On Tuesday, May 11th 2010 Bridge School weas honoured to host a very special visitor. Nobel Laureate Dr. Arno Penzias spent a couple hours chatting with high school students.

In 1978, Dr. Penzias shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for his research into the origin of the universe. Dr. Penzias helped isolate the primordial celestial radio signal which lent validity to the theory of the Big Bang.

Prior to his visit Bridge science teacher, Plett Gerardy, had students read background material about Dr. Penzias and prepare questions for him. Topics of discussion ranged from the origins of the universe to his childhood in Germany, Great Britain and New York, to the future of the human race. This intimate gathering was insightful, informative, entertaining and very inspiring! It was a morning we won't soon forget.

As a guest of the Chinese Royal Family and Chinese Government, Bridge eleventh grader Justin Sutton has been invited to perform the most famous Chinese concerto, The Butterfly Lovers Concerto, as the featured solo violinist in June. In addition to his solo performances, Justin will serve as the principle second violinist in an American youth symphony comprised of musicians from Front Range youth orchestras while in China. Concerts will be held in Guangzhou and Beijing, and will be broadcast on Chinese TV and radio.

Justin has been playing the violin since age 7, and has studied with Master Yao Can Chen, Ying Feng Keynes Chen, Judith Ingolfsson, David and Linda Cerone at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Brenda Brenner at Jacobs School of Music. He will also be featured in a documentary focusing on his life as a musician and his travels to China. Justin is being sponsored in part by the Boulder Youth Symphony and the Guangzhou and Beijing Central Orchestras. Best of luck Justin!

Emily Scott, a Bridge eighth grade student, was the featured artist this past August at the Boulder Public Library's Teen Art Gallery.  Her exhibit of acrylic paintings and photographs included Emily's photograph which won top prize at in the State's Parent Teacher Association's Reflections Art Program last Spring. To see Emily's artwork, you can visit the library's website at  www.boulderteens.org/creativePastGallery.htm

The picture includes Emily's award winning photograph at the Boulder Public Library exhibit, and the subject of the photo—neighbor Marrisa.

George L. Bridge School celebrates 15th anniversary

by Micah Wilger, current eighth-grade student (as appeared in the Longmont Times-Call)

The George L. Bridge School began in 1994 as the combined dream of Kathy Sherman and Richard Weeks, who promoted a student-centered program by fostering a close community of learners. Fifteen years later, Bridge School continues in its mission to educate students in an environment focused on community, communication and the pursuit of knowledge.

Dick Weeks and Kathy Sherman met when Weeks was a teacher at the school where Sherman’s son was attending. Over time, they recognized their shared belief that the Boulder area was in need of a smaller school, one more focused on and supportive of its individual students’ learning styles. With this in mind, the two of them collaborated to form Bridge School, a place of personalized and nurturing learning.

Bridge School, therefore, opened in the fall of 1995. Initially located in an office space that Sherman rented, the school started small, but the size of the campus did not hinder the progress of the school’s mission.

Weeks and Sherman taught many of the courses, with Sherman focusing on the English courses, and Weeks teaching the mathematics. They enlisted other teachers who worked part-time at the school to offer classes in science, art, Spanish, social studies and creative writing. Before long, the students and teachers of Bridge School had outgrown the small office and required a new home. A new property was rented, a garden suite, on Canyon Boulevard. Not long after, Bridge School moved into a new campus, a pristine place, perfect for fostering reflective learning, on the grounds and in a building once used as a home for Catholic nuns, formerly the Abbey of St. Walburga.

Over the years, Bridge has evolved into a thriving school with a college preparatory curriculum focus. Mathematics, English, Science, and the liberal arts are particularly emphasized, although in keeping with the focus of preparing young students for college, other courses are also offered, such as history, Spanish and French.

The students of Bridge are a diverse group, and the curriculum has evolved to suit their individual learning styles.

Age levels do not automatically determine program options, and some middle school students take high-school level classes, and some high school students elect to participate in primarily middle school electives. Bridge’s community has expanded to a global perspective, as it has included exchange students from many different countries, among them: China, Korea, Hungary, Russia and Japan.

With its diversity in learning styles, the methods of teaching vary between courses and among the teachers. Teaching modalities are determined by the students’ learning styles. The teachers at Bridge aim to incorporate a variety of methods, in order to engage every student. The methods at Bridge are never limited to lecture-based experiences. While teachers like to foster note-taking, listening and organizational skills more often, interactive work, including the kinesthetic, discussion and seminar-based learning, take place. This combination of methods supports every student in his/her ability to understand the material that is presented.

Current Head of School, Richard Weeks has said that plans for the coming years include adding more elective courses, such as a robotics or technical mechanical class, and offering more creative options for innovative and creative students. Bridge also has hopes to increase in size, with an ideal number of 80-100 students.