By Director of Upper School Shannon Kelly

491 Summit Road , Mount Madonna CA 95076 408.847.2717 / Fax 408.847.5633 Email - school @ mountmadonnaschool . org / www . MountMadonnaSchool . org

Madonna School ( MMS ) has developed several innovative educational programs for students preschool through grade 12 – due in large part to creative and dedicated faculty members – including performing arts , crowned by 40 years of producing a musical theater Ramayana !; athletics , highlighted by two D-V state volleyball championships , scholastic team awards and numerous section and league wins ; a nationally-awarded , cross-curricular fifth grade environmental project ; and a capstone : Values in World Thought , an original social studies curriculum for high school juniors and seniors . Values has included student interviews with change makers and government leaders , including His Holiness the Dalai Lama , Archbishop Desmond Tutu , former U . S . Secretary of State George Shultz and many others , along with national and international learning journeys .

Personal growth and transformative education go hand-in-hand at MMS , and on January 25-26 , the school added its first-ever YOUniversity learning days for middle and high school students – something it hopes will become an annual event .

“ We were seeking to inspire the creative energy of our students , faculty , staff and alumni ,” commented Dean of Students Bob Caplan . “ We asked our community members to consider making a presentation to teach a skill , share a passion or hobby , or explore a topic of interest . We received a wide range of inspired proposals infused with learning and fun , and there were 26 sessions offered .”

The innovative project was initially conceived as a way to engage students during parent-teacher

conferences ; faculty organizers , however , quickly realized it held great potential .

“ The sessions were informative , varied and engaging ,” said Caplan , “ and included such topics as civil engineering , learning basic Japanese , Minecraft , baking a chocolate cake , how to invest , all about cats and math games . This was a resoundingly successful experiment !”

Amirah Alexander , an eleventh grader from Morgan Hill , shared her enthusiasm for the American Sign Language ( ASL ) class taught by Lower School Director Kami Pacheco .

“ I enjoyed Kami ’ s ASL class ,” said Alexander . “ It was a good introduction and I liked how she made it clear that ASL flows once you get the logic of it .”

Morgan Hill seventh grader Alyssa Hocevar Tabuchi appreciated learning basic needlepoint .

“ Thank you for the amazing class you taught on needlepoint ,” wrote Hocevar Tabuchi in a note to instructor Dr . Nicole Tervalon . “ It was my first time doing it and it was so fun to create the pictures .”

Both days started with an alumni keynote speaker . The alumni guests were invited so that the current student body could see an MMS education in action . The speakers , Soma Sharan (’ 11 ) and Jake Ward (’ 14 ), were selected because of their unique perspectives and efforts to turn their passions into purposeful lives .

“ From a young age , I knew I wanted to be a philanthropist ,” commented Sharan , a Gates Millennium Scholar , and founder the Her Future Fund organization . “ I didn ' t know the word or what it meant , but I understood that the reason I was alive and able to live a life filled with opportunities was due to the generosity of those who supported the orphanage where I grew up . I knew I wanted to save a little girl ’ s life , just as they saved mine .”

Ward emphasized the importance of perseverance .

“ I grew up in a musical household and have always been very musically inclined ,” said Ward . “ I now have a small but loyal network of other artists whose records I produce , and since 2018 I ' ve fronted a band called Watch Me Breathe . Making a living as a singer-songwriter and producer is a very steep climb and I still have a long way to go ; yet it ' s well worth it for the independent freedom , sense of purpose , and belonging to a diverse and passionate community .”

Students said that they liked being able to learn from one another .

“ Thank you for putting together a great two days of YOUniversity ,’ commented eighth grader Colby Culbertson . “ I liked choosing my own classes and getting to see the different expertise other students and people had . My favorite was learning Skribble . io with [ twelfth grader ] Ronan Lee . I had never played before , and it was fun to play with other students .”

Seniors Kira Kaplan and Sara Bautista were excited to share their experience volunteering with the American Red Cross .

“ It was a great opportunity to delve into a subject we ' re passionate about and share our knowledge !” shared Kaplan . “ I loved the enthusiasm and questions from the younger kids , and hopefully inspired a couple of people to go donate blood !”

It is our hope that YOUniversity will continue to grow and that next year we can host it in person for the broader community .

GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN SPRING 2021 gmhtoday . com

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