The Urban School Alumni Association BLUESNOTES
blues notes
March 27, 2017 facebook linkedIn twitter vimeo vimeo
announcements

Last Chance to Bid! 
Our ONLINE AUCTION is closing tomorrow, March 28 at 9 pm PDT! This is your last chance to bid on items such as Timbuk2 bags, theater tickets, and hotel stays in Seattle and New Orleans. We have assembled an incredible list of items that are sure to please every budget - including some from our own alumni community. And don’t miss our uniquely Urban items - an Oakland A’s game with Alum Ambassador LeRoy Votto, or the handmade children’s wooden toolbox made designed and built in our very own UrbanX Lab by Urban faculty. Click here to register and start bidding!

Message from Assistant Head for Student Life Charlotte Worsley
Urban's Second Annual Career Visit Days for Sophomores are next week and as of today, 45 of our Bay Area alums have volunteered to host students at their workplaces! Thank you for helping us create this special opportunity to get our students out of the classroom, broadening the experience of their high school journey. It is meaningful for them to hear your stories and learn from your experiences. If you are interested in participating in future Career Visit Days, email Marianne or LeRoy or fill out this form.

My deepest thanks to all our alumni volunteers for making this unique educational program possible!  --Charlotte

ATTENTION ALUMS FROM THE CLASSES OF 2010 - 2015!
Our online college readiness survey is closing on Wednesday, March 29. This is your last chance to share feedback of your high school experience and receive a small gift of appreciation from Urban. Your responses will help us learn and ensure that we are doing all we can to prepare students for life outside of Urban. You can access the survey by clicking on this link. For more information and instructions see this message from Mark Salkind (‘70).  Thank you for taking the time to complete this important assignment!

Thank You for Your Support!
Urban’s leadership in innovative high school education depends on the consistent generosity of our entire community - alumni, parents, alumni parents, grandparents and friends. We are pleased to report that as of today, 141 alums have made gifts to Urban in the 2016-17 school year.

We just need 75 more gifts to reach our goal of 10% alumni participation by June 30!

If you haven’t already, we hope you will make a gift to Urban's Annual Fund or, your Class Endowment Fund today. Each gift, regardless of size, makes an impact.

New Weekly Schedule
After a three year review and design process, Urban’s Curriculum Committee, with input of faculty, staff and student representatives, is pleased to share that a new weekly schedule will be implemented in the 2017-18 school year. This new schedule maintains the existing framework of four periods and 12-week terms, but the students will never have more than two or three classes per day (currently they have four classes on Mondays and Fridays), a later start to the school day, and the creation of a tutorial period. If you are interested in learning more, please click here to see a letter that went out to current families last month.

Urban Legends!
We have added new videos to the Urban Legends section of the Urbanat50 website - and are pleased to share the latest - Scott Nelson talking about coaching soccer, math and the joy of teaching without standardized tests!
from the alumni council

Daniele Frazier (‘03): is working on a public art piece that she plans to unveil this June in Highland Park, Brooklyn. She is currently hosting a public fundraising campaign, giving everyone (including fellow alums!) a chance to stand up for public art in a time when federal funds for projects like this are at risk. Watch this video about the project.

Luke Harrington (‘93): We were excited to discover that one of Luke’s pieces from Star Wars Rebels is up on the Star Wars website! Luke's piece is Ursa Wren - Sabine’s mom. 

John Irwin (‘02) started City Surf Project to teach underserved youth from low-income communities in San Francisco valuable life skills through the sport of surfing. Last week, NBC Bay Area carried this fun story about their mission and their work.

Just Another Crew (Austin Brenner ‘16, Chloe Parker '16 and Jake Plut ‘16) has been busy since graduating from Urban just last year. Check out and enjoy their latest single - Push and Pull.

Lily Kwong (‘06): We have been enjoying askthemmore.com a website and podcast Lily launched last summer dedicated to sharing the substantive stories of women who have taken non-traditional career paths and uncovering their stories. 

Brendan Milburn (‘89):  Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, featuring Brendan’s original compositions, debuted in Seattle to rave reviews three years ago. It is now set for a limited engagement Off-Broadway at the Tony Kiser Theatre. Performances begin on Friday, April 14 with an official opening on Sunday, May 7 and will run through June 11.  Congratulations Brendan!

Josh Schell (‘05): Kill the Editor, an original play about a young editor who lands his dream job to edit a documentary film for the Cannes Film Festival, plays through April 8, at The Exit Studio in San Francisco. There is still time to see Josh as Cameron, an obsessive, egomaniacal filmmaker who doesn’t want a frame to be touched. Click here for ticket info.

Zach Shedd (‘03): In case you missed it when it was playing at the Roxie in SF last month, Zach's Americana The Movie is available to rent/own from iTunes, Amazon, or GooglePlay!

Jes Tom (‘09) and comedian Chewy May created this powerful video showing the effects of whitewashing in response to the casting of the film Ghost in the Shell. The beautiful and thought-provoking piece went viral and has been viewed nearly a million times on Facebook, over 200,000 times on YouTube and carried by online media sources such as Inverse Magazine and BuzzFeedNews.

In Memoriam
We are saddened to share that alum Soraya Kohanzadeh ('94) passed away in her hometown of San Diego earlier this month. We remember Soraya for her vibrancy, her curiosity, her enthusiasm, and strength in confronting her health difficulties. Our heart goes out to her friends and to her family.

alumni events
Sophomore Career Visit Days

Thursday - Friday, April 6 - 7

To be involved in our alumni/student networking initiatives please complete this form or email us.

College Advice Panel

Friday, May 5, 10:30 am
Gumption Theater

 
Alumni Teach-In with Dean of Equity and Inclusion Clarke Weatherspoon and Urban Science Teacher Sarah Clowes

Sunday, June 4
10 am - noon
The Mark Salkind Center

student news
Spring Music Concert

Sunday, April 30
5 - 7:30 pm

Herbst Theater

Affinity Show

Thursday and Friday
May 11 - 12

7 - 9 pm

The Student Center, Page Street Campus

One Acts

Friday and Saturday
May 26 - 27

7 - 9:30 pm
Gumption Theater

 
photos and fun stuff
click here for pictures of recent events
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