preschool – Clairbourn School News

January 14, 2021January 23, 2021

Exploring Mobile App Design: Clairbourn Alumnae Caroline Kwan & Nina Luo “Dishcover” a Great Idea

For elementary school students, early technology training, a growth mindset, and teamwork skills can help them make the most of opportunities that come later in life. Former Clairbourn School students Nina Luo and Caroline Kwan, from the Class of 2018, exemplify this perfectly. The following article describes their new app, “Dishcovery,” and how Clairbourn School provided early educational advantages that helped them to take on this later technology challenge.

Nina Luo and Caroline Kwan, creators of the Dishcovery app. Both young women are Clairbourn School alumnae.

Anytime an interactive tool or device is created, there is a lot to learn and accomplish. Having an ability to think conceptually as well analytically is key to generating the initial idea, the plan, and the steps for development and deployment. When busy high school students Nina Luo and Caroline Kwan set out to create an app for their summer computer class at Coding Minds Academy, they didn’t flinch when faced with the mountain of work involved. They chose to invest their precious free time, both in and outside of class, to make an app that had meaning and value for their everyday life.

As food enthusiasts who frequently eat out and enjoy discovering new dishes, Nina and Caroline realized they wanted a way to quickly identify the customers’ favorite items on restaurant menus. Both of them were aware of Yelp.com but felt that reading through multiple posts and clarifying what was worth ordering was too time consuming. So they decided to build an app that could determine the preferred items mentioned in user reviews and then list the top ten dishes at restaurants.

August 6, 2020August 7, 2020

College Applications: Clairbourn Alums Share Advice

Clairbourn School held a virtual panel in July 2020 featuring alums who offered advice on the college application process. Panelists included Kristofer Chang ‘16, who will be attending Harvey Mudd College, Jada Gritton ‘16, who will be attending the University of Pennsylvania, and Salvatore Rego ’15, now attending the College of William and Mary. The panel’s moderator was Mina Kasama, From Clairbourn’s Class of 2011, who attended Dalhousie University for her undergrad and is currently pursuing an MA in International Relations at American University.

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Clairbourn School held a virtual panel, in July of 2020, featuring alums offering advice on the college application process. Panelists included Kristofer Chang and Jada Gritton, from Clairbourn’s Class of 2016, with the former attending Harvey Mudd College and the latter attending the University of Pennsylvania, and Salvatore Rego, from Clairbourn’s Class of 2015, now attending the College of William and Mary.

Watch the recorded virtual panel here, or read the following notes from the meeting below .

June 23, 2020June 23, 2020

Rmax Goodwin, Class of 2008 – Los Angeles Magician Discusses Networking and Mentorship

Magician Rmax Goodwin, from Clairbourn’s Class of 2008

While our Clairbourn School alums end up in a multitude of industries, there is a common thread that runs through their stories. They are hardworking, dedicated to making a difference in people’s lives, and they are impressively accomplished. They also understand the importance of giving back, which this featured alum, Rmax Goodwin, demonstrates so well.

Rmax (pronounced Ar-Max) Goodwin became interested in magic when he was six years old, and at Clairbourn School, he was encouraged by his teacher, Mrs. Wreede, to audition at the Magic Castle. His life changed at this point when the Magic Castle became a resource for him to network and learn from some of the modern-day masters. His pursuit of excellence in his craft also made him keenly aware of the intellectual and academic parts of performing. He recognized that the audience-performer relationship is quite complex and that his mentalism, which is punctuated by unique presentations, had to be well-researched and practiced over and over again. This was where he put his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Pitzer College to use, as he applies his ability to think persuasively and logically to his unique and sophisticated form of entertainment.

May 27, 2020June 12, 2020

Erin Price, Class of 2012 – Community Service Leader and Educator with Purpose and Heart

Erin Price, Class of 2012, plans to co-teach at an elementary school in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Erin Price, Class of 2012, radiates maturity, poise, and purpose. She embodies the qualities of an outstanding Clairbourn alum. Just this May, she graduated from Smith College with a degree in Psychology and Education & Child Study and plans to co-teach at an elementary school in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Being a community builder with a heart for service and helping others has always been a core value in Erin’s life.

May 13, 2020June 12, 2020

Announcing Class of 2020 High School Acceptances

Congratulations to our graduating eighth-grade students who have been accepted into and plan to attend the following high schools.

May 8, 2020June 12, 2020

Alumni Legacy Family: Anne Gifford Ewing, Class of 1992 – Trusts and Estates Lawyer

Trusts and Estates Lawyer Anne Gifford Ewing, Class of 1992

Possessing an Audrey Hepburn elegance coupled with the intelligence of Madeleine Albright, Anne Gifford Ewing from the Class of 1992 speaks with an arresting precision and poise. One could point to her training and current profession as a trusts and estates lawyer as the key ingredient for her competence as a wordsmith. One could also note her passion for literature, writing, foreign language, history, music, and theater as influential in shaping her career interests and encouraging her to lead a reflective and well-examined life. While all of these factors played integral roles in honing Anne’s skills, what stands out the most is her time at Clairbourn School, which laid the foundation for her future and cultivated a love of learning.

October 9, 2019June 26, 2020

Alumni Legacy Family: Taryn Johnson, Class of 2000 – Five Generations at Clairbourn School

With an infectious laugh and effervescent personality, Taryn Johnson, Class of 2000, simply glows. Now that her daughter Harper is enrolled in the kindergarten class at Clairbourn, it marks five generations here.

The family history dates back to the mid-1940s when Taryn’s great-grandmother, Lola Wallden, started her career as a school bus driver and retired in 1982 as the Assistant Head of School. Taryn’s grandmother, Beverly Thomson, was the preschool and kindergarten teacher from 1971 until the year 2000. Taryn’s mother, Jodie Robison, is also an alum of the school and worked in the finance office for years.