July 25 2009
Last night I saw “Food, Inc.” at the Red River Theater in Concord. The showing was preceded by a reception with food provided by local NH farmers, growers, purveyors and the like – essentially, the kind of food you depart from the movie swearing you will seek forever and ever.
The theater was packed, including several folks from Derryfield. I arrived a few minutes late and could not find a seat (a nice problem for a small, not for profit theater). Connie Rosemont, the Executive Director of the theater, was in the front of the audience introducing the film and, when she saw me looking for a seat all the way in the back, called me by name and offered to help. It was both a somewhat awkward entrance and an impressive testimony to her ability to remember names amidst a crowd.
The movie has a clear point of view that is familiar to any fan of, say, Alice Walters, or Michael Pollan. Our own Gary Hirshberg, class of 1972, is an important part of the film as the chapters turn from a fairly horrifying set of circumstances to considering the way forward – can we have earth-friendly, healthy, food that is profitable to make without taking advantage of farmers or the workers? Gary and Stonyfield Farms, I am relieved to say, give us some hope. His refrain that we are voting with our choices every time we check-out at the supermarket is an essential idea for our students to understand, and one he spoke passionately about as our Founders' Day speaker last year. I often have the sense many teenagers have little understanding of how much power they have as consumers, and yet – looking through the other end of the consumption telescope – it seems marketers, advertisers and the like have a very refined sense that the teenage demographic matters to the success of their product.
I want our students to see this movie because I think it can add a great deal to the conversation about healthy choices in their lives – not just about food, but about what we put in and on our bodies, how our choices affect the planet and the people who may seem to be “away” but in fact are getting closer and closer (aside – just finished Thomas Friedman’s book “Hot, Flat & Crowded,” his follow-up to the sensational “The World is Flat,” so I may be more aware of population concerns than normal). No doubt some percentage of our students would be undeterred in eating McNuggets shortly thereafter. But the film demands a level of thinking about our daily choices, and I can’t help but believe many of our students, armed with new and provocative information about urgent issues, will be inspired to be a part of the solution.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Boston
July 23 2009
In the last few days I met with terrific alumni in Boston, as well as seeing Steely Dan at the Wang Center. They played the album “Aja”, which was the soundtrack for my high school years, in order and in its entirety. Good for me to know you can be 47 and still get goose bumps from great art – “I cried when I wrote this song, Sue me if I play too long, This brother is free, I’ll be what I want to be.” Popular music does not get better than that. Sadly, I realized I am going to less and less live music – thank goodness for Laurel Devino, Encore, and all the talented musicians at school.
In the afternoon I met with Dr. Shan-nan Chang, the Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston. At the invitation of Paul LeBlanc (parent of Emma ’07, Hannah ’08, Board member, and President of Southern New Hampshire University), Dr. Chang toured our campus with Susan Grodman, our Director of Service and Global Education, after graduation in June. As he said to me, “I did not know whether to be more impressed with the beauty of your campus or the hospitality of your staff.” (I found out later he was referring to the charms of our Main Office, particularly Diane Wall, Sue Flagg and Patty Dollard). We are exploring the best way to create an ongoing cultural exchange (students, faculty and staff) that serves our strategic plan while allowing Taiwan to continue making ties with US schools. The future of the relationship looks bright. Stay tuned.
In the last few days I met with terrific alumni in Boston, as well as seeing Steely Dan at the Wang Center. They played the album “Aja”, which was the soundtrack for my high school years, in order and in its entirety. Good for me to know you can be 47 and still get goose bumps from great art – “I cried when I wrote this song, Sue me if I play too long, This brother is free, I’ll be what I want to be.” Popular music does not get better than that. Sadly, I realized I am going to less and less live music – thank goodness for Laurel Devino, Encore, and all the talented musicians at school.
In the afternoon I met with Dr. Shan-nan Chang, the Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Boston. At the invitation of Paul LeBlanc (parent of Emma ’07, Hannah ’08, Board member, and President of Southern New Hampshire University), Dr. Chang toured our campus with Susan Grodman, our Director of Service and Global Education, after graduation in June. As he said to me, “I did not know whether to be more impressed with the beauty of your campus or the hospitality of your staff.” (I found out later he was referring to the charms of our Main Office, particularly Diane Wall, Sue Flagg and Patty Dollard). We are exploring the best way to create an ongoing cultural exchange (students, faculty and staff) that serves our strategic plan while allowing Taiwan to continue making ties with US schools. The future of the relationship looks bright. Stay tuned.
War Dance
July 14, 2009
War Dance
Summer is also time to feed my passion for great documentaries, and the most moving so far has been “War Dance.” The film (available on Netflix) is set in war-torn Uganda, and it keys on several young people attending school in a refuge camp who are inspired to pursue traditional Ugandan song and dance by a handful of great teachers. I could not help thinking about our performing arts department, and the students they have inspired, while watching the film. At the same time, the environment and their day-to-day life is virtually beyond comprehension for most of us. Beforehand, I imagined coming away from the film feeling intense, renewed gratitude for the circumstances in which we learn at Derryfield. But my reaction was more akin to watching people on the moon – I could barely believe many of the scenes. On the other hand, rarely will you see a more passionate testimony about the resilience of young people.
War Dance
Summer is also time to feed my passion for great documentaries, and the most moving so far has been “War Dance.” The film (available on Netflix) is set in war-torn Uganda, and it keys on several young people attending school in a refuge camp who are inspired to pursue traditional Ugandan song and dance by a handful of great teachers. I could not help thinking about our performing arts department, and the students they have inspired, while watching the film. At the same time, the environment and their day-to-day life is virtually beyond comprehension for most of us. Beforehand, I imagined coming away from the film feeling intense, renewed gratitude for the circumstances in which we learn at Derryfield. But my reaction was more akin to watching people on the moon – I could barely believe many of the scenes. On the other hand, rarely will you see a more passionate testimony about the resilience of young people.
Fancy Food Show
June 28, 2009
I attended the Fancy Food Show at the Javitz Center in New York City during the last weekend in June. The gathering is a trade show that brings together producers, suppliers, and distributors from around the world with a dose of food groupies – my constituency. The event gives you insight into where the food industry is heading (for instance, a few years ago a new category labeled “vitamin water” arrived), and is a fantastic way to sample a phenomenal amount of different, innovative and emerging products.
My focus was on learning about healthier foods we can serve in our school, with more environmentally sensible packaging. As preparation I read “Food, Inc.” (and I plan to see the movie on Friday, July 24th in Concord). While healthy food choices for kids remains largely at the margins of the food industry, you can see that the category is gaining momentum, and that both producers and consumers are getting more sophisticated. I came away fairly optimistic about our ability to make progress in this area for our children.
I attended the Fancy Food Show at the Javitz Center in New York City during the last weekend in June. The gathering is a trade show that brings together producers, suppliers, and distributors from around the world with a dose of food groupies – my constituency. The event gives you insight into where the food industry is heading (for instance, a few years ago a new category labeled “vitamin water” arrived), and is a fantastic way to sample a phenomenal amount of different, innovative and emerging products.
My focus was on learning about healthier foods we can serve in our school, with more environmentally sensible packaging. As preparation I read “Food, Inc.” (and I plan to see the movie on Friday, July 24th in Concord). While healthy food choices for kids remains largely at the margins of the food industry, you can see that the category is gaining momentum, and that both producers and consumers are getting more sophisticated. I came away fairly optimistic about our ability to make progress in this area for our children.
Beginnings
One of the many pleasures of summer is the sense that one can “check things off the list” that manage to elude us during the rest of the year. Starting a blog is the perfect example of that satisfaction.
I understand experts on the web estimate that, when taken as a whole, the average blog has about six readers. By aiming high, I may get somewhere close to double that average. We shall see.
I am also aware that blogs often have a certain voice – a casual, connected immediacy that is a new kind of writing for me. The entire endeavor strikes me as a writing and thinking adventure. My hope is that this communication speaks to the DS community in some fashion and that – worst case - you have a wasted a modest amount of time.
I understand experts on the web estimate that, when taken as a whole, the average blog has about six readers. By aiming high, I may get somewhere close to double that average. We shall see.
I am also aware that blogs often have a certain voice – a casual, connected immediacy that is a new kind of writing for me. The entire endeavor strikes me as a writing and thinking adventure. My hope is that this communication speaks to the DS community in some fashion and that – worst case - you have a wasted a modest amount of time.
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