Taft School News

Admiral Mullen

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Presidents Bush and Obama says there are five big things keep him awake at night:

"First and foremost, it's our national debt." said Mullen. "We cannot be the country that we need to be, or are expected to be or want to be, if we don't get control of our debt."

Mullen, who was sworn in as the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2007, is a native of Los Angeles and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968. Prior to becoming chairman, he served as the 28th Chief of Naval Operations. He retired in 2011.

The second issue that most concerned him is the quality of K-12 teaching in the U.S.

"If you ask me to pick a professional where we are most vulnerable as a country," he said "and where you can make that biggest impact, that's it."

Part of the problem is the political paralysis in Washington, he adds, which ranks third on his list, followed by the issue of cyberwarfare.

Finally, he worries about veterans affairs: "Veterans and their families, it's the first check we ought to write," he said.

In a question and answer session with teachers and students in the Faculty Room, Mullen spoke about the importance of emphasizing diplomatic efforts versus military ones in terms of U.S. relations with the world right now. We are over-militarized, he said, adding that, in the end, it’s all about economies and standards of living – that’s universal.

"To have someone of the prestige of Admiral Mullen come and directly engage our students is a phenomenal learning opportunity," said history teacher Greg Hawes '85. "And just as impressive was the candor and directness with which he answered student questions."

"It's so vital to get out of the Taft bubble and listen to someone who has been influencing international policy at the highest level," agreed senior Elias Clough.

Admiral Mullen's visit was made possible through the Rear Admiral Raymond F. DuBois Fellowship in International Affairs, which offers Taft students the opportunity to learn more about international affairs through annual presentations by guest lecturers.

You can listen to his talk (May 14) and others from throughout the year at

www.taftschool.org/students/meetings

Nadal Award

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

This spring the Founders League recognized Richard D. Cobb with the Nadal Award for his years of service at The Taft School: 1969-2013.

The award, created in 1969, is presented annually by the Founders League to a coach who has, “demonstrated sportsmanship as defined in the statement; ‘Play by the rules, accept victory or defeat graciously, respect all who assemble and participate.’"

At the awards ceremony, Headmaster Willy MacMullen ’78 said of Cobb:

"For three decades as the girls basketball coach, Dick Cobb embodied what great coaching looked like. You know that someone has been an incredible figure when you ask not what his best year was, but what his best decade was--and for Dick, it was the 1990s, when his teams were regular qualifiers for the New England championship tournament and when they were cited consistently by the referee's association for sportsmanship, when his program was the yardstick by which many were measured. He was, above all, a teacher: firm, caring, knowledgable, classy, funny, passionate, wise.... It was not a surprise that when he was honored at halftime of our game against Hotchkiss, so many women who had played for him came back to see him. This is a man who symbolized all the Nadal Award stands for. Taft was privileged to have him courtside for so many years."

Dick coached the Girls' Varsity Basketball team for 29 years and continued to serve as a timer at boys' varsity games ever since. He retires from Taft this year after 44 years of teaching Classics.

Math Olympian

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Uppermiddler Adela Zhang is among a very small group from a pool of over 210,000 American Mathematics Competitions participants who are invited to take part in the 2013 Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program (MOSP).

This year, 53 students were invited to MOSP, which will be held on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The purpose of the three-week program is to broaden the participants’ view of mathematics and foster their excitement toward further study and prepare them for possible future participation on the International Mathematical Olympiad team, as well as for possible careers involving mathematics.

Adela came to Taft as a Fudan Scholar from Shanghai, China, where she did extra practice in mathematical problem solving and competed in a variety of contests.

"Adela is a first-rate physics student, too," says faculty member Jim Mooney, with whom she has a math tutorial. "She has a fine physical intuition and is totally at ease with the higher-level of math that we use. We studied topology in the first semester, and this term we are doing differential geometry. Both are subjects not usually studied until junior year in college. She has produced some nice insights on her own that have helped me see the material in a different light. She is just a very nice kid as well."

AMC Director Prof. Steven R. Dunbar says that the program offers three weeks of camaraderie with many of the country’s top math students, as well as activities that will make a significant difference in their mathematical education. Full days of classes, problem solving and tests give students extensive preparation in several important areas of mathematics, including algebra, geometry, combinatorics, number theory, and many other special topics. All members of the MOSP staff are housed with the students, and will closely interact with all the participants outside of class as well. In the past this interaction has greatly contributed to the development of America’s most talented young mathematicians.

Summer Reading

Wed, 08 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The Summer Reading Committee, made up of students and faculty and chaired by Rev. Bob Ganung and Mrs. Patti Taylor, is pleased to announce that this year’s all-school book is The Legacy: An Elder’s Vision for Our Sustainable Future by Dr. David Suzuki, award-winning geneticist, university professor (Univ. of British Columbia), broadcast journalist, environmental activist, writer and educator.
It was in 2009 that Dr. Suzuki, 77, mused, “If I had one last lecture to give, what would I say?”and The Legacy was born. Filled with warmth and humor, Suzuki’s impassioned message is a simple one: we must learn to live in balance with the natural world which sustains us and learn to temper our obsession with economic growth to preserve the Earth for future generations. The Legacy is a must read for everyone who cares about the ecological, economic, moral, and spiritual crisis that we face in our global community today.

As a third generation Japanese Canadian, Dr. Suzuki’s early years were painful as he and his entire family were uprooted and sent to live in an internment camp during WW II. Looking back on his childhood years, he realized that his experiences with racism and loneliness helped him discover his passion for science, nature, and the wonders of the universe. Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia, Dr. Suzuki co-founded the David Suzuki Foundation in 1990 to work "to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that sustains us." He is the author of 52 books, host of the award-winning Canadian television program The Nature of Things with David Suzuki, and the recipient of numerous awards.

Dr. Suzuki is a brilliant and engaging speaker sought after by colleges, universities, and organizations around the globe. His book The Legacy will stimulate thinking and discussion across the Taft campus. We are honored and excited that Dr. Suzuki will visit campus on October 10 as the Paley Speaker. For more information, visit www.davidsuzuki.org.

In addition to The Legacy: An Elder’s Vision for Our Sustainable Future, students will read a second book this year as well, selected from a list of books that faculty have chosen to sponsor. Both books are required, and we will discuss them in the fall.

Of course, we hope that students will read several more than just these two books, because reading expands one's perspective on life, besides being entertaining. And we hope the list of faculty-sponsored books will provide many options and ideas and create an opportunity for many discussions in school and beyond. Enjoy!

summer readings options

Poet Patricia Smith

Mon, 06 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Author and Performance Poet Patricia Smith

At The Taft School

Tuesday, May 14, at 7 pm.

Woodward Black Box Theater

This event is free and open to the public. Please park in the lot on Middlebury Road.

Called “a testament to the power of words to change lives,” Patricia Smith is a renaissance artist of unmistakable signature, recognized as a force in the fields of poetry, playwriting, fiction, performance and creative collaboration.

In her newest collection, Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah, National Book Award finalist Patricia Smith explores the second wave of the Great Migration. From her parents’ move from the South to Chicago to being raised as an “up North” child under the spell of Motown, she captures the rampant romanticism of waiting and hoping and the dogged disappointment and damage of living under a delusion. Employing a potent mixture of free verse and both traditional and invented forms, she reveals “that soul beneath the vinyl”.

Patricia’s work is featured in the 2011 editions of both Best American Poetry and Best American Essays. Her honors include the National Poetry Series, two Pushcart Prizes and a coveted MacDowell Fellowship. In 2012, she was featured on the cover of the 100th anniversary issue of Poetry.

Patricia’s groundbreaking book Blood Dazzler—which chronicles the human, emotional and physical toll exacted by Hurricane Katrina—was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award, and one of NPR’s Top Books of 2008. The book was the basis for a thrilling dance/theater collaboration, which sold out its performances at NYC’s Harlem Stage.

Patricia also edited and contributed to the crime fiction anthology Staten Island Noir, the latest in the wildly successful Noir series by Akashic Books. Other books include Teahouse of the Almighty, Close to Death, Big Towns, Big Talk, and Life According to Motown. She also penned the history book Africans in America and the award-winning children’s book Janna and the Kings.

With four National Poetry Slam individual champions, Patricia is the most successful slammer in the competition’s history. She’s shared the stage with Pulitzer Prize winners and U.S. poet laureates.

Patricia also offers lectures, writing/performance workshops and residencies for all ages—in schools, shelters, prisons, senior centers, libraries, community centers, and for festivals and writing conferences. And of course, she’s uniquely qualified to demystify “performance poetry.”

Watch her reading at the Library of Congress.

For more information, please contact English Department Head Steve Palmer at 860-945-7822.

DuBois Speaker

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff (retired) will address the school on Tuesday, May 14.

Admiral Mullen was sworn in as the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on October 1, 2007. He has served as the principal military adviser to the President, the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council.

A native of Los Angeles, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968.

He commanded three ships: the gasoline tanker USS Noxubee (AOG 56), the guided missile destroyer USS Goldsborough (DDG 20) and the guided missile cruiser USS Yorktown (CG 48).

As a flag officer, Mullen commanded Cruiser-Destroyer Group 2, the George Washington Battle Group and the U.S. 2nd Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic.

Ashore he has served in leadership positions at the Naval Academy, in the Navy's Bureau of Personnel, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and on the Navy Staff. He was the 32nd Vice Chief of Naval Operations from August 2003 to October 2004.

His last operational assignment was as commander, NATO Joint Force Command Naples/Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe. Mullen is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School and earned a Master of Science degree in Operations Research from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Prior to becoming chairman, Mullen served as the 28th Chief of Naval Operations.

His visit was made possible through the Rear Admiral Raymond F. DuBois Fellowship in International Affairs, which offers Taft students the opportunity to learn more about international affairs through annual presentations by guest lecturers.

Listen to an interview with Admiral Mullen on National Public Radio

Diversity Conference

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Taft recently hosted the 11th annual CAIS Student-Adult Diversity Leadership Conference on campus. This year's theme was "Energizing Our Future Through Refining Our Shared Sense of Community: A Conversation with Boston sculptor Fern Cunningham"

There were breakout sessions in the afternoon for Middle Schools, new High School Students, and Returning Students as well as for adults. The Adult Presentation was called "A Framework for Building Organizational Inclusion: What will an inclusive workplace look like when it’s achieved?"

The conference went very well, reported Taft admissions officer Kisha Watts, who was one of the conference organizers. "We had just over 400 people in attendance and 31 schools represented."

"I went to this conference last year and found it truly eye opening," said Nicole Lu '13, who served as a student facilitator this year. "I met many interesting people with diverse life stories and experiences that I would not have had the opportunity to meet without this conference. I had such a great time last year, that I wanted to help other students have the same experience that I did. My role was less about lecturing and more about guiding the participants' conversations in a manner conducive to organic self-reflection and realization. My group was extremely receptive and came away with many lessons form our activities, perhaps the most poigniant being that there are numerous types of diversity and sometimes the least recognized or advocated forms of diversity are the ones that deserve the most attention or discussion."

Dean of Global and Diversity Education Jamella Lee reported that in the 11 years the conference has been held, she was told that this is the first time that students expressed in an open forum that they did not want to leave the Conference. During the Closing Ceremony when it was said that it was time to end the day the students all sighed.

"The multitude of the people that attended overwhelmed me, as a performer," said Srinidhi Bharadwaj '15, "but all of them were really supportive. In fact, as I was walking through the hall later in the day, one lady complimented me on our piece. Conferences like this one unite schools in Connecticut, boarding or not."

Classmate Athena Wilkinson agrees: "The ambience was very welcoming, supportive, and fun, making my experience as a performer easier and more enjoyable."

Founded in 2003 by the CAIS Commission on Diversity in Independent Schools, this conference was inspired by events in other regions (such as Across Colors in Southern California) and modeled after the national conference held annually by The National Association of Independent Schools. The mission of the event is to bring students from grades 7-12 and adults from independent schools across the state together for a day of networking and dialogue, facilitating cross-cultural understanding and a call to action to improve our school communities and our world.

NYBG lecture

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Robert F. C. Naczi, Arthur J. Cronquist Curator of North American Botany, The New York Botanical Garden

Ph.D., University of Michigan (1992)

http://www.nybg.org/science/scientist_profile.php?id_scientist=105

May 8, 2013, at 6:45 pm

Laube Auditorium, Hulbert Taft Jr. Library

In this lecture, Dr. Naczi will describe his research on a group of imperiled native species, threats to their continued survival (including discussion of invasive plant species), and prospects for restoration.

Robert Naczi is a plant systematist who is a leading authority on the flora of the eastern United States, the sedge genus Carex (Cyperaceae), and the Western Hemisphere Pitcher Plants (Sarraceniaceae). Naczi uses a multi-pronged approach in his research, utilizing field, herbarium, and laboratory methods. His field work has given him first-hand knowledge of the flora of much of North America.

Presently, he is writing a comprehensive account of the Northeast’s plants, New Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Also, he co-authored Mistaken Identity? Invasive Plants and their Native Look-alikes: An identification guide for the Mid-Atlantic (2008). He has published widely on Carex, the largest genus of flowering plants in North America (500 species) and in most temperate regions of the world (2000 species world-wide). His work on pitcher plants aims to reveal fundamental aspects of their biology, which is still poorly known, despite their popularity in horticulture.

Naczi earned the B.S. in Biology from St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, in 1985. He earned the Ph.D. in Botany from University of Michigan in 1992. Beginning in 1992, Naczi served in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Kentucky University as Assistant Professor of Botany and Herbarium Curator. He was awarded tenure there, and was promoted to Associate Professor and Herbarium Director. In 2001, he moved to Delaware State University, where he was Herbarium Curator, Graduate professor, and Founding Director of the Scanning Electron Microscopy Laboratory. In late September 2008, he started his job as Curator of North American Botany at The New York Botanical Garden.

Naczi’s professional service includes seven years on the invasive plants working group for the Delaware Department of Agriculture. Also, Naczi served seven years as Vice President of the Society of Natural History of Delaware, three years on the Council of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists, four years on the Council of the Torrey Botanical Society, and four years on the State of Delaware’s Nuisance Plant Committee.

His visit is made possible by the Yerkes Family Botanical Art and Science Speakers Fund.

Click to watch Dr. Naczi's lecture video.

Science Interns

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Bridget Dougherty '14 has been accepted into Yale University’s Discovery to Cure summer internship program. A position that was awarded to fellow Taftie Kaela Gilbert '13 last year.

Discovery to Cure is focused on new methods for the prevention, early detection and treatment of gynecologic cancers. It is a highly selective program, open to high school juniors with an interest in science and medicine. This internship is unique in that it features the interns actively participating in research. Discovery to Cure has bridged the gap between research and clinical care and continues in major efforts in bringing awareness to ovarian and gynecologic cancers through education and patient advocacy.

At the end of their training, students present their data and receive a certificate of completion. Students are invited to attend weekly lunch-meetings to discuss their project and meet other scientists from the medical school.

“Bridget is incredible,” said Taft science teacher Amanda Benedict. “She is an incredibly bright, hard worker. And not enough good things can be said about her. I am incredibly happy for her.”

The New York Botanical Garden also offered of a full-time 8-week internship to Camila Jiang '14, working with NYBG scientists Dr. Rob Naczi and Dr. Scott Mori, beginning in June. Dr. Naczi's research focuses on the identification, geographic distribution, frequency, ecology, and conservation of plants growing wild in eastern North America. He will also be giving a guest lecture on May 8 at the Taft campus.

Green Partner

Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Since 2010, Taft has been purchasing 100 percent of its electricity as "green power," and has now been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a Green Power Partner.

The Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with conventional electricity use. The Partnership currently has more than 1,400 Partner organizations voluntarily using billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as small and medium sized businesses, local, state, and federal governments, and colleges and universities.

The electricity the school purchases is generated through wind power. Taft also generates some of its own electricity through photovoltaic solar panels on top of the athletic complex.

Not all sources of power generation have the same environmental benefits and costs. Green power is a subset of renewable energy resources and technologies that provide the highest environmental benefit. EPA defines green power as electricity produced from solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass and low-impact small hydroelectric sources. Customers often buy green power for avoided environmental impacts and its greenhouse gas reduction benefits. EPA requires that green power sources must also have been built within the last 15 years in order to support “new” renewable energy development.

Buying green power can help reduce an organization’s environmental impact while also providing valuable benefits:

According to the U.S. EPA, The Taft School’s green power use of more than 4.5 million kilowatt-hours is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of nearly 700 passenger vehicles per year, or the CO2 emissions from the electricity use of nearly 500 average American homes annually.

Click here to see how much electricity the solar panels are generating on campus.

View Taft's EPA Green Power Partner profile.

http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/partners/partners/thetaftschool.htm