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Tuesday, October 16, 2018

UCG Announcement, 2018-2019

We are pleased to announce the following Urban Connection Grants for academic year 2018-2019. BB&N will support seven grants this year, four new connections and three continuing programs. The new grant connections are currently being established and will be implemented throughout the school year. Each grant will connect BB&N students to groups and organizations throughout Cambridge, Boston and the Greater Boston Area.

Boston Speaker Series at Symphony Hall
Allison Kornet, US English Teacher and Faculty Advisor to The Vanguard

Up to 30 Upper School students will have the opportunity to attend part of the 2018-2019 Boston Speaker Series presented by Lesley University at Symphony Hall. This grant will mean seniors in the US Speechwriting and Public Speaking elective and upperclass writers and editors from The Vanguard can listen and learn firsthand from contemporary leaders and thinkers like James Comey, Lisa Genova, Gloria Steinem, Jeb Bush, Jon Meacham, Ian Bremmer, and Jay Leno. After presenting during the first hour of each event, speakers will respond to written questions submitted by audience members, so there is even an opportunity for direct engagement by BB&N students. Senior Speechwriting and Public Speaking students will mind how the pros deliver as closely as what they deliver, and the newspaper staff will follow up on the content of the talks with related reporting, investigation, or commentary in The Vanguard. All students participating in this grant will benefit from this unique Boston-based opportunity and experience the speaker series as an extension of their work at the Upper School.

Faith Traditions in our Community
Sasha Bergmann, MS 3D Art Teacher
Beth Brooks, MS Librarian
Stefanie Haug, MS Counselor
Youssef Talha, MS Language Teacher

Faith Traditions in our Community has piloted an exploratory, interactive workshop with the goal of introducing Middle School students to a variety of faith and religious traditions and spiritual practices. The grant recipients collaborated to bring three Abrahamic faith leaders to the BB&N middle school for a panel discussion with the 8th grade, including Rabbi Natan Margalit, Reverend Matthew Carriker and Islam educator Barbara Sahli. Following the panel discussion and over the course of a few weeks, the 8th grade students and teachers visited a synagogue, a church and a mosque and then reconvened back at school to further explore Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and to reflect upon their experiences. As a result of this grant program, students were provided with a safe, collaborative space in which to learn about religious and faith traditions and spiritual practices similar to and different from their own, to explore key tenets and ceremonies, and to examine the interconnectedness of many world religions. This grant will continue into year two and run the interfaith program with the new 8th grade class.

Gem & Mineral Exhibit
Amy Carey, MS Science Teacher
Michael Ewins, MS Science Teacher
Wendy Svatek, MS Science Teacher and Department Head
Erik Swanson, MS Science Teacher

The goal of the Gem & Mineral Exhibit grant is to establish a new connection with the Harvard Museum of Natural History to support the 8th grade chemistry curriculum. Since the MS science program has developed to include more real-world applications of chemistry, the museum will provide students with the opportunity to examine the extensive variety of minerals in person. Timed with their curriculum study, students will apply their new understanding of bonding and physical properties while exploring the museum exhibit. With participation from the entire MS science department, every 8th grade student will benefit from this new Cambridge-based connection.

NERWHA Symposium, Cities in World History
Suzy Glazer, US History & Social Sciences Department Head and Teacher

BB&N will host the annual New England Regional World History Association symposium at the BB&N Upper School on November, 3rd, 2018 sponsored by the Urban Connections Grant program. The symposium will bring world history educators from all over New England to Cambridge and BB&N for a day of workshops, round table discussion and panels about world cities. Along with being at the US campus, participants will also visit MIT as a result of collaboration between the two Cambridge-based schools. The symposium explores the role cities have played in world history in developing economies, societies, and cultures as well as establishing ties among people. The Upper School history department is committed to facilitating students’ study of the past and present to help them become informed citizens of the future in an increasingly global society. In line with this departmental goal and those of the Urban Connections Grant program, hosting this symposium will act as a way to support educator collaboration, professional development and the understanding and appreciation of BB&N's urban location.
https://cambridgehistory.org/

The Latino Network
Dr. Rosario Sánchez Gómez, US Spanish Teacher and Spanish Department Coordinator

The Latino Network will connect BB&N Upper School students of Spanish with bilingual Latino organizations that work directly with Latin American immigrants in the Boston area. This grant aims to provide an opportunity for students to connect with the growing Spanish-speaking population, not only to be able to practice their linguistic and cultural skills but also to participate actively in their community. The Latino Network is currently working to establish partner organizations which will result in the creation of various projects for different Spanish courses as well as service learning opportunities available to all US students. Whether the students interview members of the community for different purposes or work hand in hand with the organization on a specific project, they will engage in a unique connection that aims to expands their course and community service work beyond their classrooms to include the local Latino communities in and around Boston.

Urban Heat Islands: Neighborhood Responses to Climate Change
Karina Baum, Director of Global Education and US Science Teacher

As part of the US Advanced Biology curriculum and BB&N’s continuous commitment to promote global education, this new grant will partner with Boston College Professors and former BB&N parents, Juliet Schor and Prasannan Parthasarathi, and BC PhD candidate Xiaorui Huang to explore the topic of climate change by studying Urban Heat Islands. An UHI is an urban area that is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas due to human activities and the built environment. Since BB&N is an urban school, this grant will be relevant to our students and an opportunity to explore the environmental impact on BB&N’s urban surrounding. This grant will include multiple meetings with Professors Schor and Parthasarathi, both at BC and at BB&N, and field research to analyze data on UHI’s in the Boston metropolitan area with a focus on the differences between East and West Cambridge. Student learning will, above all, be positively affected and empowered by experiential outdoor learning, as the classroom is extended to the broader urban setting, and by interacting with academic experts on climate issues, as well as with local residents impacted by the “heat island” effect. This grant is an avenue for BB&N students to examine global education and environmental justice through local resources in the Boston area. Our hope is that through this curriculum, BB&N students will be inspired to take some action to address this problem in our city.

Wampanoag Presence and Impact
Simone Esteves, MS History Teacher

The goal of Wampanoag Presence and Impact is to bring indigenous peoples out of the past and into the present for the Middle School students. This program will continue into year two and connect a new group of 7th grade students to the Wampanoag tribe, including current people, culture and historical sites. Last May, a group of students visited Martha’s Vineyard for the day, a trip comprised of speakers and tours focusing primarily on the Wampanoag experience, perspective and history, and including the history and experiences of African American people on the island. The intended outcome of this program is to emphasize for students that the indigenous experience and influence, particularly in New England, has not only a long history but is still very present. Students will be enabled to make a variety of personal connections to the curriculum and bring their understanding of this history back to life.
http://mvafricanamericanheritagetrail.org/

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