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Head of School Peter Becker '95
It is an incredibly busy time at Taft! The campus is abuzz and energy is high—some of it nervous energy as we enter exam week and the close of the fall term. This is the first exam period Head of School Peter Becker ’95 has experienced at Taft since he was a student here more than 25 years ago, and he likes what he sees: student learning and commitment to academic growth run deep, support for students during exams is considered, deliberate, and meaningful, and demonstrations of learning through end of term projects and presentations effectively reflect the exceptional work being done in all of our classrooms. Hear more of Mr. Becker’s thoughts in the video below.
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Community Connections with Mr. LaCasse
Assistant Head of School for Student Life
It's hard to talk about life at Taft right now without talking about exams. Which is exactly what Mr. LaCassse is here to do.
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Academic Life: AI
Student Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
In the November edition of Taft in 10, English Department Head Eileen Bouffard '98 shared thoughts on AI in education from the perspective of Taft's faculty, including details on work that is already underway in our community. Recently, Taft students joined the conversation. Academic Dean Jennifer Kenerson and Taft's AI Taskforce welcomed Charlotte Blair '24, Sally Higgins '25, Elise Taylor '24, Michael Werblow '26, Michael Xu '25, and Bernice Zhang '27 to last week's faculty meeting in Bingham Auditorium to answer previously submitted questions about AI.
"The faculty meeting featured a fascinating student panel discussion about the role AI plays in teenagers' lives," says Assistant Head of School for Faculty and Academics Edie Traina. "The students shared valuable insights about the impact of emerging technology in both professional and personal realms. It is also a wonderful example of our thoughtful and talented student community."
Special thanks to Taft's video production team for capturing the full meeting, below.
From left: Academic Dean Jennifer Kenerson, and panelists Charlotte Blair '24, Sally Higgins '25 Elise Taylor '24, Michael Werblow '26, Michael Xu '25, and Bernice Zhang '27.
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Strengthening Our Community
Dean of Community, Justice, and Belonging Thomas Allen
More than 8,000 students, educators, and administrators gathered in St. Louis last week for the annual National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference (PoCC). Ten faculty members traveled to the event this year; six students attended the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference, part of the larger conference. Programming at both levels was built around concepts of truth, knowledge, optimism, joy, and power.
Participation in the national conference is only one of the many exciting things going on at Taft that help our community grow, and grow stronger. Hear more from Dean of Community, Justice, and Belonging Thomas Allen below.
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Academic Life: Outside the Classroom
The Yale University Art Art Gallery
Less than an hour from Taft’s campus is an extraordinary collection of art—a gallery housing more than 300,000 pieces. Founded in 1832, The Yale University Art Gallery is the oldest university art museum in America. It is a center for teaching, learning, and scholarship and is a preeminent cultural asset for Yale University, the wider academic community, and the public, including students in Alex Werrell’s Honors Western Art History class, who visited the Gallery this semester.
“The experience of seeing art in person makes it deeply personal,” says Elise Taylor ’24. “Museums hold a plethora of history that exists in the form of art and artifacts; the visit to the Yale Museum made me feel like it is my civic responsibility to learn about history."
Classroom learning came to life as Werrell and his students married their knowledge of specific pieces, and art in general, with the works before them in the Gallery.
“As we walked in the ancient wing of the Gallery, we spotted marble sculptures, reliefs, pottery, and mosaics,” recalls Isabella Nascimento ’25 . “It was interesting to see the traces of pigment on several reliefs, which provided a real-life example of our ongoing conversation about what art was back then and how it is interpreted today. Likewise, walking along the gallery, we discussed how the political and cultural might of empires is reflected in art itself and the preservation of these pieces, like the ancient city of Dura-Europos and the Roman Empire.”
Connecting with specific pieces began with Shadows of Liberty, above, a piece by Titus Kaphar.
"Kaphar is an artist working now in New Haven whose series From a Tropical Space we have studied closely," notes Werrell. "This piece features a characteristic Kaphar approach: a classical, traditional portrait of George Washington as military leader is subverted by the blown-out hellscape in which he is situated and by the strips of paper hanging from the president’s face and neck. Just as Martin Luther sought to reform the Church, Kaphar seeks to reform history and hammered the strips with rusted nails directly through the canvas; each strip has the name of one of the hundreds of men and women and children Washington enslaved at Mount Vernon."
Students also visited the Photography Lab at the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (above), where they learned about conservation practices and sciences at Yale. They had a chance to see massive drafts of Edwin Austin Abbey’s ceiling murals, taxidermied reptiles and birds, photographs from the earliest days of photography, and even a few Renaissance pieces being touched up with lapis lazuli. Students also learned a lot about the challenges facing photography collections, including how the spectacular array of photography paper textures, thicknesses, tones, and more alter a photo.
"It was an incredible opportunity to learn more about the science behind art conservation and preservation," says Isabella. "We took a tour of the labs and were able to closely follow the research currently being done on the development of analogical photography. Overall, visiting Yale was one of the most interesting experiences I have had while studying at Taft."
Background image: A class selfie in front of a floor mosaic from Gerasa (modern Jordan) depicting the Egyptian cities of Alexandria and Memphis. Yale excavated the mosaic at a school-sponsored dig in 1932.
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The Arts at Taft
Arts Department Head and Dance Teacher Sarah Surber
Dance Teacher Sarah Surber was named head of the Arts Department at the start of the academic year. She recently paused to reflect on the state of the Arts in our community. Here are a few of her thoughts.
On Arts Faculty:
Our teachers are active artists who, in most cases, are still practicing their craft and can lead by example. They are passionate about their mediums and committed to training and inspiring high-level students to greater levels of self-discovery and innovation, while offering new artists a window into the possibilities of art to enrich their lives and those around them and to appreciate the value that art has in this world. Each faculty member works to bridge the gap between the emerging artists and those creating at a higher level by building programs that allow for progression, creating space for students to grow from foundational levels into mature, confident, accomplished young artists.
On Spaces:
Our studios are active and vibrant, and provide a comfortable space on campus for our students to feel relaxed and at home so that they can be free to be creative, innovative, and vulnerable.
On Student-Artists:
Our students are self-motivated, high-achieving, talented (and multi-talented), personable, and fun. Students and teachers enjoy each other's company and are excited to work together to achieve new artistic heights as individuals and as a group or ensemble.
On the Future:
I see a vibrant Arts community that collaborates and works in close proximity to one another so that all of the wonderful things that are happening in our individual studios can be freely shared with each other and might inspire the next piece of creativity from another individual in a different medium. I want us to foster collaboration among the various mediums so that our artists on campus feel a sense of belonging and community with each other. I see Taft as a cultural hub for not only our Taft families when they visit us for performances, gallery openings, and showcases, but also the wider Watertown community and beyond.
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Athletics at Taft
Fall Roundup
The 2023 Fall Athletics Season was filled with big stories, big moments, and big achievements by teams and by individual players. While Field Hockey and Boys’ Soccer may have dominated the headlines with their NEPSAC Champion and Finalist titles respectively, other teams were making their mark, including Girls’ Cross Country: Each varsity runner recorded a personal best time NEPSTA Division 1 Championship race.
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Non Ut Sibi Spotlight
The Community Service Council
Taft’s Community Service Council (CSC) is an active, vibrant, and highly-visible campus leadership organization. Its student-led board is charged with developing meaningful service opportunities and advocacy projects for the school. CSC Board members are selected through a competitive application process, but all students at Taft are considered to be members of the Council. Everyone is encouraged to bring their service ideas to the Board for guidance and assistance in implementing their plans. Projects have included after school homework assistance and tutoring programs for local students, fundraising and awareness events for local and national charities, and a range of meaningful projects implemented across the community. Students may formally commit to service work as their afternoon activity during an academic term, or simply participate in any of the Council's events scheduled throughout the year. Hear more from Board leaders Annabel Izmirlian and Erin Butler below.
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'Tis the Season
Holiday Cheer with Jazz Band and Collegium Musicum
Taft’s Jazz Band and Collegium Musicum took the stage in Bingham Auditorium this week to deliver a big dose of seasonal joy while performing some traditional holiday classics. And, to the delight of the audience, Isaac Obeng ’26, Jabari King ’26, and Sabrina Moffa ’24, and the Jazz Band closed the show on a high note with a “modern classic.” Enjoy!
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Join us!
Taft's school calendar is both full and dynamic. From our Music for a While Concert Series to dance performances, special schedules and more, you'll want to bookmark the school calendar page of our website and visit it often. Save the date for these upcoming special events:
Taft's 87th Service of Lessons and Carols: Tuesday, December 12, 2023, 6 pm and 8 pm
This traditional holiday program will feature Taft's Collegium Musicum, Chamber Ensemble, Woodward Brass Ensemble, and music performed on Woodward Chapel's historic organ and piano. A reception will follow the 8 pm service, with entertainment by TJ Thompson and Taft's Jazz Band.
Winter Family Weekend: February 9 & 10, 2024
Watch your email for full details!
Grands' Day! Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Grands' Day is back! Once again Taft will welcome grandparents and grandfriends to campus in April for a day of fun and connection. Invitations will be sent soon. Not sure if we have your Grands' contact information? Share it with us here.
Commencement Weekend: Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26, 2024
Commencement details will be sent to senior families early in 2024. In the meantime, it's not too early to think about booking accommodations for the weekend.