Upper School Life | Upper School Highlights

Upper School News

Jeff McConaghy, Upper School Director

The last few weeks have been incredibly exciting here at the Upper School. Having officially moved into our gorgeous, new academic building on April 14th, all of us are settling into the new digs. Students have already learned how to take full advantage of the new Upper School Student Union, and the Burtzloff Family Library’s Leisure Reading Area has quickly become a student favorite. From the teachers’ perspective, the sense of place that has come with the new classroom building has added a seriousness of purpose to our students, as everything just feelsmore collegiate. The new building promises to be a truly inspirational place to teach and learn.

While that news certainly has us all buzzing, our Upper School was built on one simple proposition: great teachers make great schools. For that reason, we wanted to let you know just how excited we are with the amazing group of 16 educators who have chosen to join our team next fall. Every one of our new faculty members brings both expertise and passion to the classroom. As a group, they were all drawn to the idea of joining something still in its formative state, and having the opportunity to be a part of such a vibrant, engaged learning community. We could not be more excited.

Finally, a group of our Upper School students have been identified for their academic excellence by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as Commended Scholars. The following juniors placed within the top 3% of juniors nationwide on the PSAT exam last October:

Bennet Ellis
Katie Karzel
Brandon Padveen
Dylan Sures
Alex Winkler

Please join me in congratulating these students and in supporting all of our young scholars as they strive for their personal best.

Back to top

 

Upper School Student Life

By Nat Damon, Dean of Students 7-12

Rome wasn’t built in a day, yet with the help of 50 Sierra Canyon Upper School students, we were able to move into our new campus building in three days. The move, which officially began at dawn on Friday, April 11th, was an event that will go down in Sierra Canyon School history. No fewer than 85 desks, 140 desk chairs, 25 long tables, countless bookshelves, office chairs and desks, and miscellaneous furniture were hauled into two 20-foot-long moving trucks before being transferred to their new homes on Rinaldi Street. This was an event that galvanized the School community, and every member felt the excitement in the air. The weekend was spent finalizing classroom décor and showing off the building to parents and family friends.

Sunday night, however, marked another key moment in the life of the Upper School. At 8:00 p.m., approximately 75 students gathered to pay tribute to the Nordhoff Campus, a place we affectionately called “home” for nearly three years. Speeches were given, tombstones were decorated, and much food was consumed as videos played and students and faculty reminisced about the key defining moments of their years spent at the Nordhoff site. Twenty-five students chose to spend the night on the Nordhoff campus, finalizing their chapter there, and then headed to their first day of school the following morning, after downing coffee and ingesting a breakfast provided by the Parent Association. They joined the other faculty and staff who eagerly arrived for the first day of school at their new “home.”

A school is only as good as its faculty, its mission statement, and its curriculum. Yet, a school that is housed in a building such as the one to which we have all immigrated is something extraordinary. From the moment we started classes on Monday, it was clear that a new energy was brewing. Smiles of contentment, eyes brimming with curiosity, footsteps skipping up the central staircase, all contributed to a sense of welcome and optimism toward the future. While we may have spent the past three years on a small, “temporary” campus housed in an office park, the benefits are still being felt. For three years, the entire Sierra Canyon Upper School community learned how to get along in close quarters. We developed an intimacy that resulted in a family feel. The Core Values we espoused were put to use on a daily basis, largely because we could not escape each other’s company. The proximity that held us so close together resulted in a tightly integrated student and faculty community rarely found in other high schools.

Therefore, when we celebrate the move, we also celebrate its timing. Now that we are in a larger building with more areas to find solace and isolation, we will not lose that bond we’ve forged in the small space we were used to occupying. Our strong and proud community has taken to the new building with gusto; yet underneath this zeal lays a foundation of closeness and it is this closeness, this bond, which provides the essential core strength of Sierra Canyon Upper School.

Back to top

 

Upper School Highlights

Key May/June Dates

May3rd

Testing Date: SAT & SAT II Subject Tests

May 5th - 16th

AP Exam Weeks

May 13th

Art Fair, 4:30 - 7:30 p.m.

May 16th - 18th

Spring Drama Production

May 17th

New Family Welcome Picnic,
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

May 22nd

Sports Banquet

May 26th

Memorial Day Holiday

May 30th

Awards Assembly and Lunch, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.

June 2nd - 5th

Exam Week

June 5th

End of Second Semester

June 7th

Testing Date: SAT & SAT II Subject Tests

Back to top