Phoenix

NEWS OF THE SCHOOL
Faculty in the news
• Director of Physical Education
and Health Sylvia Fleck
authored an article on Indiana’s
high obesity rate published
in the Spring 2007 issue
of “Indiana Insight” magazine.
She outlines four factors she
believes are responsible for the
high rate of obesity in the state:
genetics, education, geographical
location and economy. She
stresses the importance of early
and continual health education
in teaching children how
to make healthy food choices,
using as an example the food
diary kept by students in her
health classes.
• Upper School Media Services
Coordinator Jane Kokotkiewicz
has been awarded a
$5,000 grant by The Library
Fund of The Central Indiana
Community Foundation. The
grant will fund library resources
for a collaborative information
literacy project with Upper
School art teacher Barb Beattie
and social studies teacher Jeff
Johnson. Mrs. Beattie’s 3-D
design class will study masks
and poetry and Mr. Johnson’s
Nonwestern Civilizations
classes will investigate bias
in world history, developing
their information literacy skills
while producing a product for
their class.
• In addition, Mrs. Kokotkiewicz
and Upper School science
teacher Justin Dammeier
are piloting the Central Indiana
Bioethics Portal with Mr.
Dammeier’s biology classes.
Students will use the portal
developed by the IUPUI Medical
Library to research bioethics
topics, providing them with
a unique opportunity to test
and evaluate a new research
tool.
• Upper School social
studies teacher Jeff Johnson
attended the Regional Coordinating
Meeting of the National
Consortium for Teaching
about Asia held at IUPUI. Mr.
Johnson is serving a five-year
term on the national advisory
board of the Consortium.
• Director of Guidance and
Counseling Larry Eckel has
been appointed to a three-year
term to the Admission Advisory
Board of Miami University
of Ohio. The Board, which
consists of 20 college advisers
from schools in 11 states,
meets annually on the campus
in Oxford, Ohio to review the
University’s admissions practices
and programs as well as
to discuss national issues and
trends.
Mr. Eckel and Associate
Director of College Counseling
Sue Stemen attended
the annual conference of the
National Association for College
Admission Counseling
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
While in Pittsburgh they visited
Carnegie Mellon University
where they met with Caitlinn
Cork ’05, Elizabeth Kulka ’06
and Ali Oppelt ’06.
Prior to the conference, Mr.
Eckel was a guest at nearby
Washington and Jefferson College,
the nation’s 11 th -oldest
institution of higher education,
and Ms. Stemen participated
in a six-college tour in New
York State that featured Colgate
University, Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute, Union
College, Skidmore College,
Syracuse University and Hamilton
College.
Three awarded study-travel grants
Three faculty members
have been awarded Park
Tudor Fortnight Grants
in Round One of the program
for this school year.
World Language Department
Chair and Spanish teacher
Claudia Nole received a grant
to attend the Ixtapa Language
Conference in Ixtapa, Mexico
this summer. At the conference
she will learn techniques
of Total Physical Response
Storytelling that enhance foreign-language
teaching.
Upper School tutor Dee
Schwartz was awarded a grant
to attend either the Arthur
and Rochelle Belfer National
Conference for Educators or
Museum Fellowship Program
in Washington DC this summer.
Both opportunities are
sponsored by the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum
and provide instruction to
become an official resource
and speaker about the aspects
of the Holocaust. (See related
article on page 25.)
Upper School English teacher
Dr. Tyra Seldon received a
grant to serve as an adult chaperone
for the upcoming community
service trip to South
Africa sponsored by Ambassadors
for Children. She will
help coordinate daily activities
and guide Park Tudor students
in journal-writing exercises to
help them articulate their experiences.
The educational experience
also will provide her
with an opportunity to enhance
Park Tudor’s multicultural literature
curriculum.
A tree has been planted on the Park Tudor campus in honor of Tudor Hall
and Park Tudor piano teacher Elizabeth Brock. Head of School Doug Jennings
and the Fine Arts Department faculty presented Miss Brock with a
bouquet of flowers at the ceremony dedicating the European birch tree,
which is located near the east end of the Middle School building. The
plaque beside the tree reads, “In recognition of Elizabeth Brock and her
lifelong devotion to her piano students.” Former and current students honored
Miss Brock for her decades of teaching excellence at a celebration
last spring.
Photo by Vincent Walter, Vincent Walter Photography
SPRING 2007 PARK TUDOR PHOENIX 17