Operation Drive Smart; Mock Accident; Academic Course Scheduling; & Bump-up Day for Class of 2016

Friday, 13 April 2012

Greetings Upper School Parents:

Crisp and sunny April weather is the perfect cure for any hint of superstition and triskaidekaphobia.

We celebrated Bump-Up Day this morning, welcoming the MVS Class of 2016 into the upper school.  8^th grade students attended Morning Announcements, experienced freshmen classes, and continued their smooth transition as “rising Freshmen.”  The 8^th grade concluded Bump-Up Day with a spirited question and answer session with Debbie Spiegel (Freshman Dean) and me.

Next week marks the return of a significant community awareness event: Operation Drive Smart.  With the arrival of spring and high school prom season, our hope is to inform, support, and remind our students of the potential dangers of teenage at-risk behaviors, particularly relating to alcohol use, substance abuse, and distractibility while driving.

Under the guidance of the MVS Parents’ Association, and in cooperation with local emergency authorities, the upper school Red Cross Club has planned a series of awareness activities during Morning Announcements next week.  The culmination of this program will occur on the morning of Thursday, 19 April with a staged mock accident on campus, including actual emergency vehicles participating in the program.  The event will be observed by all upper school students and faculty members, and will be followed by discussions in Advisory Groups.  I am greatly appreciative of the Parents’ Association for coordinating and sponsoring this event.

A reminder that next Friday, 20 April, upper school students will not have classes in order to hold Academic Scheduling Conferences for Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors.  If you have not already, please schedule a time with your child’s Academic Advisor by going to https://pickatime.com/client?ven=11604420&event=234894   The on-line scheduling system is active beginning Monday, 9 April at 5:00AM and will be available until Wednesday, 18 April at 11:00PM. Scheduling slots are available on a first come first serve basis.

Best regards,

Sam Wagner

Head of Upper School

Early April: Immersion Open House, Welcome Spanish Substitute, Bump-up Day, & Course Scheduling Day for 2012-13

Monday, 9 April 2012

Greetings Upper School Parents:

We have had a busy first week to start the Spring Trimester.  Here are reminders of activities, events, and initiatives underway in the Upper School.

I am pleased to introduce Laura Skidmore to the MVS community as our upper school Spanish substitute for the spring term.  In addition to teaching at the college and high school levels, Mrs. Skidmore received high accolades at the 2012 Ohio Foreign Language Association conference for her use of technology in the Spanish classroom.  She has already been in close contact with Gabriela Sparks regarding course content and assignments planned for the spring term.  Please join me in welcoming her to MVS.

Immersion Open House is this Wednesday, 11 April from 7:00-8:30PM in the Lane Gymnasium and Lofino Atrium.  Since Immersion represents the pinnacle of MVS’ commitment to experiential learning, please feel free to invite neighbors, friends, and relatives to attend open house, celebrating student accomplishments and experiences from Immersion 2012.

Bump-Up Day for the Class of 2016 (allowing for current 8th grade students to visit and experience upper school classes) occurs this Friday, 13 April.  To provide space for 8^th grade students to attend upper school classes, the 9^th grade students, along with our 6^th grade, will spend the morning off campus bowling.

Upper school Course Scheduling Day for grades 9-11 occurs next Friday, 20 April on campus from 8:00AM – 5:00PM.  An e.mail was sent earlier today with a weblink for on-line scheduling of a convenient time to meet with your child’s Academic Advisor to confirm his or her courses for the 2012-13 academic year.

We have had lots of student visitors shadowing MVS classes in the Upper School.  If your daughter or son has a friend interested in learning more about MVS, including visiting and experiencing classes, please contact our Admissions Office to arrange for an official school visit.

All upper school letters and reminders are also posted to my MVS Blog at http://wagnersmvsblog.blogspot.com/, where I invite your suggestions, comments, and continuing support.  I look forward to seeing you in bleachers or on the sidelines at an MVS athletic event soon.

With sincere regards,


Sam Wagner
Head of Upper School

March 'Articles of Interest:' Isaacson on Jobs' Leadership Lessons; Educated Populace as Valued Resource; Lahiri on Power of Words; & Tendulkar Scoring 100 Cricket Centuries.

March 2012

Greetings Upper School Community:

Here is the March edition of Articles of Interest to ease from Spring Break into Spring Term.

In the recent edition of Harvard Business Review, renowned biographer and journalist Walter Isaacson provides an illuminating glimpse of the leadership lessons of Steve Jobs, distilled in part from his biography.

In the ever-increasing connection between technology and reality, the quest for “smarter cities” is presented in the model of Rio De Janeiro in Natasha Singer’s article “Mission Control, Built for Cities.”

Speaking of smarter societies, in “Pass the Books. Hold the Oil,” Thomas Friedman’s recent article about global trade imbalances in the flat-world, the author alludes to Taiwan as a prime example of an educated populace being a nation’s most valuable resource.

In his article “When Technology Overwhelms, It’s Time to Get Organized,” efficiency guru David Allen makes a compelling argument for the limits of gizmos over human ingenuity.

Nobel Prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri pens an excellent essay on the lasting power of words in “My Life’s Sentence.”

And from the world of international sports, Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar achieved his 100^th Century in his accomplished career in professional Test Cricket.  The India Immersion group happened to be visiting India Gate in Delhi on the afternoon of Tendulkar’s feat; it was an exciting and very memorable scene.  Gio Gio Tendulkar!

That’s all for now.  I look forward to welcoming your children back to MVS on Monday and to sharing a great start to our Spring Trimester.

With sincere regards,

Sam Wagner

Head of Upper School

Feb "Articles of Interest:" Immersion Start, Mardi Gras, Happy 127 Huck Finn, & Adele's Appoggiatura

Tuesday, 21 February 2012 (21.2.12, if you will)

Greetings Upper School Community:

In addition to being the first day of MVS Immersion, today is also Fat Tuesday, better known as Mardi Gras down yonder in New Orleans.  Check out the full schedule of parades, history of Mardi Gras, and the announcement of the King of Rex. “Throw Me Somethin,’ Mister!”

18 February marks the 127th anniversary of the publication of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  An interactive edition, including the full selection of drawings from the first edition of this masterwork of American fiction (pardon my humble bias), is available at the UVA e-text site.

The Wall Street Journal article, “Anatomy of a Tear-Jerker,” introduces the musical device called "appoggiatura" to explain why Adele’s songs are so effective at conjuring sadness.  Appoggiatura has my vote for word for the month.

In honor of Presidents Day, NPR carried a fitting homage to Honest Abe, in the form of a 34-foot tower of books built of volumes about our 16^th President.

As a point of Ohio pride, 20 February marks the 50th anniversary of John Glenn’s Mercury mission in Friendship 7, culminating in 3 orbits around the earth.  At a recent NASA event,  Commander Glenn harangued the space agency for not making better use of the International Space Station.  He continues to be feisty, even at the awesome age of 90!

And as culminating “wicked cool” news, researchers in Siberia succeeded in reviving and growing a plant from a flower frozen over 32,000 years ago.  How about that, Mr. Birdseye! 

That’s all for now.  Have a safe start to Immersion, stay warm, and keep in touch!

Sam Wagner

Head of Upper School

January "Articles of Interest:" India Republic Day; Cracking Teens' Online Codes; Did iPad Steal Your Job?; Death of Joe Pa; & MVS ALum on College Jeopardy!

Thursday, 26 January 2012

Greetings Upper School Community:

Today is India Republic Day, celebrating the start of modern India, as a country independent from British rule.  During today’s Morning Announcements, Dr. Aswhi Birdi sang the Indian National Anthem; what a very MVS way to start the day!

And talking about great starts, Samoa began 2012 with a resolution to beat all others; it jumped the International Date Line by a full-day, moving from last to now being the first region of the world to start each day, and in this case, usher in the new year.

Pamela Paul sheds light on the generational divide of tech use and online lingo in her insightful profile of Danah Boyd: “Cracking Teenagers’ Online Codes of Behavior.”

Sunday’s NYTimes presents a fascinating article.  Using over-seas manufacturing locations for Apple’s iPhone and iPad, it reveal the change in American jobs with the growth of the global market.  It includes a stunning graphic depicting the largest domestic employers in 1960, compared with that of 2010.

With all the attention on collaboration and working as a team attributed to essential 21^st Century skills, Susan Cain’s story “The Rise of the New Groupthink” (and recent book) highlights the indispensible role of introverts and solitude in this day of information over-load.

Considering all the recent news of venture capital, international markets, and the potential collapse of the Euro, the story of a small, single branch bank in Cattaraugus, New York that focuses on local community investment makes for a refreshing read.  For comparison sake, the bank reported a profit last year of $5,000 (and yes, that is in “thousands,” not millions or higher).

Joe Paterno, long-time football coach at Penn State, died early this week at the age of 85, a mere 84 days following the termination of his coaching career for the Nittany Lions.  Though history has yet to determine how recent events might tarnish his memory, I am hopeful that his legacy as a coach who truly looked after his players will endure.

And with a big call-out for next week, Tyler Benedict (MVS Class of 2009), following his successful record as captain of the MVS Academic Challenge Team, is representing Columbia University in the Jeopardy! College Championship.  Tyler’s first match airs Friday, 3 February at 7:30PM on Dayton’s WDTN, channel 2.  For additional details, check out the weekly Show Guide at: http://www.jeopardy.com/showguide/

With sincere regards,

Sam Wagner

Head of Upper School

Remarks for MVS Diversity Day Celebration: 17 January 2012

MVS Diversity Day Celebration

Tuesday, 17 January 2012

It is always exciting to have us all together, students, teachers, and parents of The Miami Valley School.  Today is really important because in celebrating diversity, we focus on what many of us take for granted, especially outside of this special place we all know as MVS.

Diversity is a complicated word.  Away from MVS, diversity often carries the power to separate and divide, to point out differences between people.  At MVS, diversity defines our school community, lends focus to our excellence, and illustrates the shared connections between the Early Childhood, Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools.

I want to try a little experiment, and I need everyone’s help.  I am going to ask you to raise your hands in response to a couple of questions.

First, let’s talk about something quite different from MVS: football. Raise your hand if you are fan of Bengals. OK, now raise your hand if you are a Browns fan?  How about a fan of THE Ohio State Buckeyes?  As I suspected.

For a topic outside of MVS, even if we root for different teams, football has shared rules and goals, which unite players and fans in a common focus.

Now let’s look at a more familiar topic: where we are, here in the Lane Gymnasium.  Raise your hand if you have had PE class with Coach Carrillo here in the Lane Gym?  Who has played volleyball here on this court?  How about playing Basketball on the parquet floor?

And a final question: who has cheered from the stands for an MVS team?  Very impressive!

We have been in this gym for a variety of different athletic purposes: to practice, to compete, and to support and cheer, all for MVS.  Because this is MVS, today we can transform this space into a celebration of diversity, harnessing the same energy that defines MVS spirit.

In taking time to be together this morning, here in the Lane Gym, we are remembering the legacy of Dr. King.  We need to acknowledge that the strengths that unite us as a school, our diversity, are not always easy to translate away from MVS.  That’s what makes MVS such a special place.

In Dr. King’s dream, parts of which you will hear in a moment, words like hope, faith, justice, and freedom, are complicated words, like diversity.  To become real, they require continuous effort, shared mission and common goals, and a focused commitment towards excellence.

This morning at MVS, we affirm that Dr King’s dream is still alive, especially here in the Lane Gym, requiring our attention, our commitment to keep it moving forward.  As a school community, we must remember the essential work and future challenges ahead that we all share,

in being:

Young People of Promise,

Self-Sustaining Learners,

and Compassionate Global Citizens.

Thank you.

Samuel Wagner, V

Head of Upper School

Mid-January Upper School Activities & Events

Thursday, 12 January 2012

Greetings Upper School Parents:

We have started 2012 with great enthusiasm in the Upper School, forging ahead into the second-half of the Winter Term.  Here is a sampling of some of the exciting up-coming activities and events in the Upper School.

Tomorrow morning at 6:00AM, a stalwart delegation of MVS French students embark for a four-day trip to Quebec, under the planning and direction of Peter Camm and Julie Dube.  Bon Voyage and safe return!

This weekend is the MVS College Prep Classic Basketball Tournament.  The opening game is Friday at 2:00PM with our MVS girls’ varsity squad taking on Butlerville Methodist from Indiana.  We have a special schedule to fill the gym for home court advantage.  Games continue through the weekend.

Next Tuesday, 17 January is the MVS all-school Diversity Day Celebration, beginning at 8:25AM in the Lane Gymnasium.  Unique to MVS is the empowerment of student initiatives and planning for this important community event, which includes some special performances this year.  Parents are welcome to attend.

Reflecting a delightful blend of the MVS mission points of cultural diversity and global citizenry, on Tuesday afternoon we welcome 20 students from the Nanjing Foreign Language School, the first of our Chinese sister schools.  The Chinese exchange students will be living with upper and middle school host families through Monday, 23 January.  Abundant thanks go to our host families for extending MVS hospitality to our Chinese guests.

Next Saturday, 21 January, the Student Government is sponsoring a Winter Formal, from 8:00-11:00PM in the Alumni Theatre.  The dance is themed “Sweet Escapes” and is promoted as a “Sadie Hawkins” dance, in which girls invite boys to attend.  As is with all MVS social events, the dance does not require students to attend as “dates.”  I predict that the vast majority of students will attend “in groups.”  The dance is open to all MVS upper school students; tickets will go on sale next week.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact Bryan Lakatos, advisor to the Student Government.

Sunday, 22 January is MVS Admissions Open House, from 1:15-3:30PM, beginning in the Lofino Atrium.  Please encourage any friends, family members, or neighbors who have an interest in learning more about MVS to attend and experience first-hand our amazing school community.

Thursday, 26 January is the winter term music and dance performance, featuring “Oceans of Sound,” by John Cage and Merce Cunningham.  The second part of the event will highlight a Broadway Review of familiar songs and performances.  The program begins at 7:00PM in the Alumni Theater and is certain to be memorable.

In anticipation of foreboding winter weather on the horizon (literally), I reminded students during Morning Announcements today about the importance of safety, communication, and responsible proactive planning.  The “upper school snow and inclement weather policy,” including the details of our “one-call” automated phone notification program, is archived in the November section of Wagner’s MVS Blog at: http://wagnersmvsblog.blogspot.com/

Stay warm, be safe, and hope to see you at an MVS event soon!

With sincere regards,

Sam Wagner

Head of Upper School