|
|
School News
Posted 04/25/2013 12:18PM
 |
Senior Honored at Phillies Game
Senior Najaii C. was honored Friday, April 19, before the Phillies-Cardinals game as part of Major League baseball's Jackie Robinson celebration. Her photo was posted on the video sign and she shook hands with the Phillie Phanatic.
Najaii plays for the Phillie's RBI 18U softball team, as well as the Girard College varsity squad. She was selected by her coaches to receive the annual Jacke Robinson Youth Scholarship worth $2,000.00. The Phillies describe Najaii as dedicated to both softball and the ideals that Jackie Robinson held so deeply.
The Girard College softball team is very proud of our senior shortstop.
|
Posted 04/25/2013 11:59AM Announcement:
 |
Kristen Welker will be the 2013 Commencement Speaker
Kristen Welker, NBC News White House Correspondent since December 2011, will be the commencement speaker at Girard College on Thursday, June 6.
Welker has traveled domestically and internationally with President Obama, the First Lady, and Vice President Biden, including extensive coverage on the campaign trail during the 2012 election. Her reports appear across all platforms of NBC News, including “NBC Nightly News,” “Today,” MSNBC and NBCNews.com.
|
Welker previously served as an NBC News network correspondent based in Burbank, California. She joined the broadcast network in 2010 from NBC’s Philadelphia owned and operated station, WCAU, where she anchored the NBC 10 weekend newscasts. Welker started at NBC 10 as a general assignment reporter in April 2005. Before her move to Philadelphia, Welker was a reporter and anchor at WLNE-TV in Providence, Rhode Island and at KRCR-TV in Redding, California.
Welker, a native of Philadelphia and alumna of Germantown Friends, graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree cum laude in American History. In 2008, Welker was nominated for two Mid-Atlantic Emmy awards. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Posted 04/18/2013 05:44PM
 |
WATCH THE "GOOD MORNING AMERICA" SEGMENT ON DAUB AND THE PARKS STATUE.
On February 27, a new statue was unveiled in National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C. The statue shows a woman, described by President Obama as “slight of stature but mighty in courage.” She is Rosa Parks, and her image is the first full-sized statue of an African-American woman to appear in Statuary Hall.
Girard alumnus Eugene Daub is the sculptor.
The statue is the result of a search by the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts). Daub collaborated with his partner, Rob Firmin of Daub & Firmin Studios, on the initial approach and historical research. After the team was selected and eventually became a finalist, Daub created a 24” clay “maquette” or model, which won the competition.
The next step was for Daub to create the full-sized clay that would eventually be cast into bronze, 7 1/2 feet tall weighing 2,700 pounds. He and Firmin also collaborated on the design for the granite pedestal.
Working out of a studio in San Pedro, California, Daub has more than 30 years of experience as a professional artist. He attended the University of Pittsburgh, the Pennsylvania Academy for the Fine Arts, and Alfred University, and he is a Fellow of the National Sculpture Society.
Daub attended Girard from 1950-53 after his father died of health complications resulting from his experiences in WWII. Although he missed his mother at first, Daub soon became comfortable at Girard where he benefitted from the order of the campus, the camaraderie of new friends and a certain amount of free time when he could draw.
|
|
“I had a few close friends at Girard, but I was kind of a loner,” he said. “On weekends, I would roam around the campus and make little drawings and watercolors.”
“In third grade, I drew a dinosaur and received some sort of award,” Daub said. “That was the first time that I remember thinking, ‘Hey, I might be good at this!’”
That feeling was a “big thrill,” and the early recognition of his talent changed him. From then on, he made art out of anything and at every chance he got.
“I recall taking sticks, and carving them into shapes,” Daub said.
After two or three years, Daub left Girard for a new home with his mother in Rivertown, New Jersey.
“It was short but definitive time,” Daub said about his years as a Hummer.
“I remember certain things vividly: going to the quarter-master for new or used clothes and shoes,” he said. “I loved it; we all wore knickers, and looked like English kids.”
Although originally from Pottstown, Pa., Daub’s mother moved to New Jersey, then Philadelphia and finally Pittsburgh. While living in Pittsburgh, Daub married and had four children.
In the early years of his career, he was a graphic artist and art director, but at some point felt the need to sculpt. He was initially employed at the Franklin Mint where he gained experience in “relief.” He later moved on to three-dimensional work and pursued commissions.
Eventually divorced, Daub moved to California in 1989. He remarried an artist from Fresno, Anne Olsen, who is a painter and jewelry-maker. He works with a partner – Firmin – who who collaborates with him on projects and conducts research for commissions.
Alumni and friends can view many examples of Daub’s work on his website, dfsculpturestudios.com. In the Greater Philadelphia area, you can see his work at the Methodist Hospital on South Broad Street (Christ the Healer in the chapel) and at the Presbyterian Church in Paoli, Pa. (a relief). Daub is also well known as the designer of the Philadelphia Freedom medal, also known as the Freedom medal.
|
Posted 04/04/2013 11:16AM On Wednesday, April 3, Arthur C. Evans Jr., Ph.D.spoke to the entire student body of Girard College during the school's April Chapel.
Girard College holds monthly Chapels as part of the school's commitment to values education. Community and business leaders come to the historic north Philadelphia campus bringing a variety of messages that support Girard's mission to prepare its students "for advanced education and life as informed, ethical and productive citizens." Often these speakers address the school's five Core Values: respect, responsibility, integrity, self-discipline and compassion.
Dr. Evans asked the students to identify their fields of interest, and then explained how psychology plays a part in that career.
In describing his own work and responsibilities, he asked the children ages 6-18, "What would you buy if you had to spend a billion dollars, and you couldn't spend any of the money on yourself?"
Dr. Evans is the Commissioner of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS), a $1 billion healthcare agency. In this capacity, he is leading a major initiative to transform how behavioral health care and intellectual disability services are delivered in the city. Since Dr. Evans’ appointment in November 2004, Philadelphia has begun a transformation of its system to one that focuses on recovery for adults, resilience for children and self-determination for all people with intellectual disabilities.
Dr. Evans is a clinical and community psychologist. He holds a faculty appointment at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He has also held faculty appointments at the Yale University School of Medicine and Quinnipiac University and has extensive experience in transforming systems of care while serving in several national leadership roles.
Prior to coming to Philadelphia, Dr. Evans was the Deputy Commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services (DMHAS). In this capacity, he led several major strategic initiatives for the Connecticut behavioral healthcare system. He was instrumental in implementing a recovery-oriented policy framework, addressing health care disparities and increasing the use of evidence-based practices.
Dr. Evans has served or is currently serving in several national leadership roles that include: Chair of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Partners for Recovery Initiative Steering Committee, Co-Chair of National Action Group on Fostering System Reform for Adults with Serious Mental Illness, and Member of the Federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment Advisory Committee, Chair of the National Advisory Committee for the Robert Wood Johnson’s Path To Recovery Project; President of the Board of Directors of the New England Institute of Addiction Studies Inc. (NEIAS).
Posted 03/19/2013 11:59AM 
On Thursday, March 14, 2013, Girard College sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders performed onstage in a celebration called "Black History 365."
The students sang, recited their own poems and danced. Practicing once a week for only one or two semesters, the Girard students worked with staff from Freedom Theater and choreographer Patricia Scott Hobbs. The theme of the production was the history of African-Americans – outside of slavery – from kings and queens in Africa to famous inventors. Sophomore Brandon D. coined the name "365" for the show because, "We should celebrate Black history each day of the year, not just one month out of twelve."
Congratulations, students, on an evening that highlighted talent and hard work. Watch a video of part of the dance performed in collaboration with dancers from the YARE (Young Arts Repertory Ensemble) program.
Posted 03/06/2013 03:35PM
 |
Charlotte McKines, Merck VP,
spoke at March Chapel
Charlotte McKines, Vice President of Global Marketing
Communications for Merck, was the speaker at a monthly
Chapel, Wednesday March 6, 2013.
McKines brought her own story and her dynamic personality
to the podium. Letting the grade 1-12 students know that she
had been the product of a single-parent home and the first
member of her family to attend college, McKines encouraged
the children to dream big.
"If you can dream it, you can achieve it," she said.
|
Sharing one particularly pivotal moment with the audience, McKines said that she didn't initially believe she belonged in college, until one professor told her, "You do belong here, because you are excellent."
She went on to explain exactly what "excellent" means.
E = Education
X = Exceed expectations
C = Core Values: respect, responsibility, integrity, self-discipline and compassion
E = Enjoy your opportunities
L = Ladies, be confident
L = Limitless: dream big
E = Enthusiasm: follow your passion
N = Negativity is not tolerated
T = Tenacious: never give up!
McKines has a B.S. degree from Kent State and an MBA from Boston University. She was born and raised in Cincinnati and currently lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband, Ken Lawrence.
Posted 03/05/2013 04:14PM
Lower School Choir Performs for NAIS Crowd
The Junior Cavaliers opened the General Session on Day 3 of the NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools) convention, Friday, March 1, 2013.
Held in Philadelphia this year, the NAIS convention offered dozens of workshops for teachers, administrators and other staff of independent schools across the country. Friday's General Session boasted a large audience, many of whom leaped to their feet in appreciation of the young Girard musicians.
Students sang a medley of foot-stomping songs including "A Change is Gonna Come" (Sam Cooke), "I Gotta Feelin" (Black Eyed Peas), "Let's Go" (Calvin Harris), and "Revolution" (Lennon/McCartney), concluding their performance with a quiet message to "Teach Your Children Well" (Crosby Stills Nash and Young).
Director Paul Eaton frequently takes Upper and Lower School choir members into the community where they develop their musical skills and their professionalism.
Posted 02/12/2013 10:54AM
Joe Biden Holds Conference at Girard College
On Monday, February 11, Vice President Joe Biden held a round table on the need for gun control legislation, meeting with local Philadelphia officials and Democratic leaders on the campus of Girard College. Announcing that he will hold similar meetings across the country over the next several weeks, Biden made it clear that he intends to support stricter gun control measures.
Ironically, a fatal shooting occurred in Biden's home state of Delaware on the very day of the conference, lending an unexpected degree of urgency to his words.
In another stroke of irony, the Vice President's meeting followed an emotional Girard College assembly that was intimately tied to the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. A Red Cross volunteer from Newtown was the Chapel speaker on Wednesday, February 6. She addressed the students and staff as a follow-up to the extraordinary story of Girard junior Gabrielle Carter and science teacher John Romano, who were inspired to carry hugs to Newtown immediately before Christmas.
Although Girard College served only as the site for the Biden meeting, we are proud to have played a role in allowing such an important topic to be discussed.
Posted 02/09/2013 10:15AM
POWERFUL CHAPEL FEATURES GUEST FROM NEWTOWN
A volunteer from the Red Cross in Newtown, Conn., came to Girard College on Wednesday, February 6, to talk to the entire student body and staff.
Amy Thomas served as the monthly Chapel speaker in response to "The Christmas Hug," a hug offered by Girard College junior Gabrielle Carter and delivered by Science chair John Romano to some of the citizens of Newtown, Conn.
Carter spoke very briefly about her wish to send hugs to the grief-stricken citizens of Newtown, and Romano explained why he felt compelled to fulfill Carter's wish, crediting his experience as a Girard teacher. "Being part of the caring community at Girard College has had a profound effect on me," he said.
Thomas showed slides of Newtown, giving the Girard audience a clear picture of a quiet New England town, and then described her personal experience on December 14. She talked about the national outpouring of love and grief that followed, and about the power of one particular hug, the hug sent from Girard College.
Thomas also brought a message and a lesson: "If it is to be, then it is up to me." Having distributed a quarter to each person in chapel, she pointed out a jar at the foot of the podium – a collection for Girard College – and suggested that everyone could decide whether to put his/her quarter in the jar. She explained that, although a quarter is a small amount, donating the quarter is a concrete example of the individual's power to affect change. As the chapel ended, every person walked past the podium and dropped his or her quarter in the jar.
The Girard community was honored to host Amy Thomas and to remember the selfless wish of a Girard College junior and the resolute spirit of one of our teachers.
CAPTION: L to R Gabrielle Carter ’14, John Romano, President Clarence D. Armbrister, Amy Thomas and Assistant Dean Ed Gallagher.
Watch a two-minute news clip about this Chapel from Philadelphia channel 10 NBC.
Posted 01/16/2013 11:54AM 
FIVE INDUCTED INTO HONOR SOCIETY
On Friday, January 11, five Girard College students were inducted into the National Honor Society (NHS). The induction ceremony took place in the Chapel at 2:00 p.m.
They are seniors (left to right) Lawra T., Brittani W., Cynterria H., Ivory I., . and sophomore Brandon D., only the second sophomore in the history of Girard College to be inducted into this select organization.
Georgie S., who was inducted last year as a junior, participated in the ceremony, ushering in her fellow students.
Norman E. Barnum IV, CFO of the Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation, served as guest speaker. He addressed the four pillars of NHS which are scholarship, leadership, service and character and explained how they played a significant role in the his life/career.
With a 20-year career in both the public sector and non-profit environments, Barnum was featured in the Philadelphia Business Journal as one of the finalists in the CFO of the Year Award for 2009. A New Orleans native, he has worked for the IRS, the Delaware River Port Authority, WYBE and Private Ventures.
The Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation (OARC) is a not-for-profit, community development corporation founded in 1983 to create and stimulate sustainable economic development through innovative and creative use of available resources while improving the quality of life for residents in neighborhoods throughout the Northwest section of Philadelphia.
Congratulations to the newest members of the National Honor Society!
|
|
