REACH Prep Scholars honored at luncheon

The 17th Annual REACH Prep Benefit Luncheon took place on Monday, April 23, at the Greenwich Hyatt, and celebrated the vision of the Reach Prep co-founders Nancy Hoffman and Pat Young.  The event acknowledged the accomplishments of the 18th cohort of students to enter REACH Prep, and celebrated the coming high school graduations of the 11th cohort of students.  King’s Schneider Jean-Baptiste and Raven Redd are two of those graduates.

Jill Olson, REACH Prep Chairman, and Peggy Sarkela, REACH Prep Executive Director, are quoted from a letter in the event’s program, “High achieving students in low achieving schools are often not able to explore their true academic potential…REACH Prep offers an important alternative to these challenging facts….100% of our scholars are admitted to a competitive college or university.”

Congratulations to all the King REACH Prep students!  For a gallery of photographs from the event, click HERE.

Lower School – April 23-26

The Lower School was a bustle of activity this week with an Earth Day Assembly, Grade 2 Biome Fair, Grade 4 Heritage Lunch, and Grade 5 Science Fair.  Students planted a tree, researched endangered species, sampled foods from around the world, and conducted experiments using the scientific method.  For a gallery of photographs from the week, click HERE

King hosts the 10th Annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference

(Photography by Chris Preovolos)

Last weekend King hosted the 10th Annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) with over 350 students, teachers, and administrators, from independent schools across the state, gathering for a day of networking and dialogue to facilitate a cross-cultural understanding and improve school communities.  The conference is directed by the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools‘ Commission on Diversity in Independent Schools, and supported by nine independent school commissioners.  The CAIS is a voluntary association of 97 non-profit independent schools serving over 30,000 students in Connecticut, and the surrounding states.

The day kicked off  with an inspirational performance by the Brooklyn Steppers, a marching band comprised of young people ages 8-18, and followed with the keynote presentation from Tim Wise, a prominent educator on race and education.  The day continued with workshops and break-out sessions for students and adults.

For a gallery of images from the conference, click HERE.

Sequoia Crosswhite visits King

(top photo: Sequoia in South Dakota, and additional photos: Sequoia at King)

Earlier this month, we were  fortunate to have Sequoia Crosswhite, from the Lakota Nation, visit King.  Terry Hess, LS Music Teacher, featured  Sequoia in her sabbatical film presentation “Journey to the Plains Pow Wow” last summer, and King extended an invitation for Sequoia Crosswhite to visit the School as an artist in residence.  He performed at a LS assembly, and also visited classrooms.  He gave students the opportunity to experience the life of the Lakota tribe, through dancing, singing, and story telling.

Sequoia Crosswhite is a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, and a descendent of Chief War Eagle and Chief Swift Cloud.  He also works with Indian youth, helping each child build a life that contributes to the sustenance and promotion of their tribe’s society.

New York seen by Georgia Orenstein ’13

(Photos and guest blog post by Georgia Orenstein ’13)  On Wednesday, April 4, both photography classes, and the photography club, took a field trip into New York City. We went to the International Center of Photography and walked through two exhibits with a guided tour, and were free to explore the rest of the museum afterwards. The first exhibit was called “Murder Is My Business,” and contained photographs Weegee had taken of crime scenes and murder victims, between 1935-1946. He often incorporated the background and onlookers to portray the tone of the scene or subtly comment on it.

The second exhibit was called “The Loving Story.”   It was a series of photographs, by Grey Villet, taken of the Loving family for a magazine spread exemplifying their continued affection, despite the struggles of being an interracial marriage in a state that had not yet legalized it.  Many of the moments he captured are very intimate, and give the viewer a sense of how the parents truly interacted with each other and their children. The rest of the gallery was filled with enlarged contact sheets that film photographers had written on while selecting the best pictures, and more recent photographs of army bases in Tokyo, and what the photographer believed to be the essence of community.

After the museum we went to Bryant Park to have lunch and take photographs. We were able to wander off in groups to explore the park before returning to school.

2012 Cum Laude Society Inductees

Thirteen US students were inducted into the Cum Laude Society during a ceremony yesterday in the PAC.  Modeled after the college honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, Cum Laude was founded in 1906 and is dedicated to honoring scholastic achievement in secondary schools. With more than 370 chapters worldwide, only the top 1% of secondary schools belongs to the Cum Laude Society.

Thomas Zoubek, Chair of the Cum Laude Society Committee, addressed the audience in the PAC, filled with students, Faculty, and proud parents.  “It is worthwhile to reflect for a moment on the qualifications and merits of those to be honored today.  They are students for whom the pursuit of learning, for its own sake, is its own reward.  They are students who accept new challenges with zeal, and who work diligently to realize their goals,” Zoubek said.

Chris Frassetto ’04 was the guest speaker for the assembly.  Frassetto graduated Magna Cum Laude from NYU with a BA in International Politics, and is currently pursuing a Masters of International Affairs at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. “The knowledge, challenges, experiences, and expectations are here for every one of you.  However, it is up to you to take them, make them unique to you, and create a path forward that is both rewarding and interesting,” he said.

Seniors who were inducted last year as juniors are:

Michael Del Genio, Riley Jay, Margaret Joyce, Anne Lamedica, and Mathias Perfumo

The 2012 inductees are:

Grade 12
Geoffrey Allard
Carter Anatole
Michael Catenacci
Tevin Cummings
Forrest Hanson
Kieran McQuilkin
Erica Nikokiris

Grade 11
Spencer Blair
Caroline Hubbard
David Meyer
Colleen Morris
Katie Tryhane
Martha Whamond

Congratulations to our 2012 Cum Laude Society Inductees!  For a gallery of photographs from the ceremony, click HERE.

King’s Community Affairs office stays busy

(top photo) The LS Service Learning Day was filled with wonderful events and lots of great photographs.  For a gallery of images from all the Community Affairs events this past week, including last Friday’s Second Annual Faculty/Staff/Alumni Talent Show (above photo) click HERE.