The eleven members of the class of 2010 at Sant Bani
School in Sanbornton along with Head of School Kent
Bicknell, center, released white homing pigeons to
kickoff their graduation ceremonies
held Friday. Bea Lewis/Citizen Photo.
The eleven members of the class of 2010 at Sant Bani School in Sanbornton along with Head of School Kent Bicknell, center, released white homing pigeons to kickoff their graduation ceremonies held Friday. Bea Lewis/Citizen Photo
Click here to view Foster’s prints for sale
As family and friends applauded, the 11 members of the class of 2010 at Sant Bani School in Sanbornton kicked off their graduation ceremonies by releasing white homing pigeons.
Classmate Jacqueline Bartz, an ardent animal lover, owns the birds, which she regularly rents out at weddings. Friends said the birds are trained to fly home to Franklin.
Head of School Kent Bicknell told the several hundred people that gathered beneath a huge tent pitched on Allen Field to watch the ceremonies that Friday’s graduation marks the school reaching a milestone of 319 alumni.
“This afternoon we celebrate the life-journeys of these 11 wondrous souls behind me. They have accomplished much already, and they are just getting started. I have had the pleasure, honor, joy — you name it — to sit in English class with them for the last few months. We talked, thought and laughed…a lot. We were all students…all teachers,” he said.
During 12th grade English, Bicknell said early on his students read Plato’s Allegory of the Den or Cave and finished with Jack Kerouac’s Alone on a Mountaintop, — Kerouac’s account of the 63 days he spent alone in a fire tower on Desolation Peak in the Cascade Mountains of the great Northwest in the summer of 1956.
“Many of us are familiar with the idea captured in Plato’s story of the cave. We may recall that the dwellers in the cave were trapped in such a way that they took the shadows on the wall as reality rather than image — as substance rather than reflection.”
Bicknell said there is much more to Plato’s allegory.
“When we step out of the cave and see the light, it hurts our eyes, as it can be painful to gaze on the truth, to be confronted with a legitimate perspective vastly different from our own beliefs, which we had held so dear. Seeing what is truly real created a desire to go back and share this with friends still trapped in the illusion of the cave’s shadows. But, Plato warns us, the bearer of truth is as likely to be attacked as welcomed,” Bicknell said.
“This class, the Class of 2010, would embrace any truth-seeker…any truth-teller…with open eyes and open arms. They have feeling minds and thinking hearts,” he continued.
Bicknell also cited the words of Sant Bani founder, the Spiritual Teacher Kirpal Singh who wrote in the school’s guiding documents, “The chief malady of current education is that it results in the disassociation of heart and head. It lays emphasis on the development of head and does sharpen the intellect to some extent. But more essential is the liberation of the heart. That will be done when the reason is awakened in sympathy for the poor, the weak and the needy. Sacrifice grows out of the heart, so that the heart is required to be unfolded.”
“The Class of 2010 has the sharpened intellect piece well in hand; and their hearts are wide-awake,” Bicknell concluded.
Sant Bani Class of 2010
Jacqueline Bartz, Justine Borceux, Emily Braconier, Mira Carey-Hatch, Tajian de Mello-Folsom, Chapin Evans, Liana Hanrahan, Liana Hardcastle, Enelys Kalmus, Nicholas Lockwood and Quan Tran.
Sant Bani School’s great garlic garden turned into a harvest to behold—500 beautiful blubs ready for sale at local Farmers Markets. Sales tables appeared in late summer on Tuesdays in Franklin at the Unitarian Universalist Meetinghouse and int Tilton at the Tanger Outlet Mall on Wednesdays. The whole crop was sold out in just a few weeks.
Our success will foster more success. This year we will plant one thousand cloves in late October. Watch for scapes to be on sale in mid-June and the bulbs in August. Scapes are the delicious flower stems that garlic plants produce before the bulbs mature.
More Than Garlic
Parents and students who want to grow in a new direction are invited to participate in Sant Bani Schools new garden that follows on the successful experiment with garlic.
Fridays from 3:30-5:30 there is an open gardening opportunity open to the entire community. The site is ont eh north side of Ashram Road between the road and the Upper Building. Extended or weekend hours can be arranged by contacting Susan Dyment.
A kale planting is the pilot for the expanded project, and butternut squash is already part of the Ashram garden and will be used in the soup for the Empty Bowls Dinner on October 9th as well as the Lower Building autumn harvest celebration. Lettuce will be planted in the spring of 2010.
Sustainable gardening is part of the vision of Sant Bani School for both parents and faculty. There are many possibilities and your interest, input and participation will help direct the project.
On Thursday, June 3rd, Sant Bani High School students were celebrated with the following awards:
Franklin Savings Bank
Eileen Pucci from FSB awards
Mira Carey-Hatch (’10) a $1000
scholarship.
Maredith Rotary
Gary Schmidt presents the
scholarship to Chapin Evans (’10).
Tilton Rotary
Tajian deMello-Folsom (‘10) and
Mira Carey-Hatch (’10) each
received a $500 scholarship.
Lakes Region Scholarship Foundation
*Dr. Donald Ettelson award received by Mira Carey-Hatch (‘10).
*Zonta award received by Mira Carey-Hatch (’10).
*St. James Church award received by Chapin Evans (’10).
English Department: Karen Bicknell, Chair
*Middlebury Book award to Luke Kalvaitis (‘11).
*Senior English Excellence Award to
Nicholas Lockwood (’10) and Chapin Evans (’10).
Art Department: Ann Saunderson, Chair
Cullen Robinson (’12) received an award for “bravery, excellence,
and hard work.”
Home > News > Rockets, NASA & the Black Rock Desert
May 7, 2010
Sant Bani freshman, Andrew Mahn, reported to the school at Morning Session on his experiences with rocketry in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.
Andrew began his competitive engineering work about five years ago with LEGO robotics. Through that venue he became aware of other types of engineering competitions including rocketry and he was hooked. He has been working with the Team America Rocketry Challenge, which is associated with NASA, with Mr. Mark Kibler since then, competing in The Plains, Virginia. After successfully competing there, the team went on to the NASA Student Launch Initiative, the world’s largest competition for rocketry headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. There they were noticed by another organization called ARLISS: A Rocket Launch for International Student Satellites.
It was the ARLISS program which brought Andrew and his team to the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. For that competition the team designed one of the biggest rockets that they’ve ever made and used. The other rockets were only designed to meet a specific purpose: to carry two eggs safely to an altitude of 750 feet, for 45 seconds and to land safely with the eggs intact. This project was much more open-ended. The sky was the limit, so to speak.
See the video of the team and their coach, Mr. Mark Kibler
preparing for the launch with ARLISS in Nevada:
For this competition the students had to design a rocket that flew, but what it did while it was there and how high it went was up to them. They decided to use their rocket to study climate change and global warming. The team designed a satellite that would measure concentrations of the most prevalent greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, water vapor and carbon dioxide. They also had to correlate that with the altitude and the temperature. The experiment would either succeed and work perfectly, or completely fail. However, Mr. Kibler says that working on the project from start to finish is a success all in itself (see video).
This year Andrew worked primarily as the computer programmer for the project. Next year he is the team captain and will have to work as he’s done on other projects to coordinate all of the aspects of pulling the experiment together.
Students in the Pennies for Peace
Art Block make phone calls, posters, and canisters
to collect funds for the Central Asia Institute.
The students at Sant Bani School have joined hands with tens of thousands of other school children around the world who share the vision and dedication to empower communities through education in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Sant Bani School students are embarking on a Pennies for Peace campaign to broaden their cultural horizons and become members of a global family dedicated to peace.
The students joined the Art Block because they heard teacher, Rose Marie Marinace, read the young readers’ edition of Three Cups of Tea to the whole school last fall, and the work of the Central Asia Institute to build schools seemed like something they could help with. Students in the Pennies for Peace Art Block have made canisters to put out, they have contacted local businesses, and have publicized the campaign both within the Sant Bani community, and in the local papers.
Local businesses that have (at this printing) have agreed to support Sant Bani’s Pennies for Peace campaign with collection canisters include:
Constantly Pizza, Tilton
Growing Like a Weed, Tilton
Upper Crust Pizza, Tilton
Piche’s Outlet, Belmont
Blue Skies Natural Foods, Bristol
Headlines Salon, Gilford
The Mill Fudge Factory , Bristol
Normandeau Associates, Bedford
Dan’s Pharmacy, Franklin
Hiller Orthodontics, Laconia
How can a penny bring peace? It doesn’t buy much in central New Hampshire, but in the villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan, it can buy a pencil, start an education, and transform a life. In a region where terrorist organizations recruit uneducated, illiterate children, that pencil can empower a child to read, write, and learn. The Pennies for Peace program goal is to encourage children, who are ultimately our future leaders, to learn the value of philanthropy by collecting pennies for global peace.
Sant Bani School students will have an opportunity to study the cultures of Afghanistan and Pakistan, learn to work and share together in their Pennies for Peace campaign, and come to understand their own capacity as philanthropists – one penny at a time.
The pennies that Sant Bani School students collect can add up to make a real difference.
1 penny = a pencil 2-3 pennies = an eraser 15 pennies = one notebook $20 = one child’s school supplies for one year $50 = one treadle sewing machine and supplies $100 = maternal healthcare supplies for one year $300 = one advanced student’s annual scholarship $600 = one teacher’s annual salary $5,000 = support for existing school for one year $50,000 = one school building and support for up to five years.
The group was recently invited to attend the Lakes Region Rotary Club meeting and give a presentation to the group about the project. The generous contributions of the Rotary members on the spot is helping the group meet their goal of $300 for one student’s annual tuition.
Children in over 400 mountain villages in remote northern Pakistan and Afghanistan are on the waiting list, hoping to learn in a new school. Sant Bani School students hope to help build a bridge of peace, one penny at a time, offering alternatives to the cycle of terrorism and war.
Where on Earth do two hundred people ages five through sixty five suspend everyday doings to consider the grand picture and to act to make that grand picture a little more hopeful? On April 22, 2010, the students and staff at Sant Bani celebrated the Earth and its interconnections with a full day of workshops and community cleanup projects throughout Sanbornton. The staff-led Earth Day Committee arranged speakers, set up thirty workshops and designed a day that both celebrated the beauty of our planet and posed questions about issues facing future generations.
Students clean and replant the median on 127.
The first speaker of the day was Steve Whitman who discussed Permaculture. He is a faculty member at Plymouth State University and has worked in state and regional planning for over fifteen years. He talked about designing human settlements and agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies. Students participated in a lively question and answer session after the presentation. Then they moved into their preregistered workshops.
Each student could choose two morning workshops. Some were outside on campus, others in the classroom; some were field trips to sites in Sanbornton or neighboring towns. Students could work to clear the cross-country trails which wind through the woods behind the school or they could travel to Swain Farm to inspect the portable solar generated waterer for the cows at the pond. Some went as far as Canterbury where they had a hands-on tour of the McCullough-Meeh sustainable family farm. They learned how the parents of two Sant Bani graduates harness a range of renewable energy sources including windpower, solar electric, biodiesel, and firewood.
Other students made recycled sculptures or walked through the woods to the beaver pond. Meanwhile in the classroom Jyoti Demian discussed Ralph Waldo Emerson’s views on nature with high school students. Lesley College intern Travis Filter led a gardening workshop where students prepped a new garden area and planted kale and lettuce. A group of “renegade students” led by Jen Schongalla chucked artistically wrought seed bombs in random barren places. A group of four students joined Susan Dyment at the little traffic island at the intersection of Prescott and New Hampton Road where they worked the soil, added compost and planted pansies—under the watchful eye of Sanbornton Police Chief Hankard who directed traffic while they worked. Walks to vernal pools, nature drawing, solar cookers, seed mosaics, decorating pots, fairy houses, tree identification, watercolor landscapes, scavenger hunts, an “un-cooking class” where they talked about the health benefits of eating raw foods and calculate how many grams of selected foods it takes to make 100 calories, were among the offerings.
Steve Whitman and students celebrate Permaculture.
Senior Jacquie Bartz led a workshop on Earth Watch, a non-profit organization where those concerned about the Earth’s future can get involved. Volunteers all over the world do hands-on field research to learn more and educate others on environmental concerns. Jacquie traveled to Iowa last summer to study the Mississippi River and its unique environment. During the same block Chief John Desilva of the Sanbornton Fire Department talked to students about forest fire prevention. He brought some of the equipment used by the firemen and talked about what we can do to help.
After an outdoor lunch time teachers and students then fanned out in teams to cover 26 miles of Sanbornton roads for a massive clean up effort. Reflecting at the end of this busy and beautiful day, everyone felt a little more hopeful that a small school could consider the big world and have an impact . . . one thoughtful action at a time.
Alum Allen Taylor Shares Post-Sant Bani Adventures at Morning Session
Taylor [SBS’05] skis some tall mountains.
On Friday, April 16, alumnus Allen Taylor, SBS class of 2005 and UVM class of 2009, presented one version of what is next after graduation from Sant Bani School. After completing an internship in forestry, Allen headed to northern India and Indian Kashmir for two and a half months with some friends to explore the Himalayas, the highest mountains in the world, and find what they have to offer for backcountry skiing.
Allen played a short video of skiers in that region soaring down mountains and rooftops and then showed with maps where he skied and travelled. He explained the history and tensions of the region, dating back to the partition between India and Pakistan. He spent much of his time in Hindu or Indian Kashmir at the only really big ski resort in India. Indians come there to escape the heat and often stay in houseboat hotels, which Allen showed. He explained the common sight of Indian military personnel bringing explosives to the resort’s ski patrol to trigger avalanches when no one is skiing.
When he was backcountry skiing he went down mountains of up to 17,000 feet and came near the DMT fence, a ten-kilometer zone near the border of India and Pakistan that helps keep tensions down between the two countries. Electric power at the ski resort was inconsistent and there were other mountains he wanted to ski without chairlifts, so Allen travelled up winding mountain roads by motorcycle with skis on his back. Other desired locations demanded a six-to-seven-thousand-foot climb, starting at two o’clock in the morning with spiked boots. Sometimes he had to camp in the mountains, which allowed him to see sunrises he called “unbelievable.”
In addition to many photos of his skiing experiences in the Himalayas, Allen showed images of the different cultures he encountered in this part of the world. Some were of a people believed to be descendents of Alexander the Great’s army, who would not touch Westerners because they believed them to be unclean.
Allen with full pack on the ridge.
A high-altitude trip like this could not have been taken easily without training and preparation. Allen explained how acclimatization happens to the human body and how it worked for him. He said he felt out of shape for the first few days, but that his body adjusted. He has a lot of experience backcountry skiing in the northeast and prepared here. He is glad he did and said he saw some climbers in the Himalayas who did not seem to know what they were doing.
At the end of his presentation Allen told students and staff that the three parts of his trip in which he had the most fun were first skiing, then experiencing the various cultures he came across, and finally learning how to work with photos and video—he said he was really glad that he brought his camera. The morning session audience was glad as well, since viewing Allen’s photos as he discussed his trip brought us closer to what he experienced. Many students and some teachers were inspired to go adventuring like he did, and like so many other Sant Bani seniors have, after they step out of the white graduation tent as new alumni.
The Sant Bani School Class of 2010 gathers this spring “on the rocks” overlooking the Allen Field
April brings more than showers for the Sant Bani Senior class. It brings big decisions. Continuing with Sant Bani’s one hundred percent college acceptance rate, the Class of 2010 has a wide array of choices. The eleven Seniors have to choose from over thirty colleges. East coast, west coast, north, south, large and small, from Los Angeles to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, art schools, polytechnic institutes—this class hasn’t gone for uniformity.
The schools Sant Bani seniors have been accepted to so far are: Bates College, Bentley University, Boston University, Colby Sawyer College, College of the Holy Cross, Cornell College, Facultes Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, Emerson College, Hofstra University, Keene State College, Loyola Marymount University, New England Institute of Art, Ohio Wesleyan University, Savannah College of Art and Design, Sterling College, St. John’s University, Suffolk University, Unity College, University of Central Florida, University of Charleston, University of Michigan, University of New Hampshire, University of Puget Sound, University of Vermont, Uppsala Universitete, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Guidance counselor Susan Dyment says she isn’t surprised. “Sant Bani School supports individual differences and helps students develop their unique talents. This, together with a strong academic base and the value placed on service, makes my job easy. By the time they are seniors, these students have a strong sense of who they are and the skills to get where they want to go.” Dyment adds that “Seniors will have to make their college choices by May 1. We expect a lot of sunny faces next month when the visits are complete and the decisions are finally made!”
Dyment shares that even though Sant Bani begins at kindergarten for many, new students can join at any point where there are openings. “Our lower grades are looking full, but there is still room in the high school for new applicants.” She invites interested families to visit the school’s website (santbanischool.org), come to the high school open house in May, or call 934-4240 to set up a tour. She adds that “three quarters of our students receive financial aid, so concern about the cost of tuition shouldn’t stand in the way of applying.”
Sant Bani Alum Kris Freeman’s Third Trip to Winter Olympics
Kris Freeman (SBS’99) was chosen to represent the United States Ski Team on his third trip to the Olympics, this time in Vancouver, Canada. In the last Olympics, Kris had potential to medal, but this year, he is at his peak, coming in 4th in the 2009 Worlds suffering from compartment syndrome. He has had surgery and has healed, and is ready to give it his all to come home wearing some Olympic hardware this year!
To see results as they come inclick here then scroll down half way to the tab with the races listed, and click on the race to see all the racers’ progress as the race is happening.
Kris wrote in his blog before heading out on Feb 6th 2010:
“I came into Canmore thinking I would do better than I have. I had no real reason to believe this though. I stayed at home for as long as I could because I like the stable training environment there. The sacrifice for the long stay was that I gave up acclimation time in Canmore. I focused on getting myself into a stable level of fitness at home. I trained relatively large volume and had no incredibly hard intervals. When Zach and I laid out this plan he told me the only down side to it was that I would be flat in Canmore. I didn’t believe him but he was right. In the 15k I raced a solid strong race without any fire. When I tried to dig deep I felt like I had to blast away a layer of granite to get to the gritty stuff underneath. Zach told me he expected that I would not have my top gear but that the race efforts in combination with a set of intervals in Vancouver will get me my top gear back. I have always been a fast adapter to intensity work and neither Zach nor I wanted to come into canmore red hot only to flicker and fade in Whistler.
“I am not worried. I have been 20th place when I was dead tired and laid everything on the table and I have been 20th place when I have been simply strong and flat like yesterday. Strong and flat is usually an indicator that I am about to be strong and fast. Whistler is a totally different course, elevation, and will most likely have unpredictably crazy snow conditions. I have been dreaming of these Olympics for four years and in a way for my whole life. The “show” is about to begin.”
Former Olympic skier Justin Freeman speaks to
students at the Paul Smith School in Franklin on Thursday.
(DARYLCARLSON/CITIZENPHOTO)
Students in kindergarten through Grade 2 at the Paul Smith Elementary School were all ears on Thursday when they culminated their study of the Olympic Games by hearing from Olympian Justin Freeman of New Hampton.
Freeman, 33, a 1994 graduate of Sant Bani School in Sanbornton, placed 52nd in the 15 km classic Nordic ski race in February 2006 at the Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy. Along the way he won one national title, one overall Nor Am title, and nine SuperTour races.
“I like competing and seeing what I can do. Giving it my all on any given day — it’s a good feeling,” Freeman said.
He was twice an All American skier for Bates College where he also was a Division III All American runner. He has been skiing since age 2 and has been racing continuously since he was seven-years-old.
His brother, Kris, 29, of Thornton is a current member of the U.S. Nordic Ski Team and is competing in the Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. The younger Freeman will race in the 30km pursuit on Saturday and the 50km classic on Feb. 28.
While the younger Freeman’s race on Monday “did not go well,” according to his brother, Justin Freeman characterized the silver medal win of Nordic combined competitor Johnny Spillane as “pretty cool.”
“I don’t know him well but he’s had some struggles to overcome and it’s nice to see him put it together,” Freeman said.
Ellen Coulter, the librarian at the Paul Smith School, explained that she was able to make contact with Freeman to ask him to speak to students through her husband who works at Sant Bani School.
As part of their study of the Olympics, Coulter said, first grade students will have the chance to try cross-country skiing on March 5 when the staff at Gunstock will bring their rental gear to Franklin and allow the youngsters to ski in the field near the school.
“For many of our kids, it will be their first experience with Nordic skiing,” said Coulter.
After college, Justin pursued graduate work in physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder. After two years of research, he began skiing full-time in 2000. He now teaches mathematics and physics at New Hampton School and also coaches cycling. He lives on the campus with his wife and two young daughters, Iris, 3, and Sage, 1.
His primary goal this season is to win his second significant ski marathon (and first since 1999). Freeman placed second in the 50 km Classic at the U.S. National Championship in Fort Kent, Maine, in March 2006.
In introducing Freeman to students, Coulter said tht, while in high school, Freeman would run the 14 miles from his home in Andover to Sanbornton. Once, instead of driving, he biked 120 miles to get to college, she said.
In talking with students, Freeman explained there are two styles of Nordic skiing: “skating” when the skis are kept in a V-shape, and “classic” when you stay inside a groomed track. When skating, competitors use a shorter ski as well as a sticky wax applied beneath the foot. When skiing in a classic style they use a longer ski made to more easily glide, Freeman explained.
He is no stranger to the physical demands of the sport. He has kept a daily training journal since he was 16-years-old, he said, noting that, on Wednesday, he spent two hours skiing at Waterville Valley while towing his two daughters in a sled.
He has raced in places from Alaska to Australia and told students that, when he went to New Zealand, he got on a plane on a Monday night and, because of the time change, arrived at his destination on Wednesday morning.
“It was like Tuesday never happened,” he said.
He explained that the ringing of cowbells is a longstanding tradition in cross-country skiing.
“The bells get so loud you can’t hear anything. They give you energy to get up the hills,” he told students.
When the games began in ancient Greece some 2000 years ago, Freeman said, a tradition started to build a “truce wall” and all the competitors agreed not to fight. While in Italy, Freeman explained, that tradition was re-activated when thousands of Olympic athletes signed their names on a clear glass wall in support of peace.
“For me it was really neat. The idea that people shouldn’t fight,” he said.
During his slide show, students laughed when a photo appeared showing Freeman with the giant-headed mascots of the Torino Games, “snow” and “ice.”
While U.S. Nordic skiers failed to claim any medals at those games, Freeman told students that the Canadians won a bronze in the sprint relay despite breaking a pole. In a display of true sportsmanship, a Norwegian coach gave the Canadian skier a new pole. With the replaced equipment, the skier was able to pass a member of the Norway team and secure a third-place finish. Freeman said in appreciation of the Norwegian coach’s unselfishness, the Canadians sent him 5,000 gallons of maple syrup.
Responding to a student’s question about whether he liked skiing, Freeman said, “I like it a lot. It’s one of the most fun things I’ve ever done in my life.”
Article & photo republished with permission from the Laconia Citizen.
Sant Bani School senior and Meredith resident Chapin Evans was named the winner of the Franklin VFW’s Voice of Democracy (VOD) essay and speech contest. This year the theme for the contest was “Does America still have heroes?”
Each year the VOD chooses a broad theme that revolves around patriotism, allowing the student flexibility and originality in their audio-essay. The VOD program is designed to instill patriotism in high school students by allowing them to explore their feelings about the topic and to give them a platform on which to speak.
VFW Essay and Speech contest winner, Sant Bani School senior Chapin Evans of Meredith is shown here with VFW representatives,Woody Freeman, Mary Freeman and Neil Beaupre.
Evans decided to prepare an essay after VFW 1698 Ladies Auxiliary chairman Mary Freeman and the Post chairman Neil Beaupre came to Sant Bani School to invite participation by the high school students. The first-place essay winners of the individual VFW Posts are then forwarded to the next level, the NH State Dept. of the VFW. Each individual state’s first place winner is chosen to compete on the National level in Washington, D.C.
The National first-place winner receives a $30,000 scholarship, paid directly to the recipient’s American university, college, or vocational/technical school. Other prizes range from $1,000 to $16,000, and each VFW department’s first-place winner receives an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. (sponsored by Target).
The Voice of Democracy scholarship program was created in 1947. It offers students in grades 9-12 the opportunity to present an audio-essay to local VFWs. The essay, one that gives the student’s own opinions about the theme, is 3-5 minutes long.
Evans, a member of Sant Bani School’s senior class, has been accepted at the University of Michigan. She is the daughter of David and Joyce Evans and has a younger brother, Harrison, who also attends Sant Bani School in Sanbornton.
Faculty and students of all ages continue to participate in “knit-ins”
to knit and crochet these tiny hats for a good cause.
Infant mortality due to hypothermia is not something that we read about too often in our local papers. In the mountainous Burera district of Rwanda, this unfortunate circumstance happens far too frequently. This fall, Partners In Health (PIH), the Boston-based organization featured in Tracy Kidder’s 2003 bestseller Mountains Beyond Mountains, put out a call for knitters to help provide a hat for each baby born in the Burera district hospital. PIH stands out for its unshakable commitment to community-based healthcare, doing “whatever it takes to make our patients well—just as we would do if a member of our family or we ourselves were ill.”
Sant Bani School foreign language teacher, Jen Schongalla, heard about this project and thought it would be a good service project for students and faculty. The Sant Bani community has volunteered for PIH for many years. Students, staff and alumni have helped raise money for PIH through the annual Urban Walk for Haiti and by working at the Mooseman Triathlon and donating all proceeds to PIH.
Schongalla recruited fellow foreign language teacher, Karen Ulmer-Dorsch, a master knitter, to create a few hats that would fit an orange (for premature babies) and a grapefruit (for full-term babies). Within days the trend caught on and students and staff were busy sharing patterns, knitting and crocheting hat after hat in many colors and sizes.
School librarian, Mary Ann Sanborn, suggested holding a “knit-in” during lunch once a week to reinforce the fun of knitting to any students and staff that wanted to bring their lunch and knit with others. Many students and teachers, including complete beginners, attended the lunchtime knit-ins. Proficient knitters of all ages helped to get the beginners going, and many students who had never knit before completed at least one hat.
To date, the Sant Bani “knitting posse” has made over 250 hats to send to Rwanda. There are 17 students and 3 teachers signed up to knit a second shipment in January and February. Many Rwandan babies will now don warm hats to hold in their precious body heat thanks to an enthusiastic and caring group and the support of the school community.
For more information about Partners In Health, visit www.pih.org. To participate in the knitting project, contact Jesse Greenspan at jgreenspan@pih.org or feel free to join our effort by bringing your knitted or crocheted hats to Sant Bani School. PIH’s work in Rwanda was featured recently on NOW on PBS. A rebroadcast is scheduled for next week. To watch the show online, click the link from PIH’s home page.
Home > News > Seniors Begin Receiving College Acceptances
Sant Bani School in Sanbornton is pleased to announce its first college acceptance of the 2009-2010 school year. Mira Carey-Hatch, daughter of Brenda Carey of Laconia and Marshall Hatch of Sanbornton, has received early decision acceptance to Bates College in Lewiston, ME. Sant Bani continues to maintain a 100 percent college acceptance rate among its graduates each year.
During her high school career, Carey-Hatch was named to the Class M&S “All-star Team” in cross-country and was named “Player of the Season” by the Concord Monitor as a freshman and sophomore. During her senior year she placed first in Class S, second in Class M&S and 30th in the Meet of Champions, the state level competition. In Nordic skiing Carey-Hatch competed in the J2 Championships, and as a sophomore and junior she competed in the Eastern High School Nordic Championships and was named to the Granite State Conference “All Conference Team.”
Mira Carey-Hatch is a star student and
athlete at Sant Bani.
Carey-Hatch also enjoys Alpine skiing and in tenth and eleventh grade she was awarded “Ski Meister” for her division. In spring track she specializes in distance events and relays. Her 4×800 m. team placed third at the Class M&S Meet; her split time was 2.27. She holds the school record for the 1600 m. event with a time of 5.22.9.
An honor roll student throughout high school, Carey-Hatch was chosen to attend the New England Young Writers Conference at Middlebury College. She attended St. Paul’s School Advanced Studies program during the summer after her junior year where she was awarded “Superior” in Ecology. She received the Smith Book Award as well.
Carey-Hatch began her education at Sant Bani School in kindergarten and has attended the school for her primary and secondary education. She has always been active in school life and is currently on the Yearbook, Discipline, Earth Support and Dance Committees at Sant Bani School. She served as yearbook editor her senior year. Mira twice attended the “Bioneers by the Bay,” a three-day conference for youth which focused on the interconnectedness of social justice and environmental sustainability. Her service work has been varied and has exceeded the school requirements. She has done the Urban Walk for Haiti, sewed and donated forty aprons to a school fundraising catalog, worked for the NH Humane Society, volunteered at many sporting events and at the St.Vincent dePaul Food Pantry.
Sant Bani School is excited to introduce Boston artist and Sanbornton native, Gerard Wiggins, and his portfolio of cityscapes that will be on display. Wiggins has been a friend of the Ashram and the School for many years.
Gerard Wiggins comes from a family of artists and craftspeople. Although he has been in decorative arts for many years, Gerard only began canvas painting at the age of 49 years old. He is self taught, and with help and inspiration from fellow artist friends, he derives great pleasure from working in the medium. His inspiration comes from the play of light on architecture and he has found New York City to be an endless source of ideas. His approach to painting is simple – merely sit down in front of the canvas and paint. The result is secondary to the practice.
Home > News > Upper Building to D'Acres Organic Farm
Every fall we take our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students on an all-day field trip. Destinations have varied as much as the weather at this time of year. We decided to try somewhere new this year, which landed us at D’Acres Farm in Dorchester. We headed out on a big yellow bus during morning session on Wednesday, October 14.
D’Acres Farm is an organic self-sustaining education center. The people running the farm value knowing from where their food originates and so employ many ‘best practices’ for everything from land clearing to harvest. The wood splitter, for example, is powered by vegetable oil.
Upper Building teachers and students work the farm at D’Acres.
We enjoyed a tour of the farm, hearing about all they do. We saw the farm’s sap house which was built in the 1940’s, several flocks of hens, fruit trees, many vegetable gardens, the farm’s team of oxen, several pigs, and many composting piles in various stages of decomposition. We visited the farm’s greenhouse, the root cellar, and learned about the composting toilet system.
We were able to do some service work projects for the farm, too. Our small groups loaded firewood into a truck and trailer, unloaded the wood at a different location, raked leaves and loaded them into a trailer for mulching and composting, and shucked beans. Our students proved to be committed enthusiastic workers!
A welcome break from the wind and cool temperatures was had when we sat in the house’s great room to enjoy our carry-in/carry-out lunches, while several people worked in the beautiful open kitchen packing cabbage for sauerkraut.
Our day away from the classroom ended with play in a mown field and a group photo. Memories of the day will be as varied as our students’ personalities. We can be sure though that everyone’s horizons were broadened by the experience.
Bishop and Barbara Hathaway with one of Sant Bani’s international students from Cote d’Ivoire.
In mid-October Sant Bani students in grades K-12 expanded their understanding of solar electricity while they learned about service.
First grade teacher Hillary Martin’s mother, Barbara Hathaway, and Barbara’s husband, Bishop Alden Hathaway, of Beuford, South Carolina shared during Morning Session the mission work they have been doing in Uganda, bringing lighting via solar power to remote villages.
With slides from their 2009 trip to Uganda, Barbara and Bishop Hathaway explained how much electric lighting means to the people and villages they have worked with. They explained how people can improve their lives when even one light bulb is there to light a home. The have watched people’s income grow with the help of solar-powered lighting. One woman was able to double the productivity of her small-farm operation with all night lighting.
The Hathaways also explained why solar electric lighting, in addition to being environmentally friendly, makes sense for the villages they work in in Uganda: The location near the Equator makes for readily available energy from the sun. His group uses solar batteries that are able to harvest and use that energy.
Bishop Hathaway also emphasized the importance of the Ugandans his group has helped being able to maintain the lighting and batteries in order to be independent.
The inspiring presentation expands up Sant Bani School’s work in service and sustainable energy and we thank the Hathaways for coming to us to share their experience.
The Empty Bowls event on Friday, Oct. 9th was a huge success! And for those of us involved it was tremendous fun. We had a full house for both seatings and everyone was able to enjoy Barry and Gretchen’s presentation on their trip to Peru as it was conveniently plunked between the two seatings. Genius!
The Studio was dressed up a bit with pictures by the fourth and fifth grade and Jen’s Haiti posters. The tables were covered with newsprint and colorful table runners created in an art block. The soups were spectacular and varied. I wished I had a little cup so I could try them all! We are all so grateful for the enormous amount of positive energy that went into making this event such a success and so much fun…and on top of all that we raised $1000 for New Beginnings!
If you missed the event you can go to the website and see pictures…but the tastes…well, you’ll just have to imagine those.
Kitty Kiefer of New Beginnings with Hillary Pinsoske, Sant Bani School Elementary Service Coordinator
Home > News > Lockwood is Merit Scholar Semi-Finalist
Lockwood is National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist
Sant Bani senior Nicholas Lockwood of Canterbury has been named a National Merit Scholarship semi-finalist.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Laconia Citizen Article
SANBORNTON — Sant Bani School senior Nicholas Lockwood of Canterbury has been named a semi-finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Officials of National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) recently announced the names of approximately 16,000 semi-finalists in the 55th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 8,200 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $36 million, that will be offered next spring.
To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, semi-finalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the finalist level of the competition. About 90 percent of the semi-finalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
NMSC, a not-for-profit organization that operates without government assistance, was established in 1955 specifically to conduct the annual National Merit Program. Scholarships are underwritten by NMSC with its own funds and by approximately 500 business organizations and higher education institutions that share NMSC’s goals of honoring the nation’s scholastic champions and encouraging the pursuit of academic excellence.
Steps in the competition: More than 1.5 million juniors in about 22,000 high schools entered the 2010 National Merit Program by taking the 2008 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. The number of semi-finalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.
To become a finalist, a semi-finalist must have an outstanding academic record throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the high school principal, and earn SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier performance on the qualifying test. The Semifinalist and a high school official must submit a detailed scholarship application, which includes the student’s essay and information about the semi-finalist’s participation and leadership in school and community activities.
Approximately 15,000 semi-finalists are expected to advance to the finalist level and it is from this group that all National Merit Scholarship winners will be chosen. Merit Scholar designees are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies, without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference.
Three types of National Merit Scholarship awards will be offered in the spring of 2010. Every finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit $2,500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state representational basis. About 1,000 corporate-sponsored scholarships will be provided by some 270 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. In addition, approximately 200 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,700 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.
National Merit Scholarship winners of 2010 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. These scholarship recipients will join more than 267,000 other distinguished young people who have earned the Merit Scholar title.
Sant Bani School started an ongoing mission to make the school buildings as “green” as possible a number of years ago.
Currently the school is working with New Hampshire Electric Cooperative in an effort to reduce the school’s consumption of energy by installing new boilers and adding more blown in cellulose insulation in the attic of the main building. Sam Conkling, the school’s maintenance supervisor, met with Ben Stephenson of New Hampshire Electric Cooperative this week to inspect the completed boiler job and hand in the completion forms for the $5,000 rebate available to the school for making the upgrades.
Conkling took Stephenson on a tour of the school, showing him all the areas that the school has focused on recently in its ongoing attempt to improve energy efficiency. Two years ago, the school renovated the 6th grade classroom from floor to ceiling. Conkling brought in Mor-Tite Insulation of Jaffrey, to work on the insulation end of the project. Mor-Tite has since blown in more than 12 tons of cellulose insulation (a green product) so far throughout the school. Conkling stated there are additional areas he hopes to have them insulate in the near future. Mor-Tite, to date, has focused on attic spaces and has sealed many small areas such as hatches, canister lighting and has even sealed around the school’s solar lighting tube in the library.
Beyond insulation, Stephenson also emphasized the importance of swapping out all remaining traditional fluorescent light bulbs in the school’s classrooms and halls. Conkling mentioned that NHEC sent a lighting specialist to do an energy audit in 2005, and that the school has been replacing bulbs as they burn out with their efficient counterparts.
As a result of this audit and changing so many bulbs, the school’s energy usage has steadily gone down from 86,960 kWh in 2005 to 71,120 kWh in 2008. Stephenson said there are still rebates available for changing the remaining T-12 bulbs and magnetic ballasts with T-8 high efficiency bulbs and electric ballasts in the fluorescent tube lighting.
Conkling then brought Stephenson to the school’s boiler room which holds two new Buderus boilers and one relatively new Viessmann that supplies heat to the new wing, housing the library and junior high classrooms, via radiant floor heating.
“The three older boilers had been limping along for a number of years and we were always fearful they may give out,” said Conkling. “We replaced the three older models with two of the newer, more efficient models, as well as a new control system. We’ve had heat control issues that we could never get right and this new system will solve that problem and use a lot less heating oil. We also switched to a tank-less hot water system rather than storing a tank full of hot water all year.”Conkling questioned Stephenson on the pros and cons of a propane burner versus an oil one.
“When measuring price per BTU,” Stephenson said, “oil still gives the most cost savings. Propane is more efficient, but it still won’t equal out over oil. The newer oil systems also burn a good deal more of the oil used, bringing them a bit above the 85 percent efficiency rate. They are now able to burn micro particles of oil that the older systems were unable to burn.”
“Maintenance costs for the new systems are also much lower,” said Stephenson.
NHEC rebates are available for 50 percent of the costs to upgrade older less efficient systems with the new high efficient models, with a maximum rebate amount of $5000.
In the opening days of school, students in the high school participated in a Granite State Challenge style competition between classes. Organized and run by math teacher, Jon Powell, the questions were compiled by teachers from material students had after last year’s classes.
It was a great way to start school for faculty and students—a good refresher and warm up for the days to come and also a way for interested students to compose a team to represent the school.
After two weeks of intense practice with veteran Coach Powell, the Sant Bani School Swans travelled to NH Public Television studios in Durham to face Lin-Wood Public High School “Lumberjacks” in a one-round elimination Granite State Challenge tournament. Thanks to alternate teamates Caleb, Erik, and Dylan for being ready to jump in. The taping date was Tuesday, September 22nd with two air dates of Wednesday, October 7, and Saturday October 10. NHPTV hosts the event online as well.
Sant Bani School Junior Marc and Sophomore Andres are flanked
by Seniors Nik and Tajian ~photo courtesy NHPTV
Watch this online video posted by NHPTV of the competition to see how the ‘Killer Swans’ fared – -
Thank you New Hampshire Public Television for sponsoring the competition and inviting our school to participate and special thank you to the Lin-Wood Public High School Lumberjacks and their coach – science teacher David Webster – for a great competition!
Senior Class 2009 [PhotoCredit: RAYMONGEAU/Laconia Citizen]
The Class of 2009 of the Sant Bani School held its commencement exercises on June 12, 2009 at 4:00 pm on the Allen Field at Sant Bani School in Sanbornton, NH. A reception sponsored by the Sant Bani Class of 2010 and families followed and the public was invited to the ceremony.
Without caps and gowns but armed with red balloons, members of the Sant Bani School Class of 2009 made their way down to Allen’s field for the last time as students, where the audience of family and friends gave the class of 14 a standing ovation in recognition of the students’ many accomplishments.
Math Teacher Chris Demian started off the graduation ceremonies with a few jokes and memories he has of the students. He said they “filled the halls with laughter” and recalled one time when he said to a student that there were not enough leaders in the class to get work done. The student replied that there were plenty of leaders but not enough followers. Demian believed that held true of the small class.
Head Librarian and English Teacher MaryAnn Sanborn told the students that they were a “fantastic” class with many awards and achievements. She said the class has volunteered over the years to clean the school, do a mural, walk for breast cancer, knit hats and even made 34 dog beds for the N.H. Humane Society.
Nathaniel George Houran thanks all of his class teacher and especially the English department for ‘helping me talk so good’ — to a roar of laughter .
[PhotoCredit: RAYMONGEAU/Laconia Citizen]
“This is not the class of small ambitions,” Sanborn said. “We believe they excel because they love a challenge.”
Sanborn also affectionately talked about the senior prank that occurred last Wednesday. The class stuffed the school’s studio with 800 red and purple balloons which they then hid in. She said throughout the day younger students kept coming up wanting a chance to play in the room. She said the prank was “a gift of joy.”
After a blessing from Sant Ajaib Singh, which he had written before his death, and the handing out of diplomas, the students were given the floor to recall memories and reflect on their time spent at Sant Bani.
Jade Tonjunpong, who will be returning to his native Thailand to attend Silpakorn University International College, said he was very grateful for everyone who has helped him, especially his host family, to which he said his “debt to you is beyond measure.” He spoke of America as a beautiful country and Sant Bani as a wonderful small school.
Nate Houran will be attending Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He said he has been a student at Sant Bani since he was in kindergarten, which he said is a long time. He humorously talked of his classmates and how it was “quite a group to grow up with.”
Pato Matovelle, who will be returning to his native Ecuador to attend Universidad del Azuay, was excited that his parents had made the 5,000-mile trip to see him graduate. Because of that, he switched back and forth from English to Spanish so his parents could understand. He said he “left family and friends and came to a new world” where he found a great host family, great teachers, and great friends. He recalled when he found out he was to get the opportunity to go to Sant Bani: “I never imagined a school like this,” Matovelle said. “When they said there was 170 kids, I thought that they meant in the senior class.”
MaryAnn Sanborn with ‘Words to Graduates’ talks about the class’ journey together though their senior year and a senior balloon prank that turned out to be great fun and enjoyment for everyone at the school.
[PhotoCredit: RAYMONGEAU/Laconia Citizen]
Matovelle said that, in Ecuador, he usually is part of a class of 50 and was surprised when he and another student were the only two in a physics class.
Carissa Anderson, who is going to Connecticut College, said she was home-schooled until she came to Sant Bani in the seventh grade. Six years later, she said, she got a wonderful education and the idea that everyone is inherently good. She said, “Sant Bani will be a hard act to follow because they have set the bar so high.”
Rose Darrell said her friends and family were the best she could ever ask for. During her speech, she presented a compilation of memories which she said made her believe in the cliche that high school years are the best years of your life. She will be taking a year off before attending Newbury College in Brookline, Mass.
Aynsley Doyle will be attending Colby-Sawyer College at its Florence, Italy, campus in September. She said her parents and Sant Bani made her who she is today. She also said she has been to other schools but “these kids are my favorite.” She said her father still humorously calls the school ‘Santa Banana’.
Jillian Dykstra will be attending the University of British Columbia-Okanagan in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She moved from British Columbia when she was nine and had been home-schooled until then. The first thing she remembers is that she had to take a placement test and, because she was a little behind on reading, she was forced to repeat a year of school. She said she was really upset about it for a few years but that, when she accepted it, she had a lot of fun with the class of 2009.
“Each of you in your own, unique way are going to do great things in the world,” Dykstra said to her classmates.
She also took the time to thank her family and teachers. She said her father sacrificed a lot for her and that he is “the rock that I have been anchored to,” and that her mother is “the force that drives me.”
Sarah Fox, who will be attending Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, made an apology to her father for being as stubborn as he is. She thinks back to her years at Sant Bani and sums them up as “more fun than I can imagine.” She wanted her classmates to remember that their friendship does not end as they go off to different colleges.
Hannah Gilb will be going to the University of New Hampshire in Durham where she looks forward to finding her freedom and being able to make her own choices. She said, “I’m on my own now and I know it.” She is known by her classmates for her use of puns.
Angela Humphery wrote a poem to the senior class about how there will never be anyone like them. She said her classmates are “the voice of my world” and that Sant Bani is everything to her. She will be taking a year off before going to Hallmark Institute of Photograph in Turner Falls, Mass.
Aynsley Dolye speaks to family and friends of the school. [PhotoCredit: RAYMONGEAU/Laconia Citizen]
Rachel McCarthy, who will be going to Allegheny College in Meadville, Penn., next year, said graduation was perhaps the first and the last time that everyone she loves is in the same place. She said she knew when she came to Sant Bani that it “would be my second chance, but I didn’t expect it to be my second home and my second family.” She said deciding to go to the school was the best decision of her life.
Alec Peters, who will be going to Colby College in Waterville, Maine, next fall, said he has changed in two major ways since he came to the school in kindergarten. First, he no longer wishes to marry his sister and second, he has finally accepted that he has to go to college.
He recalls his best memories of when he was doing track and cross country at the school. He has always thought of leaving Sant Bani but “the people behind me have kept me here.” Today, he said he is ready to start the next part of his life.
Benjamin Pollak will attend Lakes Region Community College in Laconia. He said that, when he goes to college, “If I meet a group of kids that mesh as well as we do, I’ll be good.” He also said a little to each graduate about the bonds they have built over the years.
“I will always be proud to be part of this class,” Pollak said.
David Sell, who will be attending Keene State College, has been attending Sant Bani for five years. He recounted three stories of his time at the school that make him feel a sense of togetherness. He said that, even though they are a prep school, they still know when to have a good time. He said his “only regret is that I didn’t enroll sooner.”
After the comments from the senior class, Science Teacher and Running Coach Scott Clark said a prayer for the class, hoping they will remember to be strong, respectful, and to be heard rather than to be seen.
The class and the audience then sang “Forever Young” by Bob Dylan before taking an alumni picture and having refreshments.
Principal Kent Bicknell said, “It was the best class for making class into a conversation.” He also mentioned that this is the 32nd graduation that the school has seen, with a total of 308 graduates.
The Class of 2009
Jade Tonjunpong, Nate Houran, Pato Matovelle, David Sell, Jillian Dykstra, Alec Peters, Sarah Fox, Angela Humphrey, Ben Pollak, Carissa Anderson, Rose Darrell, Rachel McCarthy, Aynsley Doyle, Hannah Gilb
Carissa Anderson, daughter of Joel Anderson and Adrienne Tuch of Sanbornton, NH, will be attending Connecticut College in New London, CT.
Rosalie Darrell, daughter of Douglas and Gail Darrell of Barnstead, NH, plans to take a year off before attending Newbury College in Brookline, MA.
Aynsley Doyle, daughter of Henry and Virginia Doyle of Sanbornton, NH, will be attending Colby Sawyer College, beginning in September at the Florence, Italy campus.
Jillian Dykstra, daughter of Paul and Celina Dykstra of Sanbornton, NH, will be attending the University of British Columbia: Okanagan, in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Sarah Fox, daughter of John Fox of Sanbornton, NH, and Jewel Fox of Laconia, NH, will be attending Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA.
Hannah Gilb, daughter of Chris Gilb of Tilton, NH, and Wende Shoer of Concord will be attending the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH.
Nathaniel Houran, son of Steven Houran and Linda Peck of Laconia, NH, will be attending Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME.
Angela Humphrey, daughter of Terrance and Holly Humphrey of Franklin, NH, plans to take a year off and then attend Hallmark Institute of Photograph in Turners Falls, MA.
Patricio Matovelle, son of Patricio Matovelle and Silvia Ochoa is returning to his native Ecuador to
attend Universidad del Azuay.
Rachel McCarthy, daughter of William and Tina McCarthy of Sanbornton, NH, will be attending
Allegheny College in Meadville, PA.
Alec Peters, son of Greg Peters and Sara Rosenbloom of Laconia, NH, will be attending Colby
College in Waterville, ME.
Benjamin Pollak, son of David Pollak and Erica Russell of Laconia, NH, will be attending Lakes
Region Community College in Laconia, NH.
David Sell, son of Roy and Mary Sell of Andover, NH, will be attending Keene State College in
Keene, NH.
Jareon Tonjunpong, son of Rangson Tonjunpong and Sasipa Praditpornlert is returning to his native
Thailand to attend Silpakorn University International College.
Every year Sant Bani’s art students toil to learn new skills that will move them in new directions. At the end of the year we choose a theme and the students pursue it in diverse directions based on their own personal viewpoints.
This year’s theme…Figure It Out…has gone in directions I would never have considered. Some students interpreted it quite literally while others went out on a limb or way out on a limb with their own ideas. Because the theme is open, even beginning students are provided with an opportunity to express their ideas in ways that don’t require developed skills. It takes all the students a long time to really ‘get into it’, to quiet down and dig into the work. They get to that point with a week left and a feeling of desperation ahead of them. It’s fine. That kind of investment and hard work doesn’t come easily. So…come and see how they’ve done. Engage them in conversation about their pieces. YOU will be the missing link…the part where the artist has to confront the PUBLIC!
