October 2008 News at Oliverian School

NEWS AT OLIVERIAN SCHOOL

October 2008

Oliverian Student Brandon Vasak and his father Bill enjoy ice cream at the Pink Shack over Parents Weekend 10.20.2008
Parents Weekend Wrap-Up
Parent’s Weekend (October 10-13) was highlighted by a Friday night dinner with faculty, parents, and students alike. Jay Destroismaison and Adam Bartkoski should be highly commended for putting together an excellent meal. Parents met on Saturday morning with Head of School, Barclay Mackinnon, and Dean of Academics/College Counseling, Peter Stevens. A discussion ensued about the “state of the school” and the college counseling process that Oliverian is engaged in with our juniors and seniors. At the same time, parents had the opportunity to give feedback to the School about their sons and daughters and their hopes for them in the coming academic year. Parents and their children then spent Saturday morning through Monday afternoon off campus enjoying what has been a spectacular fall foliage season here in New England.

10.16.2008
Center for School Success Supports Oliverian Teachers and Curriculum
The Oliverian School and the Center for School Success have agreed to work together in providing direct support for our teachers, our curriculum, and our program. CSS will support the over-arching principles of the school. In so doing they will:

Assist the faculty in building & articulating curriculum that supports the goals of the school.
Provide our teachers with current information on each of our students with recommended accommodations and strategies.
Provide our teachers with expert mentoring in educating students with special needs.
Cultivate among our teachers a climate and culture of mutual professional growth
Provide the academic/college office with advice on accommodations for our students and their standardized testing.

Our relationship with the Center is ongoing and highly supportive of our teachers. Subsequently, this relationship “trickles down” to all our students helping to provide a remarkable amount of support at Oliverian.

Students take the PSAT in the new Library at Oliverian's Student Center

10.15.2008
Students Take the PSAT
On Wednesday, October 15th, 17 sophomores and juniors took the PSAT in the new school library. They were joined by three seniors who wanted one more round of practice before taking the SATs later during the college preparation season. This was a record number tested for Oliverian! Proctors were Greg Vogel and John Doyle, with Peter Stevens as supervisor. The new Library worked magnificently for this purpose; prior to the opening of the library, students were tested in the meeting house. PSAT is the first in the series of college-related tests that most college-bound students will take. It is P for Preliminary, and some think that means P for Practice. And it is practice… nothing goest on a student's record (except for the National Merit competition for the highest-scoring few nationwide… who knows, maybe at Oliverian?)

10.13.2008
Students Visit Loki Clan Wolf Refuge
On Monday, October 13, eleven Oliverian students, led by faculty Tom and Mindy Barth, visited the Loki Clan Wolf Refuge on the Maine/ New Hampshire border. This facility provides a safe haven for wolf dogs where the wolf dogs are able to live out their lives in pack situations. All animals are housed in large, natural enclosures, an ideal life for these special creatures. In addition, all the animals are sterilized.

Even though many states outlaw wolf dogs as pets, people are able to purchase them all around the country. Sadly, many people obtain these creatures without a full understanding of the animal's physical and social needs or the magnitude of the responsibilities they are taking on when bringing a wolf dog into their home. All too often, the fate of these animals becomes euthanasia.

Loki Clan Wolf Refuge relies on the volunteer help and donations of others to maintain the refuge. Although Monday's visit was intended to acquaint students with this facility, in the past, Oliverian students have volunteered their labor to help build new fences and clear away snow that could interfere with the safety of animals. Oliverian has a developed relationship with the Loki Clan Wolf Refuge, and no doubt, students will volunteer their efforts in the future to help these beautiful animals.

To learn more about the Loki Clan Wolf Refuge, to volunteer time or services, or to make a tax-deductable monetary donation, please visit Loki Clan's Website.

Oliverian hosts a Peter Adriel concert at the Meeting House

10.4.2008
Students Perform at Peter Adriel Concert
Upwards of 60 people were in the audience as the lights dimmed for the October 4th Peter Adriel concert at Oliverian’s Meeting House. Oliverian’s Jug players, The Blanceros, started the evening with a cover of Bob Dylan's Wagon Wheel. From the get-go, the band revealed a confidently determined demeanor which brought down the quiet and enraptured house with a standing ovation!

The second act of the evening was the duo of Brett Wanner, music teacher, and Carl Stagg, math instructor, technology teacher, and Oliverian librarian. With more than 40 students in rapt attention, "P vs NP", separately veterans of numerous musical groups, coffeehouse venues, and open mike nights, entertained with their own original compositions.

The headliner was an up-and-coming acoustic guitarist and organic farmer from Eureka, Illinois, Peter Adriel, who was a one-man band experience! Kalimbas can best be described as minature xylophones, and Mr. Adriel would pick at these flat tines accompanied by the usual guitar strings, beat to the melody with his electronic 'noise floor', and occasionally throw in a lick or two on the harmonica and kazoo. All of his lyrics and instrumentation are his own creations and he bantered back and forth with some of the inquisitive front row students as he introduced each song with a background story.

A huge success by all accounts, the Meeting House emptied quickly as the enlightened students dispersed to their respective dorms at the end of the evening.