Issue link: https://trevordayschool.uberflip.com/i/1295455
Faculty Bulletins Maria Gonzalez Gil, Grades 6–8 Spanish and French Teacher, copresented at the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (NECTFL) with colleagues from Ethical Culture Fieldston School and Dalton, on February 14th. e workshop was entitled Embracing Learning Differences in the Foreign Language Classroom. Jamie McClintock, Grades 9–12 Science Teacher, coauthored a paper entitled "Morning Brain: Real-world Neural Evidence that High School Class Times Matter," with colleagues from New York University, Utrecht University, Columbia University, Radboud University, and others. Jamie's contributions also involved designing and conducting research for the study. Here's how he summarizes the project. "In 2017, a team of researchers from NYU teamed up with my neuroscience class to study what happens inside our brains when we're learning in the classroom. A follow-up to that study has revealed something that will come as no surprise to anyone who knows high schoolers—students' brains can refuse to cooperate early in the morning. By measuring brain activity during early-morning, late- morning, and afternoon classes, the research team was able to examine which brain states were most common at different times of the day. Alpha brain waves, which are characterized by little pulses of electrical activity around ten times per second, indicate that a student is mentally idling—in other words, Births Rich Fortunat, Grades 9–12 Physical Education Teacher, and his wife welcomed Remy Jean Fortunat, into the world on May 15th, at 6:15 pm. He measured in at 19 in long and weighed 7 lbs 14 oz. 0 4 T R E V O R D AY S C H O O L n S U M M E R 2 0 1 9 – 2 0 2 0 their brain is probably not doing much absorbing or processing of information. ose alpha waves were most pronounced during first- period classes, less pronounced during afternoon classes, and least pronounced during late-morning classes. e results suggest a sweet spot for high school-student learning in the late morning. ey also add to the debate about school start times, indicating that first-period class is an uphill climb for most teenagers." A preprint of the paper is available to read at https://psyarxiv.com/dxha5/. Leann Winn, Grades 9–12 Science Teacher, Trevor's resident marine biology and ecology expert, took distance learning to new depths this spring when she shared her expertise through educational webinars for Sharks4Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to "creat[ing] a new generation of shark advocates through access to a dynamic range of educational materials." Emily Walker Bracchitta, Director of Alumni Relations, became a grandmother for the first time on April 13, 2020. Her grandson, Jack Hudson Bracchitta, was born in New Jersey at 11:16 pm; he weighed 9 lbs 9 oz and was 21¾ in. Son John (born when Emily was teaching 1st grade at e Day School) and daughter-in- law Charlotte couldn't be happier.