Today at Breck - Winter 2012

TODAY AT BRECK beyond the classroom

Travel, Study Enhance Teaching PG. 24

Food For thouGht

Feeding Hungry Minds alumnI neWs celebratInG Fall sPorts

breck: a stellar education.

As a college preparatory school, Breck stands at the forefront. Our mission is to help every student achieve his or her potential by providing a rigorous academic program and appropriate tools and support.

annual fund: not exactly rocket science.

the need for the Annual Fund is real, but it’s not especially complicated. It’s money that’s needed every year to pay for both essentials and enrichment opportunities not covered by tuition alone—things that set Breck apart from other schools.

give it up for breck. Make your contribution today, and help put Breck in orbit! For more information about the Annual Fund, what it supports and why it’s fundamental to Breck, call Director of Annual Giving Gay Gonnerman at 763.381.8296. You have many options for making your gift. For details, see the enclosed envelope, or visit breckschool.org/support-breck/annual-fund. thank you. Your support will help Breck students reach for the stars.

Features

16 | Food for Thought

It takes more than 3,500 grilled cheese sandwiches to keep students and teachers fed, but Breck Food Services is always there to help.

20 | Keeping the Dream Alive: MLK Day at Breck

On its eleventh anniversary, the Upper School’s MLK Day Symposia generate excitement and study thanks to Breck alumni.

24 | When Teachers Become Students

cover story Breck is a national leader when it comes to investing in our faculty’s professional development. Find out more about what that means—and what teachers bring back from their ventures beyond the classroom.

25 | Karen Pape: Making U.S. Geography Come Alive

26 | Byron Rice: Integrating Technology Into Middle School Curriculum

27 | Alexis Kent: Sharing Cultural and Spiritual Experiences

28 | Tom Hegg: Developing a New Service Curriculum

28 | Bobbie Tonkin, Jenny Bennett, Marie Murphy: Helping First Graders Become Confident Writers

30 | Lois Fruen: Enhancing Scholarship and Scientific Study

Today at Breck is a publication of Breck School, 123 Ottawa Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55422

email: communications@ breckschool.org

head oF school

Edward Kim

dIrector oF advancement

Meredith Cook VanDuyne

edItor and chIeF WrIter

Jill Field

desIGn

ThinkDesign Group:

Linda Henneman, Claire Moyle, Corey Sevett

WrIters

Gay Gonnerman, Erin Strong

PhotoGraPhers

Karyl Rice, Sara Rubinstein, Chelen Johnson, Lauren Kiesel, Byron Rice

PrIntInG

Bolger Vision Beyond Print

dePartments

4 | 20 Questions

We asked, and they answered: Grant Two Bulls ’15, Mary Jane Curran, Bob Sheehy

7 | 123

Activities, accomplishments, awards, announcements: here are some items from Winter 2012 at Breck.

7

| Who Knew?

Fun facts, both current and historical (no, there won’t be a quiz!)

14 | Ten Things You Didn’t Know About…

Laptops, servers and bandwidth, oh my! Some tidbits about technology at Breck

32 | Class Notes

Alumni share recent news.

36

| Alumni News

A brief report on alumni events, photos from the holiday party and news from the alumni Annual Fund chairs

38

| Sports News

Breck athletes had a terrific fall season, and we’ve got a complete report.

40

| In Their Own Words

Austin Rudnick ’12 explores the meaning of family in his senior speech.

mIssIon

Breck is an Episcopal, coeducational, college-preparatory day school enrolling students of diverse backgrounds in grades preschool through twelve.

Breck’s Mission is to:

Prepare each student for a college whose culture is compatible with the individual’s needs, interests and abilities. Help develop each student’s unique talents and potential to excel by nurturing independence and self-worth. Instill in each student a deep sense of social responsibility.

Breck School is committed to environmental stewardship. This publication is printed paper manufactured with electricity in the form of renewable energy (wind, hydro, biogas) and a minimum of 30% postconsumer recovered fiber.

the lastInG eFFects oF Good teachers

A recent article in the New York Times, headlined “Big Study Links Good Teachers to Lasting Gain,” cites a study by two economists, one from Harvard and one from Columbia, that tracked 2.5 million students over 20 years.

After researching teachers who raised their students’ standardized test scores, the study shows that those teachers had a “wide-ranging, lasting positive effect on those students’ lives beyond academics.”

And while previous studies have shown that the effects of a good teacher, measured by test scores alone, can fade after three or four years, a broader view showed that the students benefited from good teachers for years to come. Their students were less likely to be involved in risky behaviors, more likely to enroll in college and more likely to earn more money as adults.

The study confirms what we at Breck have long known anecdotally, and it’s especially resonant at a school with so many experienced, inspiring and long-tenured teachers.

Breck’s teachers are our greatest asset, and we are proud to support them with benefits including a robust professional development program. In this edition of Today at Breck, we’ve highlighted a few excellent teachers and what they’ve brought back to Breck after their time taking advantage of professional development opportunities such as sabbaticals and grants for summer study.

Our teachers forge strong bonds with their students—bonds that extend long past our students’ time at Breck. In this issue, we also examine the role that alumni played in our newly reinvigorated observance of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day in the Upper School.

It’s a partnership that brought benefits to our entire community, and I couldn’t be prouder of the results.

As Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak ’74 said so eloquently, “I left Breck knowing that I could—and should—go out and make a difference in the world.” We’re delighted that so many of his fellow alumni are doing just that.

With my best wishes for a healthy and happy winter—and an early spring.

Grant tWo

bulls ‘15: brecK Freshman

1 What’s one of the last books you read? Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson

2 What’s your favorite time of year? Summer

3 What’s the most thrilling/ adventurous thing you’ve ever done? Riding an unbroken colt, but eventually galloping headfirst into a rafter in a barn

4 What’s your favorite Breck lunch? Italian Dunkers

5 Who is your personal hero (and why)?

My Grandpa is my personal hero because he left the Pine Ridge Reservation to provide a good life for his wife and children. I greatly admire his selfless loyalty to his family.

6 Dream job? Documentary filmmaker

7 What advice would you give to yourself 10 years ago?

I would advise myself to weigh the pros and cons of a situation before stepping into it.

8 What do you remember from kindergarten?

I remember wanting to be given homework.

9 What is the most important room in your home?

The dining room is the most important room, because it is the only room we are all in at the same time every day.

10 What’s your favorite place on the Breck campus?

My favorite place is the Commons/ Upper School Entrance. There is always something going on, plus it is architecturally interesting.

11 Favorite comfort food? Grilled cheese and tomato soup

12 Favorite line from a movie?

My favorite line is from the movie “Up” when Dug the Dog says “Squirrel!”

13 Favorite website? Pandora.com

14 Three people, living or dead, you’d have over to dinner? Crazy Horse, Ken Burns, and Hannibal Barca

15 Best trophy/award you ever won?

The best award I have won was third place in the State competition for my History Day documentary on “Wounded Knee 1973” in eighth grade.

16 If you could read anyone’s mind, whose would it be?

I would read the mind of Fyodor Dostoyevsky, who was a really wild yet interesting Russian author.

17 If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

Somewhere in the Northwest Territory of Canada

18 Pet peeve?

Pencil tapping during tests

19 Unfulfilled wish?

To master the art of surfing

20 What keeps you up at night? Good books

mary jane curran: mIddle school Faculty

1 What’s on your iPod?

Everything from the new Polica album “Give You the Ghost” to my ever-favorite Miles Davis “Kind of Blue.” I really like Bon Iver, indie-folk, jazz, blues, R&B, bluegrass and local Minnesota artists.

2 What’s one of the last books you read?

I just finished The Hand that First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell, a beautiful piece of literature, and I’m trying to make some headway in 1491 by Charles C. Mann.

3 What’s your favorite time of year? Summer; I get to be outdoors most of the time.

4 What’s the most thrilling/adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

Climbing Mount Huayna Picchu and looking down through the clouds at Machu Picchu

5 What’s your favorite Breck lunch? Chicken tenders with dairy baked potatoes

6 Dream job?

I’m doing it, both of them actually. Teaching here is one, and directing Camp Mishawaka for Girls is the other.

7 Best decision?

To have children

8 What advice would you give to yourself 10 years ago?

The advice I may have needed would be at least 35 years ago, and I wouldn’t have listened anyway.

9 What do you remember from kindergarten?

I remember the neighborhood walk to the first day. It was like a little parade.

10 What is the most important room in your home?

My kitchen, that’s where everyone hangs out.

11 What’s your favorite place on the Breck campus?

The Middle School faculty room on Friday mornings

12 Favorite comfort food?

Good coffee with cream in the company of great friends

13 If you had a theme song, what would it be?

There’s always a song in my head. At camp, I’m known for singing “Song for Judith” by Judy Collins and “Heavenly Days” by Patty Griffin.

14 Favorite line from a movie?

“Searching for a handle on the moment?” from Men in Black. Don’t ask me why I remember that one.

15 Best trophy/award you ever won?

The Breck Faculty Chair Award

16 If you could read anyone’s mind, whose would it be?

I think I’d rather not be able to read anyone’s mind.

17

If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

I’d sail around the Greek Islands and also visit Banff.

18 Pet peeve?

People who think their needs are more important than anyone else’s

19 Unfulfilled wish?

To be a back-up singer for James Taylor

20 What keeps you up at night? Nothing recently

bob sheehy:

1 What’s on your iPod?

I have all kinds of music on it. Leaning slightly to classic rock.

2 What’s one of the last books you read?

The Match, and currently determined to finish War and Peace

3 What’s your favorite time of year?

The point during the fall when college football is in season, the NFL is playing and the baseball playoffs have started.

4 What’s the most thrilling/adventurous thing you’ve ever done? Teaching our kids to drive

5 Who is your personal hero (and why)?

My father. Worked as a policeman, owned and worked at a gas station, but somehow made time to raise five kids with my mom.

6 Dream job? Major league baseball player

7 Best decision? Marrying Andrea

8 What advice would you give to yourself 10 years ago? Go short on housing stocks.

9 What do you remember from kindergarten? Nap time

10 What is the most important room in your home? Kitchen

11 What’s your favorite place on the Breck campus? The Chapel

12 Favorite comfort food? Cream of Wheat and honey

13 Favorite line from a movie? “So you’re telling me there’s a chance?” – Dumb and Dumber

14 Favorite website? The Wolverine

Past

15 Three people, living or dead, you’d have over to dinner?

Thomas Jefferson, Winston Churchill and Woody Allen

16 Best trophy/award you ever won? Egypt Valley Pyramid (I beat my college fraternity brother on his home course last year).

17 If you could read anyone’s mind, whose would it be?

I don’t know if I would like to read anyone’s mind. I would worry about what I would find out.

18 Pet peeve?

Failure to yield

19 Unfulfilled wish? Breaking 80

20 What keeps you up at night?

Nothing—unless my wife turns up the heat while I am sleeping.

eIGht students From brecK attend natIonal dIversIty and leadershIP conFerence

Upper School students Mardryka Adzick, Daniel Bergeson, Leslie Hayes, Takina Kindle, Brennan McCabe,Taveon Miller, Grant Two Bulls and Eva Wang attended the National Association of Independent Schools’ (NAIS) annual Student Diversity and Leadership Conference, held this year in Philadelphia.

The Student Diversity Leadership Conference is a multiracial, multicultural gathering of upper school student leaders (grades 9–12) from around the country. Participants examine issues of social justice, develop effective cross-cultural communication skills, practice expression through the arts, and learn networking principles and strategies. Now in its 18th year, the Student Diversity Leadership Conference encourages students to apply the leadership principles they develop within their own communities after the conference.

johnson selected For elIte nasa ProGram

Upper School science instructor

Chelen Johnson has been selected for SOFIA, a NASA program that conducts airborne astronomy research.

After participating in training activities, Johnson will be part of a small group of 26 teachers from around the U.S. that takes off in a 747 equipped with an infrared telescope. When the plane is stabilized at a cruising altitude of 38,000 feet, crew will open doors to the telescope from which she’ll conduct her research.

Johnson has been involved for several years in research on new stars and star formation, and she says this program is an extraordinary opportunity. “It’s a once-in-alifetime thing,” she says, “but I’ll be able to keep living the experience because I’ll get to bring it back to my students at Breck.”

Grandparents who rode the bus with their students on Grandparents Day 2011 Who

brecK artIsts WIn more recoGnItIon than any other non-arts-Focused school In mInnesota

The results are in, and Breck student artists have won 46 awards in the recent Minnesota Scholastic Art competition. That’s the second biggest total in the state (first-place Perpich Center for Arts Education students won 47 and third-place Wayzata High School had 37).

In all, 1,376 pieces of individual artwork and 170 portfolios were entered in the competition. Breck won eight Gold Keys, ten Silver Keys and 15 merit awards for individual pieces and one Gold and eight merit awards for portfolios. In addition, Sarah Mevissen recieved an American Visions award for her ceramic piece “Spiked.”

Student Grade Award

Yvonne Aberg 12 2 Merit Portfolio

BeauJona Buscher 10 1 Merit

Marisol Childs 7 1 Silver

Emily Colwell 10 1 Merit

Claire Drysdale 10 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Merit

Amanda Gillen 8 1 Merit

Adriana Goldenberg 12 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Merit, 1 Merit Portfolio

Sarah Gunderson 7 1 Merit

Adeline Hardten 7 1 Silver

Kirsten Himle 12 1 Merit

Sarah Hogg 12 1 Merit, 1 Merit Portfolio

Alan Horstman 7 1 Gold

Johanna Huss 11 1 Merit

Helene Kim 7 1 Merit

Maxwell Lulavy 8 1 Merit

Sarah Mevissen 12 2 Gold (1 American Visions Award), 1 Merit, 1 Gold Portfolio

Duncan Phelps 10 1 Silver

Michael Pohlad 7 1 Merit

Abby Richardson 7 1 Merit

Austin Rudnick 12 1 Silver

Nina Schonwetter 12 1 Silver

Emily Sponsel 9 1 Merit

William Scott Stuart III 8 1 Merit

Ingrid Thyr 8 1 Merit

Roshny Vijayakar 12 1 Merit

Eva Wang 12 1 Merit Portfolio

Melody Wang 12 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Merit Portfolio

Peter Wear 12 1 Gold, 1 Merit Portfolio

Chandra Yueh 12 1 Gold, 1 Merit, 1 Merit Porfolio

advanced research students receIve natIonal recoGnItIon

Members of Breck’s Advanced Research programs have received a great deal of national recognition. Science

Research

Of seven Minnesota semifinalists in the 2011 Siemens Math, Science and Technolgy Competition, five are from Breck. Congratulations to Samarth Damania, Robert Dorn, Anna Hendrickson, Saeed Hakim-Hashemi and Eva Wang

Samarth Damania and Annie Jiao have been named semifinalists in the 2012 Science Talent Search. They are among just 300 semifinalists nationwide and six from Minnesota.

Roshny Vijayakar is one of ten finalists nationwide for a neuroscience prize awarded by the American Academy of Neurology.

Aris Prince won the third grand prize in the Metro Regional American Indian Science and Engineering Fair and will present at the National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair in Albuquerque in late March.

In memorIam

The Breck community notes with sorrow the passing of former Trustee Kenneth H. Dahlberg, who died in October.

A World War II veteran, Triple Ace and POW, Dahlberg went on to found the Miracle-Ear Hearing Aid Company. He served on the Breck board from 1961-63. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Nancy, three children, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Arline Fillmore, psychologist at Breck from 1975-1983, died of complications of Alzheimer’s disease on January 25. She was 87. Arline was predeceased by her husband Bob and survived by her family, including three children, four grandchildren and their families.

See Memorial Note for longtime Director of Guidance and Testing Peter Clark under “Former Faculty” on page 35

History Research

The entire class will travel to St. Louis to tour vanishing neighborhoods and work with students and teachers at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, which is interested in using the Breck program as a model for beginning a history research program of its own.

All class members will submit papers to national competitions and present their work at the Minnesota Undergraduate Geography Conference in April.

Mathematics Research

Both participants in the inaugural year of Breck’s Advanced Mathematics Research program— Omead Eftekhari and Nick Thyr —have been invited to present their work at the National Service Learning Conference, sponsored by the National Youth Leadership Council, in April.

Nick Thyr has been interviewed by a national organization called “What Kids Can Do,” to be featured on its website of the same name.

Faculty artIsts selected For exhIbItIons

Visual Arts Department Head Michal Sagar’s artwork was chosen for inclusion in a first-ever retrospective exhibiting the work of MFA graduates from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) over the past three decades. The show, called “Accumulation,” ran from January 13-27 at MCAD’s Whittier Gallery.

And ceramics instructor Jil Franke was one of six artists chosen for a program called “Minnesota Potters: Sharing the Fire.” Her work is part of a lecture series, gallery exhibition and documentary film in the program, co-sponsored by the Minnesota State Arts Board, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Normandale Community College and the Northern Clay Center.

Poetry books in the Upper School library (to support the ninth-grade English curriculum)

Parents assocIatIon sPonsors educatIon, multIcultural and communIty outreach events

The Breck Parents Association sponsored three major events in January.

Nationally known speakers Ryan Travia and Aaron Cooksey spoke both to parents and to students on the topic of alcohol and its effect on teens.

About 100 parents and older students enjoyed a light dinner and thought-provoking viewing at the annual Multicultural Film Festival.

And Breck played host, for the 26th consecutive year, to a poly-hockey competition for athletes from Special Olympics of Minnesota. This year, for the first time, volunteers ran the event’s state tournament.

After the Parents Association’s Fall Clean Up event, the committee received a handwritten thank you from a very grateful recipient. The note read, in part, “Thanks again. I really appreciate the help. At 93 and with considerable disability this kind of assistance helps my wife and I stay in our home with the big yard we love.” In all, 156 volunteers from Breck collected 586 bags of leaves from 20 homes.

Next up for the Parents Association: the second annual Pancake BreckFest, a celebration of community and community outreach, on March 3

celebratInG our communIty

Senior Nick Thyr was the top-ranked individual scorer out of 210 participants from 48 teams at the 2011 RAT-RACE quiz bowl tournament at Roseville Area High School on November 19

Junior Mitchell Foster was named to the 2011 Scholastic All-America swim team as well as the USA All American team, comprised of the country’s top 26 men and 26 women U18 swimmers.

Senior Grant Opperman was the subject of a profile in the January 4 West Metro section of the Star Tribune. The Q & A focused on his accomplishments as a hockey player and a student of Chinese.

Senior Milica McMillen made the National Team that competed in and won the Women’s Twelve Nations Cup in August. The team was composed of women of any age.

Junior Kate Schipper made the U18 National Team that competed against Canada in August and was recently

Pipes in the Margaret Kulp Musser organ 2,272

named to the U18 National Team that will compete in the 2012 World Women’s Under-18 Championship. That team is composed of the best 20 skaters and two goalies across the country born in 1994 or 1995

Senior Gaia Ramsdell was honored at BestPrep’s Educational Forum, as a winner of a statewide essay competition based on Fareed Zakaria’s book, The Post-American World 2.0 and Time cover story, “Restoring the American Dream.” Gaia, whose essay placed fourth in the competition, attended a reception with Dr. Zakaria on October 19

At the Shattuck St. Mary’s annual art invitational, ten works by Breck student artists were accepted. Melody Wang won second place overall for her piece, “Caramels and an M and M,” and Sarah Mevissen won fourth place for her ceramic piece, “Covered Round Box.” Yvonne Aberg, Claire Drysdale and Adriana Goldenberg also had works accepted into the show.

mustanG mocK trIal FInIshes undeFeated season and ProGresses In Post-season comPetItIon

oFF camPus: musIcIan luKe leblanc ‘14

Singer songwriter Luke LeBlanc has another “s” in his description: sophomore. At just 15, he’s already had a remarkable career in music—and he’s aiming high for the future.

Largely self-taught, Luke says he started playing when he was 11 and inherited his grandfather’s guitar. He started with “simple Johnny Cash chords” and has been improving ever since.

In 2009, he won the annual Hibbing, Minnesota, Bob Dylan competition at Zimmy’s Bar with an original song entitled “Song for Bob.”

He counts Dylan as a strong influence, along with The Band, the Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons and John Prine. “I’ll listen to almost anything,” he says, but he really enjoys performing.

A resident of Minneapolis’ North Side, Luke was able to combine his love of performing with a chance to do something good on February 3, when he performed a benefit concert in Breck’s Cargill Theater.

The concert, which raised money for ongoing tornado relief efforts, gave Luke a rare opportunity to perform in front of a large group of his fellow students and some teachers as well. You can follow Luke on Facebook on his Little Diamonds & Friends page.

Breck’s mock trial team, which captured eighth place at nationals last year and first place at nationals the year before, is, at press time, enjoying another successful season in 2012

The Mockstangs fielded both a varsity and junior varsity team this year.

After taking first place in both the University of Minnesota and Lakeville North invitational tournaments, the varsity team has won three rounds of regional competition. They’ll head to the state tournament in Rochester in March.

author heGG nomInated For mInnesota booK aWard, oFFers advIce

For Graduates

Tom Hegg’s book Little Dickens, illustrated by Kevin Cannon ’98, was nominated for a Minnesota Book Award—a first for the prolific author.

Another of his works, Bring It! A Little Baggage to Help the High School Graduate Carry On, inspired by Hegg’s commencement address in 2004, has recently been published by Tristan Publishing.

Hegg’s books, including the two above, A Cup of Christmas Tea, and the Peef series, are available for purchase in Breck’s bookstore.

Upper School science labs, untouched since 1956: What’s the oldest part of our building?

annual FundraIser WIll

GIve students a chance to shIne

This year’s fundraising event, called “With U iShine,” will feature very special entertainment. Upper School students will present a performance including singing, drama, a senior speech, musical instruments and more. Breck parent and former newscaster Cindy Hillger will be the emcee. Breck’s own Bato Bato marimba band will welcome the guests.

Event chairs Molly Engelsma, Candace Randle and Missy Swiller say they are delighted to turn the spotlight on Breck’s talented students—and to provide that opportunity to all.

“We wanted to have a program that would appeal to parents of students in all grades,” says Randle. “With the community as our focus the whole night, we know there’s something for everyone!”

The event, which will raise money to support academic technology that benefits every student and teacher at Breck, will take place on Saturday, April 14, at the Calhoun Beach Club in Minneapolis.

There will be dining and dancing to the music of the contemporary rock cover band Swag in addition to a limited silent and live auction (focused on Breck and “like no other” items), the chairs promise.

“It’s going to be a spectacular evening showcasing the real shining stars at Breck—our students,” says Randle. “We invite you to join us again, or for the first time in years, as we all celebrate Breck.”

Invitations will be in the mail in early March.

choIr students receIve recoGnItIon

Twelve Breck Middle School students were selected to participate in the 2011-12 ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) MN Honors Choirs and traveled to Gustavus Adolphus College for a concert on November 18

Congratulations to Dante Baza, Zahria Brandon, Kate Clark, Brooke Samaratunga and Melinda Samaratunga (Children’s Honor Choir), Katie Schmoker and Gloriana Wolf (Girls 7/8 Honor Choir), and Jon Ekberg, Thornton Powell, Brennan Clark, Charlie Gamer and Thomas Dickstein (Boys 7/8 Honor Choir).

brecK Welcomes meredIth cooK vanduyne as dIrector oF advancement

She arrived in the dead of winter, but new Director of Advancement

Meredith VanDuyne says she’s never felt more quickly or happily at home. “This is a truly special place,” she observes, “with a remarkable community of people who are making such a difference for students and for our world.”

As Director of Advancement, VanDuyne has responsibility for development, communications, and alumni relations—and she’s hit the ground running trying to meet as many people as quickly as she can.

“I jumped into the deep end from day one,” she laughs, “but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

VanDuyne comes to Breck after a career spent primarily at Wells College in Aurora, New York, where she was most recently assistant to the president. She and her husband

Mark are parents of new Breck preschooler Eleanor, who is enjoying her introduction to Breck as well. After her first week, Ellie told her mother, “I love Breck!”

“Lots of places give lip service to a mission, but Breck really lives it consistently,” VanDuyne observes. “We really lead by example, and I couldn’t be more delighted to be a part of the team.”

Who KneW?

Teaching students from Seoul National University in South Korea who traveled to Breck in January to observe classes in the Lower School: 10

< Katie Schmoker (center) takes first place at the Spelling Bee with “luxuriate.”

The alternates with her are Maya Czeneszew (left) and Lucy Mayer (right).

Maya Czeneszew > displays her Geography Bee medal. The winning answer was “Mali,” the country whose capital is Timbuktu.

Ten Things You Didn’t Know About…

Breck got its first computer, a Bendix G-15 mainframe, in 1964. The size of a refrigerator, the G-15 was an extremely sophisticated piece of technological equipment, and it came to Breck through the effort of longtime math department member Richard Yonker.

In 1993 we had 49 desktop computers, no network, one dial-up internet account and no laptops, says Director of Technology Gary Marlow.

In 2002 faculty received laptops increasing total school computer count to 475 We also implemented our first wireless network (25 wireless access points).

Breck faculty each received a laptop in 2002, and they received replacement laptops in 2008. Faculty receive ongoing tips and training in weekly sessions during the school year called “Byte-Sized Bits.” Each division has a technology specialist to support the faculty: David Kust in Lower School, Angie Kritta in Middle School, and Jake Miller in Upper School.

In 2006 students in grades 4-12 received laptops, increasing our computer count to 1,265 not including servers.

The building was cabled to provide internet access in 1994. Current bandwidth is 70 mbps down/30 mpbs up, and we are currently exploring fiber options for almost unlimited bandwidth. Our internal wireless network is supported by 100 access points throughout the building.

The main goal of Breck’s technology department is to “enhance teaching and learning using hardware and software for research, organization, communication and collaboration.”

There are no skills classes for technology. Breck’s technology environment can be described as “anytime, anywhere” learning where technology can be accessed as needed within the framework of the curriculum.

Breck’s first public website, managed by the Communications department, was launched in 2001 It was redesigned in 2005 and again in 2011. Says Communications Director Jill Field, who manages the site, “Our original URL was breck.pvt.k12.mn.us. We had hoped to secure a .edu domain (like our friends at St. Paul Academy have), but by 2001 that domain was only available for degree-granting post-secondary institutions. So we became breckschool.org instead.”

g erB c k

Food for thought:

Sand faculT

iS a l a roB

It’s 7:30 on a snowy Monday morning, but the Upper School Dining Room and Breck’s kitchen are abuzz with activity. Upper School

students come in to grab pieces of fresh fruit and bowls of cereal for breakfast, some staying at the tables to work on homework before school.

In one corner, kitchen staff are preparing the salad dressings and other staples they’ll need for the week ahead. Dishes are already starting to pile up, and other staff work to get them cleared and cleaned. One of the dining tables is being used as a staging area where a cook prepares baking sheets for the oven-baked chicken patties they’ll be serving at lunchtime. On another, a catering tray is being put together for delivery to the Boardroom for a meeting. Sandy Stefl-Reese, the head cook, is boiling potatoes to be mashed before lunch. Most of the week’s deliveries have already arrived and been logged, as some of the staff begin their days at 6:00

In the middle of it all is Bob Miles, now in his twelfth year as Breck’s director of food services: a smiling, energetic, professional and seemingly unflappable presence.

Officially an employee of Chartwells, a division of the Compass Group, the world’s largest food service provider and based in the United Kingdom, Miles is devoted to his staff

(“We’re like a family”), Breck faculty (“They keep my life interesting!”) and, above all, the students. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for these kids,” he says.

Breck uses a six-week rotation for its menus, and Miles polls students in each division every year to keep track of likes and dislikes. Among the most popular entrees are anything the kids can build themselves: baked potatoes, tacos, fajitas and paella. But nothing can top the all-time student favorite grilled cheese sandwiches.

They’re not Miles’ personal favorite, perhaps because making them is an all-week affair. “We make 3,500 grilled cheese sandwiches every time they’re on the menu,” he explains. “It takes a full week to prepare them.”

Miles keeps abreast of trends in foods and nutrition, following the government’s My Plate (which replaced the old food pyramid) recommendations and adapting recipes to be healthier, fresher and more wholesome. “We never serve

something breaded, like chicken nuggets, without a non-breaded alternative like grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast,” he explains.

“And I really believe that on balance our kids are making good choices. Not everything they put on their plate is going to be perfect every day, but, on balance, I think parents would be surprised about how well their students eat while they’re at school.”

Over his time at Breck, Miles has seen fresh fruit consumption grow steadily. “You’d be amazed at how much produce we go through!” he laughs. Menu choices have lightened up — wraps replacing sandwiches, for example—and flavors have become more sophisticated. The cooks now prepare fresh pico de gallo to accompany Mexican entrees, for example, and salads with bean blends, local farm products, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are increasingly popular with students and teachers alike.

up with an idea for a menu or ask Bob if he can make some new recipe I’ve found he always says, ‘We can do that!’”

Second grade teacher Ty Thayer appreciates the enthusiasm as well. “I am constantly amazed by Bob Miles and his crew in Food Services,” he observes. “They feed people in three different lunch rooms in a fairly short amount of time, arrange special events, prepare food for our class parties and always remain so cheerful!

The staff in the Lower School lunch room are very aware of my students with allergies, and are an important part of ensuring that everyone has a safe lunch— even me!”

For his part, Miles says it’s truly a labor of love. “I always wake up wanting to go to work,” he smiles. “Breck has really embraced me as a part of the community, and I couldn’t be happier to be here.” JF

He’s always happy to work with families of students with food allergies, which Miles says makes him feel really good. But nothing energizes him more than the occasional curve ball that gets thrown his way. The morning we talked, he was working on some selections for a classroom whose teacher had emailed him to say, “We’re taking a virtual class trip to Russia later this week. Can you come up with a menu?”

“I love my job because it’s never the same from day to day,” Miles says. “Where else could I make sure 1,200 people are fed every day, do catering and special events and feel like I’m part of an amazing community?”

Catering is another area in which Miles has seen huge growth over his time at Breck. From banquets for sports teams to lunches at Anderson Ice Arena to special menus for groups of parent and alumni volunteers, Breck Food Services provides a cost-effective and flexible alternative to bringing in restaurant food.

Observes Director of Annual Giving Gay Gonnerman, “Bob and his team provide a lot of support to the Annual Fund program every year by helping me feed our volunteers — which is an important way to thank them for the work they do on behalf of the school. One thing I enjoy is that if I come

one of food Services’ most often-requested recipes, this one is adapted from several sources.

Winter Salad

Serves about 12

Dressing:

1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

2 Tbs lemon juice

2 Tbs honey

1/8 tsp salt

Salad:

1 medium ripe pear, diced

1 medium Braeburn apple, diced

8 cups torn mixed organic baby salad greens

1/3 cup chopped nuts (cashews or toasted walnuts)

1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

1/3 cup craisins

combine salad and dressing. Serve at room temperature.

ml K d ay I n the uPP er s chool

Keeping the Dream Alive:

In a 1957 sermon at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “Life’s

most

persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ ”

In

2012, Breck’s Upper School devoted a day to examining that very issue with some very special help: a group of nearly 30 Breck alumni who came back to do service, talk, watch documentary films and engage with students.

It was the eleventh anniversary of Martin Luther King Day Symposia in the Upper School and the reflection of a concerted effort to bring Breck’s mission of instilling “a deep sense of social responsibility” to life.

Says Head of School Edward Kim, “Independent schools often talk about outcomes and whether what we do has a lasting effect, and whether our graduates live lives that reflect the lessons and values they learned as students. This year, the Upper School had an excellent opportunity to see the answer.”

MLK Day began as a student initiative in January, 2002. Then sophomore Jaclyn Rubin ’03 had been surprised that Upper School had no formal program, as Middle School did, and she worked with faculty and administration to plan a day of symposia.

“Ms. Lennox started MLK Day in the Middle School, and the range of lectures, discussions and activities fascinated me,” Rubin recalls. “I wanted to be able to participate in such a wide array of interesting presentations, to discuss with my fellow students and teachers how what we learned in our classes played out in real life, what the challenges were, what the possibilities were.”

Eleven years later, students still have that opportunity, but with an exhilarating new twist. Upper School history teacher Lori Merrill and Chaplain John Bellaimey, who coordinated the day, give credit to Upper School Director Melissa Soderberg for challenging them to improve the MLK Day formula.

Merrill states, “Both John and I had had the experience of talking to former students—either in person or on Facebook—and thinking, ‘Gee, they’re doing great things.’ From there it was an easy step to realizing that Breck alumni are out there actively making the world a better place.”

Says Bellaimey, “It’s so good for students to see what actual Breck graduates are doing in their lives, either as a vocation or an avocation. And it’s just as wonderful for us as teachers.”

With the help of Michelle Olmstead and Erin Strong in the Alumni Relations office, Merrill and Bellaimey reached out to alumni and planned sessions around their interests and expertise. They knew that only some would be available to spend the day at Breck, but they were pleased with the response they got and are hopeful that the tradition will continue and grow.

“One of my favorite things is following my former students’ lives and careers,” Merrill remarks. “And so many of them are connected with each other. So sometimes the alumni would lead us to their classmates and friends.” Says Bellaimey, “One of the most interesting parts for me as a teacher was that some of the alumni working most actively for social change weren’t necessarily the ones who were involved as students. It was a real eye-opener in some cases!”

As planning continued, the day took on a greater focus for service and global awareness as well. Moving the observance to a Wednesday meant available alumni could go along to service sites with Upper School students. Bob Miles and the kitchen staff were enlisted to create a global food festival for lunch. And Assistant Admissions Director Marion Kennon helped arrange for a spellbinding keynote speaker, St. Paul attorney Marvin Anderson.

Organizers chose a wide range of topics for the afternoon

the schedule

Latin America with Alicen Burns spaulding ’95 and steve spaulding ‘94

Film: The Devil’s Miner

Wonders of Africa Old and New with Marjan riazi ’08 (via skype), Dr. Murisiku raifu ’92 and Jason ilstrup ‘95 (unable to attend due to last-minute schedule conflict)

Film: The Wonders of the African World City Schools: Not the Same-Old with Kenyari omarAnderson ‘03, chenelle Boatswain ‘00, stephen simrill ‘07 and Maggie Borman ‘07

sessions, examining subjects like life in Latin America and Africa, marketing to the African-American community, being Muslim in a post-9/11 world, and the nonviolent social change movement in Israel and Palestine. They couldn’t have been more pleased with the reaction of Upper School students.

“From the moment registration opened, every single session was ranked as someone’s first choice,” Merrill relates. Each session included a panel discussion and the viewing of a relevant documentary film. (See box below for a complete list.)

Keynote speaker Marvin Anderson brought along a letter from Martin Luther King III commending Father Bellaimey and Breck for our work. He enclosed an autographed copy of Dr. King’s book Why We Can’t Wait.

Film: The Lottery

Israel and Palestine: Nonviolent Social Change with Patrick McGrann ‘94

Film: Budrus

The Role of the U.S. in Afghanistan with rob nelson ’03 (via skype from Afghanistan)

Film: Restrepo

Doing Business in a Post-Racial America with tarnika McDaniel ’99 and raslyn wooten ’97

Film: The BlackList

From the alumni perspective, it was a meaningful way to connect to their alma mater. Says Addie Gorlin ’07, currently teaching middle school students in Oakland, California, with Teach for America, “I was so happy to be involved. Now that I have a teacher’s perspective, I know that all students have potential. But Breck students really come to understand the need to work for the greater good. There are seeds planted here that truly blossom and grow.”

Her counterparts offered equally whole-hearted praise. Says Alicen Burns Spaulding ’95, who talked about life in Latin America with her husband and fellow former Peace Corps volunteer Steve Spaulding ’94, “It was such a wonderful day. I’m so grateful to have been asked to be a part of it.” Audrey Habermann ’05, part of a panel on LBGTQ issues called “The Dream and the Closet,” observes, “I loved talking with the students, who asked such insightful questions and were so respectful. I am in awe of their maturity!” And Lanre Adekola ’08, who spoke with students about his Muslim faith,

remarks, “MLK Day at Breck always has been and still is a pleasant and enlightening cultural experience.”

And in a particularly enthusiastic appraisal, Shawn Kennon ’77, a public defender in the Twin Cities, reflected on her participation by saying, “I am still energized by and genuinely impressed with the students who selected and participated in our session. The program, complete with food, music, community outreach and proud alums sharing their talents only reinforces the fact that when it comes to education in and outside the classroom nobody can top Breck School!”

Observes Bellaimey, already thinking about 2013, “We’re hoping more alumni will think about presenting next year. Maybe they could also nominate some of their classmates who are doing good things for the world. And it’s always a pleasure to welcome them back to Breck.” JF

Race, Justice, Crime, and the Dream Deferred with shawn Kennon ’77, James cannon ’03 and Jan tyson-roberts ‘83

Film: Trailer for Broken on All Sides

Theater for a Social Change with sarah Bellamy ‘97

Film: Ethnic Notions

The Dream and the Closet with rachel Grandstrand ’09, Audrey Habermann ’05, emily nimmer ’09, coco nygard ’08 and Mike vargas ‘06

Film: For the Bible Tells Me So

Being Muslim in Post-9/11 America with Lanre Adekola ‘08

Film: The Letter

Politics in the Age of Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street with Mike Freiberg ’95 and simone Hardeman ‘98

Film: Too Big to Fail

American Indian Identity: What You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know with Addie Gorlin ’07 and Leah Lussier sixkiller ’03

Film: 88 Voices

When the teacher Is the student:

Pro F ess I onal d evelo P ment at b rec K

When it comes to investing in professional development opportunities for faculty, Breck is a national leader.

In a recent survey of independent schools conducted under the auspices of NAIS (the National Association of Independent Schools), only 35.2% of respondents said that granting teachers sabbaticals was “always or frequently” a part of their school’s professional development program. 25.68% said sabbaticals were “sometimes” offered, and 38.09% said they were offered “seldom or never.”

So what makes Breck, which offers as many as two full-year sabbaticals to teachers every year, so committed to off-campus travel and study for faculty members?

“There’s no question that our investment in faculty development enhances the experience of our students,” says Head of School Edward Kim. “We’ve seen time and again the benefits that the gift of time makes, because it’s an area where institutional growth, personal growth and professional growth absolutely go hand in hand.”

It’s also a good way to attract and retain talented faculty members. Says Director of Human Resources Mary Healy, “What teachers tell me is that our faculty development

programs offer them the opportunity to feel renewed, refreshed and transformed. They come back eager to implement their new learning into the curriculum, which, in turn, invigorates students.”

“The best teacher are learners, themselves,” Kim observes.

“That’s why it’s so important to provide them with the chance to model good learning for their students.”

Breck’s professional development program includes yearlong sabbaticals, grants for summer study and travel, grants for mid-year visits to other schools and reimbursement for coursework. Proposals are reviewed first by a committee of faculty and administrators called Faculty Advisory, with final decisions made by Kim.

In addition, teachers are eligible for honors and awards including the endowed Faculty Chair program and Wigley Awards for excellence in teaching, all of which provide stipends for study and, in some cases, travel.

For Breck teachers and their students, it’s a remarkable opportunity for all.

studyInG natIonal ParKs to maKe GeoGraPhy come alIve

For Fourth Graders on cover

“A life-changing year” is how Lower School teacher Karen Pape describes her sabbatical, during which she brought her understanding of U.S. geography to life by visiting national parks from Maine to Alaska, Hawaii and every region in between.

Pape kept in touch with Breck fourth graders during her year away by maintaining a website and doing podcasts in which she showed them natural geographic features, and students became accustomed to seeing her begin each broadcast with an enthusiastic, “Hey, fourth graders!”

“I learned so much about protecting our natural resources and wildlife and what everyone—even kids—can do,” she explains, noting that she met with rangers and educators in every national park she visited. “There are so many resources available for the classroom that I wasn’t even aware of before I visited,” she adds. “And I can’t tell you how much my personal experience adds to my ability to teach kids about U.S. geography and every possible kind of landscape.”

And being there during the school year meant she had more time to study with park rangers and more opportunity to stay in high-demand lodges that kept her within the park areas 24 hours a day.

Having a fairly flexible schedule for the year

allowed Pape some productive detours as well. “I found out about a conference for social studies teachers looking at the national monuments in Washington, DC, and was able to go there. Now we’ve added a whole unit about national monuments into the curriculum—a nice introduction to things the kids will be studying in sixth grade.”

It also gave her a rare and surprisingly meaningful opportu-

nity to be alone in the outdoors all year long. “I found that I really grew a lot as a person as well as a teacher by traveling by myself,” she reflects. “I don’t mean to be overly dramatic, but my sabbatical had a truly huge impact on me. It’s made me a better person and undoubtedly a better teacher, too.” Pape had never been to a national park before but says she’s now committed to seeing them all. And she’s also become a great resource for families planning summer trips. “It’s not just that Breck gave me a long vacation,” she says. “It gave me a chance to bring back a much richer experience for my students and a way to teach them about exploring, learning, connecting and protecting such a vital national resource.”

a national Perspective: breck in the Forefront

in a paper called “Faculty Professional Development: A Primer for school Leaders” published by the national Association of independent schools (nAis), clinical psychologist and Johns Hopkins University faculty member Lynn Friedman writes the following:

“effective professional development programs engender an atmosphere of excitement, intellectual stimulation, and collegiality. they bring about an innovative and exhilarating culture. they invite invigorating partnerships. they generate faculty enthusiasm, and there is a ‘trickle down’ effect: an energized faculty leads to energized students.

intellectual stimulation is infectious. yet, many independent schools lack these programs. And many of those who have them have them in name only. why would schools whose ostensible commitment to education fail to develop a ‘community of life-long learners’ among the faculty?”

After a discussion of the obstacles, Dr. Friedman concludes the following:

“effective faculty development programs lead to healthy faculty and healthy schools. these, in turn, lead to a stimulating, creative atmosphere, one that generates intellectual curiosity, tenacity, and caring. those involved in this sort of setting exude enthusiasm that stimulates interest both within the school and within the larger community. Healthy prospective faculty are seeking a setting in which there are many opportunities for growth. consequently, they will be drawn to schools with effective programs.”

InteGratInG technoloGy Into the mIddle school

Another Middle School faculty member, sixth-grade English/ History teacher Byron Rice, combined two professional development opportunities to bring back new uses for technology as a teaching and learning tool.

While taking a University of Minnesota class called Technology Tools for the Educator, Rice got to know a teacher named Diana Laufenberg, who teaches at a school called the Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia. With funds from his Faculty Chair award, Rice and Computer Education Director A. J. Colianni traveled to Pennsylvania to see the school in action. What they found was an amazing program in which middle and high school students were undertaking complex research projects for the benefit of their community—a project he hopes to replicate for his sixth graders.

“For example, they did a study of voter participation and produced a public service announcement that’s airing on Philadelphia TV,” Rice says. “I’m really inspired to find something significant like that for my students to work on at Breck.”

Technology, he says, has been a tremendous source of reinvigoration for him as a teacher as well. “It goes beyond, ‘Hey, here’s a great website’ or ‘This computer’s pretty cool’,” he notes. “It’s a tool for helping me discover things alongside my students and not just talk at them. And one of the joys of teaching sixth graders is that they’re just so enthusiastic. If you’re really jazzed about something, chances are good that they will be, too.”

sharInG

a true cultural and sPIrItual exPerIence WIth her students

With the help of a grant for summer study, Middle School Chaplain Alexis Kent spent eight weeks in Bungamati, Nepal, staying in a Buddhist monastery, doing service in a very unfamiliar part of the world, and immersing herself in a community of faith. “I’d never had an adventure like that before,” she reflects, “and never spent so much time in a place where Christianity isn’t the major religion. It opened my eyes, and it definitely strengthened my own faith.”

She brought back some carvings she uses in her fifth grade world religions class unit on Buddhism, stories and pictures to share with sixth grade Old Testament students and other concrete examples. But mostly, Kent says, she returned to Breck after an experience her students are hungry to know more about.

“Middle School students are so eager to hear about life,” she observes. “They’re interested in everything: the supernatural, the spiritual, the real world. I’m so fortunate that my experience combines all three.”

Kent learned to speak some Nepali by working with young children while she was there and says staying in a monastery was remarkable. “Studying other ways of life was an amazing

chance for me to think deeply about my own beliefs. It was good to wrestle with some very profound questions and realize that I was happy and secure in my own path to God.”

Not all the learning was spiritual. She recalls with a smile the enormous spider who spun a web in her small monastery room. “I went to a villager to ask advice on how to kill it but soon realized that no one would help me do that. Not killing is a very important tenet of Buddhism, and this was an opportunity to live a religious principle. So instead, every night I said goodnight to my spider and nestled into bed underneath a big mosquito net!”

develoPInG neW InterdIscIPlInary currIculum and buIldInG brIdGes For brecK

Drama instructor Tom Hegg is currently on sabbatical, but he’s already had some time to reflect on what it’s meant to him both personally and professionally.

For one thing, he’s had the chance to be a student again. Taking a class on Performance and Social Change at the University of Minnesota, Hegg says he was overwhelmed not just by the professors’ talent and motivation but also by how hard it can be to be a student. “I’d forgotten what they go through,” he laughs. “I’m SO proud of my A-!”

He’s also had the chance to strengthen the relationship between Breck and the Children’s Theatre Company (CTC). At the introduction of Breck parent Wendy Schoppert, Hegg met the CTC’s Managing Director, Peter Brosius, who, he says, couldn’t have been more open to building a relationship between our two institutions.

The result is a yearlong class at Breck he’ll offer next year that will bring study and service together via the CTC’s Neighborhood Bridges Program, where they will use theater techniques to teach younger students about critical literacy. The course, modeled on the course Hegg took at the University of Minnesota, covers skill building, scholarly framing

and reflections on the process of becoming a teaching artist. Explains Hegg, “We’re taking a big chance by trying to pull off a college curriculum with Breck students. There’s some fairly academic theory that I want to teach along with the one-to-one service experience. But we’re going to take a flyer, and I think we’re going to pull this one off!”

The partnership between Breck and CTC has also led to some May Program opportunities for Upper School students.

“Every ‘yes’ I got from Peter was matched by a ‘yes’ from Breck,” Hegg remarks. “I’m incredibly grateful for the time I’ve had to bring our institutions together.”

In addition, Hegg has been using his sabbatical as a time to write. Although a successful author whose Cup of Christmas Tea and Peef books are in wide distribution, Hegg says he hadn’t produced a “publishable work” in the past five years. Since his sabbatical, he’s finished three works that have already been published.

Little Dickens, his collaboration with illustrator Kevin Cannon ’98, has been nominated for a Minnesota Book Award, a first for Hegg. Bring It! A Little Baggage to Help the High School Graduate Carry On is a verse adaptation of his 2004 commencement address, and Baby Talk: Reflections on a Blessed Event comes from Hegg’s experience as a first-time, and very doting, grandfather to son Adam ’97’s daughter Imogen.

He’s currently at work on a fourth book, in prose, about his parents’ business as well-known Minneapolis restaurateurs between 1929 and 1982

And he’s trying to get stronger and healthier while he has the chance. “I’m going to be crazy busy next year,” he predicts, “as the kids and I are going to be learning together. It’s going to be exhausting—but in a very good way.”

helPInG students become more conFIdent WrIters

First grade teacher Bobbie Tonkin used funds from her Faculty Chair award to work together with her colleagues at the highly regarded Reading and Writing Institute featuring Lucy Calkins at Columbia University Teachers College in New York.

Traveling and learning together, she says, was a “transforming” experience that has yielded great results for first grade students and their teachers. “We had such meaningful conversations about how we were going to work together

to support first-grade writers,” she says. “And thanks to our shared experience we have been able to continue those discussions, with real-life examples, back here at Breck.”

“Even though we teach differently,” says first-grade teacher Marie Murphy, “we have such a true collaboration that comes from studying together and uniting around a common purpose. And we had the opportunity to immerse ourselves in writing at the same time.”

Murphy says learning to pair students in one-on-one writing

teams has had a wonderful effect. “They’re learning from each other, and they feel so encouraged. We now approach students with the question, ‘What are you working on as a writer today?’ and as they answer you can tell that they believe in themselves as writers.”

Her colleague Jenny Bennett says that the children are producing better quality work than ever before. “By working together, they’re doing more editing, more rewriting and living with each piece longer than they used to,” she observes. “And they have such wonderful, deep conversations with each other in the process.”

All the teachers say that they’ve had great success in using techniques they learned at the institute in their classrooms at Breck. “I’ve seen students develop such confidence from peer support,” remarks Tonkin. Says Bennett, “It’s good for

advanced students who are able to help their classmates as well as for students who have struggled. They’re amazingly reflective —not always the easiest thing for first graders.”

They’ve also been able to elevate writing to a very important part of the curriculum. “The kids literally groan when I tell them that writing workshop is over and we have to move on to something else,” reports Bennett.

The teachers also learned about new genres to introduce to their students, such as realistic fiction, and worked together on ways to make their students feel like a community of writers.

Tonkin says the end-of-year celebration in which Breck Custodial Supervisor Walter Walker delivers a large box of books the children have written throughout the year—a “delivery from the publisher”—is a reward they all share.

The experience was a special one, says Murphy, because they had it together. “We were all so excited, and we talked about what we were learning the whole time: at dinner, at breakfast, in elevators. And since we’ve been back, we’re all still talking!”

Breck’s Professional Development program, in its many facets, is an important way to keep faculty members growing in their craft. Says Healy, “I can’t tell you how many teachers have told me how grateful they are for these opportunities. In fact, many have said it’s their favorite benefit of all.”

crow, curran awarded sabbaticals for 2012-13

in a communication to the community in late January, Head of school edward Kim announced that Upper school english teacher Dallas Crow and Middle school english/history teacher Mary Jane Curran have been awarded sabbaticals for next school year.

crow will focus on poetry and narrative nonfiction, two genres that challenge and nourish him in different ways. He plans to complete enough poetry for a second chapbook and to travel to both Montana and oregon to work on several pieces of narrative fiction inspired by writers such as John McPhee, tom wolfe and susan orlean. He plans to attend the Association of writers & writing Programs annual

conference in Boston as well as a writer’s workshop in the spring or summer. Among other goals, Dallas hopes that his work can serve as a model for his students and to create a narrative nonfiction elective for the english department.

curran will spend a year in projects that combine her deep interest in aboriginal cultures of the Americas and her commitment to service. she will continue her study of spanish in order to accomplish a volunteer work project with Awamaki, an organization in Peru that places volunteers to work with women who are learning traditional incan weaving techniques and establishing self-sustaining businesses.

she will also devote time to furthering her involvement with college Bound, a program designed to support high school students in north Minneapolis. Mary Jane hopes that at the end of the year she will be able to bring back things that will help our students stretch their understanding of the issues of poverty and the luxury of privilege.

wrote Kim, “their proposals combine study and travel in a completely mission-appropriate manner, and i have no doubt that both they and their students will benefit greatly from what they bring back to Breck.”

enhancInG scholarshIP

In deeP scIentIFIc study

Science Department Head and Curriculum Director Lois Fruen says her sabbatical literally “opened up the world” to her. She traveled to Egypt, Israel and Jordan in a study of ancient science and its relationship to modern archaeology.

As a result of her study of conservation chemistry (“Once artifacts are dug up, scientists have to make sure they can be preserved,” she explains) Fruen published numerous articles in scientific journals and publications, developed new curricular units for her students, and was an early adopter of technology in sharing news of what she was doing while away.

On sabbatical in 1999-2000, before the advent of blogs, Fruen developed a website and updated it frequently throughout her travels. Some of her work is now included in chemistry textbooks, has been presented at professional conferences and inspired student investigations into the development of perfume, for example, and an analysis of copper verdigris her students conducted in class.

“A sabbatical is an opportunity to open a teacher’s eyes to what’s new and different and what’s going on in our fields,” she says. “That can’t help but open our students’ eyes as well.”

Professional development opportunities for breck Faculty

Breck is deeply committed to ongoing professional development for our faculty. A committee called Faculty Advisory accepts applications and makes recommendation for activities including the following:

Sabbatical Years

one or two teachers each year are selected for a sabbatical to pursue a course of travel and study of their choice. Faculty members on sabbatical receive their regular salary plus a stipend.

Summer Grants

Faculty members are encouraged to apply for grants for study programs in areas of both professional and personal interest over the summer.

School Visits

Faculty members are encouraged to apply for assistance with mid-year school visits. Last year, for example, Middle school science teacher virginia Amundson visited four schools in the Atlanta area to observe and discuss interdisciplinary science programs.

Conferences

every year, Breck faculty members are active participants and presenters at professional conferences, workshops and seminars. Funds for such activities are available, by division, to meet individual development needs.

Coursework

Faculty members who teach at least 50 percent time (or at least three classes) can apply for funds to cover the cost of coursework, both over the summer and during the school year.

class notes

reunion year

1958

Paul Rader has been named senior vice president, International Health, for Atlas Research in Washington, DC. Before joining Atlas Research, he held a long-term executive position with a USAID, an $87 million health care reform project in Palestine. Previously, he led major health care assessment, planning and development projects in Tanzania, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Libya and Albania. Earlier, he worked for two years in Iraq leading the development of elements of a new national health care structure there. During his career, Paul has worked in 45 countries throughout the world on assignments funded by USAID, World Bank/IFC, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, World Health Organization, and other international and domestic organizations.

1960

Howard Petschel finished a new book on counterfeiting.

1966

Jeff Hohman is in pre-production on a documentary film titled “No More Gallant a Deed” which tells the story of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Regiment during the Civil War. For more information about the film go to www.firstminnesotafilms.org. IFP Minnesota Center for the Media Arts is acting as the project’s fiscal agent and accepting donations on behalf of the film. The website was designed by Neal Hohman ’00, the banner photographs were shot by James Phelps; and the head researcher on the project is David Swirnoff ’84

1969

Forrest Peiper retired from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in 2010 He is currently hybridizing lilies and the president of the North Star Lily Society.

Marty Schuster participated in the honorary puck drop at the Breck/Blake alumni reception and hockey game in January.

1979

Mark Schaffhausen and his partners recently received a patent on an “Air Tee” for baseball, softball, and tennis training. He reports that it’s a really cool product and it has been selling

very well. “We just shipped 6 to a Hollywood producer to be used for special effects in a show they are working on,” he writes. Check it out at www.HitZoneSports.com.

1983

Ed Ewing is the project manager at The Major Taylor Project, an afterschool cycling program for young people aged 11-18 integrating bicycle riding, healthy living, cycle maintenance, road safety awareness, and the importance of working toward individual goals. The Project is currently running four after-school bike clubs in low-income neighborhoods in and around Seattle.

1985

Eric Christ is currently CEO of PracticeAdmin, provider of physician practice management solutions.

1987

Erika Arndt Klimecky has recently published a book of essays and photographs chronicling her recent trip to Nepal as the photographer/ journalist for a trekking trip to raise funds and awareness of the Seven Summits Foundation’s environmental and humanitarian efforts for the people of Solu Khumbu, the district of Nepal directly south of Mt. Everest. Rather than being merely a trekking tourist trip, the fundraising mission allowed Erika to soak up cultural opportunities, hold a press conference with Nepali television stations, be party to interesting political maneuvering, and chronicle her trip through words and images. As she reflects, “The experience changed her life because she got a cultural immersion and set of personal experiences that warranted writing and photography to total 280 pages. She had something that she felt was important to share with other

people. Important enough to spend the effort to reach beyond my normal bound of ‘journaling the experience’.”

1988

Rob Melrose was in Minneapolis this past January directing The Guthrie’s production of “Julius Caesar.” He had a chance to catch up with some old friends from Breck, including English teacher Frank Eustis, who gave the production a rave review. Rob says it was especially meaningful, since Mr. Eustis is the faculty member who taught him Shakespeare.

1989

Craig Finn was the subject of a big profile in the January 29 Star Tribune. In it, the Hold Steady frontman talks about his new album, “Clear Heart Full Eyes.” It’s his first solo album, which the paper described as being “built on Jesus, traveling and life outside the band he still loves.”

1990

Anne Weil is busy living in Colorado with three happy kiddos and a new puppy!

1992

Stephen Bennett finished his first Ironman in Penticton, Canada in 11 hrs. 18 min.

nected with Dimitrios Efstathiou ’96, who is senior counsel for MLS.

Since 2008 Jeff George has been head of Sandoz, the $9 billion generics division of Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant. He was recently listed as #9 on Fortune’s “40 Under Forty” list of young business leaders worldwide. He and wife Renee live in Munich with daughter Dylan; when he wrote, they were expecting a second daughter in late December.

Braden Rhetts has two young sons, keeping her very busy, but luckily has still managed to travel and see Breck friends around the globe. She says it’s wonderful to catch up with old friends, so drop her a line if you are in New York!

1994

Majka Burhardt was on the road in September, talking about her new book, Coffee Story: Ethiopia. Majka made a stop in Minneapolis at the Bell Museum of Natural History for a multimedia presentation and discussion of food anthropology, development, adventure, and the impact of coffee on world politics and global understanding. Find out more about her writing, speaking, film and climbing projects: majkaburhardt.com.

1998

Mike McKeon sang the national anthem at the Breck vs. Blake boys hockey game in January.

1999

Jason Keene wed Lauren Stokes in Philadelphia on August 28, 2011. Jason and Lauren met in 2005 in Chicago, where they both attended graduate school. Despite Hurricane Irene bearing down on the East Coast during their wedding weekend Jason and Lauren were joined by fellow Breck alums Andrea Colianni Knabe, Ben Schleuss, Anna Otieno, and Michael Proman. Jason and Lauren reside in Chicago.

Brian Costello recently attended the 2011 Major League Soccer (MLS) Cup championship festivities in Los Angeles this past winter to receive the MLS 2011 Digital Editor of the Year award for his work and writing in leading the Portland Timbers’ website and editorial content. While at the Cup, Brian also ran into and recon-

Jolawn Richardson Victor and her husband, Kevan, welcomed their first daughter, Cassidy Ava Ollita. She was born September 27 and weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. Cassidy joins her two older brothers, Amari (5) and Joshua (3). Jolawn is the Stacy’s Pita Chips brand manager at PepsiCo, and resides outside of Dallas.

2002

Kevin Bielke is receiving his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

2005

2006

Miles Marmo decided to take his talents and apply them to personal coaching, helping players establish a strong foundation of fundamental techniques with a newly formed a group called Onside Coaching. The coaches on staff are all college soccer players with expertise ranging from specific positions (goalies through forwards) to speed and agility training specific to soccer players. They have begun to take students in a small group and individual settings.

Brendan Lynch-Salamon, as a member of the a cappella group the Dartmouth Aires, finished in second place in this season’s contest on NBC’s The Sing-Off. Brendan now lives in Los Angeles and sings with a trio called “Warm Weather.”

2007

After Breck, Andrew Kitzenberg attended Babson College where he earned a B.S. in Business Administration and concentrated on entrepreneurship. During his senior year he was able to develop a business concept in one of his entrepreneurship courses, Memory On Hand (MoH) Band—a USB flash drive wristband. It brings together portability, style, and convenience to the standardized thumb drive most people are accustomed to. After graduating from Babson, he pursued the business while taking a job with Heatspring Learning Institute. Heatspring runs training courses and gets students certified to install solar and geothermal systems. He worked alongside the founder and president primarily doing operations and business development. Working at Heatspring helped him not just pay the bills, but also understand what it takes to run a small business. MoH Bands are now sold in over 150 school bookstores and 250 retail locations. The product was featured in numerous holiday gift guides like CNN Money, as well as the Wired Store in Times Square. It has been an amazing first full year of business and he is optimistic for 2012. Between late January and February, Andrew will be featured on Kickstarter.com where he hopes to gain the support of the community to help keep Memory On Hand his own (not needing outside investment) and launch new products. www.MemoryOnHand.com.

Paul Grandstrand, co-captain and goalkeeper of Brown University’s soccer team for the 2010-2011 season, finished his senior year with a 0.453 goals against average which ranked third in all of NCAA Division I. He also set a new Brown single season shutout record and tied the career record. He was named to the NSCAA All-Northeast Region Team, named to the Northeast Intercollegiate Soccer League Division I All-Star Team, received Eastern College Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week, was named First Team All-Ivy, and received the Cliff Stevenson Award (MVP) and Thomas Gertken Award (top defensive player). Following graduation, Paul has accepted a product engineer position with Stanley Black & Decker. Marcus Hill was the subject of an article in the Mankato Free Press, focusing on his ability to rise above his 5’9” height to pursue his dream of a career in professional basketball after a standout college career at MSU-Mankato. Marcus plays for the Springfield, Massachusetts, NBA

Development League team and posted a thank you to everyone at Breck on Breck’s Facebook page.

Zach Kolar started a job with Wells Fargo working downtown Minneapolis in their home mortgage division.

2008

AJ Sinker returned in December from a semester in Shanghai where he studied film and Chinese. His short film, Balloons Over Plymouth, starring several Breck alums, took second place at the Watertown Film Festival last summer. AJ will be the editor at the University of Tulsa’s student-run TV station in the spring.

2009

Michael Crump is co-author of a paper recently published by the Journal of the American Chemical Society as part of his research with thin layers of gold nanocrystals, a key push towards the goal of printable metal thin films in electronics. Michael was accepted into an accelerated masters degree program at the University of Pennsylvania, which means he will graduate with both his bachelor’s degree and masters in materials science engineering in five years.

Joe Rehkamp is at school and playing hockey for St. Cloud State after two years in the USHSL’s Waterloo, Iowa, and Fargo teams.

2010

The 2011-2012 Mock Trial team took a trip to Harvard in November where they ran into alums Eric Chien and Kristina Tester

Michael Morin was back in MN and stopped to visit Jack Jablonski, the hockey player who was paralyzed during a game, in the hospital in January. Morin

plays hockey for Colorado College and was in town for a game vs. the Gophers.

Brandon Onopa was named the MN junior triathlete of the year.

2011

Rachel Crump has been elected to the Phi Eta Sigma First-Year Student Honor Society, a national group with a chapter at the University of Richmond. Steven Kiesel received an award at Williams College that was presented to the offensive and defensive players who provided the best efforts as members of the scout team throughout the season.

Kayla Mork scored her first collegiate goal, helping New Hampshire to a 5-4 OT win over Dartmouth. Kayla’s score tied the game at 4-4 with four and a half minutes to go in regulation. Kayla then assisted on the game winner as she finished the game as the only Wildcat with a plus 3 +/- rating.

Gracie White played the lead in the Company XIV production of “Snow White” in Brooklyn, New York. The production blended opera, circus, dance, theater and projection in a family-friendly show.

Former Faculty

Class Notes

Bea Thatcher, who was a librarian at Breck was the subject of a Dec. 7 article in the Star Tribune. Bea, who is 95 and lives in Edina, was a Navy wife living in Oahu. Her husband Bob was at Pearl Harbor that day but not onboard one of the battleships. He died in 1993 Memorials

Longtime Director of Guidance and Testing Peter Clark passed away from complications of pulmonary fibrosis on January 21 at the age of 63. He was a tireless advocate for students and families, a cherished colleague and a friend to many in the Breck community. He is survived by his wife Gail Hartman, children Emily (originally Breck class of 1997) and Alex ’02, his mother Jean and three siblings and their families. Breck has created a Facebook page, called “Remembering Peter Clark,” where community members are invited to share their thoughts and recollections. In an email to members of the community, Head of School Edward Kim wrote, “Please join me in honoring Peter’s commitment to our mission as exemplified by his unwavering devotion to recognizing each student’s unique talents and potential to excel.” Memorial services were held Feb. 23 at the First Universalist Church in Minneapolis.

Frederic Dell ’41 died November 6, 2011 in Hopkins, MN. He is survived by wife, Jeannette Dell; daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Fred served during World War II in the Navy/Marine Corps as a medic in the South Pacific where he received a Purple Heart for valor. Fred and Jenny were married in 1946. In 1964, they built their year round cabin on Poplar Lake, on the Gunflint Trail in northern MN. He fulfilled his dream of becoming a forester with the U. S. Forest Service where his territory was the “Gunny.” Together, Jenny and Fred lived the “pioneer” life in the north woods where he enjoyed feeding the wildlife. During Fred’s years there he also did weather reports for the National Weather Bureau and conducted an acid rain study for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He lived the life he enjoyed and wanted, thriving in “God’s Country.” Daily, he sat outside in his red/black lumberjack shirt appreciating nature’s wonders. He lived a wonderful life and will be deeply missed by his family and those who knew him. He many times said of life in the city: “I am out of my element.” Fred will return to his beloved Gunflint Trail where he will be buried in the family plot next to his son at Maple Hill Cemetery.

In their own words cont. F ro M PAG e 40

squirting mom and dad on the way. With these interactions our family experiences the power of laughter.

Aristotle once said, “A friend is one soul in two bodies.” Uncle Steve is a friend that connects with me at my level and always has time for me no matter what he is doing. He is at every one of my hockey games. I can call him when I have a bad day and he will answer and take me out fishing and do anything outdoors because he knows it will make me feel better. He helps me see that families make time for each other.

Is it cool to hang out with your family even when they don’t give you money? Is it cool to say you like your family? I believe it is cool. Without these people in my life I wouldn’t understand work ethic, importance of each other’s company, laughter, and making time for family. They have helped shape me into the man I am today.

Breck Alumni Annual Fund Chairs Keep It Simple

To play off of this year’s Annual Fund theme: Breck School—a stellar education; the Annual Fund—not exactly rocket science, this year’s alumni Annual Fund chairs are keeping the messages simple.

“We are highlighting a few key points that we want the alumni community to remember,” says Chris Welsh ’90, this year’s co-chair along with Brad Searl ’95.

• Breck alumni of all decades are known to say that Breck was among the most positive influences on their life. For many of us, it was definitely the strongest factor in shaping who we are today.

• Your connection with Breck will serve you for your entire life.

• Last year, 450 alumni out of more

Alumni Panelists and Presenters Enliven

MLK Day at Breck

For the eleventh anniversary of MLK Day in the Upper School, the panelists were all Breck alumni. (For more information about the event, see the article on page 20.)

than 3,200 contributed to the Annual Fund. We need everyone who contributed last year, plus at least 100 more alumni to contribute this year to increase our participation to over 15%

• Every gift to the Annual Fund of any amount is appreciated and makes a difference for Breck.

• The money raised through the Annual Fund is actively spent during the course of each school year on things not covered through tuition that students and faculty need. That accessibility makes the Annual Fund a lifeline for continuing to provide an education that is not just excellent, but extraordinary.

“Breck gains approximately another 100 alumni every year through

Upcoming Events

Alumni Association Annual Meeting: Monday, May 7 Alumni Boys Hockey Game: Thursday, March 8, 6-7:30 pm, Anderson Ice Arena

graduation. In order to keep our participation rate strong, and keep pace with other independent schools in the area, we need to add at least 100 new donors every year,” adds Searl. Welsh and Searl have staged a friendly competition between the classes of ’90 and ’95 to see who can add the most new donors and achieve the highest participation rate.

“So far, the dollars contributed are very strong, with some key leadership gifts getting us off to a good start. Now we need to crank up the participation a notch and get more Breck alumni to join in,” says Welsh. Concludes Searl, “And we want to add a sincere thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. Today’s students are benefitting from our commitment.”

Volunteer Opportunities

Reading Week: Come read to Lower School students: May 7-11

Want more information on the alumni council? Many different volunteer opportunities!

Contact Erin Strong, Alumni Relations Coordinator, alumni@ breckschool.org or 763-381-8230

Alums Join Breck Parents for the Annual Fall Cleanup

Strengthening its partnership with the Breck Parents Association’s Family Community Outreach Committee, the Alumni Council helped promote participation in the annual fall clean-up event for senior citizens, held this year on November 5.

Alumni Council Treasurer and Service Committee Co-Chair Jimmy Beltz ’94 says his group hopes to offer more opportunities for collaboration in the future.

The Puck Drops on a Breck/Blake Hockey Game Alumni Reception

Before the boys hockey game vs. Blake on January 26, the Breck Alumni Association and Blake Alumni Association held a first-ever joint reception at Breck School Anderson Arena. About 75 alums (50 from Breck and 25 from Blake) gathered for pre-game refreshments and conversation.

Special events included the puck drop by Marty Schuster ’69 and Blake’s Art Saunders ’69 and the National Anthem sung by Mike McKeon ’98

Annual Holiday Party Attracts a Festive Crowd

The Alumni Association’s annual holiday party, held this year on December 26, brought together more than 200 alumni and current faculty members. It was held at Urban Eatery in the Calhoun Beach Club.

A few photos from the event (more available on the Alumni Facebook page at facebook.com/breckalumni):

November Event Focuses on Social Media

About 25 alumni gathered at Cooper Irish Pub in St. Louis Park on November 1 to network and hear a presentation by guest speaker Mona Askalani from Aimia. The title of her presentation was, “Social Media: Cultivating Your Online Presence.” Alumni Relations Coordinator Erin Strong says she hopes it’s the first of many career-oriented opportunities in the near future. “Alums tell us that the chance to network is one of the most important ways our office can help,” she explains. If you have ideas or suggestions for future sessions or speakers, please contact her at 763-381-8230 or alumni@ breckschool.org.

Girls Place Seventh in State Swim and Dive

Maddy Holker (above) and teammates make a splash.

Cross Country

A very young group of athletes looks forward to a bright future. The Middle School boys team won its conference, and the junior varsity team won all its meets. A highlight for the varsity was Adrian Duncan’s fifteenth-place finish in sections.

Football

Mustang football had an exciting win over Blake and finished the season 5-5 with a loss in the section semifinals. An outstanding and large group of freshmen are likely to make a big contribution as sophomores next year.

Boys Soccer

The boys finished with a 6-2-2 conference record. Season highlights include a fourth-place conference finish, a win over Blake for the first time in several years, and winning the Willems Cup in their annual game with Mounds Park Academy.

Girls Soccer

A very young girls soccer team played hard against a number of highly successful opponents. They lost to Blake, the eventual state champions, by a 1-0 score and also played well against a powerful Orono team.

Girls Swim and Dive

After winning the True Team sectional meet over Blake for the fifth consecutive year, the girls went on to finish second in the conference and place seventh at the Class A state meet. The team was paced by Abby Erdmann’s second-place finish in the 500 free and fourth-place finish in the 200 IM, along with strong performances by Maddy Holker, Georgia Keller and Chandra Yueh. Erdmann, Holker, Keller and Yueh were all named all-state.

Girls Tennis

Girls tennis finished in the top half of the conference with a 6-3 conference record and did well in the Edina Invitational. They made it to the section championship, falling to Blake.

Volleyball

An ever-improving and impressively disciplined volleyball team won six regular season games this year, ending up with a 6-10 conference record. Look for this young team to continue improving in the years to come.

Featured Athlete: Chandra Yueh ’12

An important member of the Breck Girls Swim and Dive team for six years, Chandra is a well-rounded swimmer with great team spirit, determination and a great competitive attitude. Named to the All-State team every year since seventh grade, she’s swum all four competitive strokes and all distances. Says her coach, Michelle Carlson, “It’s been a true privilege to coach her. She is a wonderful person and talented swimmer, and she’ll be deeply missed as she moves on to swim for Cornell University in the fall.”

I N The IR O WN W ORDS

“ ”

austIn rudnIcK ’12, senIor sPeech

What is family? What defines family? Is it your high school? Is it your athletic team? Is it your best friends? Or is it your parents, brothers and sisters that you see an hour or two a night? When I think of family I think of my dad working day in and day out, my mom calling me every day after school, my sister squirting me with a water gun, and my uncle Steve who always finds time for me. It is these people who define my family and the importance of the word family.

Throughout high school people have told me that my father, Mike, and I look alike. But I am here to tell you that we are very different. And, not to brag, but I am a big improvement of him. First of all I am bigger than my dad: He’s 5’ 7”, I’m 5’ 8.5”. He’s 175, I’m 190. He likes to think that he’s stronger but let’s be honest, I am. I have bigger shoulders, biceps and forearms than he does, but his life experience, work ethic and heart far outdo mine. My dad is my hero. Through his example I understand what it means to be a part of a family. He puts long hours into his painting business so that his family has the things that they need. It hasn’t always been easy for my dad. During work one day he was painting high beams in a building with his sprayer and he accidently hit the trigger when he was fixing the spray tip and paint was injected into his right forearm. The worst part of it all was that he waited so long to go to the hospital that the doctors were unsure that they would be able to keep his arm. I thought to myself, “what would it be like to not be able to play catch with my dad anymore if he only had one arm?”

“How could we do the things we always do together if he only had one arm?” I almost cried.

When the operation was over he still had both arms, and I had my dad back. When he came home the next day he laid

around and watched TV. But two days later he was back to work. He couldn’t take not doing anything. He had to keep doing his job to put food on the table and pay for my hockey equipment. He said, “Things are not given to you, you have to work for them.” With the seriousness of his injury it amazed me at how fast he went back to work. It showed me how much heart my dad had to take care of his family.

My mom is the one who keeps the family together. She shows me what family time means by organizing family dinners. She never lets my dad and I watch TV during our family time. We have to sit across from each other and be engaged in conversation, not texting. Mom helps us see the importance of taking time for each other. She goes the extra mile for me. Every day after school she will call at 3:16 and ask about my day. It shows me how much my mom cares about me, and how much she values quality time.

Madison is the laughter in our family. She brings out the silliness in everyone. She doesn’t let any of us take things too seriously. There are times when Madison is watching her shows on TV and I will randomly start to tickle her feet, pinch her just to bug her. She retaliates by grabbing a water gun and squirting me until I run downstairs, occasionally continued on page 35

Though Sarah Ehlen Haecker didn’t graduate from Breck, leaving the Class of 1984 after her sophomore year, she couldn’t be more a part of the community. She’s the mother of two current students, the sister of two alumni and the great granddaughter of someone who attended Breck School at the original campus in Wilder, Minnesota.

“Breck has given my family so much,” she says. “And I imagine that, thanks to my great grandfather, Jacob Brogger, I have one of the longer legacies around!”

Growing up, Haecker says that Breck was always a huge part of her life. She came to the school as a fifth grader and attended along with brother Dave Ehlen ’87 and sister Catherine Ehlen ’90. The late Bishop Anderson was a close family friend, and her great grandfather studied English at Breck in Wilder after he emigrated from Norway.

Today, Breck is still a big part of family life for Haecker, whose own two children are happily enrolled.

Daughter Lille, who started in second grade, is now a ninth grader who loves her classes, Nordic skiing and tennis. Son Hudson, who started in preschool, is a fifth grader involved with music and sports he’s looking forward to playing for Breck in two years.

Both children were born in Philadelphia, where their mother was pursuing her postdoctoral studies at the University of Pennsylvania. After receiving a double Ph.D. in molecular biology and bioethics from the University of Minnesota, Haecker was settled into

a comfortable life out east but was anxious for the opportunity to raise her children in Minnesota. “I realized that I wanted to come back to Minnesota before my kids were too old,” she recalls. “And I knew that they would benefit from not only the education but also the environment at Breck.”

Haecker says she’s seen firsthand how Breck recognizes and supports each student’s strengths, and she’s appreciative of the dynamic Breck community. “I have traveled quite a bit for work, and I always loved knowing my kids were so well cared for.”

Now doing business development in the biotech industry but traveling less, Haecker is enjoying the chance to watch her children thrive and grow.

“They’re developing outstanding study skills, rich and dynamic friendships, and a set of values that reflect the importance of social responsibility ” she observes.

“Through the creative instruction and thoughtful guidance of the teachers and faculty, Lille and Hudson are flourishing, responsible Breck citizens.”

Haecker feels strongly about supporting Breck financially, both for her children and the ones who will follow in their footsteps, and so she has included the school in her estate planning.

“Breck has provided my family with such a wonderful whole-worldview approach to academics,” she says.

“I want to do whatever I can to make sure that’s available for students in the future as well.”

recognizing members of the community who have included breck school in their wills or named the school as a beneficiary of a charitable trust. to learn more about leaving a legacy to breck, please contact barbara brown at 763-381-8208 or barbara.brown@breckschool.org

123 Ottawa Avenue North

Minneapolis MN 55422-5189

Parents of lumni: Please forward this publication. If your daughter or son no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify us (763-381-8230 or alumni@breckschool.org) of the new mailing address.