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| An “ah ha” moment has resulted in new cross-cultural connections between lower school students here and in Lahore, Pakistan. It happened like this: After reading Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and “really connecting” with the story, teachers Kate Rice (pre-K) and Brian Hueber (third grade), were determined to teach their students about Pakistan.
When Friends Select School librarian Maureen Haurin mentioned meeting children’s author Margriet Ruurs (My Librarian is a Camel, How Children Around the World Get Books!), who matches American and foreign schools for shared learning activities, the bookmark project was born. It is the first activity in a planned, multi-part curriculum.
In December, teachers Brian Hueber and Hal Morra began the project by reading aloud Listen to the Wind, (the children’s version of Three Cups of Tea), locating Pakistan on the map and discussing what life is like in that country. Right after winter break, boxes arrived from the Lahore Grammar School, with bookmarks students there had created from handmade recycled paper. The students had written on the bookmarks in both English and Urdu about their favorite books. The delighted Friends Select students immediately began working on bookmarks to send back to their newfound friends. The class is continuing to explore Pakistan through several books: P is for Pakistan, by Shazia Razzak; The Day of Ahmed’s Secret, by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilland; Mosque, by David Macaulay; and Brothers in Hope, by Mary Williams.
In pre-K, teachers Kate Rice and Salvi Muzio also read Listen to the Wind to their students, located Pakistan on the globe and are participating in the bookmark exchange. In coming months, pre-K children will be looking for similarities and differences between their lives with those of children in Pakistan. They will learn, for example, that children attend school in both countries (a similarity), yet children in Pakistan do not typically attend school past third grade for girls and fifth grade for boys (a difference). They will also learn about a rare blind dolphin that lives in the country’s rivers. And they will cook chapattis and other Pakistani foods.
Both classes have the added resource of Maham Zahra, a Pakistani exchange student in upper school, who will share facts and insights about her country as their exploration of Pakistan continues in coming months.
In Hueber’s view, reading the same book last summer was inspirational. “As a result of that one book, we have developed a new area of study, an international connection, a three-way faculty partnership, a way to involve the upper school exchange student and an evolving and uniquely age-appropriate curriculum,” he says.
Rice, too, was inspired by Three Cups of Tea. “I hope to convey to my students the power of one person working for change in the interests of peace. I want to help them make connections between Greg Mortenson and Martin Luther King, Jr. or Kenyan Nobel-laureate Wangari Maathai.”
Talk about the power of the written word!
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| FSS Community Responds to Haitian Disaster
As soon as news of the recent earthquake in Haiti arrived, Friends Select sprang into action. The school community quickly found a way to respond that was meaningful, underscored understanding of the Quaker testimonies and enabled wide participation as engaged citizens. As a community, we continue to hold in the Light the unknown numbers of Haitians who are suffering, as well as the many volunteers and other rescue personnel.
• Raising Money
A money collection box was placed in the Dining Hall from Tuesday, January 19 through the end of the month. All funds collected are earmarked for the organization with which history teacher Sara Wolf has worked closely and where her fiancé serves as regional director. Called the Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT), it is one of the few private voluntary organizations of Third World origin. For more information about this organization, see www.AMURT.net.
Kudos to the sixth graders, the Middle School International Cultures Club, and many others who baked, bought and/or ate, making last week’s bake sale a success. The sale yielded nearly $900, which will be added to the funds collected in the Dining Hall and sent to AMURT. Any additional fundraising activities organized by the FSS community will be coordinated by the school’s community service coordinator and resulting contributions also will be sent to AMURT.
• Sending Help
Sara Wolf left for Haiti on January 23, where she will be working with AMURT for two weeks. She has worked in Haiti previously, developing programs for schools and teachers. During her stay, she will be sending photographs and sharing her insights and observations. Read her blog at www.HaitiInMyHeart.blogspot.com.
• Staying Engaged
During the month of February, the Friends Select School Select Gallery will exhibit art work and photographs that focus on the country of Haiti. The Vivant Gallery in Old City, which features Haitian art, will partner with the school in this show. The show also will feature photographs by faculty member Sara Wolf from her previous and current trips to Haiti. In addition, classes and clubs throughout the school have been invited to contribute art to the exhibit. All art works will be available for sale, with proceeds going directly to relief efforts.
The exhibit will open with a reception on February 9, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Art Exhibit Showcases Homegrown Talent The ART of Sustainability, recently on view at the Select Gallery, featured work by 14 artists with close connections to Friends Select. The exhibition reflected the artists’ visual interpretation of sustainability, exploring such questions as: What is art of sustainability? What does it look like? What does it feel like? Is it the interconnectedness of art and life?
Work by the parents of current students was on display. The parent-artists included: Jacqueline Bowman (mother of a junior); Joseph Brin (father of a pre-K student); Susan and David Dannenberg (parents of a junior); Aaron Finkbiner (father of a senior); Dawn Kleinman (mother of two ninth graders); and Leo Sewell (father of a 2005 alumna).
The following alumni/ae also contributed to the show: Madeline Adams ’96; Alyce Grunt ’91; Sarah Maxwell ’55; Chris McNeur ’65; Margery Schab ’60; Bruce Sussman Bernstein ’71; Mariel Waloff ’00; and Jane Yudis ’59.
Youngest Students Try “Big Kid” Sports
Seventy students in grades three to five tried out new skills in basketball, swimming or wrestling on January 15 during the first annual Lower School Sports Clinic. For an hour, the lower school students got a taste of the middle and upper school athletic program and met the Friends Select coaches. A future clinic covering baseball, tennis and softball is tentatively scheduled for the spring.
TV Producer, FBI Agent, Surgeon, Movie Critic…
Career Day Panelists Tell It Like It Is
 Jeff Cooperman’s worst day at the office is probably still a lot of fun. As managing producer of The Colbert Report, Cooperman (pictured here on right, with Stephen Colbert) and his staff start with an idea, kick it around, determine the kernel of humor, anticipate fictional character Stephen Colbert's responses, and structure and produce a segment. What is Stephen Colbert like? “He is a poorly informed, high status idiot,” reported Cooperman, with obvious pride. 
As the keynote speaker for the 2010 Career Day, Cooperman, ’80 outlined his career trajectory for middle and upper school students on January 11, and treated them to an insider's description and screening of several segments. Later the same day, students selected from among a smorgasbord of career panels, covering art and design, medicine, business development, social science, writing, biomedical research, broadcast media, environmental engineering and transportation analysis, financial management and public affairs. Cooperman was also the featured speaker at the Benefactors Society reception that evening at the home of alumna Martha Eisenberg '85 and Jeffrey Levine, parents of a kindergarten student. Class of 2009 Comes Back to Visit Several hatchlings who flew the nest after graduation last June came back to visit on January 6. They chatted over breakfast in the dining hall and wandered the hallowed halls of their alma mater, before joining the upper school at Meeting for Worship. Children’s Authors Share Their Craft Alexander Stadler Visits Lower School from Friends Select School on Vimeo.
Alexander Stadler and Judith Kristen are not exactly household names…unless, of course, you happen to be among the lucky students who had a chance to meet and talk to these two authors of children's books when they visited lower school in December. Stadler created an illustrated story on the spot, with lots of creative input from the students. Kristen brought an aged English sheep dog and a very gentle cat to enliven the conversation about her books featuring these animals. These authors are just the latest in a continuing parade of authors who have visited the lower school library at the invitation of librarian Paula Cairo. Book Fair Hits Another Home RunThank you to everyone who participated and volunteered to make this year's Scholastic Book Fair a success. The Friends Select community raised nearly $3,000 for the Parent Association, and 219 books were donated to library and teacher classrooms through the wish lists. "Live at Lunch" Rocks On
Colombian Music and Dance, Live at Lunch Series from Friends Select School on Vimeo.
An internationally themed phenomenon has taken hold at Friends Select. For the third month in a row, the Matthew Huffman ’91 Dining Hall was transformed into a noon-time performance space. On January 11, 21 students and their four teachers from the Gimnasio Fontana School in Colombia, South America, performed Colombian music and dance. The previous month, on December 11, members of the Japanese percussion group, Kyo Daiko, beat their drums while moving their arms and bodies in synchronized, dancelike motions. Several Friends Select students tried out their drumming skills with the ensemble. What’s coming up in February? Stay tuned. Young Chess Players Win Again
 Breaking News: Second grader Torin K. won second prize at the Liberty Bell Open chess tournament the weekend of January 16-17, making him the 87th ranked player nationwide in the "8-years-old and younger" category. He donated $100 of his wiinnings to UNICEF's Haitian relief fund. Jonah T. (also in second grade), Jacob T. (fourth grade) and Patrick B. (ninth grade) also participated in different sections of the tournament, with Patrick placing second in his category. The previous day, fourth grader Jack G., and second grader Zach K., participated in the Winter Blast tournament in Doylestown.
Earlier this winter, Torin K. and Manas N., the second graders pictured here, placed second as a team at a tournament at Marshall’s Chess Club in New York City. The boys, both veteran chess trophy-winners, play every Thursday afternoon as part of Friends Select’s chess program. They also practice at home with their fathers. “I usually play once a day against my dad,” says Torin, who started playing chess two years ago at age six. Manas also practices at home, but “I have a baby brother who is naughty, so I don’t get to play that often,” he laments.
The chess program, coached by Ross Colby, has resumed after winter break. Beginners meet on Thursdays before school; “intermediate,” before school on Tuesdays, and “advanced,” after school on Thursdays.
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