Presidio Hill School Weekly News

April 23, 2004

From the director:

I feel a bit like we are delivering term papers at the end of the semester! This Friday’s envelope includes two historic documents.

The Strategic Planning Committee is sending you the draft proposal of the strategic plan. This document is the result of hours and hours and hours of research, thought and conversation by many members of our community. I have participated in several strategic planning processes during my time at PHS and I always walk away from the process so impressed by the collective energy and wisdom of our community. And this is no exception! I’m excited about the prospect of implementing this plan and look forward to the vision and leadership it offers our school. Please attend one of the community forums being held next week to discuss the proposal. I am so grateful to everyone who has participated in this process, especially the committee members who have shared many weekend and late night hours working on this project. And particular thanks are due to Nancy Koch and Ellen Friedman for their leadership – thank you!

The second historic document included in your envelope is the first ever Parents Association newsletter. Yes, the Parents Association really does exist and you really are a member, simply by being a parent in the school. This is a reality due to the consistent efforts of the steering committee and the leadership of Susan Byrd and Noel Kaufman. Thank you to all! The Parents Association has worked closely with, and will continue to work closely with, the staff, faculty and board during its inception phase. Now it is time to put into practice the ideas and strategies that have been identified. Look for news about the school, learn about volunteer opportunities, and find out about upcoming events. Remember, this is your association – join in and help out!

Tuesday’s Culture Chat featuring That’s A Family! was a terrific experience. Although I was not able to attend, the responses from staff and parents have been uniformly positive. This speaks to me of people’s desire to be part of the community and engage in meaningful conversation with one another. For those of you who were unable to make the event, please know that we have two copies of the video available for checking out from the library. You may want to sit down with your family and watch it together and use it as the springboard for important discussions with your children. Lower School teachers will be describing their plans for using the film with their classes in upcoming Friday letters. We have worked together as a staff to plan the best ways to use this film at each grade level. For example, the Kindergarteners will only see a few parts of the film and will do so in small groups, with extra adults present. The fifth graders will use viewing the film as an opportunity to practice note taking and expository writing skills. Please feel free to ask your classroom teacher more about the activities your child will be participating in.

Enjoy this glorious weather!

Ann Meissner
Acting Director

From The Deans

The whole day was a fantastic blur. I remember her walking through the velvety, burgundy curtains under the large arched doorway, flanked by her two parents—one Norwegian-American, one Filipino-American. I remember her radiant pearl-colored dress, her down-turned gaze-- the way she buckled when our eyes met like her insides were suddenly the depository for the tremendous weight of all the universe’s love; her parents steadied her. I remember my vows, well, not really. I remember the meaning, not the words. I remember what I meant and how her joyous, tearful eyes understood my formal, intimate proclamation of wholeness, humility, fulfillment, and future. “I love you.”

The tears—I remember the tears and the powerful energy of my family and friends, smiling and weeping and laughing. It was cold and sunny and non-denominational, like the Bay; we kissed to the Community (the Sangha), the Teachings (the Dharma), and the Way (the Buddha), lit Catholic candles, provided a Muslim dowry, and jumped the broom. We ate lumpia, collard greens, and vegan German chocolate wedding cake. Karin’s ninety-two year old, Filipina grandmother danced to Hip-Hop!

I am blessed—I love someone who loves me. We were blessed—we were able to have a formal, public ceremony celebrating our love. My wife is Filipina/Scandinavian- American, and I am of African-, Native-, and European-descent. Because my wife is socially-perceived by many as white and I am almost always identified as black, it would probably have been illegal for us to get married in 15 states in 1966, Virginia being the epicenter. Our simple and compassionate union would stand in direct opposition to the Virginia state statues to “preserve the racial integrity of its citizens” and to prevent “the corruption of blood,” “a mongrel breed of citizens,” and “the obliteration of racial pride.” Even in our lovely state of California, as late as 1948, Assembly Bill SB 321, signed by Governor Earl Warren, prohibited marriage between whites and “Negroes, mulattos, Mongolians, and Malays [Filipinos, Chinese, and Japanese]”.

Much of the language used by Virginian judges and lawmakers to defend their case against interracial or miscegenational relationships is painfully re-used by many groups opposed to gay marriage. Groups like the Council for Conservative Citizens, Alliance for Marriage, and Traditional Family Values spend a great deal of time and resources denouncing gay marriage and gay love (for other stances on gay marriage, visit Freedom to Marry Coalition, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Log Cabin Republicans.

At PHS, because of our multicultural mission statement and progressive disposition, it is easy to assume that “we” would have no issues or problems with gay marriage. Some part of my heart tells me that some community members may be struggling with the concept of gay marriage or may not agree with it at all. And that’s okay. None of us, no matter how open, are completely comfortable with everything (please feel free to call me if you would like to talk about or process this issue in any way—ext. 127). All of us, however, are, by our stake in the community, in love with children. Let’s try and use this powerful, core-source love as a way to open ourselves up to the simple humanity of people loving each other and, at the same time, remembering that our community is one that contains many voices.

Mohammed Soriano-Bilal
Dean of Multi-Cultural Programs and Services

Lower School - Fourth Grade - Matt Hannibal

OOne of the greatest gifts we receive as teachers is the opportunity to watch kids shine in ways they themselves may not always recognize. Too often, children, as well as adults, focus on their weaknesses as opposed to their strengths. It is an honor to be able to watch as students thrive and learn to lead their peers with confidence and humility.

The fourth grade recently wrapped up this year’s unit on California Missions. The students culminated the unit with a group research project. They were broken into groups and asked to select and research one of California’s twenty-one missions. I was delighted to see a range of students step forward as leaders during the different stages of this project.

After doing initial research, each group was asked to choose three or four topics for their presentation. Each group spent time in class reading articles and doing web research in order to determine the topics on which their group would focus. While I expected to see a wide array of topics, most groups decided to focus on Spain’s motivation to build that particular mission, the economy of the mission, and the relationship between the mission and the local Native Americans. Once the group determined their topics, they were charged with the task of assigning each individual within the group one topic on which to concentrate.

I was thrilled to see certain students step up and organize this portion of the project. Once each student’s role was established, the group decided how they would impart their new knowledge to me and their peers. I was hesitant to give the kids strict guidelines as to how their research should be presented; I wanted them to be free to use their imaginations and build off of one another’s ideas. The only requirements were that there needed to be both a visual and oral component to the presentation and that each member of the team needed to contribute what they had learned during their portion of the research.

The kids spent two class periods putting together their visual presentations for the projects. While certain students stepped forward as leaders during the research portion of the project, a new batch came forward to guide their peers through the visual portion of the exercise. So often, students are only recognized for their ability to read a book or write a paragraph. I was so excited to see certain students not only demonstrate their new knowledge through a visual medium but also orchestrate a group of their peers to create a visual presentation that so succinctly summarized the material they had just learned.

What was unique and particularly refreshing about the kids’ willingness to lead their peers was the fact that they did so almost automatically, with very little hesitation from the leaders or with a specific task their confidence soars. This assuredpoise inviteds others, who may have been more hesitant, to follow and contribute to the final product.

I am thrilled each time I witness examples of such leadership. One of the most exciting things about teaching at PHS is that its mission affords each student the opportunity to thrive in his or her own way and become a modest leader. I am grateful that I have been fortunate enough to bear witness to this throughout the year.

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The Friday Archive

Presidio Hill School | 3839 Washington St | San Francisco CA 94118
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