Spring Mid-Term Comments & International Star Wars Day

Friday, 4 May 2012

Dear Upper School Parents:

It was wonderful to welcome so many grandparents and special guests to MVS today as part of Grandparents Day.  Fortunately, the threat of rain held-off for the afternoon, so Spring Fling was also a hit.

A quick e.mail to confirm that mid-term comments, grades, and work habit/effort marks for the Spring Term are available now via MyBackpack.  Comments are required only for courses in which a student is currently earning a "C-" or below or an effort mark of "3" or lower.  Time still remains for students to devote added attention and academic gusto in turning Spring Term marks around.  If you have a question about a specific course, please contact that teacher, your child's Academic Advisor, or grade Dean directly.

On an aside note, today is also recognized as international Star Wars Day, so: May-the-4th be with you.

Best wishes towards a restful weekend,

Sam Wagner

Head of Upper School

Grandparents Day, Spring Fling, & Spring Drama Production

Tuesday, 1 May 2012

Greetings Upper School Parents:

This Friday will be a busy day at MVS.  Grandparents' Day begins at 10:30AM and runs through noon, when dismissal occurs and Spring Fling begins.

  
At 12:noon, the entire school is dismissed, either to head towards Spring Fling or to depart and go home.  There is neither bus service nor extended day coverage on Friday afternoon.

While Spring Fling is primarily a lower school event, sponsored by the MVS Parents' Association, all members of the school community are invited to attend.  There is no admission charge for the activities, though a variety of food items will be available for purchase.

The academic areas of the school will be locked beginning at 1:00PM, so students attending Spring Fling will need to take their belongings outside or into the Lofino atrium.

Spring Fling ends at 3:00PM, when all students must be picked up or depart from campus.

On the theatrical schedule, the curtain goes up for the upper school spring drama production of Macbeth, with performances this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:00PM in the Alumni Black Box Theater.  In addition to being a student-run production, the script is an adaptation written by MVS sophomore, Lily Richards-Todd!

Best wishes towards a great week.

Sam Wagner

Head of Upper School

April 'Articles of Interest:' Tech Pivoting, Doodling for Dollars, Free Lunch for India's Students, & Tree Octopus vs. Dog Island

April 2012

Greetings Upper School Community:

April seems to have come and gone as quickly as a surprise rain shower.  Here’s the early spring edition of Articles of Interest to ease us into May and acknowledge our reaching the mid-term of spring trimester.

From the boom and bust world of technology, the WSJ addresses the adeptness of conceptual “pivoting” for tech entrepreneurs, notably in the recent success of Instagram, which was purchased by Facebook for a reported $1 billion.    

With the great opening line, “put down that smartphone; pick up that crayon,” the article “Doodling for Dollars” depicts how companies encourage employees to re-connect with their marker-to-paper skills rather than being overly-obsessed with technological gadgets.

The Economist presents a compelling outline of a “third industrial revolution,” namely how digitization will continue to transform manufacturing, global resources, and the international “politics of jobs.”

From NPR’s “the Salt” Food Blog, the story of how Indian engineers strive to build a stronger society, starting with a low-cost but nutritious school lunch program.  The ambitious goal of providing freshly prepared meals to the poorest and most at-risk of India’s children now reaches over 1 million students a day, at an astonishing cost of less than a Quarter per meal.

In a story catharsis and rebirth, Bill “Chuck” Colson, notorious for his ruthlessness leading up to the Watergate scandal, discovered a new purpose in life while serving time in prison.  Colson dedicated the rest of his life to being an advocate for hope, fresh direction, and reform to convicts, in and beyond prison.  Colson died this month at the age of 80, having seen his outreach organization grow to include over 100 countries.   

And as a final April treat, here’s quick guide to “Google Jockeying,” modeling real-time research during interactive class discussions.  

Extra-credit can be earned for validating two of my favorite subjects:

The endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus, and The pastoral sanctuary of Dog Island; Free Forever.

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and feedback.  Happy reading and hope to see you soon at an up-coming MVS event.

With sincere regards,

Sam Wagner

Head of Upper School

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