News Archive

2020

Headlines

  • Students excel at math, reading during online summer drop-ins

    Dozens of Calvert’s boys and girls met virtually this summer as part of a series of “drop-in” classes aimed at helping students hone their reading and math skills ahead of the school year.

  • Bestselling Author Wes Moore Discusses Racism, Reform in Virtual Book Talk

    Calvert parent and bestselling author Wes Moore spoke with our community about racial inequity and reform Wednesday, July 29, as part of a discussion of his new book, Five Days: The Fiery Reckoning of an American City.

  • Students Explore Space Travel, Engineering, and More in Virtual QUEST Camp

    This summer, Calvert is proud to continue working with Hamilton Elementary/Middle School to host Summer QUEST, a four-week program that uses hands-on projects to explore concepts of engineering, space travel, city planning, and more.

  • Becky Scott ’16 Honored with the Janet Dalsheimer Unsung Hero Award

    Congratulations to Becky Scott ’16 for being named the Janet Dalsheimer Unsung Hero for Park School's Class of 2020! In the fall, Becky will study nursing at the University of Miami.

  • Bestselling Author Chip Conley Joins Alumni Community for a Virtual Talk

    New York Times Bestselling Author Chip Conley joined our alumni community for a virtual talk on Thursday, June 11th. The founder of Modern Elder Academy and Airbnb Strategic Advisor for Hospitality & Leadership shared his thoughts on why we’re seeing an increase in older employees, age discrimination, how to switch careers, the impact of COVID-19, and other valuable insights. Many thanks to Andrew Schapiro ’95 for getting such a prominent speaker and Josie Worthington ’72 for sharing her journey. Watch the full conversation here.

  • Emma Fox’17 Featured on NBC

    Emma Fox ’17 shared her experience at the protests in Baltimore on NBC. Check out the video here.

  • George Constable ’18 Receives Underclass Leadership Award

    George Constable '18, a sophomore at McDonogh School, received McDonogh’s Underclass Leadership Award, presented to the student or students in each class who have exerted a major positive influence on the life of the school through their conduct and leadership skills. Congratulations George! 

  • John Waters ’58 Creates a Line of Face Masks & Other Merchandise

    Calvert graduate John Waters ’58 has created his line of face masks and other merchandise, now available at local Baltimore retailer, Atomic Books. 
     

  • Makayla Gilliam-Price ’12 Organizes Peaceful Assembly

    On Monday, June 1st, Makayla Gilliam-Price ’12 organized a peaceful assembly outside of the Baltimore Central District Police Station. We are so proud of Makayla for taking a public stand on this critical issue in our city.

  • Napoleon Sykes, Jr. ’96 Appears in Urban Sentinel’s July Edition

    Click here to read, “Coaching is a Calling, Not Simply a Job” on p. 39.

  • Napoleon Sykes, Jr. ’96 Discusses Social Justice and Transformational Coaching

    Napoleon Sykes, Jr. ’96 joined mentor Joe Ehrmann on June 9th for a virtual discussion covering social injustice and transformational coaching. To watch, click here.

  • Shannon Adams ’08 and Kirsten Adams ’09 Join STEMcx for Facebook Live Interview

    Calvert alumnae and current medical students, Shannon Adams ’08 and Kirsten Adams ’09, spoke in a Facebook live interview by STEMcx on June 11th. To watch, click here.

  • A Message from the Head Master on Black Lives Matter

    This letter from the Head Master was sent to the Calvert community on June 1, 2020.

    We are all carrying a sorrowful and tremendous burden, and I am compelled to reach out to our community to express my own outrage and profound sadness. In truth, I have been writing this letter for days, fluctuating between anger at recent events, and despair at the world we have created for our children.

  • ALUMNI ON THE FRONTLINES - Clark Wight ’81

    Clark Wight ’81, Primary School Principal for Guildford Grammar School in Perth, Australia, was featured in yesterday’s article, “Perth school rethinks report cards, using coronavirus pause to focus on child personal development.” Clark’s school is rethinking report cards. Instead, the school introduced a new section to its junior reports this semester, focusing on personal development and emotional intelligence. 

  • ALUMNI ON THE FRONTLINES - Watch the All Alumni Board Meeting

    Click here to watch a recorded version of the All-Alumni Virtual Board Meeting featuring COVID-19 talks with Dr. Annie Luetkemeyer ’84 & Dr. Keith Flaherty ’83, as well as an update from Head Master Holmgren. To access, use the password:6M!@?%3$

  • Happy Star Wars Day!

    Click here to see an important message from Tatooine.

  • ALUMNI ON THE FRONTLINES - Beth Fenwick Garner ’85

    Beth Fenwick Garner ’85 is the Director of Corporate Relations at Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC). She is also the founder and creator of the app BaltoBites, which lists restaurants that are currently open in Baltimore.

    The inspiration for BaltoBites came from the GBMC Healthcare Workers’ Fund, which provides food, among other things, to healthcare workers on the frontlines. “This app lets those wanting to provide food to healthcare workers with a way to know which restaurants are still open and where they can go to support the community.”

    Ms. Garner subscribes to the market research group, Trends, based in San Francisco. In one of their reports, they wrote about the idea to use no-code tools to create a directory app in local cities to provide information around local restaurants still open for business during the COVID-19 shutdown. Trends’ members even provided the playbook on how to build the app. “In the beginning, I reminded myself to focus on progress and not perfection.” The fact that BaltoBites is a no-code app made it feel accessible. “I wanted to expand my skill set and serve the community, connecting families who are in a position to still order out with small restaurants that are open.”

    What initially began with 30 restaurants now includes 250. Ms. Garner credits a local food blogger, who had information for all 250 restaurants on a spreadsheet and generously shared it with the app. From there, it took off. “If I have the room and time to take it to the next level, I can see us creating promotions to encourage people to get out there and frequent these restaurants. That said, I’m kind of hoping it has zero impact and is just something we use during COVID-19 that serves the community. I would encourage anyone to have a go with the user-friendly https://baltobites.glideapp.io.”

  • ALUMNI ON THE FRONTLINES - Matt Buck ’87

    Matt Buck ’87, Head of Middle School at Calvert, has been on the educational frontlines of the COVID-19 epidemic. He has witnessed both the growing pains and strides made since the school shifted to remote learning roughly six weeks ago. “In the beginning, it was like we were starting not just a new school year, but a whole new school. Our curriculum was in place, but the way that we are doing school is completely different. This meant long, 12-14-hour days in the first several weeks as my faculty and I figured out systems and communication in terms of how we would present our work and receive it back from students. Even still, spring break gave us a head start in planning. Some schools had to switch to online learning overnight.”

    That said, this unusual situation has also presented benefits. “One amazing silver lining has been that there are some students who are really good at this type of learning and have just thrived. There are always a few kids in a physical school that tend to be more on the quiet side and rarely speak in class, and yet somehow in this digital format, they’ve risen to the top. This type of learning emphasizes executive function skills.”

    Middle school, even in the best of circumstances, always represents a time of emotional growth for students, something every bit as important as their academic instruction. With this in mind, Calvert launched advisory and club enrichment time to give context to the students’ academic learning and provide connection.

    Some adjustments to the traditional curriculum may continue to have an impact at Calvert once students return to the classroom. For one thing, teachers are more in-tune with the length of assignments and what is digestible. Advantages have also come with the asynchronous learning model. The result – future middle school classes may have teachers provide content and video for direct instruction at home, which in turn will allow for more collaboration and cooperative learning while students are physically together in school. “We can come into the physical classroom and really make use of cooperative learning, which is the essence of middle school education and proven to be effective.”

    The major takeaway, however, has been the strength of the community of teachers at the school. “I definitely want to acknowledge the teachers and faculty at Calvert – both at the lower and middle school. Many are parents, often of young children, and yet all have met this challenge and exceeded expectations.”
     
     

  • ALUMNI ON THE FRONTLINES - Meg Ward ’87

    Meg Ward ’87 is the Managing Director of Education at the Living Classrooms Foundation (LCF), a nonprofit that disrupts the cycle of poverty in Baltimore and D.C. and provides hands-on education, workforce development, health and wellness, and violence prevention programming.

    Since the outbreak of COVID-19, LCF has worked to ascertain the needs of the families they serve, providing a wraparound support model that addresses everything from food to hygiene supplies to internet access.

    One of the challenges faced with all educational programming, and Living Classrooms in particular, is that they specialize in hands-on, learning by doing. In an environment where social interaction is limited, providing students with those kinds of experiences becomes a different test. This has required creative thinking about how to distill programming into a portable, tangible item that students can access without being online.

    Their solution? The STEAM activity box. Boxes contain at least five activities to represent each area of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). As described by Ms. Ward, “All of the directions and materials that you would need are in the box – so for example, if the activity requires scissors, they are in there. The boxes are complemented by supplementary online education. Moreover, each box also contains an additional science lesson about effective handwashing, and with it, a bar of soap, and a lesson specifically about how washing your hands with soap destroys the coronavirus.”

    “Last week, we distributed 2,000 boxes at our community centers and at Baltimore City Public School (BCPS) food distribution centers. This week, we will distribute another 2,000 boxes that are a collaboration between the Living Classrooms Foundation and Great Kids Farm. Next week, we will give out another 2,750 boxes, 500 of which are for children ages 3-5 in collaboration with the Y of Central Maryland Head Start Program. The other 2,250 are banded for grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8. All are curriculum-aligned, having worked with the STEAM departments of BCPS to makes sure they reinforce what the students are learning in those grade bands.”

    This incredible work has already demonstrated an impact. “When we dropped off the boxes at Dunbar, 300 boxes were gone inside of an hour. Afterward, we were contacted by families desperate to find out if there were more, and where they could be obtained. There is clearly a real demand for families to have something for their students that both captures their imagination and involves active learning. We would like to distribute 2,000+ boxes each week through the end of the regularly scheduled school year contingent on funding. It costs roughly $10 to produce each box and we currently only have enough funding for the next two weeks.”

  • ALUMNI ON THE FRONTLINES - Dave Rich ’92

    Dave Rich ’92, LMSW, earned his degree from Columbia University School of Social Work with completion of the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) training program and lab under Dr. Andre Ivanoff, Ph.D. Mr. Rich serves as an Adjunct Lecturer at Columbia University. He is part of two New York City group private practices, Brooklyn Heights Behavioral Associates and Metro NY DBT, where he provides DBT therapy to adolescents, adults, and families. 
     
    In the wake of COVID-19, Mr. Rich has relocated to his family’s home in Baltimore and is currently seeing patients over Zoom. His clients are all New York-based, and while some have moved to different parts of the state, 85% are still in Brooklyn. 
     
    In his sessions, Mr. Rich is finding that teens are reporting a lot of confusion and boredom. To make matters worse, being in New York City, the current epicenter of COVID-19, has meant that many clients have barely left their bedrooms and apartments in six weeks. Yet, despite their proximity, he notes that kids and parents are not communicating in an in-depth way, primarily because teens are picking up on their parent’s stress about their jobs and health in addition to tolerating their own situations. “Teens are really relying on friends, Facebook, text, and video games to get through this. I haven’t seen as much parent/child interaction as I would hope because everyone is on edge and people aren’t in the space to validate these emotions.” Teens are capitalizing on new creative projects as a positive outlet. “It’s amazing how resourceful and resilient we can be.”
     
    With the stress and confusion that we all are feeling, Mr. Rich provided a few mental health tips to keep in mind:
     
    1. Be flexible and tolerate the emotional ups and downs that come with this challenging time. “It’s important to maintain a level of flexibility even when things are dark, and you feel you’ve run out of skills and things to do. Time, space, and validation are needed to stay emotionally regulated. If you feel like you’ve run out of options, give it some time and space and find validation, either from someone else or yourself.”

    2. Do something predictable. “When everything is so unpredictable, doing something that gives you predictability and consistency is key. Rely on things that have worked before. It helps to create order, which is what people need right now, especially when things change day by day. Read a book you’ve already read, watch your favorite movie, or spend time with your favorite people, places, and things.” 

    3. Remember and practice the idea of compassion – both with yourself and others. “This can mean a lot of different things, from doing something more slowly, having the courage to try something new, or taking risks, as long as it’s doing something in a way that is both helpful and in line with what you care about. Before you do or say anything in your day, ask yourself, ‘Is it helpful? What do I need right now? What do others need right now?’ Keep communication open even if you don't know what to say.”    

  • ALUMNI ON THE FRONTLINES - Dr. Annie Luetkemeyer ’84

    Dr. Annie F. Luetkemeyer ’84 is a Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco, specializing in tuberculosis, HIV and viral hepatitis.

    With the outbreak of COVID-19, Dr. Luetkemeyer is currently leading clinical trials at San Francisco General Hospital, UCSF, investigating treatment strategies that include remdesivir, convalescent plasma, and immune modulators. Her work looks at which patients benefit from treatment, the optimal time for receipt of treatment, and what combination of antivirals and anti-inflammatories will be most appropriate.

    A leading physician and medical researcher, Dr. Luetkemeyer shared her expertise on the spread of infectious diseases in a virtual town hall and will speak in our upcoming All Alumni Board Meeting on Saturday, May 9th at 9:00 a.m. EST. 

  • ALUMNI ON THE FRONTLINES - Dr. Keith Flaherty ’83

    We reached out Dr. Keith Flaherty '83, to hear how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted his work. Here's what he had to say, "At Mass General, like all other major hospitals across the country, we are reorienting all resources to respond to COVID-19. This entails the entire clinical care enterprise, but also our research community. As of a week ago, I am directing COVID-19 clinical research instead of cancer clinical research, for example. I have never been more inspired and motivated by my colleagues. Such a collision of energy and creativity that I have never witnessed in my 20-year career."

    Dr. Flaherty will join Dr. Luetkemeyer in our upcoming All Alumni Board Meeting, Saturday, May 9, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. EST.

  • ALUMNI ON THE FRONTLINES - Molly Baldwin ’71

    Molly Baldwin ’71, founder and current Chief Executive Officer of the nonprofit Roca, recently shared news of their work on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic helping Baltimore youth and beyond. Their mission: to disrupt incarceration and poverty by engaging young adults, police, and systems at the center of urban violence by addressing trauma, finding hope, and driving change.

    Her team was quoted in a recent update as saying, “We have furloughed a few of our Baltimore employees who could only operate within our facility and we are focusing strictly on the streets. We can’t stop—even during this time, crime hasn’t abated. Our Roca youth workers are absolutely committed to being consistently/safely out there and keeping our relationships and cognitive-behavioral work on track.

    Many of our young men don’t keep up with health briefings and can’t be reached in traditional ways, so we are giving them that crucial information as well. Thanks to our strong relationships with them, we are finding they are actually very receptive, more so than we expected.”

  • Anne Weiskittel Rienhoff '51 and the Story of Cheenie the Rescue Dog

    At the start of WWII my Aunt Kak volunteered at The Red Cross. She was shipped overseas and stationed at a secret B29 base about 200 miles west of Calcutta. One night some GI friends were on a patrol. In the headlight glare of their truck they spotted a small, round object smack in the middle of the road.

  • Calvert's Partnership with Bedtime In A Box

    Spring Break marked the end of our expanded school year partnership with local nonprofit, Bedtime in a Box.

  • Women's History Month

    To continue our Global Citizen Project, Calvert students took part in a two-week mini program to celebrate Women’s History Month in March. Each division had a parallel program that included a different theme each week for students to collaboratively engage in a collection of activities.

  • ILP Launches June Summer Camps for Young Leaders

    The Institute for Leadership & Purpose (ILP) is excited to launch two week-long Wayfinder camps in June for current and rising Middle School students.

  • A Night on the Town: 2020

    Nearly 300 parents, alumni, trustees, and friends of the school gathered at La Cuchara on Saturday night for A Night on the Town, a fundraiser for Calvert’s teachers. 
     

  • Morning of Sustainability

    On Friday March 6, the entire school came together to celebrate the environment. Each year, the school celebrates Earth Week in April and our Morning of Sustainability in March serves as our opening touch point. 

  • Calvert Alumni Brunch at the U.S. Collegiate Women’s Squash Championships

    Parents Liz and Ned Insley hosted a brunch for Calvert alumni at the U.S. Collegiate Women's Squash Championships at Yale University last weekend. With them were their daughters Catherine '18, who was playing for Bucknell, and her sister, Caroline '15. Former parents Vicki & Bill Dowling were likewise in town to cheer on their daughter Kate '15 and her teammates from Brown University. Additionally present were Elizabeth & Ken Rice with their daughters, Allison '14, a current student at Yale, and Caroline '18. Yale sophomore Solana Craig '14 and Colgate's Crinny Woloson '14 also attended.

  • Calvert Goes to High School National Squash Championships

    From February 21-23, several Calvert alumni played in the 2020 Head U.S. High School Team Squash Championships in Hartford, Connecticut. Players included James Zollinger ’17, John Williams ’17, and Heath Otenasek ’17 for Gilman together with non-graduate alumni Ned Gildea ’16 and Will Rice ’16. Drue Otenasek ’18 and Anna McGurkin ’18 (pictured) played for Roland Park Country School. Eva Finney ’16 wore green and white for St. Paul’s School for Girls while Charlotte Smith ’17 represented Bryn Mawr. Other players included Ben Inglesby ’16 and Luke Inglesby ’18 for Park, Sam Long ’17 for Woodberry Forest, and Tyler Thompson ’18 for Loyola Blakefield.

  • Calvert in the News, 1921

    When Connie McGrain bought an old framed newspaper featuring the winner of the British Open, little did she know that she would discover inside a photospread of Calvert’s A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream at the “Little Lyric.”. The Baltimore American Pictorial Section is not dated, but the photo of President Harding addressing Congress for the first time suggests it is from 1921.

  • Denver Alumni Happy Hour

    Watson Galleher ’69, Erin Oglesby ’93, and Chris Deutschman ’95 joined Director of Alumni Engagement Christina Taler in Denver on March 2nd to share their Calvert memories.

  • Isabelle Webster ’13 Makes NCAA Lacrosse’s Play of the Week

    Yale lacrosse attacker Isabelle Webster ’13 scored a behind-the-back goal in the second half of Yale’s season-opening 16-12 win versus La Salle. It was named the ‘Play of the Week.’ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8t3YgbAggj/?igshid=18tq0lex7wrh1

  • Middle School Students Perform Disney’s High School Musical Jr.

    During the last weekend in February, our talented Calvert students participated in the sixth annual Middle School musical.

  • Miranda Rose Hall ’01 Wins Outstanding New Play for “The Hour of Great Mercy”

    The San Diego Theatre Critics Circle announced the winners of its 2019 Craig Noel Awards, which recognize the achievements of professional theatres in San Diego County. Miranda Rose Hall’s “The Hour of Great Mercy” was named Outstanding New Play in its world premiere at Diversionary Theatre. https://timesofsandiego.com/arts/2020/02/11/critics-almost-famous-hour-of-great-mercy-among-best-in-san-diego-theater-last-year/
     

  • Black Heritage History Month Advisory Challenge

    This was Calvert’s first year participating in an advisory challenge for Black History Heritage Month (BHHM).

  • Congratulations to the Calvert Middle School Squash Teams

    On January 20, the Calvert School squash teams made their way to New Haven, Connecticut for the 2020 U.S. Squash Middle School National Tournament at Yale University. There were 96 teams present for the tournament.

  • Around the World in Five Days – International Week 2020

    The Calvert School campus united for its seventh consecutive year celebrating International Week.

  • Calvert School and SAFE Center Partner for the Bridging Baltimore Program

    Inspired by dynamic, civic leadership programs in our city, Bridging Baltimore is a signature, collaborative, student leadership program developed in partnership with the Safe Alternative Foundation for Education Program (SAFE) headquartered in Southwest Baltimore. 

  • Calvert Students Selected in AIMS Student Art Exhibition at The Walters

     
    This past Sunday, February 2, 2020, three talented Calvert Students, Nico G. ’22, Evan L. ’24, and Celia I. ’24 were selected to have their artwork displayed in the annual Association of Independent Maryland and District of Columbia Schools (AIMS) Student Art Show at the Walters Art Museum.
     
     

  • MD SPCA 'Kindness for Paws Art Show' features Calvert Students' Artwork

    This year’s Maryland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Seventh Annual Kindness for Paws will feature 34 schools’ pet portraits portraying adopted animals from the MD SPCA.

  • Calvert School and St. Elizabeth School Take The Plunge

    On Thursday, January 23rd, 15 Seventh Graders and the entire Eighth Grade class participated in the 2020 Cool Schools Plunge, part of the Polar Bear Plunge to support the Special Olympics of Maryland, along with students from Calvert’s partner, St. Elizabeth School.

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service with the Calvert Community 2020

    On Monday, January 20th, Calvert celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by hosting our 11th annual Martin Luther King (MLK) Day of Service.

  • Atlanta Alumni Come Together for Tales and Tapas

    Christina Taler, Director of Alumni Engagement, and Sarah Caldwell, Director of Leadership Gifts, enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Calvert’s Atlanta-based alumni at the Barcelona Wine Bar at Inman Park. The group included Kate Singley-Dannenberg ’63, Joseph Scalia ’94, Frankie Kelly ’06, Zoe Bilis ’09, and Stephen Kelly ’09.

  • Annie Wu '01: Why Family, School Make a Winning Combination

    http://www.asianfortunenews.com/2019/12/annie-wu-why-family-school-make-a-winning-combination/

  • Calvert’s Robotics Team is Going to State Championships

    This past weekend, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Graders on the Calvert Robotics Team had the opportunity to participate in their third robotics competition for First Lego League (FLL). 

  • Brrrrrring on the Cool Schools Plunge

    Thursday, January 9th, marked the kick-off pep rally for the Cool Schools Plunge with St. Elizabeth School (SES) and Calvert. SES’s auditorium was filled with smiles as students, friends, and their families gathered to jumpstart this year’s Plunge. 

  • Calvert is Taking “The Plunge!” Once Again for the Special Olympics

    On Thursday, January 23rd, the Eighth Grade class and a select group of Seventh Graders will participate in the 2020 Cool Schools Plunge, part of The Polar Bear Plunge, to support the Special Olympics of Maryland. 

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Calvert School is a coed independent lower and middle school.

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