The Field School

Field has always had an innovative take on lunch. Instead of a typical school cafeteria, lunch is provided by Field families throughout the year. Students grab freshly delivered food and a bottle of water and find a spot to eat.

The system is a great success for so many reasons—except one. In a single school week, as many as 1,300 disposable water bottles are used; in a school year, over 40,000 bottles will have been used. While Field offers many recycling bins around campus, that’s still a major plastic problem.

The Student Government Association would like to introduce the Field community to its solution to that problem: meet the all new, environment-loving, consumption-curbing "Hydration Stations."
 
As of today, there are six of these impressive units across campus. Their structure houses a bottle-filling station, a sipping spigot, and bragging rights. After each use, a ticker at the top of the station counts off the number of disposable bottles saved. In just over a week, we’ve already saved more than 1000 bottles!

The Genesis of the Idea
The Hydration Station idea came to life because of the energy and creativity of many different people in the Field community who worked in concert throughout the year.

Everything began this fall when the SGA, along with faculty advisors Lauren Finkel, Ryan Reese and Dr. John Kalil, brainstormed initiatives for the year. Junior Reuben Forman wanted Field to become a more environmentally responsible school, and many others chorused their agreement. The group reached out to teacher Dave Nelson (a known friend of the environment) who suggested they find a way to reduce water bottle consumption on campus.

"I felt like reducing water bottles was one of the easiest things we could do here to both make a significant ecological impact and do something that was visible on campus,” Dave says. “Getting rid of plastic water bottles will make a clear statement that we care about making our school environmentally friendly."

The students really took to Dave’s idea. SGA Vice President Matt Witkin ’12 researched replacements for the water bottles and found a number of companies that offered water filtration/water-bottle-filling products. With options in tow, Witkin and SGA President Reed Young ’12 gave a presentation to the Field’s CFO Nancy Anderson and Associate Head of School David Buffum about why this project would be a smart investment.

Using research that the SGA had compiled, Nancy saw that the project, and eventual phasing-out of disposable water bottles, would benefit the school from both a financial and environmental perspective. Head of School Dale Johnson and the rest of the Field administration concurred and approved the project.

From Persuasion to Promotion
Throughout the winter Nancy worked on finding the right product and finalizing the order. SGA reps checked in with her regularly about the progress. “I don’t often get a chance to work directly with the kids, so this has been really fun for me,” she says. “They really care about what they’re doing so much.”

Earlier this month, contractors came to campus to begin installation. Two Hydration Stations reside in Field's central Hub, two in the gym and two more in the Wonder building. Before the end of this school year, there will also be two units by the blackbox theater and one in the first floor of the Aude building. Over the summer, there will be also be a unit installed in the tenth grade hallway and one on the third floor of the Caftriz building. By next year, there will be nine total stations around campus.

Starting today, fifty percent fewer disposable water bottles will be made available at lunch, and students all over campus need to be informed about the available stations as well as the need to bring in their own reusable bottles. SGA has covered the campus with posters urging students come to prepared with bottles, and class representatives will be visible and vocal about the importance of the initiative.

As Nancy observed, the future success of the program will come from full student body participation. “The buy-in so far has been beautiful. SGA and the students are involved, and teachers think it’s great,” she says. “We’re counting on everybody to make this work in the long run.”

Field student groups in the past have seen what happens when there isn’t full participation from the student body. The once-active Field Environmental Action Team (FEAT) had a similar initiative in a few years ago where they encouraged students to use water fountains and reusable bottles, but the effort lacked traction and had low participation.

David is optimistic that a combination of factors will make this year’s project successful. “Both students and administration have considered this idea in the past because it’s something we’ve been interested in for some time. For various reasons, it wasn’t the right timing,” he says. “But with the full momentum of the student government behind the change and the increasing accessibility and technological advancement of these types of products, it’s the right thing to do at this time.”

Full Adoption  
This project joins a list of other upgrades to buildings and infrastructure in a gradual shift toward a more environmentally friendly Field. Last summer, a new and much more efficient boiler was installed and motion-sensing lights were added to bathrooms and faculty locker rooms. Additionally the living room was outfitted with new, more energy efficient shades and lighting controls.

The plan is for the 2012–2013 school year to be free of disposable plastic bottles starting on day one. This project is a clear sign that students are committed to helping create a better Field. “I am incredibly proud,” says Matt, “because we were able to get the stations installed, and because I go to a school where ideas can start from students and actually have an impact on the school.”

Last Friday, twelve seniors quietly entered D.C. Superior Court Judge Gerald Fisher’s courtroom and watched a criminal trial unfold. They took their seats just as the defendant on the stand was being cross-examined by the prosecutor. Judge Fisher had his clerk hand out case information to the group, and students learned the charges against the defendant--possession of stolen property and several counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

The students took this trip downtown to see first-hand the inner workings of a jury trial as part of their "Law & American Society" senior elective. The time in the courtroom brought to life what the students had been studying about trial advocacy, including reading about how juries reach decisions, watching actual footage of a jury deliberating, and acting as a jury of a mock trial on video.

After the cross-examination, the group was around long enough to see two more witnesses testify briefly and both attorneys deliver their closing arguments. Students carefully noted more than just the facts of the case. They paid close attention to prosecutor's theory of what had occurred and how the evidence established the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. They also watched closely when the defense attorney addressed the jury. They noted his theory, his skepticism about the evidence, and his considered view that the prosecution had not met the burden of proof. As the proceedings came to a close, students focused on the rhetorical skills--both in content and delivery--of both sides during closing arguments.

Though the the class only watched the trial for a few hours, teacher Chris Lorrain thinks the opportunity will certainly prove invaluable as the students prepare and conduct a mock trial over the next few weeks. The courtroom visit was a great example of the many ways Field students meld book learning with experiential learning to maximize their understanding. These members of the 'Field Bar' are certainly going to put their learning to great use!

HISTORY, FIELD-STYLE

The Field School history department loves the underdogs of history.  We appreciate the historical figures that did not hog the spotlight, or the ones who worked hard, but never seemed to get credit for their assistance.  We revel in discussions about the best supporting actors, the collaborators, the wingmen, the sidekicks.  This year the department decided to explore the idea of the historical “sidekick” in more depth through our annual History March Madness tournament.  

The “History Madness” idea began three years ago when teacher Ryan Reese proposed an NCAA bracket-style tournament for historical figures.  Students would vote each day in their history classes on match-ups between various historical figures.  During the first year, the department decided on a particular theme to guide the voting—students were asked to determine which historical figures most exemplified the mission of the school.  Students throughout all grade levels debated the match-ups in their classes and placed their votes daily.  The week culminated in a debate to determine the champion.  Two groups of students from all grade-levels represented the final two competitors in the debate.  

This year, after weeks of brainstorming and debating, the department settled on the idea of “historical sidekicks” as our focusing theme.   Yet we decided that we would need to further define what we meant—these were not just your run-of-the-mill sidekicks.   We wanted to highlight the deeper role of the sidekick—students would debate which historical figure, who is often viewed as a “sidekick,” actually was essential to the success of the endeavor.  In other words, which sidekick was most essential to the cause?  This, we thought, would make an engaging topic for debate.  And it turned out that we did exactly what we were hoping to do—we sparked discussion!  Students had to consider these historical figures in context.  They were not voting on whether they liked a historical figure like Robert F. Kennedy, but they were voting on the extent to which he was essential to the success of John F. Kennedy’s presidential platform as his attorney general.   Or they considered how figures such as Che Guevara or Sacajawea were essential to the endeavors of Fidel Castro or Lewis and Clark. Much like the study of history in general, the answers weren’t so black or white.  Inevitably students encountered gray area—and if there’s one thing to know about Field history teachers, it’s that we love the gray area.

Additionally, the department made a major change this year by hosting a Quizbowl in lieu of the debate.  In order to engage all students in as many of the history classes as possible, we held a day-long historical trivia competition.  For each class period, as many of the history classes as possible entered the competition.  Each class worked as a team to answer a series of questions based on the historical figures in the brackets.  Then the winners of each period—first through sixth—competed in a final round last week.  The excitement was palpable—two senior classes, two junior classes, and two sophomore classes competed in four rounds of more difficult questions based on the brackets.  The winning team, one of teacher Will Magioncalda’s 11th grade classes, took the entire tournament after scoring a perfect round in the final round about U.S. Presidents.

Overall, it was an energetic history-filled week.  Students were buzzing about the seeds of the historical figures as soon as we put up the massive bracket in the hub.  And the buzzing continued throughout the week.  There was even a powerful underground movement to write-in Tenzing Norgay’s name after he was ousted in the Elite 8 round among many of the classes.  Although not all of the students knew about each of the historical figures, they were able to use their own “sidekicks”—their smartphones or laptops—to query the historical figures and conduct their own research.  Everyone was able to get into the best kind of madness - History Madness!

SCIENCE EXPO THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 15, 2012

It’s not a hypothesis, an experiment, or a test, it’s a fact: Science Expo is next Thursday evening at the Field School. While the night will showcase the work of seventh grade students and juniors and seniors taking Physics II, the evening is for the entire Field community to enjoy.

Seventh grade student scientists have been working methodically on their projects with teacher Sky Lesnick. Each student researched a topic, derived a hypothesis to test, designed and executed an experiment, and then analyzed their data. Perfume and Pulse Rates; Who Runs Faster, Smaller or Taller People?; Concentration: Which Orange Juice Has More Vitamin C? – these topics are just a sampling of the projects the students have tackled.

Seventh graders have been working for over a month on their projects; for many, this is the first time they have worked on a long-term project. “The seventh graders are presenting their work on Thursday evening, because it has been such a long investment for them, and it deserves a forum in the community,” explains Science Department Chair Fenton Blake.

Juniors and seniors have also worked diligently to inject significant creativity into their scientific work, added Fenton. Under the guidance of teacher Neil Basu, junior and senior Physics II students have been studying the motion of objects as governed by Isaac Newton’s Law of Motion. To apply these concepts, every student engaged in the engineering of a Rube Goldberg Device, which is a machine that employs a creative, often unusual path of continuous motion for an object using the different types of motion the students have been studying.

The Science Expo evening will begin at 6:20 pm with a welcome in the Cafritz Living Room; seventh graders will begin making their presentations in the Club and Dining rooms at 6:30 pm. There will be a break in the living room at 7:30 pm with refreshments. During this time, Physics II students will present their Rube Goldberg devices in the Hub.  Seventh grade presentations will resume at 8:00 pm, and run until approximately 9:00 pm.  Come and enjoy the scientific process of discovery next Thursday!

Self-Discovery.  It's the first word in our mission statement, and its pursuit is innate to everyday life at Field.  Students are encouraged to think and learn about themselves, and to grow as individuals over the course of their time here.  They can be studious, athletic, shy, boisterous, latino, focused, whimsical, black, white or anytihng else they want—so long as they are who they truly are.

Field is a place where you can be yourself.