Subject: US Weekly Newsletter: 5-21-17
From: "Sidwell Friends School" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 21 May 2017 13:01:39 +0000

May 21, 2017

Principal's Letter

MESSAGE FROM MAMADOU

Dear Friends,

The astronomy club recently invited NASA scientist Geronimo Villanueva to speak with students about his research uncovering evidence of water on Mars. His story captured students' imaginations!

This past week, our sophomores had the chance to hear a panel of juniors talk about strategies they've used to navigate the requisite junior-year standardized testing. In early June, sophomores will receive their practice ACT scores and will be given access to online test-prep resources. Please keep an eye out for this information in the mail!

On Wednesday, the robotics club presented the work it has been doing this year. Students interested in joining the club next year should reach out to Darby Thompson.

Very shortly, students in grades 9–11 will decide who they want to be their advisors next year. I encourage 9th graders to speak with their current advisors for advice. Please reach out to Crystal Matthews, the assistant to the dean of students, if you have any questions about this process.

The spring play, Museum, takes the stage this weekend, with the last performance set for Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Congratulations to the cast and crew for all their hard work! I hope many of you will come out to see the production.

Finally, thank you to all parents for the wonderful breakfast feast last week! Faculty and staff relished the delicious food. Thank you for making us feel well-loved.

Warmly,

Mamadou Guèye
Upper School Principal

Announcements

LEARNSERVE FELLOWS PROGRAM: SEEKING LEADERS, INNOVATORS, AND PROBLEM SOLVERS

LearnServe is looking for rising 10th and 11th graders with the passion to make a difference and the commitment and motivation to take action for the 2017/18 LearnServe Fellows Program. You'll join peers from schools across the DC area to develop your skills as leaders and entrepreneurs.

As a LearnServe Fellow, you will have the opportunity to create your own organization, nonprofit, business, or campaign to serve your school or community. Previous projects include

a college scholarship program for children of incarcerated parents

after-school science, math, and foreign language programs

an app that prevents texting while driving

a schoolwide disaster-relief fundraiser

sports, nutrition, and health workshops for kids

Information about the LearnServe Fellows Program, including the application, is available online. The program meets on Thursday afternoons from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., typically at the School without Walls in Washington, DC, on the George Washington University campus near the Foggy Bottom Metro. LearnServe Fellows are selected from more than 30 high schools across DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

The deadline is June 10. Please contact Shoshanna Sumka with any questions.

Events

LAST CHANCE TO SEE THE US PLAY, "MUSEUM": MAY 21

The final performance of Museum is on Sunday, May 21, at 2:30 p.m.

Museum is set in a major museum of modern art, on the final day of a group show featuring the work of three artists. A variety of people walk through the show: art lovers, skeptics, foreigners, students, lost souls—and, of course, museum guards.
While walk-in tickets are available at the door 45 minutes before the show, you can also reserve tickets online. Walk-in tickets may only be purchased with cash or check. The show costs $10 for adults, $5 for non-SFS students, and is free for Sidwell Friends students and faculty members. All performances will take place in the Mary Ellen Caplin Theater.

US SENIOR CELEBRATION WITH PBS, PLAS, AND PAS: MAY 30

Please join us as we celebrate our Class of 2017 students of color. Parents, students, and faculty members from all three divisions are cordially invited to join the Parents of Black Students (PBS), Parents of Latino Students (PLAS), and Parents of Asian Students (PAS) for an end-of-year graduation celebration dinner on Tuesday, May 30, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Upper School Dining Room. Come and enjoy this opportunity to honor our graduates and reconnect with families and friends before the summer is upon us.

If you have any questions, please contact Georgine Newman-Alawode or Nicole Lang.

HOST FAMILY RECEPTION, PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE: MAY 31

Many Sidwell Friends families have generously hosted exchange students in their homes over the years. We want to thank you for your contribution to the School's mission of furthering global understanding by celebrating the end of another school year with students from the Ramallah Friends School and sister schools in China.

If you are a current host family, have hosted in the past, or have wondered if you might like to host in the future, please join us on Wednesday, May 31, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the Zartman House Bernstein Drawing Room. We will toast current host families and share their stories and experiences. Students and siblings are welcome. Please RSVP to Shoshanna Sumka.

MEET AND GREET WITH KEITH LEVINTHAL: MAY 31

Please join us for coffee in the Rubenstein Gallery and lobby of the RLS Meeting Room from 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 31, to welcome our incoming athletic director, Keith Levinthal, to Sidwell Friends. Although Keith does not officially start work until July, he is in town for the day and excited to join us on campus. Please RSVP if you are interested.

SENIOR ARTS PERFORMANCES: MAY 31, JUNE 1–3, AND 6

The Arts Committee is happy to announce this year's senior arts performances. Every year, each senior takes a few weeks to prepare a final project. The following projects are performances that are open to the entire SFS community.

These performances are suitable for all audiences:

Wednesday, May 31, 7:00 p.m.: Joelle Walker, marimba recital, Upper School choral room
Thursday, June 1, 7:00 p.m.: Stacy Chen, piano recital, Upper School choral room
Friday, June 2, 7:30 p.m.: Alana Barry, vocal and piano recital, Caplin Theater

These theater performances may not be suitable for younger viewers. Discretion is advised.

Saturday, June 3, 1:00 p.m.: Annie Mogilnicki, theater performance, Middle School drama studio
Monday, June 6, 7:00 p.m., and Tuesday, June 7, 7:00 p.m.: Milan Vivanco, theater performance, Rosenberg Theater

Please join us in celebrating the arts with these seniors. Lemonade and cookies will be served after each event.

ALUMNI-SENIOR DINNER: JUNE 2

Seniors have been invited to attend the Alumni-Senior Dinner on Friday, June 2, from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m., hosted by the Alumni Office. Students will gather in the RLS Meeting Room to hear a panel of college alumni speak about their experiences transitioning to college from SFS, followed by an early dinner in the Athletic Center lobby and Rusch Team Room. During dinner, seniors will receive their yearbooks and participate in various alumni-focused activities. If students or parents have any questions, please email Anna Wyeth or call her at 202-537-8441.

SENIOR CELEBRATION: JUNE 3

The Senior Celebration for the Class of 2017 will take place on Saturday, June 3, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the Kogod Arts Center. Please plan to arrive at 6:00 p.m. sharp, so you will have time to eat dinner and mingle. The show starts just before 7:00 p.m., and the content is a surprise for our seniors. If you have not responded to the Evite already, please do so. You should include your senior in the number of attendees (e.g., for two parents attending with their senior, RSVP for three people). Dress is casual, but we encourage parents and students to follow the class theme, "IGN17E," by wearing yellow, orange, or red.

Parent participation is part of the show, so we will have two rehearsals before the event: May 23 at 7:00 p.m. and May 31 at 8:00 p.m. in the Caplin Theater. These rehearsals are for parents only. We know this is a busy time, but it is really important that we have a chance to rehearse for the show portion of the celebration. We look forward to seeing you there!

–Peggy Dotzel and Jackie Roberts, Senior Celebration Chairs

Other

QUAKER QUOTES AND QUESTIONS

"While spiritual stillness, peace, equality, community, et al., are not uniquely Quaker, Friends have a unique take on them. I have learned that growing deep in the life of the Spirit doesn't take me out of the life I'm living. Instead, its spiritual tools and practices show me how to live better in this world—better for the world and for me. Through this unique take, I've learned a thing or three. Take peace, for example. It once was, for me, a theological idea and a spiritual ideal. Now the Quaker spin on peace as a matter of faith and daily living has transformed me from a mere believer in peace to a practitioner of peace. Except when someone cuts me off on the freeway. I'm still working on that."

–J. Brent Bill, Life Lessons from a Bad Quaker: A Humble Stumble toward Simplicity and Grace (2016)

Quaker quotes alternate with questions about Quakerism in this newsletter feature. To ask a question about Quaker history or practices, email our Sidwell Friends Quaker Life Committee's authors at [email-masked].

Calendar

Sunday - May 21, 2017

US Play Performance: "MUSEUM" by Tina Howe

2:30 PM

Mary Ellen Caplin Theater

Monday - May 22, 2017

Global Programs Parent and Student Orientation

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

RLS Meeting Room and US Classrooms

Tuesday - May 23, 2017

Track and Field - Girls’ Varsity - DCSAA Championships (Away)

Track and Field - Boys’ Varsity - DCSAA Championships (Away)

Senior Celebration Parent Rehearsal

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Caplin Theater

Wednesday - May 24, 2017

Track and Field - Girls’ Varsity - DCSAA Championships (Away)

Track and Field - Boys’ Varsity - DCSAA Championships (Away)

Thursday - May 25, 2017

Track and Field - Girls’ Varsity - DCSAA Championships (Away)

Track and Field - Boys’ Varsity - DCSAA Championships (Away)

US Athletic Awards Ceremony

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Caplin Theater + Arts Center Lobby

Friday - May 26, 2017

US Prom

8:00 PM

Monday - May 29, 2017

Memorial Day - School Closed

All day

Tuesday - May 30, 2017

US Review Day

USSC Meeting for 2017-18 Team

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Tyler Rusch Team Room

PAS/PBS/PLaS Senior Dinner

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

US Dining Room & Robert L. Smith Meeting Room

Wednesday - May 31, 2017

US Reading Day

Senior Project Marimba Recital - Joelle Walker

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Choral Music Room in the Arts Center

Senior Celebration Parent Rehearsal

8:00 PM - 9:30 PM

Caplin Theater

Thursday - June 1, 2017

US Exam #1 - Math

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Senior Project Piano Recital - Stacy Chen

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Choral Music Room in the Arts Center

Friday - June 2, 2017

US Exam #2 - Science

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Alumni Senior Dinner

3:00 PM - 5:30 PM

Robert L. Smith Meeting Room, Rusch Team Room and Athletic Center Lobby

Senior Project Chinese-English Vocal/Piano Recital - Alana Barry

7:30 PM - 8:30 PM

Mary Ellen Caplin Theater in the Arts Center

Saturday - June 3, 2017

Senior Project Theater Performance - Annie Mogilnicki

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Middle School Drama Studio

Senior Celebration

6:00 PM

Arts Center Courtyard and Caplin Theater

Sunday - June 4, 2017

PA-LS Reunion for Class of 2017

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Lower School Campus

Senior Meeting for Worship

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Robert L. SMith Meeting Room

Upper School Weekly Newsletter Submissions

How to Submit an Article to the Newsletter. Fill out the form at www.sidwell.edu/submit by 12:00 p.m. Thursday.

Note about the School Calendar: The calendar entries that appear in the right column of each newsletter are automatically generated by the official school calendar and are not subject to editing by the newsletter editors. All changes or additions to the school calendar must be made through the school scheduling office, reachable at [email-masked].

The Upper School Weekly Newsletter is a forum for communication among parents and is designed to provide announcements about school events or information.

Sidwell Friends School

3825 Wisconsin Ave. NW • Washington, DC 20016 • 202-537-8100

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