When my children were young, I thought to myself “Okay, these are the toughest, most demanding years. If we can just get them into Kindergarten, then things will be much more calm and manageable.” But, alas, this wasn’t the case. With primary and middle school years brought a whole new list of demands, priorities, and worries. So then I thought, “Okay, once I get them to high school, then it will be smooth sailing.” Well, not so much. The issues change, but the intensity and emotionality of our work as parents is only heightened. College is no longer that theoretical concept we discussed years ago with a financial planner. It’s really going to happen. And all of the social growth and issues with which these kids need to contend amid this pressure cooker scenario makes my head spin. It’s a wonderful time, but let’s be honest: being a parent is tough business. 

During our opening weekend at school, we heard from Ms. Jenifer Lippincott, a human development professional who focuses her work on teenagers. Ms. Lippincott is the author of 7 Things Your Teenagers Won’t Tell You (And How to Talk About Them Anyway) and has been quoted in numerous national publications. I think her main points are worth repeating. 

1. Anxious parents create anxious kids. Now, as parents, we all know that a certain amount of anxiousness is inevitable. Being anxious for them only sends them the message that you have no faith in their being able to manage their issues and accomplish their goals. 

2. Teenagers' brains really are different from ours. They are not fully developed until about 25 years old (depending on many factors, or course). They often distort things that seem completely obvious to us as parents, and they dramatize everything, in part, to compensate for this distortion. This explains why we often end up scratching our heads after having them restate what we just explained to them. 

3. Controlling them should not be the goal. When tweens become teens, their fundamental relationship with their parents changes. Teens need their parents every bit as much, but less as “coach” and more as a “consultant.” It’s less about controlling a teen’s every action, and more about guiding them through their high school journey, and ever so slowly, putting more and more responsibility in their hands. 

4. Friends don’t matter as much as you might think. This one surprised me, but I am finding it true as a parent. We as parents remain the most influential people in our kids’ lives. 

5. Taking risks gives them power. In a recent survey of private school students, their number one priority was to be at a school where, in essence, they could assume adult-like roles and responsibility. So the stage, the athletic field, the debate team, the chapel talk – all of these endeavors allow students to grow in some of the most important ways. Kids are hungry to take risks, and we must embrace them, as long as those risks are healthy and productive. 

These are just a few of my notes on what Ms. Lippincott presented during student orientation last week. I encourage you to post some of your own thoughts about these points in the “Comments” section below. I’m interested to hear from you.

Parenting: It’s tough, it’s wonderful, and it’s the most important role any one of us will ever play.

For example, the Junior Fellows who helped staff the Summer Programs at Webb were an integral part of the success of those programs. Mrs. Wishek, the director of summer programs, couldn’t say enough about the work ethic, the intelligence, the independence, the caring that every single one gave every day. “I tell them, these jobs are yours,” she explained to me. “If you don’t perform them, they won’t get done. You are needed here, and everything you do here matters – people are relying on you.”

The same is also true of our Vivian Webb student teachers in the G.I.R.L.S. Camp. With Mrs. Kingsbury’s support, the student leaders themselves designed and implemented an exciting, week-long curriculum in the sciences for middle school girls, which included organizing outings, teaching, and encouraging the girls to create their own experiments. They may very well have changed those girls’ lives by encouraging their budding interest in the sciences and supporting their emerging sense of themselves as real-life scientists.  

Our two faculty paleontologists, Dr. Don Lofgren and Dr. Andy Farke, worked with student leaders this summer in Montana and South Dakota in support of their research project, which will be presented at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Conference in Pittsburgh later this fall. More than 20 of our students accompanied Dr. Farke to the Grand Staircase Escalante Monument to prospect for new localities and to continue the collection of a nearly complete plant-eating dinosaur skeleton that was found by one of our students at the end of last year’s expedition. Amazingly, on the last day of this year’s expedition, what may be a very important find was made by one of our juniors – building up even more excitement for what the next trip will uncover.

These are only a few examples of the many leadership opportunities our students undertook off-campus this summer. Altogether, it is a testament to how they as young adults are defining who they are, what they really want and care about – what they value – and how they lead. It’s not hard to be proud of them and of our school. 

Mr. Kevin Quick, a science department faculty member and assistant on our summer Peccary Trip, handed me a fist-sized rock cobble with a piece of fossil bone poking out of the side.

"Where did you find that?!" I exclaimed. Seeing a distinctive dimpled texture on the bone's surface, I was definitely intrigued. Not only was it from a crocodile, it was a piece of crocodile skull! A very rare find, indeed.

This is just one snapshot of a day collecting fossils in southern Utah. Every summer, Alf Museum staff, Webb faculty, students, and volunteers make the trek from Claremont to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. As one of the last, great, unexplored dinosaur deposits in the continental United States, a major find could turn up at any time. In 2004, a museum volunteer found the skull of a new species of dinosaur. In 2005, a Webb student discovered the partial skeleton of a previously unknown tyrannosaur. And just a few weeks ago, this non-descript piece of rock added another important dimension to our knowledge of Earth's past.

Although our primary purpose is scientific, these summer Peccary Trips (named after a peccary, or pig, skull found on an early expedition) also offer important life lessons for our Webb students. We have to hike several miles across some of Utah's most remote and rugged terrain just to get to the edge of the fossil beds. This effort isn't purely physical - it also takes a mental toughness to push through to the end. Even the students who have never camped or hiked in such conditions before quickly rise to the challenge. In the pursuit of discovering fossils, students learn perseverance and the importance of teamwork, and this new crocodile find would prove to be a great challenge.

The cobble of rock had a relatively fresh broken surface, so more bone had to be out there somewhere. One of the most basic rules of fossil collecting is to always follow the bone uphill. In this case, the task was daunting. The original find was found at the bottom of a steep 100-foot high slope covered in brush, loose rock, and mud from a recent rainstorm. The fossil could have come from nearly anywhere!

Recruiting a half-dozen students, Mr. Quick started the arduous task of locating the original bone layer. Literally leaving no stone unturned, they spent nearly two hours on that slope. Searching on the last day of the trip, we didn't have a lot of time, so this could be our only chance to find the rest of the specimen.

Finally, Sam Woodward ’12 found it. A thin lens of sandstone, nearly entirely obscured by loose debris, hosted a big chunk of crocodile skull. Sam and Mr. Quick did a fantastic job of carefully exposing the fossil, using small hand tools and special glues to preserve the delicate bone. I let out a brief exclamation of extreme happiness - this could be a major find!

We only had a few hours left before we had to leave the field, not nearly enough time to properly collect the specimen. Furthermore, I could see that the find was potentially large enough that we would need an excavation permit to continue. Sadly, we will have to endure another long lesson in patience as it won’t be until next year when find out just how much of that crocodile is in the hillside. Somewhat reluctantly, we stabilized the specimen and covered the site for the coming winter.

Mr. Quick, the students, and I are all abuzz about our latest find.  How much of the crocodile skull is there? What kind of crocodile is it? Is it a species new to science? After 75 million years, we'll just have to wait one more year to find out.

Every child continues to be, happily, a teenager though I am sensing more pressure from their parents than in previous years. As David Eklund, Professor of Child Development at Tufts University, once wrote, “Children have a right to a playful childhood.” But in their need to assure some undefined end to education for their child, we still have parents over-programming their children. And that concerns me.  

It concerns me that we continue to get questions from parents in our interviews that really don’t get to the heart of our school. Instead, what I continue to get are questions about what I call “stuff,” i.e., “How many/what percent get into Harvard, Yale, Stanford….or just name the celebrity college.” “What are your average test scores?” “What is your ranking among other boarding schools?” (Sorry, there is no such thing, but saying that is a losing cause.) “How many AP’s do you have?” “Can my child accelerate in mathematics?”  Yet, none of these seem to indicate any real sense of what should be the real purpose of a school. We are not a conglomerate of cookie cutter institutions and we all have our idea of what should constitute a true learning experience. There are different approaches to the classroom and what should be a holistic educational experience. That means some teenagers find just the right fit for a particular school and some do not. Drilling it all down to statistics, then, simply does not get to the heart of a school resulting in, perhaps, poor decisions on the part of the parent…or student.

So here are the 8 questions I really do wish parents would ask me as we walk the campus; questions, frankly, I never hear:

1. Will my child be known? Every child, particularly teenagers, simply wants to know that they have an identity - that their talents are recognized and that the adults on campus work hard to get to know the person inside. I believe that when children know they are valued for who they are, they will always do great things - and the right things.


2. Will the school embrace the curious? So many classrooms are about insisting students learn the way they are taught as opposed to teaching the way students learn. Curiosity needs to be encouraged and expected. Right answers are only those found through discovery.


3. Will my child be encouraged to dream? At what other time in their lives do children have the opportunity to just dream about what could be? How does a school encourage dreaming? Perhaps, as George Carlin once said, “It’s o.k. for our children to engage every day in two hours of pure, unadulterated, uninterrupted day-dreaming!” Sadly, we have them so busy that they do not learn the joy of dreaming about what could be.


4. Will thinking out loud be expected? I believe the classrooms where the best learning exists are those where one finds controlled chaos - students working together; coached not lectured to; ideas being challenged when they aren’t supported by information. Ah, now that’s the classroom where learning becomes special…and so few schools can pull this off. Hmm.


5. Are right and wrong defined? It’s not about a set of rules outside of one: “Behave.” There is a right and there is a wrong and intuitively students know exactly where the boundaries are unless the school is fuzzy about them. Schools that know who they are and know their mission know how to define boundaries and they don’t mix messages in the face of parental opposition when their child crosses those boundaries.


6. Are teachers coaches, or simply givers of information? Dr. Theodore Sizer, the late visionary educator, suggested that teachers become coaches rather than simply distributors of education. Helping students reach conclusions through Socratic dialogue and deep research requires a new breed of teachers where the answer only comes through hard work on the part of both.


7. Will mastery of subjects be expected? Another aphorism of Dr. Sizer’s takes a different approach to what should constitute true mastery of a subject. Too often grades are given simply to those who do the most prodigious amount of work, the most “extra-credit;” the most assertive student; the most attentive student.  But how does a school demand true mastery and what does that mean? Shouldn’t the grade reflect complete understanding demonstrated in a variety of ways outside fill-in-the-bubble tests?


8. Are teachers allowed to be teachers and parents allowed to be parents?  Independent schools have enrollment contracts for specific reasons. They outline the agreement to which the school promises to deliver exactly what it presents itself as during the admission/recruitment process and by enrolling in the school, parents agree that they understand this. There are certain promises every school makes but few can guarantee entrance into Yale, for example. The rules don’t change for the school or the parent once the school year opens. Teachers must have the confidence they can teach without undue pressure to guarantee A’s. Parents have a responsibility to provide the support and encouragement for their child and find the appropriate level of engagement with their school.

There are, perhaps, a few more I would add to this list but engaging parents in these types of questions, frankly, energizes me as an educator - which we admission directors are first and foremost. If I could not answer these questions, I would have to think about my ability to represent the school. And if I did spend more time with parents on these types of questions, I would learn more about their aspirations for their child and could help them make an informed decision about attending our school.

Wow!! Even though The Webb Schools enjoy excellent college placements each year, not since the Class of 1999 have I seen such a stellar performance in terms of how well the senior class did with their college admissions!

Some notable accomplishments:

-We finally broke the dry spell with the almighty MIT! Thank you, Charles!

-Not one, not two, but three to Harvard – the hardest school in the world to be admitted to this year!

-Multiple admits to the other Ivies, Stanford, and other super-selective schools in a year when admit rates to top tier* colleges were at an all time low!

*Top tier is defined as the top 50 National Universities and top 50 National Liberal Arts Colleges as ranked by U.S. News & World Report for 2010

"It's a miracle!" I heard some lower classmen say one day as they were hearing the news of acceptances coming in for the seniors this past April. Looking at the results this year, and knowing the incredible selectivity this class was faced with, it may have felt that only a miracle could produce so many acceptances to such outstanding colleges. The fact is, however, that the seniors accomplished this the old fashion way, through hard work, dedication, and amazing attention to details! While having luck on your side helps, no one got into college by chance or by mistake. Every admission decision this class received was well thought out, purposeful, and meaningful. In fact, the only miracle that happened this year is that I started going to the gym on a regular basis! Now that's a miracle!

Here are more interesting facts and figures for you to take in:

Webb School of California – 44 boys in the senior class filed 364 applications to 116 colleges and received 204 acceptances (56% admit rate). Each boy applied to an average of 8.3 colleges. 73% applied to the University of California system and 94% of them were admitted. 36% applied to the Ivy League, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT, and 31% of them were admitted. 93% applied to the top tier colleges/universities (not including U.C. and Ivy League) such as Duke; Georgetown; Johns Hopkins; University of Chicago; Washington Univ. St. Louis; Middlebury; Wesleyan; Brandeis; Colgate; Vassar; Colby; New York University; Davidson; Macalester; Carnegie Mellon; University of Richmond; Colorado College; Occidental; USC and the Claremont Colleges, and 93% of them were admitted. 86% were admitted to at least one of their top choice colleges. 100% of the boys’ class was admitted to a selective four-year college.

Vivian Webb School – 45 girls in the senior class filed 343 applications to 120 colleges and received 219 acceptances (64% admit rate). Each girl applied to an average of 7.6 colleges. 64% applied to the University of California system and all of them were admitted. 31% applied to the Ivy League, Stanford, Cal Tech, and MIT, and 43% of them were admitted. 98% applied to the top tier colleges/universities (not including U.C. or Ivy League) such as U.S. Air Force Academy; Wellesley; Wesleyan; Georgetown; Johns Hopkins; Barnard; Vanderbilt; Northwestern; Boston College; Hamilton; Bryn Mawr; Vassar; New York University; Trinity College; Reed; Kenyon; Colorado College; Occidental; USC and the Claremont Colleges, and 87% of them were admitted.  91% were admitted to at least one of their top choice colleges. 100% of the girls’ class was admitted to a selective four-year college.

It was also another strong year for girls (almost 50% of the class) applying to Women’s Colleges. 86% of these girls were admitted and 15% of the class plans to attend a Women’s College. Vivian Webb School continues to lead the way as one of the top “feeder” schools to America's most prestigious Women’s Colleges with an average matriculation rate of nearly 20% over the past 10 years.

Overall, 83% of the Class of 2010 will be attending a college ranked in the top 10% in the nation (based on data from U.S. News & World Report on 1600 accredited, 4-year colleges and universities in the U.S.). On average, each senior received an acceptance letter from 5 of 8 colleges (over 60% of the schools to which they applied). 42% will be attending college in the West, 3% in the Mid-West, 10% in the South, 44% in the East, 1% in another country.

Congratulations on a job well done, and best wishes as you take your places in the nation’s leading colleges and universities!

Click here for a list of ALL college acceptances for the Class of 2010.

Click here to see a photo gallery from this year's Roll Call Assembly.

I am returning from a two-day meeting of CFOs who serve on the board of the National Business Officer Association.  Peppered among talk of association business, we spent many hours comparing notes about the financial health of our schools and sharing concerns.  I admire and respect these colleagues immensely, and I see this small, representative sample as a good barometer for best-thinking about the economy and what challenges lie ahead for schools.

My colleagues worry aloud about parents affording the independent school experience, about providing faculty and staff with fair wages and good benefits.  We talk about controlling the uncontrollable in an economy where prices are increasing for things like food, health benefits, insurance, utilities and supplies.  We wish for more funding to invest in aging physical plants.  In somber voices, some share stories about sacrificing heretofore programmatic sacred cows in the name of financial sustainability.  All have felt impacts of a changed economic environment, yet there is unevenness.  Some schools are experiencing record enrollments, and everyone knows of at least one school that has closed their doors.  We commiserate about how our schools are struggling under waves of new regulation.  And while seeing to the day-to-day operations of our schools, we agree that we must keeping a wary eye on the horizon looking for signs of proverbial bad weather that is likely in an economic environment of ongoing uncertainty and volatility. 

Webb has a long history of thriving in tough times.  Our financial operation, reserves and physical plant have come a long way from the days when Pappy Webb took chickens in trade for tuition. It is that strong financial footing that allowed Webb to weather the 2008 financial crisis.  Conservative practice and generous donors allowed us to build a safety net of reserves.  Creative thinking, hard work, frugal practice and individual sacrifice led to efficiencies that enabled us to preserve those funds.  Throughout the past two years, when others have faltered or failed, we have been at our best, adhering to conservative financial plans and working together to protect the best interest of our school.  We are among the success stories, but we realize that like all independent schools we are not immune to changes in the economy.

Looking ahead, we expect smooth sailing.  Looking ahead, we expect some turbulence.  Today, enrollment looks stable, endowment values are rebounding, donors continue to be generous, capital projects are ongoing, contingency plans are in place, and most importantly we are providing financially for what is core to our Mission.  We won’t always be able to see beyond the clouds.  Tomorrow, the weather may change, but Webb is on a firm financial footing and positioned to handle whatever lies ahead.

The steward’s voice comes over the speaker announcing our approach to Ontario.  I gaze out at blue skies and the San Gabriel Mountains.  It’s good to be home. 

The first time I saw a cell phone was on the Movie Wall Street in the mid 1980s. It was roughly the size of a car battery. Now we all have them and they fit in our pockets or purse. Email was the next step in getting connected. My friend from college works for the government, and in the early 1990’s, he told me that he was using something called electronic mail. Neither of us had any idea how that technology would transform society when it was adapted into a private sector product several years later. And then a few years back, I started hearing about MySpace, and then the “college version of MySpace” – something called Facebook. I thought it was terrible that people had to stay connected via the Internet, but then I took the leap and now enjoy my Facebook interactions tremendously. Yes, I still get the awkward “friend” request from the kid on the playground from when I was in the fourth grade (who I didn’t really know then, and most likely have little in common with now), for the most part however it is rather fascinating to reconnect with family and friends, past and present. And now we have Twitter, YouTube, Skype, and numerous other ways of communicating and staying connected on the net. Devices themselves have also changed dramatically. When I was in high school, we had a computer literally the size of a room. It was a mysterious creature – something out of Lost In Space. I remember being afraid of even being around it. And then a computer suddenly could fit on your desk, and then in your hand, and then in spaces invisible to the naked eye.

Social networking sites represent the greatest change to how community is formed, and how human connections are made. At the time of this posting, Facebook has over 400 million subscribers, with approximately 100 million of those subscribers accessing it via a handheld device. And the numbers are climbing steadily. The uses of these sites are also evolving – from centers of basic information to multi-media presentations including movies, tutorials, blogs, etc. (If you want to see an amazing demonstration of where the Internet is going from a tutorial standpoint, I encourage you to visit www.kahnacademy.org)

Suffice to say, electronic communication is here to stay, and places like Webb, which put at a premium on human interaction, must grapple with how best to handle this potential paradox. I’m proud of how we are approaching this issue here at school. Students, teachers and administrators are engaged at a variety of levels with how best to strike the right balance between preserving the timeless benefits of human interaction with managing the plethora of social media sites effectively and responsibly. If we balance these two forces in the right way, I believe the latter has the potential of complementing and expanding the former rather than working against it. But it’s a tricky balance to maintain and it requires an ongoing dialog with all members of the Webb community.

I am especially proud of how we recently approached the issue of Facebook access in the dorms. While we used to totally restrict Facebook on our servers, the Community Life Group, which is a group of students, faculty and staff led by Dean Brian Ogden, worked hard over a 6-month period of time to discuss the issues surrounding Facebook. The consensus was – rather than pretend Facebook and other such sites don’t exist or, perhaps even more absurd, that students aren’t currently accessing these sites with their handheld devices and other means, we are much better served by allowing students access to these sites during non-study times, and educating the community on how to use these sites responsibly, safely, and productively.

Of course, the announcement during school assemblies was received with enthusiastic cheers from the student body. More importantly though, was a student-made Power Point tutorial following the announcement (led by current senior Elle Markell).

To me, this is an excellent example of how Webb works. We carefully and deliberately make our decisions after a great deal of thought and research, and with not only adult but also student involvement. I commend the Student Life Group and the community as a whole in arriving at a good place in allowing access to Facebook with ongoing education on its use.

As we continue on this unfamiliar and complex journey of contemplating the interface between technology and community, I value greatly all perspectives on how best to achieve this balance. Much more to say and consider on this topic but for now, I’ll conclude with two specific questions:

1. What do you think the right connection/community balance is? Do you agree with how the school has handled the issue of Facebook this year?

2. As parents and school, how can we develop a stronger partnership in this area. Are the school’s policies consistent with yours at home?

I am looking forward to seeing everyone at graduation in just 2 short weeks. It’s been a good year and there is much to celebrate.

Those seven little words have been at the heart of my professional soul searching for most of my teaching career. As a secondary school math teacher, that question has come up with such regularity over the years that it prompts not just conversations in the classroom, but with colleagues and parents. It can be found as the topic of teacher workshops and key note addresses at conferences. So, why is it that we expect our children to learn something as abstract and seemingly irrelevant to the ‘real world’ as algebra?

One of the most common responses we give as teachers is that it’s not about the algebra itself, it’s about learning how to think. Now, take a moment and put that statement into context. You are standing in front of a room full of adolescents who have an entire world of other things on their minds. How do you think that statement goes over? They already know how to think, have been doing it ever since they could remember, and besides, there are fries for lunch! Well, we invariably move on and continue the lesson, and don’t really worry about it until the next time it is asked, which is usually not too far down the road.

In actuality, however, this is a pretty good answer. If we were not capable of thinking abstractly when facing a problem or new idea, how far would we have progressed? The ability to think abstractly is something that depends upon brain development, but at the same time, is something that can be learned and practiced. And since we are working with children who are at a stage in their lives where this ability is beginning to flourish for the first time, it can be a truly exciting endeavor. So why aren’t they excited about algebra? And even geometry, which seems to have countless applications, gets a bad rap in high school. I believe it’s all about framing and context. Open any high school algebra textbook and it becomes immediately obvious. x’s and y’s and countless exercises that are about as exciting as watching grass grow. And hidden away, at the end of each problem section, are a couple of word problems. Problems numbered in the high 20’s or 30’s. The section that students pray we overlook when assigning the night’s homework. “Just let me grind through the practice exercises, which are just like the examples we did in class, and I can go to sleep.” This begs the question, how much abstract thinking does this entail? What happened to the excitement of discovery? What happened to the answer to ‘Why do we have to learn this?’

If our goal is to help our students learn how to think, then those challenging ‘word problems’ need to come first. It is obvious that there is no way we can teach them to solve every problem they will face in life, so teaching them how to think creatively and abstractly when faced with a new problem is the key to their future success. They need to be able to try out different approaches, discover the ones that don’t work, as well as the ones that do. They must learn to recognize when they don’t have the tool they need to solve a problem and thus must find a new one. Learning then has a context, and there is a reason for developing a new skill. This is at the heart of what we often refer to as becoming a life-long learner, then the door is open for them to experience the joy that ultimately comes from learning for learning’s sake. This is what is at the heart of The Webb Schools Mathematics Department’s phased introduction of Problem Based Learning (PBL) in our mathematics classrooms.

We are in the process of transforming the environment in our classrooms into one which is more student-centered, more focused on discovery, and promotes discussion and presentation of each student’s ideas. The content of our math courses is not changing, however, the pedagogy behind delivering that content is. By using very carefully constructed and sequenced problems that allow the students to discover the skills and concepts found in a traditional algebra/geometry curriculum, we give them a context for their learning. At the heart of the process is nurturing their ability to independently solve challenging problems that they may not have been faced with before. We pose written problems that will ultimately require them to apply a skill they have previously developed, or will guide them in the discovery of a new skill. We then ask them to present their ideas to their classmates. They must present an argument they believe leads to a solution, and to justify it. On the other hand, they may have struggled with a particularly challenging problem and not been able to find the solution. In that case, we expect them to explain their difficulty, and see if any of their peers may have an insight that would help them. In this way we are fostering habits of mind that we all use in our day to day lives as adults, while delivering the content that we know they will need for future studies. As they become aware of their own growth as independent learners and problem solvers, the answer to the question “Why are we learning this?” becomes obvious.

As educators, this approach to teaching mathematics puts us in the position of being a mentor and coach. We pose the questions, and then step back and guide rather than direct. We allow the students to take the center stage. It is their voices you will predominantly hear in our classrooms. At the same time, somewhat behind the scenes, we are in a position to nudge the discussion if necessary. We are there to ensure that the content is recognized and that the different strands that flow though our curriculum are pulled together at the appropriate times. It is critical that the teacher recognize when to step in, and when to let the students take the lead. In this way, we encourage an environment where our students are engaged, collaborating, discovering, and developing habits of mind that will foster success, not just across Webb’s curriculum, but throughout their lives.

One of the specific philosophies of Unbounded Thinking, of The Webb Schools in general and of my own personal convictions is that it isn’t enough to simply learn. One has to do. One has to experience.

It is because of this philosophy that Webb has many outdoor and real-world experiences. We go on retreats and Peccary trips, hike in the Grand Canyon, Half Dome, Montana and Utah; travel to Spain, France, China, South America and many others every year.

As the new Science Department Chair, I wanted not only to embrace this philosophy and these adventures but to expand on them. Thus, I decided in the fall of this school year that a trip to the small country of Belize would be the perfect addition. My wife and I have had many previous travels in Belize and felt strongly that it is a very special place that Webb students should experience.

Belize is a small country of only 380,000 people that is situated on the Caribbean just below the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. It has many beautiful and remote islands within 1-2 hours’ boat ride of its mainland.  Many of these islands are uninhabited. It’s warm, pristine tropical waters boast the largest barrier reef system in the western hemisphere and is 2^nd in size only to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia (the world’s largest!).  Belize used to be called the British Honduras and was a colony of the British Empire form the mid-1800’s to the 1960’s. The English mined for precious metals, lumbered for teak, mahogany and ironwood trees and created many valuable dyes from plants found in the rainforests there. In 1968, Great Britain began the process of independence and in 1982 the country accomplished sovereignty and became known as Belize. It has amazing diversity in its plants, animals and people. There are several distinct peoples in Belize that create a varied yet cohesive culture. Mayan ancestors from the Mayan empire (its peak was 1000-1500 years ago), Spanish ancestors (from Cortez and the Spanish Incursion of the 16^th century), African ancestors (from the slave trade) that fractured into islanders, Creole and Rastafarians and Mezitos (Spanish and Mayan mixed blood). Amazingly, all of these cultures get along well together. Belize is a 3^rd world country that is both poor and yet not impoverished. By that I mean most Belizeans have little money but do have homes they built, land and space, and they grow much of their own food. The one exception is the poor who live in Belize City where a large slum exists.

The Webb students experienced all of these things as well as all of the natural wonders that exist there. We snorkeled in areas that were completely pristine and protected as well as areas that were over-fished and had lost much of their biodiversity. We snorkeled in areas where the students could see the economic and nature benefits of ecotourism and yet on the same boat trip to get there, plastic pollution and trash were evident from cruise ships even on the most remote beaches.

We canoed up ancient rivers through pristine rainforest, jumped off waterfalls and waterside cliffs. We swam into cave systems that went for miles. Leaving the water, we hiked into caverns that held the remains of ancient Mayan rituals and the skeletons of Shamans (Mayan spiritual doctors) who were considered the only guides to and through the underworld. The ancient Mayan culture made a great impression on my students and inspired respect for the knowledge, skills and courage of ancient peoples.

 Our Webb students were amazed by what they saw and experienced. I think more importantly, they experienced many priceless, thoughtful and life-changing moments first-hand of what it might have been like to be an ancient indigenous person, a poor person in a 3^rd world country of today, a farmer or a fisherman who relies on his/her daily work for food and money, and a guide who makes his/her living from tourists. Global issues were/are apparent in Belize. Our students not only became aware of these issues, they grew tremendously as thoughtful and responsible Global citizens.

To me, “way beyond the standard” means affecting our students in deep, meaningful and life-changing ways. I cannot help but feel that our Belize students will not only remember this journey, but will also be positively affected by it the rest of their lives. I know my wife and I will…

However, Webb students can be just as active in the local community where service opportunities abound. Between participation in the after-school service program or as a member of the sixty-plus member Service Council, Webb students can choose from a wide variety of volunteer projects. Over the last two years, the Service Council has focused their energies on collaborating and volunteering at a few select local agencies. These agencies include the Claremont Prison Library Project, Leroy Haynes Foster Home, Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, Global Citizens Corps, Project HOPE dog and cat adoption, the Green Club, and CLASP-Claremont After-School tutoring program. The mission of the Service Council and Webb’s service program is “service through action,” as opposed to simply writing a check or donating cash. The students select the projects they would like to lead and manage all aspects of the project. A few dedicated Webb teachers have found service as something they too are passionate about. Madame Likover is a tireless supporter of local agencies, and Ms. Wilsdon spends every weekend taking students with her to Project HOPE.

The growth and popularity of the service program at Webb over the last two years has been simply amazing. These are students who understand the value of giving back without receiving accolades or awards. And, Webb has no service requirement! Our students serve as volunteers, role models, and teachers in the community and beyond. Our students represent Webb with style and selflessness. Some have gone on to perform service or serve on boards at the national level, much like our own Kate Sim ’10, and her work with Habitat for Humanity. Several students are pursuing education degrees following their work in the after-school tutoring program. As the community service advisor, I find great reward and personal growth in leading and working alongside such incredibly dedicated students and faculty.

The Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology, a nationally accredited and globally known research institution on the Webb campus, is devoted to education and research. Some students come to Webb knowing that they want to be involved in the museum program. But, many know very little about paleontology or why a high school would have a museum. Weekend field trips (known as peccary trips) are a fantastic way to communicate this - and also a way to give kids a taste of real-life science.

On two weekends every year (one for freshman boys and one for freshman girls), students explore the desert near Barstow, California, under the guidance of Webb faculty and Alf Museum paleontologists. As one of those paleontologists, and as an advisor to freshman boys, I can attest that this experience is rewarding for everyone involved. Many of the students are a little anxious prior to the trip. Will it be hot? Will I find anything? Are there snakes? Some students have never camped out under the stars. Although fossils are the focus of the trip, it's also about stepping outside one's comfort zone and trying something new.

A typical freshman trip involves setting up camp and then hiking for a mile or two out to Webb's traditional fossil collecting localities. The students learn how to distinguish between fossil bone and rock (it gets easier with practice), as well as which specimens are collectible for research purposes and which can be left for the next person to find. The fascinating history of southern California is at center stage. Fifteen million years ago, the Mojave Desert was covered by scrubs and grass, and was the home of diminutive horses, giant camels, elephants, and bear-dogs. Horses are by far the most common finds - a little patience and luck can turn up some excellent specimens. One student recently found a perfectly preserved horse hoof, and another a horse jaw. These fossils, a priceless record of our planet's history, are collected and brought back to the museum for study by Webb students as well as outside researchers.

After a day out in the field, it's time to head back to camp. Some of the students help prepare supper (burgers on the grill), followed by s’mores on the campfire and a short talk about Webb's history of fossil collecting. Steve Sittig, one of Webb's science teachers, often brings out some telescopes. Following hours of looking down at the ground for fossils, it's only appropriate to look up to the heavens. With clear skies and little light pollution, sights like Saturn can be spectacular. We sleep out under the stars, waking early the next morning for breakfast, a few more hours of fossil collecting, and then the drive back to campus.

There is something for every student on this trip. Some confirm their dedication to paleontology and Webb's museum program and go on to immerse themselves in the museum's paleontology, museum studies, and research courses. Others have an enjoyable weekend in the outdoors and return with a few stories to tell their friends. As a paleontologist and teacher, its fun to see a student get "turned on" to science. Many kids never know how much they're going to enjoy the trip, until they give it a try. Maybe it was something about the hikes, or the camaraderie, or a particularly well-preserved fossil. No matter what the cause, these students are hooked, and keep coming back for more. This is what the museum program at Webb is really about - a unique, challenging experience that changes the way our students look at the world.

Even more impressive is that so many alumni give back to their alma mater. Each year, the Alumni Relations Office works with hundreds of alumni who contribute their time and resources to Webb. A perfect example of this is Sophomore Career Evening, an annual event sponsored by the Alumni Council that brings alumni back to campus to share their expertise and career stories with students. Steve Mercer '89 was one of this month’s speakers. Now a Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice, Steve recently appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court where he argued and won a unanimous judgment to uphold a first-degree murder conviction. Students heard his first-hand account of this extraordinary experience. Another participant was Kip Konwiser ’81, producer of the Emmy award-winning movie Miss Evers’ Boys, starring Laurence Fishburn and Alfre Woodard. Kip attributes much of his success to his Webb days where he was active in the theater department, glee club, and class president in his freshman and senior year. The 11^th Annual Sophomore Career Evening took place on Thursday, April 15, 2010.  To see the full list of alumni speakers, click here. 

Today Webb alumni total over 4,000 worldwide, in 50 states and 45 countries. To celebrate them we created two special sections of our website. The first section, Notable Alumni, is devoted to lifetime achievements. Here you will find search options by category or decade to see many fascinating profiles, such as Art Clokey '39, the creator of Gumby, or Steve Boyer '64, a retired emergency physician who donates his time in Darfur, the DRC (Congo), and most recently Haiti. You can also link to alumni such as Josh Marshall '87 who writes one of the most award-winning political blogs on the internet.

The second section, Alumni Spotlight, covers recent news and events such as a recipe by Portland restauranteur Jenn Louis '89 featured on NPR or the recent appointment of Forrest Beanum '93 as VP of Public Affairs and Communications for Coda Automotive, the company behind the first energy efficient all-electrical vehicle.

I hope you enjoy learning about our alumni throughout the world, and if you are an alumnus or alumna reading this, you can certainly rest assured that you are in good company.

Despite the incredible odds against most students all over the country and the world, we at The Webb Schools can once again enjoy some of the best acceptances offers in history, especially with the top tier schools mentioned. Few high schools in America will be able to claim one or two acceptances to these colleges among their entire graduating class, yet we are very proud of our seniors and happy to announce that the Class of 2010 has earned a record number of admit offers from almost every major Ivy League College and University along with their peer group of other outstanding schools. Over 80% of the senior class has been admitted to a college classified in the top tier of schools (by U.S. News ratings) and 100% of the class has been admitted to a national ranked four-year selective college or university – most have multiple offers and will have a hard time turning down some of these amazing schools in order to just go to one. A sample of these schools includes:

Many of these places have offered admit letters to more than one Webb/Vivian Webb student. I want to congratulate not only the students for these amazing results, but also the outstanding college guidance team, including our Director of College Guidance Hector Martinez, his assistant Sandy Ostrow, and our faculty writers of Anne Graybeal, Donald Ball, Jess Chaintreuil, and David Fitzgerald.

Click here to read the college admission and matriculation reports from previous years.

I think the success of these student athletes shows something I have been saying for years, that if you have the talent and desire to succeed, there is nothing about attending a “small school” that will prevent you from being found. If you have the ability, college coaches will find you; their job depends on it.You will notice that I put the term small school in quotations above. This is because the only way you can define Webb’s athletic program as small is to merely consider us in the narrowest terms of enrollment. There is nothing small about fielding 38 teams in 13 different sports. The Prep League, of which we are a member, could very well be the most competitive sports league in the country for schools with under 500 students. Prep League teams have won multiple CIF championships against schools many times our size. When we enter playoff competitions we are more likely to play large, public school than small, private ones, and that is because we can compete with and beat them. We are able to accomplish this through hiring great coaches and providing great facilities – in this environment we allow our athletes to reach their full potential.

I write all of the above to disabuse anyone of the notion that you are “giving up” anything athletically by choosing to attend a “small” school like Webb. In fact, it is quite the opposite. As our student athletes this year have shown, if you have the ability, you will get your opportunity. But even more important than the successful placement of our best athletes is the fact that many of our athletes go onto play at colleges that fit them both academically and athletically, where they successfully compete on the field and in the classroom.

Graduating with a Webb degree - and all that comes with it - opens doors to wonderful colleges all over the country. Recent Webb graduates are competing at Harvard, Vassar, Cal Tech, Case Western Reserve, Carnegie Mellon, Lake Forest University, Wheaton, Menlo College, Lewis and Clark and The University of Puget Sound among many others. They are playing football, soccer, volleyball, softball, baseball, cross country, track and field, water polo, swimming, and tennis.

While this post has focused on the opportunities available to our most successful student athletes, it is important to note that no matter your skill level or ability, Webb offers an engaging athletic experience consistent with the mission and values of the school. Whether you have never played a sport before or whether you have the talent and ability to play at the next level, there is a place for you in our program to learn, compete, and grow.

GO GAULS!

At Webb, you can almost feel the anxiety level rising with every day that passes. Senior after senior is asking, "Will today be the day I hear?" and "Did anyone check the mail?" Or, what is more common now than ever before, "Did you check your email [every 10 minutes] to see if any news has arrived?" Colleges are now using electronic notification as a way to expedite the admission decision to each applicant. This past Sunday, MIT, for example, sent out their decisions via email on exactly 3/14 at 1:59pm (or the "math" equivalent of π 3.14159); classic MIT style!

I tell seniors, "Be patient, your news will come." "Don't panic, think of something else." Most look at me and think, "Yeah, easy for you to say! You go through this all the time!" For them, the waiting game is pure torture and March becomes the longest month of their lives.

Even after 23 years of watching this "March Madness," it never gets old! So, imagine how nerve-racking it must be for someone going through this for the first time! I sympathize; but I also trust that each senior will find a good college to call home next year, and things will work out for the best. I love the excitement of it all, but have to admit that I wish every senior would know of all of their college decisions so that we could all get some decent sleep (seniors, their parents, and me!).

Today, in my house, and I suspect in yours, much of these day-to-day financial activities are done in the confines of a computer screen, and the kids have no idea about the comings and goings of money.  While incredibly convenient and efficient on one hand, these online advances have taken the business of family money out of the thoroughfare of family activities, thereby limiting kids’ exposure to the realities of financial planning and the costs and benefits of each decision we make.

This is only one of many changes that have occurred since we were kids in terms of money.  Credit and debit cards have made spending so much easier.  The pain and reality check of pulling out your hard-earned cash to purchase an item has been dashed away by a swipe, or a scanning of a card.  South Korea has now developed a way to pay using a beam on your cell phone, and this technology will be here in the U.S. within 15 months.  So as easy as it is to spend now, it will be even easier in a short period of time. 

There has been a quiet epidemic in this country involving chronic spending, and the main target is our kids.  At a conference in San Francisco recently, I attended a session by the highly respected organization Share Save Spend.  During this seminar, I learned some startling statistics:

• People spend 20% more on average using a credit card than when using cash.  And people using this new phone technology spend an average of 20% more than those using credit cards.  The easier it is to spend, the more we spend and less we are inclined to save. 


• Teenagers alone spend $70 billion a year on products, and this doesn’t include clothing. 


• People 18 and younger spend or influence the spending of $1 trillion a year.


• The average savings rate for people 35 and younger is NEGATIVE 16%.  Do you remember when people actually saved?  My grandparents were great savers – whatever happened to that idea? 


• The average college student has 4 credit cards and is over $3,000 in debt.  (Credit card companies have multi-billion deals with colleges and universities all over this country.  When you attend a college orientation, you are likely to see all of these companies preying on new freshmen).


• Americans experience over 5,000 advertising impressions each day (when including Internet, commercials, billboards, etc.).  The most intensive ad campaigns target kids 5-18.

There are many other statistics along these lines that boggle the mind.  Suffice to say, we have a spending-crazed culture, and little to no formalized effort on behalf of families or schools to fight back, to protect our kids and ourselves from this media-driven, hyper-consumer culture, where savings is not only hardly mentioned, but even discouraged.

I am looking forward to taking action in this arena here at Webb, by exposing our students to the realities of finance, and equipping them with the skills to be savvy spenders and - yes - successful savers.  There is more to come on this project, but if you have any ideas, or a perspective to share in the meantime, please let me know.

When most people think of a paleontology museum, they imagine displays of dinosaur skeletons with some nice, shiny signage. But, where does the information on these signs come from? Quite simply: paleontologists, the scientists who study life of the past.

Judging by portrayals on television, science requires test tubes, lab coats, and multi-million dollar equipment. Not so in paleontology! Some of the most important information comes from just looking at a fossil, taking measurements, and comparing with other specimens. On top of this, it doesn't take long to reach the limits of our knowledge. There is so much we don't know, and every fossil has the potential to add important new information. For this reason, *anyone* - whether a high school student, professional paleontologist, or amateur collector - can make a major intellectual contribution.

As one of two paleontologists at the Alf Museum (the other is Dr. Don Lofgren), it's a real joy to involve Webb students in every phase of research. No other high school on Earth has a working paleontology museum, and it offers some absolutely unique opportunities. Students are there from the moment of discovery, right up until publication. They have helped to describe new species, presented their work at professional conferences, and collaborated with world-renowned paleontologists from other institutions.

As one example, Webb students Kit Clark ’04 and Ben Scherer ’02 helped describe the first discovery in Utah of a small mammal called Stygimys. This work (co-authored with Don Lofgren and paleontologist Barbara Standhardt) was published in Journal of Mammalian Evolution. Inspired in part by this experience, Kit is now finishing up his graduate studies in geology at University of Nebraska.

Another student, Gy-Su Kim '10, worked on identifying small carnivorous dinosaur teeth that she and other Webb students collected on a summer trip to southern Utah. Gy-Su presented the work at a professional conference, and consequently was invited as a co-author on a book chapter (to be published next year, if all goes well). Among her fossil identifications was the first possible bird tooth known from the state of Utah - a very rare find!

Our students are working on a diverse array of topics - from dinosaur eggshell to elephant jaws to possible fossilized owl pellets. Because paleontology is such a small field, some of our students have literally become the world experts on their topic of study! It's a lot of fun to see their faces when they come to this realization… when they understand that the knowledge they've discovered isn't in any textbook. It's not even in the professional journals. They are the first human beings to make that discovery. How cool is that? Anyone can do science!

Twenty-two of my thirty-two years in independent schools were spent in day schools, some very good and some fairly mediocre, but all of them had good students with dedicated teachers. Their debate teams did well; the football teams reigned supreme. Most went on to colleges and parents were fairly pleased with their investment. However, it wasn’t until I went to my first boarding school as an assistant headmaster that I realized that these are schools that take education to another level. And by that, I don’t mean that boarding schools are repositories for more advanced placement or honors classes, nor am I suggesting that the college placement was any better. All of those are features of schools that can be found anywhere. Where a school defines itself is where its soul is, and the soul of a boarding school lies in its development of a unique community of adults and students all living together; sharing a common purpose as defined by the mission of that school. Such schools are places that are not defined by the culture of the immediate surrounding community but by the multitude of experiences of their students, many of whom come from regions of the country and the world unknown to the average independent day or public school student. Boarding schools are places where students develop an appropriate sense of independence that all parents inherently wish for our children. Boarding schools, by their very nature, encourage and guide their students to learn to develop those emotional intelligence skills we often find so elusive in a seventeen year-old. 

How these schools do this is something that can only be discerned by walking the campus and spending time listening and observing. Doing so, one will find, for the most part, motivated students with a common purpose happily engaged in the lives of each other. Artificial barriers to understanding and acceptance tend to disappear; social cliques can be rare; and intellectual risks can be taken without fear. The possibilities for expanding the education of a child beyond the classroom are enormous. As an example, I often think of a boy who came to us some years back as a sophomore from a local public school. We soon found that he had an extraordinary voice, but his talent had been unrecognized by his school. Freshmen rarely get recognition for their talents in large schools, often because they are too fearful to even attempt to share their talent. Yet, he was auditioning for our school musical and, yes, he had an extraordinary voice. He went on to become the highlight of our entire theater program and is now on a full scholarship studying opera at a conservatory back East. I do not believe this would have happened had he not transferred to a boarding school like ours.

Imagine a place where your son or daughter rooms with a student from Malawi or Kiev. Imagine students with a range of religious backgrounds living in the same hall together. If we have learned anything of the events of this new century, it is that the days of cultural isolation are over - we are all so interconnected.  It is inevitable that our children, when they become adults, will be faced with a completely different kind of world - a world that requires a different sort of individual. I am not certain children can learn that worldview without venturing beyond the block they live on. Boarding school students experience the world through classmates and teachers who come from cultures and places different from their own. They are poised for success in the new, global environment. Experience a boarding school and you will understand.

The story of Edison's invention of the electric light bulb is legendary. We all find it hard to believe when we first hear that it took him over 2,000 tries before his idea came to light. Talk about composing a failure résumé!  But like all entrepreneurial spirits with Herculean levels of initiative, Edison knew that all big problems are big opportunities. What makes some people run toward problems? Can that be taught? What are the results of having that mindset and disposition?

Americans are universally described as innovative and entrepreneurial and those two qualities and skill sets are frequently ascribed to our national character and to our success as a global leader. Leadership is also frequently described as the ability to take initiative and trust your creativity. None of this can be developed or practiced without an almost infinitely high tolerance for failure. And, along with Tony Wagner - whose fourth survival skill for the 21st century is "initiative and entrepreneurialism” - I believe that as a nation and certainly as educators we must do all we can to nurture these vital skills that connect so clearly to other vital 21st skills such as creative problem solving and adaptability.

I asked a couple of Webb students to tell me what "initiative and entrepreneurialism” mean to them. Here's what they said: “Entrepreneurialism is designing, planning, and executing business schemes. It means taking big risks, planning ahead to minimize resources wasted and maximize profit and outcome, but also planning for failure and how you get past failure.” Another student reflected on initiative. “I used to think initiative meant being the first to step up, to help out, but now I think it's a lot more than that. It's evaluating the past and thinking of something new and different to be done; it means that practices of the past do not dictate what happens in your future.” 

When I asked if these are skills or habits of mind that can be learned, I heard a resounding "absolutely” from every student. And when I asked why entrepreneurialism and initiative are important skills, I got the following responses. "Entrepreneurialism is the ability to create value, to learn from failure, to turn failure into success; it's really what the world revolves around, and it's not just about money. It's a way to solve problems for people.” On the importance of initiative, one of my students said, “Initiative breaks the mold. It sees opportunity and leverages everything to make new things happen. It's scary because it means a lot of failure, but it's also creative and cool.”

Teaching kids how to fail sounds counter-intuitive and maybe even downright un-American; but, in fact, failure is the fundamental requirement of success. Teaching kids to think big also sounds unrealistic to some - a set-up, so to speak, for their failure. Well, exactly. I recently listened to a speech by a Stanford professor entitled "Innovation as an Extreme Sport” and when she talked about what is being taught at Stanford's "New Design Institute,” I couldn't help but be reminded of Wagner and of my Webb students. "Fail fast and frequently” Stanford students are encouraged. "More failure equals more success.” "Come up with the best idea for something and the worst idea and then make the worst the best.”

So, I embarked on composing my own failure resume. Try it yourself. I promise it's a liberating experience, and one that will make you think of great ideas and big opportunities in a whole new way.

Language = Mind + Heart

I’m often asked by students and adults about how to best learn a foreign language. Frankly, at the beginning, there are as many ways as there are individuals. One of my favorite sayings in Spanish is “cada persona es un mundo” (each person is their own world).  It’s easy to find plenty of books, computer programs, etc. that tempt us to invest our money in a guaranteed, speedy approach to learning a language. “Chinese in thirty days!” or “How an Iowa farm boy learned Italian to impress an Italian model” were the titles of advertisements I saw in a recent in-flight magazine. Well, alright…but, huh?! I’m sure after thirty days you’ll know more Chinese or Italian than when you started, but what happens next? In fact, most language learning materials are dedicated to helping people just get their feet wet in the language. It’s the idyllic honeymoon period, when the learning curve is steep and you have everyone convinced that you’ll be fluent in no time.

                                                                                                        
Then hits the reality of the intermediate stage, a challenging period that appears to be interminable. Doubt about whether you will ever improve begins to gnaw at you, tempting you to rationalize your incapacity to learn a foreign language.  It’s during this broad, amorphous phase where the path to language learning takes a two-fold approach: the mind and the heart. No longer children, we tend to find explanations for patterns in a language helpful while learning, hence the mind. The mature mind craves a logical recipe, vocabulary lists, word-order rules, making sense of stuff and figuring things out in general. Left-brains thrive on this aspect of language, devouring grammar and verb conjugations at every opportunity. But is this really sufficient to prevent boredom/exhaustion and to sustain language learning over the long haul? And what keeps us from forgetting everything after a few months? Learning a foreign language is a long, winding road, a jigsaw puzzle that takes considerable dedication and effort to assemble before we start making the associations and begin to see the beautiful whole develop.

                                                                                                                                                                      
At this point, you’re probably wondering if my intention is to convince you to give up before starting. Actually, the water that will sustain you during your linguistic trek comes from the heart aspect of language learning. As passionate, carbon-based life forms, we need motivation, inspiration, and joy to maintain such lengthy devotion.  Connections of a right-brained nature to the language will keep you churning along without checking your watch, and you’ll lose yourself in the humanity that birthed the miracle of language in the first place. After all, the reason we go to such trouble sustaining communication is to share and connect with other humans. Therefore, find appealing links with the culture. Seek friendships with people from that culture. Travel to the country and/or live with a family while studying abroad. Try new restaurants, or even better, prepare food from that culture. Surround yourself with the music, watch movies, explore the history, poetry, art, etc.  Without even realizing it, you’re feeding your soul by embracing aspects of a different, unique world-view. Now that both your mind and heart are satisfied, you’re truly ready to embark on an adventure of discovery and wonder. Buena suerte!

If you’re going to change the world, it will probably happen by the time you turn 17.

In a recent chapel talk to the students, I shared with them the reasons that I got into this profession of education in the first place.  I conveyed to them many of the factors that led me down this road.  But the core reason, when it comes right down to it, is that I believe passionately that if you’re going to change the world, it will probably happen by the time you turn 17.  

By changing the world, I do not mean necessarily becoming a famous general, business tycoon, or politician.  By changing the world, I mean choosing a life of purpose where day-in and day-out you contribute something to making the world a better place – be it large or small.  The first question you have to ask, therefore, is how can you make everything you have learned at Webb, educationally and socially, work for you?

When I was a young child growing up in San Diego in the late 60’s/early 70’s, my mother taught a class in junior high school in a little town south of San Diego – less than a quarter mile north of the U.S. Mexico boarder.  Basically, it was a large class of Spanish-speaking students who were attempting to cross the bridge from Spanish-speaking classes to a traditional English-speaking high school curriculum.  This eighth grade program was a sort of do-or-die scenario for many of the students.  If they survived it and thrived, chances are they would be successful in high school, and continue on to junior college, or maybe even traditional four-year college.  If they didn’t, chances are they would go downhill from there, most probably never graduating from high school.  

Many of the students in the program were actually illegal aliens – students who would literally get up at 3:00 a.m., and sneak across the border so that they could attend classes in the U.S. that day.  They would then sneak back across the border that night, or stay at a friend’s home in the U.S.   

Bear in mind, this was well before the hot-button political issues surrounding immigration.  The U.S. had a pretty casual position on the topic, so much so that, periodically, the principal of the school would assemble the teachers, and inform them that he had been tipped off that the Federal Marshals would be paying the school a visit to do what they termed an illegal alien sweep.  The teachers, including my mom, would then prepare packets for these students to take back home to Mexico for up to 3 weeks, until the coast was clear.  

As a child, I remember being mesmerized by her stories of these kids.  I was dumbfounded – why would students go so far out of their way to go to school?  I only did it because I had to, because my parents made me; or so I thought.  

Fast forward now 35 years.  Several years ago, my mom and dad were on a bus going to a San Diego Charger football game.  A man approached my mom and asked “are you Mrs. Stockdale?” Yes my mom said, thinking that he had recognized my dad and just wanted to say hello.  You probably don’t recognize me, I was in your Southwest 8th grade class.  This person was one of those who had to sneak across the border every morning to go to school.  As it turns out, he is now an American citizen and after graduating from college, went on to receive an advanced degree.  He is now a professor of English Literature at a university in San Diego.  He went on to inform my mom that his best friend from this now acclaimed 8th grade class, who was also once a Tijuana citizen, is also now an American and, after graduating from college, now works in the San Diego Sheriff’s department.  
This story is important to me for two reasons.  First, I am incredibly proud of my mother and her spirit of helping everyone around her become a better person.  

Second, it reinforces beautifully why I am so passionate about working with teenagers – if you want to make a real difference in the world someday, the life-changing experiences when you are young will set the stage forever.  Those kids from Tijuana had an insatiable appetite to learn and to be educated.  They were young and daring in one way, but very wise in another and their actions allowed them to make better lives for themselves and eventually to make a real difference in the world.  All they needed was a teacher who believed in them, and who inspired them to pursue their dreams.   

When hiring teachers at Webb, I certainly look at their skill sets, their educational backgrounds, and their experiences as educational leaders.  But more importantly, I look for people who truly know and understand the importance of this work – that we are in the business of changing students’ lives by inspiring them to make our world a better place.  How privileged I feel to be at a school with such a clear and uncompromising focus on educating honorable leaders who are destined to make the world a better place.

The whole event capitalizes on the international composition of Webb’s student body. For the past three months, student organizers interviewed students with a heritage from another country or who have lived in other parts of the world. The planners created five “restaurants” based upon their research: Nigerian, Sri Lankan, Armenian, Indonesian and Latino. Each restaurant was decorated to fit the cultural theme and featured a sampling of authentic foods. For example, the Nigerian restaurant was decorated with items that were purchased in Nigeria when one of our students came back from visiting relatives. The Sri Lankan restaurant included on-the-spot Hoppers (a traditional food). Many students, faculty and staff even dressed in traditional costumes, creating a truly international atmosphere.

The distinguishing feature of this year’s event was the student culture show with over 100 participants. Unlike years past, the show contained acts entirely choreographed and performed by students. The acts included:

• Chinese peacock dance
• Instrumental acts including traditional Chinese instruments (Guzheng)
• Traditional Nigerian dance
• Korean Fan Dance
• Vocal duet of “Shan Hu Hai”
• Hawaiian Hula (both traditional and contemporary)
• Chinese Sword Dance
• Salsa and Cha Cha
• Latin song with instrumental accompaniment
• Israeli Dance
• Indian Dances (traditional, Bhangra, and Bollywood-style)

I would like to thank all those who contributed to the success of this event, especially the event chairs, Emily Stewart ’11 and Elias Bashoura ‘10. It couldn’t have happened without the involvement of the whole community; but the creativity, organization, leadership, and passion of the students were the driving force behind the event. Thanks to them, people are already looking forward to International Night 2011... 

Every day, seniors come into my office - not to ask me a particular college related question, but to see if they can read my mind. Yes, my mind, because every senior by now knows me really well and has figured out that sometimes the college counselor gets a bit of a "preview" on what is likely to happen to his students in terms of admissions consideration. The conversation goes something like this:

Senior: Hi, Mr. Martinez, how's it going?

Me: Fine, how are you?

Senior: Good.

Me: That's nice, what's up?

Senior: Oh, nothing.

Me: Is everything okay?

Senior: Well, yeah, but I was just wondering if maybe you might know something?

Me: Hmmm… Well I know many things, but if you're looking for a "hint" on what a particular college is likely to do with you, you're not going to get one from me.

Senior: What do you mean? I just came in to say "hi" and wanted to make sure you didn't think I forgot about you now that all my college applications are done.

Me: Really? How nice of you!  Well, I'm good, sounds like you are good, and since we are both good, we can relax.

Senior: Oh, so are you telling me that I got into my college?

Me: No, I didn't say that at all.

Senior: Oh No! So you are telling me that I didn't get in?

Me: No, I didn't say that either.

Senior: Oh, so it sounds like I got wait listed then?

Me: No, what are you talking about? I didn't say anything, so stop being paranoid!

Senior: Well, make up your mind, Mr. M.—did I or didn’t I get into the college?

Me: You will find out in due time!  And even if I knew, the college would swear me to secrecy, so I would never tell you.

Senior: I knew you were going to say that.

Me: Yeah, great. Well, why don't you go try to read someone else's mind? Mine is totally consumed by the junior class now, and I need to get back to work.

Senior: Yeah, I know, but I figured it was worth a try.

Me: Yeah, well nice try, but no such luck. Maybe when you come by again tomorrow, you will have better luck!

Senior: Sure, but I doubt it.

Me: Yeah, me too.

Every senior that is still waiting to hear about his/her admissions to college is sitting on pins and needles right about now. They feel tortured that they have to wait so long to get a decision - even if most of them haven't been waiting for longer than a week or two since they completed their final college applications. The waiting game is long and torturous, and that is understandable. After all, college admission offices have an enormous task at hand, and it will take time to read all those applications.

I feel sorry for some of my seniors around this time of year. They are officially second semester seniors and graduation seems so much more attainable than ever before; however, getting into college still feels like a far away dream. Some of them will hear any day now; but most will have to wait weeks, if not months (most decisions are not handed out until late March or early April). Some will try anything to see if they can get a "heads up" on what is coming their way. It’s not unusual to get a strange stare from a senior once in a while, and when I ask him/her why they are looking at me so funny, he/she will actually say to me, “I’m just trying to see if I can read your eyes to see if I got into college yet!” Others will lose patience and figure out that I either really don't know what a particular college has decided (which is usually the truth), or that I will simply never let them know even if I do know something ahead of time (which is also true).

Good news? Bad news? Neutral news (like getting wait listed)? Which is it going to be? Our seniors will simply have to wait it out like the rest of the college-bound population across America. But rest assured that they will find out sooner or later and most of the time, the news is well worth the wait. Does this mean I know something they don't? No, it simply means they have to be patient. Only the admission officers reading their applications right now know if they are going to get in or not. And they, like me, aren't going to spill the beans until it's official, and the decision is in the mail. Excuse me, there's someone at my door.

Me: Come in.

Senior: How's it going Mr. Martinez?

Me: Good, how are you?

Senior: Good, thanks.

Me: That's nice, what's up?

Senior: Oh, nothing...

Some years back, I had the privilege of working as the director of admission for a school whose entire focus was the truly exceptional (we call them “highly capable”) learner. I was simply captivated by these remarkable students, for how one captures their attention and imagination goes well beyond what I am seeing in many a school’s classrooms. These are the children that learn in a completely different way from most children. Their minds are working in overdrive and everything seems a world of wonder.  Placed in your standard “I teach you; you learn” environment, they either explicitly rebel or check out. They might see solutions to math problems completely outside the norm. Some have extraordinary individual talents (I am thinking of the boy I took to the National Geographic Geography Bee finals in 2001. He won.); some have extraordinary verbal skills. What they have in common is that they are such uncommon learners and I believe they are among the most misunderstood and poorly served in educational institutions where standardized tests, SAT results, and registration in AP courses are used to determine what many believe defines a “gifted” student.   It is not so.

During my interviews I can pick out the child of which I am writing. I am thinking of a boy - let’s call him Joseph - who sat in my office and could talk about whatever esoteric subject came to mind. During those thirty minutes we explored black holes and the possibility that if the Big Bang means the universe started from nothing, then nothing must be something. We analyzed the meaning of the word “should” and engaged in solving a physics problem of motion. He was a talented animator and designer of computer games but he never played them. His head was full of ideas; his room full of books. On paper?  A “B” student. He didn’t turn in his work as, for many of these children, the homework we demand is pretty much mindless and I would agree. This is not the kind of student who can sit quietly solving the odd-number problems in the back of the algebra text. Most likely, he knows the material without expending much intellectual energy. Answer the questions in the back of chapter four of A Survey of World Literature? I don’t think so. The result? Well, instead of attempting to discern what this student really knows or can demonstrate mastery of, he gets a “C” since 40% of his grade is mindless homework. So, he disappears to the middle of the classroom, unnoticed and certainly forgotten in big schools. He doesn’t bother anyone and is never encouraged except for the rare instance that a special teacher opens her eyes and reaches out. She notes the student who confounds her with his questions that seem to come out of nowhere and whose verbal dexterity can only be matched by his remarkable insights no matter how seemingly inane. I know because I worked with such students like Bert, all of 10 years old, who assisted me on a tour of the school with a father, an engineer. Upon viewing a class where algebraic solutions were scattered across the board (this was fifth grade), the engineer suggested an alternative solution to the problem. “No”, remarked Bert. “That would be wrong. Let me show you why.” He was right. I can still see that father’s eyes. Bert and all his classmates used to call all teachers and administrators by their first name. “Hi, Leo.” It would only work there. I just loved the place because everything was so very different from what I was used to. And we had waiting lists. 

I always worried for these children because after they graduated from grade 8, there really were no schools for them. Yes, of course, there were the schools hyping IB programs or their lists of AP courses and, horror of horrors, universities that purported to “accelerate” these children bypassing any notion that developmentally they were still only fourteen years old. What’s the rush? I wonder. But IB/AP does not necessarily address the needs of the truly exceptional, highly capable learner. There are few schools that are addressing their needs and certainly not in the public sector. The task is left typically to that special teacher of whom I remark; and given the size of their classes and the independence from state mandated standards, I believe many independent schools, particularly boarding schools, are well-suited to address the needs of such students.

Teenagers want to be known, and once known they do remarkable things. Imagine then if that highly capable child who possibly does not understand his talents or gifts – they seem too natural – is identified in a caring community such as we have in boarding schools. The possibilities for that child are enormous. I love seeing these students on my campus and I can tell stories about every one of them. And I can do so because they seem to thrive in the intellectual freedom provided by schools like ours. When you sit around a table with fifteen students and engage in a Socratic dialogue about Robert Frost’s take on the American Dream, or take your students on a field trip to the Utah wilderness to search for a newly identified miniature T. Rex, you open the possibility for such students to reveal themselves.  It is when you let them stretch their minds without the burden of meeting arbitrary rubrics for success that the highly capable child begins to see that the world has meaning for him or her. And when we teachers hear them think, it is something to behold.

The exponential rate of change is a cliché these days, but it's the world we live in and the world for which we need to prepare today's students. Coupled with the rate of change is the dynamism of such things as social networks, social production, and media grids that are a regular part of today's world. These two factors alone - and there are many others - support the argument that a major survival skill for the 21st century must be "agility and adaptability" as Tony Wagner and others name it.

Massive changes in technology have caused massive shifts in social adaptations. It's easy to see why agility rules. Most of us would acknowledge that our jobs are not the ones they were last year or five years ago much less 20 years ago, and we'd probably also acknowledge that we learn differently than we did even a few years ago. We use different tools and we use tools differently. We're all adapting every day, and the flexible mind will be increasingly important. 

So where's education adjusting and moving to teach the habits of adaptability and agility? What are American schools doing? Is current teaching in the US at the leading edge or not? Are schools actually reforming or only re-arranging themselves? Where's the evidence of advancement or stalemate on embedded curricular and delivery change? Education has historically been a conservative process and industry. Educators have believed in order and certainty in both pedagogy and their profession. But tomorrow's world begs a much more organic, web-like, non-linear and rather messy way of learning and carrying out work. 

Fostering agility and adaptability changes the old educational paradigms, most of all, perhaps, the one that considers the teacher as the classroom leader with all the  right answers, if not all the right questions. If we're to teach our students to be adaptable and agile, then they need practice managing disruption and uncertainty, which are often perceived to be negatives, as well as practice creating innovation and embracing new ideas.  Asking questions, challenging what is, understanding that ambiguity is often a fact of life and being able to actually thrive in ambiguity are skills that should be learned in classrooms and schools that are actually "run" by students. Learning that there are sometimes no completely right answers and certainly not just one right answer is fundamental to living and leading in a world that changes profoundly at an exponential rate. 

A common thread running through many of my conversations about athletics at Webb is the idea of building and maintaining success. What are we doing to grow and improve? How do we maintain and build upon those improvements once achieved?

Of course, the answer to these questions often depends on the point of view and assumptions of the person asking the questions. At Webb, we strongly believe that success in the athletic arena can and should encompass ideas far greater than just wins and losses. Likewise, success cannot be defined without truly understanding the context in which it is achieved. Having said that, I think there are three pillars to building and maintaining a successful athletic program that can be agreed upon no matter the perspective.

First, to have a successful athletic program you must have great coaches. Webb has made a concerted effort to hire men and women who are not only technically proficient at the X’s and O’s of their particular sport, but who are also able to effectively communicate their passion to their athletes. In addition, Webb looks for coaches who understand and buy into the culture of The Webb Schools. While it is easy to write these criteria down on paper, Webb has had a tremendous amount of success in recent years finding coaches who fit this profile. Unsurprisingly, this focus in hiring has correlated with some of our most successful seasons as we reached the volleyball playoffs for the first time in school history in 2008 and won the CIF championship in boys’ water polo this past fall season. But, as any athlete knows, a good season encompasses more than just a record. Our student athletes are enjoying their experiences and growing in many ways, learning new skills and often discovering remarkable talents they didn’t realize they had. Just as with a successful teacher, a successful coach brings out the most in his or her athletes in a way that is both challenging and fun.

In addition to hiring great coaches, Webb has supported the building of the athletic program through improvements to facilities and equipment. With the awareness that many factors are out of your control as a player and coach, I am a strong proponent of taking proper care of the things that can be controlled. In recent years, Webb has improved the experience for our student athletes with renovations to Faculty Field, the McCarthy Fitness Center, Les Perry Gymnasium, the Sutro Pool and Chandler Field. In addition to these facility renovations and the regular maintenance of fields and equipment, Webb has a full time athletic trainer to treat and diagnose any injuries that may occur. The combination of these factors affects our teams on many levels. When our coaches and athletes are treated like top-class athletes, they are more likely to perform at their best, which is all that can be asked of them.

Finally, the last piece to the puzzle is the athletes themselves. While we cannot and do not recruit students for athletics, we do work to give student athletes every reason to say yes to our program. While athletics alone is not the reason a student comes to Webb, strong coaching, enthusiastic athletes and great looking facilities are a strong pull. In addition, Webb competes at the highest levels to be found for schools our size in Southern California. Not only do we provide this level of care to our best athletes, Webb prides itself on developing new skills for all levels of experience by providing teams at all levels. As a result, the vast majority of our students leave Webb having discovered and developed athletic skills and interests they were not even aware of when they first enrolled.

Great coaches, well cared for facilities and passionate athletes are essential to achieving success, no matter how you define it. By maintaining the proper focus and appropriately establishing strong programs, we are reaching new levels of success while remaining consistent with our main goal: to develop great men and women of character. 

GO GAULS!

When working with faculty and students, I often find myself reflecting back on the teachings of Dr. Nel Noddings who so eloquently reminds us of the importance of having students learn to care about the things and beings around them – think of the applications and interpretations that can grow from such a simple idea. If students learn not to “do,” but to “care” about a subject, it will likely follow that their dedication to that subject will become a part of their learning process. This allows for a subtle shift of focus (and energy) away from teachers having to motivate (or entertain) students, to finding ways to have them channel their newfound energies.

Noddings also argues the importance of having students learn to know that they are cared for – in essence that they matter and that their contributions matter, however great or small. While we continue to encourage our students to learn and cultivate their own senses of identity and individuality, they must also learn that it will likely be through acts of communal collaboration that they are ultimately successful in school and in life, whether that collaboration be with a teacher, another student, a colleague or a life partner. It is essential that students learn to be aware that they play a role in a bigger picture – caring requires that they turn their attention outward, rather than inward – and they must be taught to constantly consider their impact on the greater good.

Daily, we struggle as a faculty to achieve that fine balance where we have confidence that we are teaching content and process in ways proportionate as to allow our students to be most successful in this new world. Constantly, we remind ourselves of the responsibility and opportunity we have as an independent school to equip our students with the essential tools that will allow them to distinguish themselves among the masses of capable and driven young adults who will shape the legacy of their generation. As an example, take the use of technology - our challenge is to guide our students in developing a conscience that will allow them to be discerning with their research, the choosing of applications, the sharing of resources, or the generation of original (and often very public) material, all while staying grounded in a true, not virtual, reality where they are capable of original thought. Learning this sense of responsibility is a transferable skill that they will need to sharpen to succeed at such seemingly simple tasks as interpreting the news or forming a political opinion. They must learn to wade, intellectually, through the white noise that our media-driven society produces. We are challenged constantly to find ways to provide students with skills of discrimination that will afford them a sense of balance from which to make constructive choices.

Simple, yes?  No, not really… but this work is so worthy of our full attention as we are challenged to secure the foundations of our students for “when the winds of changes shift.” In one of my meetings I was struck by the phrase “boundary dissolution” – its many implications and potential applications in the work we do with your children. Such a simple concept, yet consistent with a teaching premise that lends a different, critical importance to every, single thing that we choose to share with and inspire in your children, and the connections we guide them to make. This is noble, demanding, rewarding, ever-evolving work, and why I’ve spent my life in good places like this.

Webb's honor code and leadership education program, in fact, Webb's very definition of itself as a trust-based community dedicated to the development of men and women of character, go a long way in helping our students master this important survival skill. Webb remains devoted to virtues of enduring worth that are the basis not only of success in the global knowledge economy but also that are most needed to sustain our democratic ideals and society in general.  Webb students learn that living by these virtues is not only a way of life worth pursuing but also a way of life best suited to meaningful leadership. They learn that leadership is not only about doing that which is right but also about living a purposeful and useful life that influences others to do the same. Through carefully designed projects and activities carried out both inside and outside the classroom, they learn that collaboration and teamwork foster trust and lead to better solutions.  

And, they have the special advantage of learning and mastering these skills and lessons in a richly diverse community that reflects the world they will lead. Collaboration and trust in a global environment require much greater sensitivity to the values and perspectives of cross-cultural team members – skills that do not often appear in a high school curriculum. It is certainly possible for all our schools to do a better job teaching this second of Wagner's survival skills, but the truly diverse boarding schools in our nation have a big leg up on other types of schools in making strides in this area. Where else will a 16 year old have the transformative experience of understanding cultures and world views dramatically different from her own on a daily basis?  The Partnership for 21st Century Skills included "global awareness" in its 21st Century Skills Framework, indicating clearly just how important it is for today's high school students to understand and appreciate different cultures. When your roommate comes from Pakistan and becomes like your sister, it can only increase your empathy for people half a world away; and in that fact lies the hope for the 21st century.

So, how does a family pay for college?  Well, if you are among the fortunate few that have the resources to pay full price for your child to go to any college regardless of cost, you don’t have to worry about it.  And, yes, some colleges will be extra nice to “full-pay” families in the admissions process, so count your blessings! If you are among those that earn less than $60,000.00 per year (total family income) you also don’t have to worry too much, because you will likely end up with a very generous need based financial aid package that could make it almost free to attend college.  However, if you are among those of us that make a good living but don’t have almost a quarter of a million dollars for each of our children that plan to go to college stashed away in a high yield savings account (do high yield accounts even exist anymore?), we need to have a different plan.  Knowing what forms to file and when to file them is important.  Researching possible merit scholarships can also make a difference.  Applying to colleges with healthy endowments and generous financial aid policies is also helpful.  Having a really smart kid with top grades, top scores, and an impressive “resume” to college is even better.  Hoping your 99 year old rich uncle kicks the bucket right before the first tuition bill from the college is due – never gonna happen!

“Colleges have millions of dollars to give away…” How many times do we see these headlines in the news, or from the colleges themselves?  Yes, it’s true, but read the fine print first.  Colleges may give away large amounts of money in forms of scholarships and grants, but most of the time that money is being distributed very carefully in form of either merit awards or need based financial aid.  No college just “gives away money” to anyone for no good reason. 

So, let’s say your kid is one of the lucky ones that has an impressive record and will likely be considered for special scholarships.  These merit awards are based mostly on performance or talent (high grades, high scores, top athlete, gifted artist, etc.) and usually come directly from colleges without having to do anything besides apply for admissions (though there are a few schools that require special application filing dates for merit scholarship consideration as in the case with USC, or a special scholarship application or nomination as is the case with Davidson College).  If the college wants your student more than others, they may sweeten the deal by offering merit money along with the admissions letter.  Many Webb students get merit awards, and sometimes they are too good to turn down (our first two seniors to be admitted to college this year both received major scholarships to their top choice school making it absolutely free for them for all four years!).  Sometimes, however, the merit award comes from the student’s “safety school,” and the family must make the choice to take the offer or pay more for a school that is perhaps more prestigious or selective.  What would you do if your son/daughter got admitted to, say, Harvard or Stanford with no financial support of any type from those schools but also got a full four-year merit scholarship from Boston University or George Washington University?  All good colleges, but some might say “go to your dream school even if we have to mortgage our home;” while others might “take the money and run!”

Need based financial aid is given out differently.  This money is distributed by the colleges based on how much (or how little) a family can personally contribute to the cost of attending college based on the family’s personal financial picture.   Family income and assets must be disclosed, many times in great detail.  Tax Returns must be sent in, questionnaires filled out, justification for certain expenses explained, etc.  The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) must be filed for most colleges, and some private colleges also require the College Board CSS Profile as well.  These forms are filed in the senior year by the deadline that each college requests (Profile in December and FAFSA in January usually). These forms ask what feels like an endless stream of questions about the family and student’s assets and income.  When your child is admitted to the college, the Financial Aid Office at that college will issue a “financial aid award” if you qualify for need based aid, and it will tell you how much of the tuition and other costs associated with attending that college (Room & Board, books, transportation costs, etc.) might be discounted from the sticker price.   For some families, need based aid can be a Godsend and make it possible for their student to attend the college regardless of how expensive the school may be.  Many top tier colleges (like the Ivy league & Stanford) only offer need based aid and choose to put all of their scholarship money into that pool instead of awarding merit money.  After all, given the high caliber student that gets admitted to these types of schools, all the students would likely qualify for merit money making it financially impossible for these institutions to meet such demands.

Okay, so the hypothetical family survived the college admissions process.  Your child got into college, and you are neither rich enough nor poor enough to not have to worry about how to pay for it.  You child applies for merit scholarships wherever possible, and you also apply for need based financial aid.  Merit aid doesn’t pan out, and the need based aid award isn’t enough.  What do you do now? Well, you either hope your child was admitted at another college with a better financial aid award that the family would be happy to accept, or you can call the college that is top choice (but with a lower offer) and speak to a financial aid officer in hopes of explaining your situation.  You must show justification as to why you think that college should re-calculate your award and up the offer.  Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t.  It all depends on how much money that college has to give out in financial aid and how compelling your situation really is to them.   Word of advice—BE REALLY NICE TO THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICER YOU SPEAK TO NO MATTER WHAT!

Finally, is there any good news when it comes to affording a college education?  YES!  Even today with our economy in distress and families being stretched financially more and more each year, going to college is still very much a possibility.  Most Webb students apply and get admitted to colleges that do have healthy financial pictures (strong endowments, generous financial aid programs, and special financing options to fit most families).  Even students in the bottom third of each graduating class get to go to colleges that are highly regarded and pride themselves on the strength of their program (academically, socially, and financially).  Webb students don’t usually have to go to colleges that “play games” with their financial aid offers like “gapping” students by offering them less money.  Year after year, I am always impressed by how careful and understanding colleges are with Webb families when it comes to financial aid issues.  It is rare when a college refuses to consider special circumstances and it is more often that a financial concern can be addressed in favor of the family if it is justified.  After all, good colleges want to do everything possible to assure that any student they admit does not turn them down because of affordability issues.

Ultimately, going to college is still a very wise investment, even if you end up having to pay more than you had hoped.  Not only is a college degree valuable for future earnings at staggering rates higher than those that choose not to attend college, but I can think of no other investment that will have a return as powerful or as rewarding as a formal education.  My mother said to me when I became a parent for the first time, “You can do two things for your child.  You can love them unconditionally with all your heart, and you can give them the very best education possible.” It’s what she did for me, and it’s what I’m doing for my children in hopes that they will do the same for theirs.

How does a teacher make the facts on a page turn into meaningful information for a student?  How do a teacher’s words become fluid thoughts in a student’s mind, generating visual pictures which come alive even outside the classroom setting? By making the content personal. I believe this is one of the key factors that marks the exceptional quality of teachers at Webb. Great content can be found in hundreds of thousands of books, but great teachers make that content vivid, interesting, and most importantly, personal for their students.

One of the ways we achieve this is by designating small, single-sex classrooms for 9^th and 10^th graders (typically ranging from 12-16 students). While most boys tend to be fueled by a fast-paced, competitive environment, the vast majority of girls benefit from the supportive atmosphere and suitable pacing found in an all-female classroom. The flexibility allowed by the separation of sexes gives a teacher the ability to designate extra time for core topics and significantly reduces the fear of embarrassment in calling for additional help when confusion occurs. Feeling comfortable to ask even the most basic questions and understanding the material at a deep level becomes the standard.

The overwhelming multitude of textbooks and resources - especially in chemistry and physics - have been generated by male educators, often leaving facts stated without context or relational ties. In my own classroom, the single-sex environment allows me the opportunity to rewrite lessons or worksheets with female-friendly problems. I have found that simple modifications can completely change the attitude of my classes. By altering a word problem regarding iron (II) oxide to tell instead a story about a girl getting into a rusty old truck, suddenly the entire process becomes more inviting, if not downright enjoyable. In the end, the same mathematical skills are accomplished and my girls are excited for more! The confusion and trepidation commonly associated with chemistry are replaced by enjoyment, confidence, and desire to learn.

Rather than simply memorizing the facts, my students approach the elements with the goal of learning their “personalities.” Our objective is to find out who each element will most likely join up with, and when they do, what new characteristics will arise. When two soluble compounds mix, forming a precipitate, we make it a story: Two couples with minimal attraction go on a double date, but “chemistry” happens when girlfriend A meets boyfriend B… and the precipitate forms! By introducing chemistry to the girls as a series of chemical “relationships” akin to daily life, the content becomes more relevant, more visual and easier to identify with. While some students can generate these visualizations on their own, teaching from this perspective allows all students a window into the world of particles that so many find inaccessible. The exclusive science club mantra of “you either get it or you don’t” is crushed by creating a highly inviting and visual realm of chemistry, available to all.

I have heard science educators argue that making science more exciting by use of large scale demonstrations is the key to interest, engagement, and motivation. While I agree that exciting demonstrations do help keep enthusiasm high, I believe that when students understand chemistry - not just with the ability to do the math, but to actually visualize the particles and personalize the laws those particles obey - chemistry comes alive in their minds. That way, on their own, they can deduce why oxygen is a gas at room temperature and table salt (sodium chloride) is a solid crystal, or why tap water conducts electricity and pure water does not. It’s not just memorization of rules and properties but rather getting to know the personality of a good friend!

The ultimate gift we can give our students is a fundamental understanding that is 100% theirs: core content and solid tools that have been made personal through creative presentation of that content. For many trained in science, these may seem like strange ways to approach teaching these topics. But if your goal is to get girls interested and passionate about science in the higher levels with genuine understanding, then this method has proved highly effective in my experience.

Of course, good content is enhanced by real life experience, and lighting things on fire in chemistry class is undeniably exciting. Blowing sodium up in water does create an adrenaline-pumping BANG! accompanied by a good show of sizzle, fire and smoke, and always a few high-pitched screams. But for students who really understand the chemistry, for whom sodium has become that old unstable friend who lets his outer electron hang so far out he’s just looking for trouble, the truly astonishing marvel is that the loss of one little electron can create so much excitement. And as far as I’m concerned, if my students think that makes him a little dysfunctional, that’s okay by me.

Yes, it’s that dreaded deadline date! And it’s just one of many that the Class of 2010 will be faced with this year. However, coming up with the final college list takes a heck of a lot longer than almost anything else that relates to applying to college—even longer than writing the college essays for some. At Webb, I begin working with each student at the beginning of the 2^nd semester of junior year in composing the “college list.”  How do we take over 3,000 different colleges and universities in the U.S. and reduce them to a manageable list of ten or fewer appropriate “good fits” for each graduate? For a small number, it takes a couple of meetings with me, and we are pretty much set to go. For most, however, it takes months, if not almost a full year, before they are ready to commit to their final college choices; and that’s only after many visits to my office and numerous revisions to that final list. After all, picking which colleges one applies to is almost as important as deciding which college to attend. If the list is good, the decisions tend to match.

Ten colleges! Doesn’t that sound like a lot of schools and applications? If you would have asked me five years ago, I would have been the first to say “YES!” and I would have likely suggested paring it down to eight or fewer. Ten years ago I would have laughed if I would have been told that now I would be approving college lists of ten different schools. I remember when applying to five was pretty normal. For many of us in the “X Generation” or before, it was perfectly common to apply to only two or three different colleges and not think much about it. I remember in my high school, only a handful of seniors were applying to more than three colleges. I applied to four, and only one boy was rumored to have applied to ten colleges, and we all thought he was crazy from the start. Well, folks, times have indeed changed and applying to as many as ten colleges is actually considered the norm. In fact, some people worry that it’s not enough, and perhaps spreading a wider net will gain a better catch. Given that predicting which colleges will admit a student has become much more difficult to do because of the dramatic rise in selectivity over the past decade at most four-year colleges and universities, I can see why some students would be tempted to apply to more colleges. However, what I have found is that keeping the list to no more than ten actually helps our students get into better colleges. 

Webb is actually very well-respected by so many colleges and universities in part because we are known as a place that limits the number of college applications a senior can file—and for very good reasons. First, colleges know that our students have done their homework well when it comes to researching their college choices. They aren’t just randomly applying to unknown schools or places that are not a “good fit.” Second, the list is manageable and realistic, with places that make sense for the most part and were not just someone else’s idea. Thirdly, colleges know they have at least a 1 in 10 chance of getting the student, not 1 in 20 or even 30 that a few other high schools have been known to allow. Colleges want to know that the student they are considering is serious about them, and isn’t playing any “games.” In the end, colleges appreciate that Webb students have a thoughtful and purposeful list of colleges that means something to each student.

Let me also add that ten is the maximum number of colleges that we like to see on someone’s list, not the minimum. So, it is very common to have eight colleges or fewer on a final list. In fact, on average, a Webb student applies to seven colleges and gets admitted to four. That average is more than enough colleges to apply to and more than enough offers to make a good choice. 

If each student has spent the time and effort in researching his or her college choices and has listened carefully to the advice we offered in College Guidance, there is no reason why any Webb senior should feel pressured to apply to too many colleges because of a fear of being rejected by every school. Ultimately, applying to too many colleges can not only increase a student’s chances of making errors or presenting poorly prepared applications, it may also upset the college admissions officers. Most college applications will ask the student to list the other colleges to which they are applying. If the admissions committee sees too many schools on the list, they assume that the student is not serious – or worse, desperate.  These are two things we don’t want any college admissions officer to think of any applicant from our schools.

A winning college list is one that fits each student like a well-made, custom-tailored suit.  Each student is different and one size does not fit all.  Good thing that Webb has been custom-fitting our graduates with just the right colleges for almost 90 years.  With so many outstanding colleges and universities from which to choose, I know our seniors will choose wisely.

The culmination of the week is Theme Night: performances showcasing the talent and creativity of all four classes. Theme Night could be considered Webb’s version of the Super Bowl. Each class spends countless hours preparing to impress the school community with a special 15-minute performance. In fitting with this year’s theme, each class chose a different movie as the basis of their performance. The 9^th-graders danced, sang, and performed to the "Fresh Prince of Webb." The sophomores depicted a story of a young woman championing the male-dominated sport of boxing. The juniors told a story of an abandoned ghost-town in the Wild West and the seniors did a spoof of six futuristic movies. In the end, the juniors took home the coveted Theme Week trophy, but each class deserves tremendous recognition for the amazing show that they collectively produced.   

In the midst of all the spirit, it is important to note the overall objective of this high-energy week. The final performances are only a by-product of a much higher purpose: to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their leadership abilities. Numerous students in each class take on leadership roles in order to execute a specific aspect of their performance. Committees coordinate dances, props, costumes, script, and others are all part of the class machine. Students learn how to capitalize upon the talents of their classmates. In the end, the final performance is an example of the leadership principle of synergy: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The teamwork, dedication, and creativity of the class are at the heart of Theme Week.

            In teaching students how to draw, we induce them to become more attentive and discerning observers. 

            In directing their dramatic efforts, we exhort them to descry the elusive emotional heart of diverse human predicaments. 

            In guiding their music-making, we invite them to listen acutely and to attend to the marvelous nuances of musical narratives.

            In exposing students to the defining efforts of their pioneering predecessors—to the remarkable re-cast worlds of Michelangelo, Klimt, and Rothko, of Shakespeare, Strindberg, and Kushner, of Beethoven and Ellington and Radiohead—we introduce them to the extraordinary richness of the world’s artistic heritage, and awaken thereby their sensitivity to the range, scope, and intensity of human creative endeavor.

            Describing the compositions of another American, Christian Wolff, Cage observed that “Wolff’s works invariably reveal to both performers and listeners energy resources in themselves of which they hadn’t been aware, and put those energies intelligently to work.”  An important parallel to our abetting keen student engagement is our nurturing students’ awareness of their own abundant creative energies.  We believe that anyone willing to try is capable of producing arresting work in art, theater, and music; and we are committed to creating the conditions in which students may feel emboldened to unleash their nascent talent.

            Ultimately, our students become fervent transmuters.  Deft, intrepid assayers of images, sounds, texts, and ideas, they imaginatively seize and transform the objects of their perception.  They absorb, parse, and temper, weaving these seminal, metamorphic phenomena into their disarmingly vivid artwork and revealing therein new ramifications and possibilities. 

            Withal they confirm another Cageian adage: Art is self-alteration.  Cultivating greater perceptual acuity, relishing the new discoveries that such acuity yields, and tapping their own teeming resources, our students develop dexterity and suppleness, a capacity for canny, nimble, eager response to anything they might encounter. 

            The goals of arts education, one quickly learns, jibe beautifully with those of liberal-arts education.

(Click here for more on Webb’s arts programs.)

Those who spend time on Webb’s campus come to realize that this is our standard. Our faculty members go beyond teaching; they coach, they mentor, they study, they advise. Similarly, we expect our students to go beyond traditional learning. We encourage them to teach and guide and lead.

Webb’s debate team has lived up to these expectations. A handful of student leaders started the team last year, and they have led us to remarkable success. Dakota Santana-Grace ’11 is our President – an enthusiastic leader who dominates a room during policy debates and organizes clever lessons to teach the basics of argumentation. Our second-in-command is Elena Scott-Kakures ‘11, whose command of the facts and quieter brand of leadership serves as a guide for the less experienced debaters. Together, they organized, taught, and led a team that hosted its first-ever debate tournament two weeks ago – and brought home the top award in every category.

Of course, plenty of individuals have helped guide and coach these student leaders. Notably, Mr. Lee Harris is the team’s coach, and several faculty members have offered insight and guidance. All of the guidance, though, came at the request of the team’s student leaders. Dakota and Elena sought out Mr. Harris and asked me to serve as faculty advisor. Dakota and Elena asked for advice from Mr. Stockdale and Mr. Bartlett when they needed it. We work for them.

Working in the Office of Admission, I know that parents and students who are new to Webb sometimes scoff at the level of responsibility in the hands of students. “The students teach?” they ask, incredulous. “Yes,” I respond. “They also manage student check-ins, hear disciplinary cases, and sit on some of the school’s most important planning bodies.” The bewildered looks on their faces tell a familiar tale: Webb’s emphasis on true student leadership is singular and exceptional.

Thompson Webb established a school that would educate its students to be honorable leaders in their communities. They were to be principes, non homines: leaders, not ordinary men. To prepare for that role, our students must practice. And so, you’ll find Webb students taking the reins in every arena. In class, ninth grade students teach their peers the complexities of geometry. On the athletic fields, team captains teach skills and model honorable behavior in competition. During meeting blocks, student groups – clubs, class officers, the honor committees, and more – bustle with activity, almost always organized and led by students.

As we sift through hundreds of applications every year, the members of the Admission Committee pay attention to those traits that will allow a new student to carry on and to expand this tradition of student leadership. Is the student willing to be an active, engaged member of the Webb community? Does she have the potential and the desire to find her passion and pursue it with honor? Four years down the road, with the guidance we provide, will he be a leader, or an ordinary man?

For students already here, we know the answers. They think deeply and differently. They demonstrate the kind of initiative and responsibility one struggles to find in most adults. They push their peers and themselves to branch out, to try new activities, and to achieve at an ever higher level. I have been lucky enough to witness this first-hand with the debate team, but it is not an isolated phenomenon. You will not find many ordinary young men and women at Webb.

As I am traveling throughout Asia visiting current and past Webb parents and alumni, I've been engaging everyone in conversation about Tony Wagner's book, The Global Achievement Gap, and particularly about the first of his seven “21st century survival skills” - critical thinking and problem solving. It's exciting to hear people's views, especially those of parents who have read the book and alumni who have had the "Webb experience" as their foundational, formative educational experience.

When I ask "what do you think is the most important survival skill?" there are some differences in the words but the essence of the answer is nearly universal: independence of thought spurred by questions. It's about the questions, not the answers everyone says. That's how critical and independent thinking develop and that's how problems are solved. And, people continue, it's the basis of creativity and innovation.

Parents - those who know the Webb of today best - offer several examples of independent, critical thinking and problem solving in action. One example that is named over and over again is Integrated Math. One parent offered that when his son first described the classroom - few answers, lots of questions, students in charge, teacher as guide not resident expert, no traditional textbook, etc. - they were both confused. "You see," he said, "this would never happen in one of our schools now. Here students aren't expected to think for themselves or solve real problems." Others refer to how we "do science" naming Peccary trips, museum research, project-based environmental science, use of the Hefner observatory, etc. as exemplifying the development of critical thinking and problem solving.

Interestingly, alumni often refer to our Honor Code and character development mission as an example of how Webb students are urged constantly to ask questions - especially challenging and serious questions - about how to think and act. As one alumna put it, "one cannot be a person of character and honor without thinking independently and critically and without knowing how to break things down, how to connect the dots, how to test assumptions." I'd argue, too, that one cannot participate in our democracy without these skills and cannot live a thoughtful life that contributes to the entire human endeavor without these skills. If you're waiting for answers instead of asking questions, you might as well be a specimen in The Alf Museum.

Of course, we can't be self-congratulatory or complacent about the ways in which we develop the world's future leaders and the ways in which we give teenagers an opportunity to figure things out. The top-down world of specialization that placed a premium on content and the narrow skills of quantitative computation and reading comprehension is moving the way of the dinosaur. Ironically enough, it’s possible that the learning and teaching that is characterized by our Alf Museum’s study of paleontology has helped to shape Webb's forward-looking emphasis on independent, critical thinking and problem solving.

Thoughts?  I'd love to hear from you 

I believe that one of the most unique and valuable parts of a Webb education is our requirement for all students to participate in a minimum of one interscholastic sports team per year. For those of you fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to compete on a high school athletic team, you are well aware that there are some things you learn on the athletic field that cannot be taught the same way in the classroom. Something about the adrenaline, the high stakes, your teammates relying on you, and the excitement of competition teaches lessons in leadership, communication, adversity and success in ways that cannot easily be replicated outside of the athletic arena.

However, what maximizes these opportunities on the field? In a word, the coach. Good coaching teaches students skills to be more competitive, keeps the morale high, and makes playing enjoyable. But great coaching does all that and more. Great coaching takes every opportunity through adversity and failure, victory and defeat, to teach integrity, morals, strength, and character.

Over the years I have seen the entire gamut of coaching theories put into practice. I have seen coaches teach players to purposefully take advantage of opportunities when officials were not looking, coaches who encourage their players to cheat in the little things, and coaching that cares about winning at any cost.  At the same time I have known coaches who teach their players how to play with respect: respect for the game, respect for their opponents, and respect for the officials.  I have seen these same coaches be willing to uphold high standards of sportsmanship and discipline even when it puts their own team at a competitive disadvantage. And I have watched their athletes give 100%, play with passion and pride, and love every minute of their experience in both wins and losses.

Some people will ask, is it really possible to have a highly competitive, winning team if winning isn’t the single most important goal? Absolutely. The Positive Coaching Alliance, an organization backed by successful coaches such as Phil Jackson and to whose philosophy Webb ascribes, is an organization that strongly advocates for coaches who are passionate about winning, but are constantly looking beyond the scoreboard and understand that there are successes to be had and lessons to be learned in both victory and defeat. Such coaches are known as “double goal coaches.” These coaches always have athletes striving for achievable goals, playing with sportsmanship, and focusing on aspects of the game that are within their control. In sports, there are always factors you can’t control: bad weather, the quality of your opponent, the judgment of the officials. Double goal coaches teach their players to take their focus off of these uncontrollable aspects and instead concentrate on things like effort, attitude, preparation, and on focus itself. Such coaching creates players who are constantly improving their technique, find fulfillment in the game, and are growing in character. It’s a tall order, but these are the qualities that Webb looks for when hiring coaches, and these are the terms on which they are evaluated.

Hiring coaches with this mindset has in no way hampered our competitive ability. Webb has made a concerted effort not only to hire coaches who have tremendous experience in their respective sports, but who also understand and value our mission and believe that the “student” part of “student athlete” comes first for a reason.  We compete with and defeat schools many times our size, and all of this is done without sacrificing our core values. Instead, we embrace them.

At the end of their high school careers, our athletes will have all experienced success and failure, exhilaration and heartbreak. These are experiences they will encounter again and again throughout their lives in many different contexts. But through the lessons learned on our fields, in our pool, and in our gymnasium, they will have learned to handle these experiences with character and honor, with composure and aplomb. In short, they will have developed the core values of their alma mater as a Webb graduate.

GO GAULS!

Last spring, we learned that the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) office in Hollister, California, was seeking a museum to work an excellent mid-Miocene (15 million year old) vertebrate bone bed in the Temblor Formation of Fresno County, California. The site was discovered in 2004 during construction of a power line paralleling Interstate 5. Subsequent excavations yielded 1,200 fossil specimens which are now housed at UC Berkeley's Museum of Paleontology. A number of rare fossils were unearthed, ranging from three-toed horses to giant tortoises. For the last five years, the site has lain dormant while awaiting the next round of work. The BLM agreed that the Alf Museum could excavate the site, and we are excited as it's an excellent place to bring our students. Bone beds are rare, and they are fun to collect because they are so full of fossils. Webb students get to learn how to quarry, and the specimens recovered will strengthen our collection of Cenozoic vertebrates. It's a good thing for everybody involved.

Thus, the Honors Advanced Study in Paleontology class went to the site on October 24-26 to reopen the bone bed quarry. The bone bed was reburied after the initial excavations in 2004, but photos helped us to relocate the bone bed after a couple of hours of digging. Bone preservation at the site is exceptional and it wasn't long before we were removing horse teeth, camel toe bones, chunks of tortoise shell, and other vertebrate bones. We worked the site for about 12 hours over two days and collected about 100 specimens. We plan to return to the site soon to continue our excavations.

The trip was part of a lesson in the Honors Paleo class where students learn to map a site, take field notes, collect a sample of specimens, and then prepare and curate them back at the museum so they can be placed into the permanent collections of the Alf Museum. On this trip they worked as professional paleontologists--a unique learning experience for our students.

“Sit on your hands,” I once told a parent who called to let me know that she had started filling out her son’s college applications online. She told me she was simply “helping him to get started,” and added, “I’m really only doing the name and address and personal information sections.” She really thought that she was just playing the “helpful parent” role she was so accustomed to doing for the past 17 years. Why is this a bad thing?  After all, if there were ever a time to really help your children with something important, wouldn’t assisting them with college applications be it?  If I weren’t a father myself (and possessing the same tendencies as this well-meaning parent), I probably wouldn’t have believed my own ears. The fact, however, is that as parents we have been “helping” our children get through their first 17 years of life with as much success as possible, and we sometimes forget when it’s time to step aside and let our children handle things that are their responsibility. While it may seem obvious to most that applying to college should be led by the student that is actually going to go to college, I am always amazed by how many parents take on the task and turn it into a “we are applying to college,” instead of “my child is applying and I’m just here for support.”

It’s hard, I know. I have two sons of my own, and while they are still in elementary school, I can’t tell you how many times I find myself wanting to “correct” their homework before it’s handed in, or “help” them with a project by taking charge of it as if it were mine. I hate it when I catch myself doing it (or my wife catches me), and I try really hard to step away and let them each figure it out as best they can. Even if it means struggling or (God forbid) failing at it. As an educated parent, and one that does what I do for a living, for goodness sake, you would think that I would never be guilty of enabling my own children in school. But, I suffer from the same illness that so many of us “Generation X” parents seem to be guilty of today—getting overly involved in our children’s school work (and lives) to the point that we enable them. They need to solve their own problems and clean up after their own mishaps. I don’t want my children to fail (no parent does), but I also don’t want my children to grow up to be ill-equipped to deal with important tasks, like applying to college on their own.

The role of the parent in college admissions is a delicate one. How much is too much help?  How removed should you be from the task?  How do you offer support without telling your children how to do it all?  Or worse, you end up doing it for them because you think you know how to do it better. These questions seem to haunt even the best of us—yes, even the perfect parent that “would never do such a thing.”   Why?  Because we love our children more than anything else in the world, and we want the best for them. That’s only natural. But loving your children and wanting the best for them can really be achieved in a much healthier manner by knowing when you need to step back and let your child take the reins. As amazing as it may be, your child will surprise you in most cases and know exactly how to take care of the business of applying to college with little or even no help from you. After all, they attend The Webb Schools, and if there is one thing we are really good at around here it is making sure all of our students are not only ready for college, but know how to best present themselves to the colleges. I seldom, if ever, find myself hunting down a senior who refuses to see me or deal with college plans in the most responsible and sensible way. In fact, it is almost the complete opposite. I have to tell students to calm down and stop obsessing about the most ridiculous details (like where is the best spot for the 44 cent stamp to be placed on an envelope that is going to a college? True story!). Why?  Because they care about their futures, and they’ve invested an enormous amount of time and energy to make it this far at a place like Webb. They also care a great deal about making you, the parent, proud. Yes, even the kids that have spent the last 17 years being constantly pushed and prodded to get out of bed each morning, to find their shoes, not to forget their back-packs, and reminded to brush their hair and teeth are extra careful with the task of applying to college. They all know firsthand the importance of this major milestone, and they have waited a long time to get to this momentous place in their young lives. They are not going to do anything to jeopardize their chances of getting into a good college if they can help it. This gives me great hope for my own two boys, whom I recently lectured about the fact that they will be brushing their teeth every day, at least twice a day, for the rest of their lives, only to get looks of utter surprise and astonishment at such an outrageous rule.

As the “watcher” instead of the “doer,” your job is to simply give your parental encouragement each and every day. “Do your best,” “I know you can do it,”  “have faith in yourself,” and “don’t stress out” are all things you should say to your child - all the time - even when things don’t look as promising as they could be. I would also add, “Are you getting enough sleep?” “Did you eat something tasty but healthy today,” or “Did you brush your teeth?” (Okay, maybe that one you don’t have to remind them of anymore). All you have to do is watch them do it in their own style and with their own hands. They will surprise you, and they will succeed. I’ve seen it happen for the past 23 years - and that’s a lot of teenagers to say the least. You’ve done your job as a good parent and you’ve earned the right to enjoy the first big thing your “almost adult” child will endeavor to do next - go to college. It’s a beautiful thing to experience, and it never gets old. No matter if your child is at the top of the class or at the bottom, he/she will manage the task of applying to college with great independence and thoughtfulness. Traits we have instilled your child with during their time at Webb.

Colleges are always on the “look-out” for that infamous “helicopter parent” – the one that hovers over their children like a stealth bomber, waiting to attack at any given moment should their children be challenged by an important task and in need of rescuing. Your child does not need you to rescue him. She isn’t going to drown, or be hit by a bus. Or even get a bloody knee. Will they get everything they ever wanted?  NO, nor should they!  After all, only Charlie Bucket from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory got everything he ever wanted – but even he had to suffer with poverty first. Colleges want to see the “real” student—not the “polished” applicant that had a professional publisher proof his college essay or a “life coach” hired to hold her hand every step of the way. The more “genuine” the applicant comes across, the better the outcome— the more a “grown up” takes over things, the more likely the student is going to be denied by colleges by virtue of simply not being themselves.

So, next time you are tempted to “help out” just ask yourself, “is this something my child is capable of handling on his own?” If the answer is “yes,” then let him. If the answer is “no” or “I’m not sure,” then call me. Chances are I will tell you to “sit on your hands” (just like my wife tells me to do with my own two sons).

As the Science Department Chair and a member of the remarkable Science Department here at Webb I have a natural bias towards the wonder of science, its history, current place in the world and its future. To me, the scientific method is not only an amazing tool for solving problems, it is a "Habit of Mind," a critical method of analysis for making sense of the world, even a way of life.

As an Environmental Science teacher I also have a natural bias towards that particular discipline. I am asked many times what the discipline actually entails. Most of the questioners list Pollution, Global Warming and the Ozone Hole in their description. Well, they are correct, but that is not the whole (hole) story...

Near the peak of the Environmentalism movement in the 1960's, the federal government established the goal of Environmental Literacy for all U.S citizens. This included a clear understanding of the principles of ecology, natural cycles, pollution and its sources, and sustainability. In other words, how mankind affects the natural world. This goal eventually grew into the 1990 National Environmental Education Act which established two broad national educational priorities: 1) to improve understanding among the general public of the natural and built environment and the relationships between humans and their environment, and 2) to encourage postsecondary students to pursue careers related to the environment. To state it more plainly and pointedly, "it is not enough in the 21st century for a few specialists to know what is going on while the rest of us wander about in ignorance hoping a few will solve the problems of the many." (Cunningham, 2009)

Humans have always lived in two worlds, the one that nature has created and the social, political and technological world that mankind has created. Which leads me to answer the question that so many people ask of me... Environmental Science is the study of how we can put those two worlds together and come up with something that exhibits a fair, reasonable and balanced view - as well as a plan of action - as to how we can co-exist with nature in such a way that we can use it to our advantage without harming or misusing it in order that all other creatures may use it as well; an "eco-justice" that includes humanity as a part of the circle of life rather than being separate from it.

Environmental Science is a bit different than most other sciences in that it is generally NOT theoretical. Environmental Scientists actually know the solutions to almost every environmental problem we face on our planet. That's encouraging, don't you think?! Since we know all the answers to our problems, you might ask, “Why aren't they solved?”  Therein lies the rub... and one of the reasons I think so highly of discipline. Environmental Science requires a responsibility to take action in a way that most other disciplines do not. As an Environmental Scientist you are expected to be actively involved. I don't mean by constantly experimenting. I mean being involved in environmental politics, legislation, local and federal land, water and air usage, helping endangered species, wild animal and land protection, deforestation, controlling urbanization and overpopulation, protecting our oceans, supporting alternative energies, conservation and, yes of course, preventing pollution of all types, slowing and eventually stopping global warming as well as shrinking the Ozone Hole.

It is, at times, easy to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of many of the world’s environmental issues. I am often encouraged by the fact, however, that we have made and are continuing to make huge strides in many of the issues that were once considered unsolvable or unstoppable. Air pollution in Southern California is a great example: while some pollutants remain at high levels, the majority of them have been curtailed dramatically or even eliminated since the 1970 Clean Air Act. In 1988 the Ozone Hole was recognized on an international level. That led to the first worldwide environmental agreement in 1996 to eliminate CFC's, the chlorine chemical that was destroying our protective Ozone layer in the Stratosphere.  The Ozone Hole is now shrinking and will be back to its normal historical size in a few decades. These examples are powerful proof that all of humanity can cause enormous change for the greater good!

As a Webb science teacher, it is my passion that my students leave Webb with not only a clear understanding of the environmental issues that the world will face in their generation but, even more importantly, where their responsibility lies in solving them and a strong belief that their passion in doing so will make a real and lasting difference. Eco-justice IS possible!

In last week's Washington Post a teacher wrote a letter to the editor that began, "We've been in session for the new school year for five weeks now, but we've only taught for a little over two of those weeks. The rest of the time has been spent testing."  Like a lot of people, I've read about the proliferation of high stakes testing in the US. I've even heard the first-hand horror stories from my own sister who is a New York public school teacher, but somehow that simple opening sentence in that teacher's letter floored me.

The teacher went on to say, "Of course, there is content we want to be sure our students learn, but I want my students to learn how to think, how to be creative, and how to be good citizens. And, that's not what we're doing because that's not what we're testing." The adage, "what's measured is what gets done" could not be more painfully true than it is in classrooms all across our country. Similarly, in The Washingtonian, the cover feature was "The School You Love to Hate," a Fairfax county school that many students will commute for over two hours each morning in order to attend. The problem, of course, isn't that this particular school is good, but that the nearby schools are so weak that families feel compelled to have their sons and daughters travel great distances every day just to get a halfway decent education.

Our recent commitment to "high stakes" testing is deeply troubling, especially because standardized tests measure such a narrow segment of intelligence. It has been firmly established that intelligence is far more complex than what we choose to measure on a standardized test - largely reading comprehension and quantitative skills. These tests of ours reward children who have a knack for language and math and who can regurgitate information. They reveal little about a student's desire to learn, intellectual depth and scope, and they are poor predictors of future success or happiness. What about creative problem solving and innovation? critical thinking? mental agility? observation and self reflection? perseverance? Those skills and habits of mind are far more difficult to quantify, but they are eminently teachable and far more influential in a person's success and happiness. When it comes to what educators are being asked required to test and measure, I'm reminded of one of Einstein's more famous pieces of wisdom: "Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted." The irony can't be lost on anyone.

It is perplexing to me that recent educational reform in the US is mired in standardized testing and high content levels in instruction. This is precisely the kind of education that other leading nations are abandoning. These matters should be of grave concern to parents and employers as well as to educators for they have enormous national and global societal implications. In his book, The Global Achievement Gap, Tony Wagner posits several brutal facts about American education, among them that we have on a 70% high school graduation rate while Denmark has 96%, Japan 93%, and Poland 79%. Furthermore, only one-third of our high school graduates are prepared for college, and 40% of our students who enter college must take remedial courses. It is clear that not enough young American citizens are being taught how to think, how to solve problems, and how to be creative and, as a result, they will not be hired for the best jobs and will be at a great competitive disadvantage as, ultimately, will be our nation as well.

When a teacher guides her students through a problem by using a set of questions designed, researched and analyzed by the students and made tangible in a real life project designed by students working in small groups and presented publicly to peers and adults, that teacher is earning her pay - meager as it may be - and her students are being taught the real skills they need to be educated adults. But when we require that same teacher to devote more than half her time to monitor students who are sitting at their desks filling in bubbles on an answer sheet, not only do she and her students lose, we all lose.

Susan Nelson tells parents at the beginning of every school year that she and the school can make few promises, in fact, she says, mainly just this, “I promise you that your sons and daughters will be known. They will be known and they will be cared for.”  For a long time these words just struck me as old-fashioned, gooey and sentimental. In fact, I often observed parents in the auditorium looking at each other in mild confusion. Is that the job of a school?  Isn’t that the role of parent and family?  Well, of course, yes, in answer to both questions. It is the role of the family to know the son and know the daughter, but strangely it is also the miraculous sum-total of what happens to you here at Webb.

I finally get it. I saw it this weekend on the faces of Webb alumni from the fifth to the fiftieth reunion. Each of them did indeed enter Webb as students, as strangers, but then they became known, known for their character, for their uncommon gifts, for their flaws and frailties, and more. They were known here. They are still known. Distance has not diminished it. Years have not diminished it. This knowing has survived even beyond death as classmates gathered and remembered even those no longer among us.

As I think about it all this morning, I see that beyond the learning and skills and academic achievement, even beyond college placement if you can believe that, of all the things that happen for you and to you at Webb, this is the most powerful and lasting. You were known here. You will always be known.  

On its face, a finely wrought piece of writing—rigorous in argument and energetic in style—reflects its author’s nimble intellect, command of the language, and attention to grammatical nuance. More broadly, it reveals the writer’s respect for her audience, her conviction in her ideas, and her willingness to engage in dialogue about those ideas. It is the hallmark of a rigorous and conscientious mind. Good writing, however, requires hard—albeit rewarding—work.

The web and its widgets, from email to Facebook to Twitter and beyond, have been both a boon and a peril to younger writers who, in their enthusiasm to communicate, sacrifice clarity for haste, forgetting that despite the seemingly ephemeral nature of online communiqués, what one commits to a blog, a tweet, or a Facebook wall is strangely permanent: today’s blogspot comma splice may well haunt tomorrow’s Googled reference check.  

Our department began looking for ways to combat a contemporary writing culture that too often eschews rigor, reflection, and revision, and last January we inaugurated Webb’s e-portfolio system: an electronic folder into which a student files every writing assignment she creates throughout her Webb career. The pedagogical benefits of the system abound: using Microsoft Word’s Comment function, teachers can make annotations on the electronic copy of the document—a process further streamlined by an electronic rubric—and quickly return graded assignments to the e-portfolio, allowing students to more effectively revise a work in progress and creating a virtual toolbox of expert suggestions and commentary for students’ future use.

The portfolios also facilitate opportunities for peer editing exercises and class workshops, allowing a piece of writing to transcend the traditionally parochial exchange between student and teacher. An advisor might dip into an advisee’s portfolio to see a snapshot of her current work; a history teacher might peruse his students’ English essays to suss out how well they embed quotations; a tenth-grade teacher might look at the work her students produced as ninth-graders, framing her understanding of their grammatical mastery and needs. As students recognize that they are creating pieces for multiple audiences, they embrace the unglamorous but necessary task of refining their grammar, mechanics, and rhetoric; as those pieces accumulate from one year to the next, students create a body of work reflecting their authorial growth and reminding them that they are accountable for the work they create in their names.

To underscore the crucial importance of writing in a world beyond the classroom, our English faculty has designed projects and assessments to challenge students to apply their writing in contexts far different from the formal critical essay, encouraging students to write with an awareness of—and obligation to—a broad and diverse audience. Freshmen will write chapel talks; sophomores will author guidebooks for a virtual Renaissance museum; juniors will write and produce radio shows in the style of NPR’s “This American Life.”    

As every frustrated student of literature knows, we only rarely have the luxury of hearing an author explain the intentions of a text: Shakespeare cannot tell us whether Hamlet knows that Polonius is behind the arras; we cannot ask Wallace Stevens for the identity of the emperor of ice cream; T.S. Eliot will never reveal J. Alfred Prufrock’s overwhelming question. Just as great literature stands by itself, so too must our own great writing; we cannot rely on the possibility of being able to offer ex post facto excuses, explanations, or caveats to our readers. Thus, as our students challenge themselves to elevate their written expression, we in turn challenge them to recall Thompson Webb’s charge to our community: that our word is indeed our bond.

During my first few chapel talks of the year, I like to challenge students and faculty to consider what constitutes a really good high school education.  I’m always impressed with what people have to say.  From the most venerable faculty members to our young freshmen, there seems to be a sense of pride in being at a school that values excellence, rigor, and the highest standards of individual and collective behavior. 

Some might say that a really good education prepares a young person to lead a successful life.  I certainly wouldn’t argue with that.   Or, that a good education allows you to reason, to calculate, to think creatively, to understand, and have perspective.  Yes.

But I always try to challenge the community to go one step beyond being a really good educational community.  In my mind, a good education does prepare you for success.  But a great education prepares you for failure—it gives you the strength and the philosophical underpinnings to help you decide what you should do when faced with a major loss, challenge, or set back.  The difference between a really good education and a great education is that a great education equips you to care about the right things, to act upon your empathy, and to struggle toward success whether you reach it or not. 

Webb is a place where we strive to provide a good education and a great education.  Our academic curriculum is grounded in the liberal arts, and provides the historical context to evaluate and detect patterns, to judge and formulate sound self-government.  Our recent growth in the arts allows students to pursue creative interests and to understand more completely the heart of our language and culture.  And our active-learning based math and science experiences expose students to the very foundations of medicine and engineering which of course lead to innovation, product conceptualization, and design. 

So there is little doubt that a good education is vital in many, many respects.  Our small class sizes, fabulous facilities, technology, college counseling – it’s all pretty impressive when you compare Webb to any school in the nation.  But there’s something else at work here – an education that runs far deeper, preparing our students for more.  It comes through in Webb’s core values:  Honor, Single Sex Education, Unbounded Thinking.  It comes through in the multitude of activities we offer, including beginning-of-year retreats, competitive sports, chapel talks, Peccary trips, formal dinners, service projects, club activities, and the list goes on.  And it comes through in just being here - living with friends and teachers – living together on this campus and learning to care for one another.  Somehow, it all comes together every day and every year to create a total experience that is far more than just a really good education. 

As the 2009-2010 year gets underway, I am beginning to see the signs of what makes us great.  The start of year activities were led by a leadership group of over 80 students.  They were well-organized and set the standard of excellence in terms of honor, residential leadership, and student government.  We have already had a number of excellent chapel programs (both from teachers and students) including the Vivian Webb Signing Ceremony, the Webb School of California honor service, and a wonderful Sunday chapel last evening featuring our very own Nina Gilbert who is a nationally recognized expert on the National Anthem.  The service council group is stronger than ever and is already active in the community, and Webb Gaul athletics are off and running – with impressive wins this past weekend by water polo, football, and volleyball. 

Our commitment to being a good school and a great school is a challenging path.  It involves placing a good deal of leadership in the hands of students, so that they can take true ownership for this place, and in doing so, learn some of life’s most important lessons in deep and important ways.  A good school would be satisfied with impressive scores, and college acceptances.  A great school is not.  I’m proud to work at a school which places so much value on scholarship while at the same time seeks to challenge its students in ways that prepare them to lead in what is sure to be a complex world. 

I’ll conclude with a portion of a poem I read to students in chapel.  It was actually found on the body of an unknown soldier after the battle of Gettysburg.   

I asked for strength that I might achieve. He made me weak that I might obey.

I asked for health that I might do great things. He gave me grace that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy. He gave me poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. He gave me weakness that I might feel a need for God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. He gave me life that I might enjoy all things.

I received nothing I asked for. He gave me everything I hoped for….

I’d like to hear your thoughts on this poem and how you feel it relates to our focus in providing both a good and a great education for our students. 

The class is already busy meeting with admissions representatives from all over the country who have begun to visit us (and who will continue to visit throughout the fall semester).  We expect another record-breaking year of college visitors to the Webb campus.  It's always my pleasure to show off the outstanding students we have here and make sure our college friends know us as well as we know them. 

Soon, seniors will be asking their teachers for college recommendation letters, taking the SAT/ACT (again), making finishing touches on their college essays, getting their applications together, and setting up their college interviews.  Deadlines will fast approach and every senior will be incredibly busy making sure all details are taken care of and assuring that each college application is the best that it can be. 

Some stress, a bit of anxiety, and some reality checks will be part of the process, but ultimately each senior will find good college matches and gain the confidence to present themselves to their schools in wonderfully successful ways.  Every year we have a few "panicked" souls who fear that they will never get into any college, but I have reassured them all that they will – and not just "any" college but a "good" college!  We have great kids at Webb, why wouldn't good colleges want them?!  

Where will they apply?  Where will they end up? It's still too early to tell, but I have a really good feeling for this class and for the year ahead.  If our successful senior retreat and the interesting conversations I've been having with each senior is any indication, I am confident that the Class of 2010 will be very happy with their college choices.  They have already made a great first impression with me and are certain to do the same with their colleges!  

Please join me in wishing the Class of 2010 good luck and great success with their college plans.  And for the Classes of 2011, 2012, and 2013… watch and learn.  What's happening to the seniors will soon be happening to you.  Great things await you as well!

In our preparations to teach in these extended class blocks we invited faculty to work in Science/Math and Humanities teams toward the end of last year, offering workshops to generate ideas for mixing modalities and creating lesson plans to fill eighty-minute periods, and to assign work for out of class that is more intentional and purposeful.  We also spent two days as a full faculty in year-end meetings working with a consultant who gave us more ideas with which to work.  Several departments took advantage of the week after faculty meetings in June to further collaborate.

The anxious moment for me came in mid-August when I expected people to come to me in a panic – and no one came.  And as I queried more and more faculty members it became clear that people were, in fact, embracing this opportunity to be able to change the dynamics of their classroom; classroom dynamics that had often seemed rushed and fractured.  And another reality became clear – just about everybody, or at least several members of each department,  had had some experience teaching in extended time, either in other (often public) school settings or in summer school.  The tone that has been set in starting the year has been one of increased collaboration all around – teacher to teacher, teacher to student, student to student – and it has extended, as we had hoped, into the realm of the everyday experiences outside of the classroom. 

We have adjusted the schedule to be able to give the students the gift of time, uninterrupted time, to meet with teachers and advisors, time to meet as members of leadership committees, time to meet as club members, and to be constructive and productive in ways that were impossible under the old schedule.  So the advantages we have created for teaching in the new schedule have also allowed us to be able to attend to those things that we deem to be important to us at Webb in the community as well.  The place just seems to be a bit more civil, and the way people are interacting more respectful and reasonable – we seem to be getting closer to achieving the ideal of a true learning community, where you are able to bring great minds together to learn and share on a higher plane – and my only remaining anxiety lies in the knowledge that we can’t settle into a complacency that limits what we do with the time that we have created for ourselves!

And why, do you say? What do you all have to hide? Well, of course, nothing. You can learn all about us by visiting our websites, walking our campuses and drawing your own comparisons. But the notion that you can lump all our schools into one pot and then ascribe what are never exacting standards supposedly vetted by the most rigorous research misses the whole point of why our schools exist in the first place. Every independent school was founded on a vision of what education can be or should be for children. Founders of various boarding schools, like our own Thompson Webb, did so because they developed a belief system about the appropriate ends of education and founded a school to put those ideas into place. They did not do so to “compete” with the other boarding or public school down the road. They did not do so to see if their students could get that elusive edge in the college admission process. In the case of The Webb Schools, Mr. Webb was firm in his belief about developing “young men of honor” and that alone has guided our ideas about education for both our boys and girls (Webb, founded in 1922, added a girls’ school in 1981). 

The basic problem with rankings, besides their questionable methodology for collecting data (e.g., College Rankings still depends on colleges self-reporting), is that they create for the less discerning parent a seemingly easy way to make what may be the most important decision of parenthood. Why do the hard work of research when I can open a book, look at a list, find #1 or 2, and apply my child to that school? In addition, they often propose that a particular characteristic of education is most important in defining whether it’s a quality school or not.  My favorite such survey is the one used by a prominent magazine that ranks public schools by taking the number of AP/IB exams written and dividing by the number of graduates.  Supposedly, such data tells us that these are schools with the best programs, but the survey does not report the average test AP/IB test results from these programs because the researcher was afraid the reporting schools would artificially inflate those grades by allowing only the top students to take the tests. O.K., I get his point, but then, what does it matter if the school jams forty students into an AP U.S. History class?  The fact that forty students simply write the exam makes it a quality program?  In defense of the researcher, he admits that evaluating other aspects of a school (e.g. quality of extra-curricular programs – vital to a child’s education) defies statistical analysis.   Ah….that’s my point!

Schools are not a population of automatons who take challenging courses and write exacting exams. Schools should be places where learning transcends standardization; where each child is inspired to learn today and wants to learn more tomorrow. They have classrooms where students ask questions and ponder new ideas and where teachers are coaches, not just givers of knowledge. They are places where every child finds his/her place in the sun; where they are encouraged to stretch; and where as Brown’s Theodore Sizer once wrote, students become “informed skeptics.”  In short, every child has a school in his heart and mind. The joy of independent schools, then, is their essence. They are “independent” and are designed not to appeal to every child’s learning needs, but to have a place for every child who believes it’s the right school for them. And this is where the hard work of searching for schools begins for parents.

It requires thinking through the goals that parents have for their child’s education. Hopefully, this goes deeper than simply getting their child into the celebrity college of their choice (My favorite comment to parents by our head of school recently was, “Remember, there are over 3,000 universities out there, not ten.”). It requires them to research a number of schools, to visit their campuses, and to ask tough questions about the school’s philosophy for classroom teaching or the “why” of its curriculum.  Why does the school embrace the Advanced Courses it does, for example? Is it because the school believes that teaching AP European History is the best way to present that discipline or is it because the school’s parents have demanded more AP’s from the school? And what about the whole issue of character development? What does the school think about the development of emotional intelligence? All of these can be tough questions that every school must be able to answer. From all of this, parents can begin to envision – or not – their child at that school.  

Yes, by all means, collect the hard data: test scores, college placement, student-teacher ratio; but, in the end, it’s all about inspiration. An inspired child turns the world on its head. Cold data tells us nothing about how the school expects to achieve that goal; but so many independent schools can do just that, and they don’t need every child to take an Advanced Placement course or receive an International Baccalaureate degree to accomplish that goal. 

Wagner begins with what Jim Collins calls "the brutal facts."  Among them: the current US high school graduation rate is 70%. The comparable numbers  are 92% in Poland, 93% in Japan, 79% in Italy;  only about 1/3 of high school graduates are ready for college;fewer than 50% of US students who enter college complete a degree, placing the US 10th among industrialized nations;  90% of the highest paying jobs now require post-secondary education.  Bottom line posits Wagner, " students are simply not learning the skills that matter in the 21st century . . . our system of public education is hopelessly outdated."  

Around the world, school reform  is making big news whether it's the UK's goal to rebuild its system within the next 15 years, Abu Dhabi's new schools themed around girls' leadership training, Ireland's commitment to integrating technology  through all primary schools, Singapore's "Thinking Schools; Learning Nation" campaign, or our own "No Child Left Behind" legislation.   To this mix, Wagner adds his "7 Survival Skills" for learning, work, and citizenship and focuses on how American schools must fundamentally rethink and reform the education of our children.

I'm interested in sharing some of my thoughts and hearing yours about Wagner's 21st century skills, about his position on content, assessment, schools that work,  what constitutes an outstanding student educational experience, and, of course, what Webb does and how and why we do it.  Each month I'll blog on one of the seven skills, and I hope you'll comment - beginning today.   Click below to view a couple of interviews  and keynote speeches Tony Wagner has given.  If you haven't read the book, they might persuade you to take a look at it.  If you have read the book, they'll refresh your memory quickly.  

http://www.schoolchange.org/videos/ 

Our school has a fine athletic program, one that is guided by the mission of the school and we do have significant success in sports; but we also understand that success in athletics is transitory at best.  We are dealing with teenagers – not Olympic athletes – and I learned long ago that no coach should weigh his ego on the athletic success of adolescent athletes.  These are still children, after all.   What we then are ethically required to support in our athletic program is hard work towards an achievable goal, responsibility, an appreciation for the lessons learned from crossing the line first or last, and pride in just getting to the starting line in the first place.  It is the way I always approached coaching and, happily, my athletes did find real success.

As an admission director, I do experience parents who seem to place sports before academics, parents whose interests lie in securing a school that will ensure their student-athlete will be noticed by the celebrity college of their choice.  What admission officers have the benefit of knowing, however, is how few of these youngsters really do go on to achieve at the level of a Michael Phelps or even to secure what are fairly elusive athletic scholarships.   Of course, we want to fill our teams with strong athletes, but our first interest is admitting students of high character who do not see sports as a means to an end but, instead,  as an opportunity to participate in an activity that requires real effort and collaboration, one that offers a life lesson.  Not surprisingly, those kinds of students do shine in a sport and are likely the key for that team’s success. 

My advice, then, to parents seeking a school like ours is simple:  If the student has a talent for athletics, of course, encourage and support them. But when looking at a school’s athletic program, ask first about its philosophy regarding the training and encouragement of its athletes.   Ask if the school encourages an athlete not to focus solely on one sport.  There is significant research out there supporting the notion that athletes who do not “specialize” in a sport tend to have a happier experience in athletics and do excel in their chosen sport years down the road.  Schools that encourage students to diversify their athletic interests are schools that have athletics in perspective.    

I would also ask the school if there are entry-level teams, i.e. teams for the beginners.  Not every incoming high school student may have had the opportunity to play a sport in middle school; but I am convinced that in every student there is potential for participating in athletics and there is a team that matches that student’s talents.  However, I would then ask how the coach of these beginner teams encourages and nurtures that youngster.  This may be the most important coach the school chooses.  How many students build enormous confidence from learning they have that hidden talent and how many have been discouraged by the win-at-all- cost coach? 

Finally, to the surprise of not a few parents with aspirations in athletics for their son/daughter, there is no such thing as an athletic scholarship in schools like ours.  Students are selected for their academic and personal achievements and financial assistance is available but limited to deserving students who otherwise could not afford our school. 

Leo Marshall
Director of Admission  

Though I struggled in school at times, I had a fantastic experience overall, and therefore became passionate about the type of transformation a school like this can have on a student.  This is why I’m here, and this is why I’ve been here for over 2 decades – because I truly believe that this school transforms girls and boys into women and men of character, adults who are intelligent, compassionate, independent thinkers and learners who go on to lead fulfilling lives both personally and professionally.   

Like me and my family back in the late 1970’s, you are also in the throes of significant change.  Whether you are a boarding parent or day, a new parent or returning, the first few weeks at a boarding school are a rich mixture of excitement and emotion.  Sometimes we forget that we, as parents, are going through as much transition as our kids are, and it’s important to know that there is a network of parents on which to draw for strength, perspective, experiences and even humor. 

And so my message today is to have faith.  Please know that your child is in a caring, nurturing environment with adults who will care for them, and who have extensive experience working in this type of environment.  Your son or daughter will come to know them as teachers, coaches, advisors, dorm parents, and friends. 

Your role as parent of either a day or boarding student is critical to their educational journey.  We ask that you encourage your child to gain the most out of his or her time here.  Remind them from time to time to take risks, to take full advantage of our program, to go on a Peccary Trip with the museum, to go out for that sport or debate, or to try out for the play.  Of course, we will be encouraging them on this end as well, but your support and enthusiasm for the program is essential.  Another way you can be helpful is to let us know important information that is relevant to their adjustment here.  You’ll soon be meeting your child’s advisor.  This person will be your primary point of contact with the school, and it is important that he or she has any and all information that will help make this transition seamless.  And finally, you can be the greatest asset to your child by letting go a bit, and allowing this school do what it has been doing incredibly well for over 85 years.  

Your child will not always succeed, and not always have fun.  This is a challenging environment, both from an academic and a time management perspective, and it is important to know that your son or daughter is growing as a result of every one of these experiences – big and small.  Of course, we want to hear from you if you sense something is wrong or if you have a question, and certainly if hear something that is important for us to know.  But please know that we are closely monitoring each student’s progression and development, both as scholars and as people, and the only way someone can learn and grow is to be given the freedom to feel that they are in charge, so that they assume real responsibility.  This cannot happen if parents prevent it, and I ask that you consider that line between being helpful, and being too present, thereby preventing this most important education to take place.

Building on the momentum from last year, our fall teams have been practicing hard in preparation for the upcoming season. Here's a look at what you can expect in the fall sports season...

Football: In his third year at the helm of the Gauls, head coach Robbie von Pertz is looking to build upon last season’s second place Prep League finish and CIF playoff birth. With 15 seniors returning, including standouts Jacob Wass (DE/TE), Jacob Rode (QB), and Henry Nelson (WR/SS), the team will have as much depth and experience as any team in recent memory, and expects to make a deep run into the post season. Webb opens the season with a 1:30 game at home on Saturday September 5^th against Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth.

WSC Water Polo: The water polo team also has high expectations for the ‘09 season following last year’s run to the quarter finals of the CIF Div VI playoffs. Entering his 6^th year with The Webb Schools, coach Tom MacKinlay and his staff return almost all of their standout players from the ‘08 campaign, including all-CIF performers Chandler Talleur ’10, Chris Sazo, ’10, and Ben Davis ’11. With this core group of players, the Gauls are considered favorites for the Prep League title and should make another deep run in the post season. The water polo team begins their season on September 8^th in the El Dorado Tournament.

WSC Cross Country: A perennial powerhouse in Div V, the Gauls are expecting to make another trip to Fresno this fall with the hope of improving on last year’s 6^th place finish in the state. Brian Caldwell, in his 2^nd year at the head of the cross country program, is looking for continued improvement from returning athletes Andrew Lantz ’10, Raj Anand ’10, Auston Sterling ’10, and Bailey Stockdale ’11 in order to see Webb School of California solidify its status as one of the top small-school cross country programs in the state. The cross country season will begin with a Prep League cluster meet at Pierce College on September 15^th.

Volleyball: After an historic, first-ever playoff appearance culminating in a run to the quarterfinals of the Div III-A playoffs, The Vivian Webb Gauls look to consolidate their gains under second-year coach Jack Coberly. Key returners from last year’s squad include Dana Edwards ’11, Madison Fuelling ’11, and Eshaana Sheth ’10. The lady Gauls open their season at home on September 10^th versus Crean Lutheran South.

VWS Tennis: Third-year coach Robert Robillard expects the Lady Gauls to improve significantly on last season’s 3-12 mark. With eight members of the varsity squad, including standout Laura Santoro ’12, attending tennis camp together this fall, team spirit is at an all-time high heading into the season. Newcomer Laura Yun ’13 is also expected to have a significant impact this season. The team opens the campaign on September 14^th at Chaffey High School.

VWS Cross Country: Head coach Donald Ball, entering his 11^th year at Webb, looks to continue his tradition of seeing significant improvement in his athletes times throughout the season. Kristen Dubble ’10 and Lauren Tafflinger ’11 are set to provide leadership to this young and dedicated squad. The cross country season will begin with a Prep League cluster meet at Pierce College on September 15^th.

Photos and highlights from Gauls athletics can always be found on This Week at Webb and on the individual team pages where you will also find links to the game schedules. Come out to support the Gauls!

As another school year begins, I am struck, once again, by how privileged those of us in education are. There is nothing that compares to the energy, hope, and wonder that accompany a new school year. A new calendar year pales by comparison.

Why is that so? I think it is so because in schools we have a truly important mission and we do truly noble work, and the start of each year brings a new opportunity to re-commit to that mission and work. I think it is so because teaching calls a very special kind of person - generous of spirit, optimistic and forward looking, and visionary. And, finally, I think it is so because after over thirty-five years in education seeing a senior and remembering him or her as a freshman still gives me goose bumps. Watching students embrace one another with broad smiles or reach out to their teachers, coaches, and advisors after a summer apart, listening to the goals and dreams they have for the year ahead, and sharing with them in some random, spontaneous bit of fun renew and deepen one's faith in the future - no matter how challenging the problems or how disheartening the current landscape might be. At the start of the new school year, the combination of aspiration and idealism creates a spirit of good will and good cheer that is palpable.

Although it's impossible to know where this new year will take us, I hope it will find us united by our principles of honor, leadership and service; committed to living together bound by the five simple virtues we seek to make our own day in and day out - honesty, responsibility, respect, fairness, and compassion; and, made more grateful every day for good work to do and the strength to do it. I hope it will be a year in which we take good care of ourselves as well as of each other, in which we make sound decisions that keep us healthy and safe, and in which we appreciate and care for the sacred things of our school and the beauty of the campus that is also our home.

We have much to look forward to this year, not least of which are some new courses and programs as well as a new schedule that - if they meet our goals and realize our intentions - will open doors to new and exciting ways of learning and thinking. I look forward to more frequent and more meaningful communication between the school and its parents, alumni and friends, further strengthening the relationships that are so important to us. And, finally, I look forward to many shared experiences that we can recount with a sense of joy and accomplishment at the end of the year, some of which we may wish to hold in our memories forever.

Here's to us and to the 2009-2010 year.

GO GAULS !

Faithfully,

Susan Nelson

A crew of 15 Webb students - representing incoming freshmen, current students, and just-graduated seniors - departed from Webb on Monday, August 27 with Lofgren and faculty members Will Allan, and Kevin Quick, and Kevin’s son, Christian. Students were: Drew Silver ‘12, Brent Silver ‘10, Dakota Santana-Grace ‘11, Cameron Lutz ‘11, John Gunn ‘13, Sam Woodward ‘12, Ben Kissell ‘10, Kevin Terris ‘09, Bryan Yokote ‘09, Lucy Herrero ‘10, Brittany Lamon ‘11, Charlotte Harris ‘12, Rachel Zheng ‘12, Rebecca Lai ‘11, Gy-Su Kim ‘10. The group headed to Montana to collect Eocene (35 myo) mammals at the famous Pipestone Springs site near Butte. All found some nice jaws and Cameron Lutz found a complete tortoise which was jacketed and removed. The group also visited Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman before heading south through Yellowstone and Grand Tetons NPs to southern Utah to meet up with the Farke part of the expedition.

I departed for Utah on Saturday, August 25, with a small crew of volunteers to lay groundwork for the arrival of the main crew on August 4. Our destination: The Lofgren Ranch, immediately adjacent to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. Here, rocks from the end of the age of dinosaurs are exposed in rugged, beautiful badlands. It's one of the last unexplored frontiers for fossils in the lower 48. We opened up the Cripe Site (a quarry that has been worked yearly since 2005) and also identified several other localities for later collection with students assistance. Once the students arrived, we continued prospecting (searching for new sites) and excavating (collecting fossils at previously located sites) with their assistance.

Many hundreds of pounds of fossils were collected, ranging from giant, complete limb bones to tiny teeth. Highlights (many discovered and/or collected by students) included an exquisitely-preserved tyrannosaur thigh bone, portions of a rare turtle skull, and skin impressions from a plant-eating dinosaur. Of course, the best finds are always made at the end of the trip… Kevin Terris found parts of a little skeleton weathering out, on the second to last day of our trip! Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until next year to see how it pans out. Patience may be a virtue, but we'll all be dreaming impatiently of what's currently hidden by rock. On days off, students were able to visit Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, and the world-famous Henrie's Drive-In, among other local wonders.

The educational, scientific, and character-building significance of this trip for the students and the museum cannot be overstated. It was fun to share in the long hikes, quiet nights at camp, latrine digging, unexpected downpours, and the thrill of discovery with such a great bunch of kids! Special thanks are due to Will Allan, Kevin Quick, and Thea Hinkle '05, for all of their help with making this a fun, safe, and successful experience. I can hardly wait to see what next year brings!