Welcome
This issue features a number of stories about the education of global citizens. As John Dewey wrote in The School and Society, "When the school introduces and trains each child of society into membership within … a little community, saturating him with the spirit of service, and providing him with the means of self-direction we shall have the deepest and best guarantee of a larger society which is worthy, lovely, and harmonious."
On Our Way to Puerto Rico
by Amy Purcell Vorenberg, Head of School
Students at The Philadelphia School have the opportunity for an incredible capstone experience as they travel together to a Spanish-speaking country this month. Like classes before them that have traveled to Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, and even Cuba, these students will hone their developing Spanish skills and connect with communities beyond ours. How lucky we are, as a school, to have a ten-year Spanish curriculum that culminates in such an amazing chance to learn through travel to another country, to experience first-hand another culture, and to share in that experience with friends and teachers. Please read more . . .
Sowing the Early Seeds of Citizenship
by Carlye Nelson-Major, Associate Head of School
While a tad simplistic, Robert Fulgham’s bestseller All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten has a great deal of truth and wisdom to it. I immediately thought of that collection of essays when I read Peter and Ambika’s interviews in this issue of the newsletter about their lives as young adults. For me, it is easy to trace the seeds of their wonder, curiosity, collaboration, responsibility, and global citizenship to kindergarten. Please read more . . .
Educating Global Citizens
by Emily Barry Marston, Associate Head of School
I had a conversation recently with a young student who was wondering why she had to take Spanish, or any foreign language for that matter. While her question was rooted in her current struggle with irregular verb forms, she had never the less struck a nerve in me. As the daughter of a Foreign Service officer, I grew up outside the United States—in Austria, Japan, Iceland, and Ireland. My schooling took place in a variety of settings—small boarding schools, large international schools, and at home. Travel and change were a constant, and learning a number of languages was expected, necessary, and important to my social as well as academic life. While my understanding of multicultural citizenship was shaped by the accident of my father’s career path, students at The Philadelphia School are being prepared intentionally and carefully to participate actively in an interdependent, global community. Please read more . . .
Building a Better World
by Elizabeth LaBan
Ambika Roos is studying architecture at Brown University. But she isn’t waiting until she graduates to start building a better world.
Ambika, who graduated from TPS in 2003 and is now a college junior, became involved with an organization called A Better World By Design which held its second annual conference this October in Providence, Rhode Island.
“People have very different approaches to design coming from different fields: engineering, industrial design, economics, environmental studies,” said Ambika, who is herself an architectural studies and international relations major. “These different fields (can work together) and help make the world a better place.” Please read more . . .
Morning Commutes Pay Off
by Elizabeth LaBan
Peter Tzeng has never stayed too close to home.
When he was a kid, his parents decided it was worth it to commute from their South Jersey home to Center City each day so Peter could attend The Philadelphia School.
“It taught me early on the adventure and the fun of traveling away from home to do things,” he said recently.
And since then that is exactly what he’s been after – adventure and travel all within the context of furthering his education. Peter, who graduated from TPS in 2003 and is now a junior at Princeton University, is spending his spring semester in Cairo. He turned down a chance to study at Oxford this fall, he said, because Princeton will allow its students to study abroad for only one semester. Please read more . . .
Why I Teach
by Mary Beth M. Fedirko
When visiting my Grandma McNeish, I enjoyed our cozy evening chats on the screened-in porch in the luminous Connecticut twilight. The twilight was also when Suzie visited. Once she tiptoed along the wooden fence opposite my grandmother’s yard – magic dust in her hand – and motioned me to follow her. The next thing I knew we were in a forest, where, after playing a game of “Go Fish,” we invited a few of the woodland animals to have tea with us. Suzie visited frequently. I loved her sense of adventure, our endless explorations together, and the new friends we met along the way. Suzie was sprightly, witty, free-spirited, funny, smart, and always a bit whimsical. Her mercurial timing and adventurous ways made me want to play with her all the time. Yet what I loved most about my friend Suzie was that she was imaginary. Yes, I had an imaginary friend. Please read more . . .
Mandarin Chinese Club
by August Polite, 6th grade
This year another language is being offered at TPS. Students interested in learning Mandarin now can join an after-school club that meets on Mondays and Thursdays. I signed up for the class because I am interested in China and in Chinese. Even though Mandarin Chinese is a difficult language to learn and an even harder one to write, I have found that the class makes the whole process seem easy. After the first few classes, we were already starting to understand Chinese speech because our teacher, Ying, and the environment of the class make it easy to learn.
Even though it has been challenging so far, it has been really fun to learn such a different language.
Why Not a Reunion for TPS Parents?
Every year The Philadelphia School holds several events for its alumni. So far this year, there was a reunion for TPS alumni currently in high school, another one for alums college-aged and older, and yet another for alums living or working in New York City. Alumni parents Alisa Field and Frank Gould thought it was time for alumni parents to have a reunion of their own, and they are putting a plan into action.
Alumni parents are invited to the first annual TPS Alumni Parent Reunion on Sunday, March 14, from 4 to 6 p.m. It will be an opportunity to reconnect, to share photographs, tell stories, and be back home at TPS.
Invitations will be mailed later this month. Feel free to rsvp to alumni@tpschool.org today! We look forward to seeing you!
"Time, time, time. See what's become of me . . . and my kids!"
Parent Education
Save the date for the upcoming Parent Education Night, co-sponsored by TPSA and Family Diversity @ TPS.
Talking with Our Children about Race and Racism: A Workshop for the TPS Community will take place on Thursday, February 25 from 7:15 to 8:45 p.m. There is no charge for the event.
This workshop is part of a school-wide effort to promote diversity and nurture inclusivity. We look forward to seeing you there! Please read more . . .
Thank You!
by Joan Giannobile, Director of Development
We are 75% of the way to our $225,000 Annual Fund goal.
Please take a minute to watch a short animation, with voice-overs by TPS students, and learn why it is important to support the Annual Fund.
Feel free to stop by the Development Office to learn more about the Annual Fund or to drop off a gift to the school. You can also make a gift online.
Thanks for "minding the gap."
TPS Summer Camp Preview
• ASEP Camp will run on Thursday and Friday, June 10 and 11 and again from June 14-18 (This year it will be seven days.)
• Shelly Ridge Camp will run for two weeks from Monday June 21 - July 2
• TPS Summer Enrichment Camp will run for two weeks from Monday June 21 - July 2
• Invitational Chess Camp will run from June 26 - June 30
• Basketball Camp will run from June 28 - July 1
Detailed information and registration materials will be posted on the website later in the month.
