Aun-Aprendo_Spring2017-web

AUN APRENDOBESANTHILLSCHOOLOFHAPPYVALLEY SEASONALMAGAZINE SPRING 2017

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AUN APRENDO The mission of Besant Hill

SPRING 2017 School is the development of each
individual’s intellectual and artistic
Editor abilities. Through awakening the spirit
of inquiry, we encourage each student
Randy Bertin to pursue integrity and excellence.
Our noncompetitive community
Design builds honesty, respect, compassion,
and responsibility. Our goal is to
Oliver Cornell develop a lifelong habit of learning as
embodied in our school’s motto:
Contributors Aun Aprendo, “I am still learning.”

Randy Bertin
Michael Biermann
Jack Buie '18
Dan Call
David Christensen ‘55
Oliver Cornell
Dave Cosby
Tod Cossairt
Abby Elizabeth Croft
Dana Dwire
Kevin Henschel ‘93
Chris Hutchinson
Portia Johnson ‘00
Juana Juarez
Kristen Kaschub
Susan Klipp
Emily Kuhn '18
Cheryl MacPherson
Brian McColgan
Monika Rostocki
Shannon Rowan
Curtis Singmaster
Alex Smith
Nahyun “Han” Sun ‘20
Media Team
Megan Walton
Manuel Reyes-Otálora ‘63
Marion Ruth Weil ‘60
Kathy Zotnowski

Besant Hill School

of Happy Valley

8585 Ojai Santa Paula Road
Ojai, CA 93023

805-646-4343

Alumni Address Changes
[email protected]

Jamie Chen '19 and Tod Cossairt take A Message from the Head of School 1
samples from the vernal pool. Academics 3
Visual Arts 5
International Week 11
Experiential Learning 19
Student Writing: Nature 29
Environmental Sustainability 31
Winter Variety Show 39
Chamber on the Mountain 45
Tuck & Patti Fundraiser 46
Coyote Athletics 47
College Update 52
Spring Arts Weekend Schedule 53
Annual Fund Update 54
Performing Arts 55
Admissions 57
Summer Institute 2016 58
Geodesy 59
Student Writing: Girl in the White Dress 60
CASE Award Honors Randy Bertin 61
Faculty Spotlight 63
From the Kitchen 71

HOWL Alumni 73
Distinguished Speakers Series 73
100 Nights 77
Alumni Visits 79
In Memoriam 81
Alumni Spotlight 83
Message Board 87
Alumni Reunion 88

Student Government 89
Birthdays 90
Growth in Progress 91
Celebrate 70 92
Calendar 93

A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Spring is my favorite season. Wildflowers are in feel hope on the Besant Hill campus; it is palpable
bloom, the scent of citrus is in the air, and the year-round and central to why we have had such
days are longer with extra sunlight slipped into sustained growth over the past five and a half years.
the evenings. It is a time of hope and belief, a At Besant Hill, we truly believe in our students. We
time for change, and the season brings an exciting are dedicated to helping them fulfill their potential
cycle of activity to our students and campus each by working in partnership--in a community of mutual
year. Admissions decisions to new students are respect--with student success as our primary goal.
sent in spring; the majority of our seniors receive Before students arrive each September, faculty
their college acceptances in spring; graduation is and staff gather as a group in preparation for the
looming right around the corner; and seniors are new school year, and an important reminder is
anticipating the end of their academic careers at given to them: everyone’s primary job on campus
Besant Hill School. All of this is very positive and is to support student learning. I remind our entire
fills our community with a sense of hope for good adult community of this throughout the year,
things to come. and every single person reflects this by working
We can all empathize with each other during times hard and believing in students. We create the
of hope. This belief in the positive potential of the necessary pathways for our students to achieve
future is often contagious. True conviction and their goals and make their hopes reality. Students
positive thinking allows us, as humans, to have hope to become musicians, writers, engineers,
a realistic sense of optimism while looking for artists, environmentalists, athletes, and farmers
favorable outcomes -- outcomes that we think will – and the Besant Hill faculty and staff are helping
make us, as individuals or the world-at-large, better. to make those hopes a reality every day. Setting
But it is not just during springtime that one can expectations, leading by example, creating new

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opportunities, and honoring each student as an are striving to accomplish by 2019. It was, and still
individual are essential to their success. It is an is, our “collective hope” that these goals for the
amazing process to witness and rewarding to be school would be fulfilled during this time period.
a part of their growth and transformation. We have done much of the work outlined in the
In our 70th year, it is no coincidence that these plan, yet significant challenges remain in the next
annual processes of helping students learn and two years: the Celebrate 70 campaign needs to
realize their potential continue. Many individuals be fulfilled, and The World as Our Classroom
and families from our ever-growing and initiative must be rolled-out. These can only be
extended community believe in what happens completed with increased engagement from our
at Besant Hill School of Happy Valley. Their extended family of current parents, past parents,
belief is what enabled our school to come into and alumni. As our goals become more ambitious,
existence, build its current campus, and, in the so does our need for increased involvement from
last several years, enhance academic offerings our wider community.
and programs, repair facilities, and undertake My hope for this spring is that, as our school moves
the construction of three major projects. We forward with the same mission and purpose that
have arms embracing us from around the world, have been in place for 70 years, you will join our
supporting our immediate goals and our hopes efforts to ensure they continue over the next 70
for the future of Besant Hill School. years and beyond.
Four years ago, we developed the school’s six- Aun aprendo,
year strategic plan entitled, “Our Common
Purpose.” It outlined six priority goals that we

Randy with Sierra Club’s Bruce Hamilton.
See Distinguished Speakers Series article, page 73.

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ACADEMIC
The World as Our Classroom
by Portia Johnson, Academic Dean
Besant Hill School is in the planning stages of an exciting new endeavour which we are calling
“The World as Our Classroom.” In short, we will be bringing BHS to the world, and the world
into BHS. We hope to demonstrate curriculum in a real-world environment and eliminate
disconnect between our school and the challenges students will face after graduation.
The intention is to provide ancillary experiences to our students that include real-world
professional exposure and service, as well as exposing our students to a host of current global
issues, with the intention of inspiring them to think critically towards, and participate in, viable
solutions.
The Curriculum Committee, with input from our excellent teaching faculty, has taken on this
planning of this terrific endeavour and has dedicated many working hours to its creation. The
emerging ideas are the creation of a comprehensive student portfolio and an interdisciplinary
week of immersive study. The portfolio will teach students vital web design skills and allow
students to reflect on their learning in and outside of class and its connection to the Portrait
of a Graduate. The students’ portfolios will be unique to them and showcase their individual
talents and interests, as well as how they have participated in community service, experiential
education, and Capstone. The immersive interdisciplinary week will be a time for the school to
embark on a learning adventure where students will have the opportunity to explore different
locations and learn from experts with connections to curriculum created by their teachers.
The World as Our Classroom is a truly exciting opportunity, and we can’t wait to see where we
can take this in the months and years ahead. Look for more updates coming soon!
Below and opposite page: photos from March’s Experiential Learning Trip to Ecuador and Galapagos
island. Read more and stay tuned for student presentations on our website student news.

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CS

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Visual Arts Program Caymin Ellspermann '19

by Curtis Singmaster, Visual Arts Chair

Visual Arts at Besant Hill has had an

exciting and productive school year. The
Studio Art class has spent the first semester
learning basic relief, lithograph, and collagraph
printmaking techniques. The Studio Art class
is now focusing on new techniques such as
etching and learning more advanced techniques
of the previously mentioned processes. Art
student Toby Zeng 18’ was accepted into a
juried gallery show that showcased the works
of five emerging artists from the town of Ojai.
The advanced art class is currently focusing on
utilizing the elements of art and the principles
of design to create abstract representations of
fictional scenarios. This project is following a

Elena Bernard '19

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semester of observational work and portfolio development. The class has taken advantage
of the numerous galleries in Ojai by attending shows and talking with the gallery owners and
curators. Senior student artists are starting to receive college acceptance letters. Jovie Li ‘17
has already been accepted to The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, California College
of Art, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and School of Visual Arts in New York, NY.
More letters of acceptance are sure to come. The lower-campus ceramics studio continues
to be a popular class for students to learn ceramics. Students are starting to create pottery
on the wheel after spending the majority of the first semester working on hand-building
techniques. The classes have recently started to use high-fire techniques. This is proving
popular, as it allows for richer and earthier glazes.

Leon Beitl '19

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Art History Gallery Show

by Chris Hutchinson, Art History, Digital and Multimedia Arts Instructor

This year, the Art History class will be making a slight change in regard to its annual

gallery show. Unlike in years past, the class will now be working with both Curtis and Chris on
the Spring Arts Gallery Show rather than having its own stand-alone event. Every year during
Spring Arts Weekend, Chris and Curtis curate a show of student artwork in the Beatrice
Wood Center for the Arts. This year, the Art History class will be taking point and working
through the exciting challenges of curating a large show in a small space.

Usually, the class accepts submissions from the entire community and curates a juried show
from the selection. This show will be slightly different, but we wanted to remain faithful to the
inclusivity of the previous art history exhibitions. While we will be including work from each
student currently enrolled in a visual arts class, we will also be accepting submissions from
the student body at large. This way, if a student is an active visual artist, but they are currently
in performing arts, they will still have the opportunity to have their work recognized.

Come see the show and more on Spring Arts Weekend, April 28 and 29!

Photo overlay of Doornink Grove by Emily Yang '20

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Media Team & Film Class

by Chris Hutchinson, Art History, Digital and Multimedia Arts Instructor

Media Team continued its evolution this year with the introduction of its mock

newscast, “The Hill.” Covering topics ranging from finals to Model UN, the team members
did their best to bring you what was happening on the hill. Our core team of anchors, Cate
Steward ‘17 and Katie Beasley ‘17, aka Cate and Kate, were unwavering in their dedication to
delivering info in their hard-hitting interviews on the fall play and winter break. And, in our time
of greatest need, Anthony Flores ‘19 and Elena Bernard ‘19 took the helm and brought you the
low-down on Model UN, the weather with Siri, and more. The team members also challenged
themselves to bring you some excellent supplementary segments on the vernal pool, the
Green Cup Challenge, and composting. We hope you enjoyed this past season’s foray into
television production, and stay tuned for new projects from the Media Team this spring!

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Film Class

by Chris Hutchinson,
Art History, Digital and Multimedia Arts Instructor

Film students are in full swing these

days. Having completed short screenplays
with an emphasis on storytelling through
character change and having compiled
detailed shot lists, they are knee-deep in
the filmmaking process. Next, each film
student will be taking their projects into
production.
From screenwriter and director to crew, each
young filmmaker will serve in many roles by
the time they have completed the semester.
Classmates play a huge role in helping to
bring one another’s visions to the screen.
Teamwork is key, as producing even a short
film is no simple task.
As we return from Spring Break, students
will either be done shooting or be scheduled
to shoot so they can each edit in time for
this year's Young Filmmaker’s Competition.
This annual competition is an excellent
opportunity for students to have their work
reviewed by professionals in the field. The
event is coordinated by the Ojai Film Society
and has a range of participants from across
the valley.

SCHOOL VIDEOS »

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IWnteeerknational

by Shannon Rowan, ESL Instructor, Director of International Student Programs
Each year, I work collaboratively with students and the Humanities Department to
brainstorm and plan events, activities, and menus that celebrate the rich diversity and unique
perspectives of our community. While I was thinking about this year’s celebration, I came
across a Bioneers podcast titled “Circles of Concern.” While listening to this podcast, I
was reminded that in nature, the edges where diverse ecosystems meet are the source of
greatest fertility and novelty. The more diversity, the more stability, innovation, and resilience.
The same is true in societies and, from my experience, at Besant Hill School. This year’s
International Week theme took a cue from nature. Since we are a community rich in diverse

Cultural Catwalk

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Arts Showcase

perspectives and experiences, it seemed only fitting that
we create activities and events in which all our cultural
perspectives could be shared and celebrated.
The week kicked off with an event that was both curricular
and auxiliary. Each student and faculty member reflected
on what aspects of their culture have influenced their
perspective and then shared those influences while
walking the Cultural Catwalk. The result was a creative
storm of political, social, religious, and artistic cultural
influences that have impacted our community of budding
global citizens. This kick-off activity was the first time in
the history of the school where every student and faculty

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member walked the stage sharing personal and cultural nuances that were both amusing and
informative.
Our cultural renaissance was further enriched on Wednesday with a stunning Performing
Arts Department showcase of music, dance, poetry, pop-culture, and prayer from across the
globe. The Wednesday assembly revealed traditional talents of our students from Malaysia,
China, Burkina Faso, Panama, Kuwait, Korea, and America.
One of International Week’s treasures is the Thursday language class. Our beloved Spanish
instructor, Nestor, spends weeks preparing student volunteers to teach lessons on a topic
of their choice. This year, students rallied around food and taught the names of fruits and

“vegetables in Yoruba, Korean, Arabic, Hungarian, French, Mandarin, Serbian, Spanish, and

Ukrainian.

...in nature, the edges where diverse
ecosystems meet are the source of
greatest fertility and novelty.”

Student-Led Language Classes

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All-School Hootenannny

Voltaire wrote, “Let us read, and let us dance; these two amusements will never do
any harm to the world.” Though our culminating all-school dance activity was almost
canceled due to the storm that caused the school to close, we gathered the following
Monday for one last community celebration of dance. Led by our very own Dan Call,
students learned and practiced a barn-style version of the Virginia Reel. It was a
downright hootenanny and wonderful finale to International Week.

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“Let us read, PHOTOS & VIDEO »

and let us dance;
these two amusements
will never do any harm
to the world.”

- Voltaire

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Chinese New Year

On Friday, January 27, Besant Hill School paused from its regular schedule to celebrate
and recognize Chinese New Year. Keeping with Besant Hill tradition, staff and teachers
assembled in red for a dragon parade, in which drums, cowbells, and triangles were
clamored together in honor of the New Year. The parade was followed by students from
the English II class giving an informative presentation that paid special tribute to Spring
Festival traditions. For lunch, Juana and her wonderful staff worked diligently to prepare
XanXXaXrrXaXyXoXfXdXeXliXciXoXuXs Chinese dishes. It was a fun and festive day for all.

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Faculty Dragon Parade

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Model United Nations student delegates.

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Model United Nations 2017

by Cheryl MacPherson, Social Sciences Instructor

“Education is a human right with immense power to
transform. On its foundation rest the cornerstones of
freedom, democracy and sustainable human development.”

- Kofi Annan, 7th Secretary General of the United Nations

Now in its second year, the Besant Hill Model United Nations project offers students an
opportunity to engage with adolescents from around the world in an annual conference in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Ivy League Model United Nations Conference is organized
and executed by students of the University of Pennsylvania, with over 100 domestic and
international high schools in attendance. This year’s conference was attended by a delegation
of 11 students. The Besant Hill Delegation represented the West African nation of Côte
d’Ivoire in the geopolitical simulation at the Marriott Downtown in Philadelphia from January
26-29, 2017.

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Model United Nations is a geopolitical simulation activity designed to teach necessary
collaborative skills to future diplomats, decision-makers, reformers, and activists. Competitive
high schools throughout the world offer this program as an avenue for students to develop
confidence, practice public-speaking, and facilitate respectful debate, as well as to teach the
complex functioning of the United Nations. Participants also develop research and writing
skills in drafting position papers to be introduced and discussed during the conference. We
are proud to offer this program at Besant Hill, as it underscores our commitment to global
citizenship and reinforces many of the academic and social habits we value.
In the months prior to the conference, head delegates Cate Steward ‘17 and Yiyi Zeng ‘17
prepared the delegation with workshops on the organization and functions of the United
Nations, the culture and economy of Côte d’Ivoire, the parliamentary practices of the
conference itself, and the definition of “Western business attire.”

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Over their winter holidays, each BHS delegate prepared two well-researched position papers
on the topics to be discussed in their assigned committees. BHS had delegates assigned
to committees that included the United Nations Population Fund, the Special Political and
Decolonization Committee, and the International Labor Organization. Delegate Ryan Wang
‘18 represented Côte d’Ivoire at the World Health Organization committee meetings. He
researched attacks on healthcare workers in war zones as well as the effects of pollution on
public health in the developing world.
In addition to the conference, we enjoyed our time in Philadelphia with a memorable visit to
the National Constitution Center and a walking tour of the nearby Independence Hall. Many
of our delegates, including Samantha Zhou ‘18 and Prithraj Punia ‘18, are also students in
Advanced Placement United States History, so these sites of American historical pertinence
proved relevant to their coursework back on campus.
We made sure to pencil in time for pure enjoyment as well: Nicolas Rosen ‘19 and Eli Meyer ‘19
enjoyed ice skating at City Hall with conference delegates, and we all tested our bowling skills
at South Bowl to celebrate Chinese New Year. Who would have known that Clay Weisberg ‘18
is such an excellent bowler?!

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On the last day of our time back east, we made a day trip to Washington, DC for a private
tour of the National Archives by special assistant to the archivist Sam Anthony and
his colleague, curator Christine Blackerby. After we visited the original Declaration of
Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights, Ms. Blackerby guided us through her
exhibit titled “Amending America.”

photo by Yiyi Zeng '17

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While in the nation’s capital, we also visited the National
Museum of the American Indian, the National Air and
Space Museum, and the Smithsonian National Museum
of National History before an early evening walking
tour of numerous monuments. As a native of the DC
area, I enjoyed sharing my favorite monument with the
students at sunset: the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. We
then walked through both the Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Memorial and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial before
concluding our very busy day at the Lincoln Memorial.
Under the starry sky, we all enjoyed the sight of the
Washington Monument in the Reflecting Pool.
After this whirlwind day in Washington, DC, the BHS
Delegation returned safely to campus on January 31.
Exhausted but energized, our delegation of global
citizens is already thinking about next year!

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Big Bear Ski & Snowboard Trip

By Brian McColgan, Math Instructor

Fifteen adventurous Besant Hill
students and two faculty members
took advantage of the Head’s
Holiday weekend to journey to
Snow Summit Ski Resort in Big
Bear for the annual Besant Hill Ski/
Snowboard Trip. A combination of
new and experienced skiers and
boarders stayed in cozy cabins at
the base of the ski lift, and when
they were not riding the mountain,
they played guitar, sang, relaxed, and
cooked family-style meals together.
On the heels of several significant El
Niño storms this season, nearly four
feet of snow had accumulated in the
area, which made for exceptional
slope conditions, good vibes, and
great memories!

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Evening at Caravan Outpost

By Dave Cosby, Music Department Chair
Tuesday January 31, Music Chair Dave Cosby chaperoned students to Ojai’s Caravan Outpost
for a special appearance by America’s flat-picking champion, Tyler Grant, leading musical
powerhouse Grant Farm on their way north to perform at WinterWonderGrass. The group
performed a fast-paced bluegrass and Americana set. The night also featured special guest Scotty
Stoughton, Winterwondergrass Festival founder and member of Colorado-based Bonfire dub.
Students enjoyed the performance and speaking with the musicians. The wonderful evening was
hosted by Besant Hill School families’ new adventure hotel and creative venue.

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BANFF Film Festival

By Monika Rostocki, Director of Outdoor Education
As always, the energy at the Banff Mountain Film Festival was brimming as we stepped off the
bus and made our way into the Arlington Theater in downtown Santa Barbara this February.
Twenty-one students and two chaperones had the privilege of seeing some of the year’s best
short films crafted on extreme sports.
Started in 1976, the festival has been held every fall in the town of Banff in Alberta, Canada.
Immediately after the festival in November, a selection of the best films entered in the festival
goes on tour. The host organization in each tour location chooses a program that reflects the
interests of their community. Each community creates a unique celebration of local adventure
and adventurers. The World Tour visits approximately 305 cities annually in 20 countries,
reaching over 220,000 audience members.
This time around the sun, the festival showed films focused on human interest pieces,
specifically nodding to the cultural nuances of lesser known destinations such as Russia, Iran,
and Northern Canada. One of our favorite films involved a team of four young mothers from
England attempting to row across the Atlantic Ocean, while another film depicted a trio of
athletes riding along the Russian countryside on the Trans-Siberian Railway in search of the
origins of skiing. Yet another film told the story of an indigenous community in the Yukon that
had transformed itself into a world-class mountain biking destination through the hard work
of their young trail crews. The evening was enjoyed by all and will continue to be a favorite
annual outing for students here at Besant Hill School!

Click here to view film lineup ﹥
Click here to watch trailer ﹥

School bus with 21 students heads off for evening film festival.

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Science teacher Leland Fulton took students for
a fun local hike through the Sespe Wilderness.

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NATURE

& how the environment can help us to unplug

by Nahyun “Han” Sung ‘20
When you are going to class and going to eat lunch or dinner, do you look around the place? Most
people don’t look around the place, but if we look, we can see many of nature’s creatures living
together. At Besant Hill School, if you look around, you can see many animals living together
and helping one another in their lives.

Most of the trees that grow in this area are oak trees, pepper trees, orange trees, and olive
trees. There are also pomegranate trees, strawberry plants (Arbutus unedo), rosemary, and
lavender. These are the plants that you can see around the school. In the morning, you can see
birds preparing for their day, groups of quail walking and drinking water, scrub jays talking, and
various finches singing. During the day, squirrels are looking for food in the trees and on the
ground. When the sun is going down, there are groups of birds sitting on the soccer field and
enjoying the sunset, and if you are lucky, you can see one pair of red-tailed hawks sitting in the
tree. At night, there are many barn owls flying through the air.

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With the rainy days, many mushrooms came up from the ground. Near the parking lot, there
were fairy rings (a fairy ring is the ring of the mushrooms under the tree). Also, on the dead oak
trees, there were mushrooms like black witch’s butter and turkey tail mushrooms. Because of
all the rain, a vernal pool appeared. In this pool, there are many kind of toads and frogs. Lizards
and birds hid from the rain, but many other animals emerged and enjoyed those rainy days.
If we look around this area and walk around the campus, we can see many creatures living here.
We are all looking at our phones and enjoying our new technology, but it is important to enjoy
and live together with nature.

Han's article was published in the January edition of The Student Union, an Ojai Valley News publication
featuring "a compilation of news by and about young people in the Ojai Valley."

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The Jewel in the Crown Returns

by Tod Cossairt, Director of Environmental Sustainability
This land that Annie Besant named the Happy Valley has seen some changes since Ms.
Besant first laid eyes on it over 80 years ago. Interestingly, much of the change has
happened around us as other large tracts of land in Upper Ojai have been subdivided
into progressively smaller and smaller parcels. The result is that the Happy Valley land
may soon become like an ecological island: one of the few remaining locations where
one can still see some of the unique habitats native to what is called the Mediterranean
climate zone.
Throughout the world, Mediterranean climate zones occupy less than two percent of the
Earth’s land surface. Despite that small surface area, however, Mediterranean climate
zones are known to contain 20% of the Earth’s plant biodiversity…the bad news is that
in Southern California, nearly 90% of the natural habitats native to the Mediterranean
climate zone have been endangered or destroyed.

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At Besant Hill School, we have the opportunity to use the Happy Valley land as
a laboratory to study five different habitats native to the Southern California
Mediterranean climate zone. The most exceptional and unique of these is tucked away
in the northwest corner of the property and is called a vernal pool. A vernal pool is
like a small natural pond that only fills with water during the rainy season. When it is
filled with water, it is also filled to capacity with plants and animals that will only be
found in this unique habitat. California chorus frogs create a loud serenade throughout
the night, while thousands of clam shrimp and fairy shrimp provide food for migrating
waterfowl.
However, during much of the year, a vernal pool looks just like a dry, grassy,
uninteresting low spot. In fact, here at BHS, our vernal pool spends more time being a
dry, grassy spot than being a pool filled with water.
In a Mediterranean climate zone, it may be as long as five years before there is enough
rain to fill a vernal pool…but even if it took 25 years, the plants and animals of the vernal
pool would still be there to greet the water, because these species have adapted their
seeds and eggs to survive long periods of drought, as well as brief periods of complete
submersion in fresh water.

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At about an acre in size, the Happy Valley Vernal Pool
is only one of two or three natural pools of this size
remaining in Southern California. In fact, only about
five percent of the vernal pools of any size remain
in Southern California. Unfortunately, we may have
realized too late the important ecological functions
provided by our wetland and vernal pool habitats.
Here are just a few:

Ground Water Recharge:
Directly below us lies the Upper Ojai
Groundwater Basin, an invaluable source of
fresh water, constantly renewed in part by the
water retained, stored, and delivered by our
wetlands and vernal pool habitat.
Oxygen Production:
We now know that a healthy wetland and
vernal pool habitat produces five to 10 times as
much oxygen and biomass per acre as a wheat
field. Biomass is the foundation of the food
web. It is a measurement of the primary source
of food that nourishes all species, including
humans.
Water Quality Treatment:
The plants in wetlands and vernal pools are
uniquely adapted to be biofilters capable of
breaking down nearly any pollutant: In fact, one
acre of wetlands has the biological capacity to
filter 7.3 million gallons of water every year.

This spring, for the first time in eight long years, the
Happy Valley Vernal Pool was filled to capacity in an
abundant rainy season. I know it will not last, so I visit
frequently during the day. At sunset, however… at the
time of Ojai’s famous Pink Moment, when the Topa
Topa mountain bluffs turn deep shades of pink and
purple, the vernal pool stands out like a jewel, and I
am reminded of how important it is to appreciate and

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WATCH VIDEO »
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Acting Like a Forest

The Green Cup Energy Challenge 2017

by Tod Cossairt, Director of Environmental Sustainability
During the four-week Green Cup Energy Challenge, students, teachers and staff discover
they have the power to save energy in their schools, and that their actions can translate
into financial savings for their school, and positive change for the world. Besant Hill School
has been participating in the Green Schools Alliance-sponsored Green Cup Challenge
(GCC) since 2009. For an entire month, between January 18th and February 15th, our
school community again made awareness for the way we consume electricity a priority for
the ninth consecutive year.
Back in 2008, our campus consumed 21,250 kilowatt-hours of electricity to power our campus
during this January/February time of the year. In 2017, we continued to reduce our energy use
to a record low of 11,385 kilowatt-hours: a 54% reduction in energy use over the nine years we
have participated in the Green Cup Energy Challenge.
The reduction of nearly 10,000 kilowatt-hours can be directly translated to an equivalent
reduction of over seven tons of greenhouse gas emissions released into our atmosphere. It is
also equivalent to the atmospheric purification done naturally by about seven acres of healthy

ActingLike

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forest. As we reflect on this, it is important to keep in mind that, according to Scientific American,
we are losing this ecosystem service provided by forests, as our rainforests are deforested at a
rate of over 50 acres per minute.
In the Green Cup Energy Challenge this year, we acted like a forest by reducing our on-campus
energy use by 14.2%. This is the ninth year in a row that we have created what Amory Lovins
refers to as “negawatts” rather than “megawatts.” Phoenix Dormitory took away the Green Cup
with an energy reduction of over 24% over the four weeks of the Challenge. Eos Dormitory
was not far behind with a reduction of over 19%, and for the first year, the Dornink Grove
Dormitories joined the competition and demonstrated a 17.3% energy reduction.
Each year, it should become more and more “challenging” to demonstrate energy conservation
during the competition, but each year, our community has found ways to work together to
reduce our energy consumption primarily by increasing our awareness of the way energy is
used in the dorms and on the rest of campus.
We have every reason to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2017 Green Cup Energy
Challenge, especially those of Phoenix Dorm, who will be holding on to the “Green Cup” for
the fourth year in a row. In the next academic year, the 2018 Green Cup Challenge will offer us
a decade milestone for our participation in this worthwhile sustainability competition.

eaForest

Youth Leaders Host Environmental Discussion

by Emily Khun ‘18
On February 15, an unprecedented event took place between two of Ojai’s boarding schools.
Four students from Besant Hill School and The Thacher School witnessed months of their
planning come to fruition at the Environmental Leadership Summit attended by 20 motivated
students from each school.
Said Kurt Meyer, long-time math teacher and sustainability mentor at Thacher, “In all of my
years on the Thacher Environmental Action Committee, what we have accomplished tonight is
significant. With two schools, there is more than twice what we could accomplish otherwise.”
School sustainability leaders Emily Kuhn ‘18, Cate Steward ‘17, Liam Kirkpatrick ‘17, and
Peter Schmidt ‘17 met on numerous occasions throughout the school year to discuss the
sustainability issues and initiatives at each of their schools and within the larger community
of Ojai. The conversations were so productive and motivating that they decided that the
most important initiative for this year would be to bring their schools together to have the
same type of discussions. With the help of their school advisors—Tod Cossairt, Kurt Meyer,
and Juan Sanchez—the four students successfully hosted an environmental summit at Thacher
that began with a tour of Thacher’s sustainability projects, a statement of intentions for the

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evening made around a campfire, and a talk led by the knowledgeable nature-enthusiast and
director of Golden Trout Wilderness, Cam Spaulding. Later in the evening, students were
divided into intimately sized groups based on personal interests that they had expressed in a
survey sent out by the student leaders. The most popular themes conveyed by the survey were
climate change, water conservation, renewable energy, environmental policy, and sustainable
agriculture. The discussions were guided from identifying problems to contemplating local and
global solutions and concluded with the development of comprehensive action plans. One of
the biggest questions that students were challenged by was, “How do we create a culture of
continuous, sustainable thinking and environmental interest?”
Throughout a delicious vegetarian dinner, students grappled with this question as they finished
their action plans. When it was time to gather around the fire for a closing ceremony and
a summary of each group’s action plans, students dragged their feet on the way to the fire,
enriched with new perspectives and reluctant for the night to end. The unprecedented
Environmental Youth Leadership Summit ended with a closing poem summarizing the events,
quotes, and experiences from the night. The Summit successfully generated further interest
from each of the schools and provided a template and imperative connections for current
and future student sustainability leaders to utilize. This Environmental Summit was a very
important first step towards the long-term goal of forming a sustainability colloquium between
all the local schools that will meet on a regular basis. Besant Hill and Thacher are proud of
what they have accomplished so far, and they hope to host another Environmental Leadership
Summit and expand their partnership with other local schools before the school year ends.
Emily's article was published in the March edition of The Student Union, an Ojai Valley News publication
featuring "a compilation of news by and about young people in the Ojai Valley."

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VFaalrliety Show
By Dave Cosby, Music Department Chair
The 2016 Fall Variety Show was a great evening of sharing and community as many students
and a few faculty members and staff members performed a cornucopia of acts in our biannual
variety show. It was a beautiful display of what makes the Besant Hill community so special
as the audience cheered and encouraged its fellow members to let their hair down and give
it their all. For this show, we had two first-time hosts: Henry Choi Freeman ‘PG and Jennifer
Liang ‘18, who kept the show moving along quickly with interesting, fun, and thoughtful
introductions for each act.

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The evening started off hot with “The Fantastic
Fourth Perioders,” comprised of the students
of the fourth period Instrumental Music II class.
They performed an instrumental version of
“Poker Face” by Lady Gaga, featuring Ziqi Zhou
‘19 on drums, Emily Kuhn ‘18 on guitar, Jennifer
Liang ‘18 on guitar, Jamie Chen ‘19 on bass,
Giang Kieu ‘17 on piano, and Lillian Hu ’19 on
clarinet. It was an interesting interpretation of
the song, and it was fun to hear the clarinet play
Lady Gaga’s part.
The next act was a spoken word piece by
Shivani Vaswani ‘18. Getting back to the music,
Gorkem Uysal ‘18 then displayed his word-

speaking wizardry in a performance of a rap song.
Now regulars at our variety shows, Clay Weisberg
‘18 and Richard Ellwood performed a fun act
that was a unique mix of comedy and magic.
Following Clay and Richard were Tod Cossairt,
Brian McColgan, and Monika Rostocki, who sang
a wonderful, slightly slower version of Tom Petty’s
“Wildflower.”

40

Kayla Geronimo-Anctil ‘18 gave a powerful
piano and vocal performance of Regina
Spektor’s “Apres Moi.” It featured an
intensely powerful piano part that was
reminiscent of Sergei Rachmaninoff. It was
a wonderful solo performance.
Vocalist Jennifer Liang was up next,
bringing the sounds of South American
Pop to the show. For her performance,
she was accompanied by Ziqi Zhou on

the shaker and myself on bass, as well as a
special dance performance by Kimberleey
Frank ‘18 with faculty member Nestor
Geronimo on saxophone. They performed
“Duele El Corazon,” best known as a hit
by Enrique Iglesias. Jennifer was followed
by John Wang ‘20, who performed an
original song accompanied by faculty and
alumnus Richard Ellwood '92 on piano. EDM
maestro Salim Ingram '17 showcased his
compositional skills, sharing a pre-recorded
electronic dance music song. “First Blues,”
composed by myself, was a collaboration
piece between the BHS Guitar Ensemble
and the Instrumental Music II class,
featuring Ziqi Zhou on drums, Emily Kuhn
on guitar, Jennifer Liang on guitar, Jamie

41

Chen on bass, Giang Kieu on piano, Sophie
Schwarzenbach on percussion, and Lillian
Hu on clarinet, as well as Matthaus Tsoi ‘19,
Marek Froyda ‘19, and Mateo Cesarman
‘18. “First Blues” was an old-school blues
shuffle and featured an improvised blues
solo by Mateo. Guitarist, actor, and vocalist
Emily Kuhn performed a beautiful version
of Cindy Lauper’s “True Colors,” with
Ruby Jane Sizemore ‘17 on bass, Samantha
Zhou ‘18 on piano, and Sienna Johnson
‘17 on violin. Staying with old school and
being very “hip” was Tod Cossairt, offering
up some wonderful spoken words to an
improvised soundtrack of music by Sienna
Johnson, with Giang Kieu on piano and Ziqi
Zhou on drums.

Emmy Higlers ‘19 and I performed
a mashup of “Breakeven” and Tracy
Chapman’s “Fast Car,” which Emmy
arranged. It was a beautiful arrangement
that brought out the unique and special
qualities of each song. The 7th Period

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Partiers was a group comprised of my seventh period Instrumental Music class. We performed
Sia’s “Cheap Thrills” and augmented our performance with the hip-hop-influenced dancing of
Kimberleey Frank, Emily Kuhn, and Shanice Kalima ‘17. The band featured Alina Perlstein ‘18,
Prith Punia ‘18, Susan Beckson ‘19, and Margo Roykhman ‘18 playing guitars, Balazs Fabian ‘18 on
keyboard, Miranda Laprelle ‘18 on piano, Gorkum Uysal on drums, and myself on bass. It was a
fun rendition of the song, but the dancers took the performance to a new level.
Senior vocalist Cate Steward performed the Etta James jazz classic “Sunday Kind of Love.” In
this performance, Cate demonstrated what a truly fine vocalist she has developed into with
a moving and passionate performance. Closing the show was a fun collaboration between

my Advanced Instrumental Music class and Head of School Randy Bertin. With Randy on
vocals, we performed the CCR classic “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” At a school where we
encourage students and teachers alike to challenge themselves and get out of their comfort
zones, it was really fun and refreshing to see the head of our school singing a rock classic with a
student band.
The Fall 2016 Variety Show was a fun and very entertaining show that allowed our community
to come together and celebrate the talents of many of our community members. Every aspect
of our community was represented in the show, including faculty, staff, administration, and, of
course, students, and everyone in attendance had a great time.

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MORE PHOTOS & VIDEO »

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Presented by the Happy Valley Cultural Center under the Artistic Direction of renowned
harpist Heidi Lehwalder. Chamber On The Mountain honors the traditional while celebrating the

innovative and the intermingling of nascent talent with venerated masters.

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Mayuko Kamio, Violinist
Noreen Cassidy-Polera, Pianist

Program:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sonata in E minor, K. 304
Maurice Ravel
Sonata for Violin No. 2 in G Major, Op. 77
César Franck - Sonata in A Major

Meet the Artists!
Reception will follow the performance.
Visit www.chamberonthemountain.com to learn more and order tickets »

Special Musical Guests Perform for Students

Sang-Eun Lee, Cello with Carlos Avila, Piano

After their Sunday, March 5th
Chamber on the Mountain
performance, special musical
guests Sang-Eun Lee and
Carlos Avila gave a stunning
performance followed by a
question and answer period
with students in the Zalk
Theater. For artist bios and
more please visit Chamber
on the Mountain website:
chamberonthemountain.com.

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“After silence, that which comes nearest
to expressing the inexpressible is music.”

~Aldous Huxley

The Caravan Outpost Presents

A Night Under The Stars
A benefit concert for the Besant Hill School Music Department

with

Tuck & Patti

Friday, April 21st • 5:00
The Caravan Outpost • 317 Bryant Street, Ojai CA

Student performances followed at 7:00pm by two hour, non
stop music from the legendary duo, Tuck & Patti

Tickets: $35 at the door Proceeds from the concert
or advance purchase from and food and drink sales go
The Carvan Outpost website to support the Besant Hill
www.caravanoutpost.com School Music program.

Venue provided by Food provided by

Come Prepared!
The Caravan Outpost
o ers a beautiful,
outdoor venue. Bring
blankets and beach
chairs or pillows.

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ACtohyloetteics

47 Teammates Selena Nguyen '19, Helen Chen '18, Annie Ho '17, and Jana AlRaqam '20.