About OES
  April 1, 2010      Vol. 5, No. 27  
 


Raman G. '11 and the director of Bega Kwa Bega look at a spring like the one that will be built with an OES donation.

  

Students and Parents Provide Water for Ugandan Villagers

One of the things OES students learned on their Winterim trip to Uganda was how clean water in the form of a protected spring can change the lives of villagers. At the end of the trip, the group was $507 under budget, so trip leaders Nick DePreter and Tna Meyerhoff checked with the students' parents on whether they could donate the money to build a protected spring instead of refunding the money. The parents agreed, and the families of Nick and Tna chipped in another $300 to have enough to build a spring catchment. The spring will bear the name of OES in commemoration of the student visit,where they worked with children at the Jengo School and taught the teachers computer skills. You can learn more about protected springs at the website of Bega Kwa Bega, which will build the spring.
     
Postcards From Other Winterim Trips:
     
 
     
 
Tess is shown visiting a Civil Rights memorial in Alabama during her recent visit there on a Winterim trip.
     Black United Fund Honors Tess

Tess R. '10 has been honored by the Black United Fund of Oregon with two scholarship offers through its ACCESS program. She selected a $12,000 renewable scholarship to the University of Portland. She and other scholarship recipients were feted at a banquet in February at the Governor Hotel. Congratulations, Tess.



These three band members were part of the cast of The Music Man, which was produced by OES at the World Trade Center auditorium in downtown Portland in Fall 2008.

  

ENCORE!

Special Appeal Will Fund
Musical Theater Production
For Next School Year

The production of The Music Man last school year brought the OES community together in the exciting way that only musical theater can. Students from Kindergarten through 12th Grade participated to the delight of their peers and parents. This year, everyone has the opportunity to help bring back the spirit of OES musical theater. Guests at the auction will be invited to participate in the paddle raise to produce a new all-school musical off-campus next year. Everyone is welcome to participate. If you are unable to attend the auction, you may donate online. For "Donation category," select "Special Appeal - Musical Production." You may also still buy tickets for the auction on that website.

  Max A. '13 reads a story about the Passover during a Seder in the Great Hall on Tuesday.
 
Mini-Seder Gives Students Insight Into Passover

During Upper School chapel this week, student volunteers from all four grades hosted a mini-Seder in the Great Hall. The Seder dinner is the primary observance of Passover, a Jewish holiday that celebrates the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt in Biblical times. Participants offered the traditional blessings, explained the objects on the Seder plate and their symbolism, sang and answered the “four questions” related to the Passover story, and led the Upper School in singing “Dayenu,” a traditional Passover song. The Seder ended with a scramble by all assembled to find the afikoman, four pieces of matzah that were hidden throughout the school ahead of time. The promised prize was homemade matzah roca, a concoction of traditional matzah with caramel and chocolate. Passover began at sundown on Monday, and ends next Tuesday. Students who organized or helped with the event were Rachel B. '12, Zoe S. '10, Zach S. '11, Gabriella H. '10, Alexandra A. '10, Alex Y. '12, Max A. '13, and Jake S. '10.

 

Sixth-Grader Receives Medals in Fencing

Sixth-grader Malia H. brought home two medals from the Paul Pesthy Memorial Super-Regional fencing competition in San Jose over Spring Break. She won second place in women's saber for age 12 and under, and third place in the 14-and-under category. She competed with 550 fencers from 15 states and four other countries. She is shown at left with her coach, OES fencing instructor Charles Randall.

New School Calendar Debuts
With Subscriptions and Alerts

A new calendar system that will debut on the OES website on Monday will allow students and parents to integrate their personal digital calendars with the school calendar. Users will be able to sign up to have alerts emailed or texted to them, and they will be able to subscribe to calendars to integrate them with Outlook or iCalendar. The new calendar is compatible with the new athletic team listings that were posted in December, which allowed people to sign up for alerts, but it will not be possible to subscribe to the athletic calendars until an upgrade is completed later in 2010. Take a look at the new calendar on Monday. It's fairly self-explanatory, but if you need assistance, email web editor email web editor .

  
 

Chess Champs Switched at Birth

April Fools! They weren't really switched at birth, but their names were switched in last week's Aardvark newsletter. The young man on the left is really Pavan T. '17, who won second place among fifth-graders, while the fellow on the right is Vikrant S. '18, who won the K-4 state chess championship. The editor regrets the mixup and apologizes to the parents and hospital staff for even suggesting an error in the maternity ward.

Murder Is Announced in Upper School

Agatha Christie's A Murder Is Announced will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on April 28, 29, 30, and May 1 in the Great Hall. Tickets for this Upper School theater production are available through Ticket Turtle or in the Gallery Store from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for $10 general admission or $7 for students and senior citizens. The play is a classic Christie puzzle of mixed motives, concealed identities, and a determined Inspector grimly following the twists and turns, with Miss Marple on hand to provide the final solution at some risk to herself in a dramatic confrontation scene just before the final curtain. Don't miss this classic mystery. Get the best seats today!

 

Items for the newsletter may be emailed to editor .