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Hawk Life

Each of Us Plays a Role

Soon you will be receiving our Annual Giving 2015/16 campaign information in the mail outlining the need for each of us to be participate in Annual Giving.

Annual Giving campaigns at independent schools provide families with a tax-deductible way to help us meet the school years operating costs. Our students directly benefit from every dollar we earn.

Our current tuition rates fall short approximately $2,500 per student, averaged throughout the grades.

Congratulations to Mount Madonna School (MMS) junior Cat Ching, who qualified and competed in the Central Coast Section (CCS) cross country championships on November 14. Ching placed 39 out of the 72 division five (D-V) runners with a time of 23:27.6 in the three-mile race, and is the first female runner representing MMS to compete in CCS!

Ching and her teammates, juniors Caroline Smith and Abigail Gray, were also honored as having the highest collective scholastic average among CCS D-V teams, 3.926, and the second highest average among all CCS cross country teams. Congratulations to these scholar athletes!

‘I was unfamiliar with the course and it was mostly hills, which was kind of difficult,’ shared Ching following the race. ‘But after running hills up at MMS I think I was better prepared than I expected. I was especially pleased our girls team won first place for the scholastic award in our division!

‘At the beginning of the season, I joined the cross country team for exercise and fun — and because I didn’t want to play volleyball,’ she explained, smiling. This is a strong statement for a student at a school that lives and ‘breathes’ volleyball from elementary through high school. ‘Along the way, my teammates were all so open and welcoming that it made me really comfortable and more open, too; and not only for cross country, but at school and in my everyday life. At each meet our team and supporters were so loud and so confident; we weren’t ever first, but everyone was really happy and enjoyed being part of it!

‘For the CCS meet I was appreciative of the people who supported me and wished me good luck. I was nervous before the race and knowing I had people backing me up helped a lot. I couldn’t have been there without our awesome coach, Steven Harrington, and teammate (and ‘co-coach’) Ethan, who showed up at the race to do the warm up run with me, even though he didn’t have to.’

In addition to participating in the CCS finals, it was quite a weekend for Ching in other ways, too. On Friday she departed with several high school students to participate in the three-day Model United Nations Assembly at Stanford University. Early Saturday morning, instead of heading off to the committee she was assigned to, she donned shorts and running shoes and headed for the trails at the Crystal Springs Cross Country Course in Belmont. After the race, she didn’t miss a beat, returning to Stanford and rejoining the WWII Soviet cabinet committee to debate global political issues.

The Scholastic Championship Team awards were instituted by the CCS Board of Managers in 1985 as a way to recognize teams with the highest collective grade-point average in their respective sport during that season of competition.

‘My goal is to make it to state next year,’ said Ching. ‘Maybe not, maybe it won’t happen, but it’s my goal.’

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Photo by Shmuel Thaler

Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton, Director of Marketing & Communications,

Nestled among the redwoods on 355 mountaintop acres, Mount Madonna is a safe and nurturing college-preparatory school that supports students in becoming caring, self-aware and articulate critical thinkers, who are prepared to meet challenges with perseverance, creativity and integrity. The CAIS and WASC accredited program emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville.

gmh Today: A Trip to Remember: Uxhumano – Journey to South Africa

gmh Today, November/Decmeber 2015, “A Trip to Remember: Uxhumano – Journey to South Africa.” Read more

The Connection, 2014-15

The Connection , 2014-15, an annual publication for families, friends and alumni of Mount Madonna School.

At Mount Madonna School (MMS) values of respect, honesty, service to others and non-violence create a vital and safe community for learning. From the wonder of preschool through the rigor of twelfth grade, these students explore their world, celebrate community and build strong identities as citizens and scholars.

The first Mount Madonna School (MMS) junior robotics team recently began preparing for the Wonder League Robotics Competition. The MMS team is sponsored by parents and The Factory, a new lab program at MMS for ‘makers.’ The competition is open to students age 11 and under, and requires programming robots to complete seven missions.

Edutopia: Service Learning – Growing Action from the Roots of Passion

Edutopia, 11/9/2015, “Service Learning: Growing Actions from the Roots of Passion,” by Mount Madonna School fifth grade teacher and elementary science specialist, Jessica Cambell. Read her blog.

‘Wow! A new egg!’ said a wide-eyed six-year-old girl, extending her arm to show this ‘treasure.’ As students took turns wrapping their fingers around the egg’s warm brown shell, nearby classmates cuddled accommodating hens or peered through wooden pens, coming face to face with hairy goats.

Honoring Traditions: Students’ Altar Celebrates Dia de los Muertos

By Sara Sobkoviak and Jenne Wood-Taylor

Last week was a bustle of activity in the Spanish classroom, where all students grades 3 through 11, helped to create pieces for a large, group ofrenda installation honoring D’a de los Muertos .

Each Spanish class spent time learning about the cultural significance and origins of this important Latin American holiday.