A quick thought on Caroline’s time in DC with St. Albans School of Public Service-
​
Caroline stopped by my classroom on Monday.  Happy to be home but clearly wrapped up in memories, she shared one experience after another, each with the passion of someone who’s been to camp, desperately trying to relate a "you had to be there" experience.  Among her 87 anecdotes, 2 related bits struck me. 

First, she was overwhelmed by young people who wanted to talk about things that mattered.  At meals.  On buses.  During free time.  Before bed.  Literally stumbling over her words, she relayed the excitement of being surrounded by kids who cut through the frivolity and dove into topics of consequence.  Without disparaging her friends at home—many of whom are similarly disposed, she felt like the place and time were inspired, that she was surrounded by emerging leaders and world changers.  And she felt right at home.

Second, she was not the only person who kept in her pocket a copy of our constitution. Think about it: a bunch of high school kids walking around with pocket-sized versions of our guiding principles.  They might not do this at home, but it speaks to their values and the respect with which they approached their D.C. experience. The students aren’t monolithic.  Of the 40+ kids, Caroline might have found 40 different interpretations of the document.  But they acknowledge that, for all its ambiguity, it’s the starting point for any discussion of public policy, vision, and service. 

In our time, we might find the path to cynicism is straight while the one to hope meandering.  But once we find hope, it resounds in profoundly deeper ways.  A bunch of kids talking about issues of consequence, who are deferential to time-tested wisdom, excites and inspires me.  It gives me hope.  This type of experience is one reason I teach.  Their joyful noises drown out anger, fear, and frustration.  It makes me think of principled young people doing great things around the world.   They are beacons of enthusiastic, constructive civic interaction.  One of my goals as a teacher is to cultivate that kind of environment and disposition in our school and students every day.  I don’t want to deny them the joie de vivre of youth; but I want them to expect and embrace moments of consequence, to see them as a desirable, essential part of life.   I want them to feel what Caroline felt.
 

DC WEEK 4
 
My summer in DC ended on such a great note. In our last week, I was able to meet Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, watch a live airing of Hardball and meet Chris Matthews, hear Cory Booker speak at the Washington Post, and take a tour of the bell towers at the National Cathedral.

Between these events, we advocated for our bills through debates and press conferences. Though our immigration bill was very weak, I still enjoyed debating it and the other bills. Our press conference was, in my opinion, the best part because we got to pick random news sources to ask questions to the other groups. I was a reporter from USA Today and Business Insider.

I have to say the highlights of this week were Cory Booker and Hardball. At the Hardball studio, I was able to meet the Governor of Montana who is running for president. He was so nervous before he went on air and after, demanded that he be able to keep one of the coffee mugs. Chris Matthews is such a character and a great guy. During the commercial breaks he kept on shouting that he had predicted that Congressman Fitzpatrick would be one of the four Republicans to vote yes. He was very proud of this fact. Cory Booker was also fascinating, for I had never really listened to his views or political opinions before. It was such a great experience to be able to see these candidates up close and personal. Also, I had no idea that Cory Booker was huge! Apparently, he was a football player for Stanford. Who knew?

Back to our bill- it was not passed. 36-13 was better than I expected, though! Our bill was pretty weak, but I have to say that it had a better premise than the Gun Reform Bill. Their bill repealed all forms of gun control. It wasn’t a real crowd pleaser.

Having to leave DC and my 50 new friends was bittersweet. I missed home and my dog, but I still wanted to stay at SPS. I cannot describe how much I learned this summer from people from across the globe and across the aisle. I was introduced to so many new perspectives and I learned a lot about my future. I discovered that I do not want a future in partisan politics, but that I have a really keen interest towards intelligence and foreign service. Visiting the USIP and the CSIS while listening to speakers like Puneet Talwar and Raffi Balian really helped me make this decision, and I think it will really narrow down my college search and deciding my major.

Lastly, I think the greatest thing I learned at SPS was the power of access. We were all introduced to such important and credible people during our stay, which was so enlightening. I now know how a bill gets passed in the Senate, how the US has legal ability to represent victims of genocide in Myanmar, and the history of American – Iranian relations with drones. These are things I would never have known before SPS.   Along with many others, I will remember them for the rest of my life.

Like I said before, I didn’t want to leave this great experience, but I’m happy to be home and now have the ability to share what I learned with the Altamont community, and hopefully send someone else to DC next summer!

DC WEEK 3
 
Week 3 at SPS was the busiest one yet. We started the week with a tour of the senate with Chris Dodd, former Connecticut senator and DNC chairman. His daughter is in the program with us, so we got an exclusive look, including being able to go onto the floor of the senate. (I’m not sure if I can really say this, but, there is a desk on the senate dedicated to snacks. I thought I should share.) 

My favorite part of this tour was being up in the gallery, because I was able to wave to my friend who is a page from Alabama this summer, and we were able to watch the proposition on the carbon tax bill that is causing some controversy at the moment. Watching the three senators from Maine, New Mexico, and Hawaii was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. That might sound a little dramatic, but it was so inspiring to see these senators propose something they really believe in and something they think will better the lives of millions of Americans and future generations. The political climate right now is not too accepting of views like theirs, and it was so inspiring to see the greatest aspects of our democracy in action.

Besides visiting the senate, this week we visited a few museums, including the Newseum and the Air and Space museum, we had a twilight monument tour, we visited Georgetown University, and we met with the Australian ambassador. Although I cannot go into great detail on our discussion with the ambassador, I can say he has to be one of the nicest and funniest diplomats the world has ever seen.

I also had the opportunity to visit the United States Institute of Peace twice this week. On Monday, I attended a discussion about the North Korean sanctions with a panel of experts from the state department and law firms in DC. On Friday, I attended an event at USIP that honored 4 “peace teachers” that were selected from across the country to use the initiatives of the USIP in their classrooms for the 2018-2019 school year. 

While traveling all over DC for these mini trips and events, we also spent the week working on our bills. We were tasked with completing a press release and a presentation for a news conference the following Monday. We also started working on our congressional debates for the next week. 
​
For our last week at SPS, we will be meeting with Jane Meyer, senator Sheldon, Chris Matthews, and Cory Booker, while completing our bill projects. 

DC WEEK 2

Week 2 at SPS was just as amazing as the week before. I started my week with attending a church service at the National Cathedral which was absolutely breathtaking. After spending a whole year studying cathedrals, it’s nice to actually go to one! But anyway, our week was once again filled with speakers, projects, and our bills. My favorite speaker this week was a foreign service officer (which is my dream career, btw). Most of the week was spent lobbying our bills to various “congressmen” and “senators” (just SPS faculty), which was a great way to learn how the process of lobbying actually works. We also had a debate on climate change, which challenged my public speaking and research skills.

My favorite event this week was being able to meet and chat with Margaret Tutwiler. Brooke Hill alumna, former ambassador to Morocco, former communications director, and former state department spokeswoman, Tutwiler is an amazing role model to me and is one of the greatest public servants from the state of Alabama. Though I did ask her a couple questions about her career, we mainly just had a discussion about my future, her past, and the future of public service for this country. One of the greatest takeaways from meeting her was the following quotation: “never be afraid to start an argument”. Tutwiler taught me to never be afraid to defend myself and my state, for false information should never go unchallenged. She is one of the most assertive people I’ve ever met, in the most respectful and elegant manner, and I was truly honored to spend a couple of hours getting to know her in her home. 

Of course, I cannot go without describing the epic Fourth of July in DC! Thursday was filled with many patriotic events, such as encountering some police escort on my morning run (that might be irrelevant), an organ concert at the national cathedral, sketchy rides at the country carnival in rural Maryland, and the following night, a nationals baseball game. Don’t worry, we didn’t miss any fireworks; we watched fireworks at Mount Vernon with George Washington himself last weekend! 

So, what’s on the schedule next week?  A tour of the senate with Chris Dodd, a live town hall with Cory Booker, and much more!

Caroline

Hello Friends,
 
Now in its sixth year, Altamont’s Global Initiative continues to grow and improve—awarding grants to students and faculty for projects and travel, enhancing curriculum, and exposing our students to global experiences and issues.  We are thrilled with the success of the program and excited about its future trajectory. 
 
A key component of the Global Initiative, the GEL Series returns on April 16, 2019.  Global in scope and loosely based on various contemporary lecture/multimedia series (TED, Radiolab, ArcLight, et. al.), GEL welcomes all Altamont constituents (from current students and faculty to parents and alums) to apply to deliver a 10-15 minute presentation to the school and Birmingham communities.  There is no one acceptable format.  One can present a traditional lecture, a short film, a TED-style talk, a dramatic monologue (original or published), a dialogue (original or published), a digital mash-up, etc.  The presentation opportunities are limited only by one's creativity.
 
The annual global theme is the guiding principle for each presentation.  This year, "The Human Footprint" will be the unifying concept.  We hope to attract a variety of subjects and presentation styles.  Some topics might include

• A personal story
• Climate change/the environment
• What the arts and humanities can teach us
• "lollipop moments"
• Social justice/advocacy
• Sustainability
• Urban Planning and Design 
• Connections
• Choice, consequence, and legacy
• My personal legacy
• Footprints, legacies, that impact me
• -and anything else you can imagine!

We want dynamic lectures and dynamic multimedia experiences.  We want expert information and personal, revelatory anecdotes.  Expertise isn't a requirement; an idea worth sharing is. 
 
The Altamont community encompasses diverse cultures and skill sets, but we rest on treasures that often remain latent and undiscovered.  GEL can help excavate that wisdom and weave it into the Altamont experience.  Such sharing, within the school community and without, promises to be a generative experience.  It will promote dialogue and potentially catalyze new ideas and programs beneficial to our school and city.  Finally, we envision the GEL Series positioning Altamont as an idea hub and a center for healthy, constructive dialogue. 
 
Now, our invitation to you: we are welcoming proposals for “GEL 4: Footprints and Legacies”, to be held in the CKC on Wednesday, 4/16/19, from 6:30—8 pm. If you are interested, please submit online using the following form.  We will evaluate all proposals, contact you with questions, and notify you of our selections ASAP.  Upon acceptance, we will work with you to craft your message into a vibrant presentation. Remember, expertise is welcome but not a prerequisite. Something to share is.
 
Feel free to email me at ntsivourakis@altamontschool.org if you have any questions.
 
Niko Tsivourakis
​Global Initiatives Director

Hedy Lamarr was one of the most beautiful Hollywood stars in the 1940’s. She was well recognized for the roles she played in Hollywood hits Algiers and Sampson and Delilah. The fairy tale character Snow White was modeled after her in the 1937 cartoon. Hedy Lamarr was also the inspiration for the comic book character Catwoman. Lamarr’s beauty and glamour definitely did not go unnoticed in the film industry. However, her creative and intelligent mind was hidden from society. Not only was she a talented actress, she held a patent for frequency-hopping technology. This technology is now used for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Hedy Lamarr, was born as Hedy Kiesler in Austria in late 1910’s. In the documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, Lamarr’s son tells of how Hedy took apart her toy music box and then put it back together at a young age. It was obvious she had a knack for inventing. Hedy’s father helped her find that passion. He was in finance, but was very interested in technology. Furthermore, Hedy lived in a very cultured part of Austria. She would go to the opera, the theater, and she attended a prestigious school.

Hedy had a small acting career, acting in small Viennese films. However, when she was on the boat the U.S. Normandie, she encountered Louis B. Mayer. He owned Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which was the company producing the big Hollywood movies. He offered her the opportunity to be a Hollywood actress, and she agreed. In order to ensure a movie-star persona, Mayer gave her the name Hedy Lamarr.  Lamarr did have some trouble finding a movie to star in, when, one night at a party, she met a man named Charles Boyer. Boyer found her captivating and asked her to be in his movie, Algiers. After starring in that movie, she instantly became one of the most popular stars in Hollywood. While her career did dwindle a little, she enjoyed success when she starred in Boom Town (1940).  After that movie, she was constantly starring in well-known and well-written movies.

The 40’s were when Hedy Lamarr’s acting career peaked. She was constantly working, and in her free time, she would work on her inventions. She had a relationship with Howard Hughes, who was a famous expert on building planes. She had come up with ideas to help him improve the planes he was building. Despite the exciting events that Hedy was a part of, the 40’s were a time of anxiety and turmoil since World War II was going on. After a shipload of 293 people sank due to German U-boats, Hedy decided she had to do something. She thought of a solution to combat Nazi submarines and decided a radio-controlled torpedo could solve the problem. This was where her idea of frequency-hopping technology came in. The torpedoes the US used had one transmit frequency communicating, making it easy for the signal to be jammed. Frequency-hopping technology would be able to prevent the jamming of radio signals. With the help of George Antheil, a renowned musician, Hedy come up with an outline to build radio-controlled torpedoes that used frequency-hopping technology. They showed their idea to the National Council of Inventors. One of the inventors, Charles Kettering, transferred them to Professor Sam S. Mackeown, who was a physicist at Cal. Tech. Mackeown was responsible for designing the electronics of George and Hedy’s project. When the patent was issued, it was issued to George and Hedy. However, since the Navy was against using the device, George and Hedy did not get money at first. Hedy’s invention was not used until the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. However, at the time Hedy did not get paid. Finally, Hedy got some recognition through Forbes in 1990. By then, her technology was already being used in GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi technology, military satellites, and more. Hedy Lamarr died in 2000, leaving a legacy that will forever be remembered.
             

To learn more about Hedy Lamarr’s story, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story is a great documentary to watch. It is available on Netflix.
Sources used: Field, Shivaune. “Hedy Lamarr: The Incredible Mind Behind Secure WiFi, GPS And Bluetooth.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 8 Mar. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/shivaunefield/2018/02/28/hedy-lamarr-the-incredible-mind-behind-secure-wi-fi-gps-bluetooth/#197f105541b7.
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story. Dir. Alexandra Dean. Perf. Hedy Lamarr. Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber, 2017. Netflix. https://www.netflix.com/title/80189827

Suneeti 
Global Student Advisory Board
Junior

Or, Thermodyamics and the Human Impact
Or, Newton Knows Footprints
Or, Niko's 3rd Iteration on the Same Theme (needs to branch out)
Or, 13 Ways of Looking at Influence
...

​Zachary knows when he’s trouble. 
He senses it, almost immediately, even if I’m rooms away, as if something in the air tips him off, my anger manifest in some bodily emission that rapidly pursues, with heat-seeking accuracy, it’s source.  That chemical signal rounds corners and deftly, inaudibly negotiates doors and stairs (which is unfair because that spoils my dramatic entry and gives him time to plan, diluting my affect).  Because he’s so keen to that chemical signature, and because he grows craftier by the day, he’s developed coping mechanisms/strategies/preemptive strikes/countermeasures/anti-venom (choose-your-own tone).  One in particular diverts daddy’s anger with ridiculous accuracy. 

I round corners, trample hallways, level the stairs, huffing with leaden steps (I don’t do stealth), trying to find the kid.  Invariably, he meets me half-way (having sensed me and chosen to preempt his doom before the countdown reaches “0”). 

“Daddy, come here,” he looks up, signaling me to drop to my face.  “I have to tell you a secret.”  He grabs the back of my head and neck to pull me down.  The contact alone cools my blood from a boil to a simmer.  This kid knows the power of touch.

I drop, falling prey, again, to his seductions.  My cause no longer relevant, he’ll whisper again, “Daddy, I have to tell you a secret,” and then he plants a deliberate, soft, just long enough kiss on my cheek that would settle all conflicts if weaponized and diffused from rainbow-colored bombers. 

He lets go, carefully scanning my face for the desired reaction.  If he sees stern, he pulls me down to tell me the secret—that he loves me.  But he rarely sees stern.  He sees a dad, cheerily, clumsily defeated and calm, resolute but diplomatic and so much kinder.  The kid is undefeated and I—we, defeated, are better for it. 
Zachary is a schemer.  Having dabbled in the art of the deal, this 6-yr. old is always propositioning me.  Still a novice, his propositions, couched in win-win language, are shamelessly zero-sum; but I love the effort.  He hasn’t always been this way.  We older, wizened versions of this kid, similarly crafty, haven’t always been this way, either.  We experienced Newton and his laws of motion before we understood Newton’s laws of motion. 

Unconsciously at first and then with waking awareness, our footprints modify the world around us.  Zachary’s kisses weren’t always intended to diffuse bombs.  Initially, this tender child gave kisses because he wanted to show some love.  He would rest his hand over mine because he craved the contact.  He would say “I love you” because he had a feeling he fearlessly needed to share.  Then, he realized that these tiny gestures, selfish and pure in motive, had a profound effect on his mom and me. 

Childhood is about discovery, specifically that I—a small, nominally developed atom in a big organism, can impact the world around me.  HOW AWESOME!  The child realizes he can push the resting plate of food off the high chair; a crashing Jackson Pollack appears on the floor.  He can throw food at mom, and she’ll make a silly face.  She can hit a resting ball and make it fly. If she hits it harder and with a heavier bat, if will fly higher and farther.  Adults often forget but awaken to the truth, too.  The family can choose to recycle rather than throw away—can re-purpose that object that would otherwise lay dormant in a landfill, leaching into our soil and water, now a threat to ecosystems, our health, and our fears.  The researcher can develop a technology with superhuman potential.  What is the prescribed use?  Into whose hands does it fall?  To whom does she sell it?  Reality is altered and the researcher reaps a windfall of wealth, satisfaction—and maybe guilt.  

Zachary can shake his still sleeping father, and he’ll wake up.   The child’s goals are now external.  Zachary’s kisses, he now knows, are loaded weapons.  He recognizes his power; he showers us with intent.    

What Newton uncovered about physics often applies to social dynamics.  His footprints are epic in depth and breadth!  Gravity and the apple are analogues for our lives. 

• 1st Law of Motion (a metaphor): Without the impact of some force, my life will remain stagnant or on a steady path. 
• 2nd Law of Motion (a metaphor): Any force that impacts me is the product of emotional weight and intensity. 
• 3rd Law of Motion (a metaphor): Upon impact, the agent of the initial force (think Zachary and the kiss) is reciprocally affected. 

Zachary realizes that telling the “secret” both changes me and him.  We are both moved, our emotional imbalance restored, topped with a dollop of joy.  I realize that when I start my day with levity and affirmations, my students’ days are improved, which makes me feel good.  My students realize raising a hand draws out a positive response from me, which then positively affects them.  Being kind and gracious to the server at the restaurant improves that person’s dignity and enhances night out.  Looking someone in the eyes improves our interaction.  Standing in opposition to injustice thwarts the progress of evil and emboldens the activist.  And on and on.  A self-fulfilling prophecy—who knows?  But we can’t expect change without some change, and we do impact the world and people around us.  In minuscule ways or by orders of magnitude, oblivious or aware, we are influential.  And knowing that means we can shape our world, too. 

We. Can. Shape. Our. World. 
Think about that!  How often to do we hear it, shrug, dismiss it as a childish sentiment?  “Yeah, right,” and move on?   That reaction is a choice; it sustains the status quo and buries my real power beneath illusions of helplessness.  Zachary knows it’s true.  He plays me daily! 

Whether I’m being deliberate or not, the world and my interactions, become my pallet.  This is a daunting truth.  If the nature of that world matters to me, it demands my attention and work and selflessness.  It demands faith that improving your lot reflexively improves mine. 

Cognitive scientists who research altruism have perhaps killed the romantic notion by chalking it up to some chemical reaction.  Who know (or cares)?  Zachary exerted power over me before he knew it.  Cognizant of his power, he now doles out the kisses both indiscriminately and with intent.  This little anecdote has been an instructive reminder.  It’s not hyperbole to admit that those little kisses remind me that every choice I make, everything I do, matters.  In our choose-your-own-adventure world, these little gestures illuminate a wise, beneficent path. 

And Zachary is no longer in trouble. 

Niko Tsivourakis
Director, Global Initiative