↧
Time to Read Over Thanksgiving? Have We Got Ideas for You!
↧
Vote today for the InvenTeam's video, winner gets $10,000
Voting closes November 29
Catlin Gabel's InvenTeam is going after another grant, this time it's a video contest for which the public casts votes. The resulting grant could be worth $10,000 that the team would use to make educational achievement in Guatemala more engaging.
Vote for it! Spread the word! You can vote once a day until November 29.
»Link to all videos
The InvenTeam video is on page 4. It's the thumbnail with an illustration of 3 books.
↧
↧
Upper School teacher publishes curriculum guide for wide distribution
Upper School teacher and PLACE urban studies director George Zaninovich collaborated with alumna Erin Goodling '99 to produce a curriculum guide for educators, activists, community leaders, and, above all, students. The 121-page guidebook is an outgrowth of Catlin Gabel's PLACE urban studies and leadership program. We are grateful to George and Erin for walking our talk of being a model for progressive education.
The free curriculum guide is posted on our website. We are eager to share this work with others.
Help spread the word.
↧
Williams College soccer team captain Abby Conyers '10 playing in sweet sixteen Nov 23
Go, Abby!
Saturday's game time is 1:20 – 3:45 p.m.
» Link to Williams vs John Hopkins webcast
» Follow the bracket
↧
The Power of Creativity: Catlin Gabel's New Creative Arts Center
From the Summer 2013 Caller
![]()
The new Creative Arts Center will foster interdisciplinary work in the arts and collaboration among disciplines, teachers, and students in grades 6 through 12. We hope that, ultimately, the creative practices engendered in this building lead to innovative thinking in all disciplines, and our students’ ability to make their way in the world in whatever career they choose, armed by the creative thinking habits they’ve honed here.
The new Creative Arts Center will foster interdisciplinary work in the arts and collaboration among disciplines, teachers, and students in grades 6 through 12. We hope that, ultimately, the creative practices engendered in this building lead to innovative thinking in all disciplines, and our students’ ability to make their way in the world in whatever career they choose, armed by the creative thinking habits they’ve honed here.The space to create
US visual art, US choir,
US media arts, MS drama,
MS music, MS visual art
Current arts square footage: 6,786
CAC square footage: 20,000
Creative Arts Center Upper Level
Gallery
Outdoor plaza
Media arts
Theater control room
MS visual arts
US visual arts
Shared print room
3D studio
Art Walk
Lower Level
Black box theater (two levels)
Theater tech space
Drama classroom
Instrumental room
Choir room
Music laboratory
Practice rooms
Instrument storage
“A truly outstanding school excels in all areas of curriculum. A well-balanced course of study allows st![]()
udents to develop the wide variety of skills needed to succeed once they leave school. A robust arts curriculum is crucial in fostering those creative skills that are increasingly in demand in the 21st century workplace.”—Dan Griffiths, Upper School head
udents to develop the wide variety of skills needed to succeed once they leave school. A robust arts curriculum is crucial in fostering those creative skills that are increasingly in demand in the 21st century workplace.”—Dan Griffiths, Upper School head“We have often said that we have the teachers, we have the program, but we just have never had the facility to help our children become leaders who can think abstractly and outside the box. Now we will have a first-class building to house this exciting program. It has been a joy to be part of a team that is finally seeing a vision come to life for an amazing school.”—Craig Hartzman, campaign co-chair, parent & donor
“It’s only in retrospect that I truly appreciate how definitive my exposure to the arts at Catlin Gabel was for my career and myself. Honing my artistic side made me more explorative, creative, imaginative, and probably a super-spoiled brat.”—Megan Amram ’06, Harvard College graduate & professional comedy writer
ARTS CLASSES & SAT SCORES: A POSITIVE LINK
Math teacher Kenny Nguyen and two of his statistics students, Siobhan Furnary ’13 and Lianne Siegel ’13, analyzed data for 422 Upper School students from 2005 to 2013. They found that taking more Upper School arts classes was correlated with higher SAT scores—an expectation of 22 points for every arts class taken.
Did you know?
“John Maeda, the president of the Rhode Island School of Design, has been a fervent advocate of converting STEM to STEAM—adding arts into the equation. The central tenets of his argument are that any advance is useless unless it can be communicated, and that flexible thinking, risk taking, and problem solving are essential to any kind of innovation. Those attributes are exactly what is nurtured in a rich and rigorous arts curriculum. In essence, Maeda’s argument is that creativity will become the commerce of the 21st century.”—Nance Leonhardt, arts department chair
↧
↧
Ski program information 2014
Let's hit the slopes!
Carefully review this article, download the emergency medical and behavior agreement form posted at the bottom of the page, register online with Mt. Hood Meadows, and turn in forms and payment to Kathy Sloan, ski program coordinator.
The Catlin Gabel ski bus runs on six Saturdays: February 8, 15, 22, and March 1, 8, and 15.
The Catlin Gabel ski program is supervised by faculty members from all divisions. Mt. Hood Meadows ski and snowboard instructors teach the lessons. The program is open only to Catlin Gabel students in 5th through 12th grades. The transportation and chaperone fee for the six-week program is $150, payable by check to Catlin Gabel. Lift, lesson, and rental fees are payable to Mt. Hood Meadows through their online registration.
Transportation and supervision
Catlin Gabel buses transport participating students to and from Mt. Hood Meadows. The bus drivers are Catlin Gabel employees. Chaperones ride each bus and are available in the lodge at most but not all times.
Buses leave Catlin Gabel at 6:30 a.m. sharp. At the end of the ski day, the buses leave Mt. Hood Meadows at 3:30 p.m., returning to Catlin Gabel by 5:30 p.m.
All students must return via the Catlin Gabel bus unless parents or guardians prearrange alternative transportation. Chaperones must receive a note signed by a parent or guardian detailing the alternative transportation arrangements.
Reigistration
There are two separate components to registration: Mt. Hood Meadows registration and Catlin Gabel registration.
Mt. Hood Meadows Registration
♦ Go to Mt. Hood Meadows' registration website
♦ Enter the GO code for Catlin Gabel in the GO code Box. Our GO Code is: 1024713
♦ Select the package you wish to purchase.
• Grades 5-8 are “Trailblazers,” grades 9-12 are “High School.”
• Trailblazers MUST sign up for lessons. This is a Catlin Gabel requirement.
• Note: there is a Beginner Special for first-time skiers and snowboarders that is significantly less expensive.
♦ After registering, you will receive a confirmation email from Mt. Hood Meadows and required forms.
Catlin Gabel Registration
Four forms in hard copy and payment are due to Kathy Sloan in the Upper School by Wednesday, January 22
♦ Catlin Gabel medical release and behavior agreement form posted below
♦ Mt. Hood Meadows release form
♦ Mt. Hood Meadows medical form
♦ Mt. Hood Meadows rental form (if renting equipment)
♦ Check for $150 made payable to Catlin Gabel.
Financial aid is available directly through the ski bus program for students who need it and are committed to attending all six weeks. It is available for Catlin Gabel’s transportation and chaperone fee, as well as a portion of the Mt. Hood Meadows packages. Please contact Kathy Sloan directly to inquire about financial aid.
Drop-in skier information
Transportation and supervision are available to skiers who can only attend one or two Saturdays. However, we recommend signing up for the full program if you plan to ski more than twice because the unused days on the tickets are good until the end of the ski season.
The drop-in fee is $30 payable in cash or check on the day of attendance. Drop-in skiers must purchase their own lift and/or lesson tickets. Please rent equipment in advance in the Portland area. Beginning and first-season skiers are not permitted to use the drop-in system.
The Catlin Gabel emergency medical and behavior form is required for all drop-in skiers. Extra forms are available in each of the division offices and posted at the bottom of this page. The form may be filled out ahead of time or brought with the skier on the day of attendance. We cannot accept phoned in permission.
Program guidelines – read these carefully!
Both students and parents are responsible for reading this information.
Be on time. Please arrive at 6:15 a.m. to load skis and get seated on the bus. The bus leaves campus promptly at 6:30 a.m. and returns to Catlin Gabel by 5:30 p.m. Parents/guardians, please be on time to pick up your skier(s) at the end of the day.
Lessons are required for all participants in 5th through 8th grades. They are optional for high school participants. Lessons are approximately two hours and happen on each of the first four Saturdays, but not the last two. Prior to and after lessons, participants are “free skiing.” Although program rules require skiing with a partner, participants are not supervised by chaperones while on the slopes.
Skiers are required to travel both directions on the same bus. There will be chaperones on each bus and in the lodge at most but not all times. In the morning, buses drop students at the lodge, and at the end of the ski day students walk to the buses parked in the parking lot by 3:15 p.m. Failure to return to the bus on time causes worry and delay for everyone. Late skiers could be dropped from the ski program the following week.
All skiers are expected to honor the rules and regulations governing the use of lifts, slopes, and lodges as posted by Mt. Hood Meadows. Failure to comply will result in dismissal from the program. All skiers are expected to honor Catlin drug and alcohol policy. Failure to comply will result in dismissal from the program and disciplinary action taken at school.
We strongly encourage all skiers and snowboarders to wear helmets although this is not mandatory. Helmets come with the Trailblazer rental package.
Loading and unloading equipment and cleaning the bus at the end of the day is everyone’s responsibility. No one should leave the campus until the buses are empty and cleaned.
Concern for others is an essential part of the ski program while on our way to and from Mt Hood Meadows and while at the ski area. We have been justifiably proud of the Catlin Gabel students in the past and have had numerous great seasons. We hope you can be a part of the best season yet!
We ask all students and parents to join in our commitment for the safest and most enjoyable ski program possible.
Ski program leaders: Kathy Sloan, Len Carr, Chris Bell, Peggy McDonnell, Bob Sauer, Larry Hurst, Paul Monheimer, Aline Garcia-Rubio, and Spencer White
↧
History Bowl team advances to nationals
Bravo!
Catlin Gabel's inaugural History Bowl team, at its first competition, qualified for the National History Bowl by placing 2nd in the junior varsity division at regionals. Team members Adolfo Apolloni, Daniel Chiu, Ian Hoyt, Julian Kida, and Andrew Park (all 9th graders) will travel with club advisor Peter Shulman to the national competition in Washington, D.C., in April.
The team members also participated as individuals in the closely related History Bee, and all five qualified for the national History Bee. Daniel Chiu placed 3rd and Ian Hoyt placed 5th.
↧
Weather-related school closures and bus service suspension
General protocol
When school does not open in the morning or opens late due to inclement weather, we notify the media before 6:45 a.m. We update the school website as soon as possible. We also send an email with closure information to the parent and faculty-staff email listservs.
We do not notify the media when school runs on a normal schedule.
We will post a newsflash on the website alerting families that we are open when conditions are uncertain.
The school avoids mid-day weather closures whenever possible.
Catlin Gabel does not necessarily follow the decisions made by Portland Public or Beaverton schools because our students come from a wide geographic area.
Who decides?
Plant manager Eric Shawn and assistant head of school Vicki Roscoe make the decision to close school or delay opening based on conditions on campus and throughout the metro area.
Bus service
Sometimes school is in session, but we suspend one or more of the bus routes because of hazardous road conditions (typically at higher elevations). We post a message on the website as soon as decisions are made. We will send an email with bus cancellation information to all families and faculty-staff. If buses are canceled in the morning on a given date, they are also canceled in the afternoon, regardless of weather conditions.
Personal decisions
The safety of students is our primary concern. Parents should make personal weather-related safety decisions for their families. If it does not seem safe where you are, keep your children at home. If conditions deteriorate in your neighborhood during the day, you may pick up your children early (making sure to notify the division administrative assistant).
↧
6:55 a.m. – We plan to open school as usual. If it does not seem safe where you are, keep your children at home.
The safety of students is our primary concern. Parents should make personal weather-related safety decisions for themselves. If it does not seem safe where you are, keep your children at home. Please notify your division administrative assistant if your child will be late or absent.
↧
↧
Green bus route (Vista Hills) canceled morning and afternoon
↧
New Opportunities for Learning: Chris Mateer, visual arts
It Just Blew Me Away
From the Summer 2013 Caller
The fact that Catlin Gabel was building a new center for the arts absolutely influenced my decision to join the faculty. Learning that the community was coming together and undertaking such a sizeable expansion for the arts just blew me away. It seemed like it would be a pivotal time, with lots of possibilities. For teachers (and students) these kinds of opportunities are rare, and when they do come along, it is usually once in a lifetime. I feel very fortunate to be a part of it all.I came to Catlin Gabel this past year to teach both 2-D and 3-D art. My 2-D art classes were held in the current art building, behind the Dant House. But since there wasn’t a 3-D studio, the science department offered me a classroom to use. Working there really helped expose art projects and the curriculum to many students. When the new building is complete, the current 2-D art building will become a 3-D art studio. The redesign will bring an assortment of new tools and materials, as well as independent studio spaces for students. I am excited to expand the curricular program in new directions, and am eager to design the studio so students can explore a wealth of materials and processes.
In between the Upper and Middle School art studios will be a printmaking shop! By having a designated print shop, we’ll be able to elevate the awareness of just how great making prints can be (and why it is one of my favorite processes).
The Creative Arts Center will also bring a much more connected sense of community. I am looking forward to being neighbors with Middle School art teacher Dale Rawls. It will be great for all the students in grades 6 to 12 to see what everyone else is making. That kind of artistic and communal interaction is going to be something very special. Oh, and we’re going to have an art gallery too!
Starting this year, the arts programming is going to open up so students can experiment and develop skills in a variety of areas. By having so many different modes of creativity under one roof, students are going to be exposed to so many new ways of thinking and expression. Filmmaking, photography, dance, music, theater, painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and so much more will be happening in and around the building. It is going to be amazing.
I want students in the new space to have fun, work hard, learn a lot, and bring their friends and families into the art studios to share the incredible work being made. The more we can connect as a community, come together to participate in creative processes, and develop our modes of self-expression, the better we can all communicate as people in the world and increase inclusivity.
↧
New Opportunities for Learning: Elizabeth Gibbs '04, theater
Come Together: The new arts building will be a boon for collaboration
From the Summer 2013 Caller
Theater is a collaborative art form. It is not made by a single person alone in a studio: it is forged through personal interaction, group experimentation, and the collective expertise of innumerable individuals. Visual artists conceptualize the setting, costume, and media elements, technical artists wire the electrics and create the lighting and soundscapes, performing artists embody characters and employ their vocal and physical talents to bring a show alive. This variety of artistic talent can be found at Catlin Gabel, both in its students and its faculty, and with the new performing arts center the possibilities for meaningful collaboration will be hugely increased.
Arts classrooms are currently spread across the campus, with students trekking from Choir class by the barn, to Acting in the Cabell Center, to 3D Art in the science building. Visual artists are geographically separated from performing artists, and opportunities to hold casual conversations and informally experience each other’s work are therefore reduced. The new arts building will centralize all of these classrooms, bringing the different art forms under one roof. Not only will the students be able to more seamlessly connect their work in media arts to their work in theater and music, but the arts faculty will be more connected to each other and more aware of the possibilities for collaboration and joint exploration.
This past year, my Acting II students have each spent time in residency with drama teacher Deirdre Atkinson’s 7th grade class, working as assistant directors and helping mentor these up-and-coming performers. This experiment in cross-divisional learning is a small taste of the possibilities that will become available when Middle and Upper School students are sharing space in the arts building. Middle schoolers will have a clearer picture of what goes on in Upper School art classes, and high schoolers will have the opportunity to share their knowledge and skill with younger students.
As I picture the new arts center this year, my ideal is that it will exist as a fertile ground for expansion of ideas and imaginations. I hope that it will provide the opportunity to expand the boundaries of all our disciplines, encompassing new ways to teach art, as well as broadening the possibilities for collaboration between students and faculty. In this beautiful and warm building, I imagine that students will be inspired to create innovative and exciting art, in any and all disciplines.
↧
New Opportunities for Learning: Charles Walsh, music
Creating Art Defines Our Souls
From the Summer 2013 Caller
Serendipity. My first year at Catlin Gabel has been amazing, and I am thrilled to return this fall to work in a brand-new arts building. I have been overwhelmed by the welcome and support of the people here. It feels like a home.
The story of my path to Catlin Gabel reveals some of the many reasons why I am so happy to be here. My college roommate at Kenyon College in Ohio in the late 1990s was a CG alumnus, Trace Hancock ’96, and from him I endured numerous stories about this wonderful place. I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, and had never been west of the Mississippi, so I really could not picture what would be so great about a school on a farm in Portland, Oregon. But I went west after graduating from Kenyon and found myself in a teaching program at Western Washington University. My mentor, Kate Wayne, also attended Catlin Gabel. At our last meeting together she told me: “If you ever get a chance to look into teaching at Catlin Gabel, I think you would really like it.”
When I interviewed at Catlin Gabel last summer I had spent five years in Portland trying to find fulltime employment teaching high school music. I had given up and taken a job in Bellingham, Washington, to teach math, when the Catlin Gabel job opened up. I came to the campus with a sense of destiny, and to discover that a new arts building would be built made things nearly surreal.
I worked on the Campaign for Arts Funding that ultimately instituted the Portland citywide arts tax, an awesome statement by this community to support arts when funds are tight. As the victim of cuts in arts funding in public schools, I was heartened to see that the arts are important to people here, and they are willing to give the arts the role I think they deserve. As much as anything we do as humans, I think creating art defines our souls and makes us amazing.
This year my colleagues and I will be able to collaborate in the same building and create our curriculums in a more organic way. We’ll have the spaces to serve our students’ needs, in contrast with the situation now, where they must compete for insufficient practice spaces. Arts at Catlin Gabel will move from the periphery to the center. Our students are so talented in so many ways, and it has been exciting to be able to give them the opportunities to shine in music. The new building will be a hub, and I believe it will absolutely blossom the arts programs. Students create thoughtful and beautiful art at the school every day. Now all the arts will be seen as they should, which is a necessity for the entire artistic process. The school is at a turning point, and the new possibilities are as endless as multiple spring sunny days in a row.
↧
↧
Weather-related school closures and bus service suspension
General protocol
When school does not open in the morning or opens late due to inclement weather, we notify the media before 6:45 a.m. We update the school website as soon as possible. We also send an email with closure information to the parent and faculty-staff email listservs.
We do not notify the media when school runs on a normal schedule.
We will post a newsflash on the website alerting families that we are open when conditions are uncertain.
The school avoids mid-day weather closures whenever possible.
Catlin Gabel does not necessarily follow the decisions made by Portland Public or Beaverton schools because our students come from a wide geographic area.
Who decides?
Plant manager Eric Shawn and assistant head of school Vicki Roscoe make the decision to close school or delay opening based on conditions on campus and throughout the metro area.
Bus service
Sometimes school is in session, but we suspend one or more of the bus routes because of hazardous road conditions (typically at higher elevations). We post a message on the website as soon as decisions are made. We will send an email with bus cancellation information to all families and faculty-staff. If buses are canceled in the morning on a given date, they are also canceled in the afternoon, regardless of weather conditions.
Personal decisions
The safety of students is our primary concern. Parents should make personal weather-related safety decisions for their families. If it does not seem safe where you are, keep your children at home. If conditions deteriorate in your neighborhood during the day, you may pick up your children early (making sure to notify the division administrative assistant).
↧
A Winter Break Blizzard of Books!
↧
Congratulations to All-State soccer player Adele English '15!
↧
"St. George and the Dragon" photo gallery
The class of 2018 dedicated their performance to Lark Palma
A hero, a dragon, girls acting dippy, and boys in tutus. This decidedly 8th grade show is a perennial favorite that has been performed to the delight (and horror) of Catlin Gabel audiences since the 1940s. Borrowing from the same basic plot (we use the term loosely), each class reflects its own personality in St. George and the Dragon. Highlights this year included a feminist Egyptian princess, the re-branding of Miley Cyrus, a unicorn dancing to "What Does the Fox Say," jugglers, and, of course, a suave Turkish Knight, a noble St. George, a fearsome dragon, and a guest appearance after the show by our next school head, Tim Bazemore.
Click on any image to enlarge or download the photo, or to start the slide show.
↧
↧
Two Middle School robotics teams qualify for state
Congratulations to Team Starstruck and Team Quantum!
Team Starstruck won both the Core Values Award and an ACE Award for all around performance. Starstruck is coached by sophomore Jacob Bendicksen '16. The members are 7th graders Amber Merrill, Sujala Chittor, Natalie Dodson, and Hannah Fisher, and 6th graders Ava Pritchard and Aarushi Phalke. "Their software is some of the most sophisticated ever developed by a Catlin team," said robotics program director Dale Yocum. "They're going places."
Team Quantum entered the competition with something to prove as they didn't have a terribly successful season last year. They won both the Project Award for their proposal of a natural disaster warning and survival app, and an ACE Award. "A fantastic turnaround for a team of very talented guys," said Dale. The members are 7th graders Avi Gupta, Matt Leungpathomaram, Tyler Nguyen, Quinn Okabayashi, and Kian Palmer. They are coached by sophomore Jake Hansen.
Our rookie 6th grade team, the Teeny Beanie Burritos, had a great season. Though they didn't make it to state (that's tough to do for a first year team) they won the Core Values award for their superb work as a team and respect for one another. Of this rookie team Dale said, "They'll be a force to be reckoned with next year!" Coached by sophomore David Vollum, the team members are Liam Wang, Maansi Singh, Jimmy Maslen, Emma Latendresse, Lauren Mei Calora, aMadeleine Herbst. Their coach was David Vollum '16.
↧
Winter assembly photo gallery
Happy holidays!
The whole school came together for the annual winter assembly. This year's celebration was dedicated to Lark Palma. After a wonderful and joyous mix of singing, dancing, and storytelling, Lark said for the 19th and final time, "Let the winter break begin!"
↧
OregonLive references CatlinSpeak article by Simon McMurchie '15
» Link to OregonLive article "Portland Public Schools teachers contract: Both district and the union craft deliberate messages to win over public"
» Link to Simon's article "Portland Public Schools and Teachers’ Union Buckle Down for Final Talks"
↧