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7th Grade Participates in Million Meal Marathon
Park Tudor's 7th grade participated in the Million Meal Marathon at Lucas Oil Stadium on Tuesday, October 27. This is the fifth consecutive year that Park Tudor 7th graders have participated in this event.
As part of this Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) initiative, our entire 7th grade joined about 4,000 other volunteers to pack up to one million life-saving meals. The meals packed at the Million Meal Marathon will be distributed locally and globally through non-governmental organizations to feed the hungry at home and the starving abroad.
Prior to participating in the Million Meal Marathon, the students learned about the root causes of global hunger through an interactive advisory lesson. Following their work during the Marathon, they heard from Maria Blake, Director of Crooked Creek Food Pantry, who taught them about local hunger in Indianapolis, particularly in Washington and Pike townships.
The Million Meal Marathon is sponsored by Thrive360. Visit the Thrive360 website to learn more about this organization and their cause.
Engaging our students in service learning helps raise their awareness and shows them how to make a difference. This event is an excellent example of how Park Tudor is working to "connect classroom, campus and community," and an opportunity for our students to make a positive impact on a global problem.
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Park Tudor Joins Other Schools in Important Research Projects
Between now and mid-November, Park Tudor will participate in two important research projects.
Caring Schools Initiative: Middle and Upper School students and all faculty and staff will be asked to complete an anonymous survey as part of the Caring Schools Initiative, a project conducted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The Caring Schools Initiative works with schools and districts serving students in grades 6-12 to promote safety, caring and respect. This survey will help us better understand how students and faculty experience our school community - whether they feel safe and respected, and how well they are connected to other students and adults. Our data will be aggregated with the other participating schools and used by the Harvard Graduate School of Education for research purposes, and we will also receive a report of our individual school data. INDEX Parent Loyalty Survey: All Park Tudor parents will be asked to complete a very short (4-question) survey measuring parent loyalty as part of a pilot program among INDEX schools. INDEX is a consortium of independent peer schools that are very similar to Park Tudor; we work closely with our fellow INDEX schools to benchmark ourselves. In this pilot program, approximately 30 INDEX schools will ask all parents the key question, how likely are you to recommend Park Tudor? Once all schools have administered the survey, we will be able to compare our results to our fellow INDEX schools. We hope that this will become an annual survey that is eventually implemented by all INDEX schools, if the pilot is successful. We would like as much parent participation as possible; please look for the survey to complete during the week of November 9-13. This survey will not replace the ISACS parent survey, which we plan to conduct in February, but instead will give us additional data to benchmark ourselves with our peer schools. |
Connecting Classroom, Campus and Community: Developing Character
By Ryan Martin, Assistant Director of the Upper School
We are what we think.
All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts we make the world.
Speak or act with an impure mind
And trouble will follow you
As the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart.
- From the Dhammapada, translated by Thomas Byrom
As I sat down with Sarah Webster, Christian Jacobs, Inga Kahre, and Tom Page to write the new Upper School Advisory curriculum, we were initially daunted by the scope of the task. However, the spirit in the room was enthusiastic and lively as we eagerly shared ideas. It became clear we were simply putting on paper what our faculty and staff already do well as mentors, role models, and stewards of Park Tudor. Whether conducting class or walking with a student to lunch, we overtly and subtly impact character on this campus. As Dr. Maurice Elias, professor of Social and Emotional Learning, notes, "People don't send their kids to school just for the accumulation of isolated bits of knowledge. If you look at the history of education, it really is about character development -- implicitly or explicitly."
Whether during Magic Circles in the Lower School, Disability Awareness Week in the Middle School, or a Critical Focus Discussion in the Upper School, our greatest resource in developing a caring community rests within the adults as intentional mentors and deliberate role models. Character through action pays it forward creating a school where trust and respect are the norm. And though we play with difficult abstractions like integrity, fairness, responsibility, and empathy in our course work, they become concrete when witnessed firsthand.
As the year progresses, our students will collaborate with dynamic guests and engage in inspiring activities backed by the Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) initiative. For example, before Fall Break, many of our ninth graders developed a relationship with Crooked Creek Food Pantry to set the framework for future collaborations. And in the spring, the Upper School will spend the day exploring identity formation with renowned poet Taylor Mali. As we continue to direct our thoughts toward purposeful character development across all levels, we look forward to witnessing the ways in which our students will shape and inspire Park Tudor, Indianapolis, and wherever they choose to rest their oxen.
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Environmental Club Collecting Unwanted Electronics
November 15th is "America Recycles Day," a nationwide effort to encourage recycling and environmental mindfulness. Leading up to America Recycles Day, Senior Luke Elliott is helping the Upper School Environmental Club organize an electronic waste drive to meet one of the requirements for becoming an Eagle Scout. It is estimated that 80% of old unwanted electronics are stored in a house or business, and almost every part of a computer can be recycled. The goal of the drive is to create an opportunity for unused electronic "junk" to be recycled into new and useful products.
Unwanted electronic equipment - computers, phones, televisions, monitors, printers, or anything "with a plug" - can be placed in bins by the entrance doors to the Upper, Middle and Lower Schools from November 2 to November 13. You can also drive up and drop off used electronic equipment at the top of the circle between Ayres Auditorium and Clowes Commons between 8 am - 4 pm on Saturday, November 14. Volunteers will be on hand to unload your recyclable electronics from your car. Thank you for taking advantage of this opportunity to dispose of your electronic waste in ways that will reduce the impact we have on our planet. |
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Middle School Creates Organic Garden
"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."
- John Muir
Just outside of the Middle School science classrooms you will see six raised beds that will offer a variety of produce and flowers next summer. The project is the result of an Innovation Grant that was awarded last year. Middle School science teachers Mary Zajac and Susan Taylor and Upper School science teacher Laura Reysz have been excited to see their plan put into action in another example of how Park Tudor is connecting classroom, campus and community throughout all divisions.
Two weeks ago, a group of Middle School students built and filled the beds with organic soil. This area will serve as the first location for what will eventually be a campus-wide gardening initiative. Most immediately, several collaborative seventh and eighth grade lab experiences will center on the garden. Students will be paired in mixed groups to evaluate the soil conditions, prepare the concentrations of organic pyrethrin (for pest control) and start the seedlings for spring planting. Once we have established plants, the care and use of the gardens will become a campus-wide resource available for classroom engagement.
The Upper School will become involved in the process of composting, along with the planting of seedlings and maintenance of the gardens in the spring and summer. The goal is for the US students to "supervise" MS students in the creation and nurturing of the gardens.
This project will serve as the springboard for several other planned green spaces and certified wildlife habitats. For example, one idea is to re-establish an orchard area utilizing grafts from the two remaining apple trees from Lilly Orchard. Summer curriculum is being developed to challenge students to create and care for these spaces. Eventually, we hope to share produce grown in the garden with the community through the Lilly Orchard Café and by serving local food banks.
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Upper School Open House - TONIGHT!
Thursday, October 29
6:00 - 8:30 p.m. (Dinner is included)
Students and parents interested in Park Tudor's Upper School are invited to attend our annual open house to meet students, faculty, and administrators and explore life at Park Tudor. RSVP online.
CEL Learning Day: The Evolution of Indianapolis and Poverty's Impact
Saturday, October 31
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Meet in Wood Room
Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) is premised on the entire Park Tudor community-students, faculty, staff, and parents-working together on issues of shared importance. Led by Indianapolis community leader Tim Streett, this CEL Learning Day will include:
- A discussion of poverty: what does it mean to be truly impoverished? How is it defined beyond just money?
- A bus tour of Indianapolis to explore how cities work, the macro-level issues shaping Indianapolis (migration, suburbanization, urban abandonment), and the gentrification (or non-gentrification) of neighborhoods.
- At the end of the day, we will regroup to begin to explore how the Park Tudor community might continue to make a difference.
Upper School Fall Play: Scenes from
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Metamorphoses
Saturday, November 7, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 8, 2:30 p.m.
Ayres Auditorium
First performed by students at Northwestern University, where playwright Mary Zimmerman is a professor of performance studies (she is also Manilow Resident Director at the Goodman Theater in Chicago), this play opened at Broadway's Circle on the Square Theater in March, 2002.
Based on Ovid's transformation myths, the play subtly mixes the ancient stories of pathos and tragedy with contemporary language, humor, and thought, all enacted in and around a large pool of water in the center of the stage. The themes of love, the inevitability of change, and the human ability to adapt to change are timeless, as is amply demonstrated by the sometimes eerie closeness of a vignette to the original lines from Ovid, which still manage to resonate with modern viewers.
 Homegrown: Fostering an Innovative Mindset in Our Schools and City Thursday, November 12 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. The Speak Easy 5255 N. Winthrop Ave. Indianapolis, IN 46220 Join us to hear from innovators in the Indianapolis business community, including PT alumni Lauren George '09, who is directing community outreach for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; Prahasith Veluvolu '13, co-founder (with fellow PT alums Jacobi Petrucciani '12 and Colton Voege '13) of Mimir, a platform that will enable professors to provide more immediate feedback to students; and Jonathan Shalliol '97, Director of Organization Innovation for the Heritage Group. Tech entrepreneur Ryan Pfenniger, who started his first company while a student at North Central and is now chief technology officer at 250ok, will also participate, along with Kendrea Williams, founder of Ethos Marketing and Communications. This adults-only event will provide opportunities for networking and learning from some of the most innovative minds in the community. Register here.
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Middle and Upper School Students Welcome Speaker from International Justice Mission
On Tuesday, October 20, Brian Cress from International Justice Mission visited Park Tudor to speak to both Middle and Upper School classes about modern-day slavery. IJM is the world's largest anti-slavery organization and has offices around the globe. Mr. Cress shared with students the facts and figures about slavery in the world today and its causes. He also spoke about what IJM does to combat slavery and rescue people from bondage, as well as what students here can do.
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Friends of Barbara Rominger Plant Tree on Campus in Her Honor
Members of Barbara Rominger's book club and other friends and family gathered to plant a tree on campus in honor of the longtime Lower School teacher. The tree is located near Foster Hall and the Lower School.
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Front row left-right: Cathy Dezelan, Herma McFadden Compton, Donna Johnson, Gaye Rardon, Sylvia Hanselmann, Jay Hanselmann, Margaret Taylor, Claudia Nole, Susie Main.
Back row left-right: Edith Greiwe, Roberta Miroff Wurzman, Debbie March, Marian Smith Marlowe, Emily Sturman, Diane Roe, Mary McGonagle, Kristin Bullock.
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Throwback Thursday History: A 45-Year Tradition
Yesterday's Halloween Parade continued a 45-year tradition. The Halloween Parade was started in 1971. Pictures from that year show it inside the building and it is unclear if the location was due to weather or a pared-down version of our outdoor extravaganza (weather permitting). A picture from 1975 shows the parade happening around the courtyard in front of the Lower School. Why? Because the Fine Arts building was under construction and the old cider barn, our school theater, had not yet been torn down to make way for Circle Drive!
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Students and Faculty in the News
* Additional 8th Graders Recognized at Model UN Conference: Erika Isaacs, Isha Ponugoti, Eli Anderson, Heather McNabb and Hudson Reamer received awards at the recent Model UN Conference for 8th grade students, in addition to the students listed in last week's PT Times. We regret the omission in the initial article.
* Debbie Stuart Everett, coordinator of strategic initiatives, served on the re-accreditation team for Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart in Madison, WI, October 11-14. An intense internal review is required of each member school by the Independent Schools of the Central States (ISACS) that culminates in an external review visit and report by peer educators from other ISACS member schools. Mrs. Everett will chair Park Tudor's upcoming self-study in the fall of 2016. Park Tudor is a long-standing member of ISACS.
* Senior Jack Stewart has been selected by the Indiana Chapter of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese as the recipient of the 2015 Indiana Outstanding Student of Spanish Award. He was nominated for the award by Upper School French and Spanish teacher Clarice Doucette, who will receive the Exceptional Teaching Impact and Motivation Award for Outstanding Spanish Teacher. Jack and Clarice will be honored at an awards ceremony on November 7.
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Maintenance/Facilities Appreciation Day is Thursday, October 29th! PTPA will be providing a catered breakfast to the Aladdin staff and a catered lunch from McAlister's Deli for the maintenance staff. This is to recognize them for the hard work they do all year long for our children and keeping the grounds safe and beautiful. Please take a moment this week to wave and say hello to them.
Holiday Handmade Mart - Call for Artists Calling all Artists and Craftspeople - You are invited to join in the fifth annual Holiday Handmade Mart, being held in conjunction with the PTPA coffee on Friday, December 4. If you are interested in selling your handmade wares alongside PT faculty, staff, and parents, send your name, a description of your work, and a representative photograph to Mia Miller, mianmiller@gmail.com. Space is limited.
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7th & 8th Grade Football: The 7th & 8th grade football team won their final game of 2015 on October 14. In this thriller, four touchdowns were scored in the final two minutes of the game, with the lead changing hands each time. In the end, the Panthers pulled out a 28-23 win over St. Pius/St. Luke to preserve their undefeated record and finish the season 10-0. Congratulations to the team on a fantastic season!
5th & 6th Grade Football: Congratulations to the 5th/6th Washington Township Football League Packers team comprised of Allisonville Elementary, Orchard and Park Tudor School students for bringing home the super bowl trophy in last week's championship game! The Packers won 20-0 over the Lions to finish the season undefeated. The coaching team of Glenn Hanley, John Goldenberg, Matthew Diedrich and Ryan Shore not only led the Packers to an undefeated season but were awarded the sportsmanship award during halftime of the game. This award is voted on by the referees and given to the coaching team that demonstrates sportsmanship throughout the entire season.
The Packers team is comprised of Aiden Klineman, Baxter Shore, Bryce Bowen, Colin Lasek, Eli Goldenberg, Garrett Reamer, Hank Smith, Harrison Davis, Harry Touloukian, Hayden Diedrich, Henry Hanley, Henry Isenberg, Jeremiah Jackson, Matt Polston, Max Kemper, Owen Camferdam, Tiawan Biffle and Tristan Mansell.
3rd & 4th Grade Football: Park Tudor's 3rd & 4th grade football team, the Giants, finished up their season last Sunday in the WTFL league at North Central with a 5-3 record and earned the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. However, their season came to an end after losing in the semi-finals to the No. 2 seeded Ravens. They had a very successful season and made tremendous improvements throughout the year. Members of the team were Thomas Allen, Noah Bogle, Mack Camferdam, Cameron Echard, Ethan Evans, Ethan Gladstein, Benjamin Haneline, Joe Klineman, Jacob Lasek, Luke McIntosh, Cason Ritz, Leo Shaw, Quinn Smith, Wyatt Watson, Nolan Whitehead, Adam Verma and Micah Perkins. The Giants were coached by Ryan Ritz, Joe Chamberlin, Tom Page, Ryan Hutchinson '04, and Courtney Whitehead.
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Last Call: Senior Photos are Due by November 2
Senior parents: Please submit five photos of your student by November 2.
The five suggested images include:
- Senior portrait (to be used in the yearbook)
- Baby picture as an infant or toddler (to be used in the yearbook)
- Elementary school-age photo (camp, sport/hobby, etc.; to be used in senior slide show)
- Family photo (to be used in senior slide show)
- Favorite fun high school photo (to be used in senior slide show)
Most students submit a formal senior photo, but a professional portrait is not required.
Please upload photos to PT Photos at http://photos.parktudor.org/dropbox. Be sure to include your name in the "Note to Site Owner" section so your child may be easily identified. The senior photo storage area is private and cannot seen by the public.
Digital images (.jpg or .tiff format) should be at least 300 dpi resolution or higher, at a minimum dimension size of 3" x 3". The photo may be larger in size and either horizontal or vertical. You can also email digital photos (.jpg or .tiff) to Shirley Gaughan (sgaughan@parktudor.org). Clearly identified photo prints, digital photos on CDs, flash media or actual photos may be brought to to Mrs. Sharon Riddle in the Upper School. The photos will be scanned and returned to your student.
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PT Photos
Don't forget to check out PT Photos throughout the year for photos of events. You can also follow PT on Facebook and Instagram.
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Park Tudor School Mission
To create an inspiring college-preparatory learning environment, with exceptional educators and extraordinary opportunities, that prepares and motivates students to become balanced, confident, and resourceful lifelong learners.
Editor: Cathy Chapelle '87
Editorial Staff: Cassie Dull
Graphic Design & Layout: Stefanie Dean '05
The deadline for submissions to the Times is Monday at 9 a.m. for publication on Thursday. Because of the volume of submissions, we cannot guarantee publication in the same week, but date-sensitive information will receive priority.
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