BRANSON BULLETIN • CAMPUS NEWS • SEPTEMBER 9, 2016
Come see the inaugural football team in action this Saturday at home!
EVENTS & REMINDERS
When does the BULLetin get sent each week?
In order to do include more detail about Thursday's assembly, which entails collecting information from
student presenters, the BULLetin will be send out Fridays by noon. If you have something to contribute, I'd
appreciate receiving it by Thursday at 5 pm, but know that I can always squeeze in timely news.
Next week: we will answer the questions:
How was the Families of Color Fall Dinner?
What's happening for Co-Curricular Days?
What did Maura Vaughn get up to this summer?
and more.
Please see below for Class Level News and Reminders
MAKE HISTORY THIS WEEKEND!
Come out for the first Branson football home game and support our
new team! The game against Stuart Hall (reigning champs) is this
Saturday, September 10 at 1 pm. Wear your blue and green to show
your team spirit.
What’s in:
Wearing your Branson gear to the game
Sporting green & blue clothing, face paint, nails, hats, or
posters
Bringing the whole family to the game
Showing up for your friends, sons, brothers
Having a rowdy (but respectful) Branson fan base!
What’s out:
Thinking your presence or voice is not important!
GO BULLS!
Save the Date for Parents' Day:
Saturday, September 24
The Branson faculty is pleased to invite you to Parents’ Day on Saturday, September 24 from 8:30 am to
noon! After a continental breakfast and an assembly in the Student Commons, you’ll follow your child’s
schedule and attend classes. We hope that you can join us for this special event, a highlight of the school year.
We regret that, because of space limitations, we cannot extend invitations to students or younger siblings. See
you then! Valet parking on campus will be available. More information to follow.
We Need Your Signed Handbook Form
We handed out the Parent/Student Handbook along with a form that needs to be signed by a parent and
returned to the school. It is critically important that we receive and have this form on file. If you haven't
returned it already, please do so now to Elizabeth Riley.
Link to form
Convocation: What is it?
Some parents have asked about the event on the called called Convocation. Henri de Marcellus, who
organizes it each year explains, "Every spring, the faculty and staff elect one of their own to deliver the
Convocation address the following September.The topic can be any subject, but ideally it should relate to an
aspect of the Honor Code. This year Eric Oldmixon will deliver the address."
Sadly, due to space limitations in the theater, we are not able to have parents attend. But ask your children
about it.
Attendance Reminder
If a student is absent for any reason, the parent or guardian must telephone the school before 8 am. All
attendance information must be reported to Elizabeth Riley, 415-454-3612 or leave a message at extension
200.
On View in New House
Gallery:
National Treasure, Local Jewel:
Cordell Bank National Marine
Sanctuary Photography Exhibition
The camera and the photograph are tools used to
influence, to educate, to document and to question.
We are excited to utilize this series of documentary
images to enhance our understanding of the role of
the photograph in contemporary society. Jennifer
Stock, Education and Outreach Coordinator
assembled this exhibition of images capturing the
biodiversity of the Sanctuary for the Cordell Bank
National Marine Sanctuary (administered by the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
NOAA). The images are the resulting work of a
collection of research divers, photographers, and
remote activated submarine.
We are hosting this exhibit in collaboration with the
Branson Science Department. In addition to having
the images to examine and consider for the next four
weeks, Jennifer will come speak to students,
including Kathy Soave’s Marine Biology class, on
September 21. The two-part presentation will begin
with a multimedia presentation in The Garage
considering the question: "How were these images
taken and what do they represent?" Part-two will be
in the gallery using the images as a focus for deep
observation: "What is there? What else might it
represent?”
Parents, please stop by the gallery to view the works
when you find yourself on campus.
Mea Culpa (editor's note)
In last week’s BULLetin I incorrectly attributed the two pieces of art, correctly labeled below. I also inadvertently
(I blame the cut and paste option!) left out Visual Arts Teacher Allyson Seal, who was instrumental in getting
the art into the fair (and back), and who gave me the photos of artwork to post! Also, Violet Bordin '18 is an
Advanced Art this year.
What did I get right? That we have amazing art students and teachers!
Sophie Devincenti
Anna Dworetzky
AT ASSEMBLY THIS WEEK
Junior Talent Show: Applause and Thanks
We started and ended Monday's assembly with well-deserved praise and appreciation for all those involved in
the Junior Talent Show's success. Congratulations to all! See photos below.
TED-Ed Club Forming
With a call to students “Let’s learn to tell our stories,” Grace Dailey ‘18, Armaan Nallicheri ‘17, Isabel
Scal ’18, Isabelle Khoo-Miller ’18, and advisor Maura Vaughn welcomed everyone to join the TED-Ed
Club. Isabelle explained that TED-Ed is TED’s youth and education initiative. TED-Ed Club members have
access to educational resources provided by TED-Ed that help students explore and express what they are
passionate about and learn how to become better speakers and storytellers. The end goal is for every club
member to present a mini TED-talk about something they are passionate about using the skills they have
learned, while also having the exciting chance to go to New York to present their talk at the TED headquarters
and have it posted on the TED-Ed website.
Watch the video about Ted-Ed clubs.
En Garde!
Gemma Kelton ‘17, Anthony Coleman ‘17 and Jack
Conklin ‘17 invited new members to the Branson
Fencing Club, explaining that it is a sport that’s fun and
offers a lot of flexibility.
Fencing practices are from 7 pm to 8:30 pm on
Tuesdays in the gym. No prior experience is needed.
CHAMP!
Dave Reiter kicked off CHAMP, (Challenge: Here's a Math Puzzle!), whereby he posts a challenge every
other week and collects answers from students via email. Dave says, “ I will randomly select one of the
correct responses to receive a $5 credit from the campus store. I will also keep track of all of the correct
answers. At the end of the year, whoever has the most correct answers will win a prize.”
Although parents aren’t eligible for prizes, you might want to just stretch your mind with this week’s opener:
Represent each of the first twenty natural numbers (1, 2, 3, ..., 20) in terms of exactly four 4's. You can use
any standard mathematical notations or operations, but you can't use any other digits besides four 4's.For
instance, you could express the number 1 as 44 / 44 or (4+4) / (4+4) or 44^(4-4).
Entrepreneurship Club
Members announced that the group will be visiting
Google and Facebook. on October 4th (Tuesday Teacher Workday). They will be hosted at both
companies by Branson alumni: At Google by Erin
Rosenbaum ’07 and at Facebook by Chris
Hatfield '02
There are a limited number of spots available and
lots of interested students, so interested students
need to fill out an application. Isabel Khoo-Miller
'18 said, "Keep in mind this is NOT the only
event/trip we will be having this year so we
Photo of the group on their San Francisco trip last
year where they visited Fitbit (pictured at) and several
other smaller startups.
encourage everyone to apply for this and sign up for
the club at the clubs fair."
Football
Members of the inaugural football team invited
everyone to the game on Saturday against Stuart
Hall at 1 pm. For the readers of this BULLetin, this
will not be the first or the last invitation you receive!
Other Announcements:
The Clubs Fair is next week, September 13, followed a week after by the Community
Engagement Fair. In anticipation of that, more clubs explained what they do and hope to
entice new members, including:
Interact Club, which does fundraising for local and international organizations. (Contact: David
Niehaus '17)
iOS Programming Club, where students can learn Swift, Apple's programming language.
(Contacts: Linden Schrage '19 and Olivia Marwell '19)
Model UN (Contact Paul McCarthy)
Asian Student Alliance - who will be adding discussions and events to explore Asian culture.
(Contacts: Sophia Leswing '17 and Maxwell Wang '17)
Mock Trial (Contact Jack Conklin '17)
Rock Climbing Club, they are hoping to keep the program alive.
In other announcements:
Boys tennis announced their informational meeting; they are still recruiting (it's a spring sport).
Italian Club thanked everyone for support of their bake sale to support earthquake victims in Italy.
They also invite others to join the club.
Girls tennis and volleyball teams announced their upcoming games and asked for fan support.
Boys volleyball - interest in restarting this program; they have 14 signups already.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SEPTEMBER 14
Picture Day
SEPTEMBER 24
Parents' Day, 8:30 am - noon
The dates listed above represent only the next two weeks.
Full Branson Calendar
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
LEAP Program
Calling out for new members, current LEAP
volunteers explained that they work with kids ages 812 through Marin Performing Stars. Once a week
the young students come for a one-hour class at
Branson.
Helping Raise Funds for Kiddo
Anna and Hailey Weisel '19, Bella Carlucci
'19, Kate Swart '19 and Chelsea Wong '19
volunteered at the End of Summer Snow Party at
Strawberry Village shopping center in late
August. The event, which included face painting,
balloon animals, and live music, is a fundraiser for
Kiddo, which benefits Mill Valley schools.
Read Story Here.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Branson students are exceptional leaders in many settings. In this section, we will feature
students' accomplishments outside of school. Please send your news for future issues.
George Hurley on Ice!
George Hurley ’18 spent his summer exploring the
arctic with the Students on Ice program. The
program is focused on art, music, science and
history. As George explains, “We started in Iqaluit,
Nunavut and then ended in Greenland. About 90%
of students go on scholarship and about a third are
local Inuits from small communities in the arctic.
My roommate was from a town of 140 people. He
had only left town once before in his life--very
isolated... It was interesting to learn from him.”
George received an award for his powerful image
capturing a seagull picking bits from a seal carcass
recently devoured by a polar bear. (Editor's note:
Chose to show the polar bear.)
Editor's note: Got this great photo after the news
was posted in last week's BULLetin. It's of Bailie
Salk '17 holding her AAU All-American Award for
Volleyball.
.
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
A formal introduction of Rachel Kim
Rachel Kim began her work with Branson mid
term last year. She returns this year to again
assist in Music and serve as the musical
director of the Fall musical “Three Penny
Opera.” Born in Seoul, South Korea, Rachel
has had a music-filled life since first studying
piano with her mother, a professional classical
and jazz pianist. Through her childhood in
Washington, DC Rachel earned top prize in
numerous solo and piano ensemble
competitions around the Metropolitan area and
was presented with the Distinguished Music
Achievement Award by the Maryland State
Music Teachers Association and the Music
Teachers National Association.
Rachel studied with Marilyn Neeley and Jose
Ramos Santana at the Catholic University of
America on full scholarship and received a Bachelor of Music in piano performance. Rachel then earned a
Master of Music in piano performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she continues
her studies with Paul Hersh.
Rachel has been passionate about music education and the value of a strong arts curriculum throughout her
life. She was a pioneering staff member of a successful non-profit summer music program that was based in
an underserved part of the city in Washington, DC. Working as a team of two teachers and five interns, they
created and employed a structured musical curriculum that not only taught basic music fundamentals and
instrument performance, but focused upon developing lifelong habits of dedication, work ethic, and
responsibility. Having worked with children and teens from all different backgrounds, Rachel looks forward to
sharing her passion, enthusiasm, and unique perspective with the students and the music program at
Branson.
OPPORTUNITIES
Star Gazing at Sugarloaf
On October 8-9 The EAC (Environment.
Adventure. Community.) is leading a trip to the
Robert Ferguson Observatory at Sugarloaf Ridge
State Park in Sonoma County. We will hike, view
the sun through solar telescopes, cook dinner and
then attend the star party hosted by the observatory,
where we can look through their giant telescopes.
Then we will camp for the night. A very stress
relieving trip. Skies should be clear in October!
Tanzania Spots Still Open
There is still room for our Tanzania trip over
February break. This is an amazing opportunity to
see and learn about the wildlife of Africa. The trip
will include visiting Tarangire National Park,
Ngorongoro Crater and Olduvai Gorge. Email
Heather Duncan. for more information. Deadline
for payment is October 1.
Host Family Needed
We arelooking for one more junior family
willing to host a Swiss student from October22
to November 11, 2016. The Swissstudents attend
school at Branson and participate in
extracurricularactivities while here. In exchange,
your child will then leave for Switzerland the day
after Branson’s graduation and spendabout three
weeks participating in an incredible itinerary of
activities hostedby the families and faculty in
Zurich. Pleasecontact Anne Butti for details.
REMINDERS BY CLASS YEAR
CLASS OF 2019 - SOPHOMORES
REMINDERS:
September 10 - Sophomore parent get-together in Tiburon. Please RSVP if you haven't done so already.
September 16 - Sophomore parent hike. Meet at Branson gate at 9 am.
CLASS OF 2017 - SENIORS
Senior Parents Night Out!
From your parent reps: Becky, Laura, Paula, & Nisha:
Please join us in a casual gathering to mingle, catch up, and have some fun together. What better way to kick
off senior year than with some food, drinks, and music!
Marin Country Mart Friday Night Jazz
Friday, September 16 from 6 - 9 pm
Pack a meal or purchase to-go items from the local restaurants.
Bring any beverages you would like to drink (alcohol is permitted).
We will have tables reserved near the music for us to picnic together.
No need to RSVP, just pop in anytime for some fun.
For more information, contact [email protected].
Time Running Out on Senior Congratulations Ads
If you haven't purchased your congratulatory ad for your graduating senior, you need to do so asap! See this
information and form.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
Will Hutchinson's Cool Effects
Featured in Marin IJ
Will Hutchinson '97 was featured in the Marin IJ
for a campaign he and Dee Lawrence, cofounder of
the nonprofit Cool Effect, launched to fund Ugastove,
a carbon-reduction project in Kampala, Uganda.
Their goal is to subsidize 100 low-emission
cookstoves, making them affordable for Ugandan.
Will quote from article:
“It’s such a no-brainer, (an) easy way to make a
positive contribution in a developing country,”
Hutchinson said. “It’s not complicated; it’s not too
expensive.”
Read story here.
Dee Lawrence, left with Will Hutchinson '97
displaying an Ugastove.
Photo by Adrian Rodriguez, Marin Independent
Journal
Mini'imah Rashid Named Principal of the Year
Mini'imah Rashid '97 was awarded the distinguished elementary school Principal of the Year Award for all
Metro Atlanta by The Atlanta Families’ Awards for Excellence in Education. Mini'imah is the Founding
Principal of KIPP STRIVE Primary School. Congratulations!
PHOTO GALLERY
Junior Talent Show!
Boy's Dance Crew
Notorious HOS
Superstition
Teacher Skit
Teacher Skit
Sean Mendes in Concert
Girls Hip Hop Dance
The Tre-Bulls
Blind Kar Jenner
Sean Mendes in Concert
The Cathartic Wrap
MC Scott Disick (aka Henry Ashley)
BULLhorn News
Thanks to editor Steve Camahort and other parent contributors for the BULLhorn News.
Football!
The Branson football team kicked off their inaugural season atthe Woodside Priory School Jamboree this
Saturday in Portola Valley. The Bulls had the opportunity to face threeopponents: East Palo Alto, Woodside
Priory and Stuart Hall in a series ofshort-game scrimmages.
Although no official score was kept, the Bulls more thanheld their own on offense and defense, starting with
their very first play, a40-yard sideline scamper by quarterback AlecRitch for a touchdown against East Palo
Alto. The Bulls continued to compete wellthroughout the day with highlights that included a diving touchdown
catch by Langston Graham, interceptions by Will Vostrejs and Nick Hariri and a quarterback sack by
Brett Schneider. Both theoffensive and defensive lines played well, drawing several opponent offsides
onoffense and frequently getting pressure on the opposing quarterback when ondefense. As the Jamboree
ended, severalparents and coaches from the other teams commented on how impressed they wereby
Branson’s level of play as a brand-new team.
The Bulls first official game will be this Saturday,September 10th at 1 pm at home against Stuart Hall. Please
come out and support your Bulls!
Girls Varsity Tennis
Branson Girls’ Scrimmage with University HS
The GB Packers play on the “frozen tundra” of Lambeau Field, theFlorida Gators play in “The Swamp” in
Gainesville, Florida, the University HighSchool girls tennis team plays its home matches on “Cold &
FoggyBottom”…Golden Gate Park.
A friendly non-conference match with University High School is notunlike a reunion because many players
on both teams know each other fromelementary school. It’s also a good reminder of why a lot of us live in
MarinCounty. Here’s a hint: the UHS girls sport a quarter-zip warm-up jacket and apullover windbreaker.
Anyway, the last pre-MCAL scrimmage was a fairly competitiveaffair with #1 singles Amanda Douglas
running into a powerhouse of anopponent and succumbing 1-6, 1-6. AlisePedersen finished 6-2, 6-2 while
#4 singles Jane Hatfield cruised to6-0, 6-0. Emma Hirschkop, evidently enjoying the weather as well
asexchanging about forty strokes per point took a loooooooong two hours toconquer her able counterpart at 63, 6-3. Emma, as well as the spectators,could have used some oxygen after that match.
Chelsea Wong & Ella Ratliff, at #1 doubles,had a hard-fought match with some real quality shots on both
sides to finish6-2, 6-3. Scarlett Bach & Clia Ellwein did very well in the #2 slotat 6-2, 6-0. And one of the
most entertaining matches was #3 doubles withjunior Elli Diaz & sophomore Grace Herbst: both
displayedreally effective backhand strokes while Grace knocked in several hard servescoupled with some
aggressive net-play. Well done for 6-1, 6-2.
All in all, a 6-1 victory for the Branson team.
Branson Girls Subdue Drake Pirates
Sometimes you need a match like this: no problems, no drama, justa nice afternoon playing the friendly
neighboring public high school at our homecourts at COM (College of Marin).
The Branson girls dominated with scores like Amanda Douglas’6-2, 6-1 at #1 singles. That was followed by
Alise Pedersen at #2singles with 6-1; 6-0 win, #3 singles Emma Hirschkop scoring 6-0, 6-0; JaneHatfield
gliding to a 6-0, 6-0 victory; Abby Ivancevich fist-pumpingher way to a 6-0, 6-0 decision at #5 singles; and
Grace Herbst playingher first MCAL singles match in the #6 position winning at 6-0, 6-3.
Not to be outdone, the #1 doubles duo of Ella Ratliff &Chelsea Wong cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 win; Isy
Sellman & Emily Wellsfinished at 6-0, 6-1; and at #3 dubs Scarlett Bach & Clia Ellwein endedwith a 6-0,
6-2 victory.
Takin’ care of business. Branson 9, Drake 0, and we start MCALplay with one in the win column.
Girls Varsity Golf
Branson falls inmatch to tough Marin Catholic
On, Thursday, September 1, the Branson girls faced MarinCatholic at Peacock Gap Golf Club. In a back-andforth match, the girls varsitygolf team just couldn’t overcome the depth of the Marin Catholic team, losingto
MC 222—209. The Bulls faces Terra Linda this week in an away match and arehopeful to register their first
win of the season.
Cross Country Relay at Stinson Beach
Photos courtesy of Jim Harleen
Post Office Box 887Ross, California94957
(415) 454-3612 • www.branson.org
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