Class of ’24 Senior Spotlight: Anya Gonzalez

What is your favorite subject in school, and why? 

My favorite class is Values in World Thought; I love being able to get a comprehensive understanding of the world we live in through different perspectives and values. I particularly have enjoyed reading books such as “Just Mercy” by Brian Stevenson that allow me to connect with issues that are larger than those I face in my everyday life. The curriculum in Values class gives me space to reflect inward on my identity and understand how I interact with the world around me.

If you had the power to change one thing in the world, what would it be? 

I think that happiness is rooted in the kindness we show others. If I had the power to change one thing in the world it would be how humans interact with one another. I believe that if everyone abided by the golden rule “treat others the way you want to be treated,” we would lead happier lives.

If you could go anywhere, where would you go, and why would you choose that

I would visit the Netherlands. As a child, I dreamed of visiting the Netherlands during spring to see the tulips. My birthday falls in the middle of spring and so I have always associated tulips with excitement and joy.

Name one big challenge in your life right now:        

Deciding where I want to attend college is one big challenge in my life right now. I’ve picked a particularly selective major so my options are quite limited. I am certain that I want to stay on the West Coast, but I have yet to hear back from many of the schools I applied to. Grappling with the fact that I will be leaving home for a new chapter has also been difficult.

What is your dream job and why?

I have a few dream jobs but the one I am most passionate about is becoming an emergency room nurse. I find so much joy in the prospect of being able to care for people and also a lot of excitement in the emergency department. I enjoy learning about how the human body works and all of its complex structures and systems. If I could pursue a career that fulfilled a childhood dream of mine, it would be in criminology, such as a detective or private investigator.

What are your three favorite things? 

My friends and family, the ocean and music

Favorite book: 

My favorite book is “A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” by Holly Jackson. Growing up, I’ve often gravitated towards mysteries, trying to solve the cases before the protagonist does. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a fun and easy read filled with just enough suspense and an amazing plot twist.

What do you want to do after high school? 

I hope to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing and then travel a bit before settling down. Eventually, I hope to go to grad school and pursue a different degree such as law or communications, which would give me a lot of space career-wise.

Something that you are proud of – and why:

I am proud of my ability to reflect and be aware. I think that these gifts have allowed me to understand how my actions affect others and pushed me to be a better person.

 

Something that makes you smile:

Something that makes me smile is playing volleyball with my friends at lunch. It’s a little ritual I participate in every day and I don’t think I have ever laughed harder than when I am playing with them.

A favorite Mount Madonna School (MMS) memory:

My favorite MMS memory is probably my entire freshman year. As a class, we were up to so many shenanigans and went on tons of adventures. Our environment allowed us to bloom into our adolescence through interactions with nature, which ultimately made us quite the free-spirited bunch. Another favorite memory of mine was during the last show of “Ramayana!” 2018. Cyrus K., a senior at the time, turned and said to me “It goes by too fast.” That quote has stuck with me ever since, ultimately allowing me to cherish every moment at Mount Madonna School.

Top three most played songs on your favorite playlist: 

“Seven” by Taylor Swift, “Ode to a Conversation Stuck in Your Throat” by Del Water Gap and “Clubhouse” by Mac Miller.

Santa Cruz Sentinel: A New Perspective – Mount Madonna Senior Class Recounts Trip

Santa Cruz Sentinel, 3/23/24, “A New Perspective, Mount Madonna Senior Class Recounts Trip,” by Shmuel Thaler.

The Mount Madonna School senior class has the attention of fellow students, parents and teachers at a Friday assembly as they recount their experiences during their recent two-week learning journey to India. The students named their trip the Drishtikon Project and is part of the school’s Values in World Thought Program. “Drishtikon” is the Hindi word for perspective and many of the students said during the assembly that gaining new perspectives was one of the hallmarks of the trip. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)

Night Skies, Stories and Cultural Art: Mount Madonna School’s Lower School Spring Performance

The Mount Madonna School (MMS) lower school is reaching for the stars as students prepare for their Grandparents and Special Friends Day spring show with songs, skits, poetry and other celebrations of the night sky. 

As the March 29 “Celestial Stories” performance approaches, preschool through fifth grade classrooms are excitedly immersed in the world of astronomy, celestial mythology, planets, moons, galaxies and stars. 

In preschool, students have learned about the waxing and waning of moon cycles. They will perform songs and poems, including a revised version of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and “The Moon Phases Poem” by Betty Sanchez. They are creating an array of silvery stars to hang near the stage, which students can take home to hang from their own ceilings. 

Kindergarten students are focusing on indigenous stories about the cosmos. 

“We are taking this opportunity to delve into Native American star stories,” said teacher Hema Walker. Students are exploring the Wasco tribe story “Coyote Places the Stars,” through readings and puppetry. In music, kindergarten students have been learning “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” on hand bells which they will perform at the event in American Sign Language.

As part of their classroom preparations, kindergarten students  were joined by their fifth grade big buddies for a constellation project involving making their own Native American clapper sticks and creating starry crowns to wear for the performance.

First grade students have been reading chapter books with themes of astronomy, such as “Magic Treehouse: Lost in the Solar System” and “Magic Tree House: Sees Stars,” as well as learning their lines for the play they will present at Celestial Stories.  

“Our play is an adaptation of a book by Alma Flor Ada, award-winning Cuban author and poet of more than 200 children’s books,” said teacher Cassia Laffin. “The story is called ‘The Lizard and the Sun.’ It is about a lizard who will not give up looking for the sun until he has found it. We are using it to explore the importance of perseverance and tenacity.

“We will also be making renditions of Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’ and learning the song ‘Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)’ by Don McLean,” Laffin added. 

In second grade, students are learning about traditional folk tales about the night sky from indigenous cultures including the Cheyenne and Iroquois tribes and others. The class is focusing on stories by Paul Goble, and in particular, the story “Star Boy” which describes how the tradition of the sundance came to be. 

“Second graders will also pick their own favorite Goble story to write a report on and present to the class,” said teacher Prema Gammons. 

Third grade enjoyed a field trip to the Tech Museum in San Jose, where they watched an IMAX movie about the James Webb Space Telescope. The class wrote their own script for a play about a young girl astronomer who has a backyard telescope. 

“The play weaves in science, MMS values, and ancient philosophy – there is even a Confucius quote woven into the story,” shared teacher Madeline Hayes. 

In fourth grade, students are learning about our solar system and its eight planets. Each student has been assigned a planet to research and create a five-paragraph essay about. 

“Students are studying the movements of the stars and learning about how explorers used the start to navigate the oceans long ago,” said teacher Nick Cabassa. During a class  trip to the Tech Museum, students observed some of the first images sent back from the James Webb Space Telescope. 

The fourth grade will perform an adaptation of the ancient Greek story about the constellation Aries, a prequel for the fifth grade’s performance. For the art component, fourth grade has joined fifth grade and their kindergarten little buddies to create a watercolor constellation piece. 

Fifth grade students are busy preparing their own constellation projects. Each student is researching a constellation of their choice and writing a report on its mythology and cultural significance that they will present to the class. They will also create an art piece that pays tribute to their constellation. Art pieces can be a song, dance, poem or a visual art piece. 

Lower school music teacher June Bonacich has been working with students all semester on the musical portion of the performance.

“We are incorporating recorders, hand bells and mallet instruments to accompany our songs,” Bonacich said. “Going with the theme of Celestial Stories, the students will be singing and playing songs about stars, the sun, the moon and wondering how we all fit into this universe.”

 

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Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton, director of marketing & communications, 

Nestled among the redwoods on 380 acres, Mount Madonna School (MMS) is a diverse learning community dedicated to creative, intellectual, and ethical growth. MMS supports its students in becoming caring, self-aware, discerning and articulate individuals; and believes a fulfilling life includes personal accomplishments, meaningful relationships and service to society. The program, accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville. Founded in 1979.

“Who Dun It?” Students Investigate Professions at High School Career Forum

Recently, Mount Madonna School (MMS) high school students gathered for a CSI- (crime scene investigation) themed Career Forum in which they “interrogated” their “suspects” to find out what careers they held, giving a fun interactive twist to an MMS tradition. 

Nine adult panelists with diverse representations of careers attended the event, but their careers were not revealed to students. Students were tasked with approaching the panelists with questions to investigate for themselves. 

Students grouped around the guest panelists and took notes as they spoke. The student “detectives” asked questions such as  “do you work in an office?” and “what are your hours?” and “do you travel for work?” As the “interrogations” continued, the questions grew more specific and pointed. Students could be heard asking questions like “Does artificial intelligence (A.I.) threaten your job?” and “Would you consider yourself a creative person?” and “What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?” and “Have you ever designed a product or software?” and “How would you recommend a student like me get into your field of work?”

The adult participants joyfully engaged with students and kept them challenged. If any question was too obvious or would directly reveal their identity, the suspect would “plead the fifth.” 

The event participants were Michelle Sunga, senior software engineer; Marty Cheek, publisher/reporter at Life Media Group; Sanjeev Radhakrishnan, software engineering director; Jeremiah Wuenschel, platform security director; MMS alumnus and board member Daniel Nanas (‘07), Google program manager; Tyler Graham, chef at Craftroots, an upscale vegan restaurant; Adrienne Smith, program manager for Lululemon guest support; and Pere Monclus, chief technology officer at VMware.

“I was really impressed with the students and their insightful questions and curiosity,” said guest Marty Cheek. “It was wonderful to get to know them and tell them a little bit about what it means to be a journalist.”

“I think this was a creative way to get a lot of details on each of the jobs because you ask so many questions that you get a more in-depth background on what their day-to-day life looks like,” said senior Isaiah Orozco. “I think that it was a good way for us to look at jobs we don’t think about when we are looking at colleges – this helped me think about what I might do to get to that higher-up place.”

“I was surprised at how many tech jobs there were, and how different each tech job really was from the others,” commented Junior Amelie Zands. “I found talking to Marty, the publisher, most interesting. I could tell he was a reporter by the way he engaged.”

“I liked Michelle [Sunga, senior software engineer] because I could tell she really loved her job by how she answered our questions,” said junior Chloe Smith. 

“The CSI investigation format turned the traditional career forum to something highly engaging and hands-on,” said Ann Goewert, head of school. “Mount Madonna School is grateful for the volunteers who came to inspire our students, and to the parents who coordinated the event.”

After the suspects revealed their careers, students and guests enjoyed a delicious lunch together. 

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Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton, director of marketing & communications, 

Nestled among the redwoods on 380 acres, Mount Madonna School (MMS) is a diverse learning community dedicated to creative, intellectual, and ethical growth. MMS supports its students in becoming caring, self-aware, discerning and articulate individuals; and believes a fulfilling life includes personal accomplishments, meaningful relationships and service to society. The program, accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville. Founded in 1979.

Senior Class Shares Lotus Project Curriculum with Lower School Students by Anya Gonzalez

Earlier this week, Mount Madonna School (MMS) second and third graders met with the senior class on a foggy afternoon along the shore of the campus lake. Despite the drizzle, the children were chipper and excited to hear what the curriculum leaders and senior students Ona Musoll-Buendia and Emma Monclus, had to say about seniors’ Lotus Project. The students got into pairs and received a clipboard, pencil and bingo sheet. The bingo sheet included wildlife that live in the lake ecosystem. In pairs, accompanied by a senior buddy, the students walked along the edge of the lake searching for frogs, fish and any other wildlife they spotted in the murky water. Near the east end of the lake, Ona showed the children the water level gauge which was at 12 feet due to the recent rain. At the end of the curriculum demonstration, the students gathered in a circle to share their observations and to learn more about the Lotus Project. The younger students were able to connect the Lotus Project initiative of removing elodea, a water weed found in the lake, to their own invasive species project. After discussing the experience with Emma and Ona, students shared that they believe the demonstration was a success and that it helped them understand how to improve the curriculum they have created. – Anya Gonzalez, grade 12 

Photos by Sophia Manzur, grade 12

Powerful Cacti, Brain Research and Strontium Sparks: Seventh Graders Tour College Science Facilities

Recently, Mount Madonna School (MMS) seventh grade students visited science classrooms and research laboratories on the campuses of Cabrillo College and the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), to expose them to science and research underway, and for an “early” glimpse into institutions of higher education. 

At UCSC, the students visited three working science labs and talked with professors and graduate students about their research. The first, a stem cell lab, used brain organoids, brain cells derived from stem cells, to study brain function. In the second lab, the students learned about research on the effects of environmental toxins on the human body. Students also visited the Environmental Studies Department and learned about living solar panels made from cacti.  

“Creating energy from cacti? Charley, one of the graduate students at UCSC, told us that researchers were trying to make ‘living’ solar panels from a particular type of cacti,” said student Giavanna Iacocca. “She explained that bird strikes on reflective solar panels are a significant problem, and through photosynthesis and the cacti, they may be able to avoid this. Although their research is still in a testing stage, it’s so interesting to consider what may someday be possible.”  

“While visiting researchers at UCSC, students learned that scientists have to solve problems they have never seen before, and they often get stuck or frustrated along the way,” commented teacher John Welch, who accompanied the students and middle school science teacher Hilary Alvarado on these field trips. “In their MMS coding class following the trip, the seventh graders were given robots they hadn’t worked with before and had to figure out how to make them do useful tasks. They experienced the combination of excitement, creativity and frustration that scientists often go through, and they did really well.” 

“I liked hearing about the interesting study of brain organoids at UCSC,” said student Nolan McKibbin, “and learning how with technology you can see different parts of a brain firing.” 

“It was really cool to see the electron microscopes, and hear that researchers use these to look at how different parts of the organoid are firing and the frequency,” commented classmate Felix Alvarado.

In December at Cabrillo College, students toured chemistry and physics classrooms, where they observed and participated in several visual science demonstrations, including seeing marshmallows “squished” by air pressure and gasses less dense than the surrounding air lit on fire in the chemistry classroom.

“The chemistry demonstration at Cabrillo was really cool to watch,” said student Eva Melton. “Besides seeing the effects on the marshmallows, when we asked the professor what would happen to a balloon in the vacuum chamber, he said ‘let’s try it!” I liked that he let us ask questions and expand on things.”

“At Cabrillo, the science teacher lit the element Strontium on fire and it made sparks!” commented student Leyla Klosinski. “Strontium is white, but when it burns, it turns red!”

The students met with members of Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE), watched engineering student presentations and visited the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) lab, where college students study and seek out tutoring. As a “tasty” addition to their “college-life experience,” students had lunch at the Cabrillo cafeteria. 

“We really paid attention to the chemistry presentation at Cabrillo,” said student Cadence Barr. “It was so interesting and easier to understand because we could see it up close, as it happened, and not just read about it.”

 

Contact: Leigh Ann Clifton, director of marketing & communications,

Nestled among the redwoods on 380 acres, Mount Madonna School (MMS) is a diverse learning community dedicated to creative, intellectual, and ethical growth. MMS supports its students in becoming caring, self-aware, discerning and articulate individuals; and believes a fulfilling life includes personal accomplishments, meaningful relationships and service to society. The program, accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), emphasizes academic excellence, creative self-expression and positive character development. Located on Summit Road between Gilroy and Watsonville. Founded in 1979.