Introducing Our New Director of Upper Schools
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After an extensive international search, I am delighted to announce that our new Director of Upper Schools will be David Maher. David has been an educator for over 25 years. Most recently, he was the founding Head of Upper School at Chadwick International, a pre K-11 school in Songdo, Korea that will graduate its first class in June of 2016. David was responsible for helping to create and implement curriculum, establish programs such as athletics, service learning, outdoor education, and college counseling, and recruit, hire, and support the inaugural upper school faculty and staff. Prior to his time at Chadwick, David served as Academic Dean at the Fountain Valley School in Colorado. He recently moved to California with his wife, Laura, who is the Director of Advancement for the Center for Early Education in West Hollywood.
David is the vice chairman of World Leadership Foundation, established to "unleash the potential of global communities through technology, learning and collaboration." Through the Foundation and its partner organization, World Leadership School, he has worked with schools and developing communities in Belize, Kenya, Costa Rica, Haiti, and elsewhere. David is an avid hiker and has climbed mountains in Peru, France, Alaska, and Colorado. He has led groups of students on kayaking, mountaineering, hiking, and caving expeditions, and was the creator of PEAKS, an outdoor leadership program that operated in Virginia, West Virginia, and Colorado for over a decade. David is the proud father of two children, Lindsey (20) and Owen (18), who are attending college in Colorado and Alabama respectively. David reports, "I am thrilled to be joining the Rolling Hills Prep and Renaissance Schools community and am looking forward to being on campus in a few short months."
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the search process for their thoughtful and perceptive work over the past few months and particularly in the past two weeks as finalists interviewed on campus with faculty, staff, parents, and students.
Peter McCormack
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Congratulations to the students who made the Trimester 1 Service Learning Honor Roll! Click here to view the list.
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RHP/REN has been requiring short unpaid internships of its graduating seniors for the last twenty years. Students have worked in businesses, hospitals, schools, and non-profit organizations. Students are asked to work at least thirty hours per week for two weeks at the end of May.
If you have a possible internship placement for one of our seniors, please contact [email protected]. The internship is from May 27 to June 5. We coordinate the program and supervise placements
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On our next Pizza Monday, which will be on January 26th, we are happy to announce that we will be offering Papa John's Pizza, instead of Dominoes. The price will be the same ($2 per slice), but sodas will not be available for sale, so please have your kids bring their own drinks to school for lunch that day. (And single dollar bills would be appreciated!)
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On Friday, January 30, RHP 8th grade English students will create a living gallery of historical figures. Students have been working hard to research biographical reports, write speeches, and create informative picture frames for their presentations. Parents are invited to visit as these "portraits" come to life and share their biographies. Presentations will take place from 11:30-12:30. We hope you can join us! As a reminder, 8th grade English students should bring costumes to change into for these presentations.
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Spirit Week is here! Show your Husky spirit by participating in our themed days.
Monday (1/26) - Pajamas
Tuesday (1/27) - Twin Day
Wednesday (1/28) - Sports Rival Day (where rivaling jerseys/sports shirts with a friend)
Thursday (1/29) - Class Colors
Friday (1/30) - School Spirit Wear (RHP/REN gear)
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Winter Formal is on Saturday, January 31, 7-11 p.m. at
The Grand Event Center in Long Beach.
If students plan on taking pictures at Winter Formal, they must bring this form along with payment to the Formal.
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On Monday, February 2, teachers will be attending a seminar presented by Rick Wormeli, a consultant for National Public Radio, USA Today, Court TV and the Smithsonian Institution's Natural Partners Program.
Every teacher will learn how to enhance instruction by understanding how to increase and decrease complexity in student assignments and assessments to better meet the needs of students. Teachers will also learn how to minimize inhibitors and maximize motivation for students so that they will think, take risks, complete activities and learn the goal of every lesson that teachers present.
Please note that there will be no classes on Feb. 2nd.
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Save the date for Classical Night, January 29th, 6:30 p.m. The evening will feature performances by the symphonic band, chorus, and talented soloists. If you are interested in performing, please contact Ms. Lee at [email protected].
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Renaissance presents: Beyond Right and Left Hemispheres & Below the Cortex / Implications for Trauma & PTSD.
People exposed to traumatic events vary greatly in how they respond to these events based on numerous developmental, attachment related, and sociocultural factors. This training will provid a neurodevelopmental model through which to better understand the various responses to trauma, and emphasizes the impact of trauma on the developing brain, both generally and in relation to the formation of automatic behaviors. Appropriate for parents and professionals. Open to the public. Lunch is 12-1 p.m. Visit this website for registration and fee information.
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Come join RHP and Renaissance parents and friends for a fun night at The Comedy and Magic Club on Thursday, February 5, 2015. Proceeds will benefit the Performing Arts Booster Club. Tickets are $20.
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The annual gala and auction will be on April 25, 2015. Save the date!
The Gala Committee is in need of empty holiday baskets/gift containers for the Gala. If you would like to donate one, please drop them off with Patty Harunk in the office. You can contact Patty at [email protected].
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In 1846, some black folks came up with a plan...
RHP and REN's History Department &
Lange Productions
Presents
Let Freedom Ring
Based on a true story...almost!
Saturday, February 7
3:00 p.m. in the MPR
Admission is $10
Open to the public
Written and Directed by Ted Lange
Starring: Adam Clark, Kathy Hagee, J. D. Hall, Vince Isaac, Christine Kludjian, Chrystee Pharris, Willaim Christopher Stephens and Carl Weathers
Narrator: Monique Geri Wildee
Produced by Mary Lange
Chaos, comedy, and collusion resound when a group of black men conspire to steal the Liberty Bell before it can be rung on George Washington's birthday on February 22, 1846.
Join us for this black box theater style, staged reading to kick off Black History Month! If you have any questions, contact Kathy Hagee at [email protected].
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I am director of the Student Services Office at Rolling Hills Prep. My office provides accommodations and academic support to students with learning differences.
My favorite part of working at RHP/REN is the kids. I love watching them grow and thrive as they become more confident and successful students. Especially rewarding is when students return as adults and share how RHP shaped their lives and contributed to their later success. It feels good to work at a school that truly changes kids' lives for the better. As one student so aptly put it, "Where else can you be part of the football team and the poetry club and have it be okay with everyone?" (Frasier Glenn).
I am fortunate to have a staff of dedicated learning specialists who work together as a team supporting students, teachers and parents every day. Citing slogans such as, "Take it seriously, but not personally" often gets us through some of the more challenging situations. At the end of each day, I am certain that my staff feels good about what we have accomplished.
I have so many fond memories that it is hard to pick just a few, but I'll try. I loved the crazy time at the Korean Church when our lovely new campus was not quite ready for us to occupy. The staff, students and parents pulled together during this challenging time in a way that was inspiring.
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In the summer before eighth grade I was brought reluctantly to a rehearsal for a local production of Fiddler on the Roof. As an athlete I pictured myself as being too tough for theater. Singing and dancing seemed to be as far from my identity as possible. I pictured "theater people" as geeky and weird. When I arrived, those thoughts were confirmed as I was greeted with a crushing hug by a very tall, very skinny nineteen year old in a Jedi robe with a light saber on his belt. I didn't know it then, but this moment would teach me one of the most important things I have ever learned: it's good to be weird. Yes, I agree with Lillian! People live in fear of being different...
Click here to read the rest of Colin's speech.
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Emerson Montano, RHP '14, volunteered with the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conversation Society for a month. Here is his account as a volunteer at Wasgamuwa.
My time at the wild elephant project with the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society has been quite an experience, and in just a week I've done many things I never expected to do. As an example, let me explain my daily commute to the office.
We leave at around 4 o'clock. Wearing shorts and flip flops, I hop in the back of a fifty year old Land Rover and we set off, perhaps giving lifts to locals we meet along the way. We drive through narrow dirt and mud roads with puddles, dips, drops and bumps as the jungle foliage sprawls into the Land Rover's open sides. The drive is nice, and we pass lakes and picturesque rice paddies, pass through the electric fence into the territory of the wild elephants.
Finally, we arrive at my office. It's a homely place, two stories with a nice view. I work on the top floor, and I have to climb up due to the lack of an elevator. The amenities are basic; there is no electricity or running water or toilet or walls. Because my office is a treehouse made of sticks and grass. How cool is that?
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January 26
Boys' Varsity Soccer vs. New Roads, 3:15 p.m. @ Gaudenti Field
January 26
Girls' Varsity Basketball vs. Wildwood, 6:45 p.m. @ Willows School
January 26
Boys' Varsity Basketball vs. Wildwood, 7:30 p.m. @ Willows School
January 27
Girls' Varsity Soccer vs. New Roads, 3:15 p.m. @ Gaudenti Field
January 28
Girls' Varsity Soccer vs. Wildwood, 3:15 p.m. @ West LA College
January 28
Girls' Varsity Basketball vs. Vistamar, 4 p.m. @ Betty Ainsworth Rec Center
January 28
Boys' Varsity Basketball vs. New Roads, 5 p.m. @ Memorial Park
January 29
Boys' MS Basketball vs. Rolling Hills Country Day, 3:30 p.m. @ Rolling Hills Country Day
January 29
Girls' MS Soccer vs. Rolling Hills Country Day, 3:30 p.m. @ Gaudenti Field
January 29
Classical Night, 6:30 p.m. in the MPR
January 31
Renaissance presents: "Implications for Trauma & PTSD" 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the MPR
January 31
Boys' Varsity Basketball vs. El Segundo, 9:30 a.m. @ Fairfax High School
January 31
Girls' Varsity Soccer vs. New Roads, 12 p.m. @ Crossroads High School
January 31
Boys' Varsity Soccer vs. New Roads, 2 p.m. @ Crossroads High School
January 31
Formal, 7-11 p.m. @ The Grand Event Center in Long Beach
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Announcement!
We have combined our two Instgrams into one account!
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Click each link to sign up!
Volunteer to sell muffins on Tuesdays from 9:20-10 a.m.
Volunteer to be a library monitor on Thursdays, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Donate Gatorade and water to the Girls' Varsity Soccer team on game days (parents of team members).
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