Head of School

Happy Holidays from the Hillside!

The campus is suddenly quiet as the boys all head home to the 19 states and 20 different countries from which they come after completing the first half of the academic year. Some of the teams have competitions over the break, but we do not reconvene as a full school community until January 8, with the Third Quarter classes beginning on January 9.

As part of our “March Towards Mastery,” we have dramatically changed how we end each academic quarter. Rather than sweating through exams in the Assembly Hall and then hanging around the bulletin boards to read posted exam grades a few hours later, as we did in the (very) old days, each class ends with a capstone project which reflects and encapsulates all the work that the students have done over the eight-week quarter. The emphases of these capstone projects are for the students to illustrate “mastery” by explaining all the topics that they have covered and applying them to real-world situations. The best and clearest way to illustrate these projects is to use the words of the teachers and/or the students themselves.

Words from Mr. Randy Shelley on his Humanities 2.1 Class and Capstone

The title of Humanities 2.1 this fall was “Balancing Act: Individuality Within a Community.” As a class, we read Homer Hickam’s memoir "Rocket Boys." Each day in class, the students followed writing prompts designed to focus on a variety of techniques and styles in personal storytelling. My goal for the boys over the course of the quarter was not only for them to learn how to write creatively and think critically but to learn how to talk about writing in a way that builds a community in the classroom.

The boys participated in a seminar-style writing workshop during the P.M. blocks. Each week all students were expected to submit 3-5 pages of original work to be read by their classmates and to be prepared to discuss their peers' writing by offering supportive and constructive feedback based on the elements of writing introduced each week during the discussion portion of the A.M. block (i.e., setting, dialogue, voice, pacing, structure, etc.). 

The boys wrote about many topics, but some included trauma and loss, anxiety, anger, bullying, divorce, change and growth, their passion for sports and their teammates, escape, and sacrifice. For their capstone presentation, they read an excerpt of 3-5 or more pages that they were most proud of, followed by an author Q&A with our classroom workshop audience.

I wasn't sure how it would go because I had never tried it before as a teacher. The workshop wasn't something I was exposed to until graduate school. But the response was immediate. The boys bought in and supported each other in ways that I never saw coming.

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Words from Mr. Brian Davis on his Chemistry Class's Capstone

The students performed a series of double replacement reactions and developed a precipitate that was combined with a binder. They used transition metals in their reactions to create vibrant colors. After the reactions were performed, they incorporated the product from these reactions into an acrylic paint base.

The students were then required to use their manufactured paint to produce an abstract model of atomic structure and produce an artist statement. Once the art was completed, they were required to hang their art exhibit in our STEM building lobby.

See below for one of Mr. Davis's student's submissions. 

Painting and Words from Connor Broderick ‘24 about his Chemistry Capstone

In order to fully encompass the emotions that the atom truly deserves, it was vital to place the perspective of the neutron of an atom, to immerse the viewer in the intricacies, rather than thinking about the atom as a 2D diagram. This invokes a deeper understanding of the atom as a structure, such as the planet we live on, both containing perplexing systems of natural behavior. As we dive deeper into the subatomic realm, we are constantly confronted with the limits of our understanding and the profound strangeness of the quantum realm.

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Words from Mr. Rashid Farhat on his Pre-Calculus Class Capstone

Pre-Calculus is the language that science uses for research. It was very hard to find a capstone that would represent mathematics. My students used what we learned in real-life applications. They figured out: if a Mona Lisa painting is real or fake; how to measure the energy produced by an earthquake; how to measure the tides; a basketball equation; and how to calculate the height of Mt. Everest and the buildings at the School. 

Here are how Fifth Formers Hayden Campbell, Daniel Covelli, Austin Hoadley, Colin McCarthy, and Tobias Pitka addressed some of these questions. 

Pre-Calculus Questions and Answers from Fifth Formers Hayden Campbell, Daniel Covelli, Austin Hoadley, Colin McCarthy, and Tobias Pitka

Question: The Mona Lisa is stolen from the Louvre. Weeks later, another museum buys a Mona Lisa. Carbon dating shows that the canvas has 96.5% of the normal level of 14C. How old is the canvas? Is it possible the painting is authentic?

Answer: The Mona Lisa was painted about 500 years ago, and this one was painted 294 years ago, which means it's fake.

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And finally, from Father Klots, a note about this year’s truly exceptional Nativity Play, which took place on Thursday, our last night of school before the break. 

Words from Father Klots on the Nativity Play

I cannot let tonight pass without thanking all of the people who made tonight's Nativity Play a tremendous success: from the boys who played the parts of Narrator, Zacharias, the Angel, Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds, and the three Kings, to the Servers, Costumes & Set Directors, and the Organist & Choir Director. In addition, I have to mention the Chapel Choir. Their rendition of "On This Day Earth Shall Ring" provided a great way to start the service. I was privileged to sing with them tonight. Finally, I must thank all of you for contributing to the fine spirit of the service. The congregational singing was among the best I have heard in years, and I truly enjoyed singing with all of you.

I hope the service helps all of you get in the mood for a great and joyful break from school. I look forward to seeing you in the New Year, but for now, Merry Christmas!

In closing, I offer the same sentiments: Merry Christmas to you all! 2023 promises to be a great year for SKS as we head into our Centennial year, and I hope and pray that it will be equally healthy and wonderful for each of you.  As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

My very best wishes for the holidays,

Lawrence A. Smith 
Head of School