Send Your Class Notes

Chicago-Area Alumni Reception
Thursday, January 29, 2015
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
GT Fish and Oyster
531 N. Wells St.
Chicago, IL 60654
Catch up with fellow alumni and hear the latest news from Park Tudor. RSVP to Julia Sipes, jsipes@parktudor.org.

Speaker Veronika Scott of the Empowerment Plan
Thursday, February 19, 2015
7:00 p.m.
Ayres Auditorium - Park Tudor School
A fundraiser for the Patachou Foundation, Veronika Scott will speak at Park Tudor about her experiences building an organization from the ground up, centered on a single idea: to design a coat specifically for the homeless. What happened next is a young woman's inspiring and innovative story centered around the search for independence and self-reliance. Tickets are available via Eventbrite.com.

Boston-Area Alumni Reception
Thursday, February 26, 2015

6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Cinquecento
500 Harrison Ave.
Boston, MA 02118
Visit with Park Tudor faculty and staff and fellow alumni! RSVP to Julia Sipes, jsipes@parktudor.org.

February 27 - March 23, 2015

The Classes of 1994-2014 are challenged to have the highest participation in the Park Tudor Annual Fund! Who will knock off the two-time reigning champs, the Class of 2003? Watch your email for more details.

Visiting Artist Series: Gautam Rao
Friday, February 27, 2015 (Please note new date)
6:00 - 6:30 p.m.: Artist presentation, Wood Room (Park Tudor Upper School)
6:45 - 8:00 p.m.: Artist reception, Leffler Gallery (Park Tudor Upper School)
Gautam Rao is an Associate Professor of Art at Butler University. Rao is particularly interested in the intersection between art and design and exhibits his artwork both nationally and internationally.

Park Tudor faculty visited with alums who are current Purdue students at a gathering on January 14. Attendees at the event included (from L to R): Upper School math teacher Joe Chamberlin, Upper School computer science teacher Ryan Ritz, Thomas Knowles, Shelby Campbell, Morgan Essex, Jason Zhao, Tomasso Verderame, Upper School social studies teacher Joe Fumusa, Neale Moore, Prahasith Velovolu, Joseph Landis, and Upper School social studies teacher Jeff Johnson.

Read the latest update from Head of School Dr. Matthew D. Miller outlining Year One Action Items and next steps related to the PT2020 Strategic Plan.

From the Head's Desk

One of Park Tudor's core values is intellectual engagement. For nearly 40 years, one way that Park Tudor students have engaged intellectually with students from all over the world is through participation in Model United Nations. Beginning Friday, January 23 in The Netherlands, our largest delegation in PT history is representing the West African Kingdom of Lesotho, with five PT students earning special conference positions by individual appointment. Among the 3,500-4,000 delegates from every continent and 192 schools, senior Roderick Bowlby will serve as President of the Economic Social Council, presiding over some 200 delegates for the week. Senior Nicholas Chun will serve on the Advisory Panel for the Gulf of Guinea, senior Michaela Tinkey will be a judge on the International Court of Justice, senior Emma Hammer will serve as conference photographer and junior Mark Rook will be a conference reporter for the daily produced Munity newspaper.
 
Our delegation ambassador, senior Nick Hornedo, will carry the flag of Lesotho in both the opening and closing ceremonies with the Corps Diplomatique, and he will make an opening speech in the World Forum Theater on behalf of Lesotho.
 
Other delegates representing Lesotho include seniors Lillian Read, Abigail Adams, Kevin Xie, JP LaBarge, Rishi Bolla, Grace Bahler, Zac Li, Caven Montel, Gabe Caceres, Helen Jacobs, Ashley Beeson, Anusha Vallapuri, Ali St. Clair, Alexander Gottwald, and Cassidy Zimmerman.
 
The students are being accompanied by Head of School Dr. Matthew Miller, Upper School World Languages instructor Janice Vote, Upper School English instructor and Model UN assistant Cory Scott, and Upper School Social Studies instructor and Model UN coordinator Peter Smith. During the trip, the group will have the opportunity to tour Amsterdam and The Hague.
 
You can share the students' experiences on the Model UN blog on the school website.
 
In February, 25 sophomores will attend the University of Chicago Model UN Conference in Chicago, and 25 juniors will attend the Georgetown University Model UN Conference in Washington, D.C.

On Sunday, January 18, six students from Beijing High School Four International Campus (BHSFIC) arrived at Park Tudor for a three-week exchange.

As part of the second year of Park Tudor's international exchange with China, students are staying with PT host families and are becoming fully immersed in the life of the school. In addition to attending classes and after-school activities, the students and chaperone are participating in school-sponsored outings, including a tour of the IMA and local cultural attractions; a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Lucas Oil stadium, and a Pacers game; a pizza party before a girls varsity basketball game; and several dinners at PT families' homes.

One of China's so-called "key schools," BHSFIC is widely considered one of the country's finest schools. Long a pioneer in science and mathematics education, the school recently opened a separate international campus that hosts students from all over the world.

"We are thrilled with our thriving exchange programs. Not only do we have relationships with BHS4, but we have also added ones with Guatemalan students as part of the Faces and our Cultures program and, this year, a French-speaking exchange with La Reunion," said Upper School Director Debbie Everett. "These connect perfectly with our Strategic Plan's emphasis on globalism and community outreach and further reinforce our core values of Intellectual Engagement and Respect for other cultures and ways of life."

Many thanks to our host families: the Elliotts, the McWilliams, the Roots, the Couches, the Voelkels and the Osbornes.

Already sick and tired of the cold? Warm up with the thought of the 2015 Park  Tudor Summer Experience, which is open to students from across central Indiana (in addition to current Park Tudor students). This summer's class and camp schedule and registration are up and ready to view here. The program will incorporate Park Tudor's core values into the curriculum: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Integrity, and Intellectual Engagement. While keeping the student-to-teacher ratio low, these core values will be a cornerstone of the program and will be practiced and taught throughout all grade levels.

This year's lineup features some new classes and some of last year's favorites. Some new classes include Computer Science, Piano camp, and a Poetry and Rap class just to name a few. Popular favorites returning include the Spanish Immersion program, Cup Camp, Spy Camp, LEGO Land, Minecraft, and Harry Potter. We have a fabulous array of classes this summer for all ages that we know will fill up quickly. Register now.

* All seventh grade students competed in the National Geography Bee the first week of January. The National Geography Bee is prepared by the National Geographic Society and is intended to spark student interest in the subject and increase public awareness about geography. Preliminary and final rounds were completed with Eli Anderson earning runner-up honors and Cameron Smith being crowned the school champion. Cameron will now complete the National Geographic test in order to earn a position at the state finals. Congratulations Cameron!

* Junior Pavani Peri placed 7th in Lincoln-Douglas debate at the Noblesville Speech & Debate tournament on Saturday, January 15. More than 50 schools were represented at the tournament. Congratulations Pavani!

* Middle School English teacher Jane Sidey was awarded an Affiliate School scholarship from Gilder Lehrman Online Courses to complete a course this spring on the American South. The selection committee was impressed with Jane's plans, in partnership with Upper School social studies teacher Sven Dubie, to launch this summer's "Southern Studies" seminar for Park Tudor Upper School students to study the south. Southern Studies is a for-credit, introductory seminar where students will engage in a philosophical enquiry of how environment and place work to shape identity, history, art, music, literature, and culture. Enrolled students will spend two weeks of classroom study followed by one week traveling to several southern states in order to connect experientially with that landscape and geography. Highlights will include participation in a workshop at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture on the campus of the University of Mississippi and a tour of the Equity and Justice Initiative located in Montgomery, Ala. Click here for more information or to register.

* Upper School English teacher Pam Fischer served as the alumni speaker at the December commencement for students graduating from Indiana University's School of Education. She is a member of the School of Education's Alumni Board.

* Eighth-grader Anjali Mirmira qualified for the State Scholastic Chess Tournament in the 8th grade-and-under Junior Varsity Division by placing 3rd in the regional competition on January 10. Anjali will compete at the state competition on January 24.

* Juniors Pavani Peri and Bobby Crossin were featured in a front-page article in the Indianapolis Star for their efforts to establish the Kriya Foundation, a nonprofit organization that has already started an eye clinic in India, providing free vision care.

* Senior Priya Mirmira was named a semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search for her project entitled, "Bisphenol A and Type 2 Diabetes: Genuine Concern or Unnecessary Preoccupation."  Priya has been conducting her research work at IUPUI under the mentorship of Dr. Carmella Evans-Molina in the Division of Endocrinology. As part of this award, Priya has been awarded a $1000 scholarship, and Park Tudor also receives $1000. Priya has also published a first author peer-reviewed publication.

Boys Basketball: In the Marion County tournament, the Panthers won their first game, 60-48, over Beech Grove but lost by seven points to 4A No. 1 Southport.

Girls Basketball: The girls knocked out a great win over Broad Ripple on Tuesday, January 13 with a score of 60-29!

Swimming: Congratulations to the girls swim team for repeating its ICC championship on Saturday, January 10! The boys and girls teams both competed at the conference meet at Beech Grove; the boys placed 4th. First-place finishers and individual ICC champions included: Erin Beesley, 200 free; Veeanna Edwards, 50 free and 100 free; Clare Chandler, 200 IM; Lexi Adams, 100 back; Alex McGregory, 100 fly; girls 200 medley relay; and girls 200 free relay.

Hockey: JJ Freudenberg scored 3 goals (hat trick) on senior night on Saturday evening, January 10. JJ's team, the Heritage Knights, defeated Brebeuf, 4-1. Park Tudor's JP LaBarge and Adam Gottwald are also members of the team.

Check out the Park Tudor photo page to see photos of the latest school events.