Sculpture Class Takes a Walk in the Park
Spreading out across the 20-acre grounds of the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, students from visual arts faculty member Martin McDermott鈥檚 Advanced Sculpture class studied and sketched works by renowned modern and contemporary artists.
Lessons in Service and Leadership from Army Captain Nick Morton 鈥02
Nick Morton 鈥02 was a few weeks into his senior year at 91探花 when the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, stirred in him the need to serve. Before graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve鈥攁nd began a lifelong military career.
Now an Army Captain, Nick was the 2019 Veterans Day speaker.
鈥淲e spent the days and months trying to process what had happened鈥 after the terrorist attacks in 2001, he said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 speak to what my classmates felt at that time, but for me, it began to synthesize this sense that I wanted to become part of something bigger than myself. I started wondering if I had something to give, if I could be of value.鈥
Wit And Wordplay Take The Stage in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Two minor characters from one of the most well-known tragedies in theater history take the comedy spotlight in this year鈥檚 fall play, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. The 1966 Tom Stoppard play follows the story of the title characters, messengers from Shakespeare鈥檚 Hamlet, who are bewildered by the events around them.
鈥淭he entire play is from their point of view, and tries to explain who they are, but they don鈥檛 even know,鈥 says performing arts faculty member Darlene Anastas, who is directing the show. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 get their names straight. They know they鈥檝e been sent for, but they don鈥檛 know why. You ponder life and death with the characters, but it鈥檚 really very funny.鈥
Poet Gregory Pardlo Is This Fall鈥檚 Bingham Visiting Writer
“Everyone is going to get something different from a poem, so I just have fun with it and let the world take it from there,鈥 said Pulitzer prize-winning poet and memoirist Gregory Pardlo, who was 鈥渟treet testing鈥 some new work during the Bingham Visiting Writer assembly.
Mr. Pardlo鈥檚 new poems explore ideas of faith. His visual, at times humorous, writing explores the death of a professional wrestler, the highs and lows of a long marriage and the personal relationship between father and son. After finishing with a couple of older poems from his collection Digest, Mr. Pardlo answered students鈥 questions about his writing process.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe in writer鈥檚 block,鈥 said Mr. Pardlo. 鈥淲hen I feel myself saying I鈥檓 blocked, I鈥檒l say that鈥檚 BS. It means there is something I want to say, but I haven鈥檛 given myself permission to say it yet.鈥
“Creatures Great and Small” Outside the AMC
Two birds in flight, a swimming shark and a fanged fish are just a few of the sculptures that make up the 鈥淐reatures Great and Small鈥 exhibit outside of the Art and Media Center (AMC). Each of the eight pieces is done by a different artist in materials such as bronze, granite, steel and resin. Pamela Tarbell of PR Tarbell Fine Art curated the exhibit, which is on display throughout this school year.
One of the pieces, 鈥淭he Understudy,鈥 by local artist Bob Shanahan, is housed inside the AMC. The sculpture, built out of natural materials such as bark and twigs, depicts a Diatryma, a dinosaur that roamed New England millions of years ago.
The other pieces line up in front of the AMC. Morris Norvin鈥檚 鈥淧iscator II鈥 is the largest 鈥攕teel, painted gray and bent into the shape of swimming shark. The smallest is the sleek 鈥淓poxy Cheetah鈥 by Wendy Klemperer. New visual art faculty member and Netso Gallery director Shirin Adhmai says a favorite of the younger students on campus is 鈥淭oothed Fish,鈥 composed of granite and quartz by artist Thomas Berger.
Impressive Season for Varsity Football
Each week, their opponents get tougher, but the varsity football team continues to dominate on the field with an undefeated season (6-0). Last Saturday, it was 48-25 victory against Belmont Hill, a team that also came into the game undefeated. The home game in front of a Parents鈥 Weekend crowd showed the deep depth of 91探花, led by team captains Kalel Mullings 鈥20 and Jake Willcox 鈥20.
An exciting win (20-14) in overtime against Governor鈥檚 Academy the previous weekend saw wide receiver and defense back Mitchell Gosner 鈥20 blocking a field goal to tie up the game and then scoring the winning touchdown, catching a stellar throw from quarterback Jake.
Before that game, Head Coach Kevin MacDonald anticipated that it would be a challenging game. 鈥淲e are a pretty well-rounded team. Usually a high school team will have at least one glaring weakness. But, we are playing other teams that are also well-rounded and loaded with talent.鈥
鈥淪chool Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play鈥 is This Fall鈥檚 1212 Play
This fall鈥檚 1212 play,聽School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, is a comedy that tackles issues of colorism, colonialism, beauty standards, and the social hierarchy among teenage girls.
鈥淥ur play immerses the audience into the world of black girls, something that never happens,鈥 says Nyla Sams 鈥20. 鈥淚t also tackles societal problems that are, for the most part, ignored by everyone other than the group they affect. It is so exciting to bring this conversation to 91探花, and on top of all that, it鈥檚 a fun play.鈥
A Q&A with New Academic Dean Heather Sugrue
Heather Sugrue, who this summer became the new Upper School academic dean, has witnessed two decades of 91探花 as a math teacher, house head, and most recently, math department chair. She replaces Jackie Bonenfant, whose role has transitioned to dean of academic initiatives. In a recent interview, Heather discussed the joy of teaching math, her excitement for her new position, and what makes 91探花 students so special.
A Day in the Life of the U.S. Senate
It鈥檚 one thing to learn how a bill becomes a law. It鈥檚 another thing entirely to step into the shoes of a lawmaker.
American Government and Politics students spent Tuesday morning at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate in Boston, where they shed their student personas and became U.S. senators, poised to act on a comprehensive immigration reform bill.
鈥淚t鈥檚 helpful for them to have hands-on experience with the process,鈥 said Perin Gokce, the history and social sciences faculty member who arranged the trip. 鈥淚t gives them a better understanding of all of the competing demands that senators grapple with before they go into a vote: their party鈥檚 interests, their state鈥檚 interests, and their personal viewpoints.鈥
鈥淐lass IV Follies鈥 Explores the Masks We Wear
This year鈥檚聽Class IV Follies, a revue highlighting the performing arts talents of the Class of 2023, follows the theme of masks, director and performing arts faculty member Eleza Kort says.
The production, which opens on Thursday night of Parents鈥 Weekend, features pieces related to the masks people wear and the six universal facial expressions: happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, and surprise.
The performing arts department shifted its fall production schedule this year so a limited run of the聽Class IV Follies聽is scheduled for Parents鈥 Weekend. The show runs Thursday, October 24, and Friday, October 25, with both performances at 7:30 p.m. in King Theatre.
