Champion fiddler and McCallie School alumnus Fletcher Bright, a founder of the Dismembered Tennesseans, was the featured guest artist at the Fall Concert in mid-November. Musicians from the GPS/McCallie Honors Orchestra and the GPS Wind Ensemble performed along with students in all string classes from the Middle and Upper Schools.

The hour-long concert had a distinctive international flair, with music from Hungary, Jordan, Spain, Germany and, closer to home, Appalachia. Mr. Bright, grandfather to several current GPS students and alumnae, performed a “Fisher’s Hornpipe,” “Tennessee Waltz,” and the famous “Orange Blossom Special,” complete with train sounds by his and the students’ instrumentation. Other musical performances included Aaron Copland’s “Hoedown,” an Arabic dance from Jordan, the theme from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and “September,” the 70’s hit by Earth, Wind, and Fire.  

The concert also presented the work of seniors Sarah Thomas, who performed a Mozart aria from the opera “The Marriage of Figaro,” and Jennifer Rimer, the featured violinist in “Tennessee Waltz.”

Student work from Art II, Advanced Placement, and Ceramics I and II classes was displayed in the lobby of the Frierson Theatre and provided a gallery-like experience for the large audience prior to the performance.

Nine GPS students have received leadership lessons through the YMCA this year. Libby Givens, Jan Johnston, Caroline Novkov, Eller Mallchok, and Savannah Phillips were leaders at Youth Trust, a leadership development program for rising ninth graders that provides opportunities to understand diverse viewpoints and concerns on issues that determine “the quality of life in the greater Chattanooga community.” GPS graduate Katie Block, the Youth and Family Coordinator for the YMCA in Chattanooga, works with Youth Leadership of Chattanooga and Youth Trust.

According to Katie, the team building and leadership training begin with a retreat at Camp Ocoee that involves group fun and challenging experiences such as white water rafting, all designed to break down barriers and help the group define “community.” GPS eighth grader Mary Chandler Gwin was a participant at Youth Trust.

Laura Higbee, Samira Rahbe, and Elizabeth Taheri are participating in the Youth Leadership of Chattanooga program. The youth program is modeled after Leadership Chattanooga, a successful Chamber of Commerce venture. Students learn about community government, health and wellness services, and philanthropy and community service opportunities. 

Frances Street Smith ’48 and her husband Gordon were honored on Wednesday, Nov. 4 as Chattanooga’s Outstanding Philanthropists of 2009 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). The program noted their quiet but steady philanthropy to United Way, their alma maters GPS and McCallie, Allied Arts, and Hospice of Chattanooga.

GPS Headmaster Randy Tucker presented the awards to all recipients and noted the grace and generous spirit of all Chattanoogans who support non-profit organizations.

Frances served on the GPS Board of Trustees for 26 years and was honored in 1984 as the school’s Distinguished Alumna. She has served as president of the Junior League and as a member of the boards of the UC Foundation, Metropolitan Council for Community Service, Baroness Foundation of Erlanger Medical Center and the local chapter of the American Red Cross. Their family’s philanthropic offerings have made a unique impact on Chattanooga and GPS.

A “Going Green on Halloween” carnival on Sat., Oct. 31 was hours-long entertainment for students in local elementary schools, alumnae families, and Camp Kaleidoscope summer campers. The inaugural event, concluding a week of Robin Hood fundraising fun, featured a costume parade, storytelling, cookie decorating, tie-dye making, bowling and face painting, as well as hot dogs, chips, and ice cream for the hungry parents.

Local businesses such as Mercatinos, Good Dog, and Pino Gelato were on hand to supplement the many food choices from student-run booths that offered French crepes and caramel apples. Many local GPS alumnae were in attendance, with children in princess and pirate themed attire. Those in the market for a small bowl of goldfish or a chance at an embroidered pillow shopped alongside students looking for good used clothing at a booth sponsored by the GPS Student Council. GPS Headmaster Randy Tucker was spotted designing a beaded bracelet, and history teacher David Cook joined other moms and dads in showing their small children the way through an inflatable obstacle course.

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to Take Root Chattanooga, Green Spaces Chattanooga, and Kiva, an international micro-financing organization.

Paula Mirk, the Director of Education at the Institute for Global Ethics, was the keynote speaker Thursday, Oct. 29, on the opening day of the first Global Think Tank sponsored by Girls Preparatory School. Mirk presented the more than 40 attendees from national and local schools with the question, “What does it mean to be a global citizen?”

Her ensuing conversation with the audience revealed her belief that “ethics can be a linchpin” to students’ finding a connection between personal experience and the curriculum that they study. The institute’s work, she said, is to encourage the use of a “language of ethics” that answers the question “What’s right?” instead of “What’s in it for me?” or “Who’s winning?”

Concepts related to global ethics, she explained, include an “obedience to the unenforceable,” judgment, reason, and critical thinking. The bulk of the institute’s work is getting people to “articulate the reasoning behind their decision-making” and identify values shared by cultures across the globe. The institute’s 500 trainers have worked within schools and community groups worldwide to discover that those shared values usually include respect, responsibility, loyalty, integrity, freedom, and compassion.

Concluding that people are “on a permanent learning curve” in regard to acting ethically, she said she loved working with students, the next generation who will “make it a habit to think and act ethically” if taught “how to think” as well as “what to think.”

Group sessions later in the day covered topics such as “Ethics and Social Justice,” “Connecting Globally through Technology,” “Integrating Global Awareness into the Classroom” and “Green and Global Go Hand in Hand.”

The keynote speaker for Friday is former Tennessee Senator Bill Brock, the founder of Bridges Learning Systems and a consultant specializing in education and trade issues.