| GENERATING IMPACT: PREP BEYOND 50
This is a good time to be at Santa Fe Prep. We’ve built out the campus, assembled a phenomenal teaching faculty, and earned a well-deserved reputation for outstanding programs.
So now, at the center of our 50th campaign priorities, the focus is the students themselves: inspired, talented, engaged young people whose path to purpose threads through every aspect of the Prep experience. Through our Generating Impact campaign we are going to build greater excellence in our student body at a time of critical need in the Santa Fe community.
Specifically, the campaign will increase the School’s significance by asking our community to support one of 5 priorities: Tuition Assistance, Classroom Renovations, Sun Mountain Field, a Sustaining Fund, and an endowment for Breakthrough Santa Fe. Together, we will ensure that the impact of a Prep education will be resounding and affirm our position as the leading independent school in northern New Mexico. Keep an eye out for more to come...
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Please help us spread the word about our great school! Our annual Admissions Open House will be held on Friday, October 24th, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. We hope you will encourage anyone who may be interested in learning more about Prep to attend this event. Prospective students and families will have a chance to hear from some of our students, see our fabulous faculty in action, and tour the campus.
Like last year, we will have Prep Admissions Open House signs available--so let us know if you would be willing to put one in front of your house or business. We also welcome parent volunteers at this event, so please be in touch with Mary or Mike, in the Admissions office if you would like to help out. Be sure to check out our new Admissions Video, and please pass it on!
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A big THANK YOU goes to the parents, faculty, and staff who made this year's open house such a meaningful experience. From Board Chair Kelsey Daly Brown and 50th Campaign Chair Carol Romero-Wirth’s rallying remarks about our Generating Impact Campaign to the classroom visits, to the delicious lunch we shared, the day was a community effort, informative and fun. Add the “ribbon cutting” on our fabulous new Sun Mountain Field and we had an eventful and full day!
We give special thanks to Carol Laposata for heading up this year's hospitality for the Parents' Association, and for all the parents who pitched in. A thanks also goes to alumni parent Bill Fishbein for the organic sustainable coffee that fueled our day. We loved having so many of our parents on campus--thank you all for coming.
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Meet Ezekiel Alva! After struggling to excel in math and science last year, Ezekiel Alva credits Breakthrough with reawakening his love of learning. And for Ezekiel, Breakthrough is a family affair. His two older brothers are in the program, and there is one more Alva waiting anxiously in the wings to apply. So it’s no surprise that Ezekiel first learned about Breakthrough from his two older brothers. “I wanted to continue my family’s Breakthrough legacy,” he explained when asked what got him interested in the program. “They loved it, and I wanted to follow in their footsteps.” Ezekiel’s older brother, Elijah, is excited to go to college next fall, and he’s grateful to be able to leave his little brother behind, knowing that Breakthrough will continue to inspire him for years to come.
Above: Ezekiel Alva buckles down in class.
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Lisa VeneKlasen ’77 will speak to the Upper School students during assembly on October 20th at 9:45 am about her international defense of women’s rights—please join us in the auditorium for this event!
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Many modern families have a love-hate relationship with Media and
Technology. It can help us plan and track more efficiently. We laugh at funny animal videos together. We relax and escape at the end of a day with zombies and detectives galore. We keep up with friends and family in far away places. But technology can also be a roadblock to engaged work and family life. We watch television or read posts instead of getting enough sleep or exercise. We lose track of time playing video games or shopping online instead of doing homework or enjoying family meals together. What’s your family plan for a healthy relationship with media? Click here to read up on Recommended Daily Tech Doses, Netiquette and Cybersafety.
- Mikahla Beutler, School Counselor
- Claire Romero, Learning Specialist
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The Prep Volleyball Team played in the Santa Fe Indian School Invitational Tournament last weekend and won the Gold Bracket with a notable victory over McCurdy 3-0, and also beat Desert Academy 3-1 in the final match.
Our Girls' Varsity Soccer Team continued a positive streak in districts over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Monte del Sol. The Boys also beat Monte 2-0 at the MRC field--a special feat since they have never defeated the MDS Dragons on their home turf. The Boys' JV Team also continue to play well, with a recent 5-0 victory over perennial foe St. Mike's.
The recent overnight Fencing trip to the NM Open at Tucumcari was a great success. Coach Rob Madril reflects, "It is always scary to venture out of our small pond to fence with bigger fish, but that is the only way to improve, and I am happy to say that I saw improvement from one day to the next. I am proud of their effort, good cheer, and sportsmanship." To make the most of the trip, fencers competed in both the junior and senior events. The team's next (and final) challenge is a home event on Saturday, November 1st.
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IESS Overnight Field Trip
The Integrated Earth Systems Science (IESS) class visited the Bull of the Woods Meadow for the first of four camping excursions last weekend. Eight students were accompanied by Melissa Carl and Eric Rounds for the overnight in the yurt maintained by the Southwest Nordic Centre. The students made the 2-mile hike to the meadow nestled between Wheeler Peak and Gold Hill. The IESS class investigates topics related to New Mexico wilderness, from extractive industry activity to invasive species. Students conduct independent research and produce a report at the conclusion of the class.
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Astronomy Overnight Field Trip
Prep's Astronomy Class went to Chaco Culture National Historic Park in late September to attend their Night Sky Program. The class arrived just after 5pm, which allowed time to set up camp for their overnight stay. The program began just after sunset when a park ranger described the significance of the night sky to ancient cultures and pointed out some of the outstanding astrological petroglyphs of the park. Following the lecture, students peered through the center's telescopes and later headed back to camp to set up their own telescopes to enjoy the amazing night sky. Students viewed the Ring Nebula, the Dumbbell Nebula, and the Andromeda Galaxy, to name a few.
Thank you to our parents who worked to make the trip happen--from making reservations at the campsite to buying food for the overnight stay and helping load the bus on Tuesday morning. And a special thanks as well to our 8th grade science teacher, Jim Heidenberger, and senior Eliza Harrison for bringing their fantastic telescopes.
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Alumni Wedding
Congratulations to Biology Teacher Austin (York) Reilly '00 and Peter Reilly '01 who celebrated their marriage on September 22nd in the mountains of Colorado. Peter and Austin first met at Santa Fe Prep in middle school and have remained close friends since.
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| US PLAY: PICNIC
NOVEMBER 21, 22 & 23
The 1953 Pulitzer Prize winning play Picnic by William Inge will open next month in Prep's Driscoll Auditorium. Our strong cast of 11 will bring to life the challenges women faced in a conservative Midwestern society. More details to follow in next month's
e-news.
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| GRANDPARENTS' DAY
NOVEMBER 25TH
Don't forget to ask grandparents to mark their calendars for Tuesday, November 25th! We welcome our grandparents to a special day on campus. Granparents join us to visit their grandchildren’s classes, attend a school performance, and have a special lunch on campus.
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| - That Tom Cork’s AP Environmental Science Class will use butterfly larvae to investigate energy flow? More on this as discoveries unfold!
- That the Prep campus is being considered as a site for adding a new night observation camera as part of NASA’s All Sky Fireball Network?
- That our college counseling team, Story Leonard and Jamie Stone, put in more than 40 hours per student to help each find and apply successfully to good-fit colleges? Only 26% of public schools have a college counselor and 73% of private schools have one--whereas we have two for our small school. Add in the time the teachers take to write personal letters of recommendation for every student, and we’ve got some kids with bright futures ahead.
- That for over a decade, Santa Fe Prep and the Lannan Foundation have developed a partnership that brings leading writers and thinkers to meet with students at Prep to discuss the ideas that shape our culture? Luminaries like George Saunders, Lydia Davis, Gore Vidal, Margaret Atwood and many others have graced our auditorium. Stay tuned for this year’s visits.
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| FLU SHOT CLINIC
Students can receive a Flu Vaccine on Tuesday, October 21st, 11:00 am-1:00 pm, at the bottom of the library. Permission forms are in the front office, and students must have a signed form to receive mist or a shot. Forms can be turned in prior to or on the 21st at the clinic. For more information, contact Rennae Ross: 505-795-7522 or rross@sfprep.org
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| A RARE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT On Thursday, October 30th, at 7:30 pm, the senior class and the faculty of the English department will attend the Globe Theatre Company's renowned performance of Shakespeare’s King Lear at the Lensic. The Globe Theatre Company has toured productions throughout the world, and we are deeply fortunate to have them perform here in Santa Fe. Seeing the play live will greatly enhance the seniors’ understanding of King Lear, which they will be reading in English classes this month. Anyone interested in attending the Globe's performance should reserve tickets now as the Lensic expects this event to sell out.
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| OVER 100 COLLEGE REPS DESCENDING ON PREP THIS FALL
Look out juniors and seniors! College reps from all over the US and even St. Andrews Scotland (the third oldest university in the English-speaking world) will be coming to our campus to meet our students and tell them about the outstanding programs at their schools.
This is a wonderful opportunity for our seniors to connect with the first reader on their application and for juniors to learn about different kinds of colleges to determine what will be a good fit. Junior and senior families can check out the updated visit list on Naviance. For more information, contact Story Leonard or Jamie Stone.
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| GARDENING TAP DONATIONS Fall is a great time to thin out irises, day lilies, or even trees and bushes. If anyone has plants, bulbs or rhizomes that they would like to donate, the Gardening TAP will delightedly accept them and plant them around campus. Donations can be dropped off at Room 15, or parents can contact Br. Doug Lynam.
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| THE INSIDE STORY
Interested in a thriller about the inner workings of the CIA? Join Prep parent Valerie Plame Wilson, co-author Sarah Lovett, and journalist
Mary-Charlotte Domandi at Collected Works on Wednesday, November 5th at 6 pm for a conversation about Valerie's second spy thriller, BURNED.
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