December 1, 2005

Dear Friends,

So, we are a comprehensive college preparatory high school with special emphasis on Science, Technology, Ethics and World Religion. Our sophomores have completed two years of science already. Ethical precepts and basic religious issues are discussed every day in our morning meeting. The study of religions is a key part of our humanities program. Gadgets abound, from lap-tops to digital cameras, performing almost magical feats in the hands of our bewilderingly skilled students.

And so, what about the arts?

As with most school issues, the answer comes on a series of levels.

First, we are committed to the whole person-intellectual, physical, emotional, spiritual-and aesthetic. Any program that does not honor all of these does injustice to the learners as well as to the teachers.

Second, there is compelling evidence that none of these parts of the personality functions independently from the others. We have known for years that physical fitness creates better intellectual learners; more recent studies are suggesting that meditation and/or prayer can have a profound effect on emotional well-being. While the 'Mozart Effect' could not be replicated in the laboratory, the study of music generally seems to help certain types of readers. For centuries, almost all fine art was religious in nature.

Third, and I believe most important, we pursue the arts for themselves alone. We study sciences to understand the universe, of course, but also to improve the human lot materially. We study history and government for themselves, but also to become discriminating voters and wise leaders. But after all the rigor of practice and analysis, I play Chopin for itself, for the hint of the sublime when my brain and heart and fingers are miraculously working together. When Robert Frost said of the students at Amherst that it was important they "do a real deed, now and then," he was referring to the Glee Club.

So, when I saw the drama and dance and heard the jazz at the end of the trimester, when I study the walls outside the art room, my heart sings.

Best wishes to you all for the happiest of holidays!

Yours very sincerely,
Fr. Malcolm

Student Passion for The Arts

The arts are an important part of daily life and learning at The Bay School. As a new school in our second year, there is a significant reason why the arts program strikes an especially emotional and intellectual cord with our students and faculty; it is the program that they have the most influence in creating. The original arts courses incorporated into the program during our first year were chosen for their 'essential' nature as foundations of a solid, comprehensive arts curriculum. Not all of these original courses, however, were of interest to students. Our founding freshmen requested that rather than begin by studying ballet or modern dance, they preferred a course in Hip Hop dance and culture. Students also made it clear that Digital Imaging (digital photography) was preferable to analog photography - enough to fill two sections. When asked at the end of the year about the highlight of their first year of high school, it was not uncommon to hear a student reply "My studio art class," or "Performing in the play." Our students are passionate about their creative pursuits.

In spring 2005, rising ninth and tenth graders were asked to indicate their preferences for arts electives to be offered during the '05-'06 academic year. Once again, students had a solid hand in shaping the program. Sophomores asked for a video production course and additional culturally based dance classes (hence our new course, Social Dances of Latin America). Incoming ninth graders requested a jazz band - one that included vocalists as well as instrumentalists.

This year we are offering eleven different arts courses, one-third of which were proposed by students. They definitely have a sense of enthusiasm and ownership when it comes to discussing ways of expanding the curriculum. As our arts faculty designs and develops new courses, teachers use student interests as a starting point for new ideas. This collaboration between faculty expertise and student passion is at the core of how we envision learning at The Bay School. We are now well on our way.

Studio Art - Balance and Perspective

Have you ever read an article related to science in the newspaper or looked at a painting exhibited in a museum and wondered, "What does any of this have to do with me?" Have you ever read a book, or watched a movie, and wondered the same thing? Chances are that you have, but nevertheless continue to read more books and watch more movies. Are good books and movies just more 'fun' than science or standing in front of a painting? The answer may be yes.

Are story books and movies intrinsically more interesting than science and art? As a science and studio art teacher at The Bay School, my answer is "No". I wouldn't have spent the majority of my adult life studying physics and studio art if my answer were yes. Even though I have answered yes, I doubt I would have dedicated my life to filmmaking or writing. The very many things in this world that interest me most do not necessarily define my career choices. Nor do I believe that students in high school should find their career path as a teenager. But all the things in this world that interest me the most do influence what I teach in class every day. I have chosen to teach at The Bay School because the school's mission emphasizes the relevance of science and art equally with that of religion, mathematics, history, politics and ethics.

At The Bay School, the depth of the science program is equally balanced by the depth in all other disciplines, especially the art program. We are not just people that are good at math and science or art and writing. (At least I wasn't if you go by my first sketch book or first physics test.) The Bay School was founded on the principle of helping the whole person develop in the intellectual, aesthetic, physical, social, and spiritual domains. It is easy to imagine what the world would be like if science did not exist, it would be more difficult to imagine what the world would be like if art did not exist. It is not a matter of just going to museums and appreciating art, but equally important to experience art through practice -- whether through drawing, painting, sculpting, music, or dance.

Bay School students who took Studio Art I during the fall trimester have recently finished their first course in drawing. The course focused on the use of charcoal and paper through the study of still-life and landscape. The study of still-life and landscape forms the foundation for students to build upon in developing drawing skills. In physics class, you can write equations if you know the alphabet, but only through studying how those equations shape the world does a student begin to understand the physical principles related to the equations. The same is true in drawing, on an even more basic level, because most students do not even know there is an 'alphabet' for drawing. In drawing class students began by learning how to sharpen and hold their charcoal. They learned how to place the paper correctly on their drawing pads and how to use an eraser. That was the beginning of a journey that taught them how to move their fingers, wrists, elbows, and shoulders -- to train their bodies to understand what their eyes see and minds think. Students studied and practiced how basic shapes are drawn by first making their own boxes, cylinders, and spheres, gaining an understanding of how real shapes translate to charcoal and paper. Bay School art students take full advantage of the lush landscape surrounding us in the Presidio by walking out our front door to sketch on location, learning how basic shapes can form what they observe around them in nature. The fall trimester concluded with students applying their understanding of still-life and landscape to drawing the human figure.

Students enrolled in Studio Art II during the winter trimester will take their first course in painting. The course will emphasize the use of watercolor, pastels, acrylic and oil paints in studying how to compose and build a painting. Many of the same principles learned in drawing directly apply to painting as well. Through learning the basics of how to hold a brush, and stretch canvas, students will practice the elements of each artistic discipline. Fine arts classes have homework assignments, quizzes, and tests, as do the academic subjects. Art students learn to train their bodies to do what their minds think and eyes see, just as in any sport or physical activity. Through careful study and diligent practice, drawing, painting, and other artistic endeavors at The Bay School transform students into people who will be able to play integral roles in a world full of art influenced by science, mathematics, religion and ethics.

Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and were then asked to draw something from it? Imagine how different your life would be if you never had to hesitate and say, "I'm no good at art!"

Founding faculty member Miles Chen teaches Studio Art classes in drawing and painting as well as Physics and Chemistry.

Jazz Education - Is it 'Real'?

Sunday night found me on BART, next to an amp I can barely carry and a bass that's bigger than I am. I was on my way to my gig at Savannah Jazz in the Mission. When I arrived, I found the familiar darkness that seems to creep into most clubs, the tiny tables with chairs facing a tiny stage. However, I noticed something different-there were three microphones set up, as if a panel discussion were about to commence.

A panel discussion at a jazz club? I was very surprised to find three distinguished-looking men sit down in front of the microphones and welcome the audience (all three of us) to the monthly jazz talk. "Our topic tonight is 'Jazz Education-Is It Real?'" I listened with some interest as the panelists began to attack jazz education for all kinds of reasons. The most vociferous opponent was, in fact, the head of the jazz program at San Francisco State University.

However, instead of shaking my head in agreement with the other two audience members, I was able to smile a little. The Bay School jazz program-though merely twelve weeks old— neatly sidesteps all of their criticisms. The criticism that was made over and over again was this: most collegiate jazz programs prepare students for a music scene that no longer exists. There is no longer a circuit of traveling big bands, and yet, in most high schools and colleges, a course listed under "jazz" will be a big band. At The Bay School, we emphasize playing in smaller ensembles, even when the class meets as a whole. Rather than reading big band charts, we discuss the arrangements orally and learn the tunes by ear, just as most professional musicians do.

The panel also took exception to the lack of improvisation in jazz education. They believed that many graduates lacked the ability to improvise and bring a piece of themselves to the music. I was pleased that the jazz class at The Bay School embraced improvisation from the outset. The very first assignment was "to come up with a lick to teach your fellow students." The students came back with snatches of melody that would have been at home in all kinds of contexts-blues, heavy metal, and folk-and, after they taught each other their licks, we tried to incorporate them into a jazz context. Some of the licks didn't work, but some of them sounded great-and they were bringing a piece of themselves to the music.

Before long, students were composing tunes with lyrics, suggesting arrangements, and taking solos. If these students ever play in a rock group, a salsa band, or any kind of jazz ensemble, the rehearsals will probably resemble what they did at in class at The Bay School. So, after the talk was over, I walked over to the SFSU professor and introduced myself. "I teach over at The Bay School," I said. "You should come check us out-it's the most authentic program I've seen, and might give you some ideas of how to solve the problems you were talking about in jazz education."

I'm looking forward to his call.

Colin Williams teaches Jazz Ensemble at The Bay School and is a professional musician who plays the jazz bass.

Digital Imaging

This is the third trimester that I have taught the Digital Imaging course at The Bay School and each term has proven to be an entirely unique and memorable experience of its own. Student photographers range in their interests. Some seem naturally to be more artistically inclined -- interested in defining and refining their individual photographic practice, while others have a more concentrated interest in the technological aspects-for example, the number of pictures able to be stored on a chip, or how natural color and light translate to the screen (RGB). In each circumstance a certain individual sensibility emerges as students explore different ways of using photography as a means to communicate with one and other (practical), as well as to enhance our reality, as an art form.

Digital imaging class is structured to devote equal time to making and managing a large number of digital images, practicing Photoshop techniques, and studying the canon of analog photography as a practical point of reference -- including a class visit to a photo gallery or museum.

Students make a required number of pictures each week under a general thematic guideline such as "Landscape" or "Strangers". This practice in photographic genre work helps to develop an awareness of different kinds of imaging and promotes a more diverse camera language. Images are critiqued on a weekly basis in regard to a specific set of criteria (including a visual vocabulary) that the class helps to develop. The questions we ask are essentially "what makes a successful picture and how can we tell?" Thus, we open the door to the process of discussing visual art.

Gregory Fleischer teaches Digital Media courses to Bay School freshmen and sophomores.

View a sample portfolio of images taken during the 2005 Digital Imaging fall trimester. We look forward to our first student gallery show to be held at the Thoreau Center in the Presidio, opening in mid-January 2006.

I met my mentees in the digital media lab the morning their final project was due about two weeks ago. They were ready to burn a copy of their documentary film, Theaters Big and Small, onto a DVD. We worked on last minute editing-where music should go, making sure the audio clips were locked to the video files-skills these students may not have thought of using before. We laughed about how far they had come from the beginning of the trimester, when their film skills included a random jumble of clips and audio files that did not match with the images. I was impressed by how much my students had learned over such a short period of time. I was even more impressed with how they applied the skills that they gained and created a project that exceeded our expectations.

During the fall trimester, eighteen Bay School students enrolled in a new course entitled Research and the Community a sophomore elective and sequel to the required freshman course Writing Workshop. The course was designed to accomplish two central tasks: to teach important academic research skills and to learn how to identify and address community needs. With the aid of mentors in the Presidio community, our students worked weekly with individuals and agencies within and outside the Presidio to produce final projects that we hope will make a positive contribution to our school and to the local community.

Ignacio Martinez, Jay Arellano, David Rodriguez, and Francisco Ochoa worked on the renovation of Landfill site 6A at the Presidio, located one block from campus. They met weekly at the site, worked, and learned about the makeup of the landfill and the benefits of the restoration effort currently underway. As a final project they produced a website detailing the process and benefits of the restoration and created an educational videogame for children. The game narrates battle scenes between creatures made of stone, incorrigible weeds, and invasive plants. The game's four protagonists are given their orders for each mission by suit-wearing mentors, and are even sent home on rainy days while the newly planted native plants get a chance to grow.

Emma Mallonee, Pearl Morgan, David Arslanian, Spencer Stamats, and Cara Vennari worked with the Crissy Field Center, pulling weeds, shoveling sand, cleaning benches, and generally keeping Crissy Field looking its best. They produced a volunteer recruiting flyer to be distributed to area high schools, and a website designed to inform and recruit volunteers for the Center.

Emma Maas, Elliot Bamberger, Gaby Gucho-Oliva, Danny Idzkowski, and Morgan McQuown took on the challenge of improving directional signage throughout the Presidio. They conducted informational interviews trying to learn how the Presidio's signage was reaching its intended audience. In an effort to echo their findings, they produced a three-poster kiosk in our school, which provides detailed MUNI maps, a history of the Bay School, and a new Presidio map which includes restaurants, park services, parking, and locations where coffee is available. Anyone who visits The Bay School will have the opportunity to view this kiosk.

Henry Wettersten and Skipper Sommers produced a brochure for the visitor center commemorating NIKE missile site 89, located during the Cold War near Battery Caulfield. Working with NPS Ranger Marcus Combs, the boys pored through archives, visited the NIKE site in Marin, and researched San Francisco's coastal defenses and use of the NIKE program. They hope the brochure will provide insight into a piece of the Park's history that has scarcely been explored since the site was decommissioned in the seventies.

I had the pleasure of mentoring two of our students, Milli Harris and Annie Obermeyer, who produced a documentary comparing the Clay Theater on Fillmore with the Metreon. Their film depicts the value and impact that an independent theater can have on its neighborhood. These two budding film makers are hoping to show their film to wider audiences, including a showing at the Clay itself. They are continuing to work on it even though the project has been graded and the course has been completed.

The Bay School's commitment to service learning and community engagement is strengthened by the assistance and commitment of mentors in the community. Our students (and Peter and I, who taught the course) are eternally grateful to Brian Hildebiddle, Marcus Combs, Lynn Sanderson, and Jody Sanford of the Presidio Trust for working with us, and to Damien Raffa for helping to coordinate our efforts. It is clearly a privilege to be able to attend school in this national park, and our students benefited enormously from such a unique academic experience.

Teachers Lori Cohen and Peter Olrich teach Research and the Community as part of the sophomore year curriculum.

Hydro Physics in Action

On Monday, November 7th two of Physics teacher Tom Henning's classes received a first hand glimpse of hydro power in action during their visits to the Main Post Fire Station nearby in the Presidio. The freshmen had been studying the physics of liquids, gases, and thermodynamics - including concepts of pressure, density, compressibility, volume and phase change. The purpose of their visits was to make these concepts come alive, and they did.

Presidio firefighters demonstrated the way that water is brought to fight a fire through the use of hoses, valves, pumps and nozzles. Students were shown how hydraulic power is used in equipment such as the 'Jaws of Life" to gain tremendous mechanical advantage for extracting victims from collapsed structures and vehicles. Students had the opportunity to handle live hoses to get a sense of the enormous pressures and forces involved in firefighting and rescue operations. The notes and observations made during their visit were then used in class discussions that followed.

Karate News: Sensei Mirko Buchwald Visits The Bay School

The Bay School Martial Arts class, led by black belt instructor and faculty member Dennis Hartzell, was honored by a visit from Sensei Mirko Buchwald on October 20th during which he conducted special training exercises. Sensei Mirko founded the highly regarded Zanshin Dojo, located at Balboa and 22nd Avenue in San Francisco in 1998. Born in the U.K. and a student of the Goju Ryu style of karate from the age of 14, Sensei served as captain of the U.S. team that competed at the IOGKF World Karate championships in 2001. Currently a fourth-degree black belt, Sensei Mirko has taught Dennis Hartzell for the past 7 years and Bay School freshman Bindy Hayashi for the past 9 years.

In Other Karate News:
Three Bay School cheers go to sophomore Bill Decker who recently earned his second degree Taekwondo black belt on November 5th at West America Taekwondo School in Mill Valley. Since attending his first TKD class at the age of 4, Bill has loved the sport and with enthusiasm and determination gone on to earn 16 required belts - each demanding the study and mastery of specific traditional TKD philosophy, forms and sparring. Congratulations to Bill.

Bay School Thespians Present 'Rumors'

Ten talented Bay students will take center stage in the Great Room on December 8th, 9th, and 10th in the Bay School premier of Neil Simon's acclaimed comedy 'Rumors'. The play chronicles the foibles of 4 couples who arrive at their friend's Westchester, New York home for a tenth anniversary party one spring night. Instead of the swank affair that they had anticipated, they find a confusing (and amusing) set of circumstances. The hilarity escalates as the couples try to discover the truth of what has happened and simultaneously cover it up. Neil Simon has been hailed as "one of our finest American comedy writers" and 'Rumors' is a riot.

Please join us! Performances on December 8, 9, 10 at 7:30pm on campus. Tickets become available (at no charge) beginning Thursday, December 1st at: tickets@bayschoolsf.org.

From The Stacks — Library News

Happy News Flash!
The most exciting news circulating in the library (and throughout the school) is the arrival of our first Bay School baby "Breaker" named Henry James Eckert - son of Bay School librarian, Rachel Shaw. Baby Henry was born on November 5th. We can't wait to meet him and eagerly look forward to Rachel's return from maternity leave in February.

Book Groups:
Third session book groups began on November 29th and will continue to meet weekly through January 10th. Pick one or more books and read along with us.