Keystone teams win at state civics fair

Neerja (left) and Nidhi won first place in the state high school division.

(From left) Ella, Ria, Bea, Ruaa, won third place in the middle school division and a special award for their research.

Keystone's state finalists of the Speak Up Speak Out civics fair with sponsor Mrs. Sadosky (left)

Keystone teams excelled at the state finals of the Speak Up Speak Out civics fair.

The Upper School team of Neerja and Nidhi won first place in the high school division for their project “Girls for Books."

A Middle School team of 8th graders Ruaa, Ria, Ella and Bea won third place for "Mela-NO-more," and they won a special award for outstanding primary source research.

In this competition, students from grades 3-12 focus on a civic issue, conduct research, create solutions, and present them. At the regional competition, Keystone teams won the top four spots in the middle school division and first place among the high school division.

Outstanding!

Seniors create bench to encourage social connections

Nandini (left) and Shashi at the new bench in front of Founders Hall

The new wooden bench in front of Founders Hall is more than merely a piece of furniture, it's a space where students will build and strengthen their community.

The idea for a bench came from seniors Shashi and Nandini, who are Student Ambassadors for the Mayor's Fitness Council. Their project, ‘Mind and Matter’, aims to address the mental health resources and support needed for upper school students at Keystone School and other high schools in the San Antonio community.

San Antonio business leaders and Mayor Ron Nirenberg saw the Keystone students' work and awarded Shashi and Nandini $1500 for an item of furniture that would encourage social connection and collaboration at Keystone. With the guidance of Mr. Tim Carpenter, they have decided to install a beautiful bench to create a mindful space for their peers.

Here's to watching it get lots of use over the coming months.

Upper Schoolers create and perform a Play in a Day

Olivia (left) and Ricardo performing during Play in a Day

Upper Schoolers gathered this week to watch and cheer on their peers in the Play in a Day project. Students in Ms. Schweers’ Creative Writing class wrote three short works.

Within 24 hours, students worked with Mr. Ciaravino to arrange and perform it in front of the rest of the Upper School. All three plays explored familiar archetypes — a buddy/love story, a ghost story, and a slasher/thriller — and took them in unexpected directions.

Congratulations to all the students who made this a success!

Here are some photos

Ninth grader to be published in poetry anthology

Congratulations to ninth-grader Nidhi for having a poem selected for a national anthology, American High School Poets - In Like a Lion.

The sponsoring organization, Live Poets Society of New Jersey, chooses to publish fewer than 2% of the submissions it receives. This anthology, "Of Love and Dedication," explores how today's teens approach various types of love and loyalty issues.

Here's the poem:

you

you gave me beacons of strength where i saw burdens of stress

you let my fingertips dance across pages and told them how to hold a pen and write their world away

no one can do what you did

you taught me to put my foot down when things weren’t right

but showed me how to float in my dreams and live happily ever after in my fairytales

and when teardrops of saltwater fell down on my face

you told me to get back up and dance in the rain

no one can do what you did

you took me shopping and never let me wallow in the fitting rooms, instead showing me how beautiful i can be,

curling my hair and painting my lips red better than monet ever could

no one can do what you did

you showed me what mother nature could do, from diamonds of liquid in the ocean to fiery ashes in the forests

you took my hand and never left me out in the world, lost, and empty, because no one ever deserves to be alone

you pulled the strings of hate in my head apart and replaced them with more love than i have ever given myself

no one can do what you did

you didn’t just let me live, you showed me love

and to that i am forever grateful

10th grader wins first place in piano competition

Congratulations to 10th grader Anna for winning first place in her grade category at the Janice Kay Hodges State piano competition recently. This prize comes with a scholarship to Interlochen Summer Arts Camp in Michigan if she chooses to attend.

She was also chosen recently as one of the five junior judges for the Gurwitz International Piano Competition who evaluated 11 finalists to choose the winner of the junior jury prize.

Excellent!

Keystone siblings win violin awards

Cameron (left) and Colton at their violin competition

Congratulations to 9th grader Cameron and 7th grader Colton on their recent violin successes.

The brothers participated in the annual Junior Tuesday Musical Club Competition last weekend. Cameron received the Zernzach Award for first place in the Junior Division, and Colton won 2nd place in the Middle Division.

Cameron performed Tempo di Minuetto by Kreisler and La Folia by Corelli. Colton performed Perpetuo Mobile by Bohm and the 3rd movement of Vivaldi’s violin concerto in A minor. In recognition of their awards, both will perform at the Tuesday Musical Club Winners Recital on March 26.

Great job!

8th Grade Spanish class visits restaurant

Sra. Greenfield’s Spanish One class took a morning breakfast field trip to Tommy’s Restaurant. The class spoke Spanish to greet the staff, order, and pay.

It's a way of giving the students an opportunity to use Spanish in a real life situation.

¡Muy bien hecho!

Tooth fairy visits Little School

The Tooth Fairy visited the Little School this week and shared information for a unit on Dental Health and Healthy Hearts.

The little ones learned about brushing, flossing, visiting the dentist, and choosing foods that are good for teeth.

healthy foods for our teeth and foods that are not healthy.

The Tooth Fairy even gave them fairy dust.

Please pick up your lost and found items

Dear Keystone Families,

Lost and found will be put out on the West Hall driveway Monday, March 4^th through Friday, March 8^th, from 3-6 pm.

Any items not claimed by 6 pm on March 8^th will be donated.

Billy's Blog: From our Head of School

“The principal goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done; men and women who are creative, inventive, and discoverers, who can be critical and verify, and not accept, everything they are offered.”

-Jean Piaget

Two experiences on a recent weekend reaffirmed why Keystone is such an exceptional school. The first took place on Friday afternoon, when one of our seniors and I met to discuss an essay he was writing on the Israel-Hamas conflict. Over two and a half hours, we grappled with the complexity of the topic, and attempted to untangle the various arguments.

Again and again, I was impressed with this student’s desire to see all sides of the ongoing war while forming and refining his own thoughts. To his credit, he has strong opinions; however, he also demonstrated a mature and sophisticated desire to comprehend each side of the argument and delve deeper than what is shown on the news.

His avoidance of simplistic explanations and his willingness to acknowledge the complicated history could serve as a model for adults who spout ill-informed slogans or posture on social media while not truly understanding the issue. I left our discussion believing that if other young adults are as open minded and willing to question as this young man, there is hope for our world.

Then on Sunday, I had the pleasure of watching the hard work of our students pay off in awards and accolades at the Alamo Regional Science and Engineering Fair at St. Mary’s University. Once again, Keystone students excelled, and four Upper School students are headed to the International Science and Engineering Fair in May in Los Angeles. We congratulate all of our students who participated and wish all the best to those moving on to the next stage. We also congratulate the middle and upper school science teachers and Ms. Holden and Mr. Nydegger for their work with our students.

It was particularly affirming and delightful to hear the students share the results of their research and what they learned. Their unwillingness to take at face value what others may have said about their topic but do their own analysis and learn their own lessons demonstrated the critical mindset and determination we wish for all young people. The students’ desire to pursue their research and make a difference in the world was heartening and elevating.

Our students learn at an early age how to think critically and analytically.

Important Events and Notes

Summer at Keystone 2024 registration open

Download your copy of the camp booklet here for more information.

Or click here to learn more and register.

This year’s camps are limited to Keystone families only.

Student Council Cookout - March 8

Students can enjoy freshly grilled burgers, hot dogs and vegetarian options to kick off Spring Break at the Student Council Cookout on March 8.

Each order comes with condiments, chips, and lemonade. The orders will be billed to families through RenWeb and all proceeds support Keystone's Student Council.

If you have more than one student at Keystone, please place separate orders for each student. Please complete this form by 5pm on Wednesday, March 6th. Orders made at the table will be charged extra.

Buy your burgers here.

Author Juana Martinez-Neal visiting Keystone on March 21

Keystone will host award-winning author Juana Martinez-Neal on March 21. Several of her books are in the Keystone library.

If you buy any of her books in advance, 20% of your purchase before tax will be donated to the Keystone Library.

Here's how to order her books:

Go to www.thetwig.com
Click on the School Author Visits tab and choose the author’s name.
Follow instructions for ordering.
Add your child’s name and school in the Order Comment box.

College Fair - March 21

From Ms. Christiansen:

Save the date for our San Antonio area Spring College Fair: Thurs., March 21 from 6-8 p.m. at St. Mary’s Hall.

More details will be shared as we get closer to the date including the list of registered colleges.

This is a great opportunity for 9-11th graders and their families to start exploring colleges.

Keystone Food & Drink Festival - April 5

Tickets and Sponsorship opportunities for the Food and Drink Festival are now on sale! Join us on Friday April 5, 2024 as we celebrate 75 years of academic excellence at Keystone School.

You'll get to mingle with other guests on our historic campus while trying food and drink from local restaurants, vineyards, and distilleries.

Our silent auction will feature plenty of experiences, trips, and local businesses for you or anyone outside of the event to bid on. Celebrate 75 years with us by wearing black, red, white, or diamond themed!

Purchase tickets, sponsorships, and learn more at: https://keystonefdf2024.afrogs.org/

For any questions about sponsorships or donating auction items please contact Bella Peters via email at bpeters@keystoneschool.org.

Get your Keystone gear now

Snag your Keystone swag at our online store: KeystoneSchoolStore.com.

Click here to check out the sweet 75th anniversary gear.

We are working with Follett, which provides fanwear and other merchandise to colleges, universities and K-12 schools. Place your orders with Follett, and your merchandise will ship directly to your house. A portion of your purchase will benefit Keystone, too.

Support Keystone while you shop

Keystone is proud to announce a partnership with ShopRaise.

ShopRaise is an easy way to make philanthropy part of your online purchases. From groceries and apparel to technology and travel – a percentage of almost everything you buy goes to support our cause. The best thing is the program is free, you do not pay any more for the items you buy, and you get access to all the best coupons and deals.

Please help us support and promote our program by doing these 3 simple things:

Click this link to visit our cause https://shopraise.com/support/keystoneschool
Use tools in the mobile app to share it with family and friends
Shop online to support and help us reach our fundraising goals

If you're getting school supplies or adding to your home office from either Office Max or Office Depot, please mention Keystone. As part of the Give Back to Schools program, the stores give 5% of the purchase price of qualifying school supplies in credits to Keystone for office supplies. Be sure to include the school's ID number when you make your purchase. Keystone's school number is: 70100727.

We want to hear from you!

If you have news to share about the students, alumni, faculty or staff at Keystone School, please send it to: etijerina@keystoneschool.org.

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