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Join Us to Learn About Our Redesigned Schedule for Grades 6-12
We have two additional information sessions for parents to learn about changes to the daily class schedule being implemented for the 2016-2017 school year. Please join us:
Thursday, February 11
12:00 p.m.
Wood Room
Wednesday, February 17 5:00 p.m. Lecture Hall Light refreshments will be served. If you are unable to attend either session, please contact your division director for more information. In addition, look for a story in next week's PT Times that will explain the changes to the schedule and the advantages they will provide.
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* Park Tudor was well-represented by 97 students (grades 5 through 12) this past Saturday, Feb. 6th at Westfield Middle School for the ISSMA (Indiana State School Music Association) district-level Piano and Voice contest.
We have thirteen students (3 MS and 10 US) who competed in the top level of competition, "Group One," and received a gold rating for their performance. This entitles them to compete at the state level contest at Perry Meridian on Sat., Feb. 20th. See the full list of participants. * Congratulations to the 18 Upper School students who received 37 awards in the 2015-2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Competition. Students received Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention awards for their work in Drawing, Design, Digital Art, Painting, Photography and Printmaking created in courses taught by Ms. Laura Schroeder, Ms. Stefanie Dean and Mrs. Heather Teets. Gold Key art is forwarded to New York City for National Adjudication. Congratulations, as well, to Middle School students Freddie Hoskins, Hudson Reamer and Lily Sumner who received awards in the 2015-2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Students received Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention awards for their work in ceramics, drawing and photography created in Ms. Campbell's Middle School Art classes. A special art exhibition will be held at Clowes Memorial Hall on the campus of Butler University from February 3 through February 28, 2016 . See the full list of art award winners here. * Several Upper School students also won Scholastic Writing awards. Congratulations to: Elizabeth Dassow (Gold Key, Short Story and Silver Key, Poetry); Beatrice Bowlby (Silver Key, Flash Fiction and Silver Key, Poetry); Julia King (Silver Key, Poetry and two Honorable Mentions, Science Fiction/Fantasy); Maya Mishra (Honorable Mention, Short Story); and Caroline Polak (Honorable Mention, Poetry).
* The 2015 issue of the Artisan was awarded a Superior ranking and a nomination for the Highest Award by the National Council of Teachers of English's Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines contest. This issue was also awarded First Place with Special Merit and Most Outstanding Private School Literary-Art Magazine by the American Scholastic Press Association. Upper School English teacher Laura Gellin is the advisor for the Artisan, and Angela Li was the editor of the 2015 issue.
* Writers, artists, and designers West Clark, Ellie Dassow, Clare Chandler, Annie Dora, Angela Li, and Rena Li collaborated with students overseas to create art, compose writing, and design layouts to be featured in this year's new international feature of the Artisan. By exploring the concept of home, students from PT, the American School of Guadalajara, and Lycee La Salle Maison Blanche in Reunion Island learned from each other, worked with each other, and broadened their sense of global community. This collaborative project is the first of its kind in terms of its international reach and the types of collaboration employed. Artisan advisor Laura Gellin presented the project on a panel "NCTE PRESLM Presents: A Review of the Nation's Best Student Literary Magazines and Distance Collaborations among Student Writers and Artists" at the NCTE national conference (National Council of Teachers of English) in St. Paul this past November. * The Park Tudor Jazz Band recently participated in two major jazz festivals: The Bloomington Jazz Festival on December 12 and the Purdue Jazz Festival on January 23. At both of these events Parker Reiselman (guitar) and Jonathan Moore (flute) received Outstanding Soloist awards from the judges. Additionally, Evan Clark won an Outstanding Musician award at the Bloomington Jazz Festival. The band received a Superior Rating at the Purdue Jazz Festival. The students got to hear concerts and clinics by outstanding musicians such as Conrad Herwig, Rob Parton, Luke Gillespie, the Buselli Wallarab Jazz Orchestra and the Purdue Jazz Band.
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Third-Graders Host Living History Museum
Park Tudor third-graders invited parents, students and faculty to attend the Living History Museum on Friday. Students portrayed key figures throughout history, and educated attendees on the stories behind each person.
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Twenty World Diplomats in Training Master The Hague International Model United Nations
 By Peter Smith, Upper School Social Studies Teacher and Model UN Advisor
Recently, sixteen seniors and four juniors attended this premier conference located in The Hague in The Netherlands. The conference brought together 3000 delegates from 100 nations with English as the lingua franca. This was the 48th year of the conference at The Hague and Park Tudor's 33rd year as a participating member. Led by myself, along with my colleagues, Cory Scott and Deb Tompkins, we were one of eight schools attending from America. This year's PT delegation of twenty students represented the West Asian nation of
Kyrgyzstan, as well as four positions by special appointment, including Managing Editor of the Press Corps (Mark Rook), Press Corps Reporter (Tala Ali-Hasan), Illustrator (Isabel Keller), and the Advisory Panel for the Question of Kurdistan (Bobby Crossin).
The goal of THIMUN is "to promote interaction and dialogue between young people from a variety of backgrounds, formulating peaceful solutions to the world's problems and preparing today's youth for tomorrow's leadership." As such, this conference was an excellent example of how we as a school move from mission to practice and how we continue to operationalize aspects of our strategic plan, PT2020. While many schools have globalized their curriculum with new courses and texts, it is rare for students to have the opportunity to literally join the global community and to become true citizens of the world. Kofi Anan, who visited THIMUN in 2002, commented on this when he noted that the power of Model United Nations is that it prepares today's students for tomorrow's world. This conference is an honor for our students and our school, and it is a true privilege to see its outworking in person.
The conference theme was "Urban Sustainability," affording students an excellent opportunity to explore these issues, and to gain important confidence in drafting and debating resolutions and navigating the resolutions process. Perhaps most important, students worked to build consensus within their respective committees around specific clauses and resolutions, with the goal of ultimately winning broad support for their group's work. This sort of experience will serve them well in so many areas in their future academic and professional work.
It is also worth noting that resolutions passed in the final plenary sessions of the General Assembly, as well as by the different Commissions including the Security Council and ECOSOC final reports, are sent to the United Nations for consideration by the Secretariat in New York. In that sense, the work is real and has significance beyond the students' time at THIMUN.
The Conference and other Attractions
Our students arrived and immediately went to work getting comfortable and gaining a better understanding of Amsterdam and The Hague. We enjoyed a walking tour over the weekend as an introduction to the area, including a canal tour by boat, museum visits to the Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank House, and the Escher Museum. Later in the week we enjoyed other opportunities, including a visit to the Van Gogh Museum and Madame Tussaud's. Our students were resourceful in their demonstration of cultural agility, their navigation of new experiences, their engagement of new ideas and concepts, as well as the ease with which they forged connections between new and previous experiences.
We officially arrived at the World Forum Convention Center early Monday morning and went right to work. The pace felt frenetic, but everyone seemed to know exactly where to begin. The day began with introductory comments in individual committee and commission sessions and then an initial round of lobbying on various topics to merge draft resolutions. PT students jumped right in and in several cases made significant contributions to resolutions with important clauses and other supporting ideas. Each group debates among itself and ultimately selects a student ambassador to present its work, but they also select the best ideas as they emerge from committees and commissions. Pavani Peri, for example, gave several significant speeches and ultimately had numerous operative clauses included in her group's final resolution; others, including Jonathan Young and Annabella Helman, either sponsored or co-sponsored resolutions; some of which were re-debated in the plenary sessions of the General Assembly on the closing day of the conference!
Rousing speeches were delivered by Carter Fite, Kristina Altman, Alex Bowlby (our delegation ambassador, who carried the Kyrgyz Republic flag), Sam Beck, Cameron Sumner, Kendall Garner, Baxter Rogers, Ryan Hupfer, Beatrice Phillips, Megan Buckley, Grace Spoerner, Noelle Enkema, and Elizabeth Polak. Our students also played a similar role in passing clauses and supporting broader resolutions. All of our students at some point were involved as co-submitters. Bobby Crossin, in his work on the elite 28 member Advisory Panel for the Question of Kurdistan, spoke continually through the five days as his panel developed a detailed communiqué to advise the UN Security Council.
Mark Rook worked tirelessly to continually raise the standard of the daily MUNITY newspaper. The press team covered the events of the 3000 plus delegates, and interviewed keynote speakers and fellow delegates gathered from 100 countries and developed excellent collaboration and team production skills in a short time. Mark also researched and wrote stories, as well as editing others. Tala interviewed and wrote about the Secretary General's involvement in the conference, as well as authoring several other strong reports each day. Isabel created numerous infographic files, and her MUNITY press sweatshirt design featuring the skyline profile of the city of The Hague was selected for press corps apparel, so they could be easily spotted amidst the flurry of 3000 delegates.
Early Lobbying and Committee Exchange
Our students all did well and they exhibited all the qualities - curiosity, deep engagement, and enthusiastic collegiality - that will truly allow them to become citizens of the world. The real gift was the opportunity to interact with other students, the opportunity to hone their speaking and debating skills, and of course the opportunity to collaborate on issues and challenges that dominate our century.
One of the highlights for me was a formal group reflection on Thursday evening - overlooking the North Sea - in which students shared what they had learned and individual takeaways. It was amazing to hear the students reflect on the experience and to hear the words they used to describe their time in The Hague. Following the reflection we collectively honored Dr. Miller, who relished his time at THIMUN in 2015. We shared personal anecdotes recalling times spent with Dr. Miller and lit candles to honor him.
We shared pictures on our blog, Park Tudor Model UN. I encourage you to follow along with pride in celebrating this magnificent event.
Park Tudor prides itself on providing extraordinary opportunities and exceptional teaching. I want to personally thank Deb Tompkins and Cory Scott for their support, collegiality, and engagement. It was a great team. It is difficult to describe what a transformative experience this was for all and how rich the conversations were both in sessions and out. It was an honor to see, and a rare experience for our fortunate students.
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A Word on Wellness: Remembering Mindfulness
 By Phyllis Shea, Ed.S., ABSNP, NCSP; School Psychologist
We live such busy lives; we rush to get our kids dressed, eat breakfast and rush to get to school. We rush to get them to practice, get dinner, and get ready for bed. What if we took a page from the mindfulness literature and chose to be present with whatever's happening around us and within us? How many times have you caught yourself wondering where the day went or heard others tell you that time is just slipping by or reminiscing about when their children were babies? Who wouldn't want to slow down, reduce stress, regulate emotions, and focus more fully on the moment?
Mindfulness is paying attention to your life with kindness and curiosity. -Dr. Jack Kornfield
Research regarding Mindfulness began more than 40 years ago and it explores how mindfulness strategies counteract the reactive behavior and short term memory loss caused by stress. According to an article by Maureen Lynch in the Communique published by the National Association of School Psychologists, the current research suggests that mindfulness practice not only changes our behavior, but also produces immediate changes in the expression of genes involved in insulin secretion, energy metabolism, and immune function. It also appears that with continued meditation, the anatomy of our brain actually changes. (Benson & Proctor, 2010; Roeser et al., 2013).
Susan Dreyer Leon, a board member of the QED Foundation and the Vermont Insight Meditation Center recommends five things that we all can do now for ourselves no matter our level of experience with mindfulness. We could also facilitate or reinforce these practices with our children.
1. Pause
According to Claire Stanley, PhD., co-founder of The Center for Mindful Inquiry, "Pause" is defined as a moment taken intentionally before one begins another task. Instead of rushing headlong into the next activity, take a pause, a moment. Create a tiny space and see what difference that makes.
2. Just One Breath
Try to be present in your body for just one breath. This technique can be used during your pause or in any moment when you feel anxious or too busy (which is sort of all the time for most of us). One conscious breath before responding or acting can give you the time that you need to relax. Then you can choose a response with more care. You can decide whether you even need to respond or take action at all. Consider suggesting that your children wait for one breath before they ask or respond -- they may realize that they already know the answer or they may chose a more thoughtful response!
3. Tuning Into Your Body
You can stop at any moment and ask yourself, "What is happening in my body right now?" How often do we find ourselves feeling crabby and frustrated with our co-workers or children before our first cup of coffee, at the end of the day, or when we are hungry and trying to get dinner on the table? It's amazing how often we can transfer physical discomfort - hunger, exhaustion, pain - into frustration. Just acknowledging we may have a headache or feel anxious about time can help us be less reactive. Checking in with our physical selves can help bring us back to the present moment and keep us from overreacting or losing our cool.
4. Nonjudgmental Observation
"Paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally" is a commonly-cited definition from Jon Kabat-Zinn, a Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and one that can be very helpful. We can ask ourselves, "What is really happening right now?" We can separate our expectations of what we think should be happening from what is actually taking place, without labeling what we see as right or wrong, good, or bad. If you're thinking, "That guy is doing that wrong, I need to go redirect them or fix it," you're bound up in your idea of what should be rather than what is, which means that you're less available to help them with their ideas. If we're always trying to make sure that they do it our way - the expected way - we're never going to get anything new. Nonjudgmental observation allows us to say, with curiosity and interest instead of worry, "That's interesting. I wonder how it's going to work for them."
5. "Don't Know" Mind
This way of thinking is also sometimes called beginner's mind; it's the space of openness and childlike delight in the new, the unpredictable ways that we can approach problem solving and the creative process. The "don't know" mind is a delight in letting go of control and accepting limitations. We celebrate the idea that our children or co-workers might actually know some things that we don't.
Additional Resources / References:
- H. Benson & W. Proctor. (2010). Relaxation revolution. New York, NY: Simon & Shuster.
- R. W. Roeser, K. A. Schonert-Reichl, A. P. Jha, M. Cullen, L. Wallace, R. Wilensky & J. Harrison. (2013). Mindfulness training and reductions in teacher stress and burnout: Results from two randomized, waitlist-control field trials. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(3) 787. doi:10.1037/a0032093
A. Salztman. (2014). A still quiet place, Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.
R. D. Siegel. (2010). The mindfulness solution, everyday practices for everyday problems, New York, NY: Guilford Press.
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Boys Basketball: The boys basketball team picked up a big non-conference win this past Saturday versus the Braves from Brebeuf Jesuit. In a low-scoring game the Panthers were victorious 47-39. The Panthers were led by Kobe Webster with 16 points along with Jaren Jackson Jr. with 14 points. The boys basketball team will be in action again next Tuesday, February 16, at Park Tudor versus conference foe Lutheran High School. The JV game will begin at 6:00 followed by the varsity game at 7:30.
Girls Basketball: The Lady Panthers had a strong and exciting finish to their season. After defeating Shortridge in the opening game of IHSAA sectional #43, the Lady Panthers had to take on the Crusaders from Scecina Memorial High School in sectional semi-final matchup. In a hard-fought game that went into overtime, the Lady Panthers were victorious 69-66 and advanced to the sectional finals. They were led by Taylee Nibbs with 28 points, Kamryn Sarratt with 21 points, and TyraRose Nibbs with 15 points. The Lady Panthers then had to take on #3-ranked Covenant Christian. It was another hard-fought game and the girls played their hearts out; however, they eventually fell to the Warriors in the sectional championship which ended their season.
Hockey: The Central Indiana Knights hockey club, which is Park Tudor's high school hockey team, had a tough weekend, coming up short in all four contests they played, including close games with Carmel, Zionsville, and Westfield. Come out and support the Knights as they play two games against Columbus this weekend in a final tune up for the upcoming Hoosier League tournament:
- Friday, Feb. 12, 7:30 p.m. vs Columbus at the Fuel Tank at Fishers
- Saturday, Feb. 13, 8:30 p.m. at Columbus at the Columbus Ice a Rink
Go Knights!
Girls Swimming: With only seven swimmers returning to finals, the Park Tudor girls swim team tied for 5th place out of 12 schools at 2016 ISHAA swimming sectionals. Highlights are listed below. We want to remind everyone to come out and support the boys swim team as they begin the IHSAA tournament. The boys swim team will begin sectionals next Thursday evening (2/18) at Decatur Central High School. Preliminaries will be Thursday evening with the finals taking place on Saturday. Best of luck to the PT boys swim team!
Highlights
Erin Beesley - 200 free - 10th
Clare Chandler - 200 IM - 5th
Vee Edwards - 50 free - 2nd
Noelle Enkema - 50 free - 15th
Vee Edwards - 100 free - 2nd
Erin Beesley - 100 free - 12th
Clare Chandler - 100 back - 6th
Jillian Miller - 100 breast - 6th
Margherita Firenze - 100 breast - 8th
200 medley relay - 4th - (one second drop from prelims)
(Clare Chandler, Jillian Miller, Veeanna Edwards, Bosi Mosongo)
200 free relay- 3rd - (six second drop from prelims)
(Erin Beesley, Veeanna Edwards, Bosi Mosongo, Clare Chandler)
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* Following an intense on-stage interview, a most creative round of on-screen PT Jeopardy, and great fashion competition by his fellow candidates, senior Bobby Crossin was voted Mr. Park Tudor by about 200 attendees at the Raise the Roof fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity event Friday night.
* Park Tudor had four NCWIT Indiana Affiliate Aspirations award winners this year: Zeba Kokan, Amanda Li, Angi Li and Michelle Zhu. Amanda Li was also recognized as a National Runner-Up award winner.
The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing honors young women at the high-school level for their computer science achievements and interests. Award recipients are selected based on their aptitude and aspirations in technology and computing; leadership ability; academic history; and plans for post-secondary education. Congratulations to Zeba, Amanda, Angi and Michelle on this wonderful recognition. Park Tudor students pictured below include: First Row: Zeba Kokan (1st on left) and Amanda Li (3rd from left); Middle Row: Michelle Zhu (2nd from left) and Angi Li (2nd from right).
 * Middle School VEX Robotics team 6842, better known as Pig Pen, won its second tournament this past weekend, and in doing so, won a highly coveted invitation to participate in the Indiana State VEX Robotics Tournament. In addition, two other Park Tudor Middle School teams, 6842A and 6842X, placed 3rd and 4th respectively at the KIDS Inc. Winter Tournament this past weekend. There are only two weeks left in Indiana's VEX Nothing But Net regular season, and Park Tudor Middle School will host its second Nothing But Net Tournament on February 20 in Clowes Commons. The event is free and open to the public. For more information or to volunteer please contact DJ Weymuth 317-415-2893 or dweymuth@parktudor.org.
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Parent Session to Hear About Daily Schedule Changes Coming for 2016/17 - TODAY!
Thursday, February 11
12:00 p.m.
Wood Room
Upper School
Join Interim Head of School, Peter Kraft, to learn more about upcoming changes to the daily class schedule being implemented for the 2016-2017 school year. Light refreshments will be served.
Park Tudor Speaker Series Presented by The National Bank of Indianapolis: Catherine Steiner-Adair, Ed.D. Thursday, February 11 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.; Reception to follow Wood Room As the focus of family has turned to the glow of the screen - children constantly texting their friends, parents working online around the clock - everyday life is undergoing a massive transformation. The digital world is here to stay, but what are families losing with technology's gain? Drawing on real-life stories from her clinical work with children and parents, and her consulting work with educators and experts across the country, clinical psychologist Catherine Steiner-Adair offers insights and advice that can help parents achieve greater understanding, authority, and confidence as they come up against the tech revolution unfolding in their living rooms. RSVP Here. Professional Development Day - No School Friday, February 12 President's Day - No School Monday, February 15
Parent Session to Hear About Daily Schedule Changes Coming for 2016/17
Thursday, February 17
5:00 p.m.
Lecture Hall
Upper School
Join Interim Head of School, Peter Kraft, to learn more about upcoming changes to the daily class schedule being implemented for the 2016-2017 school year. Light refreshments will be served.
Patachou Foundation Speakers Forum - Jordyn Lexton
Thursday, February 18
7:00 p.m. Ayres Auditorium The Patachou Foundation is hosting its 3rd annual Speakers Forum at Park Tudor featuring former Rikers Island teacher Jordyn Lexton, who has created Drive Change to rehabilitate young adults facing the detrimental impact of the criminal justice system. Join us as we listen to Jordyn share her inspiring story and encourage others to help drive change and make an impactful difference in our community. Like The Patachou Foundation, Jordyn believes that food has always been a powerful equalizer. Both organizations seek to make an impact on the community through the power of good food and human connection. Click here to purchase tickets for the lecture, pre-event reception and post-event dinner. Faculty and Staff Appreciation Luncheon Friday, February 19 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Wood Room Visiting Artist Forrest Formsma Wednesday, February 24 6:00 - 6:30 p.m.: Artist Talk in the Wood Room 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.: Artist Reception and Exhibition in Leffler Gallery/Seminar Room Upper School Mothers and Special Friends Morning Friday, February 26 7:55 - 11:50 a.m. Upper School Mothers and special friends are invited to spend the morning attending classes with their Upper School student(s). |
Throwback Thursday History: Feel the Rhythm, Feel the Rhyme!
Our instrumental and vocal music programs began modestly but have grown to a size that involves an incredible number of students. In this issue, TBT is focusing on our instrumental program begun in 1977.
The 1977 Chronicle writes: "The musical performances that seem so polished and easy, don't start that way. They involve practices, rehearsals, headaches, laughs and a lot of concentration. With the individual practice and ensemble rooms in the new building, the preparations are a lot easier this year."
Because of the new fine arts building, the music department was able to grow under the direction of John Williams. No more was the Commons stage used for K-12 performances. In 1977 the expansion of the department included the new all-male ensemble group, The Journeymen, voice lessons, and an instrumental music program including lessons and small ensembles. As the Chronicle reports, "The changes have resulted in an increase in student interest in music and in high quality performances."
And so it continues.
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| | Students enjoy new music rooms in 1977. |
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February Statements Now Available
Your current statement is now available for viewing in your Park Tudor My Backpack account. Payment is due by Monday, February 29.
To determine if you have a balance due, click on the "Account Summary" tab. To see details of your balance, click on the "Statement" tab. Past statements also are available for review, and statements are printable from this screen. You may pay online by clicking on the "Pay Online" option in the lower left corner of the statement screen and completing the electronic payment information, or send payment by mail to:
Park Tudor School
P.O. Box 6069 - Dept. 105
Indianapolis, IN 46206-6069
Please call 415-2800 if you have any questions regarding your student's account. If you need assistance with My Backpack password or login, please call 415-2710 or email support@parktudor.org.
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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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