Although we may be apart from each other in the summer months, the Chapin community continues to explore new ideas and places in the city and across the world. Motivated by their curiosity, students and members of the Professional Community (PC) embarked on varied excursions and adventures that brought them new discoveries, connections and accomplishments at home and abroad.
Student summer programming saw more than 345 Lower, Middle and Upper School scholars engage in a range of rewarding activities.
At the start of the summer, over 70 K-Class 4 students participated in our two-week June Jam program, which blends fun with learning and finds creative ways to engage our youngest minds. Another 60 Lower School (LS) students with interests in Engineering or Dance joined our respective specialty camps with Kodely and Bold Arts.
In its ninth year, Travel a Path on Paper — our MS and US summer writing program — drew 75 “travelers” from Classes 4 through 10. This asynchronous program introduces and deepens our young writers' knowledge and skill in a variety of fiction genres. Twenty more students participated in three MS summer workshops covering art, writing and engineering exploration.
A little farther from home, six MS students, accompanied by two PC members, embarked on our inaugural trip to Costa Rica. The program, in partnership with the World Leadership School, thoughtfully structured each activity as “learning,” “doing” and “reflecting” to deepen each student’s experience. Their adventures spanned a range of experiences, from time spent hiking to explore the country’s natural landscape, to zip-lining and visiting Maleku Indigenous Reserve, expanding their minds by taking an ethnobotanist class, visiting local elementary schools and meeting members of the San Ramon Women’s Cooperative. Our cohort also visited Finca Orgánica el Parasío, an organic, family-run farm and took a chocolate tour.
Upper School (US) student-athletes spent the end of their summer training together for their fall sports season. The US athletic department hosted 114 students for preseason training and tryouts for volleyball, soccer, tennis, cross country and field hockey.
From June through August, Chapin staff continued important work behind the scenes. Our Facilities team worked tirelessly to update and polish our beloved building. Their punchlist included myriad projects, small to large, like a fresh coat of paint or new stair treads, to the restoration of the Berendsen Room and Assembly Room floors, the updating of the Black Box Theater and the installation of a new dishwasher — just to name a few. They also partnered with our Tech team to update technology in 15 classrooms, and helped faculty reimagine spaces throughout the building for the best learning environment for our students. Other departments including Advancement, Business, Communications and Technology also completed big projects over the summer months.
More than 40 faculty members across divisions worked on 23 curriculum enhancements and generated new ideas for our academic program. In the LS, for example, faculty reviewed curricula in K-3 math, social studies and early STEM. In the MS, faculty spent time developing a swath of opportunities including new health programming and additional interdisciplinary opportunities. They also worked to refine the robotics program. In the US, faculty further aligned programing across grade levels in English, French, Spanish and STEM classes. New FOCUS courses were also developed and a review of the newly launched Berendsen Program was conducted.
Another six faculty members followed their curiosity internationally, with support from the Gordon and Goldstein-Decker families who have generously supported our PC members through the Gordon and Goldstein-Decker grants, dedicated to professional development. This year’s cohort included: Head of Lower School Spanish and Teacher Isamar Rosado Aponte, Middle School Science Teacher Juliana Brassfield, our Upper School Art Teacher, Head of Lower School Literacy and Social Studies Miranda Orbach, K-12 Speech and Debate Coordinator Jim Shapiro and Class 5 Coordinator and Middle School Humanities Teacher Mary Kate Welsh.
Maestra Rosado Aponte traveled to Guatemala for an immersive 15 days, where she spent time exploring both ancient and modern Mayan life and culture, visited an all-girls school for indigenous students and used her new perspective to develop new ideas to strengthen and invigorate her Spanish curriculum. Juliana Brassfield embarked on an expedition to Iceland to join a group of volunteers and working scientists studying a pod of orcas and puffins. Her hands-on experience with new research methods, materials and equipment, people, and animals returned with her to Chapin and will enrich her classes. Farther across the pond, our Upper School art teacher explored art museums, galleries, installations and performances in London and Paris to discover new artists and new ways of inspiring students. They visited 23 art spaces and took music lessons, which will lead to new ways for students to engage with art and provide opportunities for interdisciplinary work. Also in England, Miranda Orbach and Jim Shapiro visited classrooms abroad to study new ways of developing oracy programming for the Lower School. They have brought back with them new practices and a program to pilot in the coming months. Not too far away, Mary Kate Walsh visited Oxford University to take an evaluative look at how we teach children’s literature.
Wherever you spent your summer, we hope it was also enriching and full of exploration. Welcome back to school and we can’t wait to spend another year learning with you all!
