programs 2010

Registration Still Open!

A while back, you should have received the Catlin Gabel Summer Programs catalog in the mail. We hope you have the time to look through the catalog and find courses that will fit your child's summer plans. As usual we are offering a wide variety of courses, some new, some old, that should capture the interests and activities of your child. In the event of a misplaced catalog, you can always click on www.catlin.edu/summer to find all the information you need or visit the Catlin Gabel webpage and click on the Summer Programs logo button at the bottom of the main page. 

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Driver Education Class Offered

Oregon Driver Education Center to run class at Catlin Gabel 6/22-7/7

Class Includes:

• 30 Classroom Hours
• 6 Hours Behind-the-Wheel Driving
• 6 Hours Behind-the-Wheel Observation Time
• ODOT Approved Certificate of Completion

Please see Oregon Driver Education Center website for details.

PLACE (Planning and Leadership Across City Environments) is a chance for students to use Portland as a living laboratory to learn how to be a leader for positive change in their communities. Students interested in participating in Catlin Gabel’s unique urban leadership program this summer are encouraged to start the application process before May 31st to secure one of the last few spots. For more information about the program and the application process, please visit: www.catlin.edu/place or email George Zaninovich at place@catlin.edu.

Action! Academy: International Aid & Development Camp: June 28-July 2 Find out
what it takes to work in the fields of international aid and development work with Mercy
Corps and Saturday Academy.