The AC Blog

Interest Form for AC’s Good Food Collective

Posted on April 10th, 2019 by cnickels

AC is currently gathering interest from our families, faculty, and staff for participation in The Good Food Collective.

The Good Food Collective delivers fresh, sustainably grown food year round and is part of Headwater Food Hub, AC’s partner for locally-sourced ingredients in our daily family-style lunches. We’ve heard from parents who want to bring some of that family-style lunch home, and now you can! We’re excited to announce that now parents, faculty, and staff can order local goodness through The Good Food Collective and pick it up at Allendale Columbia.

Are you interested?
Fill out the form below by April 22nd (Earth Day!) and we’ll keep you posted!

 

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AC’s Student Artists to Exhibit at Anderson Alley May 3rd

Posted on April 5th, 2019 by cnickels

Honors Art students will be exhibiting their works at the Richard Margolis Art + Architectural Photography Studio during First Friday and Second Saturday in May! The spring exhibition is the student thesis project and incorporates a taste of the “real world” art scene.

See the finished works May 3rd and 11th!

“Precipice” Exhibition
First Friday: May 3rd 6-9 p.m.
Second Saturday: May 11th 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Anderson Alley Artists Studios
250 N. Goodman St. #408

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank You!

The students would like to thank Richard Margolis for loaning his studio space to for the exhibition for the second year in a row. The class visited with Richard Margolis to plan the show back in March.

 

 

 

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AC’s Student Scientists to Exhibit at St. John Fisher College April 26th

Posted on April 5th, 2019 by cnickels

Upper School students from AC’s Science Writing & Research class will be presenting the results of their yearlong research projects at St. John Fisher College’s annual Student Research and Creative Work Symposium. AC students have followed all the steps of scientific research and reporting that they will need in college and in many future careers. Come learn from our student scientists!

Student Research and Creative Work Symposium
Friday, April 26th
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
St. John Fisher College
3690 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14618

 

AC Students, Their Topics, and Tentative Presentation Times

• Cassidy Draper – Filtration of nutrients in liquid anaerobic digestate using biochar (9:05-9:25 a.m.)
• Anna Mihalyov – Exploiting evolutionary costs to reverse antibiotic resistance in E. coli (9:25 – 9:45 a.m.)
• Ruilu Gao – The effects of digital devices on memory (9:45 – 10:05 a.m.)
• Noah Levine – The efficacy of therapeutic videos to help children on the autism spectrum to self-regulate (10:10 – 10:30 a.m.)
• James Morrell – A quantitative categorization of voicing differences in pianos of similar make and model (10:30 – 10:50 a.m.)
• Nathaniel Pifer – Potential aerodynamic performance improvements by utilizing shark denticle inspired vortex generators on automobiles (10:50 – 11:10 a.m.)
• Dongming Shen – A comparative study of multi-chip while-light led and phosphor converted white-light led (11:15 – 11:35 a.m.)
• Jin Zitong – How the precision unibody aluminum enclosure influenced the rise of MacBook computers: A comparison of the physical characteristics of computer case materials (11:35 – 11:55 a.m.)

 

Volunteer as a Symposium Reviewer

If you have experience or expertise in any field that is conducting ongoing research, you can help develop Allendale Columbia’s young scientists as they present their original research. We are looking for adult volunteers to serve as subject experts and feedback panelists. This opportunity is geared toward any AC parent or alumna/us who has experience or expertise within any field that is conducting ongoing research. Please email Travis Godkin at tgodkin@allendalecolumbia.org if you are interested.

 

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2019-2020 Calendar Now Available

Posted on March 22nd, 2019 by cnickels

Allendale Columbia School’s 2019-2020 calendar is now available for download. This is a handy resource for the start of school, school breaks, and the end of school for next year. Please note this does not include all events for the year and is subject to change.

Download the 2019-2020 AC Calendar here.

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AC College Advising Team Reminds Families of Best Practices

Posted on March 22nd, 2019 by cnickels

The recent news coverage questioning the integrity of the college admission process is unsettling for all of us. Students work incredibly hard to earn a spot into their best-fit college and that is how it should work for everyone. At Allendale Columbia we want to assure you that we have always followed the NACAC’s Code of Ethics and Professional Practices, which governs the actions of college admission officers, high school counselors, and independent admission consultants.

As your family considers next steps for the college application process, and your friends or family members consider working with AC College Consulting, we wanted to share a few reminders and best practices when it comes to supporting your child in his or her college application process.

• Stay encouraged. The vast majority of college admission decisions are based upon the holistic review of students’ merits.
• Trust our experience. Kristin Cocquyt, College Advisor, and Emily Nevinger, College Advising Consultant, have 30 years of combined admissions-related experience.  We believe in the ethical practice of college advising, working with families and students on individualized plans for their college search and application processes.
• Ask our advice. If you ever feel like a company or organization is offering you additional support or guarantees that seem too good to be true, you can contact us for help in evaluating the organization.
• Trust the process. We do not condone the financial contributions of families to colleges for the purposes of preferential treatment in the admission process.
• Know we have your student’s best interests in mind, as do college admission officers. We regularly and ethically engage our professional networks to authentically support our students’ success in the college admission process.

 

Upcoming AC College Advising and College Consulting Events

College Consulting: Creating an Authentic, Well-Rounded Application – April 6th
What types of classes, extracurriculars, and recommendation letters make a college application stand out? This workshop is designed for students early in their high school careers, when there is time to discover and build a strong foundation. This program is open to the public.

Register

 

AC Class of 2020 Family College Meetings – Now through May 23rd
Family College Meetings, which include student/parents(s)/host parent(s)/guardian(s), are crucial opportunities for us to discuss the family’s goals for the college process. During this meeting, we will create a student’s standardized testing plan, discuss the important criteria and goals for the student’s college search process, and Kristin Cocquyt will follow up with a personalized list of college suggestions and resources. Families should contact Kristin directly to schedule their meeting after one “Junior Parent Survey” is submitted in Naviance Student. Meetings can be scheduled during a student’s free period or at 3:15 p.m. Skype meetings can also be scheduled with international families. Since early planning is key to a successful college process, Family College meetings should be wrapped up before Strawberry Breakfast on May 23rd.

 

Kristin Cocquyt Unlike most of our peer schools, we have a dedicated full-time college advisor. Kristin Cocquyt's primary focus is to support, guide, and advise AC students on their college search and application process. She has been in the field of education for 13 years and has visited over 160 colleges, giving her a solid basis for recommending colleges that are great matches for our students. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Policy from Hamilton College and is a member of both the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling and the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

 

Emily Nevinger Emily brings a wealth of knowledge and real-world experience in college admissions. She worked in colleges for the past 15 years, including nine years at Emory University where she directed the selection process that helped shape the freshman class from more than 20,000 applications each year. Emily is thrilled to bring her experience as a member of highly selective Admissions Committees to high school students and families, providing you with an insider's glimpse into the world of college admissions. Emily's Prior Roles UNC Chapel Hill, Senior Associate Director of Admission (2016-2018) Emory University, Associate Dean of Admission and Director of Selection (2007-2016) University of Miami, Assistant Director of Admission (2005-2007) National School of Technology, Director of Career Services (2003-2005) Contact Emily directly to learn more: enevinger@allendalecolumbia.org

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Parent Dinner: AC Family Thanks, Business, and Appeal

Posted on March 8th, 2019 by Allendale Columbia School

After a fine Parent Appreciation Dinner prepared by the AC Kitchen, Parents of Allendale Columbia Kids (PACK) took care of some annual business voting on new officers and amendments, and Head of School Mick Gee gave thanks, an update, and an earnest appeal for support.

In PACK business, parents voted in a new President, Lois Palomaki P ’24, ’24, and Vice President, Marisa Casa P ’30, ’30, for 2019-2020 ( coincidentally both are parents of twins). Two amendments to the by-laws were approved, adding “When possible” to a clause regarding terms of the Middle School Liaison, and adjusting the number of class liaisons to two in Lower School and 12th Grade and one each in Grades 6-11. Tami Bilinski was recognized as continuing for her 2nd year as Special Events Coordinator, and Lower School Liaison Melissa Clark, Middle School Liaison Colleen Roof, and Upper School Liaison Dawn Williams-Fuller will each continue their two-year terms in 2019-2020.

Mr. Gee then took the stage for his annual update, in which he thanked parents for actively partnering with AC in each child’s education and development. “It’s because of you that the AC family is what it is – a diverse, dedicated group of parents, host parents, guardians, grandparents, faculty, staff, students, and alum who believe that what AC is doing is different, life-changing, and special,” he said, before introducing this video:

Mr. Gee then stated the fact that enrollment is down at independent schools around the country. “This nationwide trend threatens who we are and what we do here at AC, so we have taken aggressive action to address the shift in enrollment. One of the things we’ve done is gotten ourselves into something called the Strategy Lab at the National Association of Independent Schools or NAIS. NAIS saw this same trend and dove in head first to pull the problem apart and come up with new solutions. We were one of 5 schools selected to take part in that process and over the past year, Shannon Baudo and I, and our entire admissions and marketing team, began trying new things and taking risks when it comes to enrollment.”

The following video, shown at the NAIS Annual Conference last week before the keynote address, describes some of that work:

As a result of that participation, AC has made some changes in its marketing, advertising, and open houses, which in turn have contributed to increased applications, Open House attendance, and applications compared to this time last year.

Mr. Gee then appealed to parents to help in another area: annual giving, as summarized below and sent in an email following the event:

A huge thank you to those of you who were able to come out last night for the Parent Appreciation Dinner. It is because of all our families that AC is able to offer an education that is life-changing and unique.

For more than 125 years we’ve been offering the best academic opportunities in the most diverse, supportive, and loving environment in Rochester. As we discussed last night, however, to do it for another 125 years, we’re going to need some help.

AC needs its family right now. AC needs you right now.

Enrollment is down at independent schools nationwide. We have made significant moves this year to address that, and we are trending above where we were last year. But, even with full enrollment, tuition at AC covers just 64% of our operating expenses. The rest of our operating budget comes from donations, and our parent giving is just 27% (compared to 66% nationally).

Simply put, we aren’t getting enough donations.

If we had every parent donating — in whatever amount they could — we could go to corporations and funders and tell them, “Our parents get it. Our AC parents recognize that this is worth it. Our AC parents know that this kind of education doesn’t happen on tuition alone.”

We know what the AC family can do when it comes together. So this is us, asking you for help. We ask because we’re family. We know you will help, because you are, too.

 

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PACK Coffee Connection: Technology Management for Families

Posted on March 4th, 2019 by Allendale Columbia School

Puzzled on how to best manage your child’s screen time? Allendale Columbia faculty members Judy Van Alstyne ’97 and Tony Tepedino led a discussion on Technology Management for Families that offered suggestions and resources for guiding your child toward responsible use of technology. This Coffee Connection was hosted by Parents of Allendale Columbia Kids (PACK).

Essentially, the session suggested starting by establishing norms, with clear expectations that both parents and children can follow. Families should discuss digital literacy and have conversations about digital citizenship, as well as commercials and their purpose. And finally, they encouraged using technology with intention, rather than mindless flipping from one thing to another, by using, watching, and playing with your kids whenever you can, encouraging  creativity and not just consumption, and being good role models.

Download the slides to follow along and keep for reference.

Some of the recommended resources include:

• Common Sense Media – educational resources, as well as excellent reviews of books, videos, movies, apps, and games with age appropriateness and values.
• danah boyd – a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and author of “It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens”.
  “Blending scholarly evidence and the experiences of numerous families, The Art of Screen Time is a well-researched and reassuring guide to raising kids in a world where technology is everywhere.” — danah boyd
• The Art of Screen Time by Anya Kamenetz “As noted in ‘The Art of Screen Time’, it’s best to enjoy screens, not too much and mostly with others.”
• “There are no digital natives, only children: the importance of building a Digital Health foundation in elementary school” by JP Connolly
• Cal Newport – deep thinking, not superficial tech (TED talk and books)
• “How to Break Up with Your Phone” by Catherine Price
  

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Get Knowledge for College on March 19th

Posted on February 28th, 2019 by Allendale Columbia School

Allendale Columbia School’s Knowledge for College program, to be held on Tuesday, March 19th, 2019, in the Curtis Performance Center, 7-8 p.m., was created for families in grades 6-10 to provide an overview of the college search and application process and the College Advising program at AC. A panel of college admission counselors will be present to answer questions. AC families are welcome to bring friends from other school communities to this event.  Click here to RSVP.

 

Kristin Cocquyt Unlike most of our peer schools, we have a dedicated full-time college advisor. Kristin Cocquyt's primary focus is to support, guide, and advise AC students on their college search and application process. She has been in the field of education for 13 years and has visited over 160 colleges, giving her a solid basis for recommending colleges that are great matches for our students. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Policy from Hamilton College and is a member of both the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling and the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

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