Synergy Times Summer 2011

“The students took on the role of architect, accountant, carpenter, transportation chief or project director.”

Every other year, Synergy 4th and 5th graders form bridge building companies and work together to design, build and present a toothpick bridge. Over the several weeks of the project last January, students took on the role of architect, accountant, carpenter, transportation chief or project director. They managed a $1.5 million budget, ordered and purchased bundles of “lumber,” and built a bridge to meet very specific building codes. All the students learned about different kinds of bridges and the basic principles of supporting weight using cantilevers, arches, trusses and suspension. This

year, a new component was added to the project, an environmental impact report. When presenting their bridges to a “city council,” building companies discussed the merits of their bridge and company. When tested, most of the bridges they built supported several pounds of weight at their center point.

The first task for bridge companies was to come up with an inspiring name. Sky High Bridges, L to L (Land to Land), Awesome, Inc., and Bridge Gods did the trick! Some groups showed camaraderie by using their initials or combining class names into “Skyenders,” for example. (Continued page 2)

In this issue:Cooperative Bridge Building 1Outdoor Education: Snow Trip 3Innovators in Science 5

Eight Grade Trip to Puerto Rico 6Grandparents &

Special Friends Day 10Alumni News 11

Cooperative Bridge Buildingby Rea Inglesis

1Synergy Times | Summer 2011

The newsletter of Synergy School

Summer 2011

Synergy Times

(Bridge Building continued)Choosing jobs required students to

consider their skills and how best to contribute. Soon, groups discovered that being flexible and willing to help out with any job led to success. At the same time, the project director was keeping track of when students did jobs

that were assigned to someone else. Everyone needed a chance to do his or her part!

After the group discussed and decided upon a basic design, it fell to the architect to draw actual scale plans for each of 4 bridge views: bird’s eye, road bed, side and approach. Each group

purchased an identical piece of land, 30 cm long with a 15 cm river running across. Bridges had to span the distance across the river and could only touch the land inside two 5 cm squares. Many groups built towers at these two points to support the road bed, but one group used a V-shape for the supports in order

to minimize the bridge’s footprint. Originality and attractiveness were two of the attributes being evaluated by the “city council.”

The project directors kept journals of the daily progress and completed order forms for the transportation chiefs’ frequent trips to the “I. Saw Lumber

Company.” The accountants wrote checks for each supply order: bundles of lumber (toothpicks) and a steady supply of welding material (glue). They balanced their books after receiving bank statements and their cancelled checks. Wax paper was laid over the plans, and the carpenter and accountant built the bridge carefully following the plans. After the various components were built and assembled, bridges were secured to the land. This is the first time in the 12 years of doing this project that several groups incorporated suspension cables (dental floss) in their designs.

This was also the first time students considered the environmental impacts of their bridge. After a slide show and discussion with Joan, students developed a myriad of brilliant ideas for their bridges. They planned solar lighting and gutters for capturing and recycling oil runoff and keeping it out of their stream. They had elaborate plans to temporarily relocate wildlife and minimize soil disruption during construction. One team even built a conveyor belt to eliminate vehicle emissions while crossing their bridge!

A highlight for most groups was getting to see how much weight their bridge held. (Continued page 3)

“ Choosing jobs required students to consider their skills and how best to contribute. Soon, groups discovered that being flexible and willing to help out with any job led to success.”

2 Synergy Times | Summer 2011

(Bridge Building continued) The land had an opening underneath the center of their span in order to suspend a container. Weight was added to the container incrementally, up to 3 lbs., to see if the bridges bent or broke. The excited squeals coming from the 4/5 lured Middle Schoolers to come watch and reminisce about their own bridge building experience.

When assessing the 10 bridges, clever company and bridge names, snappy slogans and enthusiastic endorsements couldn’t replace meticulous construction and seamless cooperation between team members. The results were impressive! Many beautiful and strong bridges were built. Luckily, the “city council” didn’t have to choose just one. All groups had their own strengths that were reflected in the various bridges and project records, and the project reflected the continuous improvement of the interdisciplinary bridge curriculum.

The snow trip is an every-other-year Synergy tradition, and this was the first and only year my kids, a 6th grader and 1st grader would be going at the same time. So I looking forward to it: I love the snow trip and treasure not only experiencing the wintry outdoors with my own children, but also helping to introduce kids who never get to the mountains to the wonders of the white stuff.

The funky, rambling Clair Tappaan Lodge is a special place, and the perfect setting for Synergy’s winter outdoor education program. It took awhile — and many trips up a snowy hill to get kids and gear out of the cars and into the lodge. Bunking together is a great adventure for the kids and getting the younger students unpacked and organized took some patience from parents and teachers alike, but soon we were settled in and ready for our Synergy mountain adventure.

The Lodge crew provide the food and parents help with food preparation and cleaning, while middle school students assist. It’s a seamless process and appetites are strong. Meals are loud and raucous, lots of seconds and third helpings. My 6th grader wanted nothing

to do with me and relegated me to a table far away. I interacted with him twice the whole trip, but Middle School teachers, Tammy and Elena reminded me that was normal. Luckily, my first grader wanted me some of the time. I socialized with kids and parents who were my friends as well as those who are new to my world. At one point, during dinner, myself and another parent were engaged in conversation with a 6th grader I've known since Kindergarten. The 6th grader was so articulate and mature that I was impressed, and the other parent, turned to me and said, “That’s why I love Synergy!"

Outside the tubing hill was prepared and despite icy conditions kids, parents and teachers came zooming down. Sun Room teacher, Jesse and Spanish teacher, Nate managed the tubing with help from an entire crew of teachers and parents. Many students played in snow caves and launched snowball battles. A few igloos were already built and were enjoyed by children who needed less extreme sports time. Snow cones, hot chocolate and snacks were served, al fresco, in an effort to keep the kids out and active.


Outdoor Education: Snow Tripby Darya Mead

On the snow trip, everyone gets a chance to cross country ski, and Tammy and Elena are tireless in their quest to give each child a positive ski experience. Equipment was available at the lodge, and matching skis, poles, and shoes to skiers required extraordinary calm and organization. At one point, I was helping middle school students and noticed that one 7th grade girl was wearing ankle socks — and I’d been worried about the little kids being wet or cold! I sent her back upstairs to get a pair of warm socks.

The ski area behind the lodge is stunning but unfortunately the first part of the trail is slightly uphill, which can be challenging for beginners. I love the cross-country skiing, assisting kids who are skiing wizards and particularly those who don’t consider themselves as outdoorsy, coordinated, or brand new to the sport. My boys love skiing and my little one even raised his hand when Tammy asked which kids were expert skiers—another sign of the confidence Synergy helps to inspire.

I purposefully did not work with my own children, but bonded with many who I got to know on the slopes. We found a great trail with challenging hills and gorgeous scenery. I took a quartet of good skiers on an off piste adventure; it’s fun to ski in the powder and with the

icy conditions it was a nice change. A couple of the younger kids astounded me with their skill, and all in all it was a very successful endeavor getting everyone out into the winter wonderland.

Dealing with all the wet clothes après ski is not an easy job and Cathy B. manages it all in the dungeon-like drying room with grace and a smile. When everyone came inside at the end of the day, the ping-pong

championships drew my boys’ energy. Others played board games, read by the fire or chatted with classmates. The talent show was a big draw and I was particularly impressed by the group of MS dancers who were practicing in the halls at off times. Nate was a crowd pleaser and piano solos, singing solos, stand up comedy and even a rap by Izzy rounded out the program!

The sleeping area was frosty at night so I slept in a hat and jacket, but despite the cold and altitude I certainly conked out quickly each night. The library, off limit to all but the sick or injured students, was an adult haven. In the morning, I lit a fire and practiced yoga to ready myself for the demands of the day. I was lucky to go off with two friends to Donner State Park for more cross country skiing and on our night off we headed to an Italian restaurant in town. It is always great fun to socialize

with teachers and parents in the community over good food and wine.

This year's trip seemed to include less drama, besides a few cases of illness, some altitude issues and a mom who injured her knee skiing. By day four, some kids (and adults) seemed a bit bedraggled and homesick, but all had a rosy glow. As for me, I can’t wait for the next snow trip!

“The Sierra Club’s Clair Tappaan Lodge is a special place and a perfect venue for Synergy’s winter outdoor education program.”


This spring, I participated in the first annual STEMposium, which brought together innovators in STEM education. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math. Organizers for this event were seeking innovations to improve STEM education in our schools. The process began with me submitting a 60 second video introducing my innovation. Eventually, I was one of the 40 semifinalists chosen from over 130 submissions. After a live presentation, I was chosen as one of the finalists, and I shared my innovation at an evening event at the California Academy of Sciences.

At first, I was apprehensive about submitting an idea. I thought, “How can anything really be innovative? Isn’t it just about good teaching?” At Synergy, I am surrounded by excellent teachers who know how to connect their students with engaging curriculum. It is easy to forget that there are plenty of educators across the country who do not know how to do that. I decided to present an idea that combined my love for environmental and progressive education: Field Expeditions (also known as Farm School Expeditions.)

The Field Expeditions curriculum involves being outdoors working in small groups and using field research techniques to study different habitats and their viability for supporting human life. Students participate in different aspects of real-world science. They act as scientists who gather data, they are responsible for teaching about their findings, and they learn how scientific data can be represented to support political views. Students get engaged in science because the story line is compelling and relevant, they literally get their hands dirty, it teaches

them about the importance of science literacy, and they learn to think critically about how scientific information can be used to influence public opinion.

On the night of the final presentation, I was quite nervous to speak in front of an audience (both live and via web-stream). Besides simply sharing the idea, it was a competition where 5 winners would be chosen. Although I was not attached to the competitive piece of it, I wanted to give the best presentation I could. I figured that if there was someone out there who was inspired by my idea, then it was a success. Unbeknownst to me, the chat room for the live-streaming was filled with Synergy fans cheering for me, which was wonderful to hear about afterwards. Although I was not chosen to be one of the top 5, it was an honor to be a finalist amongst so many talented educators. I had the opportunity to share my idea, tell others about Synergy School, and solidify my understanding of what good teaching is.

After seeing the other innovations, I noticed that there were some clear trends for how to engage students in learning. These trends include having hands-on projects, creating relevant curriculum, providing ways for students to connect to real-life issues, and empowering students to use their brains and voices. This is the foundation of what we do at Synergy, and I feel so proud to be a part of it all.

For more information on the STEMposium, visit their website at www.stemposium.org. If you click on “About,” you can watch the video of the event as well as links to the finalist video submissions.

Synergy Times | Summer 2011 5

Congratulations to the Synergy

School Class of 2011!

This year’s eighth grade class was accepted to a wide range of public, independent, charter, and parochial schools. Our graduates will be attending the following schools:

Balboa High School

Bay School

Drew School

Lick-Wilmerding High School

Lowell High School

Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory

San Francisco Waldorf High School

The Urban School of San Francisco

Washington High School

Ruth Asawa School of the Arts

Class of 2011 Graduation

MS Science teacher, Tiffany Tai & 8th grade graduate, Sabina

Innovators in Science Educationby Tiffany Tai

http://www.stemposium.org

http://www.stemposium.org

For eleven years, Synergy’s eighth grade class has attended El Molino, a camp in Northern Mexico. With this region increasingly unsafe for travel, Nate, our Synergy Spanish teacher, found an alternate trip, this time with a community service focus, to Patillas, Puerto Rico. I was excited to be able to go along but a little worried that I knew nothing about Puerto Rico. In February, with everyone away on the snow trip and lots of quality time with the class of 2011, I decided to plan a lesson. Why not begin with a trivia test? Try yourself on this sample (see sidebar on left).

When I passed out these questions, I got a dose of what would be a theme of the trip: this ultra-smart class did not like the unknown. Panic ensued. “How are we supposed to answer these questions?” After they calmed down, they came up with some reasonable answers. I resisted scoring it like a game show for fear they would come unglued. Later, students generated their own questions and I learned along with them. It was to be an adventure for all of us: a first for Synergy, a first visit to Puerto Rico for both Nate and me, and the first time working with Global Works, the travel company planning the trip.

Thursday, March 10th was a long travel day—SFO at 4:30 a.m., change of planes in Miami, and arrival at our hotel in San Juan around 9:00 p.m. The first foreign thrill was the invitingly warm rain that began to fall as we unloaded our three vans at our hotel lobby. Once organized into rooms, we picnicked on pizza in the lobby and got acquainted with Tyrone and Emily, our Global Works leaders. In the morning we were tourists in Old San Juan, the colonial era quarter of this port town. Our guide Alvin was a buddy of Tyrone’s who treated us to a tailgate drink of coconut milk cooler from his mother’s special recipe.

In the late afternoon, we reloaded our vans and left San Juan for Patillas and the heart of our trip. We followed expressway to narrow and increasingly winding roads, over the Luquillo Mountains, to the rural and sparsely populated southeast corner of the island.

Nothing on Global Works’ web page or published itineraries revealed just how grass roots, think on one’s feet, and generally Synergy-esque our week would be. Global Works’ trips are


Eighth Grade Trip to Puerto Ricoby Mahala Bundy

Puerto Rico Trivia Quiz

1. Until the 16th Century, Puerto Rico was inhabited by

a) Aztecsb) Tainosc) Olmecsd) IncasElves

2. Who was the first European to set foot on the island?

a) Christopher Columbusb) Diego Velasquezc) Ponce de LeonHernan Cortez

3. Puerto Rico’s International Airport in San Juan is named after

a) The island’s first democratically elected governorb) Puerto Rico’s most famous soccer starc) A local hero of the Spanish-American WarThe King of Spain at the time the island was colonized

4. Which statement is closest to the truth?

a) Most Puerto Ricans favor becoming the 51st U.S. state.b) Most Puerto Ricans favor independence from the U.S.c) Most Puerto Ricans are satisfied with the current Commonwealth government.None of the above

5. True or false? Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.

6. What American musical features Puerto Rican lead roles?

a) Catsb) West Side Storyc) Felad) A little Night Musice) Hair

planned and led by people living in and connected to local communities. The goal is to support working individuals who lack the means to improve their housing situation. Tyrone had planned our construction projects by contacting a friend and community organizer to ask who needed assistance building a house.

Our first project was to work on the new house of a young, single mother employed by an agribusiness company. Our second project was an expansion of a two-room house occupied by a young couple and their two small children. The young man, Tomas, worked as a roofer and was anxious to complete the project before their third child arrived. He had about a month. This house was on family property. His grandfather’s, father’s, and another family member’s house made up a small compound. Tomas worked side by side with us in the spirit of a barn-raising.

On the first night in Patillas, Tyrone found that the crew he had hired to do the prep work for our students at the two building sites had simply stopped working and gone home when he went to San Juan to meet us. Nothing was ready.

Tyrone got on the phone to find workers and Emily had to break it to us

that there would likely be no work the next day. This was hard for our students to understand. They were politely embarrassed—something had gone wrong with our trip. Emily told them

that life in Puerto Rico was not predictable. First lesson: be prepared for changes of itinerary.

It was not until Monday evening, our fourth in Patillas, that Tyrone finally had time to sit down with us and give us some background and context for the work we were doing. The timing worked out well. The kids now had enough direct experience to be intensely interested in what Tyrone had to say. Although official indices list unemployment in Puerto Rico at 16%,

the real figure is closer to 60%, and many people have not worked in years. Agriculture in this sub-tropical paradise used to supply most of the jobs. As U.S. investment in the economy increased,

people left the land to take urban jobs, effectively trading minimum wage physical labor in the hot sun for equally low paying jobs in air conditioned big box and chain stores. These new jobs were not generated by local enterprise and had the side effect of drying up the farm economy. As a result, most food is now imported—an ironic truth when one sees mangoes, papayas and bananas in every back yard. Global Works’ mission is to try to right some of these inequities.


“ Global Works’ trips are planned and led by people living in and connected to local communities The goal is to support working individuals who lack the means to improve their housing situation.”

Because of the delay, we were on Plan B: hang out for most of the morning at the Eco-Lodge where there was a swimming pool, ping pong table whose one ball kept escaping into the banana trees, and a scruffy pool table; head out in the vans with Emily for an informational tour of the two building sites (where Tyrone and crew were at work); spend the afternoon at the local swimming hole with our lunches; and return home shortly before dinner. It was a lazy day with no hint of what lay in store for us when work actually started.

Most of the houses in Patillas are made of reinforced concrete, sometimes within a metal roof, as planned for the smaller of our two houses, sometimes with a concrete roof. On Sunday, Tyrone placed me with about two thirds of our students at Tomas’s house. Emily, Nate and the rest of the kids went to the other site. Our task was to pour a concrete roof. A small section had been completed by the previous work group.

First, we learned to make concrete. Materials: shovels, wheelbarrows, a hose, and large piles of rock, sand and bags of cement. Step one: layer equal parts rock, sand and cement on a wide ground area. Create furrows to spread and contain the water. Add water and mix vigorously with shovels until

uniform wet sludge is achieved. Proportions: a dozen barrows full of each of the three ingredients and fifteen people mixing with shovels. Step two: get the pile of concrete onto the roof. Materials: shovels and pails. We filled and carried and lifted and passed buckets in a continuous loop from

ground across roof until the huge pile of concrete was actually gone. What an accomplishment!

Then we did it three more times. The goal had been to complete this roof over the course of Saturday and Sunday, instead we did it all in one day. I thought Tyrone was kidding when he directed us

to mix up batch three. By batch four, I was in shock. At the end of the day, I was encrusted with salt, speckled beyond recognition with cement, and trying to straighten my back. Our city slicker kids were dirty, tired and truly astounded by what they had accomplished. Tomas was beaming.

We spent one more, less strenuous day at the two building sites. On our last work day we went into the mountains to Las Casas, a secondary forestry site owned and managed by a non-profit that has reforested a once cleared tract with native trees to be sustainably harvested. Because there


“I was encrusted with salt, speckled beyond recognition with cement, and trying to straighten my back. Our city slicker kids were dirty, tired and truly astounded by what they had accomplished. ”

was a research group working on the land at the time, we could not enter the forest preserve. We worked at the entrance area, a disused saw mill with a barn and a couple of sheds, a bunch of old equipment and debris, and a garden in need of attention. Our task was to clean up this area. If it began to look abandoned, people would feel free to poach everything of use or value.

We weeded the garden, cleaned out a storage shed, cut dead banana stalks and coconut palm fronds, pruned and cleared underbrush and ivy, and swept the yard. The two pieces of excitement of the day were building a bonfire and screaming over a rat we surprised in a piece of pipe.

The Eco-Lodge, where we stayed, is the vision and second home of an elderly and urbane gentleman named Rafael. Many years ago, he left the city to come to this out of the way part of the island and fell in love with the land. He purchased some fifty acres of forested gorge and hillside and has written into his legacy that it may never be developed. It is a place both dreamy and plain where he hopes people will come to stay and appreciate the forest.

Deep in the woods is a little solar house that Rafael has filled with work

by local artists. Along the trail that leads you there, he has planted tropical specimen trees. Rafael took us on a night hike on the trail. We were very quiet so as to hear and maybe to spot the Puerto Rican Owls. We did hear them calling but did not see them.

The lodge itself is constructed like a two-story concrete Quonset hut whose corrugated roof is thunderous in a downpour. We all slept on the upper level, sharing two bathrooms and two showers that emitted a warm trickle. The main level is open air, lacking a wall on the southwest side. Below is a swimming pool and a grove of mature mango trees. Clusters of large papayas were touchable in the treetops along the upstairs balcony. Bananas grew below. Rather than compost, we tossed our plate scraps off the deck for the night animals to scavenge. Indoor and outdoor blend together.

Our last day was a journey up the coastal route back to San Juan. Main Destination: El Yunque National Forest, containing the entirety of the island’s subtropical cloud forest. This was acquired as parkland when Theodore Roosevelt’s established our national parks, and it has the feel of a national park with an opulent visitor (Continued page 10)

Puerto Rico Quiz Answers

Synergy Times | Summer 2011 9

1. Taínos populated the island in 1493. They were enslaved by the Spanish and few remained by 1520, due to harsh labor and infectious diseases. The survivors were emancipated by King Carlos. Spain began importing slave labor from Africa to replace them.

2. Columbus (1493, second voyage) named the island San Juan Bautista.

3. Luis Muñoz Marin was the first democratically elected governor, just after WWII.

4. Opinion on this question is not uniform. Some Puerto Ricans favor independence. The two major political parties formed at the point of self-rule favor either Commonwealth or Statehood.

5. Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens. However, they may not vote in federal elections. U.S. citizens who take up residency in Puerto Rico may no longer vote, but Puerto Ricans who moves to states or D.C. may.

6. Are you kidding me? It’s West Side Story!

(Puerto Rico continued)

center and well maintained trails. We lunched in the small coast town of Luquillo, Tyrone’s home, at a back street restaurant serving great home-cooked food. From the beach, we could see the island of Vieques, where Emily lives. We stayed there past sunset.

On the roof of our San Juan hotel, we held a late night closing circle. Of the many reflections on Puerto Rico, group bonding and the community service we had done, Michela’s sticks in my mind. To paraphrase. “I learned not to focus on the picky little things—such as water pressure. It’s just not really that important.” On the return journey home, the kids were as mellow as they had been antsy on the way out. Seems trite to say, but I think they were in a state of genuine satisfaction with themselves and the work they had done, but above all the accomplishment of having faced down so many unknowns.

Synergy will celebrating our 40th Anniversary during the 2012-13 school year.

We would love to hear from our alums. Tell us how you doing, where you are living and share your news with our community. Update your address and email to receive more information about our 40th Anniversary Celebration.

Send your news to Liz McDonald, Director of Development at [email protected]. Visit our website, www.synergyschool.org.

Follow us on Twitter, request to join our Facebook Synergy School Alumni Group and like our our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/synergyschool.

Synergy Times | Summer 201110

Grandparents & Special Friends Day

Synergy celebrated Grandparents and Special Friends Day on April 29, 2011. Over hundred grandparents and friends visited Synergy classrooms and watched a musical performance by students in the Big Room. Downstairs classes made an art project, participated in a Spanish lesson with Nate and played games in P.E. with Jana. Upstairs, visitors studied 4th and 5th grade math, Middle School science and humanities.

Look at photos from the event on our photo sharing website,www.synergyphotos.smugmug.comEmail [email protected] for the password.

Please join us again next Spring.

Grandparents and students ran relay races in P.E. class.

Stay in Touch

For more information about Synergy School call

(415) 567-6177 or visit our website: www.synergyschool.org

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.synergyschool.org


http://www.facebook.com/synergyschool

http://www.facebook.com/synergyschool

http://www.synergyphotos.smugmug.com

http://www.synergyphotos.smugmug.com





UpcomingHere are the schedule highlights for the quarter. For a more detailed schedule, please see our calendar at www.synergyschool.org

August September OctoberUpcomingHere are the schedule highlights for the quarter. For a more detailed schedule, please see our calendar at www.synergyschool.org

5Last Day of Synergy Summer

5Labor Day No School

10Fall HolidayNo School


17-19Teachers’ Retreat

13-14

Back-to-School Nights

22Ocean Beach Clean-up


31First Day of School

17 All School PicnicGolden Gate Park

244/5 Harvest Day

Synergy held an alumni reunion on June 9 at a Rosamunde’s Sausage Grill in the Mission. Teachers and former teachers met with alumni students and shared news, shared memories, and reconnected.

Class of 2002Cole Armstrong graduated from Swarthmore in 2010 and was an intern at SanFrancisco Planning & Urban Research (SPUR). He is currently working for SmartGardener.com as a social media consultant.Emily Miller completed a three month internship at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. She worked on the music in the schools program for the National Symphony. Ian Carr is working at Industrial Light & Magic in the Presidio.

Class of 2003Tuline Kinaci is attending the University of Montana in Missoula. She just completed a Wilderness First Responder Course at Glacier National Park.

Class of 2006Jeffrey Dillon is attending Linfield College in Oregon and is on the football team.

Alex Sicurella studying Chemistry, playing on the soccer and volleyball teams at Bard College in New York.Adonis Smith is at Northwestern University in Illinois. He was recruited to the football team as a running back.Casey Simone Cooper is at Bennington College in Vermont. Lena Seagrave took a year off and will be studying at Bennington College in September.Jessica Minton and Lynne White are working at Synergy Summer. Jessica is a student at Occidental College in Los Angeles and Lynne is at California State University Long Beach. Thea Faust-Anderson is at Mills College in Oakland, California.Henry Matarozzi is in New Orleans studying at Loyola University.Coco Dells is at University of Oregon in Eugene.Patrick Swan is studying Computer Science at San Francisco State University.Gabriel Golvin-Klein is studying Film at Emerson College in Boston, MA.

Class of 2007Jake Miller and Danny Roberts will be taking a gap year to travel and work. Jake has deferred University of Chicago for a year and Danny will attend N.Y.U. in a year.

Angie Matarozzi will be a freshman at Villanova University, Pennsylvania in the fall.Noelani Nasser and Spencer Graham-Thille are attending University of California at Los Angeles.Isaac Thrupp is studying at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington.Francisco Gonzalez is enrolled at Humbolt State University in Northern California.

Class of 2009Annakai Geshlider won 2011 National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for poetry. She submitted four poems and received a Gold Medal and American Voices Medal. Annakai is also an assistant managing editor at The Urban Legend for The Urban School of San Francisco.


Alumni Newsby Liz McDonald

Sogolon Best and Jeff Dillon



The Annual Fund helps to bridge the gap between tuition and the actual cost of educating a student at Synergy School for a full year.

The support we receive from our community of parents, friends, alumni and grandparents helps Synergy to maintain the strength of our program while keeping our tuition affordable and offering financial aid more than a third of our community.

Every gift counts. It’s not too late to contribute to the fund.

If you have any questions about donations, please contact Liz McDonald, Director of Development at [email protected].

Synergy Annual Fund

The mission of Synergy School is to provide a quality education by empowering children to flourish academically, to blossom as individuals, and to become self-confident, creative learners.

Synergy School was founded in 1973 and is a non-profit teacher cooperative, wherein students, parents, and teachers cooperate together to further a rewarding education for each child. We are a vibrant, diverse community with 190 students in kindergarten through eighth grade located in San Francisco’s Mission District.

Synergy Times is published twice a year by Liz McDonald, Development Director of Synergy School. Feedback and story ideas are welcome.

Design: Sam TripodiPhotography: Russ Curtis, Rea InglesisEditor: Connie Matthiessen

Every Gift Counts

Mission Statement

Presorted Standard

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Oakland, CA Permit #2319



Documents

Synergy Times Summer 2011