Community Connection
I’ve always thought that celebrating the dawn of a new year is unique for a school community. While it represents a new beginning, it is also the mid-way point of our academic school year – a time to look forward as well as to celebrate the successes of the past semester.
As you know, a big change for us in September was the creation a new schedule in both the Middle and Upper Schools, that would allow for experiential learning within the local community and provide students with additional choices in their program of study. So I thought this would be a good opportunity to share some highlights from the Day 11 activities, focusing first on the Upper School.
As you know, a big change for us in September was the creation a new schedule in both the Middle and Upper Schools, that would allow for experiential learning within the local community and provide students with additional choices in their program of study. So I thought this would be a good opportunity to share some highlights from the Day 11 activities, focusing first on the Upper School.
Every Upper School student elected a Community Connection group in which they work to pursue a common passion. The teams meet on six Day 11 afternoons over the course of the year, and come together on and off campus, often with a dedicated community resource.
For instance, eight students chose “Diversity in Action” as their Community Connection option. Lead by Diversity Coordinator, Madeleine Homayoonfar, these students share an interest in developing their leadership skills regarding diversity initiatives at Ellis or in the community. Most recently, they met senior leadership members at the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh including Dina Clark, Director of the Center for Race and gender Equity and Madgeline Jensen, Chief Executive Officer.
Homayoonfar said that Jensen shared her powerful personal story, encouraging Ellis girls to take risks and find ways to overcome challenging circumstances. “Her exceptional career that included positions such as Parole Officer and spanned across America inspired everyone in the room,” she added. This enriching meeting was followed by a tour of the Homewood Center and child care facilities, a great example of the YWCA services and programs that make a difference in lives of Pittsburgh area women and their families.
As in the case with “Diversity in Action,” partnerships with local agencies and organizations enrich and support our Day 11 Community Connection programs. Another such partnership was established with ArtUp for the Community Connection program called “Art and Identity.” ArtUp is a local educational arts organization devoted to the promotion and development of new works that explore the inter-relationship between movement, media, sound, visual arts, and theatre. Students who chose “Art and Identity” are collaborating with Pittsburgh-based performance artist Tavia La Follette, the founder and director of ArtUp. They’ve worked on and off site with Ms. La Follette and other artists to engage with the SITES OF PASSAGE exhibition which La Follette curated, and participate in THE FIREFLY TUNNEL PROJECT, an artist exchange between Egypt and the United States.
Traveling off site to the Mattress Factory, the girls, as Belle Moldovan, Chair of the Visual Arts Department, puts it, “are getting hands on training on how to maneuver through a virtual performance art lab/exchange; understand the process/development of a project through the pedagogy of performance art and installation and engage with artists from different cultures.” What an amazing and unique experience!
The list of captivating experiences provided by our Community Connection teams goes on and on. Whether it’s working with Pittsburgh Children’s Institute in the “Autism Spectrum Disorder” program or with CMU’s Physics Department in “Physics in the Field,” the experiences are as diverse as the students who chose them. No matter what project they chose, each girl is given the chance to work together with students in other grades and faculty from a variety of disciplines, to develop leadership skills, and to deepen her passion and involvement with the community that surrounds her.
I look forward to updating you further about our Day 11 program, and to sharing highlights from the exciting activities our girls are experiencing in the Middle School, as well as highlights about 2011-12 program activities in our Lower School.
Happy New Year!
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For instance, eight students chose “Diversity in Action” as their Community Connection option. Lead by Diversity Coordinator, Madeleine Homayoonfar, these students share an interest in developing their leadership skills regarding diversity initiatives at Ellis or in the community. Most recently, they met senior leadership members at the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh including Dina Clark, Director of the Center for Race and gender Equity and Madgeline Jensen, Chief Executive Officer.
Homayoonfar said that Jensen shared her powerful personal story, encouraging Ellis girls to take risks and find ways to overcome challenging circumstances. “Her exceptional career that included positions such as Parole Officer and spanned across America inspired everyone in the room,” she added. This enriching meeting was followed by a tour of the Homewood Center and child care facilities, a great example of the YWCA services and programs that make a difference in lives of Pittsburgh area women and their families.
As in the case with “Diversity in Action,” partnerships with local agencies and organizations enrich and support our Day 11 Community Connection programs. Another such partnership was established with ArtUp for the Community Connection program called “Art and Identity.” ArtUp is a local educational arts organization devoted to the promotion and development of new works that explore the inter-relationship between movement, media, sound, visual arts, and theatre. Students who chose “Art and Identity” are collaborating with Pittsburgh-based performance artist Tavia La Follette, the founder and director of ArtUp. They’ve worked on and off site with Ms. La Follette and other artists to engage with the SITES OF PASSAGE exhibition which La Follette curated, and participate in THE FIREFLY TUNNEL PROJECT, an artist exchange between Egypt and the United States.
Traveling off site to the Mattress Factory, the girls, as Belle Moldovan, Chair of the Visual Arts Department, puts it, “are getting hands on training on how to maneuver through a virtual performance art lab/exchange; understand the process/development of a project through the pedagogy of performance art and installation and engage with artists from different cultures.” What an amazing and unique experience!
The list of captivating experiences provided by our Community Connection teams goes on and on. Whether it’s working with Pittsburgh Children’s Institute in the “Autism Spectrum Disorder” program or with CMU’s Physics Department in “Physics in the Field,” the experiences are as diverse as the students who chose them. No matter what project they chose, each girl is given the chance to work together with students in other grades and faculty from a variety of disciplines, to develop leadership skills, and to deepen her passion and involvement with the community that surrounds her.
I look forward to updating you further about our Day 11 program, and to sharing highlights from the exciting activities our girls are experiencing in the Middle School, as well as highlights about 2011-12 program activities in our Lower School.
Happy New Year!
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