Laurel Leaf

Dodgeball
The entire school could hear the excitement from the annual Upper School Dodgeball Tournament this past January! The seniors made a powerful showing, but didn’t make it to the final game this year – the honor of which went to the Sophomore and Junior classes. A huge congratulations to the Class of 2026 on winning the tournament! See all of the pictures here.

REDS Return
We loved having our REDS return from the classes of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 to share their college experiences with our seniors and reconnect with faculty, staff and coaches this past January. Our young alums offered wonderful advice about topics ranging from adjusting to a new environment, making friends and selecting a major, to the importance of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, and knowing what kind of schedule fits you the best. The graduates also shared how RPCS prepared them for college by instilling confidence, fostering a sense of empowerment and teaching how to write papers and lab reports well. See photos from the event here.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation
“Never forget the role you have to play, big or small, or the impact that you can have when it comes to creating a more just world” – Dani Makia, 2009. In January, our RPCS community gathered for our annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation. We welcomed alumna Danielle (Dani) Makia, J.D., 2009 as our guest keynote speaker, who spoke about the compassion, hope and justice that defines Dr. King’s legacy. Black Student Union Co-President Christina C. and several Lower School students shared their reflections, the Roses Repertory Dance Company performed a moving dance, and White Students Confronting Racism Co-President May M., presented a community affirmation. Afterwards, students gathered in small multi- divisional groups to reflect on the convocation and decorate rocks with meaningful messages of hope, freedom and peace that will be displayed on campus. See more photos from the convocation here.

Students Recognized for Aspirations in Computing Award
Congratulations to six of our students who were recognized by NCWIT with an Aspirations in Computing Award! This award honors students in grades 9-12 for their unique talents, aptitude, and aspirations in technology and computing. Morgan M., 2026, is a National Recipient with an Honorable Mention, a distinction awarded to just the top 11% of applicants in the country. At the state level, we had three Maryland winners: Morgan M., 2026, Audrey P., 2026, and Brie D., 2028, and three honorable mentions: Lala B., 2026, Elise B., 2026, and Logan G., 2026. All of our recipients will be honored at a state ceremony held at UMBC in April. We are incredibly proud of our STEM students for their outstanding achievements in technology and computer science, earning them well-deserved recognition!

Sophomore Ring Ceremony
Congratulations, Class of 2027! The 10th graders received their RPCS class rings at our annual Sophomore Ring Ceremony last month. The girls heard from Alumnae Board President Cary Zink Kassouf, 1995 who talked about the traditions behind this ring. This is such a special day and cherished tradition for our sophomores! See all the photos from this special ceremony here.

Black and Beyond Convocation
Our entire community came together last month to celebrate Black History Month at our second annual Black & Beyond Convocation! We welcomed special keynote performer Lady Brion, an international spoken word artist, advocate, and educator, who recited two original poems and encouraged the audience to understand the power of words, our voices and civic engagement. Our students in Lower, Middle and Upper School also shared beautiful and moving dance, acting and singing performances and presentations of the contributions of key moments and figures in history before Assistant Head of School for Culture, Community and Belonging Ms. James gave inspiring and powerful closing remarks. See photos from the convocation here.

Valentine’s Day Alumnae Legacy Luncheon
Love was in the air as our legacy students and their alumnae relatives gathered for one of our school’s most beloved traditions, the Valentine’s Day Alumnae Legacy Luncheon! Hosted by the RPCS Alumnae Association, guests enjoyed lunch and sweet treats while catching up with each other. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the love we have in our REDS community and to honor so many special RPCS connections! See more photos from the luncheon here.

Jean Waller Brune Middle School Spelling Bee
After 11 contestants and 22 rounds, eighth grader Kennedy W. was crowned the 2025 champion of The Jean Waller Brune Middle School Spelling Bee in February! A round of applause also goes out to the Reserve Champion (second place winner) of the Spelling Bee – Adeline H., 2030! We are so proud of all of the students who participated and wish the best of luck to Kennedy and Adeline in their next spelling bee journey at the state level! We were also honored to welcome back the spelling bee's founder, our former Head of School, Ms. Jean Waller Brune, who attended the competition and congratulated the winners at the end.

Computer Science Honor Society grant
Congratulations to the members of the Computer Science Honor Society for receiving a grant from Lockheed Martin and the Computer Science Teachers Association for their outreach service project! This year, members of CSHS will be working with the Middle School to lead a series of engaging activities designed to inspire students in computer science. Stay tuned for more details on their upcoming collaboration!
 

Professional Connections
The Alumnae Office hosted our annual Professional Connections event earlier this month, bringing back six incredible alumnae to speak with our entire Upper School. The graduates shared personal insights about the importance of being flexible when pursuing a career path, self-advocacy, leaning into passions, becoming lifelong learners, and building community. They also reflected on how RPCS prepared them for college and their careers. Moderated by Alumnae Association President Cary Zink Kassouf, 1995, panelists Emmy Middleton, 2016, Katherine Barley Ebby, 2012, Lauren Edwards, 2011, Lily MacKenty, 2009 and Kate Jordan, 1998 spoke about their individual careers and answered questions from students before participating in a networking session in the Faissler Library for more personal conversations. Thank you to everyone who helped make this powerful event a true success!

Women in Power Panel
In honor of National Women's History Month, our Inclusive Excellence Leadership Program recently organized a Women in Power Panel for our Upper School and Middle School students and faculty with the theme of answering the question "how will you use your power?" We were thrilled to welcome changemakers Abeer Ramadan-Shinnawi, CEO and Founder of Altair Education Consulting who is dedicated to promoting equity and inclusivity in education; Brandi Chantelle, author and freedom facilitator who is certified as both a somatic activated healer and trauma and resilience practitioner; Chea Weltchek, a licensed clinical professional counselor who specializes in perinatal and adolescent mental health; Leah Hairston, 2010, Founder of Sweet Bee Services; and Zareen Taj, a women's and human rights advocate from Afghanistan, Ph.D. candidate, filmmaker, and author. Each panelist shared their experiences and wisdom with their prospective audiences and answered questions from our students.

all school

Polar Bear Plunge
Multiple groups of students participated in the Polar Bear Plunge this winter! While our Upper School Special Olympics Club and 8th graders plunged with our friends from St. Elizabeth School, the Upper School Polar Bear Plunge Club plunged the next day. This is the eighth year that RPCS has participated in the Cool Schools Plunge, with many of our students coming back to the event year after year!

Lunar New Year
In January, RPCS hosted a Lunar New Year celebration to welcome the Year of the Snake, which focuses on renewal and rejuvenation. While eating delicious Chinese foods, party participants watched a short video explaining what the Year of the Snake means, how families celebrate the Lunar New Year, and how different Eastern countries have specific customs and traditions during the celebration. The party also included paper cutting, calligraphy, and karaoke! People born in this year are most commonly associated with intelligence, resilience and love, which includes our students who were born in 2013!

Little Reds

Little Reds Valentine’s Breakfast
A downed tree, sustained power outage and unexpected day off from school couldn’t stop one of the most beloved Little Reds traditions – the Valentine’s Breakfast! Families gathered last month for this annual celebration of love with delicious pancakes, fun company and performances from the Little Reds classrooms. 

 

Lower School

Third Grade Celebrations Around the World projects
In December, the third grade presented their Celebrations Around the World projects. Using nonfiction cultural traditions books from our library, the girls researched another culture/country and presented on one of their celebrations. They could choose one of multiple mediums to present, from creating a poster or children’s picture book to a mobile or shoebox diorama. A few students also brought in specific foods and treats to share with the class that went along with the celebration they researched. The presentations were inspiring, and the girls had a fun time learning about other cultures.

Snuggle up and Read Night
In February, the Lower School hosted our families for our annual Snuggle Up & Read Night! It was a wonderful, community-building event where the students came in pjs and brought stuffed animals and blankets to snuggle up and read books provided by the Lower School library. They were read a book by both Ms. Scanlon and Ms. Edwards, and had the opportunity to read a book to Ms. Carmona's dog, who was also in attendance! The students loved to be together during “off school” hours.

Branches & Leaves for Black Girls Crown Act
K-5 members of Branches & Leaves for Black Girls have been learning about The Crown Act, which protects students' rights to wear or treat their hair however they desire, without the threat of racial discrimination or loss of access to school, participation in activities, and inclusion in opportunities inside and beyond typical classrooms. This past winter, our girls spent time sharing their own hair journeys. Laughing over their similarities, bonding over shared experiences of microaggressions towards their hair, and affirming to each other about the beauty and diversity of their hair. Each girl created her own Hair Portrait to honor the history and legacy of Black hair and celebrate their own hair for the beauty and strength that it represents.

First grade Visit with Alumnae
The first grade was honored to welcome back Ms. Diane Hutchins, 1972 and Ms. Neetu Dhawan-Gray, 1972 to RPCS earlier this winter. Ms. Hutchins and Ms. Gray spoke about their experiences with desegregating RPCS in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Ms. Hutchins was one of the first black graduates of RPCS while Ms. Dhawan-Gray was the first student of South Asian descent to graduate from RPCS. They walked the girls through yearbooks, told first person accounts and gladly answered questions. This visit was a part of the girls' unit on The Past, Present and Future of RPCS. Thank you to Ms. Hutchins and Ms. Dhawan-Gray for sharing this important history with our students.

Community Reads
Upper School members of Community Reads visited the first and second grade classrooms this winter to read and discuss Moon’s Ramadan by Natasha Khan Kazi. Community Reads, a nonprofit organization founded by RPCS alumna Katherine Guerrerio, 2023, introduces students in grades K-2 to diverse perspectives through literature. Members travel to schools and libraries throughout Baltimore to read books, create fun activities and lead impactful discussions with these young learners.

Fifth Grade Visits Maryland State House
Last month, the RPCS fifth grade visited the Maryland State House for more than just a tour. After isolating problems within the state, researching them, transforming that research into formal letters to their state senators and delegates, and then scheduling meetings with those representatives, students arrived in Annapolis ready to advocate change! Lawmakers listened to our Lower Schoolers’ concerns and challenged them to think of additional out-of-the-box solutions on the spot. Afterwards, fifth graders watched their lawmakers in action in the Senate Gallery. This annual trip continues to empower many RPCS fifth graders as they discover and use their voices to promote positive change.

Fourth Grade States Fair
Earlier this month, students in fourth grade learned about the five regions of the United States and explored their geography, climate, culture, economy, and historical significance. They completed STEAM, Social Studies, Art, and Library projects and held a State Fair to showcase their hard work!
 

Lower School STEAM Week
One of the most anticipated weeks of the entire school year, this year's STEAM Week theme was the human body, and this past week was full of exciting events, including guest speakers, field trips and Lower STEAM Night. Visit our social media channels (Instagram) and (Facebook) to see all of the festivities from the week!

Middle School

8^th Grade Capstone Experiences
The Eighth Grade Capstone Program at RPCS, part of the Gore Leadership Institute, offers our students valuable opportunities to gain real world experiences by shadowing professionals in their fields of interest after conducting research and gaining background knowledge in that field. This year, 37 eighth grade students participated - the highest to date - and shadowed professionals who work in medicine, law, architecture, real estate, and more. The girls have had wonderful experiences and look forward to sharing what they learned with our community later this spring!

Middle School Visits the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Last month, the entire Middle School took a special trip to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra to see the performance of "Saint-Georges’ Sword and Bow." The girls could easily relate to the main character, 13-year-old Giselle, whose dreams of becoming a famous pop star are thwarted by her father who insists that she study music theory. She is then transported back in time and learns to understand where true passion comes from. Everyone had a great time. Thank you to the anonymous donor who has allowed this trip for the Middle School two years in a row!
 

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
In February, the Class of 2029 took an impactful journey to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. This trip is a culminating activity for their cross-curricular unit in history and English. A highlight of the trip was meeting Irene Fogel Weiss, who courageously shared her story of survival. It was truly an honor to bear witness to her experiences. Students were asked to choose two artifacts and reflect on how they helped tell the story of the Holocaust. Through this exploration and reflection, they deepened their understanding of history and the importance of standing against hatred. On the way home, the group stopped at the Baltimore Holocaust Memorial on Lombard Street and discussed the symbolism and the significance of such an important monument in the heart of Baltimore City. The entire day was a powerful experience that connects our past to our present.

Middle School at Model UN
Thirty of our Middle School students had a ball while changing the world at Model UN in Hershey, PA this past January. Student delegates participated in a General Assembly where they discussed the future of AI and the scourge of forced labor. Additionally, students were randomly chosen to be on the prosecution or the defense of William McKinley, Winston Churchill, or Mao Zedong in the International Criminal Court. After a weekend of hard work, the girls celebrated their achievements with an evening of pizza with a dance party! A huge thank you to Ms. Hoffman, Ms. Conny and Ms. Biersach for leading the charge for our passionate changemakers!

Upper School

US Shakespeare Festival
For their midterm English assessment in December, all 10th grade students participated in the annual Shakespeare Festival. These sophomores worked diligently to bring Shakespeare’s The Tempest from the page to the stage. They memorized their lines, came up with original blocking, and acquired costumes and props for their scenes. We couldn’t be prouder of our great performers!

Power Lunch Visits NYC
Over winter break, students in the Davidov Power Lunch Program traveled to New York City to visit Bloomberg World Headquarters, Citigroup, and Nasdaq. Students met with a variety of industry professionals, including Chris Dearborn, Managing Director Marketing Intelligence Desk at Nasdaq. While visiting the Nasdaq Marketsite, the students attended the opening bell ceremony and enjoyed a Q&A session with their host, McKenzie Gaw. At Citigroup, the students toured the trading floor and cyber security center and learned valuable insights from Jenny Hadiaris, Head of NAM Equity Electronic Execution Services, Salima Habib, Head of Equity Sales, and Mirtha Warrier, Head of Prime Brokerage. Immersive, experiential learning experiences like this are key components of RPCS's Gore Leadership Institute. RPCS is grateful to everyone in our network that made this trip possible. The girls were thrilled to have this opportunity, and look forward to continuing to develop their real-world experiences in finance, investing and networking.

World Language Certificate
Congratulations to the four seniors who gave their World Language Certificate Presentations in January. These seniors completed at least six credits in two different languages and gave a presentation in both languages about a self-directed project. Congratulations to Lily H. (French and Russian) on her investigation of accessibility for people with physical disabilities in France and in Russia, Emma G. (Chinese and French) who talked about her research on 20th-century French and Chinese fashion and shared some of her own designs, Anne Peyton G. (French and Spanish) who told about her experience living and working in Paris over the summer and how that led her to wonder about how teens in different cultures think about independence, and Yvonne R. (Chinese and Spanish) who wrote an original story in Chinese, which she performed using a traditional Chinese method of storytelling called Kuaiban.

ACE (Architecture, Construction, Engineering) Baltimore Design Challenge
In February, the inaugural RPCS ACE (Architecture, Construction, Engineering) team kicked off their participation in the ACE Baltimore design challenge. This challenge lets Upper School students explore careers, engage with industry mentors, and apply their growing knowledge of architecture, construction management, and sustainable engineering to a Baltimore project. Over the next nine weeks, students will work with Holliday Heine STEM Institute teacher, Nicole Acaso, and ACE mentors to design, engineer, and propose the plans for a community building on the Baltimore Peninsula. For their first meeting, students collaborated with Michelle, a Whiting-Turner Project Manager, to review the RFP (request for proposal), research the area, and plan a building program that meets client and community needs.

NAIS Close Up Civic Leadership Summit
In February, a cohort of six Upper School students traveled to Washington, D.C. for the NAIS Close Up Civic Leadership Summit. During this trip, the girls focused on researching the issue of poverty within Baltimore City. They met with students from around the country and discussed the root causes of poverty and the effects that we see in our communities today. They deliberated several proposals to assist the impoverished, learned the difference between cooperative and oppositional actions within government, and created ideas for reaching our peers through social media to spread information about social and political issues.

US Model UN Summit
Last month, a group of Upper Schoolers traveled to Philadelphia for the Model UN Summit. Their days were filled with committee sessions, working papers, conferencing with other delegates, and more. During their sessions, students discussed real world problems such as cryptocurrency regulations, implications of AI, women's rights, rights for people with disabilities, sustainable cities and development, global inequities in training health professionals, food security issues, preventing the proliferation of tactical nuclear weapons, and reforming the UN's Security Council. We were excited and proud to see multiple REDS stepping up to the committee session microphones and pushing their ideas and items for resolution papers. Our students worked incredibly hard, but also enjoyed themselves too!
 

RAD Class
Our seniors in the Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) class participated in an attack simulation. The girls use the techniques taught to them by former RPCS Director of Security Mike Brooks as they are being "attacked" by a trained professional from the national RAD corporation. Rape Aggression Defense is a self-defense program for women that teaches realistic techniques for avoiding and defending against assault designed to build on a woman's natural responses and maximize her body's strengths. We are so grateful for Mr. Brooks' dedication to RPCS as he continues to offer our girls this course.

US Health Fair
As part of the Upper School's celebration of Wellness Week earlier this month, students attended our annual Health Fair. They enjoyed yoga, coloring, dancing, painting their nails, sipping hot chocolate, eating lemon peppermints, sharing fun facts for candies and fidgets, making dog toys, and more! Thank you to the Student Wellness Organization for putting together such an important event for the Upper Schoolers. Students in the other divisions also received some love before the Health Fair - puppy cuddles! Friends from Pets on Wheels brought therapy dogs in to help the girls take a break, relax with each other and enjoy a little happiness boost! It was a paw-fect addition to our Wellness Week initiatives!

Little Reds

Welcome Back Breakfast
The Little Reds community came together to celebrate the beginning of the school year with an outside picnic breakfast! Parents and guardians were introduced or reconnected, while students and siblings enjoyed the playground. We love our Little Reds community and are so happy when they come together on campus!
 

Turkey Trot
Our Little Reds friends gobbled and wobbled down the Backwoods during our fourth annual Turkey Trot! Fast feet and happy faces bounded down and around in a celebration of Thanksgiving and friendship in the Little Reds community. The kindergarten classes and some older REDS also made an appearance with homemade signs to cheer on the little ones during their run, bringing multiple divisions of RPCS together. View more photos from this fun event here.

Lower School

Kindergarten Fashion Show
It was all about the fashion for our kindergarteners! As part of learning the alphabet this fall, each student was assigned a letter to create a stylish vest. The girls had a fun time making their unique and personable vests and showing them off at the ABC Fashion Show. View the full collection of photos here. 

Kindergarten Social Studies
Would you Rather Wednesdays in kindergarten this year have taken on extra meaning as the kindergartners learn about civil discourse and civic engagement. In morning meetings, math, and social studies, students learned about and practiced the basics of democracy. Topics included: different people have different ideas, each person gets one vote, a vote represents a choice you make after gathering information, and endorsing your choice is an informed decision. Kindergarten loved having 11th and 12th grade students from the Gore Leadership Institute join some of their social studies classes! 

Lower School Chinese Class Makes Mooncakes
The Lower School Chinese class made mooncakes to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, which traditionally falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. This festival was derived from the custom of worshiping the moon in autumn to thank it for the harvest. Mooncakes are the most representative food for the Mid-Autumn Festival as their round shape is like the moon, which represents the reunion of the family in Chinese minds. The students enjoyed making this sweet treat together.

“Who Are We” Poetry Project
Family and friends of the first and fourth grade (little and big buddies) came together this fall to celebrate “who they are!” In this multi-week, interdisciplinary project, the girls wrote self-reflective poems in literacy class. The fourth graders animated their name using the program Scratch during STEAM class, while the first graders dove into the exciting world of coding with Bee-Bots, specially designed robots for young learners, and binary coding, where they learned how to write their name using just 0s and 1s. After giving a small presentation, the girls were able to walk their guests around and proudly show off their work. See more photos from this fun event here. 

Third Grade French Class “Field Trip”
Bon voyage, troisième année! The third grade French classes “traveled” to Paris this past October! Before boarding the plane, they reviewed the essential items they had packed from home (peignes, brosse à dents, pyjamas, etc.) and received boarding passes, passports and euros. Then, after being asked questions by the TSA agent (Mrs. Foard), they enjoyed mineral water and croissants on their trans-Atlantic flight! What a wonderful activity to bring learning to life - thank you, Mrs. Foard!

Third Grade Trip to Irvine
A couple of weeks ago, the third graders visited the Irvine Nature Center to learn about the Woodland people. They learned about the cultural traditions and lifestyles of Maryland's pre-colonial Native American tribes, the Piscataway and Susquehannok. They toured through replica longhouses, wigwams, and Three Sisters Garden and learned about tools, clothing, hunting and gathering, and fire making methods. The girls also enjoyed playing games that were played by Native American children when learning and practicing their hunting skills!

Fifth Grade Stock Market Game
In September, the fifth graders visited the Finance Lab at Towson University as part of our Stock Market Game. Students discussed the importance of time, income, willpower and knowledge when working towards becoming a millionaire. They researched stocks for Walmart and Target and made comparisons in order to make decisions on how to invest. The fifth graders will use these skills throughout the year to help guide decisions on buying and selling additional companies in the Stock Market.

Fifth Grade Poetry
After a fun overnight camping trip at Genesee Valley, fifth graders returned to a lesson in poetry. Before venturing into our own Backwoods to write about nature, students learned the importance of imagery, word choice, specific types of figurative language, rhythm/flow, and theme by exploring pieces written by girls who passed through these same classroom doors. They experienced the power of sensory imagery first-hand as classmates shared vivid, but often unspoken, camping-trip encounters with the outdoors.

Lower School Harvest Feast
Last month, the second and third graders came together for their annual Fall Harvest Feast to celebrate the end of a fantastic planting and harvesting season. The girls harvested vegetables and herbs from the RPCS gardens and created sorrel apple wraps (an annual favorite), pesto pizza, regular pizza (both with fresh peppers!), a delicious salsa, pickles, ratatouille, holy basil and mint tea, and more! Thank you to Ms. Carmona, Mrs. Donohue and all of our parent volunteers for organizing such a beloved and bountiful event! See more photos here. 

Middle School 

Middle School Red vs. White Games
The Middle School started the school year off with joyful enthusiasm as they kicked off the annual RED vs. WHITE Games! Each student is assigned a team color for the duration of their Middle School journey, and compete throughout the year in physical, creative and academic competitions. Last year, white team took home bragging rights... who will win this year?

Middle School Newton Project
Students in eighth grade had an egg-cellent time testing their understanding of Sir Isaac Newton's third law of motion (for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction) in an egg drop experiment earlier this fall! According to Newton’s third law, the ground will give a force back to the container equal to the force of the container hitting the ground. Students had to design a container that would absorb the force of the device hitting the ground. The results were mixed, but even those groups whose eggs cracked still had a blast making their containers and participating in the drop.

Middle School French Field Trip
C’est magnifique! The Middle School French classes visited the National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, D.C. for Paris 1874: The Impressionist Moment exhibition! Alumna Helen Tangires, 1974, who spent 36 years working for the NGA, joined Mme. Monaco, Head of School Mrs. Lofgren, MS Art Teacher Ms. Bacher and the students to share how she took what she learned at RPCS to translate it into a fulfilling career in a field she loves. The girls loved seeing 130 impressionist works that included a rare reunion of paintings by Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot and more that were first featured together in that now-legendary exhibition.

M4 Awards
New in our Middle School this year is the M4 Award (Monthly Middle School Magic Makers), an award given to one student in each grade who demonstrates qualities such as great academic self-advocacy, high levels of frustration tolerance, excellent use of feedback, a persistent strong effort, and willing support of a struggling peer. Congratulations to the September winners pictured from left to right: Caroline P. (6th grade), Scarlett H. (7th grade), Finley G. (8th grade).

Middle School Spooky Library Experience
The Faissler Library was spooktacular this Halloween! Director of Libraries Suzanne Fox and Library Assistant Kim Wilson, in collaboration with English teachers Emily Eustace and Tiana Oguaman, provided a special library experience for the sixth and seventh graders, creating a spooky Halloween setting with seasonal decor, atmospheric music, and even a special surprise visit from a scary goblin! The sixth and seventh graders discussed book selection strategies, perused a selection of "creepy reads"(ranging from silly to truly spooky), watched spooky book trailers, and discussed some of their favorite scary stories. Thank you, Mrs. Fox and Ms. Wilson, for creating another way to engage our students in the Reading Revolution!

Seventh Grade Field Trip to The People’s House
A few weeks ago, the seventh grade traveled to The People’s House, the newly opened educational museum that tells the story of the Executive Mansion (The White House), its inhabitants, and the people who have dedicated their careers to its functions. This trip is a culmination of their unit on the Founding Era, which included the study of separation of powers, checks and balances and federalism. Created by the White House Historical Association, The People’s House: A White House Experience, is a new cutting-edge educational experience located in Washington, D.C., just one block from the White House.

Upper School

Senior Dinner
In August, the Class of 2025 kicked off their last year at RPCS with the annual Senior Dinner on the front lawn. The number of hugs shared was only outnumbered by the amount of selfies taken, and the overall joy of being back together. Head of School Mrs. Smith handed each student a rose, a tradition that marks the beginning of their journey as a senior, with the bouquet of roses they walk with during Convocation marking the end. 

Class Retreats
The ninth and 10th graders had an amazing time on their class retreats! Ninth graders spent the night at Sandy Hill Camp & Retreat Center, while the sophomores headed to Gretna Glen Camp & Retreat Center. Both freshmen and sophomores used this opportunity to bond with new classmates, reconnect with old ones, and build each other up through physical and mental challenges

Community Reads
Community Reads, a nonprofit organization founded by RPCS alumna Katherine Guerrerio, 2023, introduces students in grades K-2 to diversity through literature. Currently, students from RPCS, Bryn Mawr, Polytechnical Institute, and Johns Hopkins University visit classrooms across Baltimore to read to students. Upper School members of Community Reads read My Name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow to Lower School classes. The younger girls were very receptive, asking questions and staying engaged through the reading. Thank you to those Bryn Mawr and RPCS students for taking the time out of their academic day to share their love of representative literature with our younger learners.

Upper School Biomedical Engineering Visit to Johns Hopkins
In October, the Upper School Biomedical Engineering Innovation class visited Johns Hopkins University, with special tours of the Materials Characterization and Processing and Artificial Intelligence for Materials Design laboratories. Students learned about the cutting-edge technology that is used to study and create new materials, including robots that use artificial intelligence to detect pattern matching of very large datasets. They finished their day with a tour of campus and connected with their Biomedical Engineering instructor. This was a great day for our students to learn about exciting STEM research and be inspired by a wide array of career opportunities. Learn more about this class here.  

Senior Internship/Fellowship Showcase
Congratulations to the outstanding 50 seniors who presented on their summer Gore Leadership Institute internship or Holliday Heine STEM Institute fellowship experience at our annual Summer Showcase last month. Every student prepared and delivered a presentation describing what they did during their time shadowing and working with a professional in a field of their choosing. Our three keynote speakers, Anne Peyton G., who spoke about her experience abroad both being an au pair and a digital marketing assistant for a parenting consulting firm in Paris, Christina C., who spoke on her architectural experience creating her ideal apartment, and Sashi K., who discussed her work in a mass spectroscopy lab at Johns Hopkins University, impressed and engaged the audience with their presentations. We loved seeing the joy, learning and curiosity of all of these students as they explored the world as their classroom! See photos from the showcase here.

College Care Packages for the Class of 2024
There's nothing like getting a surprise package from home! Little Sisters from the sophomore class, along with members of the Alumnae Board, decorated and assembled college care packages a few weeks ago with letters, snacks, a Commencement photo and other touches of REDS spirit for the Class of 2024! 

Upper Schooler Thank Veterans
In honor of Veterans Day, during advisory lunches in the Upper School, all of our students made cards to send to veterans, active military members, and first responders. Thank you to all of the brave men and women who protect our freedom every day. We are grateful for your service and sacrifice.

10^th Grade Field Trip to the Walters Art Museum
As part of their study of the early modern era in World History II, 10th graders visited the Walters Art Museum, particularly the 15th-18th Century European Painting Galleries earlier this month. We are so lucky to have so many beautiful art museums just down the road!

ALL School

Salsa Dancing
In celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month this fall, teachers from Baila DC, a premier salsa organization in the D.C. metro area, visited RPCS to teach K-12 students how to salsa dance! They attended a special Lower School morning meeting where the entire Lower School learned moves, while the Middle and Upper School were smaller and more personalized sessions for those who signed up. Everyone, from the student and teacher participants to the Baila DC instructors, had a wonderful time, A big thank you to Julie and Brandon for joining us for the day!

 

Alumna Artist Exhibit
"What an honor it is to be the Alumna Artist for Roland Park Country School this year! Roland Park will always have a special spot in my heart…a place that allowed and encouraged me to follow my passion to be an artist." - Caroline Chriss Hearn, 2024 RPCS Alumnae Artist. Caroline celebrated with family, friends, and other alumnae at a closing reception in the Knott Lobby, where her collection of landscapes and portraits has been on display. Thank you, Caroline, for sharing your incredible talent and hard work with the RPCS community.

Haunted Trail
The RPCS Backwoods were filled with all the things that go bump in the night for our second annual Haunted Trail show last month! Upper School students worked diligently to create an interactive scene-by-scene narrative as the audience walked through the trail. It was a sold out event - great job to all of our students and a big thank you to Ms. Martin for continuously pushing our performing arts boundaries to new and exciting experiences!

Lower School

New Musical Instruments
Our fifth grade class was treated to a wonderful surprise...brand new Orff Instruments, including xylophones, metallophones and glockenspiels! These particular instruments are "top of the line" and called the SMART series, which means they are acoustically optimized with an innovative resonance box design creating a more focused tone. The students were audibly excited when they entered the music room to find their new instruments waiting for them, and they happily practiced a melody they have been working on led by Mrs. Gahan.

Lower School Visits RPCS Alumnae Artist Exhibit
First graders took a short field trip to the Knott Lobby to view the beautiful artwork of Caroline Chriss Hearn, 2011, this year's featured artist for the RPCS Alumna Artist Exhibit. Students enjoyed viewing the portraits, landscapes and other work in the artist’s collection, which were displayed outside of the Sinex Theater in the Knott Lobby throughout October.

Lower School Art Night
The entire Lower School community came together for what has become an annual tradition, Art Night! The girls brought family and friends to participate. Ms. McAslan, the Lower School art teacher, organized an amazing night with multiple craft options for the girls to choose from. As Ms. Scanlon said of her first community event, "it was everything I knew an RPCS night would be!" See more photos here.

Middle SCHOOL 

Jen Stark Middle School Installation
During the first few weeks of school, all Middle School art students created a piece for this large, collaborative artwork inspired by the artist Jen Stark. Jen Stark creates sculptures, 2-D work, and animations inspired by growth patterns, movement, and structures in nature. Her work is visually overwhelming and busy with layers of colors and patterns. Each grade level made a different section inspired by these artworks, and the students’ creations were put together into one original piece.

 

UPPER SCHOOL 

Roses Met the Rosebuds
The Roses met their Rosebuds! Each year, the Roses Repertory Dance Company teams up with our first graders, fondly referred to as our Rosebuds, to pair off and create dance routines that are choreographed by both the Upper School dancers and Lower Schoolers. The girls had a wonderful first meeting earlier this fall where they made necklaces together and got to know one another’s interests. We can’t wait to see the dances they create this school year!

Semiquavers and Somettos Guest Artist
Ms. Diver’s Upper School choral ensembles, the Semiquavers and Somettos, were excited to welcome Arreon A. Harley-Emerson to RPCS earlier this month. Mr. Harley-Emerson is the CEO & Artistic Director of Elevate Vocal Arts (EVA). EVA creates and expands professional as well as creative workforce development opportunities for vocal artists from all walks of life, with a commitment to engaging individuals from historically marginalized communities and musical traditions. During his time with Semis and Somettos, Mr. Harley-Emerson led fun and engaging warmups and vocal exercises, and worked with the choirs on music they are preparing for upcoming concerts. Mr. Harley-Emerson and Ms. Diver sang together in the Delaware Choral Scholars, where they competed in the World Choir Games this summer in Auckland, New Zealand. Mr. Harley-Emerson also conducted in three categories in which the choir won gold for each. Thank you, Mr. Harley-Emerson, for sharing your expertise with us!

Guest Choreographer Devon Wallace
RPCS is so proud to welcome back to campus guest choreographer Devon Wallace from ClancyWorks Dance Company. This is his third year working with our Upper School students. This year, he is working with the Roses, Advanced Studio Dance, Studio Dance, and the 8th grade dancers, as well as the 8th grade singers! His choreography with the Roses will be shared at the Upper School Winter Concert in January.

 

Little Reds

Little Reds Drummer
Our littlest REDs got into the spirit as part of our Feel the Joy Convocation activities this past May and enjoyed a special drum performance. They clapped, gazed, danced and were in awe throughout the exciting show!

Snuggle Up and Read Night
Little Reds and Lower School hosted our families for a Snuggle Up & Read Night this spring! It was a wonderful, community-building event where the students came in pjs and brought stuffed animals and blankets to snuggle up and read books provided by the Lower School library after scarfing down a delicious pizza dinner. The students loved to be together during “off school” hours.

Lower School

Artist/Author Visit: Rosa Chang
In May, Korean American debut artist and storyteller, Rosa Chang, spoke with students in grades 2-5 about her book, My Indigo World: A True Story of the Color Blue. She discussed how she fell in love with the color blue when she was a child and how that inspired her to connect art and the natural world. Afterwards, Ms. Chang met with the third grade for a special hands-on natural indigo dye workshop. They used a paste made from soy flour and pickling lime to create designs and patterns on their fabric and then dyed them in the indigo bath created from Indigo powder, pickling lime and corn syrup. The enjoyed getting their hands dirty in this creative workshop!

Grandparents and Grandfriends Day
In early May, we welcomed grandparents and grandfriends to visit in the Lower School. They worked with their students to draw portraits, make paper flowers, create kaleidoscopes, compete in word bingo, solve math problems and more. The day concluded with a viewing of the art exhibit outside of the Sinex and enjoying the Lower School concert and Maypole Dance. Thank you to our special guests for visiting! More photos can be viewed here. 

First Grade Poetry Festival
This spring, the first graders wowed their parents and friends at our annual Poetry Festival, a culmination of their interdisciplinary bird unit and a celebration of learning! Students memorized and recited poems about birds, sang and shared a visual showcase of artwork and research projects, before enjoying treats at the end. The interdisciplinary unit on birds encompasses nearly every academic subject and included field trips and special guest visitors. It’s also turned into quite a passion for the girls as they demonstrated leadership skills by crafting passionate letters to multiple local businesses, encouraging them to include window stickers on their windows to decrease the amount of bird strikes. We’re so proud of our first graders! 

Shark Tank 2.0
Shark Tank 2.0 is a pilot social entrepreneurship program from our Gore Leadership Institute. Select Upper School students collaborated with the entire first grade to learn about social entrepreneurship and were tasked with solving a problem in the community. Teams of first grade students, mentored by the Upper Schoolers, designed and prototyped new dining hall trays to be used by our kindergarten, first and second grade students. The teams presented their ideas to the RPCS “sharks” in March by sharing their prototype trays, explaining the problems they face with the current model, and discussing how their designs address those issues. Ideas for improvements for the trays from the first graders included adding handles, sides, labels, sections, and more! The young girls loved working with their Upper School mentors. Kudos to everyone involved: the first grade teachers, our STEM and STEAM educators, Chef Meg from the dining hall, the Gore Leadership Institute team, and of course, our bright students!

Spring Harvest Feast
The first and second graders came together for their annual Spring Harvest Feast to celebrate the end of a fantastic planting and harvesting season. The girls harvested vegetables and herbs from the RPCS gardens and created kale chips, sorrel apple wraps (an annual favorite), a salad with fresh carrots, tomatoes and radishes, pizza with spinach and kale toppings, sautéed bok choy and mustard greens with rice, fresh snap peas, holy basil and mint tea, and more! Everyone enjoyed the feast and had a fun time laughing together. Thank you to Ms. Carmona, Mrs. Donohue and all of our parent volunteers for organizing such an amazing event!

Second Grade Marketplace
In April, our second grade entrepreneurs opened up shop! After weeks of learning about the principles of economics and creating their own business ventures, the students unveiled their products, which included wallets, Lego jewelry, flowerpots, lip balm, gimp keychains, headbands, stress balls, pencil toppers, and bath salts! The creativity of the products paired with the business knowledge these girls have developed over the past few months led to a successful event where both customers and businesses left happy. To see all of the photos, click here.

Second and Fourth Grade Field Trip to Pimlico Race Course
Our second and fourth graders participated in a special field trip to the Pimlico Race Track the week before the Preakness Stakes, where they toured the facilities, learned how the horses are cared for (and even watched some being bathed), listened to presentations by members of the horse racing community, and met horses that were members of the Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard! They also had the chance to cheer for Mystic Dan, the Kentucky Derby winner, as he ran the track!

Third Grade Impactful Marylander Project
Last month, the third graders presented their culminating Impactful Marylander social studies project to fellow students, parents, friends, and RPCS faculty. In addition to reciting information about their chosen Marylander, the girls also created beautiful oil pastel works that included details about who they selected. For example, Julane G. depicted Thurgood Marshall in front of the American flag and a chair with his name engraved on it, while Victoria R. added a bookshelf behind Jeff Kinney's portrait to highlight his work as an author. Some girls even brought props, like the baseball signed by Cal Ripkin, Jr. that Claire G. showed the group, or the Durant jersey that Mia K. proudly displayed. The famous Marylanders ranged from Nancy Pelosi and Frederick Douglas to Michael Phelps and Governor Wes Moore.

Third Grade Book Club
This spring, our third graders walked across the bridge for a book club with Gilman's third grade! Separated into groups by book - which included fan favorites such as The Secret Zoo, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Dragonbreath, and Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Chicken Farmer, the students discussed their favorite characters and most memorable plot points and then participated in a fun activity that was in theme with their book. 

Fourth Grade Talent Show
Last month, the Class of 2032 put on a wonderful talent show for fellow Lower School students, faculty and fourth grade parents. From beautiful dance and singing performances to recitations of poems, improv (where the audience had the chance to tell the performers what to do!), skits, and piano performances, the fourth graders blew everyone away with their talents! All of the photos can be viewed on Smugmug here. 

Fifth Grade Reading Fair
Months of hard work culminated at our annual Fifth Grade Reading Fai in March! The girls took over the Faissler Library with their poster boards, physical props, and digital trailers that they made in iMovie. Each girl answered questions from employees, parents and family members fellow Lower School students, and even a surprise visit from a 5th grade Language Arts class from Boys' Latin! The descriptions of their books provided insights into their favorite characters and storylines, and more. Some of the books read this year included Orphan Island, Wonderland, Beyond the Bright Sea, The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, Starfish, Song for a Whale, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, and Girls Who Code.

Middle School 

Middle School Community Service Project
In May, the Middle School SGA dropped off 15 birthday kits at the Baltimore Hunger Project. The preparation of these kits was a student-organized community service project. The kits will benefit individuals in the greater Baltimore community who aren't able to afford to celebrate their birthdays. We're very proud of our students for taking an interest in helping those in our local community.

Sixth Grade Echo Hill Trip
Our sixth grade enjoyed an incredible trip to Echo Hill Camp in April! From learning about the Chesapeake Bay, “scanoeing,” (swamp canoeing), trashology and aqualogy, to ziplining, a ropes course, and trust exercises, the students bravely stepped out of their comfort zones to try new things, challenge themselves and encourage and support their classmates as well!

Seventh Grade Trip to Carlisle Indian Industrial School
In April, our seventh grade historians toured the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, PA. Opened in 1879, more than 10,000 Native American students from 140 tribes attended the school until it closed in 1918. Our students saw firsthand examples and artifacts from a time when these Native American students were required to speak only English, practice Christianity, take on new names, and wear Euro-American clothing styles. This field trip supported the seventh grade theme of community and was an enlightening experience outside of the classroom, bringing together much of what they have learned in interdisciplinary English and history classes.

Seventh Grade Trip to Calleva
The Class of 2029 spent three days camping and exploring the great outdoors at Calleva Farms this April, where they bonded over exhilarating activities, including white water rafting, rock climbing, horseback riding, completing a ropes course and discovering fun things to do on Adventure Island. We are so proud of our seventh graders for trying new things, even when it was “in tents!”

Eighth Grade Capstone Projects
Twenty eighth graders presented their Capstone projects to friends, family, RPCS faculty and mentors this spring. This was the second year of the Eighth Grade Capstone Program, as part of The Gore Leadership Institute. An elective program, eighth graders participated in a work study project where they asked and investigated an essential question about a career field of interest, taking initiative with their learning process as they researched and analyzed information, and then shadowed or interviewed a mentor in that industry. Career fields ranged from medicine and finance to engineering, law and much more. A HUGE thank you to the incredible mentors who provided time during their workday to share their career experience with our students, to the dedicated parents who provided transportation to and from these experiences, and of course to Sarah Morehead Pope, 2006, who successfully led the program. We are so proud of these students and look forward to seeing what they will do in the Upper School next year! To see more photos, visit here. 

Eighth Grade Celebratory Dance
Many months of work paid off with the first ever Eighth Grade Celebratory Dance in April! Planned, organized and implemented solely by our eighth grade committee of students, the event was a huge success and a key initiative of this year’s Middle School Student Experience. From soliciting donations for snacks, finding a DJ (thanks, Mr. Harris!), and even bringing a 360 degree selfie stand, this red carpet event went off without a hitch. Congratulations, Class of 2028!

Upper School

US Community Service
In March, the entire Upper School participated in a Community Service Afternoon! Each student signed up to clean gardens, make sandwiches, organize clothing, pack bags, write notes, or make dog toys for one of many non-profit organizations. Hosted by the Community Service Association, with Mrs. Feiring leading the way, the students loved spending their time making a purposeful impact in our local community. 

NYC Power Lunch Trip
Our students in the Davidov Family Power Lunch Program traveled to New York City this past April to visit Bloomberg World Headquarters, J.P. Morgan , and Nasdaq. Students met with a variety of finance industry professionals—including the top female asset manager in the world— and received valuable advice on the paths to get there, how to deal with pressure and failure, and received insights into their student-managed portfolio. They kicked off their trip with a spirited Q&A session with Bloomberg's Tom Keene, and the trip culminated in a meeting with Nasdaq's CEO, RPCS alum Adena Friedman, 1987 and the opportunity to witness the closing bell ceremony. The Davidov Family Power Lunch is offered through the Gore Leadership Institute at RPCS.

Mock Trial team
The inaugural Upper School Mock Trial team ended their first season in a spectacular fashion. The team participated in the Empire Mock Trial Spring Leagues competition, which involved teams from all over the US, as well as a few international teams. They competed in four trials over the course of the weekend, winning twice. Individual RPCS students were recognized multiple times by the judges of each trial as outstanding attorneys or outstanding witnesses. Congratulations to the entire team!

Improv Seminar
Last month, the talented sophomores from the Improv leadership seminar put on an end-of-semester performance of fun and completely improvised games for an audience of classmates and faculty members. Alexis M., Hannah B., Ella G., Maddy F. and Lila F. used audience involvement to choose characters and themes for the Alphabet Game, Party Quirks, and the Entrances & Exits. The Improv through Listening and Empathy Seminar, one of the Advanced Topics in Leadership Seminars in The Gore Leadership Institute, teaches students to tap into their social, community-based instincts to listen, empathize, and cooperate with scene partners. Congratulations to the students on an impressive performance!

Ninth Grade Trip to Chesapeake Shakespeare Theater
Ninth graders took a field trip to the Chesapeake Shakespeare Theater to see their current production of “Romeo & Juliet.” Everyone had a really wonderful time, and the students particularly loved getting to meet the cast and visit backstage after the performance.

Smith Philanthropic Literacy Board
The Smith Philanthropic Literacy Board, part of The Gore Leadership Institute, presented their $5,000 grant to their chosen non-profit: Saint James Academy this past April. This group of 11th and 12th graders created a mission statement for this year, focusing on funding organizations that improve access to and quality of specialized education programs in Baltimore. They reviewed grant proposals and conducted site visits before determining who would win their annual $5,000 grant. The representatives of Saint James Academy were very grateful and excited to report back in a year on where the funds were given.

Biomedical Engineering Field Trip to Johns Hopkins University
In April, a group of RPCS STEM students visited the Biomedical Engineering design studio at Johns Hopkins University, led by studio director Dr. Elizabeth Logsdon, P’29, who is also an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies for Biomedical Engineering. Along with friends from the St. Paul's Schools, they learned about the various disciplines of the field, engaged with current students, and participated in a mini-design challenge. This visit complements Roland Park Country School’s Biomedical Engineering Innovation class, taught by Johns Hopkins instructors and taken on our campus.

Power Lunch Investment Pitches
Junior and sophomore members of the Davidov Power Lunch Program presented their investment pitches to members of the Davidov Family and the Board of Trustees Finance Committee in May. Each team presented their portfolio investment recommendations backed by data, statistics and research, resulting in $5,000 of the School’s endowment to be managed by the winning student team. Each team did a phenomenal job with their pitches and presentations! View more photos here. 

Senior Retreat
From archery and ax throwing, to a ropes course and paddle boarding, the senior retreat was a perfect getaway for our Class of 2024. The cabins at Camp Tockwogh were filled with laughter, joy and reflections as the seniors enjoyed their last outing as Roland Park Country School students.

ALL School

The Visual Arts Department ended the year with the All-School Art Exhibit from May 25 to May 13, featuring the work of students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Every student who took an art class this year had at least one piece in the exhibit. Three student pieces were selected for our permanent art collection this year: Bria Christian, 2024, for her digital photo, Braids; Willow Rodgers, 2028, for her oil pastel landscape, Nothing Gold Can Stay; and London Walters, 2031, for her mixed media piece from the Klimt/Madden "Girls of Power" unit.

Artist in Residence
In April, RPCS was thrilled to welcome multimedia paper cut artist Annie Howe as the CJC artist-in-residence. Annie took time to meet with art classes in all three divisions, working with our third and sixth graders, along with our ceramics and mixed media Upper School classes. Her inspirational time with our students culminated in assemblies for each division along with additional classroom visits.

 

LITTLE REDS

Little Reds Art Show
Little Reds put on a beautiful community art show this May! Every class proudly displayed their works of art for families and teachers to admire. It was a wonderful celebration of visual and performing arts, as everyone joined together on stage to sing songs at the end of the show. A huge thank you to our amazing Little Reds teachers for organizing such a special event.

Baltimore Museum of Art Guest Speaker
In April, our pre-k friends in Little Reds welcomed a special guest - a classmate's father who shared his knowledge of art and explained his work at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Mr. Jeff talked about his love and respect for Henri Matisse, an artist who used bamboo and charcoal to make some of his most famous pieces! The students took the bamboo and charcoal that Mr. Jeff brought and made their own pieces in the same style as Matisse! They had a lot of questions and really enjoyed this new morning activity!

Lower School

Kindergarten Stitching
Our kindergarteners created spring laurel leaves as part of their stitching class in art class.

Second Grade Figurative Drawing and Sculpture
The second grade studied the work of Alberto Giacometti as part of a unit on figurative drawing and sculpture. Students focused on gesture drawing to show elongation and movement in the human form, using one of their drawings to create the final sculpture. 

Third Grade Needle Felting
The third graders enjoyed trying their hand at needle felting as part of a unit.

Fourth Grade Ceramics
The fourth graders explored their creativity in their ceramics unit.

Dance End of the Year Celebration
The Roses, Rosebuds (first grade dancers), and Thornettes (fourth grade dancers) enjoyed an end of year celebration together. The dancers enjoyed popsicles on the front lawn and the Roses gave each of their younger dance partners a rose.

After School Music Program
Our Lower and Middle School students who participated in an after school music lesson program at RPCS had the opportunity to demonstrate their talents this spring. Performances on ukulele, guitar, piano and voice were showcased for family and friends in this end of year event. Congratulations to all of the performers! Interested in getting your child started with music lessons in the new school year? Click here for more information. 

Lower School Spring Concert
In May, the Lower School students took the stage for their annual Lower School Spring Concert, followed by the Maypole Dance in the gym. The dancing, singing and playing of musical instruments came together to make a beautiful and fun show for families and friends! To see more photos click here.

Middle SCHOOL 

Middle School Spring Concert
Congratulations to our Middle School students and performing arts faculty on a fantastic Spring Concert this May! From singing and dancing, to skits, pantomimes and handbell performances, the students’ hard work, talent, joy and energy were on full display, capping off a wonderful semester and year of Middle School performing arts! See all photos from the concert here.

 

UPPER SCHOOL 

Art Awards
Congratulations to the 14 students who were recognized in the 2024 Art Awards ceremony this past April! These seniors and juniors have demonstrated incredible talent in the art form that they chose to pursue, as well as a continual love and appreciation for the arts community at RPCS. Our teachers, along with the entire RPCS community, are so proud of all that they have accomplished, both as artists and innovative thinkers. Congratulations to the following members of the Class of 2024 and 2025:

• Golden Shoe Award: Sasha Godin & Maya Vitberg 
• Outstanding Choreography Award: Ava Lamont & Kaitlyn Rochlin
• Arion Music Award: Laila Carroll, Alli Craig, and Maggie Mazzulli 
• Outstanding Service Award for Technical Theatre: Lily High
• Outstanding Contribution to Theatre Arts at RPCS: Lorelei Barganski
• Senior Performing Arts Award: Lucy Richardson
• Focused Vision Award: Laila Carroll 
• Golden Brush Award: Rachel Cohen
• Bright Idea Award: Clara Adams 
• Artist-in-Flux Award: Jasper Perez
• Innovative Design Award: Najah Williams

Arts Certificate of Distinction Presentation
Congratulations to the seven seniors who were honored in our Arts Certificate of Distinction presentation this past May. This certificate is awarded in conjunction with an RPCS diploma and is earned by RPCS students whose advanced studies in the arts have demonstrated a high quality, pre-professional level of work and a continued passion for the performing or visual arts. The ceremony featured each student who discussed their focus and then showcased either their visual art pieces or performed on stage. We congratulate the following seniors on this impressive accomplishment: (from left to right) Maya Vitberg, Ava Lamont, Rachel Cohen, Kaitlyn Rochlin, Laila Carroll, Lucy Richardson, and Clara Adams. To see all of the photos click here.  

Upper School Spring Choral Concert
Congratulations to the performing arts department on a stunning Upper School Spring Choral Concert this past April! The show featured outstanding performances by the Semiquavers, Somettos, and Upper School Chorus with combined pieces that also featured our kindergarten singers! Students performed solos and members from the Class of 2024 were recognized on stage after a special Senior Semis song, “Vienna.” It was a truly extraordinary show. See photos from the event here.

Upper School Spring Dance Concert
A huge congratulations to all of our performing artists who danced in the Upper School Spring Dance Concert this past April! The show featured performances by The Roses Repertory Dance Company, Advanced Studio Dance, Hip Hop Squad, Studio Dance class students, and our annual combined performance of the Roses and Thornettes (4th grade dancers) along with beautiful, student choreographed senior solos and duets. To see all of the photos from this event, click here. 

Semi’s Celebrate 70th Anniversary
The Semis enjoyed a 70th anniversary celebration during Alumnae Weekend in April. Led by Doug Forbes, HA and Lisa Diver, 2066, Middle School and Upper School Music teacher, the group sang and enjoyed cake together.

Footlights Theatre Ensemble Presented “Tales of Friendships Gone Wrong”
Footlights Theatre Ensemble and friends put together a fresh and fun performance event, The show, “Tales of Friendships Gone Wrong,” featured original pieces by the FTE team and then dramatic reenactments of viral monologues from TikTok, Reddit, and Instagram. The performance was conceived and devised during FTEs class time and rehearsed after school. Thank you to all of the friends and family members who attended, and to everyone on stage and behind the scenes who helped make this performance happen.

Roses and Semis Swap Day
The Roses and Semis enjoyed a swap day where the Semis took a mini dance class and learned a piece of a recent Roses dance and the Roses participated in a mini music class and learned part of a recent Semis song. They then performed for each other what they learned and then they performed together. It was a wonderful collaboration!

Semiquavers Sing National Anthem at Camden Yards
This spring, the Semiquavers sang the National Anthem at Camden Yards to a huge audience of Orioles and Yankees fans. This year featured a special component, as the group was allowed access to the media room before singing, an area that has been closed to them since pre-COVID. A huge thank you to the Semiquavers director, Lisa Diver, 2006 for organizing this fun annual event not only for the singers, but for the entire RPCS community to come and cheer them on!

AP Art Reception
April’s AP Art Reception was truly a spectacular showcase of our students’ talents. AP Art and Design students in the Upper School shared their outstanding work with the community, sharing insights into their paintings, drawings, mixed media work, photography, ceramics, and digital imaging pieces they have been working on this year. Thank you to everyone who came and for your support of our student artists!

 

Little Reds

Little Reds Valentine’s Day Pancake Breakfast
With a special and delicious pancake breakfast for Little Reds and a special playground serenade from the Semiquavers, love was in the air for our littlest learners on Valentine’s Day! Our Little Reds classes also put on a performance for their parents and teachers, warming everyone’s hearts on a cold morning!

Lower School

Kindergarten Field Trip to WJZ-TV
To complete their weather and meteorology unit, last week our kindergarteners enjoyed touring WJZ-TV and were treated to a behind the scenes tour to see the different aspects of a news station! They peeked into the control room, checked out the broadcasting tower, saw a smaller news set where they learned how a teleprompter worked, then went into the main station area where they met morning news anchor Sina Gebre-Ab and meteorologist Meg McNamara! The girls loved seeing the robotic cameras and stepping in front of a real green screen! Students were overheard saying: "This was the best day ever!" and "This was the best day of my whole life.”

Ms. Diane Hutchins Visits First Grade
Ms. Diane Hutchins, 1972 visited with the first grade class at the beginning of the school year to share her experience as one of the first Black students to desegregate RPCS. Ms. Hutchins visited as part of the girls' unit on The Past, Present and Future of RPCS. She walked them through yearbooks, told first person accounts, and gladly answered questions. Some of the girls pointed out that they recognized her from the DEI Suite, which is named in her honor. Thank you, Ms. Hutchins, for sharing your experience with this younger generation.

Grades 2 and 4 Celebrate Chinese New Year
To celebrate the Chinese New Year last month, the second and fourth graders presented projects they have been working on in Chinese class in a Lower School morning meeting. The second graders showed their Jianzhi, or paper cuttings, which is one of the most popular folk arts in China. The fourth graders performed a beautiful bamboo dance for everyone. Mrs. Lee, Lower School Chinese Teacher, finished the presentation by discussing traditions for the New Year in China, and talked a bit about the significance of it being the year of the dragon! 

Third Grade Trip to Maryland Center for History and Culture
In January, the third graders traveled to the Maryland Center for History and Culture. Students examined artifacts and maps, wrote with quills, and discussed the different types of people who settled in Maryland. Learning about the history of Maryland was a part of the girls' current social studies unit, the Maryland Colony. The students were very engaged, asking questions and excited to see the exhibits.

Fifth Grade Trip to Annapolis
Last month, our fifth graders had an exciting and empowering day as they traveled to Annapolis to speak to district senators and delegates about the important issues they extensively researched to advocate for change. They enjoyed a tour of the Maryland State House and were invited to the gallery while the House and Senate were in session to see the process of voting on bills. This interdisciplinary unit, which incorporated social studies, STEAM, and literacy, was well worth the tremendous effort and this culminating day at our state's capital!

Middle School 

Model United Nations Summit
In January, 18 Middle School students represented 18 countries at a Model United Nations Summit in Hershey, PA. Each student researched their country and debated two real world problems: food insecurity and nutrition and combating misinformation. Delegates collaborated with other countries on solutions they then wrote, defended, and voted on in the envoy room. We are so proud of our delegates for taking a seat at the table and leading for the greater good!

The Jean Waller Brune Middle School Spelling Bee
Beginning with 12 contestants and 7 rounds, Arianna C., 2028 was crowned the 2024 champion of The Jean Waller Brune Middle School Spelling Bee this winter! Congratulations also goes to the Reserve Champion (second place winner) of the Spelling Bee – Lina C. 2029! We are so proud of all of the students who participated and wish the best of luck to Arianna and Lina in their next spelling bee journey at the regional level later this spring!

Middle School Visits the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Last month, the entire Middle School traveled to the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall to attend Jazzing the Symphony, one of Meyerhoff’s Midweek Concert Series offerings. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s Midweek Concert Series is not only the longest running education initiative at the BSO, but the first regular educational concert series of any orchestra in the country. The Middle School students and faculty were able to attend this performance from the generous donation from an anonymous donor. The students had a spectacular time and were terrific ambassadors for RPCS.

Eighth Grade Trip to United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
As a culmination of the interdisciplinary Holocaust unit, eighth graders traveled to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. in January. Students were asked to think deeply about how a national monument or a museum remembers a tragic past and were truly impacted by what they learned. In addition to going to the museum, the class also made a local stop at the Baltimore Holocaust Memorial on Lombard Street. Students reflected on the symbolism and the location of this memorial.

Upper School

Ivy League Model United Nations Conference
In January, more than 60 Upper School students traveled to Philadelphia for the Ivy League Model United Nations Conference, hosted at the University of Pennsylvania. Within three full days of 15+ hour sessions, our students worked on important, relevant discussions on trade disputes, hunger and poverty, resource disagreements, human rights violations, global warming, nuclear disarmament and international security, public health, and more. Each student represented a country delegation. On multiple occasions, our students stepped up to speak to the entire session to discuss, debate and negotiate issues and resolutions for their country. It was clear that all of our students were earnest and thoughtful in their work over this long weekend. We are so proud of how they represented themselves and the RPCS community.

Gore Leadership Institute Investing Seminar
Is it possible to be a socially responsible investor and beat the market? Upper School students taking an investing seminar within the Gore Leadership Institute spent last semester investigating this question and shared their culminating presentations in January. Teams of 10th and 11th grade students presented their mock investment portfolios and shared details, including gains or losses over the semester, and forecasts for the next 12 months for each company in their portfolios. Congratulations to our socially responsible investors on a successful semester!

World Language Certificate Presentations
Congratulations to five of our seniors on their World Language Certificate presentations in January. These seniors completed at least six credits in two different languages and presented on a topic of their choosing in both languages. Not only were family and friends present for these presentations, but their world language teachers and RPCS leadership and faculty members also attended. Congratulations to Nikki B. (French and Spanish) on her presentation about how she learned rules for traditional games in Spanish and French and taught them to a Lower School P.E. class, Kalli M. (Latin and French) on her comparative analysis of the Roman Republic and French Republic, Daniela R. (Spanish and Russian) on her presentation on first person immigrant experiences, Anamika G. (Latin and French) on her presentation on the influence of Roman art techniques and mythology on paintings in Versailles, and Lucy R. (French and Arabic) on her presentation analyzing French and Egyptian films.

Mock Trial Team Celebrates a Win!
Congratulations to the inaugural RPCS Mock Trial team on their win last week! This new program exists thanks to the initiative of Kalli M., 2024. Shout outs to Kalli, Charlotte G., 2026 and Cate R., 2024 for their excellent lawyering, to Lorelei B., 2024, Kallie L., 2024, Claire B., 2025, and Julia F., 2026 for their clever and convincing performances as witnesses, and to Jenny J., 2024 for her dedication as bailiff and for her communication with the presiding judges.

Asian Student Alliance (ASA) Lunar New Year Celebration
Last month, the Upper School Asian Student Alliance (ASA) hosted a Lunar New Year Celebration! In 2024, the Lunar New Year welcomes in the year of the dragon. The dragon is one of the most revered zodiac signs in Chinese culture. Lower, Middle and Upper School students enjoyed fun activities, great food and community.

Health Fair and Wellness Week
As part of the Upper School's celebration of Wellness Week, students organized and attended an annual Health Fair last week! They enjoyed manicures and lemon peppermint sticks, received stickers and notebooks, and had the opportunity to play Dance Dance Revolution, make bracelets, play spike ball, cuddle with pups, and more! Thank you to the Student Wellness Organization for putting together such an important event for the Upper Schoolers.

Lower School

There were two great projects this winter in second grade art: Louise Nevelson assemblages and Alpana designs. Both projects take a closer look at art produced by women. Louise Nevelson was a world renowned sculptor and Alpanas are an art form practiced by Bengali women artisans. Students created abstract sculptures using found objects arranged in interesting ways. Each student then painted their sculpture with one color, the monochromatic element emphasizes the compositions. The next project focused on an art form called Alpanas, which incorporates repeating patterns in decorative radial designs. Each student drew a different design and painted with white acrylic paint on black paper. Focus art skills included; line, patterns, radial symmetry, and good brush control. 

 

Middle and upper School

The AP art show will be installed on March 27 and will run through April 21, so please mark your calendars. We are also looking forward to local papercut Artist Annie Howe as our Artist-in-Residence this April! 

Little Reds

Little Reds Turkey Trot

Our Little Reds friends gobbled and wobbled down the Backwoods during our third annual Turkey Trot! Fast feet and happy faces bounded down and around in a celebration of Thanksgiving and friendship in the Little Reds community. The kindergarten classes and some older REDS also made an appearance with homemade signs to cheer on the little ones during their run, bringing multiple divisions of RPCS together.

Lower School

Kindergarten Safari

Second Grade Field Trip to Walters Art Museum
The second graders visited the Walters Art Museum to experience The Ancient World exhibit, which focused on Egyptian culture. This field trip aligned with their cross-curricular work across social studies, literacy and art. The girls were very interested in the cartouches and hieroglyphics, with other highlights including the human mummy named Merri and the cat mummy.

Fashion Project in Third Grade
The Upper School fashion design students visited third grade to get some inspiration from their home project for The Hundred Dresses. The class was tasked with designing the perfect dress for themselves, including creating an actual dress, making a poster of the dress, creating a puppet of themselves with the dress, or a creative idea of their own. The third graders loved showing off their creative designs to the Upper Schoolers!

Harvest Feast
The third graders invited their fifth grade friends to participate in their autumn harvest feast! This beloved fall event featured food that the girls had harvested from our own gardens and then cooked themselves.

Dia de los Muertos
Students in grades 4-12 were invited to a Dia de los Muertos celebration, hosted by the Hispanic/Latine Student Alliance! Students and faculty learned more about The Day of the Dead, engaged in coloring and painting, danced to music and enjoyed authentic Hispanic snacks!

Fifth Grade Overnight Retreat
The fifth grade had an unforgettable experience at their overnight camping trip at Genesee Valley this fall! The girls enjoyed pitching their own tents, cooking outside, making s'mores around the campfire, participating in high-adventure outdoor activities such as the zipline and rope course, and more!

Middle School 

Red and White Spirit and the RPCS Cup

Eighth Grade Astronomy: Out of This World!
This fall, our eighth grade astronomers made models to show the relative distance in the solar system, specifically looking at the distance between the planets and the sun. To do so, they hung signs around the Middle School hallways and used sidewalk chalk to show the distances.

American Indian Heritage Month
In honor of American Indian Heritage Month, the Middle School welcomed Louis Campbell of the Lumbee and Blackfoot tribes and Keith Colston of the Tuscarora and Lumbee tribes to RPCS today. Mr. Campbell, a Northern Traditional dancer and instructor at the Baltimore American Indian Center, performed traditional dances while Mr. Colston described the movements and themes behind the dances. They also discussed the regalia worn by Mr. Campbell and when it is appropriate to wear certain items. They even brought up Middle School volunteers for a traditional social dance! The girls enjoyed the entire presentation and had the chance to ask both guests questions afterward.

Upper School

Grade Level Retreats

Earlier this fall, our freshman class made lasting memories during their ninth grade retreat to Sandy Hill Camp & Retreat Center. The students got to know each other better and bonded over fun team activities, including a ropes/challenge course, kayaking and kickball. The Class of 2026 had a great time during their 10^th grade retreat at Gretna Glen Camp & Retreat Center where the girls completed hikes, environmental learning, outdoor activities, and advisory bonding activities, such as making banners and friendship bracelets and eating s'mores around the campfire. Our juniors took Washington, D.C. by storm with each advisory choosing their own adventure. The entire class went to the National Museum of African American History and Culture as well as the Lincoln Memorial, then separated to explore other museums and other historic landmarks, such as The Vietnam Memorial, National Portrait Gallery, Library of Congress, and more.

The Inclusive Excellence Leadership Program (IELP)
Every other month, Upper School students in the Inclusive Excellence Leadership Program (IELP) will lead open and informed discussions on DEI initiatives and have open conversations with all members of the Upper School. For the first meeting of the year, the students led icebreaker activities and broke into small groups to discuss names and the identity associated with those names. It was an incredibly well received event, with seniors getting to know freshmen, classmates learning more about their peers, and our IELP students truly learning how to lead in a group setting.

Sunscreen in STEM
Upper School students in the Material Science and Engineering STEM Class began working on their first big project of the year. The students collaborate in groups to create their own sunscreen, from choosing the chemicals in the formula to evaluating the sustainability of the packaging materials. In this first class, the students performed LD50 testing to measure the toxicity of their chemicals on E.coli, creating a testing experience analogous to first steps that might be followed by scientists during cosmetic testing.

This fall in Visual Arts, our first graders focused on drawing themselves using observational and proportional drawing techniques. They were encouraged to include specific character details and background illustrations and watercolor and wax resist was used for dramatic color effect.

Third grade students created floral art inspired by their study of Georgia O’Keeffe. And second graders created beautiful painted and dotted pumpkins inspired by the art of Yayoi Kusama. Their focus was on accurate drawing, good brush control and use of color and pattern. Lots of dots and lots of fun! 

 

In Performing Arts, the students are working hard to prepare for the Lower School Winter Concert, which will be held on Friday, December 1 at 1 p.m.!

 Middle and upper School

Dance Highlights in the Middle and Upper School
The Middle and Upper School students have had a few exciting dance and other performing arts events this fall, which kicked off with the Roses, Semiquavers and Footlights Theatre Ensemble (FTE) performing in the beloved Opening Day Convocation!

Artist-in-Residence Devon Wallace is choreographing and teaching the Roses a dance piece that shows the evolution of Hip Hop. He also led a class for the Semis and two classes with 8th grade dancers and 8th grade singers.

This year, there are 33 dancers in the Middle School Dance Company and they will perform in the Middle School Winter Concert on Thursday, January 18 at 2:30 p.m. On Halloween, they joined one section of the Roses’ dance performance for the Lower and Middle School! 

The Roses also performed their annual Halloween dance at an Upper School meeting, with the Upper School faculty joining in for one section. Finally, the Roses went to Calvert School this fall to teach a dance lesson. This was part of Calvert's mini week and they taught the Performing Arts mini week group.

A Spooktacular Haunted Trail
This fall, Upper School students worked diligently to create an interactive scene-by-scene walking Haunted Trail show narrative in the RPCS Backwoods to kick off Halloween celebrations on campus. It was a sold-out event and a spooktacular hit!

Students Artists Visit NYC
The AP and advanced art and photo classes took a day trip to New York City to visit the MOMA and Chelsea galleries.

Little Reds

Second Annual Field Day

Lower School

First Grade Mock Debate

Fourth Grade Talent Show

Middle School 

Sixth Grade Echo Hill Camping Trip

Eighth Grade Social Justice Journey

Upper School

REDS in Morocco

The Smith Philanthropic Literacy Board

This year’s All-School Art Show was a highlight of the spring, with beautiful artwork from students in kindergarten through 12^th grade. The exhibit highlighted the creativity, imagination, flexible thinking and craftsmanship of our student artists!

Little reds

In May, Little Reds welcome their entire community for an Art Show! Every class proudly displayed their works of art for families and teachers to admire.

Lower School

First Grade Creative Bird Study
This spring, our first graders were fully immersed in the study of birds. The girls created a combination of torn collage and painted bird collage, inspired by Eric Carle and Charley Harper. Students focused on collating a background using only torn construction paper, then looked at Eric Carle’s process of painting paper for emphasis on texture and pattern. Our budding artists completely involved themselves through creativity in the study of birds and took their comprehension to the next level.

 

Third Grade Flower Votives

 

Fifth Grade Split Portraits

 Middle School

Eighth Graders Take NYC
This past May, eighth grade students taking Art of the Musical traveled to New York City to see a spectacular production of &Juliet. They also enjoyed the trip's traditional lunch at Carmine's and shopping in Times Square!

 

Upper School

AP Art Show

• Golden Shoe Award: Samiyah Norris
• Outstanding Choreography Award: Blessing Darden and Makenzie Pridgen
• Arion Music Award: Alison Ferraro and Lily Malkus
• Outstanding Service Award for Technical Theater: Dani Roberts
• Outstanding Contribution to Theatre Arts at RPCS: Lily Malkus
• Senior Performing Arts Award: Alayna Nwadike
• Artist-in-Flux Award: Lucy Steele
• Focused Vision Award: Alayna Nwadike
• Golden Brush Award: Kendall Brown
• Bright Idea Award: Mo’Riyah Johnson
• Innovative Design Award: Percival Koontz

Spring Dance Concert

Spring Choral Concert

Cross-Divisional  

Upper School 

Middle School 

 

The Jean Waller Brune Middle School Spelling Bee Results 

After nine contestants and 33 rounds, Eliana H., 2028 was crowned the 2023 champion of The Jean Waller Brune Middle School Spelling Bee! Her winning word was “quibble”: a slight objection or criticism about a trivial matter. A round of applause also goes out to the Reserve Champion (second place winner) of the Spelling Bee – Morgen K., 2027! We are so proud of all of the students who participated and wish the best of luck to Eliana and Morgen in their next spelling bee journey at the state level! View pictures here!

 

Celebrating Dr.King’s Legacy in Middle School 

In a Middle School morning meeting this past January, Director of Student Belonging and Inclusive Excellence Ms. Mercado shared lesser known facts about Dr. King in a presentation called “The Real MLK” and urged students to find and reflect on a speech or writing of his that they were unfamiliar with to better understand his beliefs. The call-to-action was completed in advisory the following week. 

 

Middle School Model UN Conference

Fifteen Middle Schoolers participated in the first ever Middle School Model UN Conference, held in Hershey, PA this past January! With students from all over the country, this was an amazing experience for our Middle Schoolers, who were assigned cases and represented different countries in those cases. These cases, along with the debate sessions and presenting their findings, seemed to be the favorite activity – other than bonding with friends at the hotel! Thank you Ms. Hoffman and Ms. Conny for making this trip happen!

 

Middle School Student Diversity Association Donation Drive 

Our Middle School’s Student Diversity Association held a donation drive in support of the non-profit organization called I Support The Girls. With enthusiastic student participation, the SDA collected six boxes of essential menstrual hygiene products for women experiencing homelessness, impoverishment or distress. A big thanks to Olivia C., president of the SDA and student representatives Lucia P. and Nori C. for leading this important initiative!

 

Teach the Teacher Day with the Middle School Squash Team 

The Middle School squash team taught some of the Middle School teachers how to play squash in their annual “Teach the Teacher” Day! Everyone had an amazing time and some of the teachers showed real potential!

 

Interdisciplinary Unit on the Holocaust: Special Presentation and Field Trip

In January, our eighth grade attended a presentation about the Holocaust with special guest speaker Mr. Aaron Goldman, Gilman School Upper School Dean of Students and father of an RPCS Upper Schooler. Mr. Goldman’s unique and thought provoking presentation highlighted how the American Jim Crow and segregation laws, along with colonization from other world leaders such as Spain and England, were contributing factors into Hitler’s two-pronged war that focused both on Judaism and expansion. This presentation was part of the 8th graders’ curriculum on the Holocaust and also included a trip to the Holocaust Museum in D.C. in February. Through interdisciplinary lessons on World War II and the Holocaust in their history and English classes, the focus was on the idea that the Holocaust did not begin with killing, but with words. On the way home, they stopped at the Baltimore Holocaust Memorial as well.

Lower School 

Little Reds 

Little Reds Valentine’s Day Pancake Breakfast 

We love our Little Reds! To kick off the Valentine's Day celebrations, Little Reds hosted a family breakfast. It was so nice to have all of our friends and family on campus for this fun celebration. After a delicious pancake breakfast, our Little Reds classes performed for the adults and then were serenaded by the Semiquavers! Check out the photos here.

 

Handmade Dumplings with Ms.Kang

To celebrate the Lunar New Year this past January, Upper School Chinese teacher Ling En Kang visited some of our friends in Little Reds and made dumplings! The students rolled the dough, stuffed the filling and pinched the dumplings closed. They were able to watch Ms. Kang cook them right in the classroom and they all enjoyed this fun, delicious treat!

 

Dragon Parade for Lunar New Year 

Our friends in the Tiger Lily and Poppy classrooms from Little Reds celebrated the Lunar New Year with a dragon parade! The Tiger Lily room made the dragon, while the Poppy class played the music. Friends from first grade and Upper School lined the halls to watch and cheer on the parade.

 

Lower School

Lower School Winter Concert 

On December 2, our Lower School performed a beautiful winter concert. The playing of multiple instruments, singing and dancing performances were truly spectacular. Check out photos of the concert here and recording of the concert here. 

 

Please save the date for our Lower School Spring Concert on Friday, May 5, 2023 at 10 a.m.!

 

Kindergarten and Third Grade Visits to BMA

The kindergarten class visited the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) this past winter! Their unit focused on a  painting project that highlighted Monet's waterlilies and garden (see example to the left), so it was a delight for the students to view two Monets in person at the BMA. The tour, led by art teacher Ms. McAslan also focused on Matisse paintings and use of color and pattern.Then, last month Mrs. McAslan also took the third grade students to the BMA. Students visited the Cone Collection as part of their study of Henri Matisse in art class and had a terrific time seeing the art in person!

 

 

Kindergarten Self-Portrait Collage

This winter, our kindergarteners created collage and oil pain mixed media portraits in art class. The portraits focused on observation drawing, fine motor skills with tearing paper to create hair, and fabric cutting to make clothes.

 

 

 

 

Senior First Grade Architectural Paintings

Senior First students were posed with the problem: how can you paint a picture with just one color? The students then learned about how to mix tints and shades, and how to make a value chart. Each student chose a color then gradually added white to make a very light tint of that color, then they gradually added black to make a darker shade of that color. After painting a value scale, the students then used that color for their monochromatic buildings as part of their study of architecture. Each student painted a house, famous landmark, or original structure using their color and at least one shade and one tint of that color. 

 

 

 

 

Second Grade Visit to the Walters Art Museum 

In January, the second graders visited the Walters Art Museum to experience The Ancient World exhibit, focusing on Egyptian culture. This field trip aligns with their cross-curricular work across social studies, literacy and art. Students said the highlight of the trip was seeing the Stele of Tembu up close – this artifact is over 3,000 years old, and still has some of the original color from when it was first made! Other highlights included the human mummy named Merri and the cat mummy. 

 

 

 

Fourth Grade Maryland SPCA Project 

In January, the fourth graders worked on a community art project for the Maryland SPCA. These talented students put their artistic skills to work for a very worthy cause: helping homeless dogs and cats at the shelter find their forever homes. Students drew a dog or cat using skills of observation, visual texture, color, composition, and design of imaginative backgrounds. Each original piece of art will be available for digital download or direct purchase from the Kindness for Paws Art Show, to be held this May. The student or students with the most digital downloads will win best in show. Last year, we had four students from RPCS win Best in Show!

 

 

Middle School

Middle School Winter Concert 

On January 6, the Middle School Winter Concert showcased students’ impressive artistic abilities. Students recited poems from memory and performed in instrumental, choral and dance numbers. Check out photos here and the video performance here!

 

Save the date for our Middle School Spring Concert on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 2:30 p.m.!

 

Middle School Art Club 

The Middle School Art Club was started by the request of many students! The club has 20 students strong! The club started the semester by personalizing tote bags and the next project will involve acrylic painting on canvas. We are excited to have this new addition to our Middle School.

 

Sixth Grade Ceramic Masks

After viewing and discussing masks from around the world and from different points in history, our sixth grade artists designed and created their own ceramic masks. Their masks depict an imaginary person or creature that they might meet in a dream.

 

 

 

Upper School 

Upcoming AP Art Show Starting March 30

Come and experience the AP Art Show featuring student artists in Studio Art, Photography and Ceramics from March 30 through April 24 in The Knott Lobby. There will be a special reception for family and friends on Tuesday, April 18 from 4-5 p.m.

 

Upper School Winter Dance Concert 

Congratulations to our Upper School students on an amazing winter dance concert on January 13! The audience was wowed by our Studio Dance class, Advanced Studio Dance class, the Roses, and even our Rosebuds (first grade dancers) who performed in their annual partnership with the Roses. The senior solos were breathtaking! Check out photos here and the entire video performance here.

 

Save the Date for Upper School Spring Concerts

Please save the dates for our Upper School Spring Choral Concert on Thursday, April 20, 2023 at 7 p.m. and our Upper School Spring Dance Concert on Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 7 p.m.

 

Semiquavers Spreading Holiday Cheer

The Semiquavers, our auditioned singing ensemble, went caroling throughout the community to spread holiday cheer last December! They visited two retirement communities, as well as Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital. At the retirement communities, the girls had the opportunity to meet several alums, including previous teachers and former Semis! At Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital, they performed for both inpatient and outpatient audiences and dropped off nearly 300 toys donated by the Upper School, a charity effort led by the CSA and Spirit Committee. The visits meant so much to so many people and we are grateful for the opportunity to once again make spirits bright after a two year hiatus!

 

Senior Aylin Metzel’s Artwork Selected for The National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition

Congratulations to RPCS senior Aylin M., whose ceramic piece, Closed Circuit, has been selected for The National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition at the National Council for Education in the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) Conference this month! The exhibition will run from March 15-17 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Aylin’s ceramic piece was selected among 1,317 entries for this year’s exhibition. Congrats Aylin on this achievement!

 

Semis Valentine’s Day Serenades

We love our Semiquavers! The annual tradition of serenades for Valentine's Day continued this year. The Semis went all over the school and even across the bridge to serenade students and faculty. The recipient responses ranged from happy to embarrassed, but they always finished with a smile. 

 

Regional Scholastic Art Awards 2023

The Regional Scholastic Art Awards results are in, and three RPCS students earned coveted awards! Congratulations to Rebecca S., 2024 on her Honorable Mention for her painting Mixed ; Laila C., 2024 on her Honorable Mention for her photograph The Tears of Silence; and Bria C., 2024 who earned a Gold Key award for her photograph Stalked (all pictured left to right in order). As a Gold Key recipient, her piece will go on to be judged at the national level. The three pieces were chosen out of 4,200 pieces submitted by 1,600 creative teens across the state. 

 

 

 

Upper School

Summer Showcase Presentations 

Our annual Summer Showcase this fall featured presentations about our Upper Schoolers’ recent internships, Capstone Fellowships and STEM Fellowships. This year, 38 seniors pursued a summer internship or fellowship – the largest participation to date of any senior class! Keynote speakers included Isabelle Z. who completed a Gore Leadership Institute Capstone Fellowship with The Clinic and MZ Skin with Dr. Maryam Zamani, 1992 in London; Kendall B., on her Gore Leadership Institute Summer Internship with Realty One Group Excellence with David Pridgen, P’23, P’25; and Susan N., on her Holliday Heine STEM Institute Fellowship at the Space Telescope Science Institute with Dr. Suvi Gezari, P’34. The other student presentations were equally impressive and included real-world experiences in a wide range of professional fields, from interior design and investment banking to ophthalmology and environmental science. Congratulations to our students for exploring possible professional journeys and thank you to all the mentors who made these valuable opportunities possible! Check here for photos from the event!

 

Student Leadership Workshop with keynote speaker, Sydnee Wilson Ruff, 2004

At the beginning of the school year, Upper School student leaders met for a student leadership workshop. During this workshop, they learned integral skills on how to be an impactful leader and heard from Sydnee Wilson Ruff, 2004 on being a leader in high school, college and in the workforce. The students had a great time brainstorming how to deal with different scenarios and working together to come up with solutions.

 

Senior Dinner

 

Head of School Mrs. Blatti hosted a special senior dinner for the Class of 2023 to kick off the school year. This event provided the students time to connect with each other as well as their advisors after the summer and celebrate their last first day of school at RPCS! Check out photos here from the special event!

 

Upper School Grade Level Retreats

Our Upper School students participated in grade level retreats that focused on team building and class goals for the year! Our ninth graders enjoyed the great outdoors at Camp Pecometh, where they participated in a ropes course, wrote letters to their senior self, played volleyball and decided on their official class color, light blue! The 10th graders also took on the great outdoors at Camp Louise, where they had a cookie baking competition, made banners and s’mores, and had a friendly advisory song competition that was filled with lots of laughter and joy. Lastly, our 11th graders visited our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., where each advisory group toured one of many Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of African American History, and walked the National Mall to see national monuments. It was a great week for our Upper School students to reconnect with one another and to lay the groundwork for a successful year!

 

Biomedical Engineering Class Visits Johns Hopkins

The Biomedical Engineering Innovation class visited Johns Hopkins University earlir this fall. They received a tour of the Robotorium, where they heard about the different projects being performed in the lab and the latest robotics research. The students were also officially introduced to the da Vinci robot and had the chance to test it out! The day ended with a tour of JHU’s campus. This trip supplements the work that the students are doing in their virtual college credit course, which is led by Johns Hopkins.

 

Tenth Grades Explores Finance at J.P. Morgan with Liz Lenrow, 2006

This fall, the 10^th grade Gore Leadership Institute students visited JP Morgan Private Bank for lunch and a peek into the financial world. The girls met with RPCS alumna Liz Lenrow, 2006 and RPCS parent Doug Holthaus, P’26, along with Tawanna Browne Smith, Adam Davis and Gavin Barger. Together, they reviewed key investment themes, including understanding client goals and maintaining a long-term mindset, as well as some wealth management and market fundamentals. A huge thank you to Liz and Doug for hosting this event and allowing our girls the opportunity to gain real-world insight into the world of finance.

 

Upper School Students Attends Leaders on Leadership Breakfast 

Earlier this month, Elisha James, Director of K-12 Student Life & Engagement, and five of our Upper School students attended the Leaders on Leadership Breakfast in downtown Baltimore, sponsored by B.E.S.T. (Baltimore Education Scholarship Trust). Our student scholars had the opportunity to hear from a few speakers including B.E.S.T. alumna Cinneah El – Amin, a Technical Product Manager at PayPal. Cinneah encouraged the audience to LEAD: listen to your inner voice, excel when there are no expectations to do so, aim and focus and do the things others are not doing. Her message was powerful and resonated with our students and everyone in attendance. Thank you to the organizers at B.E.S.T. for encouraging, empowering, and elevating our students!

Middle School 

Red vs. White Spirit Games 

During the first week of school, the Middle School held their annual Red vs. White games to announce which team the new students would join. These teams are used throughout the year as a way for girls in different grades to get to know one another and bond through in-house competitions such as dodgeball, field day and more!

 

Middle School Dance Company 

For the first time in three years and in another example of a return to normalcy, the Middle School Dance Company was formed! This new group of 22 dancers will perform in the Winter Concert and other venues to showcase their skills. We’re thrilled that Roses Co-Presidents, and former MS Dance Company members, were able to join us in the courtyard earlier this fall to celebrate!

 

Seventh Grade Retreat to Calleva

The Class of 2028 ventured to Calleva this past September, where they took time to bond and experience outdoor activities such as paddle boarding, ziplining and a ropes course. The girls had an amazing time and were so excited to experience this annual class event for the seventh grade!

 

Eighth Grade Science Studies Evolutionary History

As part of their evolutionary history unit this fall, students from Ms. Fowler’s 8th grade science class learned about speciation, natural selection, and the time periods when species formed. They looked at species from the first single-celled organism to dinosaurs, all the way up to the first humans. To understand the scale of billions and millions of years, they went outside and set up a timeline on the soccer field. They all stood at a spot marking when their assigned species was founded with every yard representing 15 million years. They realized that only the space in between the first few girls represented all modern life. According to the students, “that’s crazy!”

 

Paleontologist Don Lofgren Speaks to Eighth Grade Science Class

Retired paleontologist Don Lofgren visited our eighth grade science classes earlier this month to discuss fossils and paleontology to supplement their unit on evolutionary history. He spoke about his digs all over the United States and parts of Asia and provided actual bones to pass around class. Thank you, Dr. Lofgren, for sharing your experiences – and discoveries! – with our students.

 

Middle and Upper School Supports Baltimore Hunger Project 

Thank you to all who donated to the MS/US Thanksgiving Food Drive to support The Baltimore Hunger Project. We reached our goal and filled 20 meal bags that will feed 20 families this Thanksgiving! Thank you also to the students who helped organize and assemble the meal bags this afternoon! When we all pitch in, we can make a big difference in the lives of others. The bags were delivered to the Baltimore Hunger Project the week before Thanksgiving.

 

Lower School 

Little Reds 

Little Reds Peace Pole Dedication 

This fall, our Little Reds community came together for a special dedication ceremony of a new peace pole on campus in honor of a beloved Little Reds teacher, Ms. Tishea Taylor, who passed away last year. Early Childhood Coordinator Alice Wetzel and parent Alli Weir shared remarks about the impact Tishea had in our Little Reds community. “She is our guardian angel and her presence lives within our daughter Sophia every day,” said Alli, who spearheaded the Annual Fund giving efforts among the Little Reds community to fund the peace pole and plaque. Both stand at the entrance of the Little Reds playground as an internationally recognized symbol of the hopes and dreams of all humans and peace on earth. At the end of the ceremony, students placed painted rocks at the base of the pole, while Tishea’s family members were presented with flowers. Thank you to the Little Reds community for honoring Tishea’s memory and spreading the universal message of peace at Roland Park Country School. See here for pictures from the dedication.

 

Turkey Trot 

 

Alumna Artist, Cathy Counselman Kelly, 1974, Shares Knowledge with RPCS students

Photographer, Cathy Counselman Kelly, 1974 whose work was on display in the Knott Lobby last month, visited with a sixth-grade art class, an Intro to Photography, and an AP Photography class. She discussed her grand landscapes and discussed about the artistic process of her wildlife photographs. Our students were able to then ask questions about her methods she used while taking photographs and the importance of timing and lighting.

 

Lower School

Second Grade Artist Study of Yayoi Kusama

This fall, our second grade worked on a patterned pumpkin art project that focused on the art of Yayoi Kusama, a famous woman artist from Japan. Yayoi Kusama was inspired by a plethora of dots! These dots represented her idea of infinity. Our students learned about her life and history of her artistic evolution through reading the following books, Yayoi Kusama: Covered the World in Dots and Wasn’t Sorry by Fausta Gilberti and Yayoi Kusama: From Here to Infinity by Sarah Suzuki. Inspired by her story, the second graders painted pumpkins from observation using bright colors then they added patterns of dots varying different sizes of small, medium and large. The backgrounds also included patterns of the students choosing. The pumpkins were then collaged onto contrasting backgrounds that created a patterned pumpkin patch! 

 

 

Third Graders Study of Georgia O’Keeffe

Our third graders completed their abstract floral watercolors inspired by the work of Georgia O’Keeffe. As a class, we read the book, Georgia, and viewed a slide show of Georgia O’Keeffe’s life and examples of her work. Then each student chose a photo of a flower and were challenged to draw them from close observation. The emphasis was on drawing the flower to be imaged big and then cropping the image to push the creation of abstract composition. Students focused on where the flower petals overlapped and the shape and details of the flower parts. 

 

 

 

Middle School

Seventh Grade Stop Motion Films

With a focus on stop motion films, our seventh-grade artists started the year by selecting a tool and drawing it from observation as realistically as possible. Next, students formed groups and created short stop motion animation films featuring their tools in whimsical and, sometimes, surreal situations. Students then enjoyed the freedom to use stop motion animation as a vehicle for their imaginations and creativity. The photos shown displays the process of storyboarding, painted scenery for their films and filming their objects. 

 

 

 

 

Upper School 

 

Upper School Arts in New York City

Our REDS visited the Big Apple this fall! Our AP Photography, AP Art, Advanced Art and Advanced Photography classes visited the Whitney Museum, the Chelsea Market and galleries throughout Chelsea. Students also took photos and sketched while on the streets or while walking the High Line. It was a great experience for our student artists

 

 

 

Hannah Andrews, 2019, Visits with University of Delaware Chorale

The University of Delaware Chorale, under the direction or Dr. Paul Head, visited RPCS as a stop on their fall choir tour throughout Maryland. An extra special part of their visit was welcoming home Hannah Andrews, 2019, a former Semiquaver, who is now a senior at UD, who sings in Chorale. During their visit, the Semiquavers, Gilman's Traveling Men, and members of Bryn Mawr's Dayseye not only heard the choir perform, but also had the opportunity to sing a song together. In addition, each ensemble individually performing a piece for Chorale. The morning concluded with a Q&A session. It was a wonderful and memorable opportunity for all involved!

Senior Sunrise

 

International Day of the Girl

• Jocelyn Young-Hyman, 2007 who recently became a fully degreed and credentialed Doctor of Occupational Therapy. This goal derived from her time as a Peace Corps volunteer, a deaf educator in Kenya, for which RPCS had a fund raiser to send supplies to her deaf ed school in 2013. She has accomplished this against considerable obstacles. This certainly represents the values that RPCS seeks to instill in its students: perseverance, leadership and giving back!
• Julia Bainbridge, 2001 for the accolades she has received for her book Good Drinks: Alcohol-Free Recipes for When You’re Not Drinking for Whatever Reason, which was published last fall. It was named one of the best cookbooks of 2020 by the Los Angeles Times and both Wired and Esquire magazines. Also, Food & Wine magazine named it one of the 25 first-annual "Game Changers" for her efforts to celebrate alcohol-free drinks and drinking culture. And earlier this year, Julia was the recipient of the 21st Annual Media Award from the National Advocacy and Public Education Committee, which is part of the Research Society on Alcoholism, the largest professional society in the U.S. devoted to alcohol research.
• Adena Testa Friedman, 1987, President and CEO of Nasdaq, who was honored in November at the Youth INC’s 27th Virtual Annual Celebration Gala in NYC! Adena was presented with the John C. Whitehead Leadership Award in recognition of her distinguished leadership in advancing diversity, social responsibility, and inclusive board governance, as well as Nasdaq’s long-standing support of Youth INC. In addition, Adena’s 10th grade physics teacher Mr. Bill Fagan (who taught US Science at RPCS from 1980-2005) spoke at the end of the presentation, which was a special surprise for Adena, who credits Mr. Fagan as an important influence on her education and career path. Former faculty members Greg Timm and Elana Vikan also attended the virtual ceremony.

• Kate Jordan, 1998, SIOR, Principal of Lee & Associates in Maryland, who has been elected President of the Maryland, District of Columbia and Northern Virginia Chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office REALTORS® (SIOR). Jordan also serves as Vice President for NAIOP Maryland, the local association of NAIOP which represents the interests of the commercial real estate industry throughout the state. Jordan becomes the third female to hold this distinction for the local SIOR Chapter and, nationally, there are currently three women presidents among the 48 chapters. The SIOR designation represents a professional achievement for highly-qualified commercial real estate practitioners with a strong and sustained transactional history in brokerage, fee-based services or executive management.
• Virginia Hall, 1924, who is now the subject of another new book called Code Name Badass: The True Story Of Virginia Hall, by Heather Demetrios, which was published earlier this fall!

13th Annual Artist Alumna Reception
We were honored to welcome Liz Vayda, 2005 back to campus in October for our 13th Annual Artist Alumna Reception! Hosted by the Art Department and Alumnae Office, the reception included graduates, employees and friends of RPCS and capped off a campus exhibit of several weeks featuring botanicals, succulents and terrariums in our Knott Lobby. Be sure to check out Liz’s store B. Willow, in Remington to see and purchase more artistic creations!

Lower School

Commissioned Winter Artwork
This fall, our first and fourth graders spent time in art class creating amazing works of art to be showcased in our Winter Concert program and holiday cards! These spectacular winter wonderlands were created using multiple media such as markers, watercolors and more. Congratulations to Ella Palmer and Kieu-Lan Henry-Pham for their art being selected for the RPCS holiday card!

Roses and Rosebuds
The first grade classes had a very special day this past September – they met the Roses! Each year, the Roses Repertory Dance Company teams up with our first graders, fondly referred to as our Rosebuds, to pair off and create mirrored dance routines that are choreographed by both the Upper School dancers and Lower Schoolers along with Ms. Short. The girls had a wonderful first meeting in our brand new dance studio where they made necklaces together and got to know one another’s interests.

Lower School Winter Concert
Congratulations to our amazing Lower School students on their successful Winter Concert! This was the girls’ first time performing in person in two years! Family and staff were blown away by the musical talents of our students. A huge thank you to our Lower School music and dance teachers, Ms. Gahan and Ms. Miton, for organizing such a special show. Photos from the performance can be viewed here while the entire show can be viewed here.

Holiday Cheer
The Semiquavers spread holiday cheer last week by joining the Kindergarten class in a fun singing and crafting session! Both groups performed for each other – the Kindergarteners got to perform their song from the Winter Concert while the Semis showed their musical talents to Jingle Bells – before teaming up to decorate cookies!

Middle School

The Mythical Mundane
We are so proud to share that the incredible work of our own Middle School and Upper School art teacher, Megary Sigler, was featured in a local art exhibit! The Mythical Mundane started on November 8, 2021 and will run through January 7, 2022 at the Women’s Heritage Center at 333 North Charles Street. “Each person’s life experiences hold deep struggle and powerful beauty,” said Megary in her artist statement. “My work explores the parallel between the mundane and the magical by using the human body and an array of embellishments.” Congratulations, Megary!

Middle School Winter Concert
The Middle School student body produced an amazing Winter Concert! This is the first time that the 6th and 7th graders have performed on stage as part of the Middle School and the first time the 8^th grade class has performed on stage since 6^th grade! The 7th grade performed first with a combination of monologues and singing while the 6th and 8th grades performed in instrumental, choral and dance numbers. A full collection of pictures from the concert can be found here while the entire show can be viewed here.

Upper School

Sydnie L. Mosley Dance Residency
For the third year in a row, the Roses had the pleasure of collaborating with RPCS and Roses alumna Sydnie L. Mosley in a dance residency program that spanned over several months. This year and last year were done virtually; however, this year, the Roses worked alongside Sydnie and members of her dance company to create a performance piece that will be performed in the Upper School Winter Concert. The goal of the residency is to expose the Roses to alums with a professional career in dance, build a sense of community and to create a performance piece to be shared with the RPCS community.

Roses In-Person Performance
In addition to the RPCS annual traditions of the Lower School Halloween Parade and Senior Costume Parade, the Roses were able to reinstate another beloved Halloween tradition after having to take a year off. The Roses had their first in-person performance in the Sinex since 2019 when they performed their Halloween medley for the Upper School students the Friday before Halloween!

AP Studio Art Field Trip
Our AP Studio Art Class, made up of seniors Alden H., Hannah C., Sam R., and Zuri H, attended the Etta Cone/Matisse and the Women Behaving Badly shows at the Baltimore Museum of Art with mentor and teacher Ms. Rohrer! We are so lucky to be able to have these amazing museums right down the road from us.

Somettos Live Performance The Somettos performed in front of the entire school during this year’s Thanksgiving Convocation. This is the first live performance the Somettos’ have done since 2019. The students loved having the musical arrangement as part of the presentation and the performers enjoyed showcasing the results of all their hard work.

Our spring season for RPCS Athletics was busy in all the best ways! We finished the year strong with REDS competing in six different sport programs in the Upper School and three in the Middle School.

Badminton players were excited to return to a normal season this year which ended in a strong showing in the IAAM Championship Tournament hosted at RPCS. Senior Kendall Keehner won the IAAM A Conference Singles Championship and the varsity team finished in 4^th place overall. Kendall and fellow senior Coco Cameron also earned IAAM All Conference honors for their impressive play. Both the Varsity and JV teams competed well this year, picking up strong team wins against conference opponents and improving individual skill throughout the season.

The Crew team was back on the water this spring rowing in several regattas, including the Mid-Atlantic Junior Regional Championship in Princeton, New Jersey. Regularly dealing with poor weather conditions, the team really took advantage of the indoor tank for workouts throughout the season. From our varsity rowers who raced well in the regattas, to the novice rowers who learned very quickly – and even broke several school records on the rowing machines! – it was a season full of hard work and gratitude for the opportunity to compete in the sport again.

Speaking of tough weather conditions, the Varsity golf team really battled mother nature this spring as they tried to get out on the course. But our REDS made the most of their opportunities, earning wins against Bryn Mawr and Mount de Sales, as well as defeating Bryn Mawr and Garrison Forest in a dual scrimmage. In the IAAM A Conference Tournament held at Fox Hollow Golf Course, the team finished in third place. Individually, freshman Ashby McGill placed third overall which earned her IAAM All Conference honors!

In the highly competitive A Conference, our Varsity Lacrosse team finished their season with an overall record of 6-10. The team showed great growth this year, competing with determination and spirit in several very close games. In addition to conference wins against Mount de Sales, John Carroll and Gerstell, the team enjoyed a trip to Williamsburg, VA, over spring break where they defeated Norfolk Academy and St. Catherine’s School. With over 50 points on the season, junior Natalie O’Neill led the way for the REDS and was named IAAM All Conference. The JV Lacrosse team finished 6-7, and our Middle Lacrosse A and B teams …

The Varsity Softball team has a lot to be proud of this spring. The squad finished 7-5 overall, going 5-3 in conference with two of the three losses coming in extra innings. The season ended in a very close 3-1 loss vs Mercy in the IAAM B Conference semifinals. The team was led by senior pitcher Maddie Current who had an impressive 119 strikeouts, ERA of 1.72, and batted .500 this season, earning her IAAM All Conference honors. With several players new to the sport, the Middle School Softball team learned a lot this spring – but most importantly, had a lot of fun!

The Track & Field season is always an exciting time as our athletes work toward personal records and team results in their events. We even had several new school records set this spring! Senior Sydney Liang broke the high jump school record at a height of 5’1”; junior Hannah Roth set a new school in the 2000 steeplechase with a time of 8:21; and senior Mya Fedash broke the school record in the 300 hurdles with a time of 49.00. Both Sydney and Mya were named IAAM All Conference for their strong performances this season. The team also picked up the program’s first invitational win at the 2022 Quinn Hoover Invitation

Our Middle School tennis team also returned to the courts this spring with a lot of energy and effort that earned them an undefeated 7-0 season! Congratulations, REDS!  

RPCS Campus Abuzz With Cicada Excitement

Justice for All

This year has brought us many opportunities to see the world in its most proper form; the good, the bad, and the ugly. The world that our students are growing up in is incredibly polarized. It is the responsibility of everyone, especially those in education, to encourage a strong, unified front in creating a world of acceptance and change. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office set up red boxes around the campus where students could write a personal message to commit to and stand for Justice for All. The results were incredible! With the help of the fantastic Art Department (and some outstanding students), we created floating globe ornaments of the confirmations of Justice for All by our students.

 

 

Linde Health Colloquium with Gabby Rivera

• Members of our community who were named as 2021 Influential Marylanders by the Daily Record! Specifically, we congratulate:
  • Monica Butler Mitchell, 1998, Wells Fargo, for Philanthropy
  • Marc B. Terrill, Associated Jewish Charities of Baltimore, for Civic Leadership
  • John (Jack) Dwyer, Capital Funding Group, for Finance
  • Shirley Sutton, Baltimore Medical System, for Health Care
• Mo’Riyah Johnson, 2023, who competed in an oratory contest last month for the Boys and Girls Club of America called Youth of the Year. She won the contest for the Baltimore region, and moved on to compete at the state level! You can listen to her amazing speech from the state competition, where she talks about the importance of being open minded and her passions and values (starting around 9:40) here.

• RPCS Upper School teacher and alumna, Mirande Bissell, 1990, whose first book of poetry, Stalin at the Opera, was released on June 15!

• Kayla Velez, 2021 for being selected as Roland Park Country School's McCormick Unsung Heroes nominee!

• Katie Riehl, 2020 and the entire Boston College Women’s Lacrosse Team on their first national championship win in program history!
• Sierra Cockerille, 2018 of Syracuse University, Shannon Smith, 2020 of UNC and UNC Head Coach Jenny Levy, 1988, who all participated in the women’s lacrosse NCAA final four championship at Towson University this past May. Congratulations on amazing seasons!!
• The recipients of our Alumnae McCauley Bowl Award: Judy Mitchell Wright, 1964 (2020 recipient) and Carol Witz Hunt, 1976 (2021 recipient)! The McCauley Bowl is awarded periodically to an Alumna or other member of the School community who has distinguished herself/himself through long service to the School and its graduates. This award is presented in memory of and in gratitude for the life of Bell Lazenby McCauley of the Class of 1931. Mrs. McCauley’s life of service defines the standards and values, which are used by the Board of the Alumnae Association in selecting recipients of this honor. Judy and Carol received their awards earlier this spring and the presentations were shared during Virtual Alumnae Weekend this past spring.
• Morgan Katz Peters, M.D., 2002, the recipient of our inaugural Distinguished Rising REDS Award, which was announced over Alumnae Weekend! This award honors an alum under the age of 40 who has enhanced the reputation of RPCS through outstanding professional achievements, personal accomplishments, significant contributions to their community and/or engagement with RPCS. Dr. Katz, an Assistant Professor of Infectious Disease at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Hospital, was selected for her tireless clinical and research work in preventing the spread of COVID-19, particularly among nursing home residents. She also held a webinar with RPCS employees earlier this year to discuss the science behind the COVID-19 vaccine and address questions and concerns. Dr. Katz is a true leader in her field and actively embodies the spirit,
   

Lower School

Lower School Welcomes Author Mitali Perkins
The Lower School was thrilled to welcome author Mitali Perkins to speak virtually with our students in grades 2-5 on May 12. The author of many books for young readers including Rickshaw Girl, which the second graders had just finished studying, Ms. Perkins spoke about books as windows and mirrors and reinforced what we discussed all through Read Across America Week – that diversity matters. Ms. Perkins goal is to make readers laugh or cry, as “long as their hearts are widening.” Our students were so delighted to have the chance to meet her.

Second Grade Pop-Up Marketplace
The Second Grade Pop-Up Marketplace was open for business this spring! After weeks of learning about the principles of economics and creating their own business ventures, the students unveiled their products – and business names - which included candles and soaps from the Scented Sisters, mask spray from El and El’s Mask Freshener, beaded, stringed and rubber band bracelets from FBF: Friendship Bracelet’s Forever, decorated face masks from Mask Makers, decorated rocks from Go Rock and popcorn keychains from Pop Chains. The girls were visited by every grade in the Lower School, as well as their parents, and many of their products sold out! We’re so proud of our entrepreneurs. 

STEAM Week
The Lower School’s STEAM Week was a huge success! The girls participated in art and STEM projects inside and outside the classroom, including creating windmill designs out of Legos, gardening in the Three Sisters Garden, launching their homemade airplane designs, constructing roller coasters out of foam tubes, creating their own bees out of paper tubes, fashioning cork sailboats to figure out which designs would float the best and welcomed writer and poet Jordan Honeyblue to read Ada Twist, Scientist.

Middle School

AAPI Speaker Dr. Alice Chung Cootauco
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, the Middle School welcomed parent and alumna Dr. Alice Chung Cootauco, 1992 to speak virtually with the students about her personal experiences as an Asian American, including those at RPCS. Dr. Cootauco, an OB-GYN affiliated with multiple hospitals in the Baltimore area, focused on three concepts surrounding racism around Asian Americans: invisibility, the perpetual foreigner syndrome and the Model Minority Myth.

Middle School Hosts Activist Kristy Drutman
The Middle School was excited to virtually host environmental youth activist and leader Kristy Drutman on May 20. Ms. Drutman, who is Filipino and Jewish, spoke about growing up in a multicultural mixed-race household and how she became interested in climate justice – the notion that everyone, no matter their background or situation, deserves access to healthy air and water and clean soil.

  Dance Party!
  The Middle School faculty surprised their students with an outside dance party – complete with a DJ and candy!      The students loved having this opportunity to socialize and dance. They even got Ms. Hoffman and Ms. James to    boogey down.

Activating Activism
As a final lesson of our new racial literacy curriculum, we asked our 8^th graders “what problem do you want to solve?” This curriculum was the catalyst used to create a mission statement and an action plan for activism. The issues most important to our eighth graders were vast, showcasing how our students can make an impact in so many different facets of the world and make it a better place. Their ideas for solving the problems were inspiring.

Immersion Day
The Middle School celebrated their annual Immersion Day this spring where students and faculty immerse themselves in an important topic. After attending virtual field trips to the National Museum of the American Indian and watching the documentaries “We Still Live Here” and “Awake: a Dream of Standing Rock,” complete with Immersion Day snack bags, the Middle School hosted award-winning author Joseph Bruchac, a proud Nulhegan Abenaki citizen and respected elder among his people. Mr. Bruchac is the author of more than 170 books for children and adults, several which the Middle School students read last summer and are studying in Library Skills classes. In his presentation, Mr. Bruchac shared fantastic stories, played Native American music on the flute, and spoke about his writing that reflects his Indigenous heritage and traditions. He also talked about the critical elements of effective storytelling and the importance of listening. The students asked many thoughtful questions. A huge thank you to the wonderful Middle School faculty for planning such a special day for the students!

Upper School

Sophomore Class Ring Dinner
On May 20, the Class of 2023 gathered for an outdoor dinner that is usually part of their sophomore ring ceremony. Even though the students received their rings in February, they weren’t able to celebrate together afterwards with a meal, but the rescheduled event was the perfect spring evening to bring back this beloved tradition!

GirlUp Welcomes Guest Speaker Emily Philpot
The RPCS student-run GirlUp Club, a club dedicated to females interested in STEM, invited Emily Philpot, a local project manager at the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company, who is currently working on a building renovation project at JHU, to speak to them and others in the RPCS community. Emily spoke about her education in civil engineering and the path that brought her to her current position, as well as the disproportioned ratio of men to women in her field.

Lower School

Maypole
On May 21, the entire Lower School gathered in person outside for the first time all school year to watch the fifth graders perform the Maypole – a wonderful spring tradition at RPCS! We’re so excited to celebrate these talented students and all their hard work!

Middle School

Middle School Arts Sharing Event
We loved seeing the talent on display during the Middle School Arts sharing event on May 19! Our visual artists shared their work, including self-portraits, homages to famous artists, dream masks and protective shelters, which was accompanied by beautiful handbell music, performed by a few sixth graders. Then, we were treated to several wonderful music, dance and theater performances!

The Little Mermaid Jr.
Congratulations to the talented cast and crew of the Middle School Musical, The Little Mermaid Jr. on their three virtual performances in March. It was an amazing show and we are so impressed that they persevered through this unusual year to make it happen.

Upper School

2021 Art Awards
Congratulations to the 13 amazing students who were recognized in the 2021 Art Awards ceremony! These seniors showed passion, resilience, and of course, an incredible talent in the art form that they chose to pursue. They have spent so much of their high school careers in the art rooms, performing arts studios and Sinex Theater. Many of them are leaders in their groups and had to struggle to find new ways of presenting their art to the world in a time when no one could share in person. Our teachers, along with the entire RPCS community, are so proud of all that they have accomplished, both as artists and innovative thinkers. Congratulations to the following members of the INVINCIBLE Class of 2021 (and one from 2022!).

Upper School Play
Our talented theater department created “An Evening of Scenes,” a collection of scenes from a variety of plays and theatrical genres, to perform in their spring performance.

Upper School Performing Arts Concert
The Upper School Performing Arts Concert was a beautiful arrangement of dance and vocal performances that showcased our students’ remarkable talents. Although the pandemic has presented incredible struggles in the performing arts world, it has also opened up opportunities for new and creative ways for groups to share their artistic leanings. One instance of this is Hold On, a dance performed by the Roses during the Upper School Performing Arts Concert. In this dance, the Roses perform throughout Roland Park Country School, incorporating their movements to reflect their environment. Another was a technological and creative feat that combined the beauty of art creations from the Upper School visual arts students with the skills of the Advanced Studio Dance class to create a unique interpretation of art in multiple forms. The piece, Art Walk, used a green screen to superimpose the artwork of students as the backdrop of the Advanced Studio Dance classes movements.

Night Under the Stars…With a Twist!

Sophomore Ring Ceremony

• Alumnae Tatiana Egbunine, 2020 and Nadia Egbunine, 2020, who were selected as recipients of the Johns Hopkins 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award! They were presented with this esteemed award in January as part of Johns Hopkins’ annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration for their leadership work with their church and community. Kudos to Tatiana and Nadia on this well-deserved recognition of their selfless service and strong leadership!
• Lillian M., 2027 for winning third place in The Langston Hughes Oratorical Contest! This annual event, run by the Havre de Grace Colored School Museum and Cultural Center, celebrates Havre de Grace’s historical connection to Langston Hughes and honors the legacy of community members who advocated for equitable access to education for Blacks in Harford County. The entire Langston Hughes presentation was recorded here and you can watch Lillian’s speech at 19:55 – 25:09.
• Three of our 8th graders who were selected by their teachers to participate in the Race, Justice, and Equity: 8th Grade Civic Ambassadors program, that brings together students from across the nation for a series of civic engagement workshops. Christina C., Lilly R. and Ashby M., all from the Class of 2025, recently joined 100 students from all over the country (virtually) to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion issues and consider their own visions and solutions to bring back to their schools. This program is a collaboration with the National Network of Schools in Partnership and Close Up, a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic education organization dedicated to helping students develop the knowledge and skills they need to become informed, active, and engaged citizens. We are so proud of these 8th grade leaders!
• Five of our Upper School students who have won the NCWIT (National Center for Women & Information Technology) Award for Aspirations in Computing! The award, recognizes high school students for their computing-related achievements and interests as part of an effort to encourage more young women to choose careers in technology. Congratulations to:
  • Maryland Affiliate Winner: Ellie Dassoulas, 2022
  • Maryland Affiliate Honorable Mentions
    • Charlotte Corcoran, 2022
    • Suzannah Figler, 2023
    • Katherine Guerrerio, 2023
    • Bella Hessler, 2021

The Class of 1970 Celebrates Earth Day

 

Happy Cards

This spring, ninth grader Maggie W. started an initiative called Happy Cards, where she invited students from all divisions to make and decorate cards with notes of support/encouragement for healthcare workers on the front lines and patients who have been hospitalized with COVID-19. She collected and distributed more than 60 cards to healthcare workers and patients at local hospitals, who loved them! We are proud of our students for finding creative ways to take action and support our community!

 

Cookies for COVID

During the COVID-19 pandemic this year, our students have found creative ways to help serve the community. Junior and vice president of the RPCS Community Service Association Christina S. started “Cookies for Covid” to provide healthcare providers, who are often too busy to eat, with some grab-and-go snacks. After recruiting help from Upper School students, Christina and her friends have made and dropped off  many batches of baked goods to several hospitals and health care facilities, while maintaining social distancing protocols, to thank healthcare providers for all of their hard work and dedication. As Christina said, “Coming together to help is what the RPCS spirit is all about!”

• Zoe Yarbrough, 2020, who has been awarded the Chancellor’s Scholarship at Vanderbilt University! Chancellor's Scholars receive full tuition, plus a one-time summer stipend for an immersive experience following the sophomore or junior year. 
• Kerry Cameron, 2020, Maeve Corcoran, 2020, Skylar Harris, 2021 and Kathryn Kleiser, 2020, who received the Miran Award for Concrete Excellence from the American Concrete Institute’s Maryland Chapter! The Miran Award was created to recognize Blaire Miran, 2016 for her work and dedication in the field, which has also shaped the school’s concrete project we have today. This award recognized a long-term project in which the students applied their understanding of solutions, colligative properties, acids and bases, and electrochemistry to determine the impact of various road salts on reinforced concrete samples. 
• Mirande Bissell, 1990, whose book manuscript, Stalin at the Opera, was named the winner of the 2020 Ghost Peach Press Prize for books of poems. The book will be published in 2021. Read more.  
• Ashley Higginbotham, our Middle School music teacher, who was awarded a Peabody LAUNCHPad Grant for her project called Getting In The Groove. The project aims to help all children enjoy and engage in music events. Read more.
• Lindsey Edwards, 2015, who has been honored with the E. Magruder (Mac) and Helen M. Passano, Jr. Graduate Fellowship Endowment in Mass Communication at Towson University!
• Nicole Migeon, 1983, an architect whose firm Nicole Migeon Architect, PLLC (NMA) has earned a Fine Homebuilding 2020 House Design Award for Best Remodel and Addition for The Guest House. The project is featured in the June 2020 Issue of Fine Homebuilding.
• Libby Sunderland Fitzgerald, 1988, founder of Sea Star Beachwear, who has partnered with Tory Burch to offer a new shoe for summer! Read more.

The 2020 spring sports season started with plenty of energy, enthusiasm and effort from our REDS! Our groups of Middle and Upper School spring athletes showed tremendous commitment and strength as they prepared for the unknown with their seasons. Prior to the shutdown of campus, several teams were able to participate in scrimmages and our Varsity Softball team earned two big wins – 14-1 vs Friends School and 23-4 vs Chapelgate Christian!

 

 

Throughout the spring, our social media accounts featured highlights of our Upper School spring sports captains, posts on each of our senior day celebrations, and honors for the Class of 2020 spring athletes who were all named IAAM All-Conference. The Athletic Department coordinated a #REDSsweatyselfie challenge on social media for everyone in the school community, encouraging REDS to stay active at home by sending in their “Sweaty Selfie” photos after their workouts. It was wonderful to see so many members of the community continuing to work hard and show their spirit from home. The healthy from home initiatives continued with our RPCS Athletics 30 Day Wellness Snapchat Challenge in the month of May. Healthy activities were posted on our account every day of the month to encourage members of our community to stay connected and committed to their personal wellness.

• Nicole Behrens – American University, swimming
• Molly Booth – Towson University, basketball manager
• Sophia Ellerkmann – Denison University, track & field
• Gabby Franks – Western Connecticut State University, basketball
• Alayna Gibson – Union College, cross country and track & field
• Tavianne Maultsby – Delaware State University, track & field
• Caroline Stole – Amherst College, lacrosse
• Lauren Waire – Washington University in St. Louis, swimming
• Peyton Woodward – Bryant University, lacrosse

• Rain Green – Virginia Commonwealth University, basketball
• Cameron Levine – Johns Hopkins University, lacrosse
• Mir McLean – University of Connecticut, basketball
• Shannon Smith – University of North Carolina, lacrosse
• Katie Riehl – Boston College, lacrosse
• Becca Sturtz – University of Richmond, lacrosse

• Zoe Yarbrough, 2020, who has been awarded the Chancellor’s Scholarship at Vanderbilt University! Chancellor's Scholars receive full tuition, plus a one-time summer stipend for an immersive experience following the sophomore or junior year. 
• Kerry Cameron, 2020, Maeve Corcoran, 2020, Skylar Harris, 2021 and Kathryn Kleiser, 2020, who received the Miran Award for Concrete Excellence from the American Concrete Institute’s Maryland Chapter! The Miran Award was created to recognize Blaire Miran, 2016 for her work and dedication in the field, which has also shaped the school’s concrete project we have today. This award recognized a long-term project in which the students applied their understanding of solutions, colligative properties, acids and bases, and electrochemistry to determine the impact of various road salts on reinforced concrete samples. 
• Ashley Higginbotham, our Middle School music teacher, who was awarded a Peabody LAUNCHPad Grant for her project called Getting In The Groove. The project aims to help all children enjoy and engage in music events. Read more.
• Lindsey Edwards, 2015, who has been honored with the E. Magruder (Mac) and Helen M. Passano, Jr. Graduate Fellowship Endowment in Mass Communication at Towson University!
• Nicole Migeon, 1983, an architect whose firm Nicole Migeon Architect, PLLC (NMA) has earned a Fine Homebuilding 2020 House Design Award for Best Remodel and Addition for The Guest House. The project is featured in the June 2020 Issue of Fine Homebuilding.
• Libby Sunderland Fitzgerald, 1988, founder of Sea Star Beachwear, who has partnered with Tory Burch to offer a new shoe for summer! Read more.