February 2, 2007

Dear Friends,

The program for the senior year is falling into place; the students play varsity sports; the juniors and their parents go through their college weekend; our eighth grade applicants look younger and younger. We are coming to recognize our transition from a start-up school to a more mature one. It is bitter-sweet.

I had lunch last week with Nancy Wheeler, Pam Snellgrove, and Dennis Hartzell and reminisced about our early days—no site, no faculty, no students, no money, but a powerful vision and a determination to succeed. Failure to found the school was not an option. Then, gradually, things fell into place. Ryn Blecke joined us and put some flesh on the program. The Board grew in size and competence. We found a site in the Presidio and secured a temporary building close by. With a series of ingenious and traditional approaches we raised a great deal of money. On May 27, 2004 we formally declared the school founded.

Even the first year in the old Cavalry Building on Schofield Road has its sense of myth, of freshmen crawling like puppies over the green sofa or on the "library" blanket. The food was good, as ever, but much of it cooked outside. Parents and faculty, students, staff and board were happily, but in the long term unrealistically, close as we adventured together.

Halcyon days!

Sweet, however, is the school we are becoming. Those of us who were involved in the original design are awed by its close correspondence to current reality. In our wildest dreams, however, we could never have predicted, or even hoped for, the powerfully strong, kind, and compassionate community to which all have contributed and continue to contribute. That community, in its turn, creates a context in which individual students and teachers can grow as learners, reach deep into their passions, and develop the "brain-muscles" of mindfulness and conscience.

Sweet also are the prospects for the future. The Board, through its finance and development committees, has created models for a stable financial future as far as the eye can see. The feedback we receive from colleges and our contemporary schools is most positive. We are able to define ever more clearly the areas for growth and refinement in our program. We are beginning to be serious about re-invention and strategic planning.

So, we have become a real school, just as Pinocchio became a real boy. I am so proud and humble to be a part of it.

All best wishes,

Father Malcolm

P.S. A Personal Note.
I will be taking a brief sabbatical from mid March through May this year. (I expect to be in attendance for Bay Splash and hope to see everyone then.) Arrangements for smooth running of the school are in the final stage, and will be announced after the February board meeting.

It seems as though with a blink of the eye we have gone from hanging our shingle out at temporary offices on Officers Row along Funston Avenue in the fall of 2003 to now being halfway through the Bay School’s third year of operations – happily settled into a magnificent permanent campus at 35 Keyes Avenue with an enrollment of 175 students in grades 9-11. As the Office of Admission works toward admitting its final founding class of 2011 in March, we are in the thick of planning the senior year program and the nationwide recruitment process for 6 new teachers to join the faculty at the start of the 2007-2008 academic year.

Launching the Senior Project Program in 2007-2008

We were thrilled to have experienced educator Eugene Mizusawa join the Bay School faculty in fall 2006 as Director of Senior Projects and Field-based Learning. In this capacity, Eugene, working closely with Academic Dean Ryn Blecke Fleischer, Head of School Malcolm Manson, and other senior members of the faculty and administration, will design and implement a 12th grade project-based learning program that represents an important graduation requirement for all Bay School students. The objective of the program is to offer students the opportunity for real life learning experience in subject areas of individual interest--directly exposing them to the very real connections between class room learning and its applications in the world.

Eugene’s academic and professional background, as well as his personal interests and travel experience, make him the ideal person to launch such an experiential learning program. Having earned both a bachelor degree and doctorate in Chemistry, Eugene has extensive scientific research and product development experience through his work at universities, in industry, and at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He has taught at UCLA, at the Cal State East Bay School of Business, in the Dublin Unified School District, and most recently at Athenian School in Danville where he has served as head of the Science Department. For more details please visit our Bay School Faculty page.

An Overview of the Field-based Learning Program
Eugene Mizusawa

It is with great excitement and hope for the future that I join the Bay School to develop and direct the Senior Projects and Field-based Learning Program. I began my work in December by visiting classes, attending morning meetings and faculty meetings, and by speaking with students, members of the faculty, and staff, so that I could understand the personality, culture, and philosophy of the Bay School. I do not exaggerate when I say that this is a truly remarkable school. The classes that I visited were outstanding, and it is clear that the students and adults at Bay are working together on a mission to educate and develop future leaders capable of making positive differences in their world. It is with this understanding that I begin to formalize the Senior Projects and Field-based Learning Program for the senior class of 2008 and future senior classes.

So what is the Senior Projects and Field-based Learning Program? It is essentially a meaningful opportunity for every senior at the Bay School to pursue their personal and academic interests in and outside of the classroom with the close guidance of an experienced mentor. The field-work outside of the classroom can have many forms such as internships, future career experiences, or working with mentors who provide expertise and resources related to something that the student would like to accomplish or create. The time associated with these field-based experiences will be a minimum of 65 hours for each student and is considered an integral part of the education of the students at this school. Scheduling the field-based experiences will be challenging, but this work can be done during regular school hours, outside of the regular school hours, or even during the summer if students have the time, desire, and opportunity.

Some of the many topics that the senior class of 2008 have indicated as areas of interest are music production, politics, community service, fashion design, accounting, medicine, medical research, anthropology, theater and performing arts, building an electric car, sports, working at an environmental start up company, race car driving, working with special needs children, architecture and construction, engineering, medical research, the legal profession, the FBI, psychology, literature, history, and international diplomacy. A big part of my work will be to find suitable mentors for each and every student. If you know of mentors who would be willing to work with our students, please let me know.

The Bay School’s goal is to make the senior project an in-depth, culminating learning experience for all seniors. In addition to hands-on experience, students will also learn in-depth research skills in areas of personal interest as well as how to write a project proposal. They will learn how to make contacts with individuals and organizations that can help them pursue the study of their field; they will produce a deliverable from their work, and they will learn how to make a formal presentation. Their work will conclude with the writing of a paper or presentation of a project that reflects on the student’s thoughts, experiences, and accomplishments. I am excited by my challenge to develop a program that will make the senior project a meaningful and enjoyable experience for every student. I will certainly do my utmost to make this happen.

Eugene Mizusawa
Emizusawa@bayschoolsf.org

Planning the Next Step-College Counseling at Bay
Peter Olrich, College Counselor

When I left a comfortable desk and talented colleagues at Brooks School in 2005 to become the Bay School’s first college counselor, I was tremendously excited. I’d handed Malcolm and our deans a three-year plan for beginning the program before we’d even had a chance to say hello at my interview. I believed in the Bay School mission, and I quickly came to appreciate the enormous talent of the school’s leaders and founding faculty. My colleagues, both in high school counseling and in the college admissions world, were unanimously supportive and, in many cases, more than a little envious.

Almost two years later, we’ve done a great deal both to get our founding class moving forward in their own searches, and to introduce Bay to the college admissions world. Since our inaugural class includes several families for whom this will be the first child to attend college, we began their process earlier than we will for future classes. I met individually with each member of the Class of 2008 during their sophomore year, and met with their families over the summer and fall of this school year. Our juniors are now several weeks into a process that involves weekly small-group meetings focused on different aspects of their search, and they will have regular individual meetings with us to solidify plans as their visit lists begin to take shape through the winter.

At the end of this school year, each junior will have done significant autobiographical writing; will have completed a game plan for their search; will have used the best resources available to tailor a thoughtfully-researched and personally crafted visit list; and will have completed a practice personal statement, and drafts of a UC Application and a Common Application. Juniors also have the opportunity to complete a free, in-school SAT prep program which meets during one open period a week. This offering is fully subsidized by the school so that students of all economic backgrounds have access, and so that no student is spending his or her weekends doing hours of out-of-school prep.

Outside Bay’s walls, we’ve been blessed with time and resources to travel extensively, and to get the word out about our school to college admissions offices and academic leaders. We’ve been able to lean on these friends of the school as sounding boards, and to share the excitement of our development with them every step of the way. It’s been one of our goals to make sure that colleges and universities know Bay and are excited about us before our first transcript ever arrives. Along the way, we’ve made many lasting connections that will not only benefit our first applicants, but which have already benefited us as we develop our curriculum and grow as a school.

I have been told by several college admissions colleagues recently that there is a “buzz” about Bay, that they are hearing great things about us from Bay Area families and college counselors. That’s exciting, for sure, but the most gratifying aspects of this journey are happening inside our walls, rather than outside. We have had the opportunity to establish our own culture around the college process. Our families have leaned on their best instincts, have largely tuned out the anxious white noise that surrounds this process in so many schools, and have simply, gracefully taken ownership, trusting in where we’re headed. It took a certain kind of student and family to put their chips in with us three years ago when we truly were a start-up; I only hope we can maintain this sense of calm and clarity now that we’re such a safe bet.

Peter Olrich, College Counselor
Polrich@bayschoolsf.org

Launching the Bay Athletic Program

In June of 2003, more than a year and a half before the Bay School opened its doors to our first class, I was asked by Father Malcolm to describe in writing what the Bay School athletic program would look like five years into the future. We began with the clear philosophy that the school’s commitment to athletics is based upon our mission to educate the "whole" person and our belief that physical development and athletic accomplishment have important lifelong benefits. The benefits are mental as well as physical. Through athletics Bay students not only build healthy strong bodies and an understanding of the value of nutrition and exercise, but, perhaps even more importantly, they learn to challenge themselves mentally through learning the skills of self-discipline, perseverance, leadership, sportsmanship, and team work. Thus our program requires all Bay School students to participate in athletic activities—either by playing on a competitive sports team or by participating in a wide selection of non-competitive physical activities. Athletic activities are occasions of great community affirmation and spirit, regardless of the outcome.

During our first two years we focused intently on launching a program of junior varsity sports including soccer, basketball, cross-country running, golf, and sailing as well as a physical activities program offering a wide range of non-competitive activities such as martial arts, yoga, jogging, dance, tennis, and group games including Ultimate Frisbee. As student enrollment has increased in 2006-2007 we have joined the Bay Counties League (BCL) and have expanded the competitive athletic program to include both varsity and JV teams playing a full schedule each season against public and independent schools throughout the Bay Area. Our growth and development is awesome. Highlights of the current academic year have included the girls’ varsity volleyball team ending their fall season with a 19-5 record as co-champions of the BCL Central Division. They were the first Bay team to make a North Coast Section (NCS) playoff. Our boys’ varsity basketball team recently earned the 2nd place trophy at the Pescadero ‘Hoop Dreams’ Tournament early in the season. Momentum is building!

Every year and every season bring new challenges to Bay athletes as we build our athletic program. One of the most crucial keys to success is our coaching staff. Bay student athletes have the opportunity to be trained by coaches of the highest caliber—lifelong athletes who are experienced, ethical, enthusiastic, and totally committed to their players and program. Several have coached and competed on the high school, university, and professional levels and also teach academic disciplines at Bay, thus students and teachers have the opportunity to build upon bonds that have begun in the classroom. These coaches work tirelessly, not only preparing practice plans and patrolling the sidelines during games, but also put in countless hours motivating and inspiring our athletes to perform at the highest level on and off the court.

For more information, vist our Athletics at Bay page.

The Pursuit of Potential – Coaching Varsity Basketball at Bay

If you were to stop by Letterman Gym a little before 6:00 a.m. on most weekday mornings, you would see ten boys, hunched and hooded against the cold, shuffling into the building. Ten or fifteen minutes later, you would see these same boys fully engaged in the intense demands of a ninety-minute basketball practice. These guys regularly push themselves close to their physical and mental limits, all the while enduring the rants of a skinny, bald guy (that would be I) who goes ballistic if they set a screen just one foot away from where it must be set or if they are even half a second late contesting a perimeter jump shot. And while they sweat and run and work, their buddies and classmates are safely abed or just stirring for a new day.

You might ask yourself: why do they do it? The answers might surprise you.

We are a new varsity program, and we must be realistic about competing against the established and successful programs in our league. We have lost several games this season by wide margins. We have also won several games this season, both by wide margins and narrow ones. These scores do matter—and matter quite a lot to the boys and to me. The scores are not, however, the fundamental reason why the kids practice so hard or why they rouse themselves out of their beds long before dawn to meet me in the gym.

At the heart of our program there are two considerations far more vital than mere scores. First, each boy comes to recognize that his true opponent is himself. As a team, we are committed to the pursuit of our potential, to finding out how much progress we can make as a cohesive unit. The necessary corollary to this pursuit is each individual player’s commitment to personal improvement. The two pursuits are synergistic, of course, and when they are aligned, truly magical things can happen. We are after a very special kind of discipline—not the whip and chain variety—but the kind that demonstrates each boy’s sincere willingness to do what needs to be done, to do it as well as he possibly can, and to do it as long as it needs to be done. This commitment is what creates the special bonds between teammates in competitive athletics. And this commitment is what leads to the most important reason why my players put up with the early morning hours, a frigid gym, and a loud-mouthed coach.

They endure these things because their bonds to one another are so compelling. When the price of being an honest teammate is putting forth your very best effort at all times, each boy willingly pays that price. One individual’s sloth, carelessness, or selfishness is glaringly evident when everyone else is devoted to a common purpose. Each of the boys knows that our ability to respond collectively to the pressure of playing another team in the highly public context of a game depends on the full, sustained, and honest commitment of each individual.

Sure, the score matters. But scores are not at the heart of what we do. More than anything else, each boy wants the respect of his teammates; he wants to be a player that other guys want to play with. And this is the way it should be.

Dennis Hartzell,
Boys’ Varsity Basketball Coach
English Teacher

Video Production at Bay: The Icon Project

Building upon skills learned during their freshman and sophomore introductory level media and technology classes, Bay School juniors in Gregory Fleischer’s first trimester Introduction to Video Production course were each asked to choose a member of the Bay School faculty or staff whom they admired and respected to feature in the production of a :90 video profile.

In preparation for filming, the students drafted lists of interview questions which they gave to their subjects ahead of time, and planned at least three different set-ups for filming including close-up, multi-angle medium depth, and tracking shots showing their Icon in action. Then the students recruited fellow classmates as their production crew to serve as camera dolly/boom operators and sound engineers. Students were responsible for executing all aspects of the filming—from planning and organizing through to final editing. As production progressed students gave each other suggestions and critiqued both the daily footage and the rough cuts.

Students in the class learned much from their experiences—both on a technical and personal level. In addition to learning first-hand about planning a video shoot beginning with researching their subjects and structuring a story in linear narrative fashion, students gained know-how about editing a basic story using B-roll cutaways as a strategy for reinforcing content—a technique basic to documentary filmmaking.

"In this project I learned how much camera angles can change the feel of an interview or shot. For example, I liked most of the interviews that I filmed, but I noticed that some of them didn’t really look that great. In the end, I learned many of the details that make a shot look good. What I liked about this project was that it gave me another opportunity to work with the camera and to do what I wanted."
– Zach Hoffman ‘08

The Icon video project also provided Bay student filmmakers with a valuable opportunity to better understand the perspectives of their teachers and the school community. Several of the student Icon videos have been posted on the Bay School Web site at: www.bayschoolsf.org.

"With this project, I really enjoyed the opportunity to get to see one of my teacher’s views of the school on a deeper level. We go about school from day to day forgetting now and then that we really are embarking on and developing a brand new experience for education, and creating a new community. It is a really good feeling to acknowledge and remember what a special place this is, and how much I appreciate being a part of it. I was pleased to be able to convey this feeling in a video that our visitors can watch.

In addition, I really enjoy making movies, and this project provided me with the challenge to make it as short and concise as possible. Less really is more, and it was a valuable lesson to learn. Thank you to Andy Shaw for his wonderful ideas and input!"
– Vicky Holt, ‘08

Tracking Polaris to Calculate the Circumference of the Earth

On a clear and cool January evening, the Bay School Astrophysics class headed up to Santa Rosa and Cotati to track the position of Polaris (the North Star). By taking advantage of a stretch of Highway 101 that runs directly North/South from Cotati to Santa Rosa, the students set up camp in both Cotati and Santa Rosa to measure the altitude of Polaris relative to the horizon. Armed with multiple telescopes, theodolites and more laser leveling equipment than you can imagine; students braved the chilly night for hours taking data to calculate the difference in altitude of the North Star between the two locations.

With only 6 miles separating the two locations, Bay School students were to learn how to level multiple telescopes between two remote locations—attempting to achieve accuracy to 1/60th of a degree. The students were able to recreate, with much greater accuracy, the famous experiment carried out by Eratosthenes (276-195 B.C.) from the time of ancient Greece and use the angular difference in altitude of the North Star to determine the angular difference of a 6 mile slice of the Earth. The angular difference can then be projected over 360 degrees to calculate the circumference of the Earth in miles. By combining the techniques from great scientists in history with the use of modern technology, Bay School students were able to experience first hand the very first astronomical measurement that revealed the true size of the Earth, a measurement that changed the course of human history.

Miles Chen
Astrophysics and Studio Art Teacher

Mindful Community Group – Ropes Course Outing

Six Bay School students have formed the inaugural group of a new extra-curricular personal youth development course called the Mindful Community Program, sponsored by the Bay School that began in November and will continue meeting throughout the spring. The program is designed to support and encourage teens as they transition into young adulthood through teaching mindfulness, kind-heartedness, and intentionality in an intimate and supportive setting. Two experienced and skilled youth mentors, Shai Lavie, MFT and Alice Higham, LCSW, lead the program in conjunction with Bay School Chaplain, Teah Strozer. Student participants bring what they learn back to the school community through their personal relationships, peer mentoring, and leadership training.

On Saturday, January 20th the Creating a Mindful Community group went on an all-day ropes course outing in Sebastopol. It was great fun, and there were moments of sheer terror. All morning the group participated in games building confidence and trust. They helped each other walk on cables; working as a team to transport everyone into and then out of a hanging net. In the afternoon, the group was given a major challenge. Students were divided into groups of two and asked to climb a steep ladder leaning against a tall redwood tree. From there they continued climbing up the tree another 12 feet until they were at least 40 feet above the ground, balancing on a narrow rickety perch. From there participants were told to walk together, holding their partner's hands for balance, across a shaky rope/board ‘bridge’ hanging in the air. Everyone was safe of course, because they were belayed by holding ropes connected to people on the ground, but even so, there was a powerful feeling of danger involved and students were forced to deal with their fears and keep going. It was quite a terrifying yet very rewarding and affirming experience.

"The ropes course was focused on putting your trust in other individuals, as well as in the whole group. At times, it took awhile to be able to trust others that much, especially if you don't even trust yourself. However, once you took that risk and really put yourself out there, it was a really freeing experience. I feel a lot more open and bonded to these people now." – Angelina Gomez, ‘08

Winter Play 2007 – The Cripple of Inishmaan – Onstage Soon!

The Bay School’s drama program will present The Cripple of Inishmaan, a play written by Martin McDonagh, on March 8th, 9th, and 10th at 7:30pm in the Great Room on campus. Returning to the Bay School stage to bring this story to life are: Spencer Stamats, Annie Obermeyer, Fred Concklin, Brianna Gill, Nina dePuy Kamp, joined by newcomers Paul Rothman, Hannah Bockley, Krysta Seiwert-Vassallo, and Ryan Soifer.

"In 1934, the people of Inishmaan learn that Hollywood director Robert Flaherty is coming to the neighboring island to film his documentary Man of Aran. No one is more excited than "Cripple Billy" Claven, a young man whose chief occupation has been gazing at cows and yearning for a girl who wants no part of him. For Billy is determined to cross the sea and audition for the Yank. And as news of his audacity ripples through his rumor-starved community, The Cripple of Inishmaan becomes a merciless portrayal of a world so comically cramped and mean-spirited that hope is an affront to its order." — (Vintage International Publishing)

Tickets will be available at no charge beginning March 1st, by emailing tickets@bayschoolsf.org.

Outing Club Snowshoeing Weekend

Over the Martin Luther King weekend, eight Bay School students and four faculty members strapped snow shoes onto their boots and set out into record breaking lows to hike to a backcountry Sierra Club hut and explore the mountains for three days. This wasn’t some new Bay School version of discipline training, it was the third Outing Club foray, and it was a wonderful success.

Many of the students had never been snow shoeing before and had certainly not carried a full backpack into a basic hut to cook their food over a camp stove and warm their feet by the only source of heat: a wood burning stove. On the first day tromping through the snow with a pack for four miles was exhausting enough that everyone was thrilled to arrive in the early afternoon and have the time to eat and rest. The hut is equipped with one common room downstairs for cooking and eating and a loft upstairs for sleeping. Thankfully, supplies also included monopoly and scrabble, both of which ignited many hours of fierce word play and property trading. Despite the single digit temperature into the night, everyone stayed warm and slept quite well. Some students even grew enough confidence to test out the snow cave the group had built next to the hut and slept in it on the second night. They were rewarded with the delivery of coffee and hot chocolate in the morning and reported sleeping warm and cozy despite the walls being made of snow and the temperature outside dropping to zero or below.

The cold temperature was balanced with gloriously sunny days that afforded fantastic views of Castle Peak and the Sierra ridges beyond. The students did a wonderful job of working together to cook meals, clean dishes (without running water) and watch out for each others’ fatigue level and warmth. They had the opportunity to learn about snow science, wilderness skills, and the joy of exploring the backcountry together. Many of the students on this third outing club trip are learning the skills to lead the organizing and planning of trips in the spring which will bring another layer of depth to this expanding program.

Moneeka Settles
Dean of Students

Mark Your Calendars for the Bay Splash Celebration on May 5th, 2007

This spring Bay School parents are planning an all-school evening celebration called Bay Splash, designed to raise funds to support the Bay School Opportunity Fund, which provides tuition assistance to deserving and motivated students from diverse socio-economic groups making it possible for them to attend Bay.

The Bay Splash fundraiser will include the following:

• An on-line (silent) auction which will run from April 20th - May 4th
• The party on Saturday, May 5th at the Bay School – a chance to socialize with the greater Bay School community in a casual and festive setting
• "Super Silent" auction at the event on May 5th
• Small Live Auction at the event on May 5th

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend as we anticipate it will be a fabulous party! Stay tuned for further details.

For questions about the event or for information about donating an item for auction, please contact Cary Hueser, Development Associate at chueser@bayschoolsf.org or 415.561.5800, x114.

Bay School Campus Wins National AIA Design Award

The Bay School is honored to have recently been recognized by the American Institute of Architects, in conjunction with our architectural/design firm Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects of San Francisco, as recipients of a 2006 AIA National Honor Award for Interior Architecture for our 35 Keyes Avenue campus.

Greetings from the Admissions Office!

Admission decision letters will be mailed on March 15th. Please feel free to contact us between now and then with any questions, by phone or email. Additionally, nothing would make us happier than to have you join us in the stands to root for Bay at upcoming basketball games (for game schedules visit: www.bayschoolsf.org/athletics/schedule.pdf, or to see you in the audience at our winter play, The Cripple of Inishmaan, on March 8th – 10th. To request complimentary tickets please email: tickets@bayschoolsf.org.

We are also most grateful to the many Bay School students and their families as well as members of the faculty and staff who pitched in this fall during open house events, parent coffees, and high school fairs. We are fully expecting that the Class of 2011 will be our most exciting one yet!

Annie Tsang and Matt Hannibal
Directors of Admission

February 2007 Events Calendar