Upper School Biweekly Bulletin May 14th, 2010
May 14th, 2010
Calendar
(Athletics Schedule Available Here)
May
Senior/First Grade Zoo Day
Wednesday, May 19th
Memorial Day - School Closed
Monday, May 31th
June
Senior Retreat
Fri.-Mon., June 4th - 7th
Final Exams
Mon.-Wed., June 7th - 9th
Last Day of School
Friday, June 11th
Graduation
Saturday, June 12
And just a reminder for all days of the week ~ please feel free to leave messages, day or night, about your child's attendance. Contact Molly Grove, Upper School Administrative Assistant, 503-297-1894, ext. 315. Thanks!
The Dangerous Book for Boys
My son’s godparents are English. A few years ago, before it came over here to popular acclaim and became Americanized, they gave him The Dangerous Book for Boys as a birthday present. It has all kinds of useful facts, time-honored traditions, and interesting stories—The Greatest Paper Plane in the World, Conkers, the Laws of Cricket. It’s really a fascinating and enjoyable read.
One chapter that I was reminded of recently was ‘Five Poems Every Boy Should Know’. And it’s only because the first poem they mention is ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling. The poem is about the developing character of a young man, but it certainly applies to all young adults.
We may not agree that the moral tenets the author invokes are the only important ones. But I certainly hold them dear, and recognize them in the daughters and sons who come to school here each day.
- Michael Heath
If
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!
---Rudyard Kipling
The Importance of a Good Weekend
By George Thompson, Upper School Counselor
This weekend, five of our faculty are taking a flock of kids down to my house on the coast in Neskowin. This will be the ninth time we have done this, and as before, we’re going to play guitars and sing. We’re planning to get started on Friday evening after a two hour bus ride, and the weekend will most likely end when a tired gaggle of kids and adults pour out of the bus on Sunday around noon.
Last year, at about the same time in the spring, we celebrated the eighth annual Neskowin Guitar Retreat, and it was a similar show, full of constant singing and playing, and we all ended with hoarse voices and chewed-up fingers from too much guitar picking and strumming. With a half day left for studying, the kids rolled on home, and I ran into most of them over the next couple of days. They were happy, relaxed, and full of vivid, sometimes hilarious memories.
This past Monday, I sensed the same feeling among those who had attended our Spring Prom. Although unable to attend myself, I witnessed the same exchange of happy memories and good feelings among our students, and the ambiance made for a better day and promised as well a happier week.
After a good weekend like that, nothing seems quite big enough to dampen the good spirits of young people. By the time the next weekend rolls around, they are ready for it as all teens should be: tired but not so weary that they cannot look forward to having fun and relaxing for a good spell before returning to their books and laptops.
Weekends that abound with fun and spontaneous creativity have been good for all of us. We have all needed the same things the kids have: an opportunity to discover one another in a new setting and under relaxed conditions where fun is the main goal. As for Neskowin, the kids and we now are looking forward to a time together that will once again enrich our lives here at school, a memory of laughter, music, stories, and good food. Who could ask for better than that?
Senior Project End-Date Clarification
The official end date of senior projects is Tuesday, June 1. Wednesday is set aside for seniors as a conference and rehearsal day with their on-campus advisors to prepare for Thursday's presentations or to go over the draft of their papers. Seniors are not expected to go to their projects on this Wednesday, as the senior schedule emailed last week implied.
PLACE: Only a Few Spots Left for Summer!
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.
Year-End Book Return Dates
Mark your calendars: the end of year book return dates are set. The business office will be open for book return on the afternoons of Thursday and Friday, June 10th and 11th, from 2:30-4:30 and from 1-3 p.m. Monday, June 14th. More details to follow.
Used Book Volunteers Needed
Help is needed to collect books returned by Upper School students at the end of this school year. Three parents per shift are needed on Thursday, June 10th and Friday June 11th from 2:30-4:30 p.m. and Monday, June 14th, 1-3 p.m. Can you help? Please go to http://www.catlin.edu/parents/volunteer/559 to volunteer!
Elana Gold '93 Memorial Environmental Restoration Project
Applications Still Accepted
The Elana Gold Project was established in 1991 to carry out land restoration projects on Mt. Hood National Forest. Over the years students from Catlin Gabel and other area high schools have contributed over 15,000 hours of labor in areas that were severely degraded by a century of cattle overgrazing, wildfire, and intensive logging. The goal is to increase habitat for fish and other wildlife, decrease erosion, improve stream water-quality, and thin timber to reduce the risk of fire. Participants build fences to exclude cattle and vehicles from sensitive wetland areas, install native plants along stream banks to shade and cool streams, and add woody debris to streams for fish and other wildlife habitat. This work provides opportunities for education about ecosystems and the need for environmental restoration. These lessons are imparted through direct, hands-on experience. The camaraderie and fellowship of overcoming physical challenges through teamwork and living “in the rough” together provide many opportunities for growth seldom found inside a classroom. During the week of the project the participants live communally with the enthusiastic and dedicated adult leaders, participating in food preparation, clean up, entertainment, and outdoor recreation activities along with the environmental work. Participants earn 20 hours of community service for their participation in the project.
This year’s project runs June 17-23, and is open to all students (from Catlin and beyond) completing 9th through 12th grade this spring. Applications are available now. The application can be downloaded from the Elana Gold Project page on the Catlin US webpage, http://www.catlin.edu/page/987 , or a paper copy can be obtained in the US office or from Bob Sauer in the US Science Building. If you need more information, please contact Bob at sauerb@catlin.edu.