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Aaryn Fleming '14 and Lucy Scattini '13 were recently honored by the Weston Photography Education Association. They were selected from a group of more than 90 high-school and college students who submitted fine-art photography portfolios this year.

Scholarships for first, second, and third place—along with 18 honorable mentions—were announced at the May 8 ceremony at Carmel's Sunset Center. The competition required students to submit 10 black-and-white analog photographs in their portfolios, which were judged by a panel of local artists and educators. Submissions were judged on uniqueness, clarity, and consistency of vision and the quality of the finished prints. Fleming and Scattini each received an honorable mention, which came with a $200 prize.

Fleming's photographs featured her family's vineyards in Monterey County. "My family has been the base and the core of my heart ever since I could remember, so working on my portfolio around our ranch has opened my eyes to see not only how lucky we are but also what an incredible and gorgeous residence on which we live and how the property unites us as a family," Fleming said.

Scattini's work centered on the geometric shapes of barns. Growing up in the Salinas Valley, she said barns were a constant in her life and bring her a sense of peacefulness. "Every time I would go out to photograph, I had to be conscious of my overall goal: to capture the vintage feel of the barns while keeping a simplistic and geometric vision to my prints."

The Weston Scholarship was created in 2004 by Gina and Kim Weston to educate and enlighten the community about the richness of photography on the West Coast and to keep the traditional process of black-and-white photography alive in the tradition of Edward Weston and Ansel Adams. The scholarship supports high-school and college students studying fine-art photography in Monterey County.

The winning photographs will be on display through Friday, May 31, 2013, at the Sunset Center's Marjorie Evans Gallery.

On Tuesday, April 30, we had our fifth and final Journey Day of the school year, and it was packed with lessons about the privilege of education. The morning program included a special screening of Girl Rising with the documentary's coproducer Beth Osisek. Special thanks to Nicole Carelli Kwak '88 for connecting us to Osisek and for giving the introduction. The film champions the cause of girls' education by telling the stories of nine school-aged girls in the countries of Afghanistan, Cambodia, Egypt, Haiti, India, Peru, and Sierra Leone and their hard-fought journeys to become educated.

Girl Rising coproducer Beth Osisek (left) and Nicole Carelli Kwak '88

Interwoven throughout colorful imagery of these young women's lives are statistics about girls' education and its positive effect on the economic and physical health of developing nations. Girl Rising states that a girl with an extra year of education can earn up to 20 percent more as an adult. The film also points out that childbirth complications are a leading cause of death among young women aged 15 through 19 in developing countries. If we are able to decrease the number of adolescent pregnancies in developing countries, young women will be in a better position to continue in their education.

"I hope that we're planting a seed today," Osisek said to the students. "Each of you can and will have an impact (on girls' education)."

The students also heard from Monterey County Assistant District Attorney Stephanie Hulsey, who helped kick off the Student–Faculty Senate speeches and elections. She reminded students that education is a privilege and vital to a healthy democracy. To view her speech, click here.

After lunch, the sophomores went to Monterey Beach for a surfing lesson with the Wahine Project, a nonprofit that seeks to eliminate barriers that prevent girls from participating in the sport of surfing. During the activity, the project staff also addressed health and nutrition, environmental stewardship, ocean safety, teamwork, and self-confidence. While the sophomores were beachside, the seniors did community-service work at various locations in the Monterey area: Dorothy's Kitchen, Elkhorn Slough, Robinson Jeffers' Tor House, Gateway Center, and Monterey County Parks.

Some of the seniors served at Dorothy's Kitchen.

That afternoon, the freshmen and juniors took part in personal-development activities on campus. Dean of Students Kristi McLaughlin facilitated a "Perceptions and Reality: Seeing the Difference" session for the ninth-graders. The session included an art project, a short film, and group discussions on how they see themselves and others. Meanwhile, the juniors Skyped with Cassie Piasecki, author of the book BizEtiquette and mother to Paisley Piasecki '13. She shared with them her "Top 10 BizEtiquette Tips that will Help You in the College Process and Beyond."

All in all, our recent Journey Day was a good reminder of how privileged we are to be in such a supportive and enlightening educational community. At Santa Catalina, we are pleased to offer a vast array of learning opportunities in and out of the classroom.

Coached by French teacher Anne O'Dowd, nine students from Santa Catalina competed in the third annual French Poetry Contest on Saturday, March 16 at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS). Sponsored by the Alliance Française de la Péninsule de Monterey and MIIS, the contest is open to students from public and private middle schools, high schools, and universities in the Monterey area.

Congratulations to the following students for participating in the contest and for garnering the following honors:

Beginner Category
Sarah Levi '16 recited "Chanson d'automne" by Paul Verlaine and received second prize.
Victoria Kvitek '16 recited "Le déjeuner du matin" by Jaques Prévert and received an honorable mention.

Intermediate Category
Giovanna Mitchell '15 recited "Ännie" by Guillaume Apollinaire and received first prize.
Katherine Kamel '15 recited "Chatterton" by George Sand and received second prize.
Ellie Stork '15 recited "Tu crois au Marc de café" de Paul Verlaine.

Advanced Category
Paisley Piasecki '13 recited ''Je rêvais de toucher" by Georges Bataille and received first prize.
Tanya Madrigal '14 and Millie Li '14 recited a scene from Molière and received an honorable mention.

Original Poem Category
Helena Guenther '16 submitted "Le lâche" to the original poem competition and received an honorable mention.

Every year, the Upper School English department hosts a professional poet for a weeklong stay with our students. This year, Baltimore-based poet Elizabeth Spires spent time in each of the English classes and performed a poetry reading for the Upper School students and faculty.

“We study poetry in every English class, and getting the chance to meet published poets, hear them read their own works, talk about their experiences of writing, and getting to ask them questions adds an experiential dimension to our learning that makes the words on paper come alive…,” said Dr. Gerry Kapolka, Upper School English chair and dean of academics.

Spires speaks to freshman and sophomore English students on January 22, 2013.

An English professor at Goucher College, Spires is the author of six books of poetry and has been published in The New Yorker, The New Criterion, The Paris Review, and various other publications. Originally from Lancaster, Ohio, she’s a graduate of Vassar College and Johns Hopkins University.

So what inspires Ms. Spires? She says her ideas often come from artwork she sees or from experiences raising her daughter. She is also drawn to what she calls “totem animals,” creatures she feels a certain connection to.

One of her most famous animal poems is “Snail Revisited,” which contains echoes of her own circumstances. Spires said many of her best poems have been “happy accidents,” a phrase she picked up from one of her favorite poets, Elizabeth Bishop. In fact, she seemed to find it amusing that it took writing a second snail poem to get published in The New Yorker.

“You have to be real persistent,” Spires said. “You have to make the work really good and then believe in it.”

She admits to having luck early on with Mademoiselle but says she submitted one of her favorite poems to about 40 different publications before getting it published. Not only are there hundreds of poets out there, but also poetry does not make a lot of money for publishing companies. That is where persistence and rewriting come into play.

As to her writing process, she says it’s “really imprecise.” She doesn’t have to drive into the wilderness to focus, but she often retires to her at-home writing room. She likened the poetry-writing endeavor to making a meal in a pressure cooker. When ideas come to mind, she takes notes here and there. Then those ideas, which serve as raw ingredients in her creative stew, have to simmer for a while until she experiences the “electrical surge” that brings the pieces together.

“I have to wait for (myself) to crash into an idea,” she said. “You can’t really plan it.”

To experience portions of her live poetry reading at Santa Catalina, watch Spires perform "The Cabin" and "To a Fog Spirit: On Halloween."

If you ask students and alumnae what their favorite school traditions are, Kris Kringle is almost always at the top of the list. And it's understandable. What Upper School student wouldn't want three days devoted to secret gift giving before hunkering down for semester exams?

A longstanding Catalina event, Kris Kringle is a "Secret Santa" type of gift exchange that anonymously pairs classmates together for holiday fun. Before the first day of KK, as it's affectionately known, each student surreptitiously decorates her partner's desk in Study Hall. Once this mysterious work is completed, Study Hall looks like elves have set off dynamite filled with Christmas ornaments and snack food. One desk might have holiday lip balm and Nutella on it while another has a two-liter of Sprite and a Justin Bieber poster on it.

Study Hall becomes quite festive during Kris Kringle.

Day II is all about homemade baked goods. Each student goes about the task of making her KK pal something sweet. For the boarders, this often means using resident faculty members' kitchens on a rotational basis — sending heavenly scents through the dorm hallways. This year, there were red velvet cupcakes, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, a Funfetti Bundt cake, and dozens of other treats.

Seniors Caitlin and Catie enjoyed baking in Hills Dorm.

On the final day, the KK pairs reveal their identities as each class meets together for a gift exchange. In round-robin fashion, each girl announces the name of her partner. Although there are always a few sleuths who discover in advance who their gift-givers are, it's the shrieks of surprise that make the Kris Kringle gift exchange the beloved tradition that it is.

Want to catch a little of the KK spirit? Watch a clip of the seniors' Kris Kringle exchange.

The freshmen exchanged gifts in Study Hall after Assembly.

If the freshmen had pleaded, "Lettuce learn about agriculture firsthand," then they would have gotten their wish during their recent tour of Tanimura and Antle's produce facilities in Spreckles, California. On Journey Day No. 2, the group enjoyed a day of agricultural education at one of the Central Coast's most impressive produce operations.

The Tanimura and Antle families began farming in California in the early 1900s, and in 1982, they joined forces. Today, the company is known for its lettuce and celery, which the students saw harvested and packaged during their visit on October 17, 2012. The students walked through several fields, toured the produce cooler, and enjoyed a fresh meal at the onsite cafe.

The girls learned that the Salinas Valley, which is known as the "Salad Bowl of the World," and other local farming areas are the largest players in the Monterey County economy. They also heard presentations from several T&A employees, including Tonya Antle, who talked specifically about women in agriculture and their growing leadership in the industry. Special thanks to longtime T&A employee Frank Garcia, father of Katharine '12 and Lauren '16, for making this opportunity possible for our students.

The same day, the seniors were just down the road at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. Their half-day visit coincided with the National Youth Summit, which brings together high school juniors and seniors to learn more about the Dust Bowl and to apply the lessons to current environmental issues. The students viewed a webcast of the summit and portions of Ken Burns' new film, The Dust Bowl, which will air on PBS in November 2012.

In the morning, while the freshmen and seniors were off campus, the sophomores and juniors were taking the PSAT. During the second half of the day, the sophomores, juniors, and seniors attended a substance abuse presentation by two counselors from Sunset House.

Monterey Bay was overcast (but what else is new), and the shoreline was covered with people. But instead of donning swimsuits and tossing beach balls, they were sporting gloves and picking up trash. This isn’t the usual scene that comes to mind when envisioning the California coast. Where were Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, and the rest of the Beach Party gang?

On Saturday, September 15, 19 Upper School students walked to Del Monte Beach for the California Coastal Commission’s 28th annual Coastal Cleanup Day. Dr. Liese Murphree, Upper School science teacher and environmental enthusiast, said our students joined 57,442 other volunteers from across the state to pick up 534,115 pounds of trash and 105,816 pounds of recycling. The girls sacrificed a Saturday sleep-in to strive for trashless beaches and unite as part of California’s largest volunteer event.

Jiwon Yi, a senior from South Korea, has volunteered for the event for the past four years. She said, “We have a big responsibility to take care of (the ocean), or at least not harm it.” A junior from Orange County, Veronica Lopez said she understands that even though Santa Catalina is a small school, we can still make a big impact with these kinds of environmental actions, even in Monterey.

The Coastal Cleanup revolves around social and environmental elements, and students feel the positive repercussions that come from volunteering. Sophomore Kate Loshkareva from Russia said she now realizes that there cannot be any tolerance for littering because “just one piece is going to add up to a really big mess.”

The Catalina participants agreed that the school should continue to participate in the annual Coastal Cleanup and perhaps even do smaller cleanups monthly. The experience brought together fellowship and community service — two things that most Catalina students love.

“The ocean is a really big part of our experience (at Catalina),” said senior Sydni Bellucci. “And it’s really important to get involved with the community.”

Junior Ana Rode from Mexico City said a way that more students can get involved is by sharing their experiences. Emily Lin, a sophomore from Taiwan, said that because “we live near the ocean, it’s good to raise awareness.”

As students checked off what items they found on the shoreline, they became impelled to help save the oceans as a lifelong pursuit. The Coastal Cleanup is a simple and easy way to get outside and improve the community while relieving the environment. This volunteer experience revived and ignited many students’ adoration for the sea and what it means to care for the planet.