APRIL 2012

Seniors Gibbs Lee and Addison Tambling are among 1500students whose art work has been recognized on the national levelby the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, Scholastic Art andWriting Awards. They will be honored in a ceremony at CarnegieHall on May 31. Gibbs and Addison were among 13 AcademyUpper School art students who received gold, silver and honorablemention awards on the regional level in this year's award, makingtheir work eligible for national adjudication. From these 13,000gold key recipients, only 1500 were chosen to receive nationalmedals.

Addison received a national goldmedal for an abstract painting oncardboard entitled, Collision. Addison's painting is part of his 12piece AP Studio concentration series. Gibbs received a nationalsilver medal for his watercolor and wax resist piece entitled,Max

and the Clutter Creature.This piece was also afavorite at the MMFAjuried corridor showcelebrating illustration.Both students have beenrecognized for theirinventive, original work intheir four years at theAcademy and both plan topursue art on thecollegiate level. Asmembers of CamillaArmstrong's AP StudioArt Class, their work andthat of their fellowclassmates, RosalindO'Connor, SophieOdom, Hannah Trachy,and Ryan Zeinert will be

exhibited in the firstMontgomery Academy AP

Studio Art Exhibition at Stonehenge Gallery on Fairview, openingTuesday, April 23, with a reception on Thursday, April 26.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have an impressive legacydating back to 1923 and a noteworthy roster of past winnersincluding Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, RichardAvedon, Robert Redford and Joyce Carol Oates. The Awards arean important opportunity for students to be recognized for theircreative talents. To date, the Awards have encouraged over 13million students, recognized more than 9 million young artistsand writers, and made available more than $25 million in awardsand scholarships. They continue to be the nation's longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teensin the U.S., and the largest source of scholarships for young artistsand writers.

Lee and Tambling Receive National Art Awards

Addison Tambling received a gold medal for his abstract painting on cardboard, Collision. Gibbs Lee’swatercolor and wax resist pieceMax and the Clutter Creature earned a silver medal.

Harmony High, the third grade play in March wasexcellent. Special thanks go to the third grade teachers andCliff Huckabee for an outstanding play and to NataliePirnie and the moms that helped her create a wonderfulset. The play put us all in good spirits for the holidays.

We had a very successful springsharing project. During the“Helping Hands for a HealthyHeart” campaign, the gymteachers emphasized during theirclasses the importance of diet andexercise in preventing heartdisease. At the culmination of theproject, exercise stations were setup in the gym for the children toenjoy during gym class. Thechildren were so excited abouthelping with chores to earn their$5 to give to the American HeartAssociation. It was such fun to seethem when they brought in theirmoney and were allowed to tracetheir hand for the display in thecommons area. Not only did thechildren help the HeartAssociation, they also gainedvaluable information and reallyfelt a part of the project. Thanksgoes out to Katie Bradshaw for agreat job in planning andimplementing this project.

Our visiting author, KevinO’Malley, came to the LowerSchool on April 4. Mr. O’Malleyis based in Baltimore and is anauthor and illustrator. He begandrawing as a child after being inspired byMaurice Sendak’sclassic children’s book, Where the Wild Things Are. KevinO’Malley experiments with a variety of mediums andstyles in his illustrations and has contributed artwork tonumerous books by authors such as Judy Fincher, MichaelO. Tunnell, and David A. Adler. Additionally, Mr.O’Malley has created original titles such as Once Upon a

Royal Superbaby, Animal Crackers Fly the Coop, and theNew York Times bestseller, Gimme Cracked Corn and IWill Share. His books are full of wacky images and kid-friendly jokes, and his wild sense of humor was evidentthrough his presentations!

As spring settles in and our daysare longer, I want to remind youof the importance of a healthydiet and proper rest for yourchildren. Children tend to stayup later during the spring andoften come to school a bitsluggish. Some do not eatbreakfast due to a slow start inthe morning. These habits donot support a strong school day.Please be intentional about bedtime and breakfast as we movetoward the end of school. It trulymakes a difference in your child’sperformance at school.

On April 11, we will haveanother Family Night. This timeis set aside so that you can enjoybeing together as a family withno competing events, activities,or homework. The feedback onFamily Nights has been quitepositive and we plan to set asidemore of these next year. All of usneed to stop periodically toenjoy our families and thesedesignated nights serve as goodreminders to do so.

There are lots of special eventstaking place in April with Eagle Day being the main event.More information about Eagle Day will be sent at a latertime but go ahead and mark your calendars.

Jan PringleLower School Director

PRINGLE’S PAGES

The Third grade play Harmony High was a hit!Lower School visiting author Kevin O’Malley hada great time with the students!

The Positive Side of Disruption

In our society, “disruption” is a word that we are notparticularly excited about. Generally, we don’t like forour lives to be disrupted. Human beings becomecomfortable with routines, and we don’t like it whenthose routines are marred in any way. School culturesare especially disinclined to enjoy disruption. Overall, Ithink that we do a good job of handling disruption, butwe don’t necessarily like it or feel comfortable in thatposition. Teachers do not enjoy working with studentswho are disruptive to class routines. We are not pleasedwhen weather emergencies or other unexpected eventsdisrupt our schedules. Administrators are not excitedwhen our plans are disrupted. (As a side note, I have topoint out that I’ve been interrupted about six or seventimes when trying to write this paragraph. I guess“disruption” just comes with the territory.)

However, a recent analysis of the concept “disruption”in schools suggests that some “disruptions” may not beas bad as we might think. Before I write about thepositive side of disruption, let me be very clear aboutwhat I’m not writing about. I’m not going to suggest toyou that we should tolerate student behavior that isdisruptive in a negative way. We can’t tolerate mean-spirited attitudes or behavior that disrespects theproductive atmosphere that the teachers are trying tocreate. Furthermore, I am not suggesting that wecompletely alter time-tested methods of teaching thathave been successful in the past and can continue to besuccessful in the future.

What I am suggesting is that schools need to embracecertain “disruptions” that can revolutionize how learningcan occur in a school environment. In Disrupting Class:How Disruptive InnovationWill Change the Way theWorld Learns, Harvard Professor Clayton Christensenargues the we need to recognize the power of positivedisruption to serve as the basis for innovation. He writes,“The principal message is that disruption -- a powerfulbody of theory that describes how people interact andreact, how behavior is shaped... -- can usefully framewhy our schools have struggled to improve and how to

solve these problems. We hope that our readers willcome to see through what we present here thatdisruption is a necessary and overdue chapter.” Ratherthan seeing disruption as a negative force, Christensensees disruption as “productive” and “necessary.”

For Christensen, technology is one area that can be asource of positive disruption in a school community.Although it can often create frustration and we have tomake sure that it is used productively, technology has thepower to take us out of our comfort zone and expose usto new opportunities for engagement. Additionally,Christensen sees 1:1 technology in schools as a“promising path” for schools in developing morestudent-centric models of learning. Technology -- whenemployed productively -- can aid in the creation of astudent-focused educational environment that can endup creating more intrinsically motivated students.

I’m particularly excited that our new iPad initiative isgoing to provide one way in which positive “disruption”will occur in the MA community. While, in many ways,the iPad is going to be just another tool to accomplishsome of the same outstanding educational goals thatwe’ve always had as an institution, we have to admit thatthe iPads are going to challenge us, push us, andyes...even disrupt us at times. It will force teachers tothink about how to use technology productively andhow they can migrate their old techniques into a 21stcentury learning tool. The iPad will also force studentsto learn how to handle the responsibility of having sucha powerful device and using it in a productive manner aswell. In the years ahead, the iPad will be a powerfulsource for creative innovation at The MontgomeryAcademy. Yes, it may be “disruptive,” but in this case,the disruption will be a good thing.

This spring, teachers in the Middle School will receiveiPads and will begin to train for using the iPads in the5th grade next year and ALL grades in the 2013-2014year. We are excited for the disruptions on the horizon.

John McWilliamsMiddle School Director

MCWILLIAMS IN THE MIDDLE

Making a list, checking it twice--that’s what your familyis doing if you have a student registering for courses inthe Upper School. Online registration is scheduled forthe week of April 16; as you and your child workthrough course lists and descriptions, please read thematerial carefully and consult teachers to be sure thatyou’re making wise, informed choices.

The 2012-2013 slate of classes that a student chooses isnot only significant for the coming year. It establishesand maintains sequences that define that student’s paththrough four years of high school. Several factors shouldenter into deliberations about which classes to select:

• a student’s interests and abilities• prerequisites for AP or honors courses in adiscipline• requirements for admission to colleges ofinterest to the student• a student’s track record: what sort of coursebrings out the best in him or her?• understanding of the nature and content ofMA courses, especially electives• Realize that some considerations do not makethe list because they shouldn’t: number offriends taking a class; reputation of the class forbeing easy; the person teaching the class.

Too many kids choose electives casually in the springand in August are amazed that they are enrolled in a classthey picked on the fly and chagrined at its content andintent. Getting out of a course chosen hastily isn't easy:the master schedule is a complicated engine, carrying afreight of 247 students, 34 teachers and scores ofcourses. Changing on a whim or to rectify a whim maynot be possible. Paying close attention at the front end,here and now in mid-April, is the best way for a studentto find himself at the correct level of a core course and ina comfortable, stimulating elective.

Please sit down with your Upper Schooler and peruse

the course descriptions with him. Listen to his thoughtsabout the pros and cons of specific classes and help himimagine how they might suit him and his talents. As thetwo of you craft a solid and interesting combination ofcourses and do the practical work of making suregraduation requirements are met, there will be an addedbenefit: you'll gain a finer appreciation of your child'slife as a student. That life is rich, complex, challengingand fulfilling--and not even the bothersome bureaucracyof registration can disguise how much it matters.

Cheryl McKiearnanUpper School Director

FROM THE UPPER SCHOOL

Junior Class Career DayOn February 23, juniors participated in Career Day where they shadowed aprofessional in a line of work that interests them. The brainchild of UpperSchool Guidance Counselor Alexis Wakefield, Career Day was firstimplemented in the 2010-11 school year and was received with enthusiasmfrom faculty, students and employers. “This experience is so critical forstudents because they are getting a chance to experience firsthand theprofession they are interested in and also to really get a chance to talk witha professional about a career they may want to spend the rest of their lifedoing,” said Mrs. Wakefield. The students visited a wide variety ofdifferent professionals including veterinarians, photographers, teachers,writers, doctors, architects and many more.

Savannah Bullard got the opportunity to shadow several of theemployees at Seay, Seay and Litchfield Architecture. “It was reallyappealing to me because I have always been really interested in art andI got to see how much art is involved in being an architect andeverything that goes along with it. I got to learn about all the differentaspects of architecture and design, and that was really cool,” she saidabout her experience.

Drew Patterson had the exciting day of shadowing homicideinvestigators. He spent time with both Lieutenant Kinney and SergeantMyrick at the Montgomery Criminal Investigation Division. Drew’sinterest in crime scene investigation was sparked at a young age when hebecame interested in television shows like America’s Most Wanted. Hegot to see all the different jobs that go into solving a crime, and it’s onlyfueled his desire to get into this field in some capacity in the future. “Ireally hope that in the future I can be like Lieutenant Kinney andSergeant Myrick.” said Drew.

Garrett Laurie and Lucy Hobbs shadowed Judge Truman Hobbs. Theygot to meet with Judge Hobbs and the trial lawyers before sitting in onhalf a day of court. The two got to witness a plethora of differentcases. “We saw everything from the possession of a controlledsubstance to murder,” said Garrett. “It was very interesting, I reallyenjoyed my day.” After a morning of court, Judge Hobbs took the twostudents to lunch where they discussed what they had seen.

Students appreciated the opportunity to shadow someone in a professionof interest. “Choosing this job from my Interest Inventory test helpedreaffirm my passion for writing. I really appreciate this opportunity andI hope Career Day is on its way to becoming an MA tradition,” saidApril Shambo when reflecting on her experience shadowing Bill Rice,editor for theMontgomery Independent.

Junior class students enjoy Career Day

The Montgomery Academy eighth grade students had an exciting week visiting our nation's capitol. The group

spent the week of March 5-9 exploring the great resources Washington, D.C. area has to offer including landmarks

such as Arlington National

Cemetery, the Jefferson

Memorial, Ford's Theatre,

the White House and

Mount Vernon. Students

also visited several museums

including the Smithsonian,

the United States Holocaust

Memorial Museum and the

National Portrait Gallery.

The trip was highlighted by

a visit with Alabama

Senators Richard Shelby

and Jeff Sessions as well as

Alabama Congresswomen

Martha Roby and Terri

Sewell.

Students visited with Congresswomen Martha Roby and Terri Sewell while visiting Washington, D.C.

Eighth GradersGo to Washington

Eighth Graders met with Alabama Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby after theytoured the U.S. Capitol building.

Ask any MA teacher why they teach and the number onereason they offer, without any hesitation, is theirrelationship with students. I believe the passage belowresonates with any adult who has the privilege to workdirectly with young people:

We are thankful for the blessings that children bring intothis world: for their energy and spontaneity, for theirgiggles and laughter, for their creative imagination, fortheir sense of freedom and playfulness, for their love soopenly given, for their ability to make us feel needed, fortheir gift of hope for the future.

Amen to that! But we also know that working withyoung people can be, in rare cases, heart-breaking anddevastating. We’ve all followed the webcam spying caseat Rutgers University that led to the suicide of TylerClementi. We recently learned that the defendant,Dharrun Ravi, was found guilty of all 15 charges againsthim and now faces the possibility of up to 10 years inprison and deportation to his native India.

Mr. Ravi’s lawyers believed that this was a case ofyouthful indiscretion. They argued that Mr. Ravi was animmature 18-year-old boy who was uncomfortable withhis roommate’s sexual orientation and didn’t quite knowhow to deal with it. So the jury was faced with thequestion: was this a stupid adolescent prank or a crime?The jurors gave a clear answer by concluding that“young people who are sophisticated enough to spy on,insult and embarrass one another electronically aresophisticated enough to be held accountable.”(Associated Press) The final result: one 18-year-old boydead, another who will spend much of his adult life inprison, and two devastated families.

As a head of school and educator, this case wasparticularly painful for me to follow and made methankful that we have a healthy student culture at theAcademy. I’m in the midst of meeting with small groupsof seniors where I ask them to reflect on their MA

experience. When I ask them what they love most aboutthe Academy, they all talk about the strong sense ofcommunity and the importance of relationships witheach other and their teachers.

While these student reflections are affirming, I realizethat no community is perfect and that our faculty mustbe purposeful in cultivating and educating ethical, kind,and humble young adults. I shared the points belowwith all of our students on the first day of school andthought it was appropriate to dust them off as we finishup the last two months of school.

1. Students—know that you are loved. Ourteachers thrive on your energy, your enthusiasm andyour appetite for learning. You are the reason they teach.You need to know that you are loved.

2. Tied to my first point, is a word of advice:Neverworry alone. As you navigate the choppy waters ofyour social life and school life, know that you can turnto your advisor, teacher, coach, administrator and me forcounsel. As I just said, we care deeply about you asstudents and people so share your burdens with us.

3. My final point is very simple. Be kind to eachother. William James, a brilliant American psychologistand philosopher was a prolific writer during his lifetimebut offered the following on his deathbed: “There areonly three important things in life: kindness, kindness,kindness.”

Whether you have a Kindergartner or Senior or somecombination thereof in your home, I ask that you sharewith them the following at dinner tonight: Know thatyou are loved, never worry alone, and be kind.

Dave FaraceHead of School

A Tragic Lesson from Rutgers University

FROM THE HEAD of SCHOOL

On March 13, the Marcelino Chapter of theSpanish Honor Society inducted eleven newmembers. The inductees are selected accordingthe guidelines established by the NationalChapter. They must have maintained an “A”average in their Spanish courses for threeconsecutive semesters, are chosen from thesophomore and junior classes and are expectedto continue their Spanish studies the followingyear. Candidates should also demonstrate astrong set of personal values and admirableconduct. This year’s inductees are: JeongHyun Ahn, Garrett Alexandra Barnes, LeeEllen Bryan, Madeleine HarwoodFlemming, William Braswell Haynes, AnnMathews Hester, Elizabeth Nichole Kelly,Rachel Harrison Lee, Sarah Paige Massey, Rachel Ashlyn Warwick and Rachel María Yearwood.

The induction ceremony was conducted by the following officers of The Montgomery Academy Marcelino Chapter:Julian O’Neal Freeman, President;Wylie Melton Hayes, Vice-President andNini Rabsatt-Smith, Secretary-Treasurer.Congratulations to all inductees and their families!

Congratulations to fifth graders Hannah Soloff, whowon second place, and Francie Hill, who won thirdplace, in the state level of the Letters About Literatureprogram. In addition, fifth graders Tara Katz, MaryJane McConnell, Sujin Lee, Bisola Adediji, andCatherine Updegraff were semi-finalists for theseawards. MA had 7 of the 13 semi-finalists in the Level1 competition.

Letters About Literature is a national reading promotionprogram of the Center for the Book in the Library ofCongress, presented in partnership with Target thatchallenges students to write a reflective, personal letter toan author telling how their work changed their view ofthe world or themselves.

Spanish Honor Society

Middle School Students Place inNational Literature Competition

from left to right: Bisola Adediji, Catherine Updegraff, SujinLee, Francie Hill, Tara Katz, Mary Jane McConnell, andHannah Soloff

INTRODUCTION TO LATINOutstanding special certificate: Anna Kate Lindsey,

Dora EskridgeAchievement certificate: Graham Waldo,

Laurel Buettner, Elizabeth Robertson, LindseyFerraro

LATIN ISumma Cum Laude:William Moore, Gracie TruloveMaxima Cum Laude: Henry Hamlett, Ellie HerronMagna Cum Laude: Ann Hunter Tankersley,

Nora NewcombCum Laude:Mary Braden Hendon, Jay Back

LATIN IISumma Cum Laude: Jillian Tinglin

Maxima Cum Laude: John Thomas MonroeMagna Cum Laude:Michael Philhower

Cum Laude: Layne Williams, Jake Chesnutt

LATIN IIIMaxima Cum Laude: Hayden Walcott

LATIN IVMagna Cum Laude: Corrie TankersleyCum Laude:Morgan Heumann

LATIN HONOR SOCIETYThe following students have earned membership in the Latin Honor Society, an organization sponsored by the NationalJunior Classical League:Morgan Heumann, John Thomas Monroe, Corrie Tankersley, Jillian Tinglin, andHaydenWalcott.

NATIONAL LATIN EXAMRecently, the Latin students at the Academy, together with over 148,000 from all fifty states and thirteen foreigncountries, participated in the 2012 National Latin Exam. These students will receive their awards and medals at anassembly in May.

Latin Honor Society and Awards

Fifth and sixth grade students raised $1000 for

Brantwood Children's Home during their annual

"Pi" Day celebration. Students bought raffle tickets

for a chance to throw a pie at selected faculty

members and administrators. The students

presented Kim Herbert, the director at Brantwood,

the money at a special ceremony. Kim Herbert told

the MA students about the excited reactions of the

Brantwood kids who received Christmas presents

from MA earlier in the school year. Brantwood

Children's Home plans to use the money to purchase

a soft-serve ice cream machine for their dining hall.

Middle School StudentsDonate $1,000 to Brantwood

Fifth grade students presented Kim Herbert, Director of Brantwood,with $1000 to use towards the purchase of a soft-serve ice creammachine.

Last month, the seventh grade class spent an exciting and educational two days in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The trip began witha picnic lunch at Cloudland Canyon State Park, followed by a hike to a waterfall. After that it was on to the Hunter Museum ofAmerican Art where docents taught students about perspective. The day ended with dinner and music on the lovely Southern Belleriverboat, where the students got the opportunity to sit with the captain.

Day two was just as eventful for the students. It began with a river gorge cruise where the captain and crew told the students aboutChattanooga history and pointed out interesting nature, spotting wildlife from bald eagles to deer. Next it was on to the top ofLookout Mountain where the students visited Rock City, with its massive ancient rock formations, gardens with over 400 nativeplants and breathtaking views. They then descended into the caverns to see Ruby Falls, a massive underground waterfall. Finally,the group headed to the Tennessee Aquarium where they had the whole place to themselves and enjoyed a “sleep in thedeep”–actually spending the night in the aquarium.What an exciting trip filled with geology, history, biology and other enrichinglearning experiences!

Four Montgomery Academy Upper Schoolstudents will have their work featured in theAmerican Red Cross 2012 fourth annualPaint the Town Red Festival! JulianFreeman, Layne Doctson, RosalindO’Connor, and Bentley Hudson all hadpieces were selected. A total of 26 artistsfrom throughout the state of Alabama havebeen selected for this year’s Paint the TownRed Festival. The works will be projectedonto the sides of downtown Birminghambuildings on April 14 during the evening. Ifyou happen to be in Birmingham onSaturday, April 14 check out our work!At right: Julian Freeman’s Abstract Perception.

MA Artists Featured in Festival

Seventh Grade Travels to Chattanooga