If experience is the best teacher, then Upland has an excellent faculty, because in addition to our talented, dedicated instructors and coaches, we provide a wealth of experiences that fall outside of the traditional classroom model. While our students are certainly engaged in academic work, they are also, as a result of our full participation philosophy, putting on plays, participating on athletic teams, creating artwork, performing choral and instrumental music. Even more than all this, however, our students are given many opportunities to learn off-campus, because Upland believes in the educational value of travel to broaden the mind and provide new perspectives.
A student will take many field trips in the course of an Upland education, from visiting local apple farms, to learning about local watersheds, to watching a court in session, to taking advantage of the many nearby museums and historic locations, to enjoying live performances in theaters. In addition to these day trips, however, Upland also offers more.
Starting in the 4th grade, Upland students experience overnight trips away from home. The 4th graders travel to Cape Henlopen to study marine biology. In 5th grade, students take another science-oriented trip to Echo Hill, to learn about the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. The 6th grade trip’s focus is on American history; they visit Colonial Williamsburg. Continuing that theme, 7th graders travel to Washington, D.C.; in addition to learning about our nation’s history, they also visit the Holocaust museum. The 8th and 9th graders work on team building and other interpersonal skills on their camping trips. And, of course, there is the trip to Finland (8th and 9th grade girls one year, and 8th and 9th grade boys the next) which provides an experience of a different culture. Just as important as the academic component of these trips is the fact that overnight travel builds a child’s independence and self-confidence. By 9th grade, Upland students are ready to take on the world!
The Ninth Grade is one of the unique elements of an Upland education. At an age when many students are starting at a new school and struggling at the bottom of the social hierarchy, our students are taking on the responsibilities of leadership. The Ninth Graders serve as Student Council President, Yearbook Editor, and Team Captains. They are role models to the younger children; indeed, the Ninth Grade sets the tone for the entire school.
One striking example of this leadership role can be seen during Assemblies. Each Ninth Grader is required to give a speech about his or her goals, heroes, or values to the whole school. During the fall, the class agrees on an overarching theme for their speeches; this year’s topic is “Life Lessons I’ve Learned.” Some students have given advice to the audience about what they’ve learned from sports, while others have drawn from their experiences while traveling. One student spoke about a serious injury she had sustained. Another spoke about his Saturday morning job at a feed store. It’s wonderful to see how enthralled the younger students are as they listen to the insights the Ninth Graders share … and to reflect on the fact that in just a few years, those same admiring audience members will become poised and confident role models themselves for a new set of younger students.
There are many traditions here at Upland, such as Field Day, the 4th and 5th grade Valentine's Tea, the Halloween Parade, and Alumni Winter Weekend, to name just a few. One of the most beloved traditions (at least by the faculty, who are the grateful beneficiaries!) is the Thanksgiving Primary Feast. The Primary Center students, grades Pre-K through 1, help to prepare food such as cornbread, applesauce, and stuffing. Parents help out with turkey, gravy and more. Each student invites a faculty member. The students make placemats and hats for themselves and their guests. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, eager faculty members show up in the Primary Center to find their host or hostess, don their hats, and enjoy a wonderful turkey meal. The children are so proud of all their hard work, and it is definitely appreciated by their guests!!
Another Thanksgiving tradition is special to the 2nd grade. Every year, between Halloween and Thanksgiving, 2nd graders read for "Turkey Feathers." For each book they read and can discuss, the students earn a construction paper feather, which is taped onto a poster of a tail-less turkey. The turkey poster, as well as the total number of feathers the 2nd grade has earned, is always revealed at the pre-dismissal Thanksgiving Assembly.
An Upland education encompasses much more than just “reading, writing, and arithmetic.” Some of the values we instill in our students are cooperation, and a sense of responsibility toward those who are younger. Two recent activities illustrate this point. On October 21, as part of our monthly collaboration projects between Upper and Lower School classes, the 8th and 4th grades worked together to create a banner out of natural materials. The following week, on October 27, the 9th graders gave up some time to carve Jack-o-Lanterns in order to create a “Pumpkin Alley” that the Lower School students could enjoy after their Halloween Costume parade. Click here to view photos of both projects:
The 5th grade is taking part in a year-long experiment! They are trying out the idea of 1:1 computing (1 student : 1 computer) with iPads. They begin each day with them. The students know to come into class, get their iPad, and, using an app called BrainPop, watch a brief informative movie on the touch screen, and then take a quick quiz on the iPad to reinforce their comprehension and memory skills. Classroom teacher Katie Conner says she loves to see how eagerly the students get right to work, and how engaged they are! The iPads are not just for this “morning work” activity; they are very versatile. Throughout the day, the students use them to, among other things, practice math, study spelling words, and write essays. They have also begun to work on a big project; the 5th grade is going to create an iMovie about their Echo Hill trip on the iPads. Even the “specials” teachers are utilizing the iPad technology. In music class, the students have worked with the GarageBand app, and during Spanish class, they have recorded conversations to practice their pronunciation. So far, everyone seems pleased with the program. As one student remarked, “the iPads are cool!”
Click HERE to view pictures of the iPads in action.
May 6 was Grandparents' and Special Friends' Day at Upland, a
wonderful tradition here at the school. Click HERE to view pictures of
this special occasion.
Mr. Robinson's science students participated in the "Shad in Schools" program this spring. They raised shad fry (baby fish) from eggs in a mini-hatchery in the classroom, and then released them into the White Clay Creek in early May.
The American shad is one of America's most important migratory fish, and its population has been in decline because of over-fishing, pollution, habitat degradation, and dam construction. The aim of the "Shad in Schools" program is to restock the White Clay Creek watershed with shad fry, as well as to provide fish ladders and/or remove dams to facilitate the shad's return to spawn when they have matured.
Local groups such as the Brandywine Conservancy and the Delaware River Shad Fishermen's Association (DRSFA), coordinated with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, have been able to initiate the "Shad in Schools" program with the help of a grant from PPL Corporation. This exciting and meaningful educational program provides a "hands-on" approach to learning. It involves much more than just hatching shad fry. Students monitor water temperature, PH, ammonia and nitrate, and chlorine levels by daily testing. They also learn about the ecological importance of shad, and the often unintended consequences of human activity such as dam building.
Click HERE to see pictures of the Shad in Schools Program at Upland.
Click HERE to access a slide show (in
pdf format) about Apple products by 6th grader Philip Gow. You can also
read a review of video game systems by 6th grader Aslan Gerards, and a
survey about "green" practices in Upland families by 7th graders Lisle
Elliman, Sam Schluter, and PJ Jenks.
Check out this video interview of Mr. Robinson, created by Gianna Gonzalez and Will Miney.
A Comparison of Video Game Systems by Aslan Gerards
I have played video games most of my life. I have used Play Station, Xbox, and Wii a lot. Here are some of the things I have observed. I have noticed these same issues in numerous other people's systems, not only my own. I also got input from other people, so this is not only my opinion.
1. Play Station.
The play station is a very durable system. Most of the machines are able to withstand years of use without having many system faults or breakdowns. The play station has a big problem in that not many new video games come out for this system. If you ever go to a game store, the play station section is nearly always filled with old games. I'm not saying that the games are bad; they are just not new. I do not know about the PS3, but I own the PS2 and PSP. The PSP is a great portable console. It is one of the few portable game systems that can use the Internet. It has the best graphics of any hand-held console.
2. Xbox
The Xbox is a leader in every major measure of videogame greatness. It has great graphics and games, but it does have faults. The Xbox is a very advanced console, using the Internet to advantage, allowing people to play with others around the world. Unfortunately, its cooling system has to be modified after a while, and usually causes the machine to overheat and break beyond repair.
3. Wii
In my opinion, the Wii is an overrated system. It is very hard to maintain, and the Wii has many faults with the Wii remote and receptor. The Wii's games are like most other Nintendo systems: players are able to play at two game stations and games have moderately good graphics. The Wii has a wide variety of games made for it, making it a popular system. The Wii is popular because it has a hand-motion sensor that no other system has, but I don't think that this improves the system as much as other players claim.
Is Your Family Green? by PJ Jenks, Sam Schluter, and Lisle Elliman
So many people are making the switch to having a "green" family. This means being energy efficient, or making choices that are good for the environment. This switch is very important because not only are you saving money you may also be saving the world. Many people already know how to accomplish this, at least in part. There are many ways to do this. For example, you can get energy efficient light bulbs. These light bulbs cost more money but last for a much longer time. These can be very helpful because you don't have to be changing light bulbs all the time. Another great thing is recycling. This may not seem like it saves you a lot of money but it does. This is because it is often cheaper to buy a recycled product. It is very important to turn off water when not using water (for example when brushing teeth) and to unplug appliances when they are not in use. Not only is it important to turn off appliances, but unplugging small ones prevents them from continuing to drain electricity when they are not in use. Finally, it is helpful to buy your food at local farmer's markets so that you support having more farmland in your local area, and so that you are not increasing the amount of pollution and energy used by having your food brought to you from far away. We asked Upland students in grades 6-9 whether or not they used energy efficient light bulbs, unplugged appliances when they were finished with them, recycled, turned off water spigots when they were not in use, and whether or not they bought their food in local farmer's markets. Please see the results of our survey below.
Once a month, on a Friday morning, Upland's Upper Schoolers collaborate with younger students for a half-hour or so in the morning. Each grade is paired with another for the whole year, so the students can get to know one another. September 24 was the first Collaboration Friday for the 2010-2011 school year, and it was a great success. Here are a few pictures of groups at work:
Here are two Kindergarteners working with their 6th grade partner to find natural items beginning with different letters of the alphabet. They have already gathered leaves for "L".
The Pre-K students made posters representing their families. Sixth graders helped them glue down the shapes they had chosen for each relative.
Third grade students read with Eighth graders.
The ninth and fifth graders were divided into mixed teams and sent out around campus on a scavenger hunt. Several questions required a little research to answer.
Upland Boys Varsity Hockey Team Video by James Lewis
This file requires Windows Media Player to view
James Lewis '11 is a big fan of the Upland hockey teams because he loves to support the school, cheer on his friends, and enjoy the sports program. He video tapes the games, paints his face in the school colors of black and gold, and can often be seen running through the stands of our very own John M. Cleveland ice rink during games to rile up our fans. After the 2009-2010 season, James made a movie highlighting the 15-1-1 boys' varsity team and posted it to his Facebook page. He is kind enough to have edited the movie down to this 30-second clip. Enjoy!
Chickens and Their Businesses By PJ Jenks and Christopher Schorn
Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in student-run businesses on Upland's campus -- especially egg businesses. One of the businesses is ours, Freckles and Sunshine Eggcelent Eggs, owned by P.J. Jenks, William Jenks, Christopher Schorn and P.J.'s chicken Phyllis. We have a total of 60 chickens of 12 different varieties. You may think that twelve different types of chickens would equal twelve types of eggs; but in reality Freckles and Sunshine has over twenty different types of eggs.
Some believe that all chicken eggs are the same, but that is far from the truth. Every type of chicken egg has a special purpose. For example, Araucana eggs are better for baking while Rhode Island eggs are better for using in large quantities. Different chickens also produce different quantities of eggs. For example, a Rhode Island Red can produce up to two eggs a day, while a Buff Laced Polish only produces one egg every three days. Different chickens also have different sized and shaped eggs; for example, a Buff Laced Polish has a very thin ovular egg and a Rhode Island Red has a very large round egg.
At Freckles and Sunshine we have over sixty chickens but will only be able to talk about a few of them. One of our favorite chickens is the Buff Orpington. Buff Orpingtons are a large, gentle, fluffy and golden breed of chickens. Another type of chicken is the Rhode Island Red. They are a tall, rough-feathered, gentle and brownish-red breed of chicken. Our all time favorite is the Buff Laced Polish; a slim, white and brown speckled breed of chicken that has puffy feathers that resemble an afro. This breed's feathers hang down in front of their heads, causing them to have very bad vision. Still, they are very good at hiding. We have only one of this breed, and her name is Phyllis.
This is a picture of Phyllis (our Buff Laced Polish)
Owning a chicken business is a very interesting activity. It requires responsibility, enthusiasm, and a bunch of chickens. You must remember to feed them, to give them water, and to clean their coop; but this requires much responsibility. To put your business into action you must have enthusiasm to put the time and effort into it. In conclusion, owning a chicken business is hard work, but it is a lot of fun! Please talk to us sometime about it (and buy some eggs!)
According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens need at least nine hours of sleep each night. The NSF poll of teens in the US shows that the majority of teens fell short of this goal. The Sleep Foundation was created by the National Institute of Health in 2006 to address what they call a "nationwide epidemic" of sleep deprivation among adolescents (Mary A. Carksadon). Upland is no exception to this national trend. Sleep deprivation is a problem for the older students in Upland. In a survey that I conducted in October 2009, many students indicated that they did not believe that they suffered from sleep deprivation. They do not seem to understand what sleep deprivation is. Sleep deprivation is when a person gets less sleep than his or her body requires to function properly. Most older Upland students get less than the recommended nine hours of sleep nightly. Sleep deprivation can cause symptoms like tiredness, edginess and many others. These symptoms we've identified in many Upland's Upper School students. In our survey the students from Upland identified symptoms of sleep deprivation such as daytime tiredness, even when many did not identify themselves as sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation can cause problems in a student's academic, social, and physical life. The following are graphs of the Upper School's results in a survey that we gave to see how many students suffer from sleep deprivation. As you can see in these graphs, the sixth grade tends to get a lot of sleep while as students get older, their number of hours of sleep decreases. In conclusion, many students in our upper school should get more sleep to be healthier.
EQUESTRIANS AT UPLAND
By: Laurel Hubbard, Quinn Anderson, and Lucy Matz
Horseback riding has always been important to many students at Upland Country Day School. We interviewed the following Upland equestrians: Harry Walker and Asya Gerards in seventh grade and Claire Miney in ninth grade. The authors of this article are also avid riders. Most of the people we interviewed ride at stables as often as they can. For example, Asya Gerards rides at Fox Meadow Stables every other day. A lot of these people started riding when they were really young, like Harry Walker who started riding when he was just four. All of the people we interviewed rode horses rather than ponies. For example, Harry Walker rides a Clydesdale cross, named Charlie, and Asya rides a Thoroughbred, named Goody. Upland students enjoy riding in different ways. Claire Miney likes cross country jumping and Harry likes racing and going fast. Asya competes because it is fun. Like many things at Upland, horseback riding teaches good sportsmanship and responsibility. Horsemanship requires you to take care of a horse, be a good sport when you lose a competition, and practice regularly. Horseback riding is important to many people at Upland for many reasons. We are grateful to have wonderful, life changing experiences with horses.
Congratulations to the 4th Grade, who successfully led the school's year-long effort to raise $10,000 for Pennies for Peace! The idea to adopt Pennies for Peace as the school's philanthropic focus was inspired by Greg Mortenson's memoir Three Cups of Tea. According to the book, it costs $10,000 to build a school in Pakistan or Afghanistan and the class decided that their goal would be to lead our small school in helping to build another school on the other side of the world!
The various contests that the class promoted, including their Poppin' for Charity business resulted in a total of $9,065.01. Then an anonymous donor stepped forward with a gift of $940 to help the class reach their goal. The class spoke to Pennies for Peace Director Christiane Leitinger via Skype to inform her of their accomplishment and ask her questions about the program.
That a little school of 212 students could raise that amount of money in this economic climate is nothing short of amazing! Kudos to the Fourth Grade Poppers and teacher Julie Wells for a job well done. Special thanks to librarian Grace McKay for all her help with the program.
Congratulations to Thea Toocheck for winning the One Vote Counts Poster Contest (private schools in Chester County category.)
Thea was awarded a day in Harrisburg touring the capital, received a trophy at an awards ceremony and had the opportunity to record a Public Service Announcement with Representative Chris Ross that will air on local public television!
The One-Vote-Counts Poster Contest is open to fourth-grade students in Chester County who design posters illustrating the importance of voting. To see photos of Thea and other winners visit www.repross.com
Congratulations to seventh grader Kyler Rush, who received the First Place Earth Science Award at the 2009 Delaware Valley Science Fair. Kyler's seismograph and took the first place ribbon in the Earth & Space Science category (Level E - 6th, 7th & 8th Grades) at the Chester County Science Research Competition, which was sponsored and conducted by the Chester County Intermediate Unit on February 24th. As a result of his win, Kyler advanced to the Delaware Valley Fair, which included some 900 students from the New Jersey, Delaware, and the southeastern Pennsylvania (39 of whom will be from Chester County). Well done, Kyler!
This year's Upland Service Award winners are both Alumni Parents. Mini Fanning Young '82 and Jill Phillips Gray '79 are both have not only been key volunteers for the Upland Parents' Association, but are also active members of the Upland alumni Association.
Jill Phillips Gray '79 - Jill graduated from Upland in 1979, and in 1998 she returned as a parent when Becca entered PreK. Becca will graduate from Upland next month.
Jill has had many roles at Upland. She has been a homeroom mother, helped with Field Day, the Holiday Gift Shop, the Auction and many other events. In 2001, Jill became the treasurer of the Parents' Association and continued to help with that for several years. She was co-chair of the Association from 2006-2008 and was the Parents' Association representative to the Board in 2007-2008.
Jill has also been supportive of the Alumni program here at Upland. She currently sits on the Alumni Association and has helped out with Winter Weekend, the Alumni Phonathon, Moving Up Day, Adopt a Highway, Graduation and several other alumni events.
Those who work with Jill say that she always seems to have a knack for being able to assess an upcoming project and find creative ways to implement it. Jill can be counted on to pitch in and help out every time.
Carol Fanning Young '82 - "Mini" graduated from Upland in 1982. In 1999 she returned to Upland when her twins, Devon & Philip entered PreK. Mini's youngest daughter, Caroline, entered PreK in 2002.
Mini has always worked hard on behalf of the school. She has co-chaired the Holiday Gift Shop for almost a decade, has been a homeroom mother numerous times, helped with the Upland Auction, Field Day and so many other events sponsored by the Parents' Association. Mini has participated in the Golf Outing, which benefited the ice rink for several years and has supported the Athletic Program at Upland by hosting, driving, helping with food, etc.
Mini has also been a member of the Alumni Association since 2000. She helps every year with Alumni Winter Weekend, the Alumni Phonathon, Moving Up Day and Graduation. She has also been the copywriter for the Alumni newsletter several times. Mini became Vice President of the Association in 2003 and was then elected President from 2004-2006.
Mini is always the first one to volunteer to help wherever needed. Her enthusiasm and love for Upland is evident in all that she does.
Finally Kudos to the Upland Parents' Association for another successful year of fundraising and friendraising activities on behalf of the school. Co-chairs Trish Kozelka, Elizabeth Miney, Becky Mountain and Sharon Phillips presented Head of School David Suter with a check for $32,000 at the Volunteer Brunch in early May. The UPA thanked outgoing co-chairs Elizabeth Miney and Becky Mountain for their service as co-chairs. Mandy Cunningham and Sharon Cullen will join Trish Kozelka and Sharon Phillips as co-chairs for next year.
Trustee Dixon Thayer's Community Presentation of Upland's Strategic Planning Process
At the October 21 Parent Education Coffee, the results of the year long
strategic thinking process were unveiled to community members as a follow
up to interviews, surveys, discussions and meetings held last spring.
Everyone knows that the holiday season is a time of gift giving, and this past December, our Upland faculty received quite a gift: new laptop computers! A small group of trustees and very generous donors purchased 40 new Apple laptop computers for the Upland faculty. The laptops are new Macbooks with 2.2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processors and 1 GB of RAM memory and are loaded with the new Leopard version of Mac OSX 10.5.1 software.
In addition to the increased speed and capability of the new computers, the portability and flexibility of the laptops have made a big difference to the teachers in the manner that they prepare for classes, post assignments and grades online, write progress reports and deliver lessons to Upland students. After preparing the computers with appropriate software packages and First Class email resources before distribution, here are a few of the comments Jane Brigman has received from teachers:
“I am a happy camper because now I have a work station that goes wherever I go. Prepping my lessons, integrating downloads into my lessons, and having mobile internet access anywhere I am with my laptop is invaluable. Thank you so much.”
“The main thing I am planning to use this laptop for with my students is to project slides and films. We have been little by little acquiring equipment to show artwork as part of the art history component. Now I can plan without worrying about when Tad’s [laptop] is available, and I can take the computer home to prepare slide shows. I should also be able to project web information [about] artists.”
“I am thrilled to have the laptop and I wanted to thank you for your efforts. It certainly makes me feel supported by Upland!”
Because both Power School, the school administrative software, and First Class Client, the email software are web-based, Upland is taking the next step forward in providing its faculty with state-of-the-art teaching and learning and administrative technology. So when you are walking around campus now, and see a faculty member with a black laptop carrying case, you will know what is inside—their great holiday gift!
Upland Country Day School kids serve community on MLK Day of Service and all year Read More
By PRUE OSBORN
Students at Upland Country Day School are committed to community service through out the school year, but the entire upper and lower school comes out in force for the Martin Luther King, Jr. day of service Friday.
While the children in the lower grades will be working on service projects in their classrooms, the eighth and ninth graders - Upland’s top grades - will be working in small groups at various community locations.
Before they get to work, students will hear presentations by Upland parent Dr. Richard Johnson, a psychologist and American Red Cross volunteer. He has been volunteering as a mental health volunteer for the last eight years after local and national disasters. He said he plans to speak about the difference volunteerism makes and also about his volunteer work in New Orleans working with families displaced by Hurricane Katrina and recently in California with families displaced by the wild fires. He will bring to the school the red and white Chester County American Red Cross emergency response vehicle for the children to tour.
Head of lower school Mary Ledger said most of the service activities tie in with the curriculum throughout the year.
Pre-kindergarteners are making notes of kindness and appreciation to the Upland faculty. Kindergarteners are baking dog biscuits for the West Chester SPCA.
First Grade will be conducting a book drive for the Tick Tock early Learning Center and making bookplates.
Second Grade is supporting Faithful Friends, a no kill, sanctuary for abused and unwanted animals. The kids are collecting a variety of supplies to help care for the animals such as food, blankets, bandages, ointments, toys, paper items and shampoo. The students will decorate the boxes to hold the supplies, and the teachers will deliver them. In addition, second grade will collect pinecones, cover them with peanut butter and roll them in birdseed. They will hang the feeders in trees for hungry feathered friends throughout the campus.
Third Grade is collecting school supplies for an orphanage in Uganda. Those kids will be boxing supplies for shipment and enclosing letters to the children.
Fourth Grade, for the third year, is "Popping popcorn for charity." Beginning Jan. 22 and continuing through May, students will pop popcorn for the entire school to enjoy at lunch twice a week, at their sports activities and at their drama productions. They expect to raise $800 and target their profits to benefit Autism, Power up Gambia and The American Red Cross.
Fifth Grade is making fleece blankets for the Franciscan Care Center in Hockessin, DE & are also assembling a mailing for the Willowdale Steeplechase.
Clee Edgar, head of Upland’s upper school, said the sixth grade will be away from campus on the annual trip to Williamsburg.
Seventh Grade will be reading aloud their favorite childhood books into a recorder to make books on tape to be included in reading packets for the local day care. Students in the 8th and 9th grades will split up and go in groups to connect with senior citizens at the Kennett Area Senior Center; to perform various tasks at the Oxford Senior Center; to do clerical work at La Comunidad Hispana and possibly the Chester County Family Academy.
Edgar said the children participate in community service all year as part of the curriculum “without missing too many math and Spanish classes.”
Spanish teacher and community coordinator Sylvia Barreiro said, “Upland’s vision is so much about developing the whole child, nurturing children and providing opportunities for them to develop the four ‘As’ (academics, athletics, arts and attitude.) In attitude are character and a sense of citizenship in the school community and the surrounding community where we live. I see our role as facilitating opportunities for students and their families to partner alongside other organizations working to improve the lives of children and families in the community at large.”
She and head of school Dave Suter attend meetings of the grassroots group Bridging the Community in Kennett Square to network and learn how Upland can reach out to the community “to be the best citizens we can be.” Faculty and staff members also suggest causes that they would like the school to support. Choices are presented to the student council, which then votes on projects to work on through out the year.
This year the students elected to support the Kennett Food Cupboard, which is operated by Kennett Area Community Service. Not only did they collect food, they held a tag sale to raise funds for food gift cards for extra items the food cupboard needed to fill baskets. On several different days they sorted goods, distributed it and helped cart the items to the vehicles of the recipients.
The school also partners with the Tick Tock Early Learning Center’s bilingual literacy program and the Linden Street Project’s Study Buddy program in projects twice a term.
It is important, Barreiro said, for the school’s children to understand the “full cycle of volunteer effort” - seeing the food collection at school, delivering it to the people who need it most and realizing how it helps.
“It’s not just handing things out to people. It’s partnering with folks and working along side them as they empower themselves. It’s understanding and valuing their attributes and their life and their potential and understanding who they are.”
Upland also offers its campus and its facilities to worthy organizations in need of a gathering spot. For the last two years the Valor Cup, soccer competition for the children of migrant workers, has been held on the soccer fields in May. It involved the collaboration of the Chester County Intermediate Unit, Migrant Education, community leaders and Upland.
Barreiro said these service opportunities - during Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and throughout the year - teach the school’s children the value of volunteerism and their value as members of their community.
This article appeared in the January 23, 2008 of The Kennett Paper and appears here courtesy of the author.
Upland teachers raise money to fight breast cancer Read More
By Steve Hoffman, Chester County Press
Kristina Coen, Meredith Goeller, and Gina Ralston are teachers at Upland Country Day School, but they were the ones learning valuable lessons during the recent Breast Cancer 3 Day event near Boston, Massachusetts.
"As teachers, we try to get our students to think beyond themselves," said Ralston who, along with the others, raised a total of about $8,800 for breast cancer research. "Most families are affected by some form of cancer and we were able to help."
It was Coen's idea to participate in the event. She had a friend who had done one, and she was able to convince Goeller to give it a try. Together, they roped Ralston into joining, too. Coen's mother, Donna Guarino, rounded out the four-person "Team Upland" group. They were among about 1900 who attempted to walk 60 miles over a long, long weekend.
"We decided to do the Boston one because it was during the summer and we didn't want to do it during the school year," explained Coen.
"We got a lot of support from the faculty and members of the community," added Goeller.
Each participant had to raise $2200 on their own, most of it before the race, although they do have four weeks after the event to complete the fundraising.
Securing donations and physically getting ready for the grueling walk made the preparations as challenging as the actual 60-mile stroll. The women said that they gradually increased their walking distances ahead of the event, but weren't really prepared for the jump to 22 miles in one day. Blisters, aches, and pains ensued.
Still, it won't be the physical discomfort they experienced dominating their memories of the event. It will be the positive emotions of doing something for others and rallying against a disease that affects millions of American families, and tens of millions of families around the world.
The Breast Cancer 3 Day is just one campaign in the war against breast cancer. In 1982, Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do anything she could to end breast cancer. Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting for a cure.
When the Upland teachers arrived for the event, they met people of all ages who traveled from all over the country to participate. The only thing they had in common was the will to fight breast cancer. Coen said that there were plenty of inspirational stories to be heard, including tales of breast cancer survivors. There were also stories of intense love and dedication from people who lost loved ones to the dreaded disease.
"I met one gentleman who was doing all twelve of the 3 Day events," Coen recalled, adding that some people wore T-shirts that said, "I walk because..." and then listed loved ones who had passed away.
"I was not ready for all the emotions of the weekend," stated Ralston.
Walking such a long distance was more difficult than they expected, but the emotional highs kept the pain at bay. The thousands of people involved demonstrated unity to the cause.
"It was just a sea of pink," explained Goeller, commenting on the color that designates the fight against breast cancer.
Added Coen, "You get there and you realize just how many people are affected by this disease."
They covered the distance over three days, going 22 miles in each of the first two and 16 miles in the third.
"It's not a race by any stretch," Coen explained. "But you do have to maintain the pace that they set."
Goeller said that there were plenty of enthusiastic supporters cheering the walkers on and handling them treats or refreshments."The amount of support was great. There were crew members there cheering us on. I thought that was really incredible."
One of the highlights, the women agreed, was the end of the race, when the walkers all arrived at the Boston Expo Center with the music blaring and the crowd cheering raucously.
They all became very emotional when talking about how sincere and heartfelt the 'thank-yous' were from breast cancer survivors.
"It was an amazing experience," Coen said.
Everyone who participates in the Breast Cancer 3 Day, whether they are walkers or support staffers, must raise some amount of money for the cause. Approximately $5 million was raised from the Boston event alone, and at least 85 percent of the money raised goes directly to find a cure, with the remaining 15 percent going to a philanthropic trust.
"It also raised awareness," Ralston noted.
When asked if she would do another 3 Day, Ralston replied that she would in a heartbeat. "I would just have to remember that we did make a difference in finding a cure for breast cancer."
In fact, it won't be long until the three teachers are doing more for the cause. They plan to be at the cheering stations in early October, when the 3 Day event comes to Philadelphia. For more information about the Breast Cancer 3 Day, visit www.the3day.org. And if you'd like to help Ralson, Goeller, and Coen surpass their fundraising goals, they can be contacted at kcoen@uplandcds.org.
Congratulations to the 4th Grade, who successfully led the school's year-long effort to raise $10,000 for Pennies for Peace! The idea to adopt Pennies for Peace as the school's philanthropic focus was inspired by Greg Mortenson's memoir Three Cups of Tea. According to the book, it costs $10,000 to build a school in Pakistan or Afghanistan and the class decided that their goal would be to lead our small school in helping to build another school on the other side of the world!
Congratulations to Thea Toocheck
Congratulations to seventh grader Kyler Rush, who received the First Place Earth Science Award at the 2009 Delaware Valley Science Fair. Kyler's seismograph and took the first place ribbon in the Earth & Space Science category (Level E - 6th, 7th & 8th Grades) at the Chester County Science Research Competition, which was sponsored and conducted by the Chester County Intermediate Unit on February 24th. As a result of his win, Kyler advanced to the Delaware Valley Fair, which included some 900 students from the New Jersey, Delaware, and the southeastern Pennsylvania (39 of whom will be from Chester County). Well done, Kyler!
Those who work with Jill say that she always seems to have a knack for being able to assess an upcoming project and find creative ways to implement it. Jill can be counted on to pitch in and help out every time. 
Finally Kudos to the Upland Parents' Association for another successful year of fundraising and friendraising activities on behalf of the school.
