ALI COOPER '09
Every athlete comes to a point in her career when she has to decide how seriously she takes her sport. In most cases, this life-changing decision isn’t set in stone until the athlete’s senior year of high school, when the athlete begins to think about competing in college. For horseback riders, however, this decision must be made around the age of 12 or 13 when he or she is forced to choose how rigorously she wants to pursue the competition aspect of the sport. This pre-teen has to blindly begin a journey that will impact her entire experience as a high schooler, as well as her mental, physical and emotional state.
I’ve competed on the circuit since the age of 13. Competitions in New England only take place from late March/early April until late October/early November. Among the last few horse shows of the year are the finals, which riders qualify for by accumulating a certain number of points throughout the show season.
This was the norm: the show circuit I had been accustomed to since my mom started telling me stories about her past junior riding career. Yes, I knew there were bigger and better circuits and horse shows out there, but I never assumed I would actually be able to participate. Imagine my surprise when I learned I’d be competing in HITS Ocala (the Ocala Winter Circuit) in Florida all winter. (HITS stands for Horse Shows in the Sun.)
My mom and dad sprung the news while I was competing at the New England Finals in the fall. I never thought my parents would allow me such a treat. In their eyes, I’d have to have Fridays off from school, fly back and forth to Florida every weekend, and I’d lose valuable homework time, as I would be at the horse show all of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
I guess Amy and Joe Cooper were in some sort of daze when signing the forms. My dad (not so much a fan of the horse world…smart guy…) seemed to finally understand how passionate I’d grown about horses and competing. I would be away from my dad every weekend for over a month. He had to work on the weekends, and couldn’t schedule a time to come and watch me compete. My dad’s inability to sneak away to Ocala for a weekend was devastating, but he was so supportive over the phone and loved seeing pictures after I’d come home every Sunday night.
My horse left on January 20th. He boarded a van that drove 28 hours down to parking lot-splattered chain-restaurant-crammed Ocala, Florida. On February 14th, I flew into Orlando and drove an hour and a half north to Ocala. We stayed at a Marriott hotel, and on Friday morning, we woke up at 5 AM to drive to the show so I could make my 6:30 lesson. I lessoned that morning and then competed in three classes that afternoon. Saturday I competed in another three classes, and Sunday I competed in one class in the jumper division. (Jumpers are judged on speed, rather than fluidity.) By the end of the weekend, I was barely breathing, I was so tired. I slept so well over the next few weeks. Between flying constantly and riding for hours at a time every day for three days periods, I was exhausted…to put it lightly.
As the weeks progressed, I started to grasp the importance of my experience in Ocala. Yes, I faced tornado warnings, torrential downpours, sketchy parking lots, and serious amounts of fast food, but the riding portion of the journey was absolutely life-changing. I was given the opportunity to compete in a national circuit, against some of the best riders in the country.
I had to push myself so hard in order to succeed. Since most of our barn’s horses were down in Florida, I couldn’t really ride during the week to stay sharp for the weekends. I didn’t have enough time in my weekend to regress all the way back to where I had started, so I had to force myself to remember every detail that I’d learned the previous weekend. There wasn’t enough time for error, and I wanted to be successful. In the end, competing at such a high level in such a concentrated block of time helped me to become a better athlete.
Piers Turner (’10) took part in another winter circuit, the Winter Equine Festival (WEF), that takes place in Wellington, Florida. The Wellington circuit is much longer than the Ocala Circuit, and the physical size of the show grounds is much larger, but WEF draws about the same number of riders as Ocala (around 4,000). Regardless of the differences between WEF and the Ocala Circuit, Piers and I came away from our winter adventures with similar feelings. When discussing riding in Florida, we agreed that the circuits were like nothing we had ever come across.
“Wellington is an experience like none other. When I first got there, the physical size and the amount of people and horses in Wellington was absolutely amazing. It was like nothing I had ever seen before,” commented Piers. It took both of us a few days to adjust to the maze-like qualities of our separate show grounds. Finding your ring is one of the biggest challenges.
It took a few days to adjust to the maze. Finding your ring can be challenging at first.” All of the HITS show rings, except for the massive Grand Prix ring, is surrounded by a full-sized race track, just to give you all an idea of its size. WEF is even larger.
Both Piers and I completely agree that our few weeks competing in Florida proved more helpful and more beneficial than riding five or six times per week at our home barns. We were so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to travel to Florida every weekend and pursue the sport that we love.
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Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Student Spotlight: Ali Cooper and Piers Turner
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Interviews with newly-elected Student Council members
You can check out the results of all school elections here and class elections here, but for interviews with the winners stay right here. Continue for interviews with All School President Raina Jacques, All School Treasurer Andrew Garcia, Senior Class President Dani Lubin-Levy, Senior Class Vice President Rafael Cabral, and Senior Class Treasurer Michael Firer. We'll add more interviews over the next few days, so check back soon!
What was your first act in office?
My first act in office, besides jumping up and down with Sowande during dinner on our second night of Dreamgirls, was meeting with the administration and the former leaders about some advice they can give me to successfully lead the school next year.
How have you liked running meetings?
Running meetings is a lot of fun but very nerve wracking. It's very exciting to see the amount of love and support that I get all across the Beaver community. Even from just standing in front of the whole school I am sure to encounter a smile that keeps me calm because it gives me a sense of assurance up there.
What's your biggest goal for the next year?
My biggest goal for next year is that we can enjoy ourselves as a community as much as we can. I know how hard it is as a junior to have very stressful and challenging classes and I feel it is important to give ourselves a break once in a while to help us maintain our focus. I am hoping that our meetings will continue to be a variety of presentations where every day there is something new to look forward to.
What's your biggest fear for the next year?
My biggest fear for next year is that not everyone will agree with the decisions we make as a student council, but I'm hoping that the majority of the community will keep supporting us.
Any other comments?
I am really excited to be your leader for next year. Beaver has shaped me personally throughout my 3 years here and I cannot wait to learn more from each and every one of you.
What will be your first act in office?
I don't have any idea what my first act in office will be, and I sort of like that. I haven't had enough time to talk to other Beaver students and really understand the direction they want the school to go in.
What's your biggest goal for the next year?
My biggest goal for next year will be to find better places for students to relax or hang-out during frees. My campaign was all about improving the student experience at Beaver, and I guess that starts with creating a comfortable environment here on campus.
What's your biggest fear for the next year?
Failing to live up to the responsibility of my office, creating a giant mechagodzilla to fight the real one, or starting a communist witch-hunt in which I unfairly persecute innocent Beaver students.
What was/will be your first act in office?
My first act in office will be finding out exactly what my job title entails, including who the trustees actually are.
What issues are especially important when talking to trustees and parents? What makes your position unique?
The trustees and parents manage most of the school's money and also posess ultimate veto power, therefore it is imperative to have someone (aka me) who can act as a link between the students and the parents/trustees in order to foster a better relationship the two bodies, no pun intended. My position is unique because I have to be able to understand the students needs, and communicate those needs effectively to the parents/trustees.
What's your biggest goal for the next year?
My biggest goal is to prevent Andrew Garcia from fomenting a military coup of the student government and installing a junta and a totalitarian dictatorship with himself as the sole power.
What's your biggest fear for the next year?
See above.
Any other comments?
Git'r done.
What will be your first act in office?
My first act will hopefully planning some senior fundraiser event to raise money for a charity that our class chooses, but of course I would love to know what my peers would like to do.
What's your biggest goal for the next year?
My biggest goal is to unify the class, really breaking down on the cliques and barriers.
What's your biggest fear for the next year?
My biggest fear would probably have to be doing the graduation speech. While it is very exciting, I know I will be so nervous!
How does it feel to be representing your class in its final year at Beaver?
I am so excited to represent my class for my senior year! I've been at Beaver since 6th grade and have gone through a lot with this class and can't wait to be a strong leader.
What will be your first act in office?
Well as I mentioned in my speech on Friday, I look to be part of a team next year. For this reason, I will have to have a conversation with the other members of the student council (next year's senior class student council as well as the all school student council) to decide what is best for the senior class and for the school. However, I believe a good starting point would be to work on the lunch menu for next year. There were definitely some good lunches this year, though I, as well as many other students, feel there could be some improvement in this area.
What's your biggest goal for the next year?
Making next year the best and most fun year at Beaver for everyone in the senior class.
What's your biggest fear for the next year?
I can't really think of any at the moment. I think the senior class student government and the all school student government will do a great job next year.
How does it feel to be representing your class in its final year at Beaver?
Well of course it feels great. I'm glad my grade gave me the opportunity to improve their final year at Beaver, and I will try my best to accomplish all the goals I have planned for next year.
Considering you had a starring role in the 2006 smash hit "Dan y el Toro," do you consider yourself Beaver's version of actor-politicians like Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwartzenegger?
Well I guess in that sense sure! However, much of the reason those two candidates were chosen to serve in office was because of their fame and popularity. I don't believe this was the case for me; I honestly think that my class chose me because they felt I was a good candidate who could make their senior class as enjoyable as possible.
Any other comments?
I'd just like to say thank you to the entire junior class (next year's senior class) for allowing me this opportunity, and Beaver better be ready for "Dan y el Toro DOS!!"
What will be your first act in office?
That depends on what's practical. I'll probably try to find better uses of unused space. Maybe look into the whole lost and found dealie. 'Cause that's a nice room.
What's your biggest goal for the next year?
Actually get something permanent done.
What's your biggest fear for the next year?
Having to support stupid t-shirts. *cough* What? Who said that?
How does it feel to be representing your class in its final year at Beaver?
If you only knew.
What will you do about the vending machine situation? Are you satisfied with its outcome, or still pushing for action?
I assume this is one of those things Beaver doesn't plan to change (that new machine probably cost a pretty penny), but I'll try to get the soda machine back. If they're not going to offer an alternative, they can't take the old one away.
Will you fight childhood obesity The Awesome Way?
I mean, I would, but you just know all the middle schoolers would hog the DDR machine.
As a class officer and newspaper contributor, will you leak confidential government secrets to the press?
Isn't that just assumed?
Any other comments?
Pleasedon'tstopthemusiiiiic, pleasedon'tstopthemusiiiiic, pleasedon'tstopthe-pleasedon'tstopthe-pleasedon'tstopthe musiiiic!
What will be your first act in office?
My first act will likely be to lay out a general plan for the year to come. Then I might create a few taxes. I would probably create one regarding the transport of written documents, and maybe some on things like glass, paint, etc. Sans representation, of course.
What's your biggest goal for the next year?
My biggest goal? To make the students actually happy with their Student Government.
What's your biggest fear for the next year?
Spiders, most likely. Unless something drastically changes between now and then. A jellyfish attack might do it.
Do you pledge not to raise taxes?
See #1.
Will you make Beaver energy independent if it means cranking a generator with your own two hands?
Ha.....that's a laugh. If I could clone myself, however, and have the clone crank the wheel, of course. That would bring up a few issues of morality among the student body, but you know what? I don't care. I will achieve energy independance at any cost (barring any personal effort).
Do you support a preemptive strike against the underground bunkers of the Brimmer & May School?
Is that de-classified yet?
Is it true that when you first came to Beaver in 6th Grade, you arrived under heavy sniper fire and had to sprint from the car into Bradley Hall?
Umm......I misspoke?
Do you think I'm giving you ridiculous questions just because I'm your brother?
Oh my god! You're my brother? It all makes sense now.
Any other comments?
Long live our glorious motherland, her freedom and her independence! Under the banner of Lenin---Onward to victory!
What will be your first act in office?
Since this is my first time in office at Beaver, my first act in office would be to gather all the student's issues and concerns. It’s important for me to do this because I’m the one who’s representing them and for me to know what issues and concerns they have, it’s a step to making the 10th grade class WONDERFUL!!
What's your biggest goal for the next year?
My biggest goal for the upcoming school year is to not only unify my grade but to make it a year they will enjoy and never forget!!
What's your biggest fear for the next year?
I don’t have any fear at this moment but I am a little nervous about it since this is my first time in office but I’m planning on giving it my all.
Any other comments?
I want to thank the class of 2011 for electing me as their class Vice President and the Beaver Reader for taking in the time to interview me. Thank You!!
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Friday, May 23, 2008
BREAKING NEWS: Class Office Election Results
Class office election results are in. We also have an ever-growing collection of interviews with the winners.
Class of 2009 (Seniors-to-be)
President: Dani Lubin-Levy
Vice President: Rafael Cabral
Treasurer: Michael Firer
Class of 2010 (Juniors-to-be)
President: Joanna Georgakas
Vice President: Willy Tucker
Treasurer: Diallo Spears
Class of 2011 (Sophomores-to-be)
President: Taylor Pierce
Vice President: Tiesha Pough
Treasurer: Kirsten Gute
Congratulations to our new student government!
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Monday, May 19, 2008
The Mysteries of Beaver: Heritage and Beaver Place
Photos by Maddy Kiefer and Taylor Haigler
MADDY KIEFER ‘08
It’s common knowledge that Beaver was founded in 1920, and, as mentioned in my third mystery, the current building was built in 1924. In the four years prior to this, however, the school was located at Beaver Place, a street adjacent to the Boston Common.
Hundreds of years ago, before the land beneath its roads was filled in, Beaver Place was a pier at which the HMS Beaver was docked during the Boston Tea Party. (A replica, the Beaver II, resides at the Boston Tea Party Museum.) The ship gave its name to the street and, by extension, to our beloved school. 
Last weekend, I, along with a few other members of the Beaver Reader staff, went into Boston for the day and made a pit-stop at Beaver Place. Located right off of Beacon Street (about a block down from Cheers), it is now an upscale neighborhood (and just happens to intersect Brimmer St., which may or may not be related to the Brimmer and May School). We walked around, trying to find a building that might have once been a school, but, considering we had never seen as much as a picture of it, it wasn’t easy. We thought we found one building, home to “The Vincent Club,” that could have been Beaver, but, after some further research, discovered that the club was founded in 1892, so that option was eliminated.
Our best information comes from Ms. Boylan, who works in the archives. She says, “from what I know, the Beaver school building is still standing.” Furthermore, apparently “it is now up on a high foundation, but still looks very much like an old schoolhouse on the corner of Beaver Place,” near the Arthur Fiedler footbridge.
Of course, there is strong chance that we completely overlooked the building, or that it has been renovated so that it’s not so recognizable after all, and no longer looks like a building built at least 88 years ago. If you have any information on the building, know its exact location on Beaver Place, or happen to have pictures of it, please leave a comment! Help is always appreciated when my mysteries remain unsolved.
Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum
Boston Attractions: Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum
Map of locations mentioned
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Thursday, May 15, 2008
A RENEWED CALL TO ARMS: Following Up On the Vending Machine Catastrophe
MICHAEL FIRER '09
Editor's note: The following is a follow-up article to Firer's original vending machine coverage:
A CALL TO ARMS: The Missing Vending Machine
"The harderer the conflict, the even more glorious-er the triumph."
–Me
For a second I thought I could relax. I seemed as though the war was over. How quickly I had forgotten… it’s never over. For those of you out there that are in the dark, over a month ago the school, that cruel, unappeasable tyrant, stole the beloved mechanical distributor of sugared wonders, the candy machine, from us with promises of a new, improved version. Sure, I was doubtful at first. Maybe even a whole article’s worth of doubtful. Eventually, though, I realized that this was an armistice. Instead of a formal treaty, the revolution would end with the installation of a machine that was newer, shinier, and less prone to breaking when tackled. The warriors on each side, battle-weary from the seemingly endless fight, could finally lay down their arms and return to their previous lives. Oh, how naïve I was.
Yes, I will admit it. I was taken in by their promises like a snake-charmer’s cobra. Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” ran through my head as I imagined the technological marvel that would be the new machine. I prepared several fresh dollar bills that would be the “Neil Armstrongs” in my first test of the wonderful box that would come to us as if from a dream and lace our arteries with sweet, sweet cholesterol. What a fool I was. I let my guard down, and, as a result, we must all suffer.
Those of you who give the sleek, black device only a passing glance on the way to and from your daily routines may not understand my outrage. Yes, it’s shiny. Yes, it beeps and flashes like a 50’s TV robot. It doubtlessly stands head-and-shoulders above its more modest rivals, the oft overlooked water and juice machines. But you know something, friends? There was once a big wooden horse that looked better than all the other big wooden animals out there, and do you know what it did? It slaughtered an entire city that had lovingly taken it in as its own. At least I think it was something like that. Anyway, beware this fancy intruder, for although it appears to be all that the people desire, upon closer inspection, the problem is all too obvious.
Gone are the Skittles, the Doritos, the Twix, and the Pop-Tarts. In their stead are Luna Bars, Veggie Pirate’s Booty, Special K-Bars, and other *shudder* healthy replacements. This is, again, a travesty. It is my right as an American to stuff myself with whatever form of pure sugar I wish! No, no, I know there’s been a rise in obesity, epidemic, blah blah blah, but you know what? There are better solutions than impeding on our God-given rights! If you want to fight childhood obesity, do it the awesome way. Anyway, this disregard for our human rights is the reason that I, yet again, must declare a call to arms. We must fight to the end!
The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph! The harder the- hey… these Luna Bars aren’t have half bad… the harder the… they’re… harder the conflict… actually… they’re… they’re pretty good… Um… Okay, know what? Why don’t you just go away, okay? Go find some other demagogue to spout buzzwords at you.
I’m going to go raid the new vending machine.
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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
BREAKING NEWS: All-School Student Government Election Results
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Congratulations to the new student government!
President: Raina Jacques
Vice President: Sowande Gray
Treasurer: Andrew Garcia
Trustee / Parent Association Representative: Sam Freeman
Faculty / Alumni Representative: Roland Atema
Watch for more coverage in the coming hours and days.
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Relive Monday's election speech highlights
Here's a very, very abbreviated version of Monday's speeches, focusing on some of the funnier moments. There's some amazing stuff that had to get cut, so if people are interested we can post some more, but YouTube holds you to 10 minutes.
Andrew Garcia--overrepresented much? Oh well. :)
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Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Students on the campaign trail
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It's just like the real election, only our trail starts and ends in Bradley Hall. :)On Monday, students running for all school offices made their case to the student body. We'll put video of the speeches online shortly, but in the mean team, enjoy these photos. And remember: check back tonight to find out the results!
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Thursday, May 8, 2008
Breaking: Vice-President Bellot Responds to the creation of OCDS
Editor's Note: The following article by Jared Bellot is in response to an earlier April Fools Day article: Student government deemed illegitimate and unconstitutional; splinter group establishes government in exile. This article makes little sense unless read in context, so we recommend reading the original article first.
Mr. and Ms. Beaver Reader readers,
Recently it came to my attention that a splinter cell “terrorist group” calling itself the OCDS has begun to challenge the legitimacy of the Wilmot-Bellot administration and the BCDS student council as a whole. Let it be known that in no way will the Beaver Student Council allow such danger inflicted on our beloved student body. Our goal as a governing body is to prevent regimes (terrorist) that sponsor terror from threatening Beaver Country Day School or our friends and allies with weapons of mass destruction and anti progressive values. Some of these regimes have been pretty quiet since their succession from the greater school on the first of April 2008. But we know their true nature. The OCDS is a regime arming with missiles and weapons of un-progressiveness, while starving its students of the knowledge and hands on learning which they crave oh so much.
The OCDS aggressively pursues these weapons and exports terror, while an unelected few repress the students and their hopes for freedom.
Groups like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, and a break away from our progressive values, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They could provide these anti-progressive learning values to terrorists, giving them the means to match their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the humble and beautiful Beav. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be catastrophic. Thank you, and remember, if we stop learning, the OCDS will win. Never stop learning. Never stop questioning. And so my fellow Beaver students, I leave you with these parting thoughts. In this time of great worry and danger for our school, remember, the only thing we have to fear, is fear itself, not the so called “OCDS” and their politics of fear.
Sincerely,
Jared Bellot
Vice President of BCDS Student Council
Adviser to President Wilmot + President Bush
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Faculty Spotlight: Mr. Camp
GABBY GUTMAN '08
Mr. Camp is an absolutely amazing teacher. Every day during the first and second terms I looked forward to his class. I always knew that it would lift my spirits if I had a bad day or create a memory that would last me a lifetime. When a test or quiz came up, I would never panic, but rather, I would be excited. Mr. Camp’s tests and quizzes were always fun to take whether he had us relate baseball positions to vocabulary words or draw Oedipus Rex solving the riddle of the sphinx. This English class has shown me that learning can be fun, even if I am learning something that is seems mundane like Sophocles or grammar. Mr. Camp has been one of the best teachers I have ever had, and I learned a lot more about him through this interview.
Q: What is your most embarrassing moment in your childhood?
A: I was really quiet as a kid and, actually, I am pretty quiet in my personal life. But when I teach, I am loud which is sort of weird. When I was young, I got spanked by my mom in front of a lot of people as she yelled, “Why don’t you talk to people?” That was a really embarrassing moment.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: I grew up in Arlington, MA. I have an older brother and an older sister, so that makes me the baby of the family. We had no pets at all growing up, because my mom didn’t like them. Now I have two dogs, two cats, two birds, and I support all animal rights.
Q: Where is your favorite place to be?
A: My favorite places to be are at home with my family, in the classroom teaching, or on a football field coaching.
Q: What is your biggest pet peeve?
A: I hate it when people litter their cigarette butts; it’s annoying and I don’t get it. I also don’t like having to deal with my own OCDs. I need to have my right foot in front of my left when I am standing still or tying my shoes. Also, almost everything I do is based on a number system even though I am a word kind of guy. I have an obsession with needing Neutrogena hand cream. My whole life is governed by OCDs that others may not notice, but that affect me constantly.
Q: What is your favorite type of food?
A: I love chicken. If I am celebrating, I would want Indian food, chicken Indian food. Oh yeah, and salt bagels. I also hate mushrooms and olives with a passion.
Q: What is your favorite and least favorite movie?
A: My favorite movies are: Good Will Hunting, Pulp Fiction, Jindabyne, Memento, and Fargo. I only want to see a movie if it’s going to change my life or leave me thinking; a movie that didn’t do that is Smooth Talk, which was a waste of two hours.
Q: Do you have any TV show addictions?
A: I love LOST, American Idol, Seinfeld, sports, news; those are like my OCDs—I love them and could watch them all the time. My son was laughing ‘cause I was watching an episode of Seinfeld, and when he saw me laugh he did the same. That was cool. My son Grady just turned one year old, and he has a little sister arriving in July. Yikes!
Q: What is your favorite book?
A: As an English teacher, obviously I have a lot, but O’Brien’s In the Lake of the Woods is really deep and dark, and I love dark literature. My favorite Shakespeare play is King Lear, the darkest of the dark!
Q: What do you admire most in your students?
A: I admire depth and the ability to understand that learning and fun can happen at the same time.
Q: Why did you start teaching?
A: I knew in high school. I loved English, and it is very cool when I realized I could spend every day doing it. I think I have the ideal life: every day I get to teach and coach, which is incredible. I also love to read students’ writing and to hear how they think; I enjoy being part of that process. I keep a list of every student I’ve ever taught and periodically go through the list so I remember everybody. So, in 20 years, I’ll be able to say, “Oh, Gabby Gutman, she was in my Black Class at Beaver.”
Q: Who was your favorite teacher?
A: In college, I had an amazing professor who was deep and analyzed a lot of things. I hope I am doing the same in my teaching. He made me realize then that you could take anything and look at it from all different angles, as long as you support what you say. And then you can have any analysis.
Q: Do you have a favorite word?
A: Perspicacity: very aware, intelligently aware. I really don’t like the phrase “shut up”.
Q: How do you like your experience at Beaver so far?
A: I love the format, what the school represents, the progressive aspect, and the students have been awesome. It has been an overall great experience. I’m sad about leaving, and I’m especially going to miss the students and the English department teachers.
Q: How does Beaver compare to the other schools you have taught at?
A: I came from teaching at an all-boys catholic school for 8 years and teaching at boarding school the four years before that. And this is the opposite end of the spectrum, but it’s great. Going from all boys to co-ed isn’t really different, but it is proven that boys will participate more if they are alone. I believe that, if you engage the class, everyone will participate.
Q: Do you have a tattoo?
A: I don’t have one, but if I were to get one it would be a hand holding a skull, which is a Hamlet reference. When Hamlet looks at the skull he contemplates the fact that one day we will all be reduced to skulls, it’s common in all of our humanity. During life when you are not a skull, you have to be good to the people around you, so that they will remember you and your impact on each other will be meaningful.
Q: What sports did you play growing up?
A: I was a three-sport athlete through high school. I played football, basketball, and baseball. I played football at Middlebury College.
Q: Are there any interesting facts about you that you would like to share?
A: Ummm…In high school I had a flat top. Everyday I would wash it, then blow dry it with gel, blow it again, and then use wax to make it stick up. Not quite the same these days. I love puppets and Broadway musicals especially Wicked, Hairspray, and Rent. I also once coached women’s football!
Q: What is the story behind the baseball bat you always carry around with you?
A: My First year teaching, I needed a prop for class because I was doing something with puppets. It turned out I had an old bat lying around my apartment that I had since I was 9 years old. After class I was walking with the bat in the halls, and everyone was questioning it. I realized that if you do something just a little differently everyone is obsessed with it and wants to know the story behind it. So, since that day, throughout 13 years of teaching, I have always had it with me. Carrying it with me represents teaching, family, and sports, the three most important things in my life.
Q: What is the story behind the website you have for all of your students?
A: I wanted to make a good way for my students to have access to information on my class. My wife, who was a pro figure skater, and did Disney on ice for 7 years, took a web course designing web pages. When she stopped touring, she made a site for me. I have no idea how to do it on my own; it was all her. All I do is input the info each day, which I think is helpful for everyone (especially when I put extra credit on it for quizzes or tests!).
Mr. Camp has left a lasting impression on numerous Beaver students. Just ask Jessica Penzias ’08, who said, “Mr. Camp is without a doubt one of the best teachers I have ever had. I have always loved literature but now I have an increased passion for the study of literature. He is not only invested in his lessons, but also, he has a great passion for inspiring and befriending his students. I am so grateful to have met him.” Sarah Mink ’08 eagerly added, “Mr. Camp embodies progressive education at its best. His love for Lost and his innovative methods have left a lasting impression on all of his students.”
If you have not had the great opportunity of having Mr. Camp as a teacher, I would highly suggest introducing yourself. Unfortunately, he will not be back at BCDS next year. He was recently offered a job at St. Mark’s high school where he will teach English and be the Head Coach of their football team. He has been a great asset to the Beaver community and will be missed by everyone when he leaves.
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Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Mr. Greenberg’s Seventh Grade Class Tackles "Movie Madness"
LUCAS JUDSON ’13 (middle school)
Editor’s note: Every year, Mr. Greenberg’s seventh grade class undertakes a moviemaking project. You can see Diego Fiori’s film from last year on YouTube.
Summer Love is perhaps the greatest movie of its sort I have ever had the good fortune to see. This magical film is about one child, Jem Finch and Rosemary Harris during the summer after the incident with Boo Radley and Jem breaking his arm. Rosemary comes to Maycomb County instead of Dill and Jem is immediately entranced by her elegant beauty. Written by Harry Polstein and directed by Natiah Camillo. Vote for Summer Love at the seventh grade movie madness festival.
Editor’s note: As a bonus, since Lucas’ articles run a little short, here is another piece by Mr. Judson:
Hi, it’s Lucas Judson here with my weekly column. I will take Steven Manwaring’s advice and write an article about him. Steven Manwaring, as you may know, is an amazing guitarist, and he broke his wrists last week. That truly is pathetic, but not quite as bad as doing that on a Wii, or even a regular video game.
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Monday, May 5, 2008
The Mysteries of Beaver: The History of Baba and Coco
MADDY KIEFER '08 and TOPH TUCKER '08
It may not really be the sort of mystery you're used to, since you've probably never heard of it or even seen any hint of it. But sixty years ago, the Beaver campus, in addition to students, had a small collection of animals! A storybook written by the fourth grade class (oh yeah, they also had an elementary school) in 1940 tells the tale of two of these animals: Baba the lamb and Coco the goat. Rescued from the archives, read the full story (with pictures!) after the break.
THE HISTORY of BABA AND COCO
Story by
Joan Adie
Dotty Beckwith
Isabel Closson
Nancy Eaton
Patsy Fahnestock
Barbara Hicks
Anne Hopkins
Edie Howes
Teedy LaCroix
Joan Olmsted
Isabelle Paine
Pegsy Tyler
Judy Wyatt
Nancy Fay Williams
Photographs by
Pegsy Tyler
Miss Lincoln
Miss Lundstedt
Miss Torrey
Dr. Williams
Manuscript Writing by
Miss Lincoln
To
Miss Voorhees
who loves animals,
especially
these two,
this book is dedicated.
---
THE HISTORY
of
BABA AND COCO
by CLASS FOUR
BEAVER COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL
MAY 1940
---
INTRODUCTION
This is a book about two unusual animals. You may have heard of Mary's little lamb who went to school, but did you ever hear of a goat and a lamb who went to school together? That is what Baba and Coco have done. Many times this year we have heard their feet come tap-tapping down the hall and into the classrooms. They have even been in plays.They are great friends although they are very different. Baba is calm and patient. He has quiet manners. Coco is just the opposite. He is frisky and mischievous and is likely to set a bad example for Baba. He is a smart little goat and he knows it very well too. He cannot bear to be last. He has even grabbed the first page in this book, even though it is mostly about Baba.
This is Coco. He looks like an ordinary goat, but he isn't. Once he went down the slide you see in the picture. When you run, he comes jumping after you. He has a tiny tail and when you spank him, he wags it
Here is Baba, our lamb. His wool was three inches thick, so Mr. Crory sheared him. But you will hear about the shearing somewhere else in the book. This is when he was not sheared. He is visiting the rabbits. Don't you think his wool looks thick?
Coco is feeling lively today. He knows it is meal-time and he is eager to get breakfast. We shut the log cabin door when we get his food so he won't gobble it all up. He gets very impatient when he is waiting and jumps up on the door. But the door is locked and he can't get in this time.
Baba knows we are putting his food in his pan inside the log cabin. He is trying to get the door open to get in to his food. But he isn't as frisky as Coco is. He waits patiently and does not jump for his breakfast. There is a pail of water outside the door, but Baba is not interested. He says, "Breakfast comes first."
This is the day that everybody has been waiting for, and that is to see Baba being sheared. Mr. Crory is shearing him. His legs are tied together so he will not kick. The children are watching from outside the fence. If you touch Baba's wool, it is very oily. It is yellow inside. Baba is being very good.
How would you like to help shear Baba? That is what we are doing in this picture. Everybody is going to have a turn. Nowadays our wool clothes are made in factories. Children do not often get the chance to cut the wool off the lamb and go through the whole process of making something useful out of it.
Coco was taken out for a little walk so that he wouldn't make Baba excited while he was being sheared. In this picture he has just come back and is wishing that Baba would come and play with him. Poor Baba is having a bad time of it, but he is almost finished.
Now the shearing is over and Baba is feeling a little embarrassed without his coat. He does not know what is going to happen to it.
If you could have seen Baba's wool when it was first cut off! It was dirty and greasy and full of straws and sticks. So we washed it and dried it and picked it over till it was clean. Then one sunny day we went out-of-doors and dyed it blue and red and yellow. Some of it we left white.
Before wool can be spun it has to be carded. The cards have little wires that comb the fibres so they all go one way. We are carding in this picture. Coco has come to see what it's all about.
Spinning is the most fun, even though it is hard. You give the spindle a twirl and that twists the thread. Sometimes it breaks, but you must not be discouraged. A little practice will make you a good spinner.
At last we have begun weaving. Back and forth, back and forth go our shuttles. The gay colors are growing on our looms. The cloth will soon be done.
Coco is inviting Baba to spend the summer with him at camp and Baba has accepted his invitation. Do you think they will be glad to come back to school next fall? We hope they will be able to go into the fifth grade.
We want to say thank you to Madame Lannoye for helping us about spinning.
We also got ideas about spindles from
The Weaver's Craft - Simpson
Thanks to Ms. Boylan for finding and scanning the storybook
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Thursday, May 1, 2008
A (Rather Long) Day in the Life of the Beaver Girls’ Lacrosse Team
MADDY KIEFER '08
On April 11, after our Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team suffered a loss in our first game of the season, all we wanted to do was go home, eat a big dinner, and forget about the game we just had. Unfortunately for us, fate had something else in store. After driving for about five minutes, our bus broke down in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, a.k.a. No Man’s Land.
Our engine died once we reached the top of a hill on Route 24, and Bruce, our friendly bus driver, informed us that we had to wait for another bus to take us home. It would probably be about two hours before we could head back. Upon hearing this information, everyone looked around uneasily, eyeing the vast swaths of forest and highway and the complete lack of civilization beyond the cars zipping by.
Suddenly, everyone was starving. Regardless of the fact that we had just eaten four packs of Chewy bars, somehow being stranded created a very, very powerful second wave of hunger. As if that weren’t enough, the entire team began to feel claustrophobic, so we filed off the bus and onto the area of grass beside the highway. Jesse Rosenberg ’09 whipped out her phone and insisted that she was going to find a pizza place that would deliver to a deserted bus off of I-95.
Initially, she didn’t have any luck, but she eventually reached Joe from Domino’s. After telling him her entire life story (“So we just were like KILLED in our lacrosse game—we lost like 15-0, it was terrible…. And now we are all SO HUNGRY and we have been here for hours and we really need food!”), she finally convinced him that he had to deliver to us for the sake of our well-being. My bet is that we were the only business they had that night—plus, we were ordering five pizzas, and an order that size had probably come along twice in Portsmouth history.
Everyone relaxed once Joe told us it would be about 45 minutes until the food arrived. We began playing some of our typical team bonding games, one of which included people screaming “HIIIYAAAA!” at random intervals. This, of course, caused some passing commuters to stare—as if 17 girls in skirts stranded on the side of the highway wasn’t strange enough already.
We grew bored of “hiya,” so we started waving at cars and trying to get trucks to honk their horns, but this decision was a big mistake. A few teammates (who will remain anonymous) decided to wave frantically at an ambulance as it passed. No more than five minutes later, two police cars arrived on the scene. Turns out the ambulance called for backup. They thought we were medically impaired, and Officer Brian Peters told us that “an emergency was no laughing matter.” But it was clear that, like Joe from Dominoes, Brian had nothing better to do that night, and he stayed long enough for Laura Bulkeley '08 to snap a picture of him.
We continued to play games after Brian left, but it started to get a little chilly as the sun began to set. When Dominic, another employee of Domino’s, delivered our pizza and cinnamon sticks, we all layered up (including Alex Strawbridge '10, who wore Bruce’s giant Red Sox jacket, and Nicole Cassels ’08, who wore Ms. Anderson’s sweatpants) and ate in a “progressive” circle on the side of the highway.
After two and a half hours of excitement, Steve finally arrived with our new bus. After giving him a newspaper and some pizza to eat while he waited for the tow truck to come, the entire team (including Bruce, who would stay our loyal and loving bus driver) migrated to the new bus and began our two hour trek back to Beaver. Bruce entertained us by giving a fully detailed account on how he became a bus driver. Apparently, as the football team’s captain, he was the most popular guy in school, and went on to fight in the Vietnam War before creating a cement company with his brother. After his brother passed away five years ago, he closed the company and decided to have pizza parties on the side of the road with awesome teams like ours.
Eventually, after a very long and certainly eventful evening, we returned to Beaver. Although it wasn’t exactly the Friday night that everyone expected to have, it was definitely something that the team will remember for years to come. We slept easy that night knowing that we gave the town of Portsmouth the most exciting night they’ve had in a long, long time.
Further reading:
Wikipedia entry on the glorious town of Portsmouth, RI
Thanks to Ms. Anderson and Laura Bulkeley for the photos!
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Where are they now? - Mr. Lenci
TOPH TUCKER '08
Kent Lenci taught 6th Grade Humanities and 7th Grade History at Beaver for several years, in addition to briefly serving as Middle School Dean. He may have left four years ago, but his legacy lives on...
Mr. Lenci sends along this message:
"Anna Soybel's ceramic pig adorns my window sill at school (yes, I know that she, too, has moved on from the Beav), and Frankie Orangecapris (the attractive, orange rat) hangs from my bulletin board (I believe he was named by the [class of '07]). I teach seventh grade history and head the social studies department at Brookwood, which is a coed, pre-K through 8 school in Manchester, MA. To most in the Beaver community, it is old news that Jessica Stillman and I were married in July of 2006; to some it may not be.
"I think of you all often! Best wishes to the whole crowd."
As for anyone wondering about the whereabouts of everyone's favorite class bird, he says, "I fabricate my own enticing birdseed, which has lured Wheedle from whence he once perched outside my former classroom."
Don't worry, I bet he still visits now and then. :) Many thanks to Mr. Lenci for the update!
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