Kevin McCormack, Katie Pavia, Nathan Hall-Snyder (front row), Daniel Bohac, Chase Burton, Hanna Saltzman (second row), Adam Davis, Phinehas Bynum (back row),  Michael Chen, and Dora Korewa (not pictured) are to be congratulated on their designation as 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists. RHSM again claims the highest percentage of semifinalists of any Utah school. Nationally, students enter consideration for National Merit honors by achieving high scores on the PSAT taken in junior year. Two of this year's semifinalists graduated early from RHSM: this fall, Dora Korewa is a freshman at the University of Maryland, and Michael Chen is a freshman at the University of Southern California. 

 

Just three weeks after Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School became Salt Lake City's first laptop school, the program is on track to success.

With unexpected benefits and few problems, educators are surprised at how rapidly students are assimilating laptops into daily assignments and project-based learning.

In sophomore English, for example, teacher Camela Giraud (photo above) was already using websites and blogging to enhance her curriculum last year. This year, with increased access to computers, Ms. Giraud directs students to such varied resources as NPR Podcasts, links to journal articles, or even YouTube videos of authors or politicians. 

She says that student input is essential to the learning process. "I have a student who will notice that I'm on-line at home trying to figure something out, and message me from his laptop at his home asking if I could use some help!" Ms. Giraud's tenth grade students all have access to her website. Ms. Giraud uses a program to make comments directly on student documents and track their revisions. Her class also collaborates with schools around the globe, using management systems such as Moddle, and free e-learning open source software. Ms. Giraud boasts of doing all this without the use of a single piece of paper.

From the parent perspective, mother of two Upper School students, Mary Jo Marker said, "It's helping my kids in terms of organization. It is a quick way to communicate and an efficient way to hand in assignments."  Kathy Adams

 

When freshman English and creative writing teacher Joel Long prepared to teach a new offering in the Upper School, he knew that the students' hands-on access to digital imagery on their own laptop computers would be a powerful educational experience. In class this year, Mr. Long's AP Art History students use PowerPoint to download slides of artwork, then label the slide with essential information to create flash notes. Here's to eliminating the low-tech (but time honored!) task of cutting out pictures and gluing them to 3x5s (or taking notes in the margins of their beautiful art history book)!

Check out Mr. Long's website for his English, creative writing, AP Art History, and Frisbee club students

Read more about how teachers and students are teaching and learning with laptops on Principal Lee Thomsen's website. For general information about the laptop program, visit www.rhsm.org/laptop/.          View laptop photos . . .

RHSM is back in session with a healthy enrollment of 980 students.

On the Lincoln Street campus, 58 new admissions bring that campus' total to 511 students. In the Middle School, 19 new students pushed the student body to 224 in grades six through eight. Adding to our wonderfully diverse population are students from France, Mexico, Korea, U.K., Germany, and Vietnam --  as well as students from across the U.S. including Connecticut, Idaho, New Jersey, Montana, Georgia, California, Illinois and Hawaii. Greetings to three students returning to the Upper School making that division's total enrollment 287 - we're always happy to welcome back old friends!

The McCarthey Campus began the year with 97 brand new students, making a campus total of 469 (150 Beginning School children and 319 Lower School children). New students come from places as exotic as Kailua and as familiar as Bozeman. Other towns and states represented are Saratoga Springs, California, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, Santa Fe and New Orleans, Minnesota and Connecticut.

New enrollees also represent the four corners of the Wasatch -- Ogden, Alpine, Kearns, and a large contingent from Park City. In fact, 15 of the 32 new students in Lower School are from Park City, which required adding another bus to the route this fall. 

We welcome families representing diversity in all its forms and anticipate with pleasure getting to know our new writers, pianists, mathematicians, violinists, athletes, dancers, chess players, Nordic jumpers, martial arts enthusiasts, and more.

 "One of the joys of beginning each year," says Assistant Head of School Julie Barrett, "is welcoming new families, and we always love to see our returning families. This has been a particularly smooth beginning. The school is in a terrific financial position and we look forward to another successful year." Kathy Adams with Directors of Admission Kathy Gundersen and Karen Hyde

The high school passion for dance, personified in movies like "Fame" or the more recent "Step Up," is palpable in our school, due in large part to RHSM teacher Sofia Gorder's strong ties to Salt Lake's professional dance community. With the support of Upper School Principal Lee Thomsen, Ms. Gorder has fostered creative collaborations with University of Utah dance professors, internationally known visiting choreographers, and Salt Lake's professional dancers, making them a familiar sight in RHSM's dance studio. The reciprocal benefits are undeniable.

"Because Rowland Hall-St. Mark's shares its' space with the professional and higher ed dance world, our students are now members of a much larger kinship of dancers. Our seniors can show up at any professional class or workshop in the city and be respected and known by Salt Lake's dance leaders." Ms. Gorder said. 

Named number one high school dance company statewide last year by the Utah Dance Education Office, RHSM's Dance Company will perform a concert (February 28-March 1, Larimer Center) to all live music. Don't miss this performance featuring African drummers, student choirs and musicians, a DJ spinning tunes, and an original musical composition created for the senior dance piece. Kathy Adams

How May We Help?

Left to right: MS Administrative Assistant Mary Ann Wetzel, Director of Transportation Amy Bird, Assistant to the MS Principal Emily Clawson, US Receptionist Heather Maxfield, BS Assistant to the Principal Janet Siler, US Registrar Bonnie Martineau, LS Assistant to the Principal Chip Guarente, Assistant to the US Principal Linda Hampton, McCarthey Campus Receptionist/Assistant to Admission Carol Collard, and Assistant to the Head of School Linda Leaver.  

 

Following up on a Taren Rohovit, fourth grade Pokemon champ. In recent months he traveled to the national and world tournaments, finally placing 42nd in the world. A highlight for Taren was having the opportunity to compete with kids from many countries including the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Japan, France, and Spain.

Believe it or not, we are already winding down another season of Girls' Tennis!  

The Region Tournament will be held at our home courts on Saturday, September 22, starting at 10 a.m.  The State Tournament is on Saturday, September 29, at the Liberty Park Tennis Facility beginning at 8:00 a.m. 

Come and watch your seniors Jessica Grey, Sydney Hartsell, and Abby Bossart lead the team into another state championship campaign. Every ounce of support makes a big difference!

The Winged Lion volleyball team enters its final weekend of pre-season play sporting a 1-2 record, having defeated Salt Lake Lutheran and then losing two tough matches to 3A Ben Lomond and Waterford.

 

The team met 2A Manti on Thursday, September 13 in the Lions Den, followed by participation in a weekend tournament hosted by St. Joseph Catholic High School on September 14 and 15 (results unavailable at press time). The coaching staff used these pre-season contests to help fine tune the lineup in preparation for the Region 14 opener at Layton Christian on September 18, followed by a home match vs. American Leadership Academy on September 20. Region 14 competition will be tough this year, with two teams (North Summit and Layton Christian) both ranked in the top six in State 2A. The RHSM coaching staff is confident the Winged Lions will rise to the occasion!

 

Good luck volleyball players!

 

Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School cross-country team looked strong at the BYU Autumn Classic. The race was held on Saturday, September 8, at the East Bay Golf Course. The weather held up as the runners competed on a three-mile course. Similar to the first two cross country meets, many of the runners improved their times from last year's race times. Although the runners faced a challenging and competitive field, head coach, Mark Oftedal and assistant coach, Liz Irvine, are confident that this year's team will be able to achieve and exceed high expectations.

 

View photos -- Judge Invitational . . .      Athletic.Net       Runner Card

BYU Autumn Classic Results