A Terrific Finish

The students, faculty, staff, and administration truly rose to the occasion and "finished strong" over the past two weeks. Every day brought a special event, activity, or program, including the Pilot Class Fathers' Day Coffee, Lower School Final Assembly, Middle School Recognition Assembly, Lower School Closing Exercises for the 10th Age, the Dixon Dinner for 8th graders and their parents--featuring a student-choreographed dance involving all 46 members of the class!--and a wonderful Graduation ceremony for the Class of 2012 on the Castalia lawn on June 7. Graduation was perfect: the weather was stunning, the student presenters were eloquent, poised, and insightful, and the release of 46 doves provided an emotional conclusion to a moving ceremony. I will truly miss these 8th graders. They achieved at a high level in all facets of the Calvert experience--academics, arts, athletics, leadership, and community outreach. We send them off to 15 different schools with Calvert's love and very best wishes!

Now that summer is here, I will not be updating my blog, or updating it with any regularity. See you in late August!

A Great Track + Field Day!

The weather was overcast and relatively cool last Wednesday (5/23); in other words, it was a perfect day for the annual Lower School Track and Field Day. A few years ago, rain forced us to cancel Track and Field Day. Showers earlier in the week, plus the threat of rain mid-day, has us worried on the morning of the 23rd. However, the day could not have progressed any better. Under the skillful direction of PE teachers Brett Porter and Stacey Krebs, all events, activities, races, and games happened on schedule and without a hitch--quite an accomplishment given that we had over 390 students (across six grade levels) participating on three different fields! My personal favorite race to watch is the "long run," a two-lap trek around the Lower School Field. The field is about two-thirds of the size of a football field, so I estimate the race to be about 3/8 of a mile. Despite the teachers' warnings, some runners run the first lap much too fast and tire out, only to be caught from behind in the final stretch by the runner who paced him/herself. Pacing oneself is actually a great "life lesson" to learn! In honor of faculty member Mike Paul, who is retiring after 36 years of excellent service to Calvert, all the students wore Calvert-issued t-shirts (color coordinated by grade level) that read "Thank you, Mr. Paul" on the back. It was a wonderful day to honor Mr. Paul (my 9th Age teacher) and to promote physical fitness, sportsmanship, teamwork, and healthy competition. Many thanks to the dozens of teachers and staff members--plus the entire 7th grade--who assisted our Lower Schoolers throughout the morning on a glorious Track and Field Day!

Alumni Weekend

We enjoyed an outstanding Alumni Weekend, including the Alumni Luncheon for Classes of 1933-1962, Alumni Cocktail Party, Calvert Day Fair under picture-perfect skies, and five (!) class reunions: 1942, 1952, 1977, 1987, and 1997. Many thanks to all who made the weekend a huge success—it was a true team effort from the following departments: Development Office, Maintenance, Food Service, Technology, Business Office, and the teachers and performers at the Alumni Luncheon:  Mr. Hardesty, Mrs. Elliott, Mrs. McGraw, entire 6^th Age and 10^th Age (singers), and the 10th Age and 8th grade students who presented their state report and Castalia project, respectively. A member of the Class of 1942 won the unofficial award for the alumnus who travelled the farthest for Reunion Weekend. He lives in Anchorage, Alaska, and came all the way back to Baltimore for his 70^th Reunion!

AIMS

Independent schools are, by definition, independent from one another (and from public and parochial schools). Within the overall guidelines set for "non-public" schools by the state of Maryland, each independent school is free to choose its curriculum, establish organizational structures, and adopt unique educational initiatives. Although we have this autonomy at Calvert, we have the great benefit of belonging to a strong association--the Association of Independent Maryland & DC Schools (AIMS). As the website  (www.aimsmddc.org)  states, "Founded in 1967, AIMS is a vibrant association of about 120 independent schools in Maryland and the District of Columbia. These schools serve more than 45,000 students in grades PK - 12." AIMS offers professional development, workshops, conferences, and retreats; provides rigorous accreditation services; and, when needed, offers policy and/or advisory statements to member schools. The Executive Director of AIMS, Ron Goldblatt, is a true "pro's pro" and provides excellent, thoughtful leadership. We are proud to be an accredited, active member of AIMS!

24 Hours of Activity!

The successful events listed below all occurred between Friday afternoon and Saturday early evening:

• a home track meet.You are correct in thinking that we do not have a track on campus! However, that fact did not stop us from hosting a multi-school, multi-event meet on the Krongard Field. The field was lined and cut for sprints, distance, and the shot put.
• Girls' A lacrosse beat Bryn Mawr in the season finale.
• the 7th grade girls had a sleepover in the Middle School with four (very brave!) chaperones.
• Girl Power Club had its final (3 mile) run on Saturday morning--6 half-mile laps around campus. Ten girls (ranging between 9th Age and 5th grade) completed the run, along with their running buddies. I completed the run without an injury so that was a big personal success.... :)
• Two hilarious shows of the 7th grade comedy Baby, Baby, Baby, Oh No! The plot?  There is a death threat on French President Nicholas Poirot’s life, and the French Police Department needs help in foiling the plot and saving the incoming President’s life. The Chief of Police enlists the help of party planners, La Chique Soiree, and The Justin Bieber Band, to help protect the President during the inauguration party. Clumsy and egocentric Inspector Clouseau is asked to go under cover in The Justin Bieber Band, which requires him to look and act as “American” as possible. Congrats to the performers and the directors (Mr. Hardesty and Mrs. Williams) for a job well-done!

Sad News to Share

I have some sad news to share. Anne Poultney Taylor ’24 passed away late last week. Anne was our oldest living alumnus (we think) and celebrated her 100th birthday two months ago. I had the opportunity to visit with her three times over the past year. What a wonderful person! In an earlier post, I shared her story about being sent to Mr. Hillyer’s office in 1922 (in the W. Chase Street building) after she ran into a classroom and exclaimed that her baby sister (Elinor Wagner '34) had been born. Anne vividly remembered her teachers and spoke so lovingly about Calvert—the school she attended 90 years ago. She made a big impact on me, as did several other Calvert “legends” who passed away recently, including benefactor Bill Carey ’42 (who said time and time again the best education he ever received was at Calvert), and Jack Morton ’31, who always told me he “loved every brick in this building.” It is imperative that we do everything in our power to ensure that the Calvert students of today have an equally special experience.

New Administrators

I have excellent news to share regarding two recently concluded administrative searches. Calvert Fifth Grade teacher Pam Ossmus will assume the role of Academic Dean, which will help oversee faculty professional development, curriculum, instruction, and standardized testing; coordinate the teacher ladder process; run the new teacher orientation and mentoring program; serve as administrative liaison to the Outreach, Green Schools, and International Committees, and oversee our Association of Independent Maryland & DC Schools (AIMS) reaccreditation process.
Pam brings a wide array of skills to her new post; her excellent CV includes over twenty years in public, parochial, and independent school settings; a K-8 teaching certification; fourth and fifth grade classroom positions; Calvert Education Services (CES) advisory teaching and education counselor experience; and two years as Professional Development Coordinator at CES. In that role, Pam developed a strategic, research-based professional development program that included both on-site and virtual services. Pam traveled to CES schools across the country and then targeted specific "21st Century" professional development needs based on classroom observations and teacher input. Moreover, she developed and constructed an online Professional Development Portal and prepared and delivered presentations both locally and nationally.

I am also pleased to introduce Craig Luntz as our new Director of Technology. Currently the Director of Academic Technology at Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Craig has led many projects there, including coordinating the integration of tablets and the expansion of their 1-1 laptop program to the fifth and sixth grades; deployment of iPads to the support the fifth grade pilot program; re-designing the summer technology professional development program; and creating and maintaining a web-based set of academic technology resources for faculty, staff, and students. On a daily basis, Craig supports teachers and students with all phases of academic technology integration, including planning, in-class visits, and facilitating assemblies on digital citizenship and the responsible use of technology. In the independent school community, Craig has emerged as a national leader in the field of blended learning. Through his role as a faculty member in The Online School for Girls (www.onlineschoolforgirls.org), he has co-developed and taught regular sessions of a four-week course on Blended Learning. In late February, his presentation at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Annual Conference in Seattle, entitled Blended Learning: Design Technology Goes Online was “standing room only.” Craig has also given workshops at multiple other venues, including the AIMS Technology Retreat, Sloan Consortium Blended Learning Conference, and Lausanne Laptop Institute.

Both Pam and Craig will begin their new roles in the summer. We are quite fortunate, indeed, to have attracted such high-caliber educators into the Calvert community!

State Champion!

We at Calvert now have a State Champion in our midst! One of our Tenth Age girls won the "All Around" gymnastics competition for her age group, while also finishing second on floor, beam, and vault and first on the bars. In addition, for the second year in a row, she made the Maryland State Team, which includes the top six gymnasts in the state at each age level. This is truly exciting news for the student, her family, and Calvert!