The Value of Making Mistakes: 2016 Valedictory Speech

UCHS 2016 Valedictorian Lydia Soifer was kind enough to share with us her inspiring speech, delivered at the May 18th graduation ceremony.  Lydia attended U. City Schools for 13 years, beginning with kindergarten at Jackson Park Elementary.  She will be attending Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina this fall, studying  biological sciences. 

All of us have gone through thirteen years of school to make it to this point. At times it was great — we succeeded by getting a good grade or pulling our grade up after studying really hard for a final. But at other times the journey was a bit rougher. Maybe you didn’t quite get the grade you had hoped for or maybe there were things going on outside of school that made it difficult to get homework done. Either way, at these rough times we are faced with potential failure.

About a month ago, I stumbled upon a quote that stood out to me, as it was describing a predicament I see myself facing on a regular basis. It was a quote by Eckhart Tolle, “The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” For me, this quote applies to almost every aspect of life. In school, is it better to challenge myself even though I might fail, or should I take the easier route for guaranteed success? When I am in ballet class, should I try a triple turn and fall, or should I stick to a double because I know I can do one? In piano, should I practice even though I know I will fail the first few times, or should I continue to put off working on a hard piece because I am afraid I will never succeed? In each of these scenarios, the option that will result in improvement is the challenge, the option that might lead to failure.

Every single one of us has been faced with options such as these. None of us like to make the decision because the right choice requires us to step outside our comfort zone. We have to challenge ourselves even though it is difficult and may seem impossible because the difference between failure and success is not what distinguishes between a successful and unsuccessful person — what determines the difference is how we fail. One option is to give up, but this is no better than immediate success. We don’t learn anything, we don’t push ourselves, we don’t challenge ourselves to do better. The other option is to analyze our failure, figure out why we failed and how we can do better next time, and then, despite the fear of not succeeding, picking ourselves up and trying again. Maybe we will be successful the second time, but maybe we will fail again. We might even fail ten more times before we succeed, but each failure can teach us a lesson about ourselves. Whether it be learning a technique in art class or learning that if you think positively, you are more likely to make a successful pass in a football game, each failure can let us know how we can improve and eventually succeed.

As all of us leave U. City, we will find ourselves faced with many decisions, some of which will lead to immediate success and some which might lead to failure the first few times. We might be faced with the decision of whether or not to take the harder class in college, or we might have to decide whether or not to take a job that will push our skills beyond their current limit. At these critical points in our lives, we must remember that it is okay to fail. As we take the next step into life, we will be presented with many challenges, defeats, and failures. But these are not what marks our success. That is determined by our ability to take those challenges at which we did not succeed the first time, turn them around, and make them into successes which we can say we are proud of.

Thank you for your wise words Lydia, and best of luck to you in all of your future endeavors!  We know you will continue to make U. City proud!

UCHS Cross Country Leads the Sports Pack

The University City High School Cross Country team just finished its 2014 season. Closing out the regular season was an exciting race at the district meet. Clayton won as expected, and MICDS (the pre-season favorite) and UCHS battled it out for the second state spot. MICDS prevailed, but it came down to the fifth runner and a mere difference of ten points.

Even so, UCHS placed four runners in the top 15 with Derrick Freeman, Isaac Levan, Cleo Pleasant and Benjamin Pomerantz qualifying for state. This is the best representation UCHS has had at the state meet in a number of years.  The UCHS team also had five personal records on the day, so districts was a very successful meet. 

The cross country team is one of the most successful sports teams at University City High School. The team is fortunate to have James Crowe, an UCHS alum, and parent to two UCHS alums, coaching the team.  Coach Crowe has made the team’s mission – for University City cross country athletes to develop their running abilities in a supportive and positive environment.  Each athlete learns teamwork, self- discipline, dedication, integrity and sportsmanship and carry these skills over into their academic and professional lives. 

Summer training will be starting before long and the Alumni/Team- 2 mile time trial is tentatively scheduled for Saturday August 9. Anyone interested in joining the team can contact Coach James

Crowe xccoachcrowe@gmail.com.

The UCHS Cross Country team has a long tradition of success both on the field and in the classroom. Here are just a few facts:

• The 2006 boys' team won the District meet and took 12^th at the State meet.

• The 2008 boys' team was runner up at districts and took 5^th at State.

• Since 2005, no boys' team has finished less than 4^th at Districts.

• Since 2005 the UCHS Cross Country team has had three different individual runners win Districts (David Lambus twice, Brian Hart, and Ali Klooster, twice).

• At state UCHS has had girls finish as high as 4^th (Ali Klooster) and 7^th (Anna Shafer-Skelton) and boys finish as high as 4^th and 6^th (David Lambus).

• In years when the UCHS team did not qualify, individual team members qualified for State. In fact every year since 2004 UCHS has sent at least two boys (and most years more than that), and at least one girl runner (most years more than that) to State.

• In 2012 and 2013 the class valedictorians were cross country runners.  Since 2000 there have been 7 class valedictorians that have been members of the cross country team.

• David Lambus holds the boy's UCHS record of 16:15 set in 2010.  Ali Klooster holds the girl's record of 19:46, set in 2006.

UCHS Jazz Band Workshops with Peter Martin

The University City High School Jazz Band recently spent an afternoon with famed jazz pianist Peter Martin.  The band was invited, as they have been for the past ten years, to participate in a workshop at the Sheldon Concert Hall  in Grand Center.

Students had the outstanding opportunity to perform for Martin (himself a UCHS alum, class of 1987), who then gave them detailed feedback on their performance.  Students were free to ask questions, and topics covered included everything from how to achieve a more authentic New Orleans jazz sound to the complexities of syncopation to what makes the blues sound like the blues.

The workshop concluded with Martin accompanying the band on the piano, enabling these lucky students to claim that not only have they performed in one of the premiere concert halls in the nation, but also that they have played with one of the most acclaimed jazz pianists of our time.

Jazz Band Director Stan Coleman (a Yale University Distinguished Educator) consistently seeks out educational and performance opportunities for his students.  Over the years they have had the opportunity to work and play with many locally and nationally known musicians. In 2012 the jazz band won ten awards at the UMKC Jazz Festival, and they look forward to future festivals and competitions.

University City High School has a proud tradition of producing outstanding musicians, including the likes of Peter Martin, Jeremy Davenport, Marty Ehrlich, Ronnie Burrage, Wayne du Maine, David Harris, and most recently 2013 grad Zach Morrow, who just last week performed at the Monterrey Next Generation Jazz Festival. 

You can catch the current crop of UCHS jazz legends, along with some returning alumni, when they perform at the Starlight Concert Series this summer at Heman Park!

Band Director Stan Coleman
with Peter Martin

Photos by Kim Deitzler.

Jackson Park Girls on the Run

More than twenty awesome girls from Jackson Park Elementary, along with parents and teachers, participated in the November 16th, 2013 Girls on the Run 5K in downtown St. Louis.  Way to go girls!

Thanks to JP parent Nikki Scheele for the photos!

UCHS Student Admitted to Prestigious Art Program

(This is a re-posting of an article which appeared on this blog in February, 2013)

Dancer/Choreographer Twyla Tharp famously remarked that, “Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.” 

For one University City High School student, however, art is a ticket to the west coast and beyond. UCHS junior Marina Claunch recently learned that she has been accepted into the prestigiousPreCollege program at the San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI). There she will join students from around the world for a five-week summer program in which she will take classes at the Art Institute, work with practicing artists, explore new media, visit Bay Area museums and galleries, take part in an exhibition, and develop a portfolio.

To be considered for the program, Marina had to submit photographs of her work, a recommendation from a teacher, and an artist’s statement detailing her primary interests in making art.

The work she submitted with her application was selected from pieces she completed in art classes at UCHS, and she credits the guidance she has received from her teachers there with greatly enhancing her painting skills. After high school Marina plans to attend SFAI to study fine arts, and hopes to one day return to University City as part of the Returning Artists Program.

University City High School has a long and storied tradition of excellence in the arts. In an era in which funding for arts education is in decline, University City Schools have bucked the tide and continue to offer a wide range of courses in both fine and practical arts.

The 2013 – 2014 UCHS Course Guide lists 24 different classes under Fine Arts. This means that any student with an interest in studio art, ceramics, ballet, jazz band, printmaking, graphic arts, choir, modern dance, theatre arts, concert band, sculpture and more will have ample opportunities to pursue those interests at UCHS. 

Providing young people with arts education has been linked to a great number of positive outcomes. At the most basic level, exposing kids to the arts increases the likelihood that they will continue to be involved in the arts as adults, thereby ensuring that our society will continue to benefit from the cultural richness that only the arts can provide. Research also connects childhood art education with a vast array of academic and social benefits. Children who participate in the arts are likely to have improved reading, language, math, thinking, and social skills. Participation in the arts motivates kids to learn and helps keep at risk and special needs kids in school. Strong art programs contribute to a positive school environment by fostering teacher and student innovation and increasing student attendance. (For a highly readable and comprehensive overview of how the arts benefit student achievement see The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies’ publication Critical Evidence ). 

From musicians like Jeremy Davenport and Peter Martin to visual artists such as Marlon West and Saaba Buddenhagen Lutzeler to countless accomplished dancers, singers, journalists, actors, writers, and performers, our community has so much to be proud of and so much to show for our historical commitment to arts education. With her drive and determination (and of course, talent) Marina is sure to one day take her place in the pantheon of great UCity artists, and with the support of our community and our administrators we will continue to celebrate the achievements of our UCHS art students for decades to come.

Brittany Woods Inducts 52 Students into the National Junior Honor Society

Fifty-two Brittany Woods Middle School students were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society May 16, 2013. 

Students were selected based on the characteristics of scholarship, citizenship, character, service and leadership. Each student took the following pledge, "I pledge myself to uphold the high purpose of the society to which I have been selected, striving in every way, by word and deed, to make its ideals the ideals of my life."

The new members of Brittany Woods NJHS 

As part of the application process students are required to write two essays. One essay is the nominee's idea for a service project to serve their fellow students. The second essay communicated how the nominee met the five NJHS characteristics. Nominees also had to submit their history of community service and extracurricular activities.

Congratulations to the following honorees: Layla Agha, Louis Barnes, Elijah Ballard, Christy Bell, Logan Black, Kaya Blount, Aireecye Bonner, Givion Crawford, Bella DeArmitt, Cooper Deitzler, Victoria Dickerson, Lauren Green, Andrew Guest, Noah Greenberg, Madison Henderson, Michael Henderson, Rowan Hoel, Andrew Immer, Alona Jenkins, Dariana Johnson, Caitlyn Kirksey, Victoria Little, Thomas Looby, Cecilia Mattli, Kayla Merrill, Jade Merriwether, Jonah Payne, Calin Peterson, Cheyenne Poland, Olivia Pomranka, Sade Price, I’Aiyana Redden, Rebecca Rico, DeAra Robinson, Nashir Robinson, Cabria Shelton, Ben Shostak, Linsey Sparks, Kaylin Taylor, Teagan Thomas, Phoebe Thoroughman, Briton Toth, Dominic Torno, Imani Walker, Jahiem Watson, Zhong Mei Webb, Leanne Whitney, Jessica-Carol Wilbur, Claudia Zegel, Christa Zhang, Peter Zhang  and Leah Zukosky.

Chapter officers for 2012-13 include President Daniel Pomerantz, Vice President Johanna Hill, Secretary Samantha York, Treasurer Torren Brown and Historian Jamie Conners.

Wu Bakeman serves as the NJHS advisor at Brittany Woods.

UCHS Student Named 2013 National Merit Scholar

University City High School senior Ethan Farber has been selected as a 2013 National Merit Scholarship Winner.

Ethan learned earlier this year that he, along with fellow UCHS senior Anna Soifer, had been chosen as a National Merit Finalist. From an initial field of 1.5 million entrants, narrowed down to 15,000 finalists, about half go on to become scholarship winners. You can read more about Ethan (and Anna) here. 

National Merit Scholarship Winners are chosen based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments, including academic records, test scores and recommendations from school officials. 

As a winner, Ethan will receive a $2500 scholarship, something which will surely come in handy as he enters Washington University this fall. 

Congratulations Ethan!

Spotted on facebook

36

Thirty-six.  XXXVI. 100100.  Six squared.  At first glance, 36 is a somewhat unassuming number.  Nothing special, hardly remarkable.  Ho-hum, who cares.  But pair it with three equally unassuming letters, A C & T, and 36 becomes, well…

perfect.

 And rare. According to DESE, more than 1.6 million students nationwide take the ACT college entrance exam each year, and only around 700 of them earn a perfect score.  That’s about .04%.  A total of just 29 Missouri students scored a perfect 36 in 2012, and one of them, Dan Politte, is a senior at University City High School.

A born and bred UCity boy, Dan began his journey to academic greatness as a kindergartner at Jackson Park Elementary.  He attended Brittany Woods Middle School, and will graduate from University City High School this May.  As you might expect, he carries a challenging course load, heavy on AP (Advanced Placement) classes. In fact, he’s taking five this year, which is roughly equivalent to a full college load.  It’s not all nose-to-the-grindstone academics, though. Dan is a founding member of the UCHS FIRST Robotics Competition team, the Robolions, and active in the UCHS Latin Club.  He is also a member of the UCHS Certamen team (think Quiz Bowl for classics students), which finished first in state at last year’s Missouri Junior Classical League convention.   In January, Dan was one of 26 UCHS students who travelled to Washington, DC to attend the presidential inauguration, an experience he describes as “thrilling.”

 It goes without question that Dan is smart.  Really smart.  But is that all it takes to earn a perfect ACT score? In a recent Huffington Post interview, ACT spokesperson Ed Colby explains that:

“The ACT is a curriculum-based test. It's like a course exam in that way. It's not the kind of test that test prep is going to help you get a 36. You have to learn content in challenging courses that you take in school.”  

Dan would concur.  Although he did attend the ACT prep courses offered by the high school as a sophomore (he got a 35 that year) he attributes his success to the fact that he has had “innumerable great teachers at U City High.”   Dan also has parents who are active and involved in our schools. It’s a winning formula: smart kid + hard work + great teachers + supportive parents = success.

 So what’s next for Dan? He’s applied to Mizzou, The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, The University of Minnesota, Washington University Saint Louis, The University of Michigan, and Case Western Reserve University. He has acceptance letters from the first three, and I suspect more are on the way. Dan’s hoping to combine his two passions, robotics and Latin, into engineering and classics double major.  When asked what advice he would give his fellow students, Dan says,

“I've found out that it is possible to hold down the workload that comes with multiple AP classes. The important thing is to keep working, and you can indeed get everything done. Other than that, I don't seek to give advice: I'm just as much a beginner at this whole "life" thing as everyone else.” 

A beginner, perhaps, but such a stellar beginning.  Well done, Dan.  You’ve made us all very proud.

UPDATE:  Dan, who will be attending Washington University this fall, is the recipient of the first Alvin Marvin Ostro Class of 1945 Student Achievement Memorial Scholarship.  This $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a graduating University City High School senior who has displayed exceptional performance in one or more of the following areas: academics, citizenship, sportsmanship and community service. 

by Kim Deitzler, guest blogger

Dr. Jamie Jordan Named Missouri Middle School Principal of the Year

Good news for the school district just keeps rolling in!  Yesterday morning we awoke to the delightful announcement that Brittany Woods principal Dr. Jamie Jordan has been named Missouri Middle School Principal of the Year by The Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP). This follows hot on the heels of her 2012 Middle School Principal of the Year award from the St. Louis Association of Secondary School Principals.  This is a big deal – Dr. Jordan was selected from a pool of more than 400 middle school principals across the state – but not really surprising to those of us with kids at Brittany Woods. 

I spend several hours volunteering in the building each week.  While there, I have the opportunity to observe a lot of teachers and a lot of students, and I can give a firsthand account of the pleasant atmosphere at Brittany Woods - spending time there is something I look forward to.  I give credit to Dr. Jordan for cultivating an environment in which staff clearly care about the students and understand their unique and diverse needs, and strive to meet those needs with compassion and professionalism. The students I encounter are polite and respectful and engaged in the learning process, another feather in Dr. Jordan’s cap.  There is a palpable sense of dedication (to students, to parents, to families, to staff, to learning) among all of the stakeholders at Brittany Woods, and that speaks to strong leadership.

After the news broke I was chatting with BW librarian Kelly Werthmuller about the exciting announcement.  She remarked that the staff was proud, and that Dr. Jordan’s accomplishments “underscore the many good things that are happening at Brittany Woods each and every day. “  She’s right – as much as Dr. Jordan should be recognized for making positive changes at Brittany, we should also recognize that this is an honor shared by the many people who make those good things happen, day in and day out.  Recognition has long seemed to be something we don’t get enough of. Perhaps this honor will change that.

We have much to be proud of - we’ve got robotics and archery and chess club and cool field trips to learn about nanotechnology at Wash U. We have outstanding young musicians in our jazz band and other music programs, a Latin program that is optime, and all kinds of sports opportunities.  We have rigorous academics,  stars of stage and screen, a huge chapter of the National Junior Honor Society, and generous hearts that reach out to the community.  We have all this, and so much more.  And now, we have the Missouri Middle School Principal of the Year.  Good things indeed.

Kim Deitzler, guest blogger