Duke School Under the Oak Magazine, Fall 2020

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Virtual Performances to Connect, Showcase, and Learn By Matthew Etherington, Performing Arts Teacher CONNECTING through the arts SHOWCASING our students through performance LEARNING how to present in a live online broadcast In April, a new kind of performance emerged connecting our Duke School community. The Virtual Coffee House Concert was born amid the social isolation of COVID-19. Each Friday at noon, students and families came together on Zoom to share music, magic, and drama. This was a new arena for us all. I had no idea how this would develop, but it felt good to engage our artistic selves and share some humanity in a time of crisis. Students from all grades stepped up to collaborate, rehearse and perform. There was something meaningful here and we started gaining a steady audience as the weeks progressed. Pretty soon, we were able to expand our program with a Lower School Special, hosted by our very own “Musical Megan,” a Family and Faculty week, a Strings week, and a showcase of some original songs from our halted stage musical production There’s No Place Like Home. I learned some nifty Zoom tech tricks, an app called Acapella which allowed us to collaborate on video and, perhaps most importantly, I learned just how much we need artistic expression in our lives, especially during tough times. I was bowled over by our students, our families, and our faculty who tried something new and pushed themselves beyond comfortable to support our community each week. 32 UNDER THE OAK
Problem Solving Beyond Duke School Duke School’s makerspace is all about problem solving. With the school operating in distance learning in April due to COVID-19, Director of Technology Operations and Innovations Brian Horton began considering how the school’s growing collection of machinery and shop tools could serve the community during the pandemic. engraved with the Duke School logo to donate to UNC. The Glowforge cut 50 to 60 ear savers in about 15 minutes. Despite that speed, it took some time to tweak the template file, add the Duke School logo and test the process. Once cut, each hook also needed to have its heat-resistant paper coating peeled away. “I was thinking, OK, well we’ve got a laser cutter, is there something we could make using that?” he said. Brian found a template for adjustable “ear savers” offered by Glowforge, the laser cutter’s manufacturer. The small, S-shaped hooks hold the loops of a surgical face mask away from the wearer’s ears for a more comfortable fit. To make the rigid ear savers more comfortable, Brian warmed the newly cut hooks on the heated bed of one of the school’s 3D printers. He then shaped them into curves using a large roll of duct tape that he said was “just about the size of the back of somebody’s head.” “It was great, having something to do that could help in some way,” he said. “Once I looked at the file and the materials we had on hand, I realized we could make a lot of these—and it doesn’t take very long to do that,” he said. Director of Development, Dr. Kenneth W. Chandler, and Assistant Director of Development, Corey Savage, helped arrange to donate the ear savers to medical personnel at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Department of Emergency Medicine. After that, Brian said, “I turned out as many as I could.” Over two days, Brian created 300 ear savers In normal times, the makerspace’s laser cutter, 3D printers, saws, sander, woodworking tools and electronic components support student projects and teachers’ classroom needs. The Glowforge has created pieces for students’ architectural designs, miniature wooden cutouts of preschoolers and a custom projector mount, among other things. “Sometimes you just run into really weird problems,” Brian said. “Having the ability to make something quickly to solve that problem is incredibly empowering.” UNDER THE OAK 33
Page 1 and 2: Under the Oak FALL 2020 A Tribute t
Page 3 and 4: 16 18 21 23 A SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Page 5 and 6: face challenges, but also look for
Page 7 and 8: lead the inaugural sixth grade at t
Page 9 and 10: with [the students] in every way th
Page 11 and 12: Storytelling: The Discovery Through
Page 13 and 14: country and the world. Daily protes
Page 15 and 16: Although the COVID-19 pandemic canc
Page 17 and 18: “I really enjoyed working with th
Page 19 and 20: Michelman Retires from Duke School
Page 21 and 22: Everything I Needed to Know I Learn
Page 23 and 24: Duke School’s commitment to profe
Page 25: I wanted to tell you what Duke Scho
Page 28 and 29: Who We Are: From the Desk of Duke S
Page 30 and 31: Photo Credit: Dillon Ross, Middle S
Page 34 and 35: Finding Purpose in a Pandemic Alumn
Page 36 and 37: STAYING CONNECTED: DRAGONLINGS ON T
Page 38 and 39: A Special Message to Duke School Gr
Page 40 and 41: ALUMNI CONNECTIONS Congratulations,
Page 42 and 43: “Duke School is such a magical pl
Page 44 and 45: “I give because Duke School is my
Page 46 and 47: General Mills Box Tops for Educatio
Page 48 and 49: Giving Clubs Founder’s Club ($10,
Page 50 and 51: Lisa and Eric Schreiber Moira Smull
Page 52 and 53: Gifts were made in honor of Duke Sc
Page 55 and 56: Special Thanks to Duke School’s 2

Duke School Under the Oak Magazine, Fall 2020

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