Teachers Receive New Laptops

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!

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.

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.