â¢ ParkBulletinCover - The Park School

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$Kindergarten Summer Math Calendar - The Park School$

Tyler Dillard I’m taking the early mornings and unexpected friends. I’m leaving the excellent teachers that made my Park experience so great. Jess Franks I will take with me my leadership experience that I gained through my role as leader of Helping Hand. I will leave behind my two little sisters. Mary Fulham I will take with me all of the good times and new things I learned about my classmates on Park bus rides. I hope that I will leave behind the message to younger students that the best way to have fun is to be yourself and to take risks because you can’t lose anything by just being who you really are. that I was just where I needed to be. A dear friend, Ms. Wanda Holland Greene, who relocated to San Francisco last summer, was always there for me, and when times were hard, she proved to be my greatest fan and loudest cheerleader. Her exemplary morals, winning spirit and concern for my overall happiness willed me through some very difficult days. I would imagine many of you sitting in the audience right now could think of a similar person from your school days. Apart from my parents, she taught me more about life then anyone I know, but I only recently realized the most important takeaway from our time together: she taught me to be a good listener. We all love to talk, some more than others, and our words naturally serve a myriad of purposes: to teach, to call to action and to vent, among others. Listening, simply stated, is an art, and also an asset to those capable of offering their undivided attention to those with something to say. On an individual level, my closest friends are those that know how to listen, and our friendship is a two-way street, a mutual relationship in which we are always available for each other. Listening, to me, symbolizes respect, and respect is a black-and-white concept, one that requires no formal definition because the theory of respect is ingrained in a child’s mind in his formative years. With time, one grows to realize, as I have, that the most important things we learn come from other people, and that we attain these pearls of wisdom through listening to others. A keen listener will earn the respect of his peers, but more importantly, will gain knowledge many others might overlook. Our vocabulary is an indicator of our own character; we learn each other’s tendencies by internalizing their words. Parents, friends and teachers speak to disseminate information and advice, and listening allows us to identify with their words, but it also shows the respect one holds for his speaker and allows for one to better understand that person as well. A good listener will not only gain knowledge, but also will better appreciate a person’s character, and ultimately, always be one step ahead of everybody else. So, if you haven’t really been listening up to this point, start now, because my last piece of advice this morning is the most important. My life to date has been a series of curve balls, one after the next. I take a few practice swings, step up to the plate, take a good stance, and prepare for the pitch. Far too often I begin my swing, ready to crush the ball out of the park, but then the ball begins to curve, and I am forced to adjust at the last second. Instead of the home run, I settle for a single, or find a gap and manage a double. Yes, at first I am disappointed because, let’s be honest, a home run feels so much better than a base hit; but, as baseball fans are well aware, a base hit is often more effective than a solo shot in that my reaching first requires the team in the field to change its position. If the next batter gets on base thanks to gaps that otherwise would not have been created, and this, in turn, leads to a string of successful hits, my first single is ultimately more effective than a solo home run. So here’s the question: why is this baseball analogy the most important advice I can share with you this morning Because the most difficult decisions I have had to make in life have come after being repeatedly thrown curve balls. I am disappointed at first because, at crucial points in my life, I wanted the fastball, but was forced to adapt and adjust to the pitch I received. I only reached first base when, in reality, I wanted to touch all four. I had no control of the pitch, and settled for what I considered to be, at that time, second best. Fortunately, a teammate has always managed to drive me home, and my team tends to win the game. Don’t be afraid of curve balls – they make you stronger and you will be faced with many of them in the years to come. Try not to be disappointed if you find yourself settling for what you believe to be second best. When something is out of our control, how we approach a seemingly undesireable situation will, in the long run, build character. And in 12 The Park Bulletin | Fall 2009
Andrea Galligan I will take the compassion and patience Park has taught me. I will leave the hope that other students will experience the same wonderful things. Mercedes Garcia-Orozco I will take away the experience of coming as a shy girl and leaving as a proud and confident individual, along with the self esteem I’ve created in my five years here. I am leaving the hope that more kids will stay for ninth grade because it is an AMAZING opportunity and experience. Anna Rose Hale I’m going to take my voice. I’m going to leave running down the hallways singing. 2 0 0 9 G R A D U AT I O N AWA R D S THE ELLEN FOWLER AWARD FOR CITIZENSHIP Mary Olney Fulham Julian Anthony Sayhoun THE ISABELLA T. GROBLEWSKI ARTS AWARD Tyler Sheridan Dillard my experiences, these curve balls have rewards far greater than those that would have come from hitting a solo home run earlier in the game. I close this morning with the following: your Park School education, both inside and outside of the classroom, has positioned each of you to be leaders in your new communities next fall. Much of the advice I have shared with you this morning, like that of former graduation speakers, is intended to provide you with a head start, and I ask that you take my words to heart, apply it towards future endeavors, and in the years to come, use it to think not only of yourselves, but of others as well. You graduate this morning overcome with enthusiasm, and everybody here celebrates your accomplishments to date. I ask of you but one thing: do not forget your roots. Remember the role that Park has played in your development and how the core values of this school have contributed to your own personal character. To the Class of 2009, I speak for everybody this morning when I say how thrilled we are to be able to share this day with you. Congratulations on a job well done, and we wish you nothing but the very best as you move forward, and bring a little piece of the Park School to your new communities next fall. Thank you. THE HEAD OF SCHOOL’S AWARD FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Cary Allain Williams THE CURTIS E. SMITH ATHLETIC AWARD Samuel Bendit Bloch Nzingha Emmani Rawlins THE JOHN T. SPICER AWARD FOR UNIQUE SERVICE Maria Mercedes Garcia Orozco The Joan Crocker Award for Community Service Terry Hamilton EACH YEAR, the Parents’ Association presents this award in honor of former Park parent Joan Crocker, who exemplified the kind of devotion and steadfast zeal this award recognizes in its recipients. < Terry Hamilton (left) with P.A. President Teresa Chope. The Park Bulletin | Fall 2009 13
Page 1 and 2: The Park School Fall Bulletin 2009
Page 3 and 4: The Park School Fall Bulletin 2009
Page 5 and 6: High Stakes P robability theory cam
Page 7 and 8: “So, even though I’m not a Park
Page 9 and 10: Jonathan Kraft (Park ’79) went to
Page 11 and 12: Each year, an alumnus/a with six ye
Page 13: Allegra Borak I’ll take a strong
Page 17 and 18: Sophie Moss I will take with me mem
Page 19 and 20: Lily Steig I will take a strong sen
Page 21 and 22: Class of 1984—25th Reunion Top (L
Page 23 and 24: The Park School Class of 1984 Twent
Page 25 and 26: P A R K S C H O O L C L A S S O F 1
Page 27 and 28: S U M M E R 3 R E A D I N G GRADE V
Page 29 and 30: S U M M E R 3 R E A D I N G Reading
Page 31 and 32: S U M M E R 3 R E A D I N G The Inf
Page 33 and 34: S U M M E R 3 R E A D I N G Alice P
Page 35 and 36: S U M M E R 3 R E A D I N G War and
Page 37 and 38: S U M M E R 3 R E A D I N G What ha
Page 39 and 40: A lifelong public servant, Mike Del
Page 41 and 42: 1979 Classmates Nadia Belash McKay
Page 43 and 44: 1982 Class Representative: Allison
Page 45 and 46: 1994 Class Representatives: Alan Be
Page 47 and 48: COMMUNITY SERVICE EVENT AT GAINING
Page 49 and 50: NEXT SCHOOLS FOR GRADE VIII CLASS O
Page 51 and 52: We are assembling a farewell album

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